British Airways, CityJet and Flybe threaten to quit London’s City Airport over fears new owners will raise airline charges February 16, 2016 Three major airlines have fired a warning shot to bidders vying for control of London's City Airport, threatening to pull their business if a new owner raises airline charges. The airport, currently owned by US private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners, has attracted the interest of five bidders, including Asia’s richest man Li Ka-Shing. The deadline for final bids [...]
FTSE 100 index rallies after Asian markets as the share prices of Reckitt Benckiser and IAG rise February 15, 2016 The FTSE 100 index shot higher today after a rally on most Asian stock markets, despite poor trade data coming out of China. The UK's blue-chip index rose 2.26 per cent to 5,836 points in early afternoon trading, led higher by Reckitt Benckiser and British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG). "No severe sell-off in Chinese markets after a [...]
Virgin Atlantic’s London Heathrow to New York plane VS25 forced to return midflight after laser obscured pilot’s vision: Met Police now investigating February 15, 2016 Metropolitan Police are investigating an incident in which a plane was forced to turn back to a London airport mid-flight, because a laser was being pointed the cockpit. Virgin Airways flight VS25 from Heathrow to New York turned back to the airport because the laser was obscuring the pilot's vision, causing him to feel unwell. There were [...]
British Airways will start flying from Stansted in May 2016 – as BA boss Willie Walsh admits grudging admiration for Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary February 9, 2016 British Airways is adding a fourth London airport to its network and will start flying out of Stansted from 28 May onwards. The company's subsidiary BA CityFlyer will operate routes to Faro, Malaga, Palma and Ibiza out of the airport, located in Essex, which is a massive base to budget airline Ryanair. "Stansted is a growing airport [...]
British Airways relaunches flights to Iran between London Heathrow and Tehran for first time since 2012 February 3, 2016 British Airways will restart flights from London to Iran this summer after a four-year break. The airline will run six services a week from Heathrow Terminal Five to the Iranian capital Tehran, starting on 14 July. Daily flights will start on 30 October. BA first flew between London and Tehran in 1946 but services stopped in [...]
The amazing comeback of Mexico’s most exclusive retreat January 18, 2016 Mexico has many faces. Anyone with half an eye on international news this week will have noticed the furore surrounding the recapture of mega drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and the murder of Temixco Mayor Gisela Mota after only one day in office. However, none of this seems to have put people off going [...]
International Airlines Group and LATAM Airlines Group sign deal to make flying to South America easier January 14, 2016 International Airlines Group (IAG) has signed a joint agreement between its subsidiaries British Airways and Iberia and LATAM Airlines Group to make flights between Europe and South America easier. If they receive regulatory approval, the airlines plan to expand their codeshare agreements, which allow airlines to operate flights on another airline's routes. It allows firms to offer better [...]
Best UK companies to work for in 2016: Jaguar Land Rover, AstraZeneca and Harrods top the list January 14, 2016 Jaguar Land Rover, AstraZeneca and Harrods are the top three UK companies to work for, according to a ranking by Statista, which was compiled for Bloomberg. Other household names comprising the top 10 included Adidas, Dyson, Microsoft, Estee Lauder, Sky, Frankie and Benny's and Rolls-Royce. Those working in the professional services were most likely to recommend their employer, while employees in [...]
Man restrained by crew and passengers after threatening to blow up plane on British Airways flight BA105 from Heathrow to Dubai January 6, 2016 A man "went berzerk" during a British Airways flight from Heathrow to Dubai last night, claiming he had a bomb and was going to blow up the plane. The incident occurred around five hours into flight BA105, when the man began spitting at his fellow passengers. He was restrained by five crew members and the help [...]
Finally: Foreign secretary Philip Hammond confirms China and UK will offer each other multiple entry visas January 6, 2016 Foreign secretary Philip Hammond has confirmed that China and the UK will offer one another two-year multiple entry visas for the first time. The news comes after years of cajoling from business organisations to allow Chinese tourists to visit the UK without going through the complicated process of applying for a visa each time. "From [...]