Posts

Dave

GTM overcomes Italian airline’s failure

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The financing issues of airlines are causing some headaches for passengers wanting to fly between the UK and Italy. But, at Global Travel Management, we can offer a huge range of choice, so if one airline ceases operations, we can continue to find the best-value, most efficient alternatives.

This week Air Italy announced that the airline will be placed into liquidation and that all passengers booked onto flights after 25 February will be refunded or booked onto alternative flights. The announcement confirmed also that flights until 25 February will be operated by other carriers.

Despite the loss of Air Italy, there are still hundreds of regular, scheduled flights between UK and Italian airports, all of which can be booked for customers of GTM. These include British Airways, Alitalia, easyJet and Ryanair.

Paul Baker, Sales Director of GTM said

It always a difficult time when a travel supplier goes into liquidation. We hope that the airline’s staff can secure positions with other airlines as soon as possible.

In the meantime, we continue to offer the widest possible choice of flights from the UK to Italy. In addition, our staff can even provide advice on how to travel between the two countries without flying, by making use of Europe’s high-speed rail network.

Passengers booking flights through GTM benefit from protections from national and international laws as well as industry organisations.

Paul explained:

If customers are concerned about their flight bookings, we encourage them to speak to their GTM Account Manager who can advice on alternative travel plans. And, if an airline were to go out of business, the Account Manager can provide information on which travel industry compensation schemes they can make use of, such as ATOL, EU261 and the Consumer Credit Act.

Please contact your GTM Account Manager when you next need to fly between the UK and Italy.

Natalie

easyJet makes net zero carbon emission commitment

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easyJet has announced that it will become the world’s first major airline to operate net-zero carbon flights across its whole network.

The airline will achieve this goal by offsetting the carbon emissions from the fuel used for all of its flights. easyJet will undertake carbon offsetting through schemes accredited by two of the highest verification standards, Gold Standard and VCS.  They will include forestry, renewable and community based projects.

The airline will continue to support innovative technology, including the development of hybrid and electric planes, working with others across the industry to reinvent and de-carbonise aviation over the long-term. The aim will be for easyJet to reduce the amount of carbon offsetting undertaken as new technologies emerge.

easyJet and Airbus will cooperate on three distinct work packages set to define the impacts and the requirements necessary for the large-scale introduction of next generation sustainable aircraft on infrastructure and every-day commercial aircraft operations.  




easyJet has been supporting Wright Electric over the last two years, which is aiming to produce an all-electric ‘easyJet sized’ plane which could be used for short haul flights.

easyJet will also aim to stimulate innovation in carbon reduction by supporting the development of technologies which will enable hybrid electric and  electric planes and championing advanced carbon capture technologies. We will look to use these technologies as well as sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) as they become available and commercially viable.

Since 2000 easyJet has reduced the carbon emissions for each kilometre flown by a passenger by over a third (33.67%). Initiatives have included introducing light weight carpets, trolleys and seats, single engine taxiing and removing paper manuals from aircraft.

In 2013 easyJet established a public target to reduce its carbon emissions per passenger kilometre.  The target was strengthened in 2015 to a 10% reduction on carbon emissions per passenger kilometre by 2022 on its 2016 performance.

Johan Lundgren, easyJet’s CEO, said:

Climate change is an issue for all of us. At easyJet we are tackling this challenge head on by choosing to offset the carbon emissions from the fuel used for all of our flights starting today. In doing so we are committing to operating net-zero carbon flights across our network – a world first by any major airline. We acknowledge that offsetting is only an interim measure until other technologies become available to radically reduce the carbon emissions of flying, but we want to take action on carbon now.

easyJet has a long tradition of efficient flying – the aircraft we fly and the way we fly them means that easyJet is already more efficient than many airlines. However, our priority is to continue to work on reducing our carbon footprint in the short term, coupled with long-term work to support the development of new technology, including electric planes which aspire to radically reduce the carbon footprint of aviation. 

I am therefore delighted that we have also announced a new electric plane partnership with Airbus. We will be working together to identify the detailed technical challenges and requirements for electric and electric hybrid planes when deployed for short haul flying around Europe.  We hope this will be an important step towards making electric planes a reality.

“We also need governments to support efforts to decarbonise aviation. In particular they must reform aviation taxes to incentivise efficient behaviour, fund research and development in new technology and ensure that early movers such as easyJet are not penalised.”

Speaking about easyJet offsetting the carbon emissions from the fuel used for all of its flights, Jonathon Porritt, Co-Founder of Forum for the Future, said:

This is an exciting development from easyJet, which is obviously taking the issue of climate change very seriously. But as is now widely understood, carbon offsetting can only be a bridge to future technological developments, and it will be important to seek out each and every way of reducing carbon emissions. Beyond that, the whole industry needs to come together more effectively to decarbonise this critical sector just as quickly as possible.

If your next business trip takes you to a city served by easyJet, contact your GTM Account Manager to search for and book the best fare and to manage your whole trip.

Mark W

MAKE YOUR DAY – by flying from Bristol Airport!

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Bristol Airport – one of the oldest civil airports in the country – is going from strength to strength, with several new routes being announced this Summer by a number of airlines. But what does the airport have in common with Dirty Harry actor and former Mayor of Carmel, Clint Eastwood?

Approximately 8.7 million passengers use the North Somerset airport annually and this is expected to grow to 10 million by 2021 and 12 million within a further five years.

This growth is expected to be driven by the increasing number of destinations served by Bristol Airport. The increase in passenger numbers will mean a corresponding rise in the number of aircraft movements to 97,393 per annum, an increase of just over 23,800 on the 2017 numbers.

As well as connecting businesses to new markets, Bristol Airport is also a major local employer. Just under 4,000 people currently work on the airport site. This is expected to rise by more than 1,000 by the time the airport is handling 12 million passengers a year.

Development is forecast to generate additional benefits of £1.4 billion to the regional economy over the next decade. Connectivity provided by flights to and from Bristol also helps friends and families stay in touch and enables local people to enjoy different cultures, climates and experiences. 

A number of airlines have announced new services to and from Bristol Airport. These include:

  • Ryanair – the Irish ow-cost carrier has announced a new, weekly route between Bristol and Grenoble, commencing January 2020
  • easyJet – the low-cost carrier headquartered at Luton will launch a new route from Bristol to Hurghada from 30 October 2019
  • easyJet has launched routes from Bristol to Milan, Biarritz, Brindisi, Montpellier and Rhodes this Summer
  • easyJet has also increased its services from Bristol to Lyon, to run all-year round, from this Summer
  • KLM – the Dutch airline has added 10,000 seats per year between Bristol and Amsterdam, commencing last month, offering connections to 162 cities across the world
  • Brussels Airlines – the Belgian airline will connect Bristol with Brussels twelve times a week, from 1 September 2019

As well as increasing passenger numbers and routes, Bristol Airport has worked with North Somerset Council to ensure access to the airport is improved. The council has worked to surface-dress a six-kilometre stretch of the busy A38, between the South Bristol Link Road and the junction with Downside Road.

Bristol Airport is fast becoming an airport of choice for businesses in the South West of England. With its connections improving and choice of routes increasing, it is easy to see why passenger numbers are increasing from the airport.

But Bristol Airport isn’t just relying on improving its impact on the economy of the South West of England. It’s also ensuring its environmental impact is managed and improved too. The airport has published a carbon roadmap setting out how it will achieve its ambition to be a net zero airport and accelerating efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.

Included in its targets are:

  • Carbon neutral target fast-tracked to 2025
  • Carbon levy to offset all road journeys
  • Flights to fall under international agreement to keep emissions at 2020 levels

Paul Baker, Sales Director of Global Travel Management said,

Bristol Airport is a success story for businesses in the South West of England. That’s why airlines like KLM, Brussels Airlines, easyJet and Ryanair are increasing their routes and capacity from Bristol. The airport was awarded “Highly Commended” in the ACI Europe Best Awards scheme this month. This is a confirmation of the work Bristol Airport is undertaking to serve the businesses and passengers of the region.

Every scheduled airline flying to and from Bristol Airport is available to book within Global Travel Management’s system. So we are very pleased to be able to offer flight, accommodation and other travel services for all businesses needing to make use of Bristol Airport. We congratulate them and are happy to help play our part in the airport’s future success.

So, what has Bristol Airport got to do with Clint Eastwood? They are exactly the same age – Bristol Airport was officially opened by HRH Prince George on 31 May 1930, the day Clint Eastwood was born.

Contact your GTM Account Manager next time you need to fly to or from Bristol Airport.

Kelly

Bristol: easyJet launches second daily Paris flight, increases aircraft count and adds Milan, Brindisi and Biarritz flights

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easyJet has announced a number of expansion developments at its Bristol base. The airline will position a 17th aircraft at its South West base and has added three brand new routes to the Bristol network. easyJet will also provide even more frequent flights to some of Bristol’s most in demand destinations, providing great value trips or low-fared commutes for even more passengers.

Brand new easyJet routes to Milan and Brindisi in Italy and Biarritz in France will launch in July. The airline will add a second daily flight between Bristol and Paris from July to allow day trips for business travellers

A further 186-seat Airbus A320 aircraft will now be based in Bristol and joins seven 156-seat Airbus A319 and nine 186-seat A320 aircraft currently serving the airline’s customers in the South West. The additional aircraft will provide 93,000 additional seats for customers looking to travel to and from Bristol this summer.

Three new routes have joined the easyJet Bristol network, bringing the total routes now available to 74.

A route between Bristol and Milan Malpensa will operate four times a week throughout the year on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, with first flights taking off on 1 July. Flights between Bristol and Brindisi in Southern Italy will operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays and will launch on 3 July and flights between Bristol and Biarritz in the South of France will operate twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays with flights launching on 2 July, both operating throughout the summer season.

easyJet will also increase its Bristol – Paris Charles de Gaulle frequency, adding an additional daily flight to and from the French capital, providing even more opportunity for customers to enjoy a city getaway and a convenient schedule will allow for great value day trips for commuters from businesses across the South West.

The airline now operates up to 770 flights a week from Bristol across 74 routes, 10% more flights compared to summer 2018.

Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Country Manager, said:

We are absolutely delighted to be celebrating further expansion at Bristol Airport. The addition of another aircraft and even more routes will help us to deliver long term, sustainable growth at the base providing passengers with an even greater range of convenient flights to a fantastic variety of destinations across our network – all with low fares and great service.

We’re putting flights on sale, allowing our customers to book early and take advantage of our lowest fares to some of our most popular business and leisure destinations.

Our ongoing growth at Bristol demonstrates easyJet’s long-term commitment to providing connectivity for the South West. We continue to be the largest airline at Bristol and in the coming weeks we will carry our 55 millionth passenger, showing that our customers continue to book with confidence.

Nigel Scott, Business Development Director for Bristol Airport said:

This is fantastic news as easyJet continues to invest in Bristol Airport and basing seventeen aircraft at its second largest base. The additional aircraft will provide extra flights to Paris, and an additional three new destinations of Milan, Brindisi and Biarritz to the route network from Bristol Airport. The additional flight to Paris will provide twice daily flights to this hub city, particularly required by businesses in the region for the long-haul route connectivity. These new routes increase the choice of destinations available to passengers in the South West and Wales region, selecting to fly from their local airport.

Paul Baker, Sales Director of Global Travel Management commented:

Paul Baker, Global Travel Management Sales Director

easyJet’s expansion at Bristol gives passengers greater flexibility and more options. At Global Travel Management, we take care to create the most efficient flight itineraries for customers. These added services will mean we can create travel itineraries that match our customers’ requirements even better. So, as well as the great value that low-cost airlines like easyJet provide, we can tailor trips that perfectly match customers’ travel requirements by combining routes across any carrier.

easyJet’s expansion gives Global Travel Management even more opportunities to create cost-saving, time-saving trips for customers.

Contact your GTM Account Manager next time you need to book an easyJet flight, or when you have a trip from, to or via Bristol.

Paul

Making business travel more rewarding.

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Business travellers often tell me that one of the things they find most frustrating is being unable to redeem their frequent flyer miles.

Typically, someone taking long-haul flights on the best airline for their business trips, often finds it difficult to redeem an airline’s miles for their personal leisure travel/flights, often with that same airline.

Your regular business destination might not be a great location to take your family on vacation. Or you simply might want to go somewhere completely different when you travel for leisure.

So it’s great to find that some airlines have struck deals that allow you to accrue rewards on one and redeem them for flights on the other.

A great example of is Emirates and easyJet. Emirates Skywards members can use Skywards Miles to pay for their easyJet flights, inclusive of taxes, charges and airport fees, as well as for optional extras such as sports equipment.

For example, a business class return trip from London to Dubai on Emirates can earn you 11,400 Skywards Miles. Make that trip four times and you could earn more than 45,000 Skywards Miles.

With easyJet flying on over 600 routes to more than 30 countries, it’s simple to find a great leisure destinations to spend your Skywards Miles on. And with redemptions for easyJet flights starting from just 7,500 Skywards Miles for a one way trip, you could be arranging holiday flights very soon.

Talk to your GTM Account Manager next time you take an Emirates flight to check the Skywards Miles you can earn. You might find it very rewarding.

EasyJet logo
Paul

Booking easyJet via GTM!

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easyJet has introduced further enhancements to the fares it offers business travellers who book via a Travel Management Company (TMC). When reservations are made via a Global Distribution System (GDS) new benefits have been added which are not available to passengers who book via easyJet’s web site.

For example, easyJet can now identify those passengers who have booked via their TMC’s GDS, enabling those customers to change to an earlier flight at no additional cost (the transfer can be made at the airport Customer Service desk).

Furthermore, those passengers who also book an easyJet Flexi fare are now offered a £5 / 7EUR voucher to spend on food and drink once on board their flight. To redeem the voucher you simply need to show the crew your Flexi boarding pass.

Paul

Fast Track Security Access For easyJet PlusCard Holders.

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Description: http://image.S7.exacttarget.com/lib/fe8d137275620c7b70/m/1/ej-plus.jpg

easyJet Plus annual card holders will now benefit from access to Fast Track security at 35 airports* across Europe from the 19th March 2015.

In order to qualify for Fast Track security, please ensure  that you have advised us (Global Travel Management) of your easyJet Plus card number and/or that it is registered on your easyJet mobile app.  

Also, from 19th March easyJet Plus annual card holders can take a second smaller under seat bag, such as a handbag, or laptop bag, on to flights in addition to a cabin bag up to a maximum size 56x45x25cm (including handles and wheels).   

easyJet Plus annual membership already provides a variety of benefits, including allocated seating including extra legroom and upfront seats on all bookings, Dedicated Bag Drop desks in every airport and easyJet Plus Speedy Boarding. Existing card holders will benefit from this addition immediately. Those wishing to purchase a card can do so via easyJet.com.

* Available at: Aberdeen, Athens, Basel, Belfast, Brussels, Budapest, Cagliari Sardinia, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Lisbon, Liverpool, London Gatwick, London Luton (from Oct ’15), London Southend, London Stansted, Lyon, Madeira, Manchester, Milan Malpensa, Moscow, Munich, Naples, Newcastle, Nice, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Paris Orly, Porto, Prague, Tallinn and Venice.

 

Paul

easyJet profits surge.

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Easyjet has seen its pre-tax profits rise by 51 per cent to £478 million after benefiting from an increase in business travellers.

The no-frills carrier saw total revenue rise by 10.5 per cent to £4.26 billion for the financial year ending on September 30, 2013. Last year, Luton-based Easyjet made pre-tax profits of £317 million on the back of revenues of £3.85 billion.

Total revenue per seat was up by 7 per cent year-on-year to £62.58 helped by the impact of the introduction of allocated seating and the continued focus on business travellers who generally spend more on their tickets than leisure passengers.

The airline said there had been “good progress” in its plans to attract more business travellers with the introduction of fast track security for Flexi Fare customers at 26 airports and a new inclusive fare, which is only available through trade channels.

Still a real Low-cost Carrier?

Paul

Network update – new routes on sale.

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Following the recent purchase of Flybe’s slots at London Gatwick, easyJet has strengthened its route network with the addition of new routes to Paris CDG, Jersey & Newcastle.

The new services will start from the beginning of the summer schedule (30 March 2014) and flights are on sale now.

Paul

New easyJet Cabin Bag Guarantee.

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Effective 2nd July 2013, easyJet is introducing a new cabin bag guarantee in order to try and alleviate the problem of a lack of cabin space on board their aircraft – and good luck to them!

Provided a passenger has a cabin bag which measures no more than, 50 x 40 x 20 cm, including wheels and handles, easyJet will guarantee that it will always travel on board their aircraft, either in an overhead locker, or under the seat in front of them.

Passengers may still bring one slightly larger cabin bag on board (up to the existing maximum size of 56 x 45 x 25 cm including wheels and handles), however, on busy flights the crew may have to put bags of this size into the aircraft’s hold.

As always, there are some exceptions, easyJet Plus card holders, Flexi Fare and Upfront and Extra Legroom passengers may still bring one piece of cabin baggage up to 56 x 45 x 25. HOWEVER, they must use easyJet Plus Speedy Boarding to board the aircraft first in order to secure an overhead locker!

We (GTM) will be interested to hear from customers about how they get on with this new policy.