London Report: Draghi QE hint sends banks and FTSE up but Antofagasta falls August 26, 2014 BRITAIN’S top equity index rose yesterday, with financial stocks outperforming, amid expectations of new economic stimulus measures from the European Central Bank. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed up by 0.7 per cent, or 47.51 points, at 6,822.76 points – its highest closing level since early July. As the FTSE was closed on Monday due [...]
Israel flights under review July 23, 2014 NUMEROUS airlines in the US and Europe have cancelled flights to Israel as a result of the conflict in Gaza, after a rocket landed just a mile away from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. In the UK, easyJet suspended yesterday’s flights to Tel Aviv and said it would review its operations on a day-by-day [...]
Sport Comment: Not all of Gazza’s old pals have fled – but now it’s down to him October 30, 2014 by Bill Bradshaw Walking towards City A.M.’s office the other day I saw a poster plastered across one of those new hydrogen-powered buses: “Help London Rebuild Gaza!” it pleaded. I did a double-take. It was advertising an event at the Troxy theatre in aid of the crisis-hit region but – for a moment – I [...]
Monarch to cut costs and plane numbers to fight budget rivals August 17, 2014 Monarch Airlines is believed to be considering cutting around 1,000 jobs as part of a major strategic review as it seeks to revive its fortunes in a bid to take on low-cost rivals such as easyJet and Ryanair. Delivering the strategic review is one of the key goals of new chief executive Andrew Swaffield, who [...]
Sex, drugs and EU tolls: Why that £1.7bn bill is a gift to politicians November 4, 2014 Whichever way you look at it, the £1.7bn EU ‘toll-tax-bill’ is a fabulous win-win-win. The EU gets more revenue, the UK gets an increased rebate and the UK political parties have a PR gift from which to debate what the EU really means for the people and economy of the UK. The child in me [...]
Eurozone fears pull down FTSE to one-year low – London Report October 9, 2014 THE FTSE 100 yesterday hit its lowest level for a year after early gains fell away in a broad-based sell-off as investors became anxious about signs of serious weakening in the Eurozone economy. The blue-chip index, which hit 6,544 points in morning trading, due mainly to a rise in mining shares, ended the day down [...]
Iraq: British and US airlines among those to suspend flights over the conflict zone August 9, 2014 British Airways announced yesterday that it was suspending all flights over Iraq. A spokesman for Britain's flagship carrier said that the move was “temporary” and that it would "keep the situation under review". Flights that will be affected include those to Dubai and Oman. The move follows a similar decision taken by the [...]
Fears over Ebola contagion puts airlines in a spin – London Report October 7, 2014 BRITAIN’S top share index fell back yesterday, with travel and leisure companies hit by concerns that the spread of Ebola outside Africa could hurt air travel and the tourism business. Sentiment was also hit by a set of poor data, including an unexpected four per cent month-on-month drop in German industrial production in August. Analysts had [...]
Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye wants the City to speak up for airport expansion November 3, 2014 For most of us, airports are a necessary headache a couple of times a year. For others, they are the root of all evil. Which is probably why the debate over airport expansion has rumbled on for so long and become one of the most divisive in modern British politics. Somehow along the way, the [...]
Brand Index: BA’s heritage helps it bounce back June 10, 2014 TODAY I’m returning to an issue that comes around like a baggage carousel every summer: the ongoing battle for the hearts and minds of British air travellers. I never tire of looking at this as it has so many angles – crisis recovery and the strength of a loved brand such as British Airways, the [...]