Emirates has been... a little tardy to the party in issuing refunds. It seems that's changes with the airline planning to ramp up its capability to manage the outstanding refunds. And there's a lot of them. Emirates Boeing 777-300ER at Hamburg Airport - Image, Economy Class and Beyond Emirates note that nearly half a million refund requests are pending to managed. … [Read more...]

With British Airways setting the bar comparatively high in terms of refunds, its the turn of Intercontinental Hotels Group to see if they impress in the customer experience of getting my money back. For context, I had a non-refundable booking at the Holiday Inn Heathrow, made before COVID-19 became a serious threat. And it's been not a challenge - but it took two … [Read more...]

And it's going to be a long wait - with the airport estimating 36-48 months. Or three to four years. Gatwick Airport from above – Image, Gatwick Airport. This detail was released in the airport's annual results, as it takes actions to protect itself from the fallout of COVID-19. Passenger numbers and revenue were up at Gatwick Airport for the nine months ending 31 … [Read more...]

Etihad has announced a series of special flights from its Abu Dhabi hub allowing people to travel out of the United Arab Emirates. Etihad Boeing 777-300ER arriving at Manchester Airport - Image, Economy Class and Beyond Currently, their main network is closed until 15th May 2020. These flights are being operated as additional services. As well as allowing foreign … [Read more...]

Austrian Airlines is planning to shift its fleet around post-COVID-19, with some major fleet changes in the pipeline. Austrian Airlines Boeing 767-300ER climbing out of Chicago O’Hare – Image, Economy Class and Beyond. With the airline sat on the ground since the 18th March, the airline is making plans, based on a 25-50% drop in demand in 2020 (if travel restrictions … [Read more...]

Social distancing in the air continues to be a thing, with Emirates introducing it aboard their flights. It's part of a package of evolving safety measures the airline is taking as it adopts life with COVID-19. Onboard Emirates flights, seats are pre-allocated with vacant seats placed between individual passengers or family groups in observance of physical distancing … [Read more...]

With Heathrow Airport last week shuttering Terminals 3 and 4 - more airlines are moving to new homes in the complex. Heathrow Airport from above – Image, Economy Class and Beyond Three more airlines are moving to different terminals in the complex: Finnair - Moves from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 Qantas - Moves from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 Beijing Capital … [Read more...]

Earlier this week, Heathrow Airport has begun to mothball terminals, with Terminal 3 (in the central terminal area) and Terminal 4 (on the South Western side of the airport) closing to passenger traffic. Heathrow Airport from above - Image, Economy Class and Beyond For now, all traffic will either be handled in Terminal 2 (in the central terminal area) or Terminal 5 … [Read more...]

The long boy of the sky - the Airbus A340-600 - faces an uncertain future with Lufthansa, as the airline chooses to park and decommission the type. Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 at Frankfurt Airport - Image, Economy Class and Beyond At the moment, Three A340-600 aircraft have been flown to Teruel Airport in north-eastern Spain where they'll be parked. The entire … [Read more...]

Emirates has introduced COVID-19 screening in coordination with Dubai Health Authority. The first passengers to be processed this way were flying to Tunisia. All were tested for COVID-19 before departing from Dubai. It marks Emirates as the first airline to conduct on-site rapid COVID-19 tests for passengers. Testing at Dubai International Airport - Image, … [Read more...]