British Airways ditches Gatwick after union scuppers plans for cut-price subsidiary September 23, 2021 British Airways has canned plans to launch a budget subsidiary based out of Gatwick airport and will instead pull out of the airport permanently. BA pulled operations out of Gatwick at the beginning of the Covid pandemic and had planned to relaunch there, but with a budget unit. However, the launch a short-haul subsidiary at [...]
Pre-departure Covid tests may be ditched to simplify travel restrictions September 15, 2021 Ministers plan to make an announcement later this week which will mean vaccinated people arriving into England will no longer be subject to pre-departure Covid tests, according to reports. A government insider told the Financial Times, which first reported the news, that measures to simplify travel restrictions and aid the UK’s struggling travel and tourism [...]
No more green lists and amber lists? Traffic light system set to go by October September 9, 2021 The traffic light system for travel during the Covid era – detested by the industry as complex and unecessary – looks set to be replaced, with an announcement due by the end of the month. The UK government is due to assess the necessity of the system, which delegates destinations as green list, amber list [...]
BA pilots at Gatwick to be paid less than Easyjet’s September 6, 2021 British Airways pilots working for the carrier’s newly-announced subsidiary at Gatwick will reportedly be paid less than pilots at low-cost rival Easyjet. The Telegraph reported that junior captains will be paid between £97,000 and £114,000, while Easyjet captains earn from £108,000 to £148,000. The new pay structure is part of plans by the carrier to [...]
Gatwick unveils plans for permanent second runway despite Covid hit August 25, 2021 Gatwick Airport has today unveiled its full plans to add a second permanent runway despite the current shortage of passenger numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic. Under the scheme, which was first announced back in 2018, the Crawley airport’s northern runway, which is currently used in emergencies and as a taxiway, will be modified for [...]
Gatwick calls for simpler travel rules after fresh £250m loss August 13, 2021 Gatwick Airport this morning called on the government to simplify its existing travel rules as it nursed a £244.6m loss for the first half of 2021. Just 569,000 people used the Crawley airport in the first six months of the year, despite the gradual easing of travel restrictions. With 75 per cent of British adults [...]
Face mask mandate to stay for airports and flights July 16, 2021 Travellers will still be required to wear face masks after English legal restrictions ease, UK airports and airlines said in a joint statement today. Passengers who refuse to wear a mask will be denied boarding for both domestic and international flights. Children and those with medical reasons preventing them from wearing a mask will continue [...]
Lufthansa aiming for 60-70 per cent passenger capacity by the end of the year July 14, 2021 Lufthansa, the German airline giant, has said that it is aiming for around 60-70 per cent of pre-pandemic passenger numbers by the end of the year. It is currently operating at around 40 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Jens Fehlinger, a manager at Lufthansa, suggested that things are beginning to look up for the airline [...]
Unemployment claims in London airport communities rise at double the national rate March 1, 2021 The number of people claiming unemployment benefits rose at double the national rate in communities around London’s biggest airports in 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has decimated the travel industry, leading to airlines and airports slashing thousands of jobs to stay afloat. In Hayes and Harlington, Heathrow’s local constituency, the number of people claiming benefits rose [...]
Gatwick crashes to £465.5m loss as passenger numbers collapse February 26, 2021 Gatwick Airport plunged to a £465.5m loss in 2020 as global air traffic and passenger numbers collapsed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While the airport remained open throughout the pandemic, passenger numbers plunged 78 per cent as lockdowns and travel restrictions took their toll. Gatwick said all revenue streams were impacted and posted a loss [...]