INFORM


WORDS MOLLY DYSON


TRAVELODGE TARGETS MORE RAIL HOTELS


TRAVELODGE HAS OPENED a 58-room property near Ashford International station in Kent and is looking at 10 other sites close to railway stations offering access to London. Ashford International station is one of the stops on the Eurostar line and is Travelodge’s 200th hotel near the UK’s busiest railway stations, as well as its 574th overall. The property features the Bar Cafe restaurant, with rooms available in family, double and accessible configurations. Each features a king-size Travelodge Dreamer bed or single beds for children.


The hotel chain is now looking at locations such as Broxbourne, Ware, Watford and Stevenage in Hertfordshire; Gillingham, Tonbridge and Maidstone in Kent; Haywards Heath in Sussex; Reading in Berkshire; and Shoreham in West Sussex. It will also


focus on stops


on the HS2 line. n UK rail sector update, p104-114


CONSORTIUM MAKES BID FOR ALITALIA


EASYJET AND DELTA are in discussions with Italian state railway firm Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) about a potential consortium bid to run a restructured Alitalia. The Italian airline started adminis-


tration proceedings in May 2017, but continued operations. The country’s government supplied the carrier with a €600 million loan to keep it running while it sought bids from outside sources, but the sale was put on hold due to a change of government. Several airlines have expressed


interest in buying Alitalia, including previous bids from Easyjet, Lufthansa and Ryanair. By the end of 2017, it was reported the


Italian government had given Alitalia at least €900 million to stay in the air. The Italian media had reported that


the government was considering a joint deal with Delta and Easyjet, but only if state-run FS still held a majority stake in the airline. In a statement to investors, Easyjet


AER LINGUS UNVEILS REBRAND


AER LINGUS UNVEILED its new logo and livery at an event in Dublin, with incoming chief executive Sean Doyle also setting out the airline’s ambition to become a leading value carrier on transatlantic routes. The carrier last rebranded 23 years ago.


The new livery, which debuted on an A330, features four shamrocks and a primarily white and teal colour scheme. “Aer Lingus” is written in a new font, and the shamrock


20 MARCH/APRIL 2019


logo has been redesigned to feature heart-shaped leaves. The airline said the teal undercarriage would be instantly recognisable from the ground. All aircraft should be repainted by 2021. In recent years Aer Lingus has


introduced free wifi on transatlantic routes and upgraded its business class offering, while its new business model will see 50 per cent of its passengers using Dublin


confirmed talks were ongoing but warned there is “no certainty at this stage that any transaction will proceed”. The airline said it would provide an update in due course, “if and when appropriate”. Meanwhile, FS commented that its


board of directors met recently “and resolved to start negotiations” on plans for the future of Alitalia.


as a connecting gateway to North America from Europe. In the past three years it has launched


routes to Los Angeles, Hartford, Miami, Philadelphia and Seattle. The airline takes delivery of four Airbus A321LRs this year, which will operate its new routes to Minneapolis from July and Montreal from August. n Premium air travel focus, p72-78


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