Although Heathrow, Gatwick, politicians and business leaders are locked in a fierce tug of war regarding which airport will be granted approval for expansion, it’s not all doom and gloom in the travel industry.
Ryanair increased its profit guidance by 25 per cent in September following a spike in passenger numbers in August, while Heathrow transported a record 7.33m travellers over the period.
And with Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens due for release on 18 December, Japanese airline ANA has introduced a five-year project that revolves around the sci-fi series with an R2-D2 jet.
Not wanting to be left out, British Airways set a flash mob loose on Heathrow’s Terminal 5 this week, inspired by BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Strictly professional dancer Joanne Clifton guided the airline’s staff through a series of kicks and spins to perfect their prancing for the stunt.
“Teaching the dance right here in the middle of the airport has been brilliant. The BA team is absolutely fabulous – they were such a good standard and we had so much fun,” said Clifton.
“We’re spreading the word about the new Strictly routine to get people all around the country dancing.”
Among the dancers was Aly Carswell, British Airways’ head of Heathrow customer service. “This has been such a fantastic experience. All of the dancers – pilots, cabin crew and ground staff – joined in with great enthusiasm and, I hope, grace!,” she said.
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Of course, British Airways isn’t the online airline that’s surprised customers this year.
One Ryanair passenger that lost his camera on a flight was reunited with it – after finding the item listed for sale on eBay by one of the airline’s stewards.
“When I saw it on eBay I couldn’t believe it. I was angry with Ryanair to be honest. How can they not notice someone just taking things off the seats?,” Galloway said.
“He had deleted everything from the camera – photos of Christmas, of a family member who had passed away and my graduation – all wiped. I’d been looking forward to taking lots of photos on my holiday and that was just ruined.”
Justice was done, however, as the crooked cabin crew colleague was fired.
On a slightly cheerier not, low cost leisure airline Jet2 shocked 180 travellers returning to the UK with personalised presents upon landing, with everything from tea sets to gift vouchers.
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “We want to make holidays as memorable as possible and our friendly service doesn’t stop when people arrive back home.
“While it is our aim to ensure people holiday happy, we realise there are often things they miss from home when away. What better way to bring a smile to their face than with an extra special welcome home gift?”
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