NEWS TRAVEL WEEKLY BUSINESS CONTINUED FROM THE BACK


Parliament can’t force a second referendum, it can only force the government out of office. e also downplayed


the likelihood of a second referendum, arguing: “Any Tory politician would be signing their political death warrant to support a second referendum. e added: “I worry a second referendum would be divisive, and would it be decisive Instead, he argued a general election is more likely. et he warned: “People really want change and if they don’t get it, they will vote for anyone who might give it to them. The biggest danger is that people just want to put a bomb under the system. Montgomerie noted: “eremy


Corbyn came very close to winning in 201. At the same time, he suggested: “There is a very strong feeling among voters that Theresa May is the adult in the playground. He argued that current


home secretary Sajid avid was the most likely to emerge as new Conservative Party leader, and said Boris ohnson “would struggle to win enough MPs to get into the final round of voting. Montgomerie campaigned for


Brexit, but he told the TMC: “There is a desperation to move on from Brexit and start talking about something else. He held out hope that the political crisis could be resolved next year, saying: “e have been in this period of uncertainty for two and a half years, but it’s coming to an end. The next six to nine months could be choppy. e could have a general election. I don’t think we’ll have a second referendum, but we’ll almost certainly have a change of Tory leader. The GTMC will launch an all-party group of MPs next year in an effort to raise the political profile of the sector.


GTMC domestic conference: Corporate travel companies seek certa


EasyJet just waiting on post-Brexit traffic rights


aset st nees confirmation of traffic rihts eteen the  an  to e rea for reit chief eectie ohan nren has insiste


Lundgren told the UK Guild of


Travel Management Companies (GTMC): “We have prepared for all scenarios. We established an Austrian air operator’s certificate in 2017. Post-March 2019 we have an Austrian airline to do our intra- E flying. “We are transferring two to


three aircraft a week – it’s the fastest-growing airline in Europe. It will have 129 aircraft by the end of March [and] we are transferring pilot and cabin crew licences – the Civil Aviation Authority has been extraordinarily helpful. Lundgren told the GTMC domestic conference in London last week: “There is a tendency to say we have until March 29 to prepare – we don’t. But he said: “I spend a lot of time with politicians and I’m encouraged by the discussions I’ve had, even if an agreement does not happen.


Outlook positive as corporate travel heads into 2019


The corporate travel sector’s prospects for 2019 remain “positive despite the uncertainty around Brexit, according to Guild of Travel Management Companies (GTMC) chief executive Adrian Parkes. He told Travel Weekly: “The


biggest problem is the uncertainty. Businesses want certainty whether they agree with Brexit or


70travelweekly.co.uk13 December 2018


Everyone wants to continue flying. That is what the European Commission has said will happen. “We’ve discussed a grace period,


but we have done it all in advance. All we need is confirmation of traffic rights between the  and EU. We just want the text in a legal document so we can get on with it. urt ansen, director of industry


lobbying group the Tourism Alliance, told the conference: “We can cope with anything other than a no-deal Brexit. e just need someone to make a decision.


not. ncertainty is difficult to manage. We would prefer certainty and a sensibly managed transition. Parkes noted “the potential


impact on currency, on consumer spending and on corporate travel budgets of a no-deal exit from the EU, but he said: “We see growth in air, hotel and rail numbers. The top-line indicators on volume and revenues are very positive. He added: “There is also


great investment in the sector, [including] from outside the UK. It’s a really healthy sector. Parkes also suggested the fall-


Adrian Parkes, GTMC


out from Brexit could highlight the value of TMCs, saying: “The TMC sector is there to assist corporate clients, to make sure they are buying as well as they can.


LUNDGREN: Encouraged by talks he’s had with politicians


Scott hagan,  Border orce


director of industry partnerships, declined to give details of the preparations for Brexit at border control. But he said: “There is a lot of work and planning going on. undgren hailed easyet’s recent


full-year results, which saw the carrier report a pre-tax profit of £445 million for the 12 months to September. He said: “It was a record performance if you exclude Berlin, when some airlines have issued profit warnings and some smaller airlines have not made it.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80