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February 2024


Oneworld Opens New Lounge Facilities at Incheon, Seoul


Aer Lingus Becomes First Global Airline To Offer One-Click Revolut Pay


AER LINGUS has announced the launch of Revolut Pay as a new form of payment on both the Aer Lingus app and website, aerlingus.com. Revolut Pay is a quick and


secure payment method that allows Aer Lingus customers to complete the checkout process in a single click. Aer Lingus customers will be


able to book flights without the need to input their payment details, by clicking Revolut Pay at checkout on the Aer Lingus website and app. Customers can then approve the payment securely in their Revolut app – which is protected by their passcode or biometric identification. Susanne Carberry, Aer Lingus Chief Customer Officer said: “At Aer Lingus, we are committed to finding new ways of improving our customers’ experience and this begins when booking. Revolut Pay allows our customers to make payments quickly and securely. Its addition to our app and website is part of our efforts to enhance our booking experience by making it as seamless as possible and it marks another step on our digital transformation journey.”


Belfast City Airport Charity


Donation


Partnership £17,774


AWARE NI, Northern Ireland’s only charity working exclusively for those with depression and bipolar disorder, has benefitted from a massive £17,774 boost following a two-year partnership with Belfast City Airport as its official Charity Partner of the Year. Founded in 1996, AWARE NI has


an established network of 23 support groups across the country and delivers information outreach sessions in addition to mental health and well- being programmes for communities, schools, colleges, universities, and workplaces. Belfast City Airport, a socially responsible business with a commitment to community, has supported AWARE NI for the past two years, raising crucial


funds to sustain the charity’s ongoing services. Speaking of the partnership, Michelle Hatfield, Corporate Services Director at Belfast City Airport, said: “When choosing our charity partner, we look for organisations that support causes aligned to our values and commitment to the local community. “This is a cornerstone of our Corporate Responsibility strategy and so it was a privilege to work with AWARE NI, which hopes to increase understanding of depression and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. During the partnership, Belfast City Airport employees were involved in various fundraising events including coffee mornings, terminal collections and bake sales. Staff also took part in the successful fundraising day, ‘AWARE Everywhere’, whereby staff wore yellow AWARE NI t-shirts and mental health champions took time to speak to passengers in a relaxed and compassionate way about mental health. One of the biggest fundraising efforts


was the Airport’s involvement in the Belfast City Marathon, in which 17 members of staff walked, jogged, or ran a leg of the relay event and several staff members ran the full 26.2 miles.


Belfast International Ranked One of UK’s Cheapest Airport Parking


THE most expensive and cheapest airport car parks across the UK have been revealed after a new study found vast pricing differences up and down the country. Travel experts at FlightsFinder.com have analysed the fifteen busiest airports in the UK to find out who charges their customers high prices and which have kept their costs low. The findings have been published online


as the UK Airport Cost of Parking Index, focusing on the cheapest parking available during a one week period in February. The research found that Heathrow airport


Turkish Airlines Adds Melbourne, Australia to Flight Network


TURKISH Airlines is continuing its route expansion strategy by adding Australia, a destination of considerable interest and long on its agenda, to its flight network. The flag carrier, which will schedule


three flights a week to Melbourne from 15 March 2024 via Singapore, will contribute to the tourism and trade volumes of Türkiye and Australia by carrying thousands of visitors on the Istanbul-Melbourne route every year. The Australian gateway of Melbourne will be Turkish Airlines’ 346th global destination and 130th country served. Turkish Airlines will also have the


benefit of being the only European airline to currently operate flights to Melbourne Airport.


was the most expensive to park at for one week – charging £123 per vehicle. The cheapest for airport parking was Edinburgh – charging holidaymakers just £34.99 for the seven days, just beating Belfast International who charge £48.99 for seven days. This is almost a £90 difference in the most expensive to the least expensive airports for parking in the UK. In the three cheapest airports, Scotland was


listed twice – with Glasgow ranking second most affordable at £54.99 for a week’s stay. Heathrow is the only airport to charge travellers over £100 – as the second most expensive was East Midlands airport at £81.39 for the seven days. Only four airports set their weekly parking


fee under £60 – Liverpool, Glasgow, Belfast International, and Edinburgh. Stansted, Leeds Bradford and Birmingham airports all charged holidaymakers between £60 and £70 to park their vehicles. The only Welsh airport to make the list – Cardiff – ranked the seventh most expensive at £72.99. Four of the London airports make the list


– Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and Gatwick. All besides Stansted make the top six most


expensive UK airport car parks. Outside of the capital city, the airport with


the largest passenger numbers is Manchester with 23.3 million travelling through annually. The northern airport is eighth most expensive for those wanting to park for a week – charging £71.99. The fourth cheapest airport car park in the


UK is Liverpool – with a weekly fee of £55.99. This is just £1 more than the cost at Glasgow airport.


Newcastle ranked as the fifth most expensive


at £77.99, and is one of the eight airports in the table that charges their customers over £70 to park their cars for the week. Shahab Siddiqui, founder of FlightsFinder.


com said: “Airport car parking charges vary dramatically depending on which part of the country you’re flying from. “We’ve found that the most expensive airport (Heathrow) charges customers almost £90 more than the most affordable (Edinburgh), for the exact same times and dates.


“When travellers are already having to pay hundreds if not thousands towards the cost of their holiday – airports are now leaving Brits with little choice than to add on another expense on top of everything else. “Three of the London airports have been ranked in the top six most expensive holiday car parks all charging over £74 for a week. Stansted is at the other end of the rankings charging travellers at least £12 less at £61.99. “The three cheapest airports for seven days


of parking are outside of England and Wales – Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast International. “Cardiff airport is the seventh most expensive at £72.99. East Midlands airport comes in at second most expensive in the UK behind Heathrow – with a fee of £81.39 for travellers parking their cars.”


Finnair Adds Arctic Circle Flights to Schedule


FINNAIR is turning down the temperature for customers keen to escape the heat this summer by adding more flights to the Arctic Circle. Due to increased demand for cooler climes, the airline is providing extra capacity to Finland, Norway and Sweden for the peak travel season between June and September. Customers looking for a cool cultural experience can take a break in the Norwegian city of Bodø, one of the European Capitals of Culture 2024, as the route makes a return to Finnair’s route map after a successful launch last summer. Flights to the mini metropolis will operate five times per week between June 17, 2024 and August 2, 2024 – an increase from the three weekly flights offered last summer – to coincide with the magic of the midnight sun.


BREAKING new ground in premium benefits and luxury air travel, the oneworld alliance unveiled its first ever fully branded dedicated airport lounge in Seoul. The new oneworld lounge opens as the world’s leading airline alliance prepares to celebrate its landmark 25th anniversary later this year. For the launch of its first branded lounge, oneworld collaborated with global aviation ground services provider Swissport and the team behind its award- winning ASPIRE Airport Lounges. Situated in Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport, the spacious new oneworld lounge stretches across 555 square metres and features stylish seating in a contemporary new setting for up to 148 customers. The bright new lounge is no more than a 10-minute walk from the furthest oneworld airlines’ departure gates.


Incheon International Airport is served by seven oneworld member airlines: American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways and SriLankan Airlines. Between them, these oneworld member airlines operate more than 60 weekly flights to Seoul, connecting the Korean capital with more than 900 destinations world-wide through the oneworld member network. The new contemporary airport lounge experience provides oneworld customers with vibrant and calming space to recharge, relax, and dine before their flight.


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