Skip to main content

Disease

David Urquhart Travel to wind up coach tour business
Directors unable to find a buyer for coach division amid the coronavirus crisis
'Govt must come out publicly and address the refunds crisis in travel'
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer renews plea for government support after appearing before transport committee on Wednesday (6 May)
Gatwick 'optimistic' despite Virgin Atlantic blow
Airport says Virgin will ‘always be welcome’ at Gatwick after announcing it would pull out amid the coronavirus crisis
Hotels urged to donate rooms for new Nights On Us drive
The initiative aims to provide 100,000 NHS ICU workers with luxury short breaks in the UK as a thank you for their dedication
Tanzer: 'There are three main ways to help agents through this crisis'
Abta boss says clear Foreign Office and destination advice, a focus on ensuring operators and airlines survive Covid-19, and rebuilding consumer confidence will be vital to the safety of the trade
Caribbean hotels 'owed millions by tour ops' says tourism chief
69% of Caribbean hotels report being owed cash by tour operators for services provided during Q1 2020, says Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association
Recap: Abta chief gives evidence to govt transport committee
Mark Tanzer to reflect on the implications of the coronavirus crisis for travel, alongside The Independent’s senior travel editor Simon Calder
Sicily could partially subsidise holidays post-coronavirus
New €75 million fund set aside to assist island’s efforts to reopen to tourism
Iata backs masks but not social distancing onboard aircraft
Association says masks would reduce already ‘low’ risk of Covid-19 transmission on aircraft, adding social distancing measures – such as blocking middle seats – would cause ‘dramatic cost increases’
Steve Endacott: 'Travel has not seen the worst of Covid-19 yet'

Why haven’t more travel companies gone bust? Well there’s the furlough scheme, which has reduced overheads and given management an incentive to go on. They can pay staff something for a longer period and protect them as much as possible.


There are refund credit notes, which have allowed many travel companies, so far, to avoid paying out large scale refunds at this stage – customers are continuing to make balance payments too for fear of defaulting and losing their deposits so there is still cash flowing in.

Wizz Air announces new 2020 summer sun routes
Budget carrier to embark on ‘new era of sanitised travel’
Unite: Virgin Atlantic job cuts 'threaten future of Gatwick'
Jobs announcement another ‘devastating blow’ for the UK aviation sector, says union
Virgin Atlantic to cut more than 3,000 roles in major restructure
Move would also see the airline temporarily cease operations at Gatwick, and rebrand Virgin Holidays as Virgin Atlantic Holidays
€7bn Air France-KLM state aid package green lit by EU
French government package to come with strict environmental commitments
Etihad extends Heathrow rescue flight programme
Gulf carrier adds extra five Abu Dhabi-Heathrow services to May schedule, but there are no further Dublin flights planned
Packed Aer Lingus flight prompts coronavirus safety review
Airline pledges to review processes and procedures after pictures emerge of ‘95% full’ Belfast-Heathrow flight
Ryanair's April traffic shrinks to almost zero
Budget operator’s April carryings down 99.6%, while Wizz traffic also plummets 97%
Balpa: UK aviation sector risks falling into 'death spiral'
Pilots union calls for government to enforce moratorium on mass job cuts
Eurostar makes face masks and coverings compulsory
Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports also planning to insist passengers and staff wear masks
Heathrow chief warns of 'kilometre-long queues' at airports
‘Forget social distancing – it won’t work in aviation or any other form of public transport,’ says airport chief executive John Holland-Kaye
Tui boss: 'We must make 2020 holidays possible'
Fritz Joussen says EU member states must develop a roadmap to restore leisure travel in Europe by the end of the year, suggesting preparations in Greece, Cyprus and Portugal could put them ahead of the game
WTTC urges travel sector to get ready for 'the new normal'
Travel firms will have to adapt to new health and safety protocols, and place a renewed focus on customer reassurance
Jet2holidays vows to back trade post-coronavirus
‘When we exit lockdown, we’ll be working closely with you to generate as much business as possible,’ says head of trade Alan Cross, confirming the operator’s 2020 agent conference has been postponed
Business Support Live - HR and staffing focus
TTG news editor Jennifer Morris was joined by C&M Recruitment’s Barbara Kolosinska, HR and talent professional Claire Steiner, and owner of Blue Cube Corporate Travel Management Mel Phaure