European airlines count the cost of airspace closures
Collateral damage from the war in Ukraine continues to hammer airline share prices. On top of rocketing fuel prices, airspace restrictions over Russia are making flights to China, Japan and Korea uneconomic for European operators.
War in Europe
Shocking news from Ukraine today. Understandably, airline share prices fell heavily. What are the practical implications for airline management teams?
COVID travel test suppliers revisited
Back in July, I looked at prices for travel tests and found that the Government's own website was full of suppliers advertising prices that weren't actually available. Grant Shapps promised to clean things up, but six months later, has anything changed?
Predictions for 2022
With 2021 ending badly thanks to the Omicron variant, what will 2022 hold for the travel industry? I had a look at the possibilities.
Can Heathrow reclaim its crown as the biggest airport in Europe?
Heathrow airport has fallen behind its two main European competitors during the pandemic. Can it get back to its former position as number one in Europe?
Implications of Omicron for travel
Just as the travel industry was beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel, with travel restrictions being lifted worldwide, the arrival of Omicron has seen restrictions reimposed once again. How long will they last this time?
A not quite end of year review
As we approach the end of what has been another eventful year for the aviation industry, I reflect on how things have turned out compared to my expectations at the end of 2020.
Here we go again
Airlines in Europe were finally starting to get more cheerful, with bookings back to something like normal as travel restrictions were relaxed. But could the discovery of the new Omicron variant send the industry back to square one?
Divergent performance from Europe’s low cost carriers
As we enter the recovery phase for Europe’s aviation industry, how well are the big low-cost airlines doing and how well placed are they for the future?
An inflection point for the European network carriers
The European network airline groups are starting to recover after almost two years of catastrophic losses. What do their latest results tell us about how well they've weathered the crisis and their prospects going forward?
The red list needs to go
The next review of the UK's travel restrictions is due next week. What changes will be made to the red list? Will we get minor adjustments only, or could the government take the more radical step of abolishing it completely?
The US reopens its borders to Europe
In a major boost to travellers, airlines and airports alike, the long-awaited reopening of the US border was finally announced today. Fully vaccinated travellers will be free to travel to the US from early November, in time for long separated families to be reunited for Thanksgiving.
A new travel restrictions framework
The UK’s much derided traffic light system of travel restrictions was consigned to the dustbin today. Who are the winners and losers from the new system?
What is the red list for?
Getting added to the UK's red list for travel is a death sentence for travel volumes. With 62 countries currently languishing on the list, I examine the question of what the government is trying to achieve and whether it makes any logical sense.
Time to rethink the UK’s testing regime for international travel
The UK’s system of testing for travellers is hugely more burdensome than other comparable countries. Is it doing an effective job of reducing risk in return for this massive cost?
What did we learn from the latest update of UK travel restrictions?
Mexico to red, France back to amber, Germany and Austria to green. What does it all mean?
Will we get a big revamp of the UK’s traffic light system on Thursday?
The next installment of the UK’s regular three weekly “travel restrictions drama” is due on Thursday. Will we get the usual handful of moves between categories, or is there a chance of a more dramatic set of revisions?
The whys and wherefores of the UK’s new amber plus list
Amber Plus. Sounds like a new beer brand, but in fact it’s the latest addition to the UK's set of travel restriction categories. Why was it created? Will more countries get added to it? And does it make sense anyway?
The true cost of travel test packages
The current UK policy for testing of travellers coming to the UK comes at a significant cost for consumers. Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps thinks that prices have come down and downplays the issue. I did a reality check.
Top tips for the next changes to country travel classifications
Predicting upcoming changes to the UK's traffic light travel ratings has always been rather challenging, as the rationale for the decisions has never been very clear. With another revision due on July 15, I gave it another go.