Economy

New 'airport chaos' probe, plus inflation stalls post-Covid growth

Channel 4 goes under cover across the UK’s aviation sector, while the CBI says record inflation is beginning to bite with Bank of England poised for another interest rate rise

School's out – but will the brakes be put on summer?

While predictions of a record-breaking summer may have been premature, but there’s still plenty for the travel industry to celebrate. Gary Noakes reports

IAG returns to profit despite 'historic challenges' facing travel

British Airways parent posts second-quarter post-tax profit of €133 million and operating profit of €293 million

UK travel and leisure firms struggling to raise new capital

Analysis of London Stock Exchange data reveals capital raising in travel and leisure has fallen by 75% year-on-year

Every setback 'makes the travel agent all the more important'

The industry has plenty to think about thanks to the ongoing airport chaos, but agents believe it’s a chance to truly convey their value to consumers

Agents and airlines risk losing £5.45bn to failed payments, data shows

Research shows a 13.4% of consumer travel transactions fail due to fragmented systems

EasyJet firms up order for 56 new Airbus aircraft

A320neo order gains shareholder approval

WTTC says Europe’s tourism sector vacancies ‘threaten recovery’

Call to fill Europe’s 1.2 million tourism vacancies

Inflation could prompt interest rate rise and heatwave fallout

Cost of living pressures grow with higher inflation and likelihood of interest rate rise, while the media assesses the fallout from Tuesday’s record temperature

New holiday bookings driving fresh economic recovery

Economy returned to growth in May according to new ONS figures, driven in part by ’increased confidence in holiday booking following the end of Covid restrictions’

Travel salaries jump 'sharply' in 2022 compared with pre-Covid

Wages for a ’typical new job’ in travel have risen by a 13% since before the pandemic, according to new data

Wizz Air to cut capacity by further 5% this summer

Budget carrier still expecting to post ’material operational profit’ in its second-quarter (three months to 30 September)

Aviation security checks being processed 'in record time', govt claims

Department for Transport says national security checks for all new aviation recruits being completed in five to 10 days

Tui ‘on its way back to becoming a normal company’

Group confirms it has repaid a further €671 million in Covid state aid

A&K Travel Group acquires Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony

The two ships, which will continue to operate under the Crystal Cruises brand, will resume service in 2023 after undergoing refurbishment

Tourism records highest input cost inflation of any UK sector

The findings from Lloyds Bank UK Sector Tracker come as businesses face higher operational costs and recruitment challenges

Travel urged to forge new relationships with legislators

Prospect of dedicated outbound travel minister unlikely, but there are things travel can do to boost its profile in the corridors of power, Lord Boateng tells the ITT conference

ITT conference: Travel bouncing back 'with enormous resilience'

Labour peer Lord Snape of Wednesbury opened the 2022 ITT conference with an impassioned defence of the travel industry, and took a pop at transport secretary Grant Shapps

Former home sec Amber Rudd to deliver Abta Travel Matters keynote

Senior airline and tour operating sector chiefs, as well as sustainability leads, among confirmed speakers for event on 22 June

Majority plan to travel this summer despite cost worries, poll finds

Allianz Partners research finds concerns about cost prevalent among UK travellers

Abta chief blasts govt’s ‘deeply frustrating’ comments on travel

‘The lack of recognition – it was only March when all UK travel restrictions were lifted, despite furlough being reduced from July 2021 and removed altogether in September – is particularly disappointing,’ said Mark Tanzer

Grant Shapps wades into airport chaos blame game

Transport secretary accuses airlines and operators of ‘seriously overselling flights and holidays’ at a time when the industry doesn’t have the staffing capacity to deliver these trips

Price increases ‘will test consumer demand’, trade warned

Agents and operators also likely to have to absorb increased staffing and business overheads as inflation continues to soar

Virgin pilot training error and interest rates set to rise

A Virgin Atlantic aircraft had to turn back because a “rostering issue” with one of its pilots