Corporate Travel News - October 2024

Airport updates

Amsterdam Schiphol details €6 billion investment plan over the next five years

Amsterdam Schiphol has revealed the biggest investment plan in its history. The investment will go towards the renewal and maintenance of its facilities, including Pier C, climate-control systems, escalators, aircraft stands and taxiways.

 

 

Gatwick Airport launches free Detailed Access Guides

Developed in partnership with accessibility information provider AccessAble, the guides cover 30 different parts of the airport (from departures and arrivals to car parks and the rail station) and detail information on flooring types and signage, light and noise levels, step-free access, walking distances, accessible toilets, and more.

 

 

Airline updates

Virgin Atlantic to launch flights to Riyadh and reinstate Accra services next summer

Virgin Atlantic will fly to Riyadh for the first time next summer, operating a daily service with its A330neo aircraft from 30th March 2025. The carrier also announces it will return to Accra for the first time in over a decade, relaunching the service on 1st May 2025 onboard Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Read more

 

 

British Airways announces record number of flights to North America for summer 2025

British Airways will operate a record number of flights from London to the US, Canada and Mexico in summer 2025, after announcing several additions to its schedule. This includes an additional seven flights per week to Miami, an extra six flights to Austin Texas, three more services to Las Vegas during peak months of the season, an additional service to Pittsburgh, seven more flights to Washington DC, and an increase of up to seven flights from London Heathrow. Read more

 

Delta announces its largest ever trans-Atlantic expansion for summer 2025

Delta airlines is expanding its European network with new routes and increased services to destinations including Catania, Naples, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Dublin, Brussels, Athens, and Munich. Passengers can also look forward to an increased number of Delta’s trans-Atlantic flights being operated using the state-of-the art A330-900 and A350-900 aircraft. Read more

 

 

British Airways set to become UK’s largest purchaser of carbon removals

British Airways has signed a six-year agreement to purchase more than £9 million worth of carbon removals credits in the UK and overseas. The carbon removal schemes include one in Scotland which will see CO2 emissions captured from whisky distilleries and repurposed into building materials, while another in Canada focuses on carbon removal from rivers and oceans using alkaline rock particles. Read more

 

Virgin Atlantic becomes the first UK airline to offer British Sign Language-trained cabin crew

Virgin Atlantic is the only UK airline to offer cabin crew trained that are trained to use BSL. In addition to ongoing BSL training, the airline has committed to add more subtitled option on in-flight entertainment, make its services and links to special assistance contact within their booking platform clearer, and introduce an on-demand BSL interpreter for customer service teams called Sign Live. Read more

 

10 of Emirates’ 12 US gateways will offer Premium Economy by February next year

Emirates will introduce its retrofitted Boeing 777s, with the latest Business Class seats and popular Premium Economy offering, on six routes in the US. These routes include direct flights to Chicago, Boston, Dallas Fort Worth and Seattle, as well as flight to Miami linked to Bogota and Newark via Athens. Read more

 

 

Saudia unveils new First and Business Class Check-In Lounge at Jeddah Hub

Saudia’s new check-in lounge at King Abdulaziz International Airport is available exclusively to First and Business Class guests and AlFursan Gold Members. It features 10 dedicated check-in counters with comfortable seating and specialised staff to greet guests with traditional Saudi coffee and dates. The lounge’s design reflects the rich Saudi culture and landmarks, presenting the nation’s rich identity and culture to its guests. Read more

 

Emirates reveals new £4 million London Stansted Airport lounge

Emirates has opened a spacious 900 square metre lounge with capacity for up to 125 First and Business Class customers and Emirates Skywards members at Stansted. It’s located in Satellite 1 adjacent to the departure gates, offering guests a short 2-3 minute walk to the aircraft. The Emirates lounge features new furnishings and dedicated seating areas to dine and unwind before a flight, an exceptional food and beverage selection, complimentary Wi-Fi, and refreshing shower facilities and amenities. Read more

 

United to offer complimentary Starlink wifi service across fleet

United has signed an agreement with SpaceX to bring Starlink’s fast wifi service to the airline’s mainline and regional aircraft fleet, offering customers high-speed, low-latency, gate-to-gate internet service for free. Read more

 

 

Emirates adds fourth daily flight to Johannesburg

After recently announcing the second daily A380 between Dubai and Johannesburg, Emirates has added a fourth daily flight on the in-demand route. Beginning 1 March 2025, the new service will operate onboard a three-class Boeing 77-300ER with 708 seats. Read more

 

 

Qatar Airways bolsters Amsterdam service for winter season with four extra flights

Qatar Airways is increasing its weekly flights to Amsterdam from 10 to 14, from 12 November 2024 to 29 March 2025. The additional flights will allow an additional 40,000 passengers to travel between Amsterdam and Doha through Hamad International Airport. Read more

 

 

Brussels Airlines will add three more A330 aircraft to fleet and invest more than €100 million in brand-new cabin interior

Three Airbus A330 aircraft will join the airline’s fleet in the coming years to accommodate the increasing demand for air travel in many African countries. The carrier is also planning to gradually introduce a new cabin interiors for business class, premium economy and economy class to elevate its inflight experience on long-haul routes. Read more

 

Swiss International Airlines adds Berlin to its winter schedule

Starting 28 October, SWISS will operate a new daily service to and from Berlin. This new route between Geneva and Berlin will add greater flexibility for business and leisure customers travelling to Germany’s economic and cultural hub.  The airline will also increase frequencies between Geneva and Copenhagen, Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Oslo for winter. Additional weekly frequencies between Geneva and Athens, Marrakech, Valencia and Malaga will also operate this winter. Read more

 

Etihad introduces twice-a-day flights from Abu Dhabi to Paris, Milan, Rome, Manchester, Frankfurt, Barcelona, Madrid, Munich and Zurich

Etihad Airways will operate double daily flights between Abu Dhabi and a host of European cities in its Summer 2025 schedule. Additionally, seasonal flights to Malaga will increase to five times per week, giving travellers even more flexibility with conveniently timed morning and evening departures and arrivals. Read more

 

Air France to rollout ultra-high-speed wifi across entire fleet

Beginning in 2025, Air France will implement ultra-high-speed connectivity completely free of charge to its customers in all travel cabins. The service will be accessible via smartphones, laptops and tablets, and all customers will be able to connect multiple devices at the same time. Read more

 

 

Korean Air launches inaugural flight to Lisbon, Portugal

Korean Air now operates direct flights between Incheon and Lisbon three times a week, departing Incheon every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The route will be serviced by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, with 278 seats including 24 in Prestige Class and 254 in Economy Class. Read more

 

 

Hotel updates

Newly renovated Leonardo Hotel Breda City Centre unveils transformations

The hotel now offers a completely revamped interior with a fresh look and feel that elevates the ambience of the hotel, and a new restaurant concept has been added. Chefs! Food & Drinks serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and creates a dynamic culinary experience thanks to its open kitchen. There is also a new private dining room with capacity for groups of up to 16, its flexible layout means it can also be used as a boardroom. The new Chefs Cellar, located in the basement of the hotel, is perfect for events of up to eighty people thanks to the redesign. Read more

 

Village Hotels announces extension at Village Manchester Ashton and refurbishments for four other UK hotels

Village Hotels has announced it will undertake a refurbishment project to update all bedrooms at Village Manchester Hyde, Chester St David’s, Hull, and Swansea. A 48-bedroom extension at Village Manchester Ashton is also underway.

 

 

Prizeotel rebrands as Prize by Radisson with plans for two new central Europe openings in the next two years

The rebrand to Prize by Radisson was announced at the same time as two new signings under the brand, in Gdansk and Berlin. Scheduled to open in 2006, Prize by Radisson, Gdansk City is a new 126-room property with a ground-floor restaurant a bar, located just 2km from the main train station and 17km away from Gdansk airport. Prize by Radisson, Berlin City is set to open in 2027 with 315 rooms, just 10 minutes from the Alexanderplatz transport hub. Its top floor will feature the lobby, bar, social area with co-working space, and breakfast restaurant. Read more

 

Radisson RED Berlin Kudamm opens doors, marking brand debut in Germany

Radisson RED Berlin Kudamm opens just steps from Kurfürstendamm, commonly known as Ku’damm. Its 133 rooms feature soft hues with red and black accents and are equipped with coffee machines, USB-C ports, steamers, TVs with streaming functionality, rain showers in the bathrooms, and free wifi throughout the hotel. The hotel’s signature bar offers a dynamic experience from day to night with the added benefit of a co-working space. Read more

 

Hilton to open new Doubletree by Hilton Derry-Londonderry in 2025

After an extensive refurbishment, the 158-room hotel will offer guests sweeping views of the historic River Foyle, and is located nearby key landmarks such as Guildhall, Tower Museum and the 17th Century City Walls. It will feature a bar and restaurant, ballroom, seven meeting rooms, onsite parking and a wellness club with swimming pool. Read more

 

 

Hilton Frankfurt Gravenbruch opens just 15 minutes from city centre

Hilton has announced the signing of the 225-room Hilton Frankfurt Gravenbruch as part of a management agreement. The hotel, which has elements that date back over 400 years and has hosted many international stars and Heads of State over the years, is within a 15-minute drive of the city centre, main train station and Frankfurt International Airport. The hotel is equipped with 18 meeting spaces, leisure and spa facilities, two tennis courts, and more, and will will continue to operate whilst all rooms and public areas are renovated. Read more

 

Hilton grows Dubai offering with new Embassy Suites by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn hotels

Embassy Suites by Hilton Dubai Business Bay offers an upscale experience, with 104 spacious suites and studios, complimentary made-to-order breakfast, five flexible meeting rooms and a ballroom with space for more than 500 guests, plus a range of dining options. Next door is the 229-room Hilton Garden Inn Dubai Business Bay, offering affordable stays and a welcoming atmosphere, with direct access to the meeting rooms and event space at Embassy Suites by Hilton Dubai Business Bay. The hotel also offers a pool, gym, spa, and restaurant. Read more

 

Ground updates

LNER champions sustainable travel with new liveried train ‘Our Planet’

The ‘Our Planet’ train is the first in the UK rail industry to have its livery applied using a partially bio-based material. LNER states that this alternative to traditional non-recyclable train vinyl could significantly improve the way their trans are maintained going forward. Read more

 

 

Eurostar announces partnership with SkyTeam

Eurostar and SkyTeam have agreed a partnership that paves the way for integrated intermodal journeys via air and rail. This will allow travel on itineraries that combine long- and medium-haul flights with sustainable rail journeys, and enjoy multi-city travel across the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. The partnership is expected to launch in the first half of 2025. Read more

 

LNER reveals new onboard First Class menus for Autumn

Available across all four complimentary First-Class menus, the new food options include a frittata with posh baked beans, Toulouse sausage and mash, pearl barley mushroom risotto, a Bombay potato salad, lamb rogan josh with mini naan bread, and more. Read more

 

 

Meetings and events updates

Newly opened INNSiDE Madrid Valdebebas features its own conference centre

Designed as a hub for business events and professional meetings in the city, the new 273-room hotel houses a state-of-the-art conference centre with more than 18 meeting rooms equipped with advanced technology, providing comfort and versatility for any event. The plenary room has capacity for 400 people, ideal for large conferences, and the Big Idea Space features a terrace and outside areas for more exclusive and personalised events. Read more