Corporate Travel News: November 2020
Airlines/Airports.
Delta to continue to block middle seats on flights
Delta will continue to deliver on its industry-leading commitment to providing more space for customers blocking middle seats for flights departing now through to March 2021. Due to the safety of air travel, blocking seats adds confidence and reassurance for customer booking future travel plans.
Etihad engineering launches an in-house production for face masks
Etihad Engineering, the maintenance, repair and overhaul arm of Etihad Aviation Group, has accepted an order for 1.3 million facemasks to be manufactured as its newly established in-house facemask production facility. The medical facemasks will be distributed to staff across the entire Etihad Aviation Group from cabin and ground crew to catering, cargo, engineering employees and medical professionals. Read more
Delta launches first domestic digital identity test in the US
Delta customers at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne Country Airport will soon have the option to move through the airport faster and more easily. The airline has partnered with Transportation Security Administration to launch the first facial recognition option for domestic travellers using digital ID made up of a customer’s passport number and TSA PreCheck membership. Read more
British Airways partners with American Airlines for COVID-19 testing trial
American Airlines, British Airways and Oneworld launched an optional transatlantic COVID-19 testing trial. This will occur on selected flights from the US to London Heathrow, in a combined effort to scientifically demonstrate how COVID-19 testing can reopen international travel and remove the need for passengers to quarantine on arrival. Read more
Virgin Atlantic prepares for COVID-19 vaccine distribution
Virgin Atlantic’s cargo operation has unveiled new capabilities in readiness to handle the logistical complexities of distributing COVID-19 vaccines on its global network. As many as 8,000 aircrafts will be needed to distribute supplies. To ensure the safety and security of this valuable cargo, the airline has introduced a new Pharma Service for all urgent products. Read more
British Airways opens lounge at Heathrow T5
British Airways has announced that Galleries North Club lounge will re-open, as a customer waiting area with a reduced selection of grab and go items. The popular ‘Your Menu’ service will return once the UK national restriction period has been lifted. They also intend to re-open our Galleries South Club and Galleries First lounges at Terminal 5 as soon as possible. There are several measures in place to ensure customers health, well-being and safety, including safe distance markers and sanitising stations throughout the lounge.
First COVID free Lufthansa flight takes off in Germany
The first negative only Lufthansa flight has taken off for Hamburg and landed in Munich. All passengers on board had previously tested negative for COVID-19. Once the test was complete, customers received their test results via a push message and email. Working closely with biotech companies, the airline offers its customers the opportunity to be tested free of charge before departure and if passengers who do not wish to be tested are transferred on an alternative flight free of charge. Read more
Emirates increases UK connections
Emirates has announced plans to operate its popular A380 aircraft four times a day to London Heathrow and six times weekly from Manchester airport and to deploy additional services to Moscow from the current two a week, to a daily service. Emirates will also increase flights to Birmingham and Glasgow. The expansion represents a significant expansion of Emirates services to the UK, following the recent establishment of the UK-UAE air travel corridors which has led to increased demand. Read more
American Airline trials verify COVID-19 travel requirements app
American Airlines is trialling out a new app aimed at helping customers to understand the testing and documentation requirements for their destinations and to streamline airport check-in through digital verification. The VeriFLY app will begin in November on carriers’ flights from (or connecting through) Miami and Jamaican destinations of Montego Bay and Kingston. Passengers will have the option to test the free app by creating a secure profile before travel. Read more
Lufthansa to be first to implement Star Alliance Biometrics 
Lufthansa (a member of Star Alliance) and SWISS will be the first to use Star Alliance Biometrics for selected flights starting in November. Specific infrastructure is being installed at hub airports Frankfurt and Munich. Members of the Lufthansa and SWISS Miles & More Frequent Flyer Programme who opt-in to biometrics will be able to pass through both security access and boarding gates in a touchless manner, an important health and hygiene safety measure in times of COVID-19. Read more
New COVID-19 testing facility opens at Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport and ExpressTest have welcomed the opening of a new COVID-19 screening centre. The site is located within the long-stay car park at the South Terminal and will offer a fast and accurate, lab analysed PCR swab test. It will be available for both passengers, employees based at Gatwick and the public. Air passengers and employees based at Gatwick airport will be charged £60 and the public for £99 and a group discount is also available. Read more
Hotels.
DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester airport opens after refurbishment
DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Airport has been newly refurbished. The hotel offers 230 modern rooms, offering guests comfortable rooms, an onsite fitness centre, flexible meeting and workspaces and dining options. The hotel is located minutes from Manchester airport and provides a free shuttle service to the airport and has close links to the city centre.
Hilton opens first hotel in the Faroe Islands
Hilton has opened its first hotel in the Faroe Islands, the archipelago of 18 isles located between Iceland and Norway. The Hilton Garden Inn Faroe Islands is the first internationally branded hotel on the islands. The 130-room hotel is in the capital city of Torshavn. Dining facilities include a French bistro-style restaurant, the islands first wellness facilities and meeting facilities of five flexible meeting rooms and event space that can hold up to 250 guests.
IHG to debut Voco brand in Qatar
IHG has announced plans for its first Voco property in Qatar. The existing Rabban Suites West Bay Doha will be rebranded as the Voco Doha West Bay Suites in the first quarter of 2021. The 396-room hotel is located in Qatar’s West Bay district, around ten minutes’ walk from Doha City Centre Mall and features an outdoor pool, spa facilities, all-day dining restaurant three meeting rooms. Read more
Hilton Garden Inn to open in Snowdonia, Wales
Hilton plans to open a Garden Inn property in Snowdonia in 2021 located beside the tourist attraction Adventure Parc Snowdonia. The 106-room hotel will be connected to Adventure Parc Snowdonia allowing guests to have access to park facilities and explore the surrounding areas such as the national park. The hotel will include a restaurant, fitness centre, 24-hour shop and four meeting rooms, an ideal spot to host team-building activities.
IHG to open Crown Plaza hotel in Budapest
IHG has announced it will open its first Crown Plaza property in Hungary’s capital in 2021. The Hilton Budapest City will be re-branded as Crown Plaza Budapest, with the group spending over 10 million on the renovation. The 230-room hotel is located close to the city’s downtown business district and within walking distance of the international railway station. The hotel will also feature 13 meeting rooms, a café and lounge club. Read more
DoubleTree by Hilton Stoke-on-Trent opens
The DoubleTree by Hilton hotels Stoke-on-Trent has opened. The hotel is located near the intersection of A53 and A500, a location that puts together guests close to business and leisure amenities. The hotel offers an ample of meeting and event space, an onsite restaurant and a fitness centre.