Travel News August 2020


BEST BELFAST CITY AIPORT! B


ELFAST City Airport has secured six new routes to the UK commencing from August 27. Services to Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford and Exeter will begin on a phased basis in


line with


passenger demand. From 27 August, flights from Belfast City to Edinburgh will begin, while services to Exeter will commence on 28 August. Flights to Manchester and Birmingham will operate from 14 September and to East Midlands and Leeds Bradford from 1 October.


Stobart Air, operator of Aer Lingus Regional routes,


will base five ATR72-600 aircraft at Belfast City Airport and plan to operate over 200 flights weekly to and from Belfast. Stobart Air operates 30 Aer Lingus Regional routes from bases in Dublin, Cork and Belfast. Stobart Air will operate a high frequency schedule


with convenient flight times to facilitate passengers, providing essential connectivity between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.


Brian Ambrose, Chief Executive at Belfast City Airport, said: “Despite an extremely challenging environment, we’re delighted that Aer Lingus is to establish a new base and significantly enhance its UK network from Belfast City. “As an island off an island, air connectivity with the rest of UK is critical to the enabling the Northern Ireland economy’s recovery.


“This announcement is testament to the recent investments by our shareholder in making the airport and its facilities best in class, exceeding passengers’ expectations in a location only five minutes form the centre of Belfast.” David Shepherd, Chief Commercial Officer at Aer


Lingus, said: “Together with our up to three-times- daily service from Belfast City Airport to London, today’s announcement means Aer Lingus / Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Stobart Air is the largest operator out of Belfast City Airport, ensuring connectivity between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. “Not only will Aer Lingus customers benefit from


a convenient schedule, award-winning service and great value; they can also avail of our innovative loyalty scheme. AerClub allows members to collect Avios reward points ‘in the air’, every time they book flights, ‘on the ground’ and ‘online’ from a wide range of brands including retailers online such as ASOS, Disney+, M&S via the AerClub eStore.


“In response to current uncertainty regarding air travel, Aer Lingus has introduced a range of measures including no change fees until the end of the year. Detail regarding steps you should take before you fly to keep yourself safe, as well as measures being taken by the


EASYJET has confirmed it will be flying to more destinations from Belfast this summer, with great value fares still available for those who want to take a well-deserved summer sun getaway this year. In June flights began operating for


the first time since the airline grounded its fleet at the end of March as a result of Covid-19 and now from August the airline will resume flying to Amsterdam and is launching flights on a new route to Dalaman in Turkey from 1 August, in addition to a range of routes already operating throughout July. EasyJet has today also put its full


Summer 2021 schedule on sale so in addition to last minute deals still available for this summer, customers now have the chance to book early and make huge savings on summer holiday flights for next year. Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Country Manager commented: “We are really pleased to be able to be resuming flights from Belfast today to more destinations throughout August to get customers away on their much-needed summer holiday this year.


“Of course, the safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew remains our highest priority. This is why we have implemented a number of measures enhancing safety at each part of the journey from disinfecting the aircraft to requiring customers and crew to wear masks. These measures will remain in place for as long as is needed to ensure customers and crew are able to fly safely as the world continues to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. And with summer being so popular for


Brian Ambrose (right), Chief Executive at Belfast City Airport has announced six new Aer Lingus routes from Belfast City Airport to Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford and Exeter. David Shepherd (second from right), Chief Commercial Officer at Aer Lingus said the move will ensure connectivity between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Andy Jolly (left) , Managing Director of Stobart Air the operator of Aer Lingus Regional routes, confirmed five ATR72-600 aircraft would be based at Belfast City Airport. Economy Minister Diane Dodds (second from left) was at the airport for the announcement.


airlines, can be found on our website.” Commenting on the announcement, Andy Jolly, Managing Director at Stobart Air, said: “Working with Belfast City Airport and our partners, Aer Lingus has been part of that journey and we are pleased to establish a base at Belfast City. Through six routes, we are committed to providing essential connectivity between Belfast and rest of the UK, while we will continue to be guided by the official Government guidance. “High frequency day-return flights from Belfast


City Airport to key cities across the UK will facilitate business and leisure travellers. “Through our long-term franchise partnership with Aer Lingus, Stobart Air operates 30 routes to key


EasyJet to Puts Summer 2021 Flights on Sale


families travelling with us, easyJet has teamed up with a superhero illustrator to create comic book inspired face mask covers for children flying this summer to help ease the experience for both kids and parents. Irish artist Will Sliney, best known for his work on Marvel comics Spider-Man and Star Wars, has created a range of new comic book inspired face mask covers for young easyJet flyers. “We’re also putting even more flights


on sale today for Summer next year. We’re launching Summer 2021 earlier than ever before so that customers can book early to get the best value fares on flights to hundreds of destinations across our network, and customers have more options if they want to rebook their Summer 2020 holidays.” With flights now on sale up until


30 September 2021, customers whose travel plans have been affected by the pandemic now have more options to rebook their trip. The airline has been bringing its on-sale schedule forward throughout lockdown to provide more opportunity for customers to rebook and is continuing to offer additional flexibility for new and existing bookings to move flights without a change fee up to 14 days ahead of departure.


Ryanair Extends Fee Waiver for Changes


BUDGET carrier, Ryanair, is extending its fee waiver policy for changes to bookings in September. Customers who book to travel in September will be able to move their flights with no change fee to travel up until December 31, 2020.


British Airways Says Farewell to Iconic


‘Queen of the Skies’ 747 Aircraft


ON FRIDAY July 17, 2020 British Airways announced, with great sadness, that its fleet of Boeing 747 aircraft, fondly known as ‘The Queen of the Skies’, are likely to have flown their last scheduled commercial service. After nearly five decades of service and millions of miles flown around the globe, it is proposed that the airline’s remaining fleet of 31 747-400 aircraft will be retired with immediate effect as a result of the devestating


impact the


Covid-19 pandemic has had on the airline and the aviation sector, which is not predicted to recover to 2019 levels until 2023/24. Just a year ago, British


Airways lovingly re- painted four of its jumbo jets in heritage colours to mark the company’s centenary.


destinations across Ireland, the UK and France, and we look forward to ongoing success with our franchise partner.


“Enhanced health and safety measures in line with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the WHO, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)have been implemented to protect our customers and our staff.


“We continuously strive to provide our passengers


with frequent, convenient and affordable services through our regional connections. We look forward to welcoming our passengers on board these routes from Belfast City.”


Jet2.com and Jet2holidays Offers Customers New Covid-19 Insurance Cover


JET2.COM and Jet2holidays has launched a new insurance policy which includes added Covid-19 cover for cancellations and medical claims abroad, as the award-winning airline and tour operator resumes operations.


The new product, which is 5* Defaqto rated, gives customers even more assurance ahead of their well- deserved holidays, further building on the trust and confidence that the company has established both before and during the pandemic. The extra Covid-19 cover has been automatically added to all policies purchased since 9th April 2020, and new policies can be purchased when booking with Jet2.com and Jet2holidays or added to an existing booking. Jet2.com and Jet2holidays resumed its flights and


holidays programme on 15th July, and the company is using its industry-leading customer service to look after customers throughout their holidays and ensure that their comfort, safety and well-being is the number one priority. Everything from onboard cleaning to in-resort care is in line with official Covid-19 guidelines, and the company is only travelling to the safest destinations, where its teams and hotel partners are ensuring everything is in place for a healthy and happy holiday. Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: “As a Which? Recommended Provider and multi award-winning airline and tour operator, we are taking our industry-leading customer service and applying it to make sure that our customers have a happy and healthy holiday. It is no secret that we are the airline and tour operator that has done more than anyone else to look after our customers through this difficult time, and the launch of this insurance policy will enhance the trust that our customers have in us even further. We always advise customers to take out appropriate travel insurance, and thanks to the launch of this policy customers can include Covid-19 cover at the same time as booking a holiday in just a few simple clicks.”


SIX NEW ROUTES FOR GEORGE


UPDATES 5


Air Canada Joins Forces with Famed Montreal Chef, Jerome Ferrer


AIR Canada announced today a new partnership with prestigious Montreal-based Chef Jérôme Ferrer, who will design meals for the airline’s Premium Economy and Economy Class customers on all flights departing Canada for Europe and Asia, as well as Australia and South America once these flights resume. Chef Ferrer will join celebrated Canadian Chefs David Hawksworth, Antonio Park and Vikram Vij, whose meals will be offered once more on Air Canada flights beginning later this month as the airline begins to restore its award-winning onboard service program. “It is an honour for us to partner with the internationally renowned and talented Chef Jérôme Ferrer,” said Andrew Yiu, Vice-President – Product at Air Canada. “Chef Ferrer is known for his sustainable, imaginative, global yet Canadian approach to food, and he becomes the fourth member of Air Canada’s panel of distinguished Canadian culinary talent. We look forward to presenting his unique, innovative creations to customers travelling in Premium Economy and Economy Class on our international flights departing Canada. We are the first North American airline to partner with a celebrated chef to curate complimentary meals in Economy Class, affirming our ongoing commitment to customer service excellence and continuous investment in all of our products and services.”


“This is a very exciting moment for me!” said Chef


Jérôme Ferrer. “As an international chef, it’s a great privilege to become a culinary ambassador and share my cuisine with Air Canada’s customers, but also to be part of their journey. I can’t wait to share my savoir-faire, my creativity and transport you on my culinary odyssey. Who knows, we may have the opportunity to meet onboard somewhere around the world on Air Canada’s wings.”


Finnair’s Far East Flights to Shanghai Have Resumed


FINNAIR has resumed flying to Shanghai from Helsinki with a new weekly service on Wednesday, 23 July.


The Airbus A350-operated flight will took off following the green light given by the Chinese authorities for the Nordic carrier to restart flying between the two cities. Finland has opened its borders for work-related travel from China but entry to Finland is still restricted for the time being pending an EU level decision on reciprocity. The resumption of weekly flights is part of a phased re-introduction of Finnair services which will see the carrier operating 25% of its previously scheduled flights this summer, as routes and frequencies are gradually added. The airline will operate 70 per cent of services for the winter season. Finnair now flies to over 30 destinations in July, operating between 80-90 flights per day, and offers smooth connections to 24 European destinations from Helsinki, including flights to Heathrow. The carrier will also resume flights between Edinburgh and Helsinki on 1 August, with three flights a week. A twice-weekly service restarted from Manchester on 2 July, operating with an Embraer E190. Ole Orvér, Finnair Chief Commercial Officer, said:


“The re-opening of our Shanghai route is great news for our customers and an important step for us, as China continues to play a key role in Finnair’s strategy. We look forward to increasing our service to the Chinese market soonest.”


Andrew Fish, Finnair General Manager UK, Ireland & Benelux, said: “Finnair’s Shanghai services will play a big part in reconnecting Asia and the Far East with Europe. Customers from the UK and Ireland will now be able to fly to Helsinki and catch connecting flights into one of China’s most vibrant destinations.” In response to customer demand, Finnair updates its


flying schedule on a weekly basis and has the capability to add flights at a rapid pace, as travel restrictions are removed. Long-haul flights to Asia are also supported by increased cargo demand.


Cruise & Maritime Goes into Administration


SOUTH Quay Travel & Leisure Limited (trading as Cruise & Maritime) has gone into administration. All bookings that have not taken place are now cancelled. Customers that have booked a package holiday provided by SQTL through a travel agent should contact travel agents in the first instance for further advice and assistance as they may have made alternative arrangements for you. If you booked a non-flight package holiday


(eg. a cruise without flight) through SQTL these are protect by ABTA or by your credit or debit card issuer. If your booking included flights, you will need to contact the CAA as your booking is protected by the CAA’s ATOL scheme.


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