The Week In Travel

UK air travellers were told this week to expect serious disruption to their winter travel plans after it was announced that border force officials would be taking industrial action over much the festive period. The dispute between the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union and the Home Office centres on the issue of pay, and will affect six airports and 10,000 flights. The Times reported that airlines have been told to cancel up to 30% of flights on strike days to prevent chaos in arrivals halls. The announcement compounds pressure on travellers, with rail strikes also planned for the same period.

Staying in the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority has granted an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) and Operating Licence to a new subsidiary of British Airways. BA Euroflyer will operate short-haul international flights from Gatwick, offering generous baggage allowance and frequent flyer benefits to customers.

In European news, the EU has revised carbon regulations for airlines, meaning that they will be required to pay a levy on the amount of carbon dioxide that they emit. The Amendment to the EU emissions trading system stipulates that by 2026 airlines operating in Europe will receive neither free nor subsidised carbon dioxide permits, though they will be compensated for the cost of using sustainable aviation fuel.

Over in the far east, China Eastern Airlines has taken delivery of the world’s first active-use C919 – a newly designed narrow-body passenger jet. The C919 was developed by Commercial Aviation Corp of China (COMAC), which is expected to produce around 25 C919s per year by 2030. The Chinese government initiated the development of the new jet due to concerns that they were overly dependent on importing Airbus and Boeing aeroplanes.

And finally, the internet was left bemused after a LinkedIn post by a travelling businessman exposed a rather bizarre attempt to chase a promotion. On his ‘inspirational’ social media post, the traveller flaunted his credentials as a company man by cooking chicken breast with his hotel room coffee machine. He claimed that his innovative method to save his company a few dollars was one of the many small things that put him in good stead to be considered for a promotion, though other LinkedIn users pointed out that businesses tended to look more favourably on candidates who do not generally appear unhinged.