‘The Travel Brief’, the weekly Head for Points travel trade newsletter

Welcome to The Travel Brief, your weekly trade round-up of UK business travel and travel loyalty news as well as the latest reviews and features from the Head for Points team.

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This week’s top travel news stories:

The new My Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 is now open – take a look inside, image above

Lloyds Bank in talks to buy Curve at a knockdown price – what went wrong?

The iconic Waldorf Astoria New York hotel opens after an eight year refurbishment. Was it worth the wait?

Inside the new No1 Lounge at Jersey Airport – now open

American Express unveils a new ‘Sidecar’ lounge concept for short stays

Nectar is killing its (arguably) best redemption option: Caffe Nero drinks

Luxair will launch flights to Edinburgh …. in July 2026

Got an American Express-issued Priority Pass? You can now get an £18 credit at a restaurant at London City Airport

IHG’s Hotel Indigo Leeds opens

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi shuts down, and with very little notice

A new IHG voco hotel opens in Ireland

Get oneworld or SkyTeam status via an airline or HOTEL status match

Stories we recommend from other sites:

Further sections of London Underground gain 4G and 5G coverage (Business Traveller)

RAC takes aim at UK airport drop off charge rises (UK Aviation News)

Virgin Atlantic trims flights on three routes to the United States (Simple Flying)

Council dismisses ‘mad’ £1bn plan to buy Scarborough’s Grand Hotel (Boutique Hotelier)

Our latest reviews:

Step inside Saudia’s new lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4 – we were invited to take a look. Image above.

Sinead goes to Ireland to review the Conrad Dublin hotel, a mainstay of the city since it opened in 1989.

Katie head to Domes Miramare Corfu, part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection – is this is the resort for you this summer? Image below.

The latest UK travel loyalty news:

AVIOS SALE: Save up to 40% on many British Airways reward flights although long-haul business class is excluded

British Airways releases a huge amount of First Class availability for Avios redemptions to the US

Take a deep dive into BA’s ‘On Business’ small business loyalty scheme with our in-depth review

Lufthansa is selling miles with a 50% bonus for as low as 1p

Which 36 airlines can you earn Avios on?

How to earn Virgin Atlantic Silver and Gold status by flying Air France and KLM

Qatar Airways launches Avios Subscription, and unlike BA and Finnair it includes status points: worth a look?

Earn bonus Heathrow Rewards points on fashion purchases

Thank you for reading

Please drop me a note at rob@headforpoints.com with any feedback.

If you are booking a hotel this week, click here to read our summary of the best bonus points offers for July from the big chains.

See you next Monday,

Rob, Rhys, Sinead and Katie @ Head for Points

PS. If you were forwarded ‘The Travel Brief’ by a colleague, you can sign up for a free email subscription by filling in the form here.