NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW 4
Lee Hayhurst
lee.hayhurst@travelweekly.co.uk
Travel organisations have received confirmation there will be no further industry consultation before new package rules are put before Parliament at Easter.
Kirsten Green, deputy
director of consumer policy and enforcement at the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), wrote to key industry bodies on Monday. She confirmed the government
will “lay the regulations” at Easter, leaving just six weeks for the industry to respond before new EU rules must be enforced by July. A final consultation on the Package
Travel Regulations was expected, but Green’s letter says BEIS now plans to work with key stakeholders on guidance for businesses. Derek Moore, chairman of the Association of Independent Tour Operators, was frustrated by the lack of consultation and also that the industry is still awaiting a response to last year’s BEIS consultation on draft regulations. “Frankly, it’s a bit of a bombshell
when, as BEIS admits in its letter ‘business and consumer groups highlighted some complex concerns that required further in-depth consideration’,” he said. “It leads one to conclude that the
government has decided what it is doing and not to involve the travel industry further, bar seeking help writing guidelines. I very much hope this does not prove to be the case.” Alan Bowen, legal adviser to the Association of Atol Companies, described the timescales as “utterly unrealistic”. “There is so much work to do. We don’t want to see
5 STORIES HOT ‘No more time for PTR consultation’
implementation until the end of the year at the earliest,” he said. “If this results in claims against
government for not enforcing an EU directive, they will have only themselves to blame.” Simon Bunce, Abta director
of legal affairs, confirmed the new PTR will be published in April, just three months before implementation, after a January deadline was missed. He said: “The government has said it will be working to provide guidance, but the very tight timescale still presents a significant challenge for businesses.”
5
Norwegian plans expansion of UK long-haul routes
Juliet Dennis
juliet.dennis@
travelweekly.co.uk
Norwegian plans major expansion of its long-haul routes out of the UK but has indicated its European flight programme could be scaled down.
New routes, increased
frequencies and onboard improvements, with the airline’s latest Dreamliners to be based at Gatwick, will put the UK “at the heart” of growth, according to chief executive Bjorn Kjos.
Long-haul routes will launch
from Gatwick before anywhere else on Norwegian’s network, with new services to South America and Asia in the pipeline. Services to more South American countries are under consideration following strong ticket sales on its Gatwick to Buenos Aires route which launched this week. The airline also hopes to expand
further into Asia after launching its Gatwick to Singapore service. Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing are destinations earmarked, provided the airline gets access to Russia's
6
travelweekly.co.uk 15 February 2018
Norwegian is taking on 10 Dreamliners this year
Siberian corridor, the most direct route to the Far East. From 2020, new routes are planned out of London to the US East Coast and Midwest on Norwegian’s first eight Airbus aircraft, which arrive next year. Detroit, Philadelphia and Minneapolis are cited as potential new routes, as is the Middle East. But the airline said it was
still finalising its short-haul programme, which could result in some services to European airports being reduced, while frequencies on key Gatwick routes
to Buenos Aires, Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale are likely to be increased. It also has a long-term ambition to secure slots for a triple- daily Gatwick-New York service. UK passengers will be the first to
experience Norwegian’s upgraded 56-seat Premium cabins, with 10 Dreamliners entering the fleet this year. These replace the current Dreamliner fleet at Gatwick. The new cabin adds 21 Premium seats, which the airline hopes will attract more business travellers. Long-haul Wi-Fi will be rolled out from the end of the year.
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