Blog The Week In Travel

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has this week announced that cruise passenger volumes reached 31.7 million in 2023, crossing the pre-pandemic threshold for the first time. Its annual State of the Cruise Industry report disclosed that the largest source market in 2023 was the USA, accounting for 18.1 million passengers, followed by Europe with 8.2 million. The rise in passenger volumes came in part due to the growth in the British consumer base, with the UK seeing a 15% rise in passenger volumes between 2019 to 2023.

In air travel news, London Stansted Airport has set an annual passenger record as parent company MAG has reported an overall rise in numbers. More than 2.18 million passengers passed through the airport between March 2023 and March 2024, a 11.8% increase on the previous year. The early Easter helped boost monthly numbers to record levels as more than 2.18 million passengers passed through the terminal, beating the previous high set in 2019 by almost 80,000.

Remaining in the UK, London City Airport has reported a 50% reduction in queue times at security. It attributes this to the installation of new CT machines in the travel hub last year. Passengers flying from London City are no longer subject to the 100ml liquid rule, meaning that they are no longer made to remove liquids from luggage when passing through security checks. This technology is making its way to other London airports in a bid to reduce wait times at other airports across the country.

In sustainability news, EasyJet has completed its first-ever hydrogen-fuel trial at Bristol Airport. The ground-breaking trial was the first airside hydrogen-refuelling trial at a major UK airport. By using hydrogen to refuel and power parts of EasyJet’s ground operation at Bristol, this project marks a crucial step towards hydrogen power being used safely and reliably at an airport.

And finally, security checks and travelling in general can be very stressful for any passenger, but five new employees at Istanbul airport are on a mission to reduce passenger anxiety one furry-footed step at a time. The airport has brought in five therapy dogs to support travellers as they make their way through the Turkish travel hub. Hopefully this will result in a paw-sitive impact on passengers!