Archive for the ‘Edinburgh airport’ CategoryEdinburgh Airport passengers will now be offered year-round flights to Lanzarote thanks to the introduction of a summer 2012 service by Thomson and First Choice. The summer 2012 Edinburgh to Lanzarote flights will operate from 3 May 2012 to 25 October 2012.
WorldPoints – the loyalty programme that rewards passengers when they shop at Heathrow and the other BAA airports – is partnering with British Airways to enable members to redeem points for BA Miles. WorldPoints members receive one WorldPoint for every £1 they spend in shops, bars, restaurants and car parks, with each point redeemable for one BA mile. This new reward partner is in addition to the other benefits offered by the WorldPoints programme including discounts on car parking and Heathrow Express bookings and airport shopping vouchers. James Hillier, British Airways Executive Club Manager says: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with WorldPoints offering our customers the opportunity to earn BA Miles on virtually all airport spending.” Passengers can collect WorldPoints on purchases from around 600 airport outlets, with over 150 different participating brands. These range from high street favourites such as Reiss, Boots and Dixons to luxury retailers including Paul Smith, Mulberry and Prada.
Flights appear to be getting back to normal today after the ash cloud cleared UK air space, however, there may be disruptions to flights to Germany as the ash cloud has moved to northern Germany. Belfast International Airport is planning to run a normal schedule today, but it is advising passengers to check with their airlines before travelling to the airport. Delays and flight disruptions may be experienced on Scottish flights as a airlines get back to a normal schedule after yesterday’s disruptions and Edinburgh Airport is advising passengers to check with their airlines. Flybe has confirmed that it operated a full schedule of services from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports this morning (up to 10.00) carrying 931 passengers on 16 flights to destinations including Birmingham, Southampton and Manchester. Ten services to and from Aberdeen and Inverness were cancelled between 0700 and 0930 because of volcanic ash restrictions, though it is expected that these airports will re-open early this afternoon. Source: Flybe Average aircraft taxi times and on-stand delays are set to reduce thanks to a newly opened aircraft taxiway at Edinburgh Airport. Prior to the opening, access to the stands was achieved by a single approach which resulted in aircraft holding while waiting for other aircraft to move. The new taxiway will prevent aircraft from having to wait and will save an estimated 300kg of fuel per day during peak summer – around one tonne of CO2 less emissions per day. David Lister, Airside and Autonomy Director, said: “The construction of the taxiway has progressed over the last year, and we’re excited that it’s now operational and will contribute to improving on time performance as well as being one of the many initiatives Edinburgh Airport is investigating to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Due to the ash cloud there is disruption and some cancellations to flights in and out of Scotland. Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline and monitor their airport’s website. For information on passengers’ rights see here: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air_portal/passenger_rights/doc/2007/2007_04_04_air_passenger_rights_poster_en.pdf The National Air Traffic Services (NATS) is advising that an area of volcanic ash could affect some parts of the UK between 1300 and 1900 today, Tuesday 24 May with some services affected from the following airports:
For more information and further updates from NATS see: www.nats.co.uk/grimsvotn-updates/ Another update is expected at 3pm UK time today (24 May). A recent survey of 154 MPs has shown that more than two thirds did not know about the double taxation that airport passengers are facing in 2012. The survey, conducted by ComRes and Airport Operators Association (AOA), found that majority of the MPs were unfamiliar with the UK aviation industry’s planned entry into the EU Emissions Trading scheme (EU ETS) in 2012. This additional tax, coupled with a substantial increase in Air Passenger Duty (APD) next year, will mean that air passengers face double taxation on flights. Of those MPs who did know about the additional tax caused by the introduction of the EU ETS, 63% believe that APD should be reduced or abolished. Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Airport Operators Association, said: “The ComRes / AOA survey shows that the majority of MPs do not know that air passengers will face onerous double taxation on flights from 2012. It is shocking that our policy-makers are unaware that holidaymakers and business people will be paying a new cost on flying – the EU Emissions Trading Scheme – as well as even more APD, already the highest in the world. “Of those MPs who do actually know what is going on, more than 60% support the reduction or scrapping of APD to encourage economic growth by ensuring that passengers do not face a further tax rise in what are already tough economic times for everybody.” Andrew Hawkins, Chairman of ComRes added: “Fuel duty in one form or another has long proved a toxic issue politically and the impact of the ETS should not be ignored by politicians. It is notable that of MPs who are aware of it, the majority view is to ameliorate its impact by varying Air Passenger Duty. The ETS issue has all the hallmarks of a powerfully dangerous political mix.” Thomson Airways has announced the launch of two new services from Edinburgh Airport. As part of its summer 2012 season, the airline will operate flights to Cancun and Florida (Orlando Sanford). Flights are already on sale for next summer. Atlantic Holidays has teamed up with Monarch to provide flights to Madeira from Edinburgh Airport, filling a gap created by the failure of Flyglobespan. The flights will operate on Monday 27 June and Monday 17 October 2011. Flybe launched its first ever service between Scotland and the West of Ireland yesterday with flights operating between Edinburgh and Knock. The popular addition to its growing programme of flights from Edinburgh International airport will operate three times a week – Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays – until July when the service will be increase to five times a week for July and August – additional flights will operate on Fridays and Mondays. |
