News Archive

bmi adds mid haul flights from Heathrow.

The second largest airline at Heathrow, bmi, is leasing two Boeing 757 aircraft to allow it to add more mid haul flights from London.

bmi is launching new flights from Heathrow to Tel Aviv on 13 March using an Airbus A320, and one of the 757s will be used to upgrade capacity on the route.

The 757s will also be used to increase capacity and improve schedules to Almaty in Kazakhstan and Freetown in Sierra Leone. Flight times to Freetown will be reduced by more than an hour and a half and an extra flight added, taking the total to four a week.

Airlines BA and Virgin pay flight refunds.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will have to pay millions of pounds compensation to passengers after fixing prices for fuel surcharges.

Around eight million passengers in the UK and USA are thought to be entitled to compensation. They will receive refunds of one-third of the fuel surcharge, worth between around £1 and £11.50, for each flight made with BA and Virgin between 11 August 2004 and 23 March 2006.

A class action lawsuit against the airlines was taken by law firm Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld and Toll in the US. It sets a legal precedent by also applying to UK passengers.

Luton airport welcomes 10 million passengers.

Luton airport has received more than 10 million passengers in a year for the first time in its 70 year history.

The landmark figure was reached on Valentine’s Day. Over 40 new flights have been introduced at Luton airport over the last two years by airlines including low fares airlines easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Monarch and Thomsonfly, and all business class airline Silverjet.

Airport lounges unveiled at Heathrow Terminal 5.

British Airways has announced details of the new luxury airport lounges at Heathrow Terminal 5 which opens on 27 March.

The six airport lounges at the new T5 are being called Galleries by BA and have cost £60 million to build. BA says they will be “the epitome of elegance and luxury”.

Most exclusive of the new lounges at T5 is the Concorde Room, designed for up to 156 first class passengers and special guests. As well as a bar and restaurant, the lounge has a dedicated concierge desk and a boardroom.

Irish airline to start Belfast to Paris flights.

Aer Lingus will be starting new flights from Belfast International airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle from 30 March.

Fares on the daily service will start from £25 one way including taxes and charges. But in order to start the new flights to Paris, Aer Lingus will be redeploying one of the planes currently on its Belfast to Amsterdam service. This will mean it will run only one flight a day to Amsterdam, instead of two as at present.