The Week In Travel

Ryanair revealed this week that it recorded its busiest ever month in August, with a total of 18.9 million passengers flying with the airline. This is up from 18.7 million customers carried in July, which also marked the first time the airline had flown over 18 million passengers in a single month. In its most recent financial report, Ryanair has claimed it is on track to reach 183.5 million passengers for the year ending March 2024.

In sustainability news, Lufthansa Group airline SWISS has made the decision to only sell ‘green fares’ on its services between Zurich and Geneva. The fares allow the airline to offset 20% of emissions via purchases of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and 80% via ‘quality’ climate protection projects. Passengers travelling on this route will also have the option to purchase enhanced green fares, in which 50% of emissions are offset via SAF and 50% via climate protection projects.

In technology news, Finland is launching a trial which will allow passengers to use digital travel documents instead of physical passports at airports. Finnish citizens travelling on Finnair flights from Helsinki airport to the UK are able register as a voluntary Digital Travel Credentials (DTC) user over the next six months. The DTC is a digital version of their passport, designed to allow for smooth and fast border crossings while being equally reliable and not compromising security.

Across the Atlantic, a direct route between Los Angeles and Paris will be launched from 1st May 2024. The Norse Atlantic service will operate six times a week with one-way fares starting from €319 in economy and €665 in Norse Premium. The carrier currently operates year-round services from Paris CDG to JFK, and will launch a Paris CDG-Miami service on 11th December.

And finally, in good news for aviation aficionados, anyone looking for an air travel-themed wedding can now get married underneath a Concorde jet. The jet is the centre piece of the Hanger at Manchester Airport Group’s Concorde Conference Centre, an enormous aircraft hangar which can host events for 700 people. Time will tell whether this idea takes off…