Dave

City Airport hits pause on terminal extension plans

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London City has provided an update on its Development Programme, including a decision to temporarily pause the development at the end of this year upon completion of new aircraft stands, a full-length parallel taxiway and new passenger facilities.

At the height of the Covid-19 crisis, the airport took the decision to suspend commercial flights, re-opening on 21 June. During that period, the airport worked with contractors to adapt working methods to meet new health and safety standards and made significant progress with crucial elements of the scheme.

Flights to Luxembourg are suspended until September. Routes will be added on 31 August (Vilnius) and 7 September (Frankfurt and Belfast)

By the end of 2020, the airport will have completed a number of projects to deliver significant new airside infrastructure and capacity. This includes eight new aircraft stands capable of accommodating the new generation of cleaner, more sustainable aircraft such as the Airbus A220, and the Embraer E2-190, along with a full length parallel taxiway providing the ability to allow 45 aircraft movements per hour, when demand returns.

A new immigration facility will be opened to passengers at the start of September which will include 10 new E-gates, further improving the airport’s ability to offer the fastest passenger proposition in London. Construction of a new baggage facility with increased capacity and resilience, and featuring the latest security screening technology, will be operational next summer.

Since recommencing commercial flights, the airport has welcomed back four airlines, including its home-based carrier, BA City Flyer, and is now connecting to 15 domestic and European leisure and business destinations. Further airlines are set to return over the next several months, and frequencies to key business destinations are expected to increase over the autumn.

The airport has decided to re-evaluate the timing of the next phases of the development programme, including the new terminal extension.

Robert Sinclair, CEO of London City Airport said:

Robert Sinclair
Very confident about the long-term prospects of London City and the vital role in re-connecting London and the British economy

Given our location in the heart of London, and the resilient nature of aviation, the airport and our shareholders remain very confident about the long-term prospects of London City and the vital role we can play in re-connecting London and the British economy as we recover from the shock of Covid-19.
 
For the time being, we have taken the decision to focus our attention on delivering the vital additional airfield infrastructure which will provide our existing and prospective airline customers with the potential to bring new generation aircraft to this airport in greater numbers, which will be a crucial aspect of how we build a better, more sustainable airport.
 
Completing the terminal extension and new east pier very much remains part of our future, and, with the foundations for both in place, we stand ready to take those projects forward when demand returns. 
 
In the months ahead we will work with airlines and Government to help restore confidence to the UK aviation market and we will continue to support our local authority and our communities as they plan for life beyond the crisis.

If you’re planning to fly from London City Airport, contact your GTM Account Manager.

Dave

Teesside regains London Heathrow route with Eastern Airways

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Teesside International Airport will regain its link to London Heathrow with Eastern Airways launching its first ever schedule flights from London’s world hub airport.

From 14 September 2020, the Teesside–Heathrow service will be served by a 76-seat E-Jet Embraer 170 aircraft, following a gap of more than a decade. The airline will initially offer a daily service to the capital which will offer passengers from Durham, Middlesbrough, Darlington, Hartlepool, Teesside and North Yorkshire hundreds of onward connections to the world.

This latest news at Teesside is a further expansion of Eastern Airways’ developing route network from the north east airport. Since restrictions have been eased following the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, the airline has reintroduced Teesside flights to Aberdeen and Belfast City while starting new routes to London City and Newquay.

The daily departures are timed to maximise the array of world-wide connections available while also supporting quick and easy access to London and the South-East on the circa 1-hour flight.

Roger Hage, Eastern Airways’ General Manager Commercial & Operations, said

As the UK’s Regional Airline, the opportunity for Eastern Airways to connect Teesside to London Heathrow, the UK’s primary hub for worldwide connections is significant in the region’s economic prosperity and economic recovery. Offering an initial daily e-Jet operated service helps add further London capacity and makes reaching the capital or getting to the North East a little over an hour away, with the array of connections world-wide this opens up. We look forward with our partners at Teesside International Airport and London Heathrow Airport to restoring such a major air-link missing for over a decade.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said

Ben Houchen – we have flights to one of our most-requested destinations

Since I did a deal to take back control of our airport last year to save it from closure, we’ve announced some brilliant new daily and seasonal routes.

But whenever I’ve revealed a new service people have said, ‘that’s great, but what about a connection to Heathrow?’

Well, I can now say we have flights to one of our most-requested destinations, and it starts next month. Whether people from Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool are looking to travel for business or pleasure, they now have a range of options for getting to London.

This is another massive vote of confidence in our airport and I’d like to thank Heathrow and Eastern Airways for working with us to realise a key route for any serious airport.

Our airport is much more than just flights though; it is hugely important to our local economy and it is playing a key part in my plan for jobs. I’ve always said that investment won’t come on a bus, it will come through our airport terminal which in turn will create good quality local jobs for local workers.

John Holland-Kaye, Chief Executive of Heathrow Airport, said

John Holland-Kaye – delighted that Eastern Airways will launch a Heathrow connection

We are delighted that Eastern Airways will launch a new connection between Teesside and Heathrow for the first time in over a decade. Adding the UK’s hub airport to Teesside’s network demonstrates the growth ambitions of the Tees Valley region, and will provide a vital levelling-up boost – unlocking a huge amount of potential for the region as we build the UK’s economic recovery.

Heathrow is committed to strengthening our regional connections across the UK with our discount on domestic routes, and we believe this new service will be a springboard for the great businesses in the region to reach out to the world. We’re looking forward to welcoming the first passengers in September.

Initially Eastern Airways’ usual complimentary on-board service will be limited to facilitate reduced customer contact.

Services continue to be carefully reintroduced since Covid-19 restrictions began to ease with extensive cleaning measures on-board and throughout all aspects of the airport. A full anti-bacterial wipe down of all touch points between every service operated and also a comprehensive aircraft night-stop sanitisation is implemented.

Eastern Airways was formed in 1997 and had moved quickly, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, to return back to its own standalone booking facilities after its former franchise partner, Flybe, went into administration earlier in March.

The Humberside Airport-based carrier offers a network of routes from airports including Aberdeen, Anglesey, Belfast City, Cardiff, Dublin, Humberside, Isle of Man, Leeds Bradford, London City, Manchester, Newcastle, Newquay, Southampton and Teesside International and a broad array of contract and ad-hoc charters with a mixed jet and turbo-prop fleet.

If you need to fly between Teesside and London – or any other route offered by Eastern Airways – contact your GTM Account Manager.

Dave

Airlines increasing routes in August

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Around the world, airlines are beginning to increase the number and frequency of services, as the airline industry starts the fightback and paves the way to global economic recovery .

We’ve taken a look at what plans some of the world’s leading airlines have to bolster their schedules this month.

British Airways

Throughout August, British Airways is resuming flying to more destinations, albeit with continued low frequencies while the impact of Covid-19 remains felt across the globe.

In Europe flights will resume to the holiday destinations of Bari, Bastia, Bodrum, Bordeaux, Catania, Figari, Frankfurt, Genoa, Kefalonia, Lyon, Luxembourg, Malta, Paphos and Pula, while further afield Antigua, Islamabad and Nairobi join the long-haul line-up.

Air France

Air France plans a gradual frequency increase throughout the summer period, reaching 20% of the capacity initially planned for June, 35% in July and now, 40% this month. It is planning to reach of 80% of its pre-Covid global network having flights, with reduced frequencies, during the summer.

KLM

In terms of numbers of destinations, KLM is virtually at pre-Covid-19 levels.  Between now and October, KLM will be serving 91 destinations, just one fewer than the same period last year, and up from 72 in July.

Lufthansa

Last month, Lufthansa announced that Birmingham-Munich, Edinburgh-Frankfurt and Glasgow-Frankfurt would be reintroduced in August, while London City-Frankfurt would return in October.  However, the airline has subsequently brought forward – to 7 September – the return of the latter service.

United Airlines

United announced the return of the San Francisco route from Heathrow this month as well as Chicago to Brussels and Frankfurt, and Newark to Brussels, Munich and Zurich. Overall United will be serving 25% of its usual international schedules, up from 16% last month.

Delta Air Lines

Following the reintroduction of a number of routes in July, Delta has announced it will continue to offer a robust, connection-friendly network in August, flying more than 3,000 daily departures and serving 239 destinations worldwide, including 206 markets in the U.S. and 33 internationally.

American

American Airlines increased domestic flights and reopened Admirals Club lounges earlier in the summer, as well as resuming flights from Charlotte, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Raleigh-Durham to Heathrow, from where it now operates at Terminal 5.  The airline has also announced a strategic partnership with Jetblue which, it claims, will increase American’s schedule to further European, African, Indian and South American routes.

Ryanair

Ryanair will increase flights to over 60% of its normal schedule throughout August, following what it said was a successful resumption of services at 40% of capacity last month.

easyJet

easyJet announced earlier in the summer that it intended to increase the routes it operates to 75% of normal, in August, up from 50% in July.

If you plan to book flights on these – or any other airlines – this month, contact your GTM Account Manager.

Dave

What are aircraft manufacturers doing to keep passengers safe onboard?

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Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, airlines have been working harder than ever to make sure that their passengers enjoy the safest-possible experience.  Masks, gloves, additional cleaning protocols and appropriate distancing have all been deployed by airlines as means of ensuring risk levels are minimised. 

But what are the aircraft manufacturers doing? 

We took a look at two of the best-known aircraft builders, Airbus and Boeing.  This is what we found. 

Cabin air

Airbus and Boeing aircraft cabin air is circulated and filtered constantly throughout flights.  A mixture of fresh air, drawn from outside the aircraft, and purified air, recirculated ensures that the air in the cabin is renewed every 2-3 minutes. 

“It’s our duty to ensure the safety of our passengers. But safety also means health”.
Airbus Head of Engineering Jean-Brice Dumont.

The air enters the cabin at ceiling level and circulates through the cabin, leaving through grilles at floor level.  The air generally leaves the cabin near the same row it enters, so that there is a minimum of front-to-back air movement.

Before the air is recirculated, it goes through high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters.  The HEPA filters remove 99.9% of particles present in the air, typically down to the size of microscopic bacteria and virus clusters.

Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Engineering at Airbus, explained what cabin air movement is like:

The aircraft flies in a very hostile environment, with the very cold air and low oxygen. So we must take care that the air in the cabin has the right pressure, temperature and humidity and is clean enough to protect the passengers’ health, safety and to ensure comfort.

The air you have around you is made to share.  Half of it is thrown outside and is replaced by fresh air which is heated. The other half is recirculated, a bit like in your car, when you press the button with the circular arrow!

It’s recirculated, going through HEPA filters – they are very efficient filters, of a hospital type – and they block particulates like Covid, viruses, microbes, 99.9% at least.

Dumont went on to explain the vertical movement of air inside the cabin and the frequency of air exchange:

The air is blown from above, so there is no movement of the air forwards or backwards in the aircraft, by design. It’s like every row has its own air conditioning. You can consider that the air around you is renewed every two-to-three minutes.  In other words, twenty to thirty times per hour, you’ve got completely new air around you.

Cleaning protocols

Airbus and Boeing work with their customer airlines to ensure cleaning protocols are appropriate, efficient and thorough. 

Mike Delaney leads Boeing’s “Confident Travel Initiative” to help the aviation industry safely resume global air travel amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Boeing supports airlines with cleaning and disinfecting practices as the second stage in a three-stage protection layer.  The first is reliance on airlines and airports to prevent infected passengers from boarding aircraft. And the third is minimising the opportunity for contaminants to spread in the cabin by the careful design of the air cabin system, and encouraging passengers to wear face coverings.

Mike Delaney, head of Boeing’s Confident Travel Initiative, said:

Our commitment to ensuring the health of airline passengers and crews is unwavering.  We’re working with partners to enhance aircraft cleanliness procedures and identify other areas to further reduce the risk of airborne illness transmission.

Airbus exchanges information with airlines and operators on appropriate cleaning procedures and products.  In addition, Airbus is testing several more solutions:

  • Fogging (also known as spraying or misting): Using a fogging machine to spray disinfectant liquid on aircraft surfaces
  • Thermal treatment: Heating the cabin between flights to a temperature much higher than usual ambient temperature
  • Ultraviolet (UV) light: Exposing aircraft surfaces to short-wave ultraviolet (UV-C) light
  • Exploring use cases for active ion generation for disinfection

Airbus and Boeing are innovative, experienced manufacturers in a competitive and safety-conscious industry. So it’s easy to see how they are both at the forefront of safety and ensuring covid-secure travel.

If you want to know more about how to keep safe on flights, you might like to download our guide “Getting Back to Business Travel”, here.

If you need any more information about the safety procedures airlines are adopting on flights you want to take, contact your GTM Account Manager.

Dave

British Airways brings back more flights in August

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Throughout August, British Airways is resuming flying to more destinations.

In Europe the airline will resume flights to Bari, Bastia, Bodrum, Bordeaux, Catania, Figari, Frankfurt, Genoa, Kefalonia, Lyon, Luxembourg, Malta, Paphos and Pula, while further afield Antigua, Islamabad and Nairobi join the long-haul line-up.

Frankfurt, Nairobi and Luxembourg are all among cities to which British Airways will be increasing flights this month.

Flights currently start from as little as £31 each way to Europe. Customers whose flights were affected over recent months and who claimed a voucher can use it towards the flights. Alternatively, Avios can also be used towards Reward flights, upgrades, hotels and car rental. When using Avios part payment, customers can pick from a range of savings by destination and cabin and they still collect Avios and Tier Points on their booking.

Alex Cruz, British Airways’ chairman and CEO, said:

We’re gradually returning to more of our network and will be flying to some great holiday destinations over the summer with seats from as little as £31 each way.

We know people want to be able to book with confidence, so we’ve introduced a range of flexible booking options to set their minds at rest, such as being able to change a booking free of charge or cancel and receive a voucher for travel at a later date.

British Airways’ has introduced a range of measures, which it requires customers and crew to abide by. These include:

  • Checking-in online, downloading their boarding pass and where possible self-scanning their boarding passes at the departure gate
  • Observing social distancing and using hand sanitisers that are placed throughout airports
  • Wearing a facemask at all times and bringing enough to replace them every four hours for longer flights
  • Asking customers not to travel if they think they have any symptoms of Covid-19
  • Cabin crew wearing PPE and a new food service, which reduces the number of interactions required with customers
  • Asking customers to ensure they have everything they need from their hand luggage before departure, and where possible, storing their carry-on bag under the seat in front of them

The airline is cleaning all key surfaces including seats, screens, seat buckles and tray tables after every flight and each aircraft is completely cleaned from nose to tail every day. The air on all British Airways flights is fully recycled once every two to three minutes through HEPA filters, which remove microscopic bacteria and virus clusters with over 99.9% efficiency, equivalent to hospital operating theatre standards.

If your business travel plans take you to cities served by British Airways, contact your GTM Account Manager for the latest schedules, fares and availability.

Dave

Delta Air Lines selects UK-based company to develop its disinfection protocols

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Delta Air Lines is partnering with UK-based Reckitt Benkiser to drive greater confidence in travel by “innovating cleaner, more hygienic experiences for customers and employees, alike“.

The partnership will pair Delta’s strength in safety and operational rigour with Lysol’s 130 years of germ-kill expertise and innovation to continue improving upon Delta CareStandard protocols launched during the Covid-19 pandemic across Delta airport locations and on board the airline’s aircraft.

Keeping surfaces clean is one of the areas the Delta CareStandard focuses on, along with giving travellers more space, cleaner air and providing safety and personal care from check-in to baggage claim, and every point in between.

The US Environmental Protection Agency recently approved both Lysol Disinfectant Spray and Lysol Disinfecting Wipes among the first to test effective against Covid-19 when used as directed on hard, non-porous surfaces.

Bill Lentsch, Delta’s Chief Customer Experience Officer said:

There’s no finish line for cleanliness – there’s always more we can do to innovate and elevate our already-high standards because that’s what our customers and employees expect and deserve.

The experts at Lysol share our drive for innovative, continuous improvement – they’re the best at their craft. That’s why we’re excited to get started on R&D to target germ ‘hot spots’ and cement the Delta CareStandard as the industry gold standard – so customers feel confident in choosing Delta as more people return to travel.


Rahul Kadyan, Lysol EVP, North America said:

Our collaboration with Delta is exciting because they have clearly demonstrated great leadership, care and commitment to cleanliness and innovation across their customer and employee touchpoints. Our shared vision to create breakthrough solutions within our industries, while bolstering current disinfection protocols will support Delta customers in feeling confident when they travel.

At Lysol, we’re committed to offering products and providing germ-kill expertise as defined by our purpose, which is to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world.

Berkshire based Reckitt Benkiser is a £50bn, Anglo-Dutch multinational consumer goods company, developing health, hygiene and home products. It produces some of the world’s most-trusted, well-loved brands, like Lysol, Dettol, Cillit Bang, Finish, Harpic and Nurofen. The company is donating more than £500,000 to Berkshire Community Foundation to support charities and voluntary groups which provide access to essential services such as tackling food poverty, providing mental health support, and caring for the elderly and infirm in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Delta also recently announced a collaboration with Mayo Clinic to provide additional Covid-19 infection prevention and control measures for travellers and employees, including guidance on an employee Covid-19 testing programme. This will ensure ensuring that virtually all Delta employees will be tested in just a matter of weeks via onsite and at-home testing.

If you want to experience Delta Air Line’s customer experience on your next trip, contact your GTM Account Manager.

Dave

What does the Focus Travel Partnership do?

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The Focus Travel Partnership is a consortium of independent travel management companies, including Global Travel Management.

Focus was founded in 1999 by fifteen companies solely to serve the growing and evolving requirements of corporate travel. In 2019 Focus became a limited company and, today has a membership four times its original size, with members’ combined turnover totalling more than £1bn per annum.

Membership of Focus enables travel management companies to negotiate beneficial partnership agreements with travel suppliers around the world.

Focus enables a collaborative voice on industry matters to be heard across the industry, regulatory bodies and governments. In this way, Focus is able to set the agenda and steer conversations and agreements on important industry issues like airline fare distribution, the latest technology developments, sustainability within the industry and duty of care – a topic that has come to the forefront in 2020.

Scott Pawley is Focus Travel Partnership’s Director of Technology & Innovations

The partnership has a Board of seven directors, including GTM’s Scott Pawley who is responsible for bringing technical innovations to the Focus panel, such as the industry-leading Focus Fare Finder product developed by Scott and his team.

Chief Executive Officer Abby Penston leads the partnership and directs the Focus panels. Adrian Parkes has joined the Board as Non-Executive Chairman.

Mick Gibbs is the partnership’s Director of Industry Affairs, promoting Focus at industry events. Christian Gleave is the Operations Director, running the operational teams and managing third party support and other services. Cilla Goldberger is the Marketing & Events Director, splitting time between brand management and developing the partnership’s range of events. Martin Pearce is the Director of Business Development, managing the whole process of acquiring and implementing new partners. Wendy Walker is the Supplier Management Director, overseeing the partnership’s supplier relationships. And Adam White has the role of Finance Director for the Focus Travel Partnership.

Scott Pawley explained how a corporate client can benefit from GTM’s membership of Focus:

Like all Focus partners, we have direct access to the lowest fares from most of the world’s leading airlines, thanks to our collective bargaining power. And we – like all Focus members – have access to the most competitive hotel and car hire rates and exceptional high-level relationships with all suppliers. So GTM’s membership of Focus means our clients benefit from the great, personalised service we always offer all our clients, but they also benefit from cheaper fares previously only available through larger, less personal travel management companies.  The best of both worlds.

In addition, I make sure Focus works closely with leading technology companies to produce a range of tools, datasets and travel management applications which are delivered as part of GTM’s offer to clients, having been built, tested and proven by some of the industry’s most demanding businesses.


If you would like to know more about how clients benefit from GTM’s membership of Focus, please contact us.

Dave

Recapitalisation of Virgin Atlantic

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Virgin Atlantic has taken a big step forward in securing its future, by launching a court-backed process as part of a solvent recapitalisation of the airline and holiday business, with a “Restructuring Plan” that once approved and implemented, will keep Virgin Atlantic flying.

The Restructuring Plan is based on a five-year business plan, and with the support of shareholders Virgin Group and Delta, new private investors and existing creditors, it paves the way for the airline to rebuild its balance sheet and return to profitability from 2022.

The airline claims the recapitalisation will deliver a refinancing package worth c.£1.2bn over the next 18 months in addition to the self-help measures already taken, including cost savings of c.£280m per year and c.£880m re-phasing and financing of aircraft deliveries over the next five years.

Global aviation was one of the first industries impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and will be one of the last to recover fully.

Virgin Atlantic took a number of actions to mitigate losses:

Virgin Atlantic’s shareholders, investors and creditors have worked together to deliver the company’s “Restructuring Plan”
  • In March, the Leadership Team took voluntary pay cuts
  • Since April, more than 80% of the workforce has benefitted from the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, supporting efforts to preserve cash and minimise costs. In Q2, flying fell by 98% and in the second half of 2020, capacity is expected to reduce by at least 60% compared to 2019, with pre-crisis levels of flying unlikely to return until 2023. With the suspension of passenger flying in April, the airline delivered an unparalleled network of cargo-only flying, operating more than 1400 cargo flights in April, May and June.
  • In May the decision was taken to close operations at London Gatwick and cut global staff numbers by c.400.

Having closed its London Gatwick base, while retaining a slot portfolio at the airport to protect opportunities for future growth, leisure flying is now consolidated at London Heathrow and Manchester.

By 2022, Virgin Atlantic will fly the same number of sectors as 2019 despite its smaller scale, demonstrating productivity and efficiency improvements.

The airline will operate a streamlined fleet of 37 twin engine aircraft following the retirement of seven 747s and four A332s by Q1 2022, with rescheduled delivery of outstanding A350s and A339s.

Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic commented:

Few could have predicted the scale of the Covid-19 crisis we have witnessed and undoubtedly, the last six months have been the toughest we have faced in our 36-year history. We have taken painful measures, but we have accomplished what many thought impossible. The solvent recapitalisation of Virgin Atlantic will ensure that we can continue to provide vital connectivity and competition to consumers and businesses in Britain and beyond. We greatly appreciate the support of our shareholders, creditors and new private investors and together, we will ensure that Virgin Atlantic can emerge a sustainably profitable airline, with a healthy balance sheet.


Paul Baker, Sales Director of Global Travel Management said:

The recapitalisation of Virgin Atlantic is very good news. Virgin Atlantic’s routes offer great options for business travellers, with a network that includes the United States and South Africa. Restrictions are in place for these destinations, but, as soon as they are lifted and business travel can re-commence, it will be great to have Virgin Atlantic as a trusted, viable alternative.

If you’re planning business travel to any destination on Virgin Atlantic’s route network, contact your GTM Account Manager.

Dave

GTM gains real-time access to the latest Covid-19 travel restrictions

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Global Travel Management has announced that it has integrated a global Covid-19 restriction tracker service for use by its travel consultants when clients need to know the latest pandemic information on any country in the world, in preparation for business trips.

GTM travel consultants have real-time access to every country’s travel restrictions, policies and safety measures, updated constantly

GTM is one of the first travel management companies in the world to integrate the Travelport Covid-19 plugin, which provides access to information on government restrictions, lockdowns, and safety measures across the globe.

This means that GTM travel consultants can easily access critical information at the planning stages of any business trip.

Scott Pawley, managing director of GTM explained:

With the Travelport Covid-19 plugin, we can provide reliable, sourced information to clients on the destinations they’re planning to travel to or through, without leaving the workflow. In this way, we’re able to continue providing a top-class service to clients who can confidently make travel choices and book flights.


The plugin is powered by Safeture, the Swedish global employee safety platform provider. You can see the Safeture data, presented as a global map, on the GTM website homepage, here:
https://gtm.uk.com/.

With this plugin, GTM travel consultants can access country-level lockdown indicators, government restrictions and quarantine measures in place.

Contact your GTM Account Manager if you need further information on Covid-19 travel restrictions in any country in the world.

Dave

West Indies mean business

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Test cricket returns with the first post-pandemic series this month, when England host a three-match series against the West Indies.

The Windies flew to the UK on 9 June, where they are scheduled to play three Tests within what’s being called a “bio-secure bubble”.

West Indies captain, Jason Holder spoke about the flights from the Caribbean to England:

The flight over was quite smooth. We assembled in Antigua, waited in the VIP lounge and then boarded the flight to Manchester.

The whole procedure and protocol has been great. The guys are safe – we were tested prior to coming over to the UK and we’ve been tested on arrival in the UK.

The three Test matches will be played at two grounds, the Ageas Bowl in Southampton and Old Trafford, Manchester. The venues were chosen as they are both Test-standard cricket grounds, but have the added advantage of a world-class hotel and meeting complex attached.

The series starts on 8 July, with the First Test at the Ageas Bowl, where players, umpires, officials and media will be making use of the on-site Hilton hotel.

Hilton at The Ageas Bowl is a stunning 171-bedroom hotel, located at the picture-perfect home of Hampshire Cricket.

The property boasts the luxury eforea spa, the first BEEFY’S by Sir Ian Botham which is a British bar and restaurant, and the Ageas Bowl’s 18-hole golf course, Boundary Lakes.

In addition to the luxury spa and Sir Ian Botham’s flagship restaurant, Hilton at the Ageas Bowl also features extensive meeting and event space.

The second and third Tests take place on 16 July and 24 July at Old Trafford, where facilities include the 150-bed Hilton Garden Hotel.

The Hilton Garden Inn Manchester Emirates Old Trafford is a four-star, 150-bedroom hotel situated within the Old Trafford cricket ground.

Many of the hotel’s rooms have balconies, overlooking the world-famous cricket pitch.

Situated at the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club, the modern hotel features a 24-hour front desk, garden market, fitness suite and a lively bar and restaurant. Old Trafford Football Stadium, home of Manchester United, is just half a mile away.

The two teams will be battling for the The Wisden Trophy, currently held by the West Indies. It was first awarded in 1963, when Frank Worrell’s West Indies won a five-match series in England 3-1, thanks to wins at Old Trafford, Headingley and The Oval.

And the teams’ bowlers will be competing for the Malcolm Marshall Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player who takes the most wickets in the series. It was first won by Windies’ Courtney Walsh in 2000, but since then the award has gone to an England player in every series, most recently Jimmy Anderson for his 17 wickets the last time the teams met.

Joe Root (left) and Jason Holder (right) go head to head in The Wisden Trophy this month. Root misses the first Test, so Ben Stokes will captain the team.

The England squad for the first Test is Ben Stokes (captain); batsmen Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Joe Denly, Ollie Pope and Dom Sibley; wicket-keeper Jos Buttler; all-rounder Chris Woakes; and bowlers Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad and Mark Wood.

The West Indies captain Jason Holder will lead a team chosen from batsmen Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell; wicket-keepers Shane Dowrich and Shai Hope; all-rounders Nkrumah Bonner, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, and Raymon Reifer; and bowlers Shannon Gabriel, Chemar Holder, Alzarri Joseph and Kemar Roach.

Expect the ball to dominate the bat across the three Tests, with matches unlikely to meander to five-day stalemates. England start as favourites, but Jason Holder and his fast bowlers will provide England’s inexperienced batting order a stern examination.

You can follow the series on Sky Sports, on BBC Radio Five Sports Extra, online and, in highlights on BBC television.