The Week In Travel

German airline Lufthansa predicted this week that there will continue to be a strong demand for air travel in the months ahead. The carrier, which recently published its quarterly financial results, claims demand for travel is remaining steady despite the cost-of-living crisis and high inflation. Its financial results show that travellers are willing to pay more for tickets, in an encouraging sign for the industry.

Staying in Europe, aviation giant Air France-KLM has struck a deal with Finnish engineering firm Neste to secure the supply of one million tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel. The deal is one of the largest in the airline sector to date and will assist Air France in its ambition to cut carbon emissions by 30% by 2030. Neste’s SAF reduces emissions by 80% compared to traditional aviation fuel.

The final Covid-related requirement for entry into New Zealand was removed this week. International travellers no longer have to fill out a declaration form disclosing their Covid-19 vaccine status and travel history.

In UK news, it was announced that rail has become the preferred mode of transport between Edinburgh and London for the first time. From April to August, more than half of journeys between the cities were by rail, compared with just 35% prior to the pandemic. The change has been attributed to the introduction of budget rail operator Lumo at the beginning of the year.

And finally, the Vienna Tourist Board has created a rather unorthodox promotional video to entice visitors to the Austrian capital. The video features a walking belly wearing a cowboy hat. Norbert Kettner, director of the Vienna Tourist Board, said that the belly plays with the idea of heroism by portraying Viennese culture’s complex historical relationship to body ideals, while exploring the concept of self-indulgence. The cowboy hat was left unexplained.