Cost-Of-Living Crisis Emphasises Importance Of Loyalty Programmes To UK Consumers

UK-wide study suggests 92% of consumers are turning to loyalty programmes for everyday spending to make their money stretch during the economic downturn

Half of those surveyed said they’re searching for new ways to build their points to spend on treats they’d otherwise write off

Following the global pandemic, consumers say they’re keen to prioritise treats and holidays abroad if they can

As the cost-of-living crisis continues across the United Kingdom this winter, a behavioural science study by IAG Loyalty, owners of the global loyalty currency Avios, has revealed the important part loyalty programmes are playing to help consumers during this challenging time, with inflation at its highest rate in 40 years.

According to the study of 1,000 people, 92% of Brits are relying on loyalty programmes to give an extra boost to their everyday spending during the cost-of-living crisis. More than 50% said they’re actively looking for new ways to collect points and maximise the return when they spend money, with 20% saying they were inclined to spend more with brands with loyalty programmes. 

When asked to select three things they would want to prioritise during this crisis, 65% of respondents chose treats, followed by their annual summer/winter holiday (53%), then birthdays (42%), streaming services (40%) and live entertainment (34%). 

When spending loyalty points, 80% of people consider themselves rational decision makers and 20% emotional decision makers, with the latter (38% of 18–24-year-old’s and 31% of 25–34-year-old’s) likely to choose luxury rewards. 

China Eastern Airlines unveils new items on in-flight menu

International and regional flights operated by China Eastern Airlines (China Eastern) and its subsidiary Shanghai Airlines will resume normal in-flight meal starting Jan. 8, 2023. In the meantime, China Eastern will update its in-flight menu.

MU Freeze-Dried Fruit Tea, a brand new drink specially designed for China Eastern flights, will be added to the list of beverages, which is known as the "MU Enjoyment" series. Featuring a combination of the fragrant jasmine, kumquat, lemon and passion fruit, the drink will satisfy the taste buds of passengers while providing rich vitamin C for them.

The drink is also convenient and quick to prepare. It can be made with room temperature mineral water or carbonated water. (The new drink will only be served to first class, luxury business class and business class passengers of international and regional flights operated by China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines.)

A special set meal named "MU Catering: Good Fortune in the Year of the Rabbit" will be added to the in-flight menu of international and regional flights operated by China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday, in the hope of sending good wishes to passengers for the Chinese Lunar New Year.

China Eastern has always attached great importance to passengers' in-flight dining experience, and laid emphasis on innovating and updating in-flight menu. It has launched distinctive themed in-flight meals for specific festivals and seasons, making in-flight meals a highly enjoyable experience above the clouds.

Five crazy items people leave behind on planes

 Wallets, mobile phones, Kindles, reading glasses - it's no surprise that everyday items are sometimes left behind when passengers disembark aircraft. Flight attendants and cleaners scour the empty cabin for neglected items after every flight, passing them on to lost property depots where they are generally held for three months.

But, as well as the predictable lost property, airline staff also make some astonishing discoveries. Deborah Scott, co-owner at Artemis Aerospace, explores some of the bizarre items that passengers somehow forgot to gather up in the rush to reach their final destination… 

1.  Passports

Despite the fact that this is the number one item you need to exit the airport, an amazing number of travellers leave their passport behind, often tucked into the seat-back pocket. 

Most flyers realise within minutes they've left this vital document behind, and with luck, ground staff will be able to contact cabin crew or cleaners before the aircraft is locked. If the passport can't be retrieved immediately, prepare for difficult conversations at immigration. Emergency documentation can be issued, but the process is likely to take some time.

2.  Egyptian artefacts

The Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottboro, Alabama, reported an Egyptian burial mask and mummified falcon found in an old Gucci suitcase. The Center has also received a Rolex watch valued at $64,000, an eighteenth-century violin, a live rattlesnake and a Barbie doll stuffed with $500 of rolled bills. 

Airlink and USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance Launch Haiti Air Bridge to Deliver Humanitarian Aid

Disaster logistics nonprofit Airlink has launched an air bridge from the US to Haiti, transporting humanitarian aid to the Caribbean Island on behalf of aid agencies working to overcome transport constraints and security concerns. 

Funding for the Airlink air bridge comes from a USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) grant to provide at least two charter flights a month until the end of January. In-kind freight forwarding (cargo pick-up coordination, ground transportation, and warehousing) has been provided by Airlink partner SEKO Logistics. 

Humanitarian agencies have struggled to get life-saving aid to the island due to transport costs and escalating gang violence, which have impacted maritime ports, road access, and overall security. Air charter prices have increased 160 percent in the last six years, and an estimated 200 gangs operate across Haiti, with around 95 operating in the capital Port-au-Prince. Meanwhile, the island’s population is dealing with an ongoing humanitarian emergency and the impact of multiple disasters, including the instability caused by the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and a deadly earthquake in 2021. 

An outbreak of cholera is the latest disaster to hit the Haitian people. There are more than 18,000 suspected cases amongst the population, with 30 percent comprising children under the age of nine. The country's health system is struggling to cope. Of the twenty-two local health institutions, only six are fully functioning. The first two air bridge flights departed from Miami International Airport carrying 88 tons of aid, including medical supplies, IV fluids, water purification supplies, and clean water filtration equipment to help address the cholera crisis.  

Further Hospitality Expertise for Airlines: BARIG Welcomes Lindner Hotels as New Business Partner

Further Hospitality Expertise for Airlines:

BARIG Welcomes Lindner Hotels as New Business Partner

Considering the recovery of tourism and air traffic, the industry is confident and optimistic about the future despite ongoing difficult framework conditions. The reason for this is the considerable pent-up demand for business travel and trade fair participations as well as leisure travel. In this context, the Board of Airline Representatives in Germany (BARIG) – representing more than 100 airlines operating in Germany – is expanding its hospitality expertise and entered into a business partnership with Lindner Hotels AG on January 1, 2023. The well-known hotel chain becomes part of the BARIG network, and the Lindner Congress Hotel in Frankfurt becomes a partner of the airline association.

 

“We are delighted at the positive developments in business travel and tourism. In 2023, we temporarily expect travel volumes comparable to the pre-pandemic period,” Michael Hoppe, BARIG Chairman and Executive Director, states. “There are numerous interfaces between aviation and the hotel industry that need to be further strengthened at this important juncture. With Lindner Hotels AG as a new business partner, we are expanding our hospitality section and can advance important cross-industry topics together with the BARIG member airlines.” 

Isabell Ketteler, Cluster Sales Director at Lindner Hotels & Resorts, points out: “The good, cooperative partnership with the airlines is of great importance to us. Through the forums and formats which BARIG offers us as a business partner, we will intensify the constructive exchange with airliners from all over the world.”

Lindner Hotels AG owns 31 hotels under the brands Lindner Hotels & Resorts and me and all hotels in seven European countries. The multi-award-winning company offers a great variety of vacation and business concepts, high quality standards as well as conference and event venues with digital design concepts. The range of hotels extends from business hotels with modern meeting facilities to theme hotels, luxurious spa and golf resorts as well as city spots and historic grand hotels.

Five new routes from London Gatwick with British Airways

British Airways’ Gatwick-based subsidiary, BA Euroflyer, has added Montpellier, Corfu, Mykonos and Innsbruck to its short-haul route network, in addition to a new summer Salzburg service.

Montpellier, in the south of France, is a new addition to British Airways’ network, operating three times a week in the summer from 27 May 2023.

The service to Mykonos bolsters the existing summer routes from London Heathrow and London City, while Corfu is in addition to the existing London Heathrow service. Innsbruck sees an addition of eight new weekly flights in the winter season, which complements the current six times weekly service from London Heathrow.

BA Euroflyer’s summer service to Salzburg will complement the existing winter services from London Gatwick and London Heathrow.

The airline has also put its short-haul Gatwick winter schedule on sale today, offering 21 destinations to customers looking to book winter holidays and city breaks. Ski hotspots include Geneva and Turin, while winter sun destinations include Tenerife and Lanzarote.

Tom Stoddart, Acting CEO of BA Euroflyer, said: “It is exciting to see our short-haul schedule at Gatwick grow. These additional routes are to a broad range of destinations that will suit all manner of travellers from beach lovers and skiers to explorers and adventurers. We have something for everyone departing from London Gatwick.”

Norwegian had 1.3 million passengers in December.....

In December, Norwegian had more than 1.3 million passengers, an increase of 41 percent compared to December 2021. During 2022 Norwegian had 18 million passengers. Solid operations during the holiday travel season concluded a positive year marked by a tripling of passenger numbers, a return of high demand for air travel and continued positive booking trends.

“We are delighted to see that an increasing number of Nordic passengers choose Norwegian as their preferred airline when travelling to see friends and family during the busy holiday season that this month brings. On domestic travels in Norway, passenger numbers are now on par with pre-pandemic levels. Despite challenging weather on many of the busiest travel days that affected aviation both in the Nordics and in Europe, we managed to take passengers to their Christmas destinations. More than nine out of ten flights arrived on time or within one hour of their scheduled arrival time,” said Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian.

Norwegian had 1,315,924 passengers in December, up 41 percent from December 2021. The load factor in December was 77.8 percent. The capacity (ASK) was 2,120 million seat kilometres, while actual passenger traffic (RPK) was 1,650 million seat kilometres. In December, Norwegian operated an average of 64 aircraft and 99.0 percent of the scheduled flights were completed. Punctuality, as measured by the number of flights departing within 15 minutes of scheduled time, was at 71.6 percent in December, mainly due to challenging weather conditions at several European airports.

In 2022 Norwegian had close to 18 million passengers, triple the number of passengers from the previous year. The load factor was 83.1 percent for the year. Thanks to the company's solid financial situation, Norwegian is now able to hedge jet fuel for both 2023 and 2024. Current fuel hedges, which run through 2023, are struck at levels below today’s spot price.

New Year’s sales exceeding expectations

“All in all, 2022 has been a very good year for Norwegian. A strong pent-up demand for air travel, particularly for beach destinations during the peak leisure season, resulting in a record busy summer. We continue to experience positive booking trends and ticket sales are currently exceeding our expectations. Our customers have responded very positively to our New Year's sale and are taking advantage of the campaign to plan this year’s travels, both short and long term,” said Karlsen.

Airbus to provide Poland with a very high resolution optical satellite system

Airbus to provide Poland with a very high resolution optical satellite system

First export contract for Airbus’ S950 Optical satellites, already used for Pléiades Neo

Polish system includes two very high resolution satellites, ground segment and associated services, including full training

Access to Pléiades Neo’s imagery from as early as 2023

Airbus Defence and Space has signed a contract with Poland to provide a geospatial intelligence system including the development, manufacture, launch and delivery in orbit of two high-performance optical Earth observation satellites. The contract also covers the associated ground segment, including Direct Receiving Station in Poland, launch services, training for the Polish team, maintenance and technical support for the space and ground systems.

Furthermore, the agreement encompasses the delivery of Very High Resolution (VHR) imagery from the Airbus Pléiades Neo constellation as early as 2023.

This contract is the first export success, achieved with the support of the French government, for the Airbus S950 VHR optical satellite which stems from the development of the Pléiades Neo constellation, already operating in orbit with two satellites since 2021. This latest generation system offers a cutting-edge performance of VHR optical capabilities accompanied by a very high agility in orbit.

Jean-Marc Nasr, head of Space Systems at Airbus said: “This contract will provide Poland with one of the world’s most sophisticated satellite Earth observation systems. It strengthens Europe and gives the Polish nation a truly sovereign space capability. We look forward to further developing our cooperation with Poland under the umbrella of the strategic partnership between France and Poland”.

Following the launch of the satellites from the European Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, the imagery coming from the Polish satellites will be directly received in Poland by the infrastructure of the national satellite system, ensuring full autonomy.

This announcement consolidates Airbus’ position as world leader in the export of Earth observation satellite systems and is a major show of confidence in the company’s technology. It is also an endorsement of Airbus’ strategy to invest in the Pléiades Neo constellation, the benchmark for VHR geo-information systems. 

The satellites' assembly, integration and tests will be carried out in Airbus’ clean rooms in Toulouse and launch is planned by 2027. Starting in 2023, Poland will have access to Pléiades Neo imagery directly from Airbus.

BT Group’s incubation hub Etc. backs Altitude Angel to make the UK a global leader for commercial automated drone operations

Etc., the incubation team in BT Group’s Digital unit boosting the businesses of the future, today announces that it has entered into a £5 million deal with Altitude Angel, a leading UTM (Unified Traffic Management) technology provider, as the two businesses scale the UK drone industry and support the development of the UK’s drone superhighway, set to be the largest and longest network of its kind in the world.

UTM is the software platform and infrastructure needed to allow drones to fly safely, without a pilot, over large distances. The £5 million deal will accelerate Altitude Angel’s roll-out of its transformative ARROW technology, which detects and identifies drones, while also enabling drones to share the airspace with crewed aviation safely and securely. 

The deal is a critical stepping stone in enabling Altitude Angel to scale its technology to allow long distance drone flights, supporting the potential for faster delivery of essential and non-essential items and unlocking an industry estimated to be worth £45bn by 2030*. The deal is crucial to drone innovation, supporting commercial and retail use cases, but also enabling drones to transform how essential services function – from supporting the emergency services with real-time search and rescue, fast transportation of medical supplies, farming analysis, and architectural planning. 

British Airways has announced a new daily flight from London Heathrow to Florence, Italy, for Summer 2023.

British Airways has announced a new daily flight from London Heathrow to Florence, Italy, for Summer 2023.

Starting on 26 April 2023, the new flight will operate daily from London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 at 07:50 on an A320Neo aircraft.

Known for its Renaissance art scene, architectural masterpieces and Tuscan fare, Florence is in central Italy, within close proximity to Bologna and Pisa for those who are looking to explore further afield.

Neil Chernoff, Director of Networks and Alliances at British Airways, said: “We know our customers love visiting Tuscany, which is why we already operate flights from London City to Florence. We’ve added this new route from London Heathrow to the Tuscan capital to offer them even more choice to explore this incredible Italian region.

“Not only is this good news for UK travellers, but also for those connecting in London to and from US destinations. The flights’ timings have been optimised for connectivity to popular routes, including New York, Boston and Chicago.”

Florence will be one of 11 Italian cities served by British Airways from London Heathrow in Summer 2023, including Rome, Milan, Venice and Naples.

The London Heathrow to Florence flight joins a host of new routes starting in the Summer 2023 season, such as London Gatwick to Aruba and Guyana, and London Heathrow to Cincinnati, Ohio.

Finnair's December 2022 performance.

In December, Finnair carried 832,900 passengers, which was 38.2% more than in December 2021 and 10.9% more than in November 2022. Month-on-month figures are, however, not fully comparable as there was one day less in November.

The COVID-19 impact, including the strict travel restrictions imposed by some countries, still affected passenger traffic figures, and it was particularly visible in the Asian figures. The Russian airspace closed at the end of February due to the counter sanctions related to the war in Ukraine, which resulted in route and frequency cancellations in Asian traffic. Thanks to robust demand for cargo, Finnair, however, continued operating to most of its Asian destinations despite the longer routings. The negative impact of the airspace closure on Asian passenger traffic figures, which were already affected by the pandemic, was, nevertheless, visible in December. The distance-based reported traffic figures do not take into account longer routings caused by the airspace closure as they are based on Great-Circle distance.

Finnair’s cooperation with Qatar Airways began on 1 November as daily flights from Copenhagen and Stockholm to Doha were commenced. Daily Helsinki – Doha flights were started in mid-December. Related traffic figures are reported by Finnair and those are currently visible in the European figures. Starting from January 2023 traffic performance release, a new traffic area Middle East will be introduced and these flights as well as flights to Dubai and Israel will be transferred into the new traffic area.

The overall capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK), increased in December by 13.4% year-on-year and by 15.1% month-on-month. Finnair operated, on average, 263 daily flights (cargo-only included), which was 14.3% more than in December 2021 and 4.8% more than in November 2022. Finnair's traffic, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs), increased by 51.4% year-on-year and by 17.2% month-on-month. The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) increased by 18.3% points year-on-year and by 1.3% points month-on-month to 72.7%.

BOC orders 40 Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets

BOC Aviation Limited recently confirmed it had entered into an agreement with The Boeing Company to purchase 40 new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.  All aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2027 and 2028.

“We are pleased to continue to build on our existing relationship with Boeing, with this 40-aircraft incremental order for the fuel-efficient Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.  The incremental aircraft takes our total 737 MAX 8 orderbook with Boeing to 80 aircraft,” said David Walton, Deputy Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer. “We look forward to continuing to provide one of the industry’s most technologically advanced aircraft for delivery on lease to our airline customers, to support their sustainable growth over the balance of this decade.”

“We are proud that BOC Aviation continues to invest in the 737-8 with its industry-leading versatility and ability to fly almost any short and medium-haul market profitably,” said Ryan Weir, vice president of Global Leasing Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We look forward to more opportunities to expand our relationship to support BOC Aviation and its customers.”

BA staff to get a new look....

Last week, British Airways unveiled a new uniform to take the airline into its next chapter. The collection of garments, created by British fashion designer and tailor Ozwald Boateng OBE, will be worn by more than 30,000 of the airline’s colleagues from Spring 2023.

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “Our uniform is an iconic representation of our brand, something that will carry us into our future, representing the very best of modern Britain and helping us deliver a great British original service for our customers. From the very start this has been about our people. We wanted to create a uniform collection that our people are proud to wear and with the help of over 1,500 colleagues, we are confident that we have delivered this.”

The collection features a tailored three-piece suit for men with regular and slim fit style trousers and dress, skirt and trouser options for women, as well as a modern jumpsuit – which is an airline first. A tunic and hijab option has also been created for the global carrier.

Boateng took great care in designing a truly original collection, taking inspiration from the airline, its people of the art of flying.  The airwave pattern that features across the entire uniform collection including jackets, t-shirts, buttons and ties was inspired by the movement of air over an aircraft wing. The jacquard fabric across all of the tailored garments features a variation of the airline’s iconic speedmarque.

2022 results for AerCap

AerCap Holdings has announced its major business transactions during the full year and fourth quarter 2022:

Full Year 2022 Transactions

Signed 570 lease agreements.

Completed 118 purchases.

Completed 207 sale transactions.

Signed financing transactions for approximately $4.2 billion.

Fourth Quarter 2022 Transactions

Signed 159 lease agreements, including 4 widebody aircraft and 76 narrowbody aircraft, 37 engines and 42 helicopters.

Completed 43 purchases for 30 aircraft (including 22 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft, 1 Airbus A220, 1 Airbus A330neo, 1 Boeing 737 MAX, 1 Boeing 787-9 and 3 Embraer 195 E2s for AerCap's owned aircraft portfolio and 1 aircraft for AerCap's managed aircraft portfolio), 9 engines and 4 helicopters.

Completed 97 sale transactions for 64 aircraft (including 9 Airbus A320 Family aircraft, 3 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft, 8 Airbus A330s, 33 Boeing 737NGs, 1 Boeing 767-300ER, 2 Boeing 777-200ERs, 1 Boeing 737-300SF, 2 Boeing 747-400Fs and 4 Embraer E170s from AerCap's owned aircraft portfolio and 1 aircraft from AerCap's managed aircraft portfolio), 20 engines and 13 helicopters.

Signed financing transactions for approximately $750 million.

Late in December, AerCap announced the delivery of the first of six new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft to German leisure carrier, Condor. The remaining aircraft are scheduled to deliver in the summer 2023 through 2024.

“We are delighted to announce the delivery of the first of six new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft to Condor, and to see the aircraft painted in their distinctive new striped livery design,” said Peter Anderson, the Chief Commercial Officer of AerCap. “The A330neo aircraft is the perfect choice for Condor and will enable them to expand their network using the most modern, fuel-efficient technology while supporting their sustainability commitments. We wish the team every success and we look forward to continuing to build our partnership in the years to come.”

"With AerCap as our very experienced and supportive partner, we are looking forward to welcoming the next A330-900neo within the upcoming months" said Björn Walther, the Chief Financial Officer of Condor. "Thanks to the great cooperation we are able to take an important step towards a successful future."

Seven weird and wonderful careers in aviation

Ask someone to name a job in aviation and their likely answer would be 'airline pilot' or 'flight attendant'. Yet there are many diverse careers in the aviation industry, ranging from critical safety roles to ultra-niche stunt performers. Artemis Aerospace spotlights seven unusual jobs in the field of aviation.

 Aviation is big business. It's estimated the industry supports over 10 million jobs worldwide, generating billions of pounds of GDP. Although badly hit by the pandemic, aviation is recovering well, with passenger numbers climbing back towards 2019 levels. Commercial pilots and cabin crew are busy again, but so are many other industry professionals. Here are seven surprising aviation jobs you might never have heard of…

1.  Wildlife survey pilot

Fancy a spot of low-altitude flying? Wildlife survey pilots get to fly close to ground level day in, day out, piloting conservationists and biologists as they conduct studies of wildlife and habitats. Aerial surveys are carried out over oceans, too, offering these pilots some of the most spectacular views imaginable. Within this niche profession is another category: polar pilots. These airmen and women fly above glaciers and icebergs, helping environmental scientists monitor the terrain for research purposes.

2.  Skytyper

You're probably familiar with the concept of skywriting, but have you heard of skytyping? As an advertising technique, skywriting dates back to the early days of aviation. Hugely popular in the 1920s, messages were 'written' into the sky by aircraft whose exhausts are primed to release smoke. Pilots with skywriting skills can still be hired today, however a more sophisticated (if expensive) technique has been developed: skytyping. Five aircraft are needed to release smoke dots into the sky at approximately 12,000 feet. The dots join up to create an accurately 'typed' message that can be visible to millions of people on the ground. Messages can last several minutes depending on wind conditions. Banned in the UK until 2020 due to safety concerns, skytyping is popular in many countries around the world, with prices starting at $25,000 for a single message. That's a pretty astonishing way to blow a fortune!