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Corporate Travel News: December 2021

Covid Updates

Pre-departure tests before arriving in the UK

In light of emerging evidence on the Omicron variant, anyone aged 12 and above wishing to travel to the UK will need to show a negative pre-departure test (LFD or PCR) as close as possible to departure and not more than 48 hours before to slow the importation of the new variant and to do a Day 2 PCR test on arrival and isolate until results come through.

UK removes 11 countries from red list

Ministers have agreed to remove all 11 remaining countries from the UK’s red list, following review of the latest risk assessment from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Passengers returning from Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe will not have to stay in a managed quarantine hotel on arrival in England. Current testing measures pre and post departure still remain in place.

Airline

BA becomes first UK airline to trial new technology for travellers using British sign language

British Airways has become the first UK airline to trial a new video service transforming the experience for customers that use British Sign Language (BSL). The initiative is being trialled as part of the airline’s continued efforts to make travel simple and easy for customers with additional assistance needs. The airline’s new partnership with SignLive will see the company’s BSL service embedded in British Airways’ customer engagement centres. The platform allows customers to access a range of services before, during and after their journeys in a modern, simple and easy way. Read more

KLM boosts Newcastle- Amsterdam service

KLM is increasing its capacity on its route between Newcastle and International and Amsterdam Schiphol airports offering four daily flights with a total of 28 weekly services. KLM said that the increase will complement the sister carrier Air France’s 12 weekly flights to Newcastle and refers to the move as a significant investment and testament to KLM’s commitment to serving the North East.

Etihad launches green loyalty programme

Etihad Airways has introduced a series of sustainability-focused initiatives to reward members for making ‘green’ choices and providing options to reduce their own carbon footprint. Conscious Choices, the new range of sustainable initiatives offered by the Etihad Guest programme, has been created to support Etihad’s overarching sustainability ambition to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and halve 2019 emissions by 2035. Travellers wishing to fly and spend more consciously and sustainably can now earn Tier Miles, and other rewards, for making sustainable choices. Read more

Finnair to fly into Seattle in 2022

Finnair has announced its plans to fly from Helsinki to Seattle in summer 2022. The Finnish carrier is expanding its US network, with three-times-weekly flights set to launch to Emerald City from June 2022.

BA & Phillips 66 agree the first-ever UK produced sustainable aviation fuel supply

British Airways will become the first airline worldwide to use UK-produced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from early next year. Thousands of tonnes of SAF will be produced for the first time in the UK at the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery and will be supplied to British Airways to power a number of its flights from early 2022. Read more

London Gatwick to open electric charging forecourt

London Gatwick airport is planning an electric charging forecourt in partnership with sustainable energy company Gridserve, the ‘Electric Forecourt’ is described by Gatwick as the ‘net zero carbon equivalent of a petrol station’. The new facility will open in Autumn 2022 and will be available for all users, it will have a capacity for 36 electric vehicles to be charged simultaneously with high-power chargers capable of delivering up to 350kW of charging power and adding 100 miles of range in less than 10 minutes.

Lufthansa arrives at Liverpool airport

A major break for Liverpool airport as for the first time Lufthansa will be serving flights to the Frankfurt hub from 4 May 2022. Lufthansa’s arrival will be a boost to the north west as Germany’s national airline can provide Liverpool with global connections both for departing and arriving travellers. There will be four flights per week operated by a mixture of 90-seat CRJ900s and 168-seat A320s.

Hotel

Raffles London at the OWO to open late 2022

Accor has announced a tentative opening date of late 2022 for its Raffles property within the former Old War Office (OWO) at the junction of Horse Guards Parade and Whitehall. The hotel will offer 120 rooms and 85 branded residences, as well as extensive wellness facilities and 11 destination F&B venues including a rooftop restaurant and bar.

Melia Hotels launches The Melia collection

Melia Hotels has launched The Melia Collection, a portfolio of carefully selected hotels. The group says the new collection is an additional step in Melia’s differentiation strategy and its commitment to superior-quality tourism. The current list in the new Melia collection is Hotel London Kensington, Hotel Maison Colbert and Hotel Villa Marquis in Paris.

IHG’s Vignette Collection debuts in Europe

IHG has debuted its new Vignette Collection in Europe, with a landmark multi-property deal. The hotel group has partnered with JJW Hotels to sign the Penina Resort and Golf and Dona Filipa Hotel in Portugal and the Grand Hotel Wien, Vienna. The three hotels are set to undergo refurbishment before reopening in 2022.

Accor Stadium

Accor group has won the naming rights for a stadium in Australia, with the iconic venue in Sydney Olympic Park to begin the transition to Accor Stadium. Accor stadium is one of the world’s most exciting and diverse entertainment venues in the region, with a capacity to hold converts for 100,000 spectators and over 80,000 people for a seated sports event.

Ground Travel

Eurostar begins SmartCheck contactless travel trial

The trial of a contactless fast-track service, SmartCheck, between iProov, the world leader in biometric facial authentication technology, and Eurostar, the high-speed passenger rail service linking the UK and mainland Europe, is now live. Prior to flight, SmartCheck allows passengers to complete a secure ticket verification and UK exit check on their mobile devices. Business Premier and Carte Blanche ticket holders will be able to scan their identity documents with their iPhones before arriving at the station, completing a quick biometric facial scan to verify that they are the genuine holder of the identity document. Read more