The Week In Travel

Low-cost airline and tour operator Jet2 announced a return to profit this week, after it released its six-month financial results. The corporation’s Chairman, Philip Meeson, hailed the strong performance – which was achieved in spite of challenges including summer disruption and passenger quotas imposed by some airports – but warned that fuel, carbon, a strengthened US dollar and wage increases threatened margins for the next quarter.

In Australia, travellers will be facing the same high air fares over the Christmas period as seen in other parts of the world. Staff shortages are creating operational issues for airlines, exacerbated – in the case of Qantas – by planned industrial action. Domestic flight attendants for the Australian flag carrier have indicated that they are unwilling to accept a proposed four-year pay deal.

An expansion tabled by Chicago O’Hare International Airport passed an environmental check this week, meaning that the execution of the Terminal Area Plan can go ahead. The plan includes the construction of two new satellite concourses, along with the creation of the ‘Global’ Terminal at what was formerly Terminal II.

In European news, the EU has urged member states to sign up to its ‘Single European Sky’ initiative to cut carbon emissions. Industry figures also issued a renewed call for the implementation of the plan at the Airlines 2022 conference in London. The scheme would reduce a projected 10% of carbon emissions through the implementation of more efficient air traffic management.

And finally, the outgoing Chief Executive of Visit Cornwall gave a polemic interview with a local news outlet this week, where he expressed a seemingly strong antipathy towards tourists. Malcolm Bell decried the levels of respect that tourist displayed towards Cornwall. He also admitted that he once owned a hat with the words ‘go home, emmet’ (emmet being a local word for tourist).