Business Traveller magazine: April 2007 stories

[QF WP]

Bookings open for T5 but expect Heathrow transfer confusion
London Heathrow's Terminal 5 will be a European showpiece when it opens on March 27 next year. British Airways will dominate the £4.3 billion T5 and the airline has spent £60 million alone on the 'Galleries' which it claims will be the world's largest lounge complex
Full story...

SIA's first A380 completed
Airbus' first production A380 super jumbo for Singapore Airlines (SIA) is completed and ready for testing. This week SIA senior management looked over the plane on the A380's final assembly line in Hamburg.
Full story...

Etihad arrives in Milan
Etihad is the latest Gulf airline to land in Italy's business capital. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier will launch a three times a week service into Milan Malpensa from September 2. Full story...

Reprieve for Gatwick Express
It was recently predicted that the Gatwick Express train service would be scrapped to make better use of track capacity on the Brighton main line. Instead, this vital rail link to London's second airport has been reprieved by the Department for Transport following objections from the aviation industry and various consumer bodies.
Full story...

 

[QF WP]

Re: Business Traveller magazine: 12 April 2007 stories

Deutsche Bahn and T-Mobile extend wifi service on InterCityExpress
Travellers using the InterCityExpress (ICE) train service between Frankfurt airport and Cologne can now enjoy wifi internet access en route, through internet provider T-Mobile. Full story...

Bristol-Paris seat shortage to ease
Flights from Bristol were a casualty of BA Connect's recent merger with Flybe. The latter scrapped BA Connect's services from this West Country airport.
Full story...

Maxjet flights to Washington return with promotional £299 fare
Maxjet's service between London Stansted and Washington-Dulles, which was suspended earlier this year, is to resume on May 24 with four weekly flights. Full story...

 

[QF WP]

Exclusive: Jet Airways new B777s will debut on Mumbai-London next month
Jet Airways has chosen the flagship Mumbai-London route to debut its new B777-300ERs. The privately-owned Indian carrier has ordered 10 of these planes and the first will be used between Mumbai and London Heathrow from May 23. Full story...

Zoom to serve Bermuda and New York
Zoom will compete with British Airways between Europe and the island of Bermuda next June. The Canadian carrier is set to launch a service from Gatwick on June 8 with flights being extended to New York JFK on June 23. Full story...

More BA baggage problems at Heathrow
British Airways says it has had to revert to its old baggage handling system at Heathrow following yesterday's fiasco at Terminal 4
Full story...

Gulf Air to downsize
Gulf Air is slimming its network in a bid to return to profitability. Previously the Bahrain-based airline was the national carrier not just of Bahrain but also of the UAE, Qatar and Oman, but in recent years it has seen its owning states break away to found national rivals such as Emirates of Dubai, Qatar Airways of Qatar and Etihad of Abu Dhabi
Full story...

 

[QF WP]

Almost all BA's JFK flights now feature new Club World
Transatlantic business class passengers opting for British Airways on the London to New York route will almost certainly experience the new generation Club World seating. Full story...

United's summer-time business class sale
Every year the major transatlantic carriers fill their emptier premium cabins with a summer sale. And this year United is the first to announce prices which provide a saving of up to 65 per cent on full rates. Full story...

Age is no barrier at the Malmaison Edinburgh
Boutique hotel chain Malmaison is offering a unique discount at its Edinburgh property – based on a guest's age. Rates are being offered on a sliding scale, with a one per cent discount for every year of your life. Full story...

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Age is no barrier at the Malmaison Edinburgh
Boutique hotel chain Malmaison is offering a unique discount at its Edinburgh property – based on a guest's age. Rates are being offered on a sliding scale, with a one per cent discount for every year of your life. Full story...

100 year olds stay for free

 

[NM]

100 year olds stay for free

If I stay with Mrs NM, can we combine the discount?

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

If I stay with Mrs NM, can we combine the discount?

Surely you aren't implying Mrs NM is old? :shock:

 

[NM]

Surely you aren't implying Mrs NM is old? :shock:

Together we would be due a hefty discount :shock:

 

[serfty]

Combine my age with mrs serfty and they'd need to pay us a %age to stay. :shock:

 

[simongr]

Bookings open for T5 but expect Heathrow transfer confusion
London Heathrow's Terminal 5 will be a European showpiece when it opens on March 27 next year. British Airways will dominate the £4.3 billion T5 and the airline has spent £60 million alone on the 'Galleries' which it claims will be the world's largest lounge complex
Full story...

Interesting article that. Not sure I have an opinion regarding the transfer T3-T5 for OW transfers given a lot of my transfer in/out of LHR are already T1-T3 or vice versa. What is interesting is the "galleries". They are quoted as holding 2,500 people. That just seems massive to me - it willl feel I think like a public lounge with free booze - not quite sure I like that idea.

 

[QF WP]

27 April 2007 stories

Virgin opts for Boeing Dreamliner
Virgin has purchased 15 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, with an option to add a further 28 aircraft, to replace its A340-300 fleet.
Full story...

Air France emulates Lufthansa with CDG first class lounge
Air France has just opened a special first class lounge within CDG's Terminal 2E. The lounge is aimed at passengers departing from Paris – who can now check-in at a specific location no matter where they are flying - plus those in transit with connections of at least two hours
Full story...

Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class summer sale
Last week we told you about United's summer-time business class sale. And now Virgin Atlantic has announced a similar sale for Upper Class but the difference is that this deal covers both US and non-US destinations
Full story...

Blackwall Tunnel tidal flow closure spells access problems for LCY users
If you're using Blackwall Tunnel to reach London City Airport from South London in the morning peak then allow at least an extra 30 to 60 minutes to complete the trip
Full story...

VLM enters the jet age
VLM is now operating smoother and faster jet flights on its popular London City (LCY) to Rotterdam route. It's a far cry from the Belgian carrier's F-50 turbo-props which have plied between the two cities for many years
Full story...

High-speed trains to link Paris with two key business cities in Germany
From June 10, rail fans will be able to board a direct high-speed TGV train at Paris Est and reach Stuttgart 3 hours and 39 minutes later
Full story...