Aviation hot list: 10 developments you need to know
From champagne flights to beating a fear of flying, new routes to the return of superjumbos, here’s some airline news to keep you up to date
BEST FOR BUBBLES
Emirates is currently the only commercial airline officially serving Moet & Chandon, Veuve Cliquot and Dom Perignon, with exclusive agreements in place until 2024. Economy passengers can pre-book a cake and champagne package for $43. emirates.com
GEARED UP FOR SKI
Clients travelling on Air Canada with skis or snowboard can carry their equipment at no extra charge on non-stop flights from the UK to Vancouver for Whistler; Calgary for Banff and Lake Louise; and Montreal for Mont Tremblant. aircanada.com
BA ADDS MONTPELLIER
British Airways’ Gatwick-based subsidiary BA Euroflyer has added Montpellier, Corfu, Mykonos and Innsbruck as well as a summer service to Salzburg. Montpellier in the south of France is a new addition to its network.
NEWCASTLE BOOST
Loganair is offering its biggest ever programme from Newcastle airport. Starting in March, there will be services to Stavanger (five times a week); Newquay and Bergen (both twice weekly) and Oslo via Aberdeen (without changing planes). loganair.co.uk
BEAT FEAR OF FLYING
Virgin Atlantic has partnered with Lovefly to offer a range of resources to help nervous flyers. The new collaboration includes face-to-face and webinar courses, 30-day self-help programmes and podcasts featuring crew. virginatlantic.com; lovefly.co.uk
TEAMING UP
Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines have formed a new strategic partnership, meaning progressively code sharing more extensively on each other’s services. Customer benefits will feed into frequent flyer programmes and lounge access. singaporeair.com; thaiairways.com
DELTA DAILY
Delta is set to resume daily flights between Heathrow and Los Angeles on 26 March. The service will utilise Delta’s new A330-900neo, which includes Delta One suites, and funnel passengers through the new T3 facility at LAX. delta.com
JET2 GROWS BRISTOL
In its third year operating from Bristol airport, Jet2 will place a 13% capacity increase on last summer. New destinations for summer 2023 include Malaga and Chania in Crete. There’ll be almost 100 weekly flights in peak periods. jet2.com
SUPERJUMBOS RETURN
Etihad is bringing back four of its much-loved A380 fleet on its Abu Dhabi-London route. The first of the double-decker aircraft will be reintroduced from summer 2023, owing to a surge in customer demand.
Non-stop Vietnam from Gatwick
Bamboo Airways is bringing the beaches, national parks and temples of Vietnam closer for Gatwick passengers
New direct routes have opened up between Gatwick and Vietnam, operated by Bamboo Airways, which touts the advantages of a new and modern fleet, a record for punctuality and competitive fares.
Last October, Bamboo Airways introduced a weekly non-stop flight from the London airport to Hanoi, switching the route over from Heathrow. This was swiftly followed by the addition of a direct weekly Gatwick-Ho Chi Minh service in December.
Both routes are operated using Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which offer economy and business class with lie-flat beds.
The onboard coffee, served Vietnamese-style with condensed milk, has been praised by reviewers as some of the best in the sky.
CORE PILLARS
Nguyen Manh Quan, chief executive of Bamboo Airways, says the airline hopes to increase the frequency on both UK routes depending on market demands.
“Bamboo Airways determines three core pillars in business: exceptional and dedicated service quality, leading on-time performance and an expansive intercontinental network,” he adds.
Bamboo Airways was established in 2017 and has swiftly expanded, adding international connections to Sydney, Melbourne and Frankfurt, alongside destinations within Asia and extensive domestic coverage.
Manh Quan adds: “Bamboo Airways has spread its wings to 21 out of 22 domestic airports, including airports that had yet to connect with major cities, thereby giving leverage for the economic and tourism development of many potential destinations in Vietnam.”
Book it: Gatwick-Hanoi from £850pp return; Gatwick-Ho Chi Minh from £626pp return. bambooairways.com
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