‘The Travel Brief’, the weekly Head for Points travel trade newsletter
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Welcome to your weekly trade round-up of UK business travel and travel loyalty news as well as our latest reviews and features.
This newsletter is the successor to Malcolm Ginsberg’s Business Travel News which Head for Points has acquired. If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up here to receive this free newsletter in your inbox every Monday.
Malcolm’s new monthly forward-looking Travel News Update is available at travelnewsupdate.co.uk.
The latest UK business travel news:
easyJet is launching 15 new routes from Birmingham Airport
Heathrow announces its new CEO
BA Euroflyer Gatwick routes for Summer 2024 are now bookable
Virgin Atlantic has tightened Clubhouse entry rules at Heathrow
Luton Hoo to become a Fairmont hotel after refurbishment
IHG opens a hotel in the Galapagos under its Hotel Indigo brand. Image above.
Virgin Hotels Glasgow finally opens in late July
Norwegian and Nordic Choice Hotels to merge their loyalty programmes
TfL orders an additional 11 new DLR trains, taking the 2024-26 order to 54
Over 500 people attended our annual Summer Party at Renaissance St Pancras. You can see some photos here. Thank you to everyone who came.
Business travel stories we recommend from other sites:
Global Airlines agrees purchase of three more A380s (PR Newswire)
Gatwick’s North Terminal undergoes multi-million-pound redevelopment (Business Traveller)
IAG firms more options on Airbus single-aisle jets (FlightGlobal)
SunExpress to fly from Antalya to Leeds Bradford Airport (Yorkshire Evening Post)
Which? renews plea to give the CAA teeth to take on the airlines (TTG)
Amsterdam Schiphol “came close to breaking point” last year (Business Traveller)
Our latest reviews:
Hotel reviews:
Rob visits Grantley Hall near Ripon, probably the UK’s most luxurious regional hotel. Image above.
Airport lounge reviews:
Review: The Gateway by easyJet lounge in London Gatwick’s North Terminal. Image below.
The latest UK travel loyalty news:
Receive between 2,500 and 300,000 Avios with Nutmeg when you transfer a SIPP or ISA
A positive change to the British Airways American Express 2-4-1 companion voucher rules
Get a 25% bonus buying World of Hyatt points – buy here
Get up to 60% bonus when buying Virgin Points – buy here
Iberostar points earning and status benefits are now live with IHG One Rewards
Virgin launches a new flight sale on redemptions to the USA
You can now redeem Virgin Points for High Street gift cards including Pizza Express
How to earn Avios when you fly United Airlines
NEW OFFER: Get 25,000 American Express Membership Rewards points with ‘free for a year’ Amex Gold
American Express has increased the sign-up bonus on the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card from 20,000 to 25,000 points.
If you meet the bonus criteria, you now receive 25,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend £3,000 within 90 days. This is a special offer which runs to 8th August.
This is an exceptionally generous deal for a card which is FREE for the first year. Remember that 25,000 Membership Rewards points convert into 25,000 Avios, amongst other things.
You can apply here. Our full article on the deal is here.
The representative APR is 87.3% variable, including the annual fee. The representative APR on purchases, and in the first year which has no fee, is 30.0% variable.
Head for Points receives a commission if you apply for a card via our links. Thank you.
Thank you for reading
Please drop me a note at rob@headforpoints.com with any feedback. See you next Monday.
Rob, Rhys and Sinead @ Head for Points
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