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Concorde: A Supersonic Story

BBC4 takes a look back at the much-loved Concorde at 9pm on Tuesday 10 October 2017.

It is almost 15 years that Concorde ceased commercial operations. However, the First Lady of aviation is still held in huge affection by passengers all over the world.

Concorde may sit stationary on the airfield at London Heathrow, but its delta wings and imposing needle nose still have the ability to turn heads. Concorde more than holds its own against younger next generation aircraft in terms of presence on the tarmac.

In advance of the new Bristol Aerospace Museum opening on Tuesday 17 October which will house one of the Concorde aircraft, next week, BBC4 will take a look back at Concorde with Concorde: A Supersonic Story.

The BBC promises rare footage and a cast of engineers, frequent flyers and celebrities (including Dame Joan Collins naturally…) to tell the story of one of the most elegant and elusive aircraft ever made.

It premiers at 21:00 on Tuesday 10 October 2017. It will be also be available to stream / download for 30 days from the date of broadcast for viewers in the UK.

Also available on the BBC iPlayer’s “From The Archive” section is Perpetual Motion Concorde which was first shown on the BBC in 1994.

BA launches London Heathrow – Almeria

BA will fly from London Heathrow to Almeria on Tuesdays and Sundays for the summer season.

Almeria (Image Credit: British Airways / Almeria Tourist Board)

BA is to launch a new summer seasonal route from London Heathrow to Almeria in Southeast Spain. The airline will fly to Almeria from London Heathrow Terminal 5, twice a week on Tuesdays and Sundays. Flights will operate from Tuesday 27 March 2018 to Saturday 27 October 2018.

The new route is an addition to a growing portfolio of summer seasonal European routes for BA at London Heathrow which also includes Malaga and Murcia and a number of routes in France and the Greek islands. It is likely that more summer seasonal routes from all of BA’s London airports will be announced in the coming months.

Flights to Almeria will be operated using Airbus A320 aircraft, in a two class, Club Europe business and EuroTraveller economy configuration.

Flights are on sale now at ba.com

easyJet and Ryanair also fly to Almeria from London Gatwick and Stansted respectively.

London Heathrow – Almeria

Flight BA420 Depart London Heathrow 13:15 – Arrive Almeria 17:00 (Tuesday, Saturday)
Flight BA421 Depart Almeria 17:50 – Arrive London Heathrow 19:35 (Tuesday, Saturday)

Aer Lingus launches Dublin – Philadelphia

Aer Lingus will fly direct from Dublin to Philadelphia four times weekly from Monday 26 March 2018.

Philadelphia’s Independence Hall (Image Credit: C. Smyth for VISIT PHILADELPHIA®)

Aer Lingus is to fly direct from Dublin to Philadelphia from late March 2018. The airline will fly to Philadelphia International Airport four times weekly on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The route launches on Monday 26 March 2018.

This is the latest addition to a growing portfolio of transatlantic routes for Aer Lingus from Dublin. It has just launched Miami. It has also launched Los Angeles, Hartford, Newark and Washington Dulles in recent years.
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Dear BBC, Why oh why oh why…..

Why do the BBC and other news outlets always use the same contributors for big aviation stories?

It has been another big week for aviation news in the national media. Following the controversy surrounding Ryanair’s cancellations to its flying programme, today’s morning headlines led with the suspension of flight operations by Monarch.

Whenever there is an aviation story leading the national news a familiar question appears in our social media feeds. Namely, why do Simon Calder from The Independent and other contributors always appear on the BBC, Sky News and other media outlets!?

First, let’s get one thing clear. This is not intended to be a criticism of Simon Calder. He is a hard-working travel journalist with decades of experience who has survived a tumultuous time in print media. Simon is clearly used by broadcasters because he is reliable, can perform well on camera and is trusted by the audience.

Rather this is an attempt to explain how news media operates and why broadcasters in particular use a narrow pool of contributors.
Continue reading “Dear BBC, Why oh why oh why…..”

Aviation Business Briefing – Monday 2 October 2017

Here’s the first of our weekly round-up of aviation business news, published every Monday at 07:00 UK time.

A major theme in European aviation this year has been another wave of consolidation in Europe. This time it has been forced by Air Berlin, Alitalia and Monarch entering into administration procedures. easyJet, International Airlines Group, Norwegian and WizzAir have all been identified as potential buyers for Monarch’s short-haul business. However, the main value to these airlines will be its slot portfolio at London Gatwick. Full details of the Civil Aviation Authority’s plans to bring stranded passengers back to the UK are on its website.

It’s been another bad week for Ryanair. The airline has announced the cancellation of some 18,000 flights over the winter season. These include the suspension of London Gatwick – Belfast and London Stansted – Edinburgh & Glasgow from Wednesday 1 November 2017 to Saturday 24 March 2018.
Continue reading “Aviation Business Briefing – Monday 2 October 2017”

In Flight Entertainment – Week beginning 1 October

A weekly pick of TV shows, radio programmes, podcasts and articles for your travels in the coming week.

BBC Radio 1 Vintage Logo (Image Credit: BBC)

Here’s the first of our weekly pick of TV shows, radio programmes, podcasts and articles to download, stream, and print for your travels in the coming week.

As these are picked primarily from UK sources, many programmes will not be available for download or streaming from outside the UK. All should be available from Sunday evening for the next 30 days.

“The Nation’s Favourite..”

It has been a big week for broadcasting anniversaries.

Four of the BBC’s national radio networks, Radios 1 to 4, celebrate their 50th birthdays this weekend.

BBC Radio 1 is a station most people have listened to at some point in their lives. Radio 1 has launched a three day “pop-up” station Radio 1 Vintage featuring over 50 archive programmes over three days from Kenny Everett, to John Peel and Pete Tong. All are available for download on the BBC iPlayer radio app.
Continue reading “In Flight Entertainment – Week beginning 1 October”

BA launches new route from London Heathrow to The Seychelles

British Airways will fly direct from London Heathrow to The Seychelles twice weekly from Saturday 24 March 2018.

British Airways Boeing 787-9 First Class (Image Credit: British Airways)

BA has today announced a new route from London Heathrow to The Seychelles. The airline will fly to Seychelles International Airport twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays from Saturday 24 March 2018.

The route will be operated by a four class Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner with First Class, Club World business class, World Traveller Plus premium economy, and World Traveller economy cabins. Flights will depart from London Heathrow Terminal 5.

This will be the only direct route from London to The Seychelles. It will also be the first time BA has flown to The Seychelles in approximately 15 years. It previously flew to The Seychelles via Nairobi.

This is one of many former routes that BA has reinstated thanks to the Boeing 787. Others include Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Santiago. BA is also due to launch Nashville in May of next year.

Flights are on sale now at ba.com

London – The Seychelles

Flight BA63 Depart London Heathrow 17:50 – Arrive The Seychelles 07:00
Flight BA62 Depart The Seychelles 09:00 – Arrive London Heathrow 16:20

(Precise timings may vary by season.)

BA has also prepared a PDF briefing.