Business Traveller May / June 2021

Welcome to the May/June issue of Business Traveller. It is a great pleasure to be back, and I hope you are reading this either on your travels or as you plan your next trip. At the time of writing, the rules are carefully and gradually being relaxed, and we have some prospect of being able to resume our lives this summer. No one wants to tempt fate, though – we will all be very cautious, I’m sure, not only in negotiating this new world, but also in making predictions. First, an explanation. The past year has been extremely difficult for everyone and with the passenger fleets of most major airlines grounded and hotels closed for long periods, we at Panacea Media took the decision to suspend publication of Business Traveller UK…

APRIL HUTCHINSON April is editor of TTG Luxury, the UK’s foremost B2B premium travel magazine. She has worked with brand owner TTG Media for 13 years, part of a 25-year career in travel publishing, and is regularly called on as an expert in luxury travel trends. For our cover feature she whisks us away to the idyllic islands of the Indian Ocean, with recommendations for resorts to try out; see page 28. RICHARD TAMS Richard is a London-based airline consultant who has worked in a variety of markets in Europe, North America and Asia. He has spent most of his career in the airline business and sat on a number of boards. He now runs his own consultancy, coaching and moderating business, Tailwind Advisory. Here he explains why sustainability should be a post-pandemic…

ALASKA AIRLINES HAS BECOME the 14th member of Oneworld. The pandemic meant celebrations were limited to a virtual media event, during which Alaska Airlines’ chief executive, Ben Minicucci, said it was joining “a family of the best airlines in the world”. Alaska Mileage Plan members can now earn miles with Oneworld carriers. The alliance said: “Mileage redemption for flights on airlines that Alaska did not have previous partnerships with will occur in the coming months.” The carrier joins American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines (JAL), Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and Sri Lankan Airlines as a full member, with Fiji Airways the alliance’s first Connect Partner. There are also more than 20 affiliate members, including JAL-owned regional carriers Japan Air Commuter…

MARRIOTT HAS OPENED its latest property at Heathrow airport, located off Bath Road, about 3km from Terminals 2 and 3. The 244-room Courtyard London Heathrow Airport is situated between the Best Western London Heathrow Ariel Hotel and the Ibis London Heathrow. Guestrooms have soundproofed windows and 55-inch TVs. The sixth-floor Sky Bar and Restaurant serves pan-Asian dishes and has an open-air terrace. There’s also a 24-hour Market Place shop, a gym and ten meeting spaces, including a 600-capacity ballroom. Existing Marriott properties at the airport include the Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel, London Heathrow Marriott Hotel, Sheraton Skyline Hotel London Heathrow, Sheraton Heathrow Hotel and Moxy London Heathrow Airport.…

AER LINGUS HAS ANNOUNCED the launch of transatlantic services from Manchester to New York JFK, Boston, Orlando and Barbados, its first direct connections from the UK to the US and Caribbean. The airline will begin flying to New York JFK and Orlando on July 29, to Barbados on October 20, and to Boston in summer 2022. The carrier flies to Dublin and Belfast from Manchester, with flights to Cork set to resume this summer. Aer Lingus will also become the first airline to operate the new A321LR aircraft between the UK and US on its flights to New York and Boston. Services to Orlando and Barbados will be operated by larger A330-300s. The New York JFK and Boston services will provide connectivity to 58 destinations including Las Vegas, Nashville and Jamaica. Customers will…

EASYJET HAS ANNOUNCED plans for five new services from Birmingham to Mallorca, Malaga, Alicante, Faro and Corfu. Flights to Malaga will operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays from June 29. Those to Faro will launch on the same date, operating on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. From June 30 the carrier will fly three times a week to Alicante, followed by thrice-weekly flights to Mallorca (pictured) from July 3, and twice-weekly Corfu services from July 4. Easyjet will be competing with Jet 2, Ryanair and TUI on all five routes. Eurowings has also recently announced plans for flights between Birmingham and Mallorca.…