NEWS — HOT STORIES 4
Virgin Atlantic chief Kreeger suggests APD rate should be cut for children under 12
“I wish I could tell you that I saw an easy path to getting significant change.” Kreeger said Virgin Atlantic was proposing ideas
for smaller changes that could encourage the government to reduce the tax. “One area we’re starting to talk to people about is
that we charge kids under 12 a lower fare. Today they pay an adult APD,” he told the Business Breakfast. “I’d love to see an APD decrease for kids. We’ve begun lobbying on that as a small thing.” Kreeger said the airline sector struggles with a
Chloe Berman
Virgin Atlantic chief executive Craig Kreeger has called for the rate of Air Passenger Duty to be reduced for children under 12. Speaking at a Travel Weekly Business Breakfast,
Kreeger said there had been a collective failure by the industry to communicate the part aviation plays in economic growth and in creating a “better multicultural country”. Kreeger said he was encouraged by the
government’s decision to move all long-haul flights into band B, but added: “There’s plenty of room for continued decrease and freezing, and we’ll continue to be activists in that space.
HOT SHOTS: REASONS FOR READING THIS WEEK
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Win pairs of AIRLINE TICKETS with Star Alliance, page 14
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perception that it’s an industry for the “elite” rather than “mass transportation”. “There is a collective failure of our industry to communicate with the government and the British people successfully,” he said. “You can blame the politicians for not having the courage to do what’s right, but it’s also our
“We’ve tried lots of things and collectively we’ve not succeeded”
responsibility to educate in a way that’s compelling, so that the populous as a whole would put more pressure on the politicians to do what we want them to do. “So far it’s not resonating. We’ve tried lots of things and collectively we’ve not been successful.” ❯ Travel Weekly Business Breakfast, page 10
Tui reports 15% drop in emissions since 2008 Ian Taylor
Tui is poised to launch a major project with business
Tui Travel reported a sharp reduction in the carbon emissions of its airlines and an increase in cost savings from the second year of a three-year Sustainable Holidays Plan. The company reported a 15% reduction in CO2 emissions since 2008 and a £28 million saving in ‘environmental efficiencies’ since 2012. The figures formed part of a Sustainable Holidays Report 2013 that noted 3.8 million customers stayed at sustainably-certified hotels last year, which moves Tui more than halfway towards its three-year target of 10 million by the end of 2014.
Jane Ashton, Tui’s group director of sustainable development, said: “It is fantastic to see such progress, but there is a long way to go.”
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travelweekly.co.uk — 26 June 2014
consultancy PwC and industry charity the Travel Foundation to measure the full impact of its holidays. The project in Cyprus will measure the environmental, social and economic impacts of travel. Ashton pledged to share the results. However, she said: “We’re just one player. We urge all industry players to identify and promote hotels with robust sustainable-tourism certifications, such as Travelife or other recognised schemes.” The Travel Foundation launches its annual campaign Make Holidays
Greener Month next week with the focus on cleaner beaches. Thomson, Thomas
Cook, Kuoni, Sunvil, Abta, Aito and Antor are among those signed up. Chief executive Salli Felton said: “Cleaner beaches are important for tourism, coastal communities and wildlife.”
MORE HOT STORIES
Craig Kreeger: ‘I’d love to see an APD decrease for kids’
“We urge all
industry players to promote
sustainable hotels”
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