Operation Fly Formula shifts 100,000 pounds of baby formula from Germany to the U.S. this week.....

On May 25, 2022, a FedEx Express MD-11 delivered 100,000 pounds of Gerber baby formula, equivalent to 1 million 8-ounce bottles, to Dulles International Airport from Ramstein, Germany. For the second time this week, FedEx Express supported the U.S. Government’s Operation Fly Formula with the movement of today’s shipment through the FedEx Express air and ground network. The shipment was offloaded and moved onto FedEx Express trucks for transport to a Nestle distribution centre in Pennsylvania.

FedEx remains engaged with the U.S. administration and agencies to provide logistics and transportation support as needed for Operation Fly Formula.

“Our network was designed for missions like this – to move time-sensitive shipments safely and quickly,” said Gina Adams, Senior Vice President for Government and Regulatory Affairs, FedEx. Corp. “The FedEx Express integrated air and ground network expedited the movement of baby formula from manufacturers overseas to the United States for distribution to retail locations and hospitals throughout the country. We’re proud to be working with the U.S. government and our healthcare customers to help alleviate this crisis.”

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Norse New York route from London Gatwick kicks off in August.....The Longships going long distance...

Today, Norse Atlantic Airways has started selling tickets for its new route between London Gatwick and New York JFK which is set to start on 12th August 2022. Fares will start from as low as £255 return, including all applicable taxes. 

The first flight departing London Gatwick to New York (JFK) will take place on 12th August 2022. Norse Atlantic will offer a daily service between the UK and the US. Other US destinations will be announced soon. The flights will be operated by modern Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. 

The daily flight will depart from London at 13.00 and arrive in New York at 15.55 local time. The return departs New York at 17.55 and lands in London Gatwick at 06.20 local time the following day. 

Temporarily from August and throughout the summer Norse Atlantic will also operate flights between London Gatwick and Oslo. The daily morning flights between London and Oslo, operated by Boeing 787 Dreamliners offering both our Premium and Economy cabins, are available to book now with fares from only £41 one way including taxes. The London to Oslo flights will not only provide the most comfortable option to travel to Norway they will also allow UK customers to take advantage of connecting services from Oslo to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Los Angeles. 

“We are very pleased to now be able to welcome customers looking to book great value flights between London Gatwick and New York JFK. Customers now have an affordable option allowing them to book a last-minute trip or a holiday of a lifetime with an airline that offers choice and flexibility,” said Bjorn Tore Larsen, CEO of Norse Atlantic Airways. 

Stewart Wingate, CEO, Gatwick Airport said: “We are delighted to welcome Norse Atlantic Airways to Gatwick. It’s always great to see a new tail on the airfield but the arrival of a new airline following the turbulent past two years for the industry, and one that will be offering fantastic long-haul routes across the Atlantic, is particularly exciting news. Passengers across London and the South East will now be able to benefit from another transatlantic service from Gatwick, with Norse offering excellent value for money for those flying out for a dream holiday, or important business trip, to New York, one of the world’s most famous and dynamic cities.” 

Qantas cutting some domestic flights as it ramps up international operations

Photo Qantas

The Qantas Group in Australia has issued an update on its operations as the travel industry continues to recover from COVID-19 and network adjustments continue to flow through.

The airline group has listed some of the recent developments at both Jetstar and Qantas as more and more services come back online.  Including slowly waking up the giant Airbus A380 aircraft from its enforced slumber and putting them back in service. However, Qantas is axing a number of domestic flights for July and August that it had previously scheduled, mainly due to a lack of staff, although capacity will still be above pre-covid levels. 

Photo Qantas

(All dates refer to 2022 unless otherwise indicated.)

Group International

• Group International continues to see strong demand, particularly as we move towards the northern summer peak and more countries relax restrictions.
• Group International capacity remains unchanged at just under 50 per cent of pre-COVID levels by the end of the fourth quarter of FY22 and rising to around 70 per cent by the end of the first quarter of FY23.
• Flights from Perth to London (QF9) resumed on 23 May, with one return flight per day operating through the Western Australian gateway after operating through Darwin since November last year. QF1 will reroute from Sydney-Darwin-London to operate Sydney-Singapore-London from 19 June and switch from a 787 back to an Airbus A380 service.
• Qantas will welcome a third A380 back from storage, which will return to service from 6 June on the Melbourne-Los Angeles route.
• Following the recent relaxation of New Zealand border restrictions, Qantas and Jetstar’s Tasman flying has ramped up significantly, including:
• Flights resumed from Australia to Queenstown and Wellington, and additional routes to Christchurch.

• Qantas has doubled the frequency of flights to Auckland from Melbourne and Sydney and is operating some flights from Brisbane with A330s.

  

  Photo Qantas

• Jetstar has restarted flights on all Australia to Auckland markets and will restart on the remaining Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington markets in the next few weeks.

London Gatwick to start public consultation on its Northern Runway plans in June.

London Gatwick Airport has announced the start date of public consultations on its plans to bring the airport’s existing stand by or northern runway into routine use alongside its main runway. 

The statutory consultation wil start in Tuesday 14 June 2022 and will focus on the airport’s updated highway design, which has changed in response to feedback received during the Autumn 2021 consultation.  According to the plans, the period of consulatiuon wull last for just over six weeks, until 11:59pm on Wednesday 27 July 2022.

The airports management will publish the full details of the revised pans at the start of the consultation period and are said to include adding a new lane westbound over the Brighton main rail line, redesign of the original North Terminal junction and adding a third lane to the A23 approaching Longbridge roundabout.  

 

The airport will also publish other aspects of the plan that have changed following feedback from the last consultation process that occured in Novemeber last year. Gatwick’s plans align closely with the Government’s strategy to rebuild consumer confidence, build back sustainably from the pandemic, support jobs and build a skilled and diverse workforce that is fit for the future.

The airport’s proposal would see the airport’s Northern Runway brought into routine use, for departing aircraft, by repositioning its centre line further north by 12 metres - enabling dual runway operations with the airport’s Main Runway.  The Northern Runway could be operational by summer 2029.

The majority of the construction works associated with the airfield would be contained within the existing airport boundary and the cost of works - approximately £500m - will be privately financed. The proposals are also low impact, are in line with Government policy of making the best use of existing runways and would generate approximately 18,400 additional jobs by 2038 and an additional expected £1.5bn GVA to the region.  

The project will also be delivered in a sustainable way which helps the airport to meet its goal of zero airport emissions before 2040. 

Stewart Wingate, CEO, Gatwick Airport said: “When we launched our initial public consultation last September, we wanted to hear from people and interested groups on our plans to bring our existing Northern Runway into regular use alongside our Main Runway.  Following feedback on our proposals, we have listened and taken the decision to amend several aspects of these plans, particularly our highways designs, so we are keen to get further feedback from local people and other stakeholders on these updated changes before we take our plans forward.”

 Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report Volume 1:

LGW Scoping Report (Vol 2 Figures).

Northern Runway Consultation | Gatwick Airport LGW

 Help for Heroes.

Help for Heroes Charity helps to rebuild the lives of those with injuries and illnesses sustained while serving in the British Armed Forces. No matter when someone served, H4H give them the support they need to lead active, independent and fulfilling lives. They provide support to the whole family to help them all cope with the challenges they face. Long-term recovery is more than repairing damaged bodies and minds; it’s about rebuilding lives.

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American Express Global Business Travel becomes a publicly traded company

American Express Global Business Travel, one of the leading Business to business travel platforms has confirmed the long-rumoured notion that it will become a publicly listed company.  Amex has said it will begin trading as a public company on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “GBTG” on May 31, 2022.

Paul Abbott, Amex GBT’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Today marks a significant milestone in the business travel industry recovery and for Amex GBT. With strategic initiatives over the last few years, including complimentary accretive acquisitions, product and technology enhancements and lasting cost reductions, we have confidence that we are very well positioned to win a larger portion of the $1.4 trillion business travel market. As a publicly-traded company, we will have the flexibility to further accelerate our growth strategy.

“Trading as a public company follows years of work to strengthen our market leadership position. While listing our company is an achievement, it also marks the beginning of a new phase of growth paired with a focus on delivering long-term shareholder value as the world’s largest publicly traded B2B travel platform.”

Amex GBT has become a publicly-traded company following the completion of its previously announced business combination with Apollo Strategic Growth Capital, which was approved by APSG shareholders on May 25, 2022, and closed on May 27, 2022. Concurrently with the closing of the business combination, the Company received proceeds from cash in trust and PIPE investments, including sizable investments by strategic investors Zoom and Sabre, and new investors Apollo, Ares and HG Vora. These investors join American Express Company, Certares and Expedia Group, which remain invested in the Company. The Class A common stock and warrants of the newly combined company, Global Business Travel Group, Inc., will trade on the NYSE under the new ticker symbols “GBTG” and “GBTG WS”, respectively, beginning on May 31, 2022.

 

 Help for Heroes.

Help for Heroes Charity helps to rebuild the lives of those with injuries and illnesses sustained while serving in the British Armed Forces. No matter when someone served, H4H give them the support they need to lead active, independent and fulfilling lives. They provide support to the whole family to help them all cope with the challenges they face. Long-term recovery is more than repairing damaged bodies and minds; it’s about rebuilding lives.

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Exeter Airport celebrates launch of Belfast flights

Exeter Airport is celebrating the launch of new flights to Belfast with up to five flights a week with Emerald Airlines.

 
Emerald Airlines, the exclusive operator of Aer Lingus Regional flights has started another brand new service,  this time from Exeter Airport to Belfast. 

This new route started on Thursday, 26 May and is the second route from Exeter operated by Emerald Airlines, following the launch of new flights to Dublin last month, with seamless connections and US customs and immigration pre-clearance to New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington and Toronto on Aer Lingus’ North American network.

Stephen Wiltshire, Managing Director of Exeter Airport, said: “Belfast is a popular route from Exeter and we’re delighted so see flights start today. It means we’ll be offering 29 destinations for 2022/23 and providing passengers across the region with even more choice from their local airport.”

Ciarán Smith, Head of Commercial at Emerald Airlines, said the new route was part of an expansion of services from its Belfast base, which will also see the addition of two new ultra-low fuel burn aircraft to its fleet.

Exeter Airport which began operating in 1937, is a UK Certified Aerodrome with a runway lenth of 2076 metres. 

He added: “The launch of our Exeter service comes just in time for the long bank holiday weekend, allowing passengers to book last-minute getaways with convenient timings and low fares, making the most of their time off.”

For details of all 29 destinations available from Exeter Airport in 2022-23 visit https://www.exeter-airport.co.uk/flights-holidays/

 Help for Heroes.

Help for Heroes Charity helps to rebuild the lives of those with injuries and illnesses sustained while serving in the British Armed Forces. No matter when someone served, H4H give them the support they need to lead active, independent and fulfilling lives. They provide support to the whole family to help them all cope with the challenges they face. Long-term recovery is more than repairing damaged bodies and minds; it’s about rebuilding lives.

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EasyJet to cut over 200 flights from Gatwick in the next 10 days alone

The budget airline easyJet will be cutting over 200 flights from its schedule in the next 10 days alone from London Gatwick as it struggled to cope with demand. 

The airline will shed about 24 flights a day from Gatwick Airport from its operation between 28 May and 6 June, causing disruption and chaos for families heading away for the half-term holidays. easyJet says all the cancellations are required in order to provide a "reliable services over this busy period". Although for the thousands that have seen their expensive travel plans ruined, the move doesn't show any aspect of being reliable or of offering any kind of service.  

On the 26th of May, the airline had to halt and axe a large number of flights because of computer and IT issues, at the time easyJet said: "Unfortunately, we are currently experiencing IT systems issues which means that flights due to depart between 13:00 and 15:00 UK time today may be impacted. Our team of IT specialists is working to restore the systems as soon as possible."

Many believe there will be many more weeks of disruption, not just at Gatwick, but at many other airports as easyJet is having great difficulty in continuing its normal operations with the staff it has and the ongoing IT issues. 

Whilst nobody likes to have their travel plans scuppered at the last minute,  there is some consolation as airlines have a duty to look after customers. If the airline axes a flight within seven days of its scheduled departure, airlines must offer to put them on an alternative flight - including with other airlines - to fly as soon as possible or provide a full refund for all or parts of the ticket not used. People do not have to accept credit or future flight vouchers and can insist on a full refund back to the original method of payment. Plus,  if flights are cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, compensation may be payable subject to the time of any alternative flights offered. The amount varies depending on the distance to the destination,  up to 1,500 km  £220 and between 1,500 and 3,500 km the payment rises to £350.

Third Qantas Airbus A380 returning from storage to enter service from 6 June on the Melbourne-Los Angeles route. Plus more updates from the Australian airline group.

Photo Qantas

The Qantas Group in Australia has issued an update on its operations as the travel industry continues to recover from COVID-19 and network adjustments continue to flow through.

The airline group has listed some of the recent developments at both Jetstar and Qantas as more and more services come back online.  Including slowly waking up the giant Airbus A380 aircraft from its enforced slumber and putting them back in service. However, Qantas is axing a number of domestic flights for July and August that it had previously scheduled, mainly due to a lack of staff, although capacity will still be above pre-covid levels. 

Photo Qantas

(All dates refer to 2022 unless otherwise indicated.)

Group International

• Group International continues to see strong demand, particularly as we move towards the northern summer peak and more countries relax restrictions.
• Group International capacity remains unchanged at just under 50 per cent of pre-COVID levels by the end of the fourth quarter of FY22 and rising to around 70 per cent by the end of the first quarter of FY23.
• Flights from Perth to London (QF9) resumed on 23 May, with one return flight per day operating through the Western Australian gateway after operating through Darwin since November last year. QF1 will reroute from Sydney-Darwin-London to operate Sydney-Singapore-London from 19 June and switch from a 787 back to an Airbus A380 service.
• Qantas will welcome a third A380 back from storage, which will return to service from 6 June on the Melbourne-Los Angeles route.
• Following the recent relaxation of New Zealand border restrictions, Qantas and Jetstar’s Tasman flying has ramped up significantly, including:
• Flights resumed from Australia to Queenstown and Wellington, and additional routes to Christchurch.

• Qantas has doubled the frequency of flights to Auckland from Melbourne and Sydney and is operating some flights from Brisbane with A330s.

  

  Photo Qantas

• Jetstar has restarted flights on all Australia to Auckland markets and will restart on the remaining Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington markets in the next few weeks.

Jetstar unveils new livery for its new Airbus A321LR fleet as delivery countdown begins

Australian airline Jetstar has unveiled the new livery for its world-class fleet of Airbus NEOs as the airline prepares to embark on a new era of flying. Photo Jetstar

Australian airline Jetstar has unveiled the new livery for its world-class fleet of Airbus NEOs as the airline prepares to embark on a new era of flying.

The first of Jetstar’s pipeline of 38 NEO aircraft is set to arrive in Melbourne in the coming months, with the A321LR aircraft commencing flying on some of Jetstar’s most popular domestic routes, including from Melbourne to Cairns.

Featuring a unique orange tail and underbelly, and freshly branded wingtips, the new livery uses a two coat ‘basecoat-clearcoat’ system which is longer lasting and reduces paint weight by up to 30 per cent, resulting in a fuel saving of up to 108 tonnes each year across the whole A321LR fleet and a saving of nearly 350 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Photo Jetstar

 In addition to being 15 per cent more fuel-efficient, the A321LRs feature a number of benefits that will enhance the customer experience including:

Wider seats than the existing Jetstar A320/21 fleet

Extra-large overhead bins with 40 per cent more storage space

Up to 50 per cent quieter engines

Flip-down smartphone and tablet cradles and in-seat USB power

Jetstar Group CEO Gareth Evans said the arrival of the NEO fleet was one of the most significant milestones in the airline’s 18-year history.“These modern aircraft are world-class in terms of performance, comfort and sustainability, ensuring our customers will enjoy a new range of benefits on board.

“With the NEOs arriving in our 18th birthday year, their arrival symbolises how we’ve grown to become the largest and most successful low-cost carrier in the Asia Pacific region.

“In addition to flying on our most popular domestic routes, the long-range NEOs open up new international opportunities, providing us with an opportunity to expand our international network and deliver on our promise to offer more low fares to more destinations.”

Photo Jetstar

Delivery of a further eight A321LRs will take place between August 2022 and May 2023, with all 18 aircraft expected to be delivered by mid-2024.

A further 20 A321XLR aircraft will arrive between 2024 and 2029, providing an even longer range of narrowbody flying.

 

More on the A321LR aircraft......

The longer range, more fuel-efficient, quieter Jetstar A321LR will seat 232 passengers in a single class cabin that lifts the bar on comfort for low fares travellers in Australia.

LED lighting changes colour to help passengers transition through the flight.   Photo Jetstar

LED lighting changes colour to help passengers transition through the flight.

Key cabin features include:

Award-winning ergonomic Recaro seats with tapered arm rests for greater living space.

Extra-large overhead bins with 40 per cent more space, providing passengers with more room to stow bags overhead.

Flip-down smartphone and tablet cradles and in-seat USB power to keep personal devices charged.

Colour LED lighting that adjusts to the different stages of flight, which provides greater levels of passenger comfort and supports transition through various stages of flight.

Seat design allows for greater living space and better comfort.

Photo Jetstar

So, what is the Airbus A321LR? The simplest explanation is that it’s the next generation of the A321 twin-engine jet that’s already popular around the world. The ‘neo’ designation stands for ‘new engine option’ – referring to the quieter, more fuel-efficient CFM LEAP engines developed for the aircraft, which reduce fuel burn by at least 15 per cent and aircraft noise by 50 per cent.

The new cabin design of the Jetstar Airbus A321neo LR plane.

Extra-large overhead bins provide 40 per cent more storage space.

The A321LR will also give an extended flying range, with the ability to fly 1,200kms further than the current A320/321 fleet.

Initially, Jetstar will deploy the A321LR on domestic routes like Melbourne to Cairns and the Gold Coast. The airline will also look at flying international routes as our international operation ramps up.

Photo Jetstar

A321XLR aircraft

The A321XLR offers even more range – with a maximum flying range of up to 4,700nm, or 8700km, depending on the configuration of the aircraft. This has the potential for even more opportunities to expand our growing domestic and international network.

Featuring aerodynamic-enhancing Sharklets on the wings and fuel-efficient engines, the A321XLR aircraft has an enhanced environmental performance, including a 20 per cent lower fuel burn per seat, 5,000 tonnes less CO2 per year, and a noise footprint that is 50 per cent lower.

With the first new A321XLR aircraft set to join our fleet from mid-2024, we look forward to sharing details of the Jetstar configuration in the lead up to delivery.

 Help for Heroes.

Help for Heroes Charity helps to rebuild the lives of those with injuries and illnesses sustained while serving in the British Armed Forces. No matter when someone served, H4H give them the support they need to lead active, independent and fulfilling lives. They provide support to the whole family to help them all cope with the challenges they face. Long-term recovery is more than repairing damaged bodies and minds; it’s about rebuilding lives.

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Australian airline Jetstar has unveiled the new livery for its world-class fleet of Airbus NEOs as the airline prepares to embark on a new era of flying. Photo Jetstar

Air France is working on a new La Premiere cabin......

Air France has announced it is working on the design of a completely new La Première cabin as the airline seeks to expand and enhance its premium offerings.  

Now in the design phase, the new concept will be unveiled during the 2023/2024 winter season. The future cabin will be the longest on the market and will offer up to three modular configurations that can be fully privatized for an even more exceptional journey: a seat, a sofa and a fully flatbed. The new cabin will equip a larger number of aircraft than at present.

"La Première represents the highest level of French excellence and is an intrinsic part of Air France’s DNA. Even at the height of the Covid crisis, we could see the attractiveness of such an offer for our customers, particularly on the North Atlantic route, where load factors in the La Première cabin are currently higher than they were back in 2019. We look forward to unveiling this new cabin, which is set to meet the highest global standards," said Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM.

This large-scale project is part of Air France's strategy to move upmarket, which also covers fleet renewal, lounge renovation and the development of a more sustainable catering offer, signed by Michelin-starred chefs in the airline’s Business and La Première cabins.  

Introduced in 2014, Air France's La Première suites are currently available onboard select Boeing 777-300s serving top destinations in North America, South America, Africa and the Middle East.

 

 Help for Heroes.

Help for Heroes Charity helps to rebuild the lives of those with injuries and illnesses sustained while serving in the British Armed Forces. No matter when someone served, H4H give them the support they need to lead active, independent and fulfilling lives. They provide support to the whole family to help them all cope with the challenges they face. Long-term recovery is more than repairing damaged bodies and minds; it’s about rebuilding lives.

Want me in your inbox? Follow here for email updates Air101 here.

KLM unveils new cabin class: Premium Comfort

This week at the 2022 Dutch Open, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines presented its new Premium Comfort Class, an intermediate cabin offering more space, luxury, service options, comfort and privacy than Economy Class, at lower prices than World Business Class. The new Premium Comfort Class allows KLM to more closely meet the needs and wishes of leisure and business travellers.

Premium Comfort is an entirely new inflight class with its own cabin, offering a new type of seats as well as distinctive service and catering concepts. Depending on the aircraft type, the capacity of Premium Comfort Class will vary from 21 to 28 seats, which will be wider than standard seats, offering more legroom, a larger screen and a footrest. Premium Comfort seats can also recline further than Economy Class seats. The reconfiguration of aircraft cabins will be carried out by specialists at KLM Engineering & Maintenance at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Boet Kreiken, executive vice president of KLM Customer Experience said: “We have great expectations for this new Premium Comfort Class, based on extensive market research. The new class will meet the wishes of business passengers as well as leisure travellers, strengthening KLM’s standing as a global network carrier offering an appealing and varied range: World Business Class, Premium Comfort and Economy Class. It also reaffirms our partnership with Delta Air Lines, Air France and Virgin Atlantic on North Atlantic routes, where we can now combine all products on all routes.”

Catering

Premium Comfort also has a distinctive catering concept. On intercontinental services, one or two hot meals will be served, depending on the duration of the flight. There will always be a choice of meat, fish or vegetarian dishes. After the meal, passengers will be offered coffee, tea, liqueur and ice cream. A variety of snacks and cocktails will also be served between meals, which will be largely selected from those that were previously popular in World Business Class.

Lightweight and reusable

The new seats in Premium Comfort Class were designed by Collins Aerospace together with specialists at KLM Customer Experience. Apart from their elegant design and comfort features, the seats are also lighter than previous designs. Similar care was taken in selecting catering materials for Premium Comfort. They are either reusable (special cutlery, bowls and plates made of lightweight polypropylene) and those that are not reusable are made of recycled PEF. All materials were carefully assessed in terms of circularity and weight, without detracting from aesthetic features.

Service

The Premium Comfort Class experience will start at the airport, where passengers will have more flexible baggage arrangements and SkyPriority privileges, including preferential check-in and boarding.

Booking

The first aircraft equipped with Premium Comfort Class will operate on routes to North America. It is anticipated that passengers will be able to book Premium Comfort to a growing range of destinations from the end of the July 2022.

 

 Help for Heroes.

Help for Heroes Charity helps to rebuild the lives of those with injuries and illnesses sustained while serving in the British Armed Forces. No matter when someone served, H4H give them the support they need to lead active, independent and fulfilling lives. They provide support to the whole family to help them all cope with the challenges they face. Long-term recovery is more than repairing damaged bodies and minds; it’s about rebuilding lives.

Want me in your inbox? Follow here for email updates Air101 here.

The Lenox Collection in the Berkshires opens......

Photo Business Wire

Following extensive renovations, three-storied boutique properties located in downtown Lenox are reopening together as part of The Lenox Collection, a newly reimagined family of inns connected by their deep historical roots in the town and elevated contextual design. As part of the reopening is Ophelia's, a 66-seat restaurant and bar offering farm-to-table comfort food in an intimate indoor-outdoor setting, with locally sourced ingredients and curated cocktail list. New York-based firm 388 Ventures acquired the properties in 2021 and brought on an independent hotel management company, Life House, to lead design and branding, as well as oversee all hotel and F&B operations leveraging their tech-enabled management platform.

At the heart of the collection is the Whitlock - formally The Church Street Inn - built in 1771 by John Whitlock, a local farmer who turned his two-room farmhouse into an inn for stagecoach travellers. The property now takes cues from its natural surroundings with a rustic and warm feel reminiscent of its farmhouse origins. The Whitlock’s bar and restaurant, Ophelia’s, pays homage to the ingredients and labours of the hotel’s namesake. With locally-inspired farm-to-table cuisine with dishes featuring herbs & garnishes from local purveyors, Ophelia’s is already becoming a favourite among locals, guests, and downtown passers-by.

Photo Business Wire

Located in the historic centre of town is The Constance - formally the Rookwood Inn - which was built in 1825 as The Williams Tavern. In the 1880s it was purchased by Frederick Constance Peters, a businessman from England, who turned the property into ancillary lodging for owners of Lenox’s famed Gilded Age estates. The inn has been completely reimagined with an extensive renovation to restore and enhance the elegant charm and whimsical character of the storied property with the benefit of modern guest amenities - its lounge is pictured above. 

Photo Business Wire

On the north side of town is The Dewey - formally the Birchwood Inn - which was originally built by Israel Dewey, a founding member of Lenox’s Continental Congress Committee when the town was incorporated in 1767. Over the years, the site has taken on many lives, owned by various influential figures in the Berkshires. Today, the newly-reappointed inn carries on its rich tradition of hospitality with elevated guest room interiors and stately common areas. Pictured right is the tea room. 

 

 

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Neste and ITOCHU celebrate first Sustainable Aviation Fuel delivery to Etihad Airways in Japan

Today, Neste and ITOCHU are celebrating the first delivery of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ to Etihad Airways, one of the airlines of the United Arab Emirates, in Japan. The delivery of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to Etihad marks the first time in Japan that SAF will be supplied to an overseas airline at an airport in Japan. The SAF will be delivered to Etihad’s aircraft at Narita International Airport.

This milestone is a result of the recently expanded partnership between Neste and ITOCHU to grow the availability of sustainable aviation fuel in Japan. ITOCHU acts as the branded distributor of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel in Japan, making Neste’s SAF available first at the two largest Japanese international airports: Tokyo Haneda and Narita.

SAF is a key element to achieving aviation’s emission reduction goals, and both Neste and ITOCHU are committed to supporting Japan in achieving the target of 10% SAF use by 2030, set by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (“MLIT”).