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Dave
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Virgin Atlantic has announced the reopening of its Clubhouse at New York JFK airport from 19 July.

Upper Class customers, Flying Club Gold members as well as Delta’s Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Medallion members, can once again enjoy access to the airline’s flagship North America lounge enjoying a complimentary a la carte menu featuring five-star dining, tapas dishes and afternoon tea plus a wide selection of cocktails, wine and soft drinks.

Customers visiting in the morning can choose from a selection of breakfast favourites including eggs benedict, avocado on toast and a full English breakfast and for those visiting later in the day, the chicken tikka masala and the famous vegan Beyond Burger are on offer, washed down by a selection of beverages including the iconic Virgin Redhead cocktail.

The Clubhouse experience has been tailored to ensure the safety of customers. Customers will be encouraged to remain in their seated areas and enjoy table service from the Clubhouse team.

In addition, Virgin Atlantic has announced a new partnership with Plaza Premium Group which will now be responsible for the day to day running of the JFK Clubhouse under the guidance of the Virgin Atlantic team. Virgin Atlantic will also work with Plaza Premium for the Clubhouses in Boston, San Francisco, Washington and Johannesburg once they reopen as travel restrictions around the world start to relax.

Whilst customers will continue to enjoy the Clubhouse experience, the award-winning Plaza Premium group will bring a wealth of experience to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse offering. The Group has won more than 60 accolades in the last five years, including “World’s Best Independent Airport Lounge” for four consecutive years from 2016 to 2019 at the Skytrax World Airline Awards.

Corneel Koster, Chief Customer and Operating Officer commented,

We’re delighted to welcome customers back to our Clubhouse at New York JFK offering the signature Virgin Atlantic experience we know they have missed over the past 18 months. With the friendly faces of our Clubhouse team, enhanced health and safety measures at every touchpoint and our innovative food and beverage offering, we will ensure our customers fly safe and fly well.

We look forward to expanding our partnership with Plaza Premium Group to our Clubhouses in North America and South Africa. Our shared values of top-notch hospitality, the most hospitable teams in the industry, a pioneering mindset and dedication to innovation will ensure our customers enjoy every moment of their journey as travel restrictions begin to relax and demand for global travel returns fast.

Bora Isbulan, Chief Commercial Officer, Plaza Premium Group told us,

Plaza Premium Group is delighted to be collaborating with Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s most innovative and respected airline brand, in offering seamless services in their Clubhouses. With 22 years of experience in creating exquisite, award-winning airport moments, the PPG team look forward to serving Virgin Atlantic passengers a memorable and deliver each of these signature lounge experiences to life.  This unique partnership sees two global travel brands offering the brand’s unique perspectives on airport hospitality, design and service that leaves an imprint with each visit. We are here with aligned mission and goals, joining hands to offer an elevated airport journey in supporting the return of travel. We are looking forward to working with like-minded partners to bring a brand new lounge experience and provide world-class lounge experience in welcoming global travellers.

Virgin Atlantic and Plaza Premium Lounge have also agreed on the co-development of lounges in other key hubs within the airline’s network.

Dave

Half of travellers intend to travel again within months: survey

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Airports Council International has released a survey showing nearly half of respondents intend to travel again within the next three months.

The findings of the Airports Council International (ACI) World ASQ Global Traveller Survey can be attributed to a strong level of confidence in the environment safety provided by airports and airlines.

The survey found that 48% of travellers considered themselves likely to travel within the next three months but, despite this eagerness to travel, the recovery is dependent on a multitude of factors.

Passengers expect that new measures are put in place to address health risks, including mandatory masks for passengers and staff, Covid-19 testing prior to the trip, hand sanitising stations and the development of a more contactless airport experience.

The survey found an overall slight decrease in travel frequency is expected. This will have an impact on the proportion of traffic type with domestic traffic helping recovery in the short term.

Completion of the report was supported by KONE Corporation, Munich Airport International, Plaza Premium Group, and POTLOC.

ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said,

One of the keys to recovery will be the aviation industry’s understanding of the changing needs of passengers and ACI’s new survey provides insight into how Covid-19 is affecting passenger expectations and future travel plans.

It is reassuring that travellers are eager to travel again and our survey will help airports make the right decisions in providing the best and safest customer experience. Airports, airlines and their partners need to continue to increase the level of confidence in the entire passenger journey and provide and communicate the measures they are introducing to keep passenger healthy and safe.

ACI’s Airport Health Accreditation programme provides airports with not only a tool to assess their health measures against globally-recognized standards but also a way to communicate to passengers about these measures.

Dr. Sascha Brozek, Senior Vice President, Major Projects, KONE Corporation said,

As air travel and the industry navigates changes in order to gradually return, there’s no doubt the way passengers move through airports has been changed permanently. In this respect, safe and efficient people flow management is vital. At KONE, we believe that technology and smart solutions will help us reconfigure environments like airport terminals, keeping safety and health as a top priority.

Dr. Ralf Gaffal, Managing Director at Munich Airport International said,

Covid-19 has a never-seen impact on our aviation industry – not only did it cause traffic movements to hit rock bottom, it also changed the overall behaviour and expectations of our passengers and requires the implementation of new processes and systems. As a global world-class airport operator, it is essential for us to understand all changes and requirements to quickly adapt processes, facilities and information flow. The results of this ASQ  Global Traveller Survey will provide guidance to define our strategy and actions in order to maintain the highest level of customer satisfaction.

Bora Isbulan, Chief Commercial Officer of Plaza Premium Group said,

It is a pleasure for us to support ACI World, global trade representative of world airports on their global passenger survey. It is important for the airport community to work together for the revival of travel, especially during these unprecedented times. As a leader in airport hospitality, it is fundamental for us to understand the behaviour of global passengers and how it will continue to evolve through the importance of wellbeing, digital advancements and loyalty programmes in the new age of travel.

Rodolphe Barrere Co-Founder & CEO at POTLOC said,

Covid-19 has forced the travel industry to completely rethink the status quo and the way it operates. Airports that have answers from consumers will have more chances of overcoming a post-COVID world. With this study, at Potloc we wanted to help them understand consumer perceptions facing this new reality. We were able to reach far and wide, by extracting travellers’ insights via social networks, to get a clearer picture of where we stand now, and what the future holds for airports in their eyes.

ACI claim the ASQ Global Traveller Survey has been created to help airports plan for future demand – in the short, medium and long term – and to adapt customer experience accordingly, to help them implement the right measures expected by travellers, improve the most stressful touchpoints throughout the journey, and understand passengers’ needs and expectations.

“We are grateful to our sponsors in supporting this important project which will help inform airports and promote public confidence in the recovery of air travel,” Luis Felipe de Oliveira.

Paul

Plaza Premium Opens Heathrow T5 Lounge.

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Plaza Premium Lounge, an airport services company headquartered in Hong Kong, has opened a new lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5.

The new lounge, which is located on Level 2 of the departures area next to gate A7, will be welcome news for those flying economy, or without the required tier status to access BA’s lounges in T5.

The new lounge has a location overlooking the runway, and is open to all travellers for payment of a fee starting from £40 for two hours. The 465m2 lounge is Plaza Premium’s sixth at Heathrow, and offers hot and cold food, a fully serviced bar, high speed Wi-fi, shower facilities and newspapers and magazines. The opening hours are 05:00 – 22:00 daily.

Plaza Premium also intends to open a, 83-bedroom Aerotel hotel in Terminal 3 next year. The group manages over 150 lounges worldwide in 37 locations.