Japan reopens after two years: Time for that trip of a lifetime May 30, 2022 After two years of closure to tourists, Japan will welcome visitors from 10 June. Steve Hogarty takes a trip from Osaka into the ancient Japanese countryside. Osaka’s main entertainment district, Dotonbori is a kind of psychedelic, neon circus. Brilliant, colourful lights bounce off the glass-fronted buildings, and below they transform the surface of the canal [...]
Revolving door: Kantar’s third boss in 18 months is BT CEO’s bro July 1, 2021 Kantar has tapped the brother of BT’s chief executive as its new boss, marking yet another leadership change at the media giant following its takeover by Bain Capital. The market research group today said Chris Jansen, brother of BT’s Philip Jansen, will take the reins from 1 November. The appointment comes less than 18 months [...]
FTSE 100 climbs despite mounting concerns over Delta variant June 29, 2021 London’s FTSE 100 climbed on Tuesday despite mounting concerns over the spread of the Delta variant of coronavirus. The capital’s premier index rose 0.39 per cent to 7,100 in afternoon trading. The gains come as data from the Bank of England shows households recorded positive net consumer borrowing for the first since August, fuelling hopes [...]
Aer Lingus passengers stranded after Stobart Air collapse June 13, 2021 Passengers have been left stranded and hundreds of jobs are at risk following the collapse of one of Britain’s largest regional airlines. Government officials have been forced to scramble contingency plans after Stobart Air, which operates services for Aer Lingus, British Airways and KLM, stopped trading and called in liquidators. Almost 500 jobs are thought [...]
Heathrow passenger numbers keep dwindling as CEO urges G7 for safe travel June 11, 2021 After 15 months of restrictions, Heathrow’s passenger numbers in the UK and across the world have continued to collapse below pre-pandemic levels, with a loss of over 6m passengers in the month, the airport said this morning. From June 2020 to May 2021, there was a 79.3 per cent plunge in terminal passenger numbers in [...]
Thousands of BA staff go back on furlough June 10, 2021 Thousands of British Airways (BA) staff are being put back onto the furlough scheme as the wait for a meaningful return of international travel continues. With 17 May as the date the government had set for the restart of travel, the carrier had begun to bring back workers in preparation for the summer season. But [...]
British Airways owner set for record £183m fine after 2018 data breach July 8, 2019 British Airways is gearing up to face a record £183m fine by authorities after a data breach caused it to lose more than 400,000 customers’ information. The airline’s owner, International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG), announced this morning it would make “any necessary appeals” in response to the penalty. Read more: British Airways data breach: How [...]
City investors dump hospitality stocks despite pubs welcoming customers back indoors May 17, 2021 England’s pubs welcomed customers back inside for the first time in months today, but investors in the City of London were less taken by the sector’s future. Worries about a possible spread of the Indian variant of Covid-19 made shareholders sell their pub stocks. Wetherspoon, Marston’s, City Pub Group and Fuller, Smith & Turner were [...]
JetBlue given regulatory clearance to join transatlantic dogfight April 19, 2021 The UK’s aviation regulator has today given US carrier JetBlue clearance to begin operating flights to Britain, in a blow for transatlantic rivals such as British Airways. It is the first time since the UK left the EU that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has given regulatory approval to a foreign carrier. New York-based JetBlue [...]
FCA proposes structure shake-up to tackle illiquid fund flaws May 7, 2021 Britain today put forward a new long-term asset fund structure to invest in illiquid assets, such as real estate and infrastructure, following a series of high-profile suspensions. Illiquid assets typically offer better long-term returns but come with higher risk. They can be difficult to value or sell in a crisis, making it hard to meet [...]