The biggest gaffes of 2015: Boris Johnson Vs child, Jeremy Clarkson’s clanger, fat fingers and s*** trains. December 31, 2015 The business boo boos, fantastic fubars and ghastly gaffes that made us groan and giggle this year were in some cases a little more serious than merely misplaced word or comment. And don't even get us started on VW's emissions cheating. Here are the gaffes that stuck with us in 2015. 1. Security snafus There was [...]
Monarch Airlines flights to Sharm el-Sheikh cancelled until 24 January 2016 following EasyJet and British Airways lead after Russian MetroJet crash in Egypt holiday resort December 22, 2015 Monarch is the latest airline to cancel flights to Sharm el-Sheikh for the rest of the year, following an earlier move by EasyJet and British Airways. It comes in the wake of the Russian MetroJet plane crash near the popular holiday resort. It was later found to be caused by a bomb, for which Islamic State (IS) has claimed [...]
Ted Baker buys Ugly Brown Building headquarters for £55m December 17, 2015 Ted Baker's founder Ray Kelvin and his staff have become very attached to their quirky King’s Cross offices they call the Ugly Brown Building. So much so, the fashion brand has bought the freehold to the property, formally known as Block B, Canal Reach on St Pancras Way, for £55.25m through its subsidiary, Big Lobster, after [...]
British Airways €104m fine for price-fixing thrown out by EU General Court December 16, 2015 British Airways has reason to rejoice after a €104m (£75.8m) penalty imposed on it was thrown out by the General Court of the European Union today, on the grounds that the original decision contained contradictions. The airline company was originally landed with the fine following an European Commission decision in 2010 over allegations surrounding its role in an alleged price-fixing [...]
Virgin Atlantic raises £220m from mortgaging its Heathrow landing slots December 9, 2015 Virgin has raised £220m in debt in an innovative deal that will see the airline use its Heathrow landing slots to secure the senior notes. For the deal Virgin has created a new subsidiary, Virgin Atlantic International Ltd, which will hold the majority of its landing slots at Heathrow, effectively mortgaging them by paying a dividend to outside investors. Virgin is the third [...]
Virgin Atlantic seeks to raise cash from Heathrow runway slots November 29, 2015 Virgin Atlantic has been given an air operator certificate for a new corporate entity called Virgin Atlantic International (VAL), sparking rumours the airline is looking to raise money against its slots on Heathrow's runways. The company said it did not comment on “market speculation”. Virgin, owned by Sir Richard Branson and Delta Air Lines, will reportedly [...]
On safari in Zimbabwe and Botswana November 27, 2015 It took me a long time to feel like I was in Zimbabwe. I had braced myself for a very different experience than the one I was having. If I’m honest, I was expecting to have to deal with nasty officials, hawkers, and dodgy taxi drivers. But instead I was standing next to Victoria Falls [...]
Best Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2015 travel deals and cheap flights: Discounts on ski holidays, Mediterranean cruises London hotels and Los Angeles flights November 26, 2015 The shopping deals we’ve all been waiting for are upon us. Yes, Black Friday is here at last, and the travel industry is getting in on the action. After all, whether you’re planning to brave the crowds of the high street, or the crashing websites of online retailers buckling under the strain, when it’s all [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Markets get spooked on political risks – London Report November 25, 2015 Woes in the travel and leisure sectors yesterday dragged down London’s blue-chip FTSE. The index closed down 28.26 points, or 0.5 per cent, at 6,277.23 points, extending the previous session’s losses. Russian President Vladimir Putin added to concerns after a Russian jet was shot down by Turkey on the Syrian border. The Russian leader described the [...]
British Airways cancels all flights to Sharm el-Sheikh until 14 January, EasyJet until 6 January after Metrojet crash ruled to be a bomb by Russian authorities November 24, 2015 Update: British Airways is the second airline to confirm it is extending the ban on flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh until January. The IAG-owned business will not fly to the popular Egyptian holiday destination up to and including 14 January, it said today "following discussions with the government". "We have not flown any additional customers to Sharm [...]