The Business Travel Magazine Feb/Mar 2019

THE REVIEW
I N T H E A I R
IN BRIEF
GTMC UPDATE
Flybmi route
A daily service between
Leeds Bradford Airport
and Munich has been
announced by flybmi. The
service will commence on
April 8, with one-way fares
available to book online
from £99. Passengers will
be able to connect at
Munich with services from
airline partner Lufthansa.
BA resumes Pakistan
British Airways will
become the first Western
carrier to restart flights to
Pakistan after a 10-year
hiatus. It will fly from
London Heathrow to
Islamabad, the capital of
Pakistan, from June 2, with
tickets now on sale.
Pakistan’s PIA is the only
airline currently operating
direct flights from
Pakistan to Britain.
New regional service
Flybe franchise partner
Eastern Airways will
introduce a double-daily
service between London
City and Newcastle
airports. The new
business-focused flights
have two morning
departures and two
evening departures
Monday to Saturday and a
single service on Sundays.
Air Transat business
Air Transat is offering a
programme of fares for
business travellers on its
routes between the UK
and Canada. They are
available on daily flights
from Gatwick to Toronto,
and on direct and
connecting services from
Gatwick, Manchester and
Glasgow to Toronto,
Vancouver, Calgary,
Montreal, Edmonton and
Quebec City.
TURKISH AIRLINES HAS COMMENCED A
NEW TWICE-WEEKLY SERVICE FROM
LONDON GATWICK TO ANKARA. IT HAS
BECOME THE UK'S ONLY DIRECT SERVICE
TO THE TURKISH CAPITAL
Suite success for
Malaysia Airlines
MALAYSIA Airlines has rebranded its First Class cabin to
Business Suites as it targets further growth in corporate
business. The Business Suites are now available on all the
airline’s A380-800 and A350-900 aircraft, including services
between London and Kuala Lumpur.
It says the conversion is a response “to the high traffic of
business travellers,” with the product offering “an enhanced
business class service at an attractive price point”. On A380s,
Business Suites are located on the main deck in a 1-2-1
configuration. Seats convert to fully flat beds measuring 87
inches long and 40 inches wide. A smaller seat features on
A350-900s – at 83 inches long and 23 inches wide – but the
IFE screen is marginally larger at 24 inches, compared to
23-inch screens on the A380.
Adrian Parkes
Chief Executive, GTMC
So the New Year arrives and
with it new aspirations for the
aviation sector.
Early 2019 should see
government clarify the UK’s
position around Brexit.
Regardless of what the next
three months have in store
concerning the wider debate,
it's critical that the post-Brexit
aviation strategy is solid.
The big issue grabbing our
attention at the moment is
the government’s grandlytitled
Green Paper ‘Aviation
2050 – the future of UK
aviation’, which is inviting
responses until April 11.
It’s a pretty ambitious
document, which seeks to
shape a globally connected
Britain in a sustainable and
environmentally conscious
way. Everything is covered,
from the development of a
‘Passenger Charter’ setting
out the rights of travellers,
to managing border delays,
boosting economic development
of the regions and
ensuring we have a workforce
that is able to meet the industry’s
various challenges.
The GTMC is working hard
to address the issues most
important to corporate
travellers and we are keen to
include as many viewpoints
as possible from members. It
is work like this that gives us
a great opportunity to shape
future policy and legislation.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
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