News in brief from Manchester Airport, Huub Smeets, Heathrow and Gatwick Express, Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines and Air India
"Use it or lose it" - Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport (MAN) executives urged passengers to adopt a "use it or lose it" attitude towards long haul services out of the city.
Andrew Harrison, MAN's commercial director, said 50% of travellers from the North flying to Dubai went to Heathrow rather than take flights from Manchester.
Malcolm Gresty, international relations director for Manchester investment agency MIDAS, said air travel was vital for new trade links.
"Direct flights are the lifeblood of connectivity by attracting business and leisure tourism," he said.
Mr Harrison and Mr Gresty were speaking at a conference promoting Manchester and the surrounding region "as a core hub for worldwide business and international gateway to the UK."
New long haul routes between Manchester and China, Malaysia, Japan, Boston and Los Angeles are currently being considered, it was revealed.
www.manchesterairport.co.uk [1]
Smeets joins international consulting alliance
Purchasing consultant Huub Smeets has joined the international consulting alliance formed by Sirius Management's Tom Stone in the UK and Andrew Menkes of Partnership Travel Consulting (PTC) in the US.
Mr Smeets, based in the Netherlands, is a former travel manager with Philips, IBM, Rockwell Automation and BMC Software.
Mr Stone said: "With the addition of Huub's office in the Netherlands, we can support client projects in a single currency, whether sterling, the euro or US dollars."
Heathrow and Gatwick Express launch door-to-door green service
Heathrow and Gatwick Express claim to have launched the first ever environmentally friendly door-to-door service to and from both airports.
Carbon Voyage provides travellers with a car from their office or home to London Paddington or Victoria, where they can board the express trains to Heathrow or Gatwick.
The new integrated service allows travel agents and bookers to make one booking for car and rail transfers, and on one ticket.
Carbon Voyage tickets are sent electronically to the customers saving postage and paper.
Lufthansa seats three on board of Brussels Airlines
German airline group Lufthansa has seated three of its executives on the board of Brussels Airlines' parent company SN Airholding SA/NV.
Following Lufthansa's takeover of Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa's ceo and executive chairman Wolfgang Mayrhuber has been appointed to the board of SN Airholding with immediate effect.
Mr Mayrhuber is joined by Stefan Lauer, ceo of group airlines and corporate human resources at Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Thierry Antinori, a member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board and director of marketing and sales.
www.lufthansa.com [3] www.brusselsairlines.com [4]
Air India has "excess flab" says aviation minister
Air India "will have to do a lot of restructuring," Indian civil aviation minister Praful Patel reportedly said.
Mr Patel also told reporters Air India had "a lot of excess flab".
The comments came after a formal presentation by Air India appealing for state aid.
He said: "We will be strengthening Air India's board with directors of repute from various fields and we are also going to look at the restructuring of the top management of the airline.
"It does not only mean manpower but also it means various cost-cutting measures that have to be looked at comprehensively."
www.airindia.com [5]