PwC buys mindfulness app for all staff amid coronavirus crisis November 6, 2020 Audit giant PwC has bought a 12 month subscription to a mindfulness app for all 22,000 staff across the UK business. City AM understands the chosen app is ‘Headspace’, a mobile app that aims to help users feel less stressed through a combination of meditation, mindfulness and better sleep. In a note to all partners [...]
Germany and Sweden removed from UK’s quarantine-free travel corridor list November 5, 2020 Germany and Sweden removed from UK's quarantine-free travel corridor list
Drinkers and shoppers flock to high streets to toast last night before lockdown November 5, 2020 Drinkers and shoppers flocked to pubs and high streets yesterday ahead of the introduction of a new nationwide coronavirus lockdown in England. The latest footfall data showed that high street visitor numbers surged 23.5 per cent on Wednesday compared to the previous week as consumers squeezed in a final pint or shopping trip before restrictions [...]
British Airways suspends all flights from Gatwick due to second lockdown November 5, 2020 British Airways has reportedly scaled back its operations for November, including the suspension of all flights from Gatwick airport, due to the new lockdown in England. Already struggling with a hit to demand from the pandemic, the airline has also taken the decision to furlough more staff as it braces for a difficult winter. In [...]
Crispin Odey steps down from asset management firm November 4, 2020 Crispin Odey has stepped down from the helm of his London-based hedge fund firm in order to focus on managing his own funds, the company said last night. Odey, one of the UK’s best-known hedge fund managers and political donors, will step down from the role of co-chief executive after almost three decades at the [...]
Air Europa lifeline loan may prove a headache for BA owner IAG November 3, 2020 Low-cost carrier Air Europa has become the first firm to tap the Spanish government’s new emergency funding pot for companies endangered by coronavirus. The airline, which is an acquisition target for British Airways owner IAG, will receive €475m in state-backed funding. A spokesperson for the government said that the package would comprise a €240m equity-backed [...]
Marriott International fined £18.4m over customer data breach October 30, 2020 Marriott International has been handed an £18.4m fine by the UK data watchdog over a data breach that compromised the personal details of millions of customers. The fine relates to an attack on the Starwood hotels chain that exposed records belonging to 339m guests worldwide. The cyber attack began in 2014, before Marriott took over [...]
What’s in store for the airline industry this winter? October 30, 2020 Although every industry has suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic, few have been as hard hit as the world’s airlines. At the beginning of the year, the idea of a world without global air travel was for most people a relic of a long-forgotten past, but seven months of extreme turbulence have flipped that notion [...]
British Airways owner IAG calls for airport testing as losses widen October 30, 2020 British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) fell to a €5.56bn loss in the first nine months of the year as it warned passenger demand could take three-years to recover to pre-pandemic levels. The company this morning announced it had plunged to a loss after tax and exceptional items of more than €5bn this year [...]
Flying is at the same risk level for catching Covid as visiting the supermarket, Harvard research finds October 27, 2020 A new report from Harvard researchers found the risks of catching Covid-19 during a flight are similar or lower than going to the supermarket – if you wear a mask