Sector Focus
Business Travel
Sponsored by: Chiltern Railways United Airlines milestone
Chiltern Railways Joint Top DFT Franchise in National Rail Passenger Survey
By Lucy Evans Marketing Manager
More than two million passengers have flown between Birmingham and New York/Newark with United Airlines - as the airline approaches its 20th anniversary serving the route. Operating non-stop flights from Birmingham Airport
since 15 July 1997, United Airlines provides direct access to New York/Newark, with onward connections to over 300 destinations throughout North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, including more than 100 served non-stop from Newark. Popular onward destinations taken by Birmingham
Airport passengers include Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles. William Pearson, aviation director for Birmingham
Airport, said: "United Airlines serves vital transatlantic connections for the region's business and leisure communities and has shown unwavering commitment to Birmingham over the last 20 years. “Providing non-stop flights to New York gives
customers a reliable service and flexibility with a Star Alliance airline, boosting our economy by plugging the Midlands Engine into global opportunities.” Bob Schumacher, United’s managing director sales
Passengers have rated Chiltern Railways as the UK’s joint top DFT franchise operator when it comes to overall customer satisfaction, with a score of 91% in Transport Focus’ National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS). Chiltern also scored joint top of the DFT franchises for satisfaction with trains (90%) and satisfaction with stations (89%). The National Rail Passenger
Survey which is commissioned by the independent consumer watchdog Transport Focus, represents the views of over 100,000 rail passengers on a broad spectrum of issues such as overall satisfaction and satisfaction with 30 specific aspects of service. Passenger opinions of network-wide train services are collected twice a year from a representative sample of journeys. Chiltern Railways Managing
Director, Dave Penney, said: “We are delighted that passengers have rated Chiltern as the UK’s top DFT franchise for overall satisfaction. What is even more pleasing is that we are also at the top of the table for satisfaction with our trains and our stations. The findings reinforce our commitment to providing a high quality passenger experience.” Chiltern run direct services
from Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone, via Solihull, Warwick Parkway and Leamington Spa.
62 CHAMBERLINK March 2017
UK & Ireland, said: “United is proud to have served Birmingham Airport for almost two decades, and we thank all of our customers who have chosen to fly with us during this time. “Our non-stop service offers customers in the Midlands access not only to New York City but also to hundreds of other destinations throughout the Americas via United’s Newark Liberty hub.” The US has recently retaken the top spot from China
as the number one destination for West Midlands exported goods.
Hit the slopes with Flybe winter routes
Flybe has extended its winter ski routes from Birmingham Airport to allow snow sports’ enthusiasts the chance to take full advantage of the off-peak season. Flights on Flybe’s recently- launched services to Geneva and Chambery will now continue through to 15 April 2017. This extension offers the airline’s Birmingham customers who are looking for some late fun in snow access to some of Europe’s most popular ski resorts direct from their local regional airport. Weekly Saturday flights to
Geneva take just one hour and 45 minutes – from where there are excellent onward transport connections to the slopes. Chambery is renowned as the
gateway to a number of Alpine ski resorts given its proximity to Mont Blanc and Flybe offers weekly flights to this key destination. The Savoie Mont Blanc region
features over 100 ski resorts and 4,800 km of slopes for all abilities. The ski season at the many
resorts close to both Geneva and Chambery continues well into spring, with many of the higher altitude destinations maintaining good snow coverage.
Clocking up two million passengers: Bob Schumacher In 2015 the West Midlands exported £5.4bn of goods
to the US, 30 per cent growth on the year before. The West Midlands has also seen a 188 per cent
increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects since 2011/12, with 81 new FDI projects in 2015/16, creating and safeguarding over 5,000 jobs. US firms have been the most prominent investors, accounting for 32 per cent of all projects. Aviation minister, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, said:
“Aviation plays a crucial role in our economy, creating jobs and building vital business links. I am delighted that United Airlines has shown strong and lasting commitment to Birmingham Airport, helping strengthen links between the UK and US while boosting the Midlands Engine.”
Air India finds home at Heathrow
Star Alliance member carrier Air India has successfully moved all its operations at London Heathrow’s Airport from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2. Air India operates up to eight daily flights in and out of Heathrow
with either Boeing 777 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft and has been serving London for nearly 70 years. At present it offers two daily flights to Delhi, one daily flight to Mumbai, four weekly flights to Ahmedabad and three weekly flights to Newark (New York). Star Alliance CEO Jeffrey Goh said: “With 24 of our member airlines
flying to Heathrow, the airport is served by more Star Alliance member carriers than any other airport in our worldwide network. “Therefore our long term strategy for Heathrow has always been to
locate all our members under the same roof. With Air India’s successful move to the Queen’s Terminal we have now accomplished this.” Compared to Terminal 4, the check-in layout and concept in Terminal
2 allows customers to take greater control of their journey, through a combination of increased automation and common check-in.
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