Corporate Travel News: August 2022
Covid Update
France drops all COVID-19 restrictions
France has abolished all COVID-19-related restrictions on entering the country. International travellers no longer need to provide proof of vaccination or recovery when crossing the border, but the government did warn that it could pull an emergency brake on the measure if a new variant of concern appears in the next six months.
Airline
British airways increase Gatwick- Grenada route
British Airways to add a third weekly service to Grenada this winter. The carrier currently flies between Gatwick and Maurice Bishop International airport on Wednesdays and Saturdays but will add a Sunday flight via Antigua from 30 October 2022. The new service will offer greater flexibility amongst travellers.
jetBlue launches Gatwick to Boston route
jetBlue has launched its service from London Gatwick to Boston. The airline plans to offer five daily flights between the US and the UK by October 2022. The flights will be operated using the A321 LR aircraft configured with 24 Mint suites (business class) and 114 Core seats (economy). Read more
Finnair launches flights to Mumbai
Finnair is launching a new direct flight from Helsinki to Mumbai, India. Flights will operate three times weekly. Customers will experience Finnair’s state o the art A330, which offers a choice of flying Business Class or Economy Class.
Emirates flight catering opens the world’s largest vertical farm
Emirates flight catering has opened the world’s largest vertical far. Located near Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, the 330,000sqft facility will produce more than 1 million kilograms of high-quality leafy greens including lettuce, arugula, and mixed salad greens and spinach annually. The hydroponic farm is the first vertical farm for Emirates Crop One, a joint venture between Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC), one of the world’s largest catering operations serving more than 100 airlines, and Crop One, an industry leader in technology-driven indoor vertical farming.
Lufthansa unveils ‘green fare’ for CO2-neutral flying
The Lufthansa Group airlines, including Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines are offering a new fare that already includes full CO2 compensation in the price. 80% of the offsetting is done through high-quality climate protection projects and 20% uses sustainable aviation fuels (SAFS). The Green Fare is now displayed alongside the familiar fares (Light, Classic, Flex) as an additional fare option on the online booking screen directly after flight selection.
Finnair to resume flights to Guangzhou, China
Finnair has announced plans to resume flights between Helsinki and Guangzhou next month. The carrier last operated the route over two years ago before COVID-19. The weekly service will launch on 6 September 2022, departing Helsinki and will operate by Finnair’s A350 aircraft.
Stansted airport completes international departure lounge upgrade
London Stansted airport has completed a £12 million upgrade of its international departure lounge, just in time for the peak summer holiday period. The airport is expecting to welcome more than five million passengers during July and August, who will find additional seating in the central area of the lounge.
Hotels
Accor opens first Tribe hotel in the UK
Accor hotels have opened their first UK property under its midscale lifestyle brand Tribe. The Tribe London Canary Wharf is the eighth worldwide hotels and is located very close to the Canary Wharf underground station. The six-floor development features 320 rooms across three categories. Facilities include an all-day dining restaurant,
Hilton’s Curio brand adds 200-year-old property in Krakow, Poland
Hilton has welcomed its first Curio Collection property in Poland, with the addition of Hotel Saski Krakow. The property is situated on Ulica Slawlowska in the city’s old town and features 117 rooms. Facilities include a ballroom, swimming pool, spa and fitness centre.
Travelodge opens first new build “budget luxe” properties
Travelodge has unveiled the first two new-build hotels featuring its recently launched “budget luxe” design concept. The 250-room London Docklands Travelodge is located next to East India DLR station and is the group’s 78th property in the capital. The hotel features a number of sustainable elements, including solar panels, air source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points. The second property is the 69-room Hexham Travelodge in Newcastle.
Holiday Inn London Oxford Circus gets upgraded
Holiday Inn London Oxford Street is to get a £34 million makeover in a bid to reposition the property as an upscale boutique. As part of the works, the number of rooms will be increased to 171. The hotel features six new air-conditioned conference rooms, a fitness centre, an all-day dining restaurant and a lobby bar, and the Londoner.
Park Hyatt Milan reopens after 20 million makeovers
The park Hyatt Milan has reopened its doors after a two-year refurbishment of its rooms and suites, restaurant and spa. The 106 guest rooms and 25 suites, along with communal spaces have been renovated. A number of sustainable features were also added.
Premier Inn to open first all-electric hotel
Premier Inn’s 195-room hotel in Swindon will become the first all-electric hotel. The hotel has been designed without a natural gas connection and will instead be fully heated and powered by grid energy generated by renewable sources and by on-site photovoltaic (PV) cells. The hotel will feature air-source heat pumps and new water-heating technology from Mitsubishi and will also feature a bar and restaurant as well as 38 of the group’s enhanced Premier Plus rooms.
Ground
TFL trials new ‘cooling solution’ on London’s Underground
Transport for London (TfL) has begun trials of a new cooling panel which could be used to reduce platform and tunnel temperatures at deep stations on the Tube network. The technology – which is currently being trialled on a disused platform at Holborn station – involves circulating cold water around pipework within a curved metal structure to chill it, before using an industrial-sized fan to push air through gaps in the panel’s structure to cool it.
