The Week In Travel

SAS has announced plans this week to begin selling seats on its first electric aircraft flights. The 30-seat electric aircrafts are being developed to help the airline achieve its goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Seats on three inaugural electric flights in Sweden, Norway and Denmark will go on sale shortly, but the flights will not take place until 2028. In Australia, national flag-carrier Qantas is preparing to restart flights between the country and New York for the first time since 2020. The airline will be operating three weekly flights – increasing to four in October – from Sydney to New York, via Auckland. The route will act as a prequel to ‘Project Sunrise’ which will launch the new world’s longest flight in 2025 with a nonstop route between the two cities.

Remaining in Oceania, Air New Zealand has announced plans to conduct passenger weight surveys before international flights. The survey aims to collect data for accurate load calculations, ensuring safety and fuel efficiency. Passengers will provide their weight voluntarily, and the information will remain confidential. The initiative reflects the airline’s commitment to maintaining optimal operational standards.

Over in Europe, Ryanair is continuing to urge the European Commission to protect overflights during air traffic control strikes. The airline has delivered a petition signed by more than 1.1 million passengers to the office of the commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen. The petition argues that passengers should not be affected by industrial actions that are beyond their control, emphasising the need for stronger safeguards in the aviation industry.

And finally, this year’s ‘sunbed wars’ are well and truly underway. A British woman on holiday at an all-inclusive resort was unable to enjoy a sunbed for four consecutive days as every morning when she came down to the pool, she realised they had been reserved with towels. Feeling frustrated and aggrieved, she woke up early each morning to remove the towels from every unattended lounger. This action sparked debate online when the woman shared her story, but eventually she got the last laugh as, after complaints from guests, the resort threw the towel in and outlawed ‘sunbed reservations’.