Saga halts Titan Travel sale as coronavirus worries weigh March 2, 2020 Over-50s insurer Saga is said to have halted the sale of one of its travel businesses as the coronavirus outbreak sparks chaos across the tourism industry. Advisers to Saga have postponed the auction of Titan, which operates escorted tours, cruises and rail journeys to various destinations around the world. A number of private equity firms [...]
FTSE 100 and US stocks plunge amid coronavirus lockdown fears September 21, 2020 A horrible start to the week saw the FTSE 100 suffer its worst day since June as worries over rising coronavirus cases combined with a financial scandal to cause chaos in the City. London’s blue-chip index plunged 3.5 per cent to 5,800 points just before the close, having started the day above 6,000. The FTSE [...]
EU suspends landing slots rule in bid to ease burden on beleaguered airlines March 10, 2020 The EU has dropped a rule meaning that airlines must run the majority of their scheduled services or risk losing profitable landing slots in a bid to give the industry some relief amid the coronavirus outbreak. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said that the bloc would temporarily do away with [...]
Oil prices drop again as coronavirus cases escalate February 28, 2020 Oil prices fell again today as the spread of the coronavirus cast uncertainty over the world economy. Oil prices saw further falls after an initial rally today after yesterday’s slump. A spike in the number of coronavirus cases dragged prices back down, along with the world’s stocks. Brent Crude plunged almost five per cent to [...]
Ryanair makes further cuts to Italian flights as travel lockdown begins March 9, 2020 Ryanair has announced more cuts to its flight schedules to and from Italy today after the Italian government put the north of the country into lockdown yesterday. As of tomorrow, the budget airline is suspending all Italian domestic flights to and from Milan’s Bergamo and Malpensa airports, as well as those from Parma and Treviso, [...]
DEBATE: Is there a case for the UK government bailing out airlines in the midst of the coronavirus crisis? March 19, 2020 Is there a case for the UK government bailing out airlines in the midst of the coronavirus crisis? YES, says Rob Burgess, editor of headforpoints.com, the UK’s biggest frequent flyer website. There are many reasons not to bail out companies — it is wrong to reward stupidity, bad management, corruption, or those who failed to [...]
Government defends handling of SWR’s future after union says passengers are left ‘in limbo’ February 5, 2020 The Department for Transport (DfT) has denied claims by a major union that it has left passengers and staff “in limbo.” The RMT union has demanded the government provide an update on talks to secure the future of the troubled South Western Railway (SWR). However, the government has defended its handling of the process. “We [...]
Pensions regulator launches consultation on tougher defined benefit rules March 3, 2020 The Pensions Regulatory (TPR) today launched a consultation on new tougher rules on the funding of defined benefit pension schemes. TPR is proposing a twin-track approach to funding defined benefit schemes, which are pension funds where an employer legally has to make up any shortfall in the event that the scheme is underfunded. Under the [...]
Coronavirus: Foreign Office urges all British citizens to leave China February 4, 2020 The Foreign Office has urged all British nationals in China to leave the country due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Foreign Office is advising against “all but essential” travel to mainland China and today recommended that all Brits who are able to leave the country do so. Read More: What is the coronavirus and how [...]
Two-thirds of Brits think coronavirus bailouts should have strings attached July 2, 2020 Almost two-thirds of Brits think large companies should only receive public bailout money if they agree to conditions such as protecting jobs and reducing carbon emissions, according to polling published today that adds to pressure on the Bank of England. Financial campaign group Positive Money and pollster Yougov found that 63 per cent of the [...]