London Heathrow travel tips

A British Airways Airbus A380 had to turn around after an "overpowering scent" of laundry detergent filled the plane, making people feel sick and dizzy, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said.

A new first class cabin is on the way at Qatar Airways, but it might take a little longer to arrive than expected. Speaking to , Badr Mohammed Al-Meer revealed that he is due to see a prototype of the new top-tier seat on Thursday. 

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Ahmed Al Sharif, 32, the CTO of Sandsoft, a game developer. Al Sharif was stranded at Barcelona airport on Friday because of the IT outage disrupting travel and other services. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Virgin Atlantic is withdrawing from China after 25 years. The last round-trip for the company’s London to Shanghai service will be on October 25. The British airline cited “significant challenges and complexities” for the commercially motivated decision.

Travelex has expanded its Travelex Money Card to include seven additional currencies, responding to increased demand and enhancing its digital transformation efforts in the foreign exchange market.

With each summer holiday, airlines are continuing to see record travel trends. 

British Airways has added Lapland to its list, and checked it twice, as it prepares to launch new flights to Santa Claus’s home region this winter. Departing from London Gatwick, new twice-weekly flights will launch on 3 December 2024 and fly customers to Ivalo, which is home to Finland’s most northerly airport.

Emirates and Avianca customers will enjoy seamless connectivity on select routes. Emirates customers to access Medellin and Cali in Colombia via European gateways. Avianca customers flying through select European points to access Dubai.

British Airways will resume flights to Riyadh on November 4, 2024, boosting connectivity with four weekly flights operated by Boeing 787s.

SAS is broadening its winter travel offerings by introducing five new direct routes to Northern Scandinavia, including Tromsø, Kiruna, Rovaniemi, and Scandinavian Mountain Airport Sälen-Trysil.

In April 2024, Icelandair reported a 4% increase in passengers, transporting 307 thousand individuals. The company’s strategic focus on flexible routing and robust revenue management has facilitated an 11% increase in capacity, alongside an enhanced on-time performance of 88.3%.

Where the land of Fire and Ice meets the land of Warhol and Whiskey, the Southeastern city of Pennsylvania is even more accessible to UK & Ireland travellers. From today until 27 October 2024, the new seasonal Icelandair service will offer 4x weekly flights from Iceland to Pittsburgh.

Skytrax has released its annual ranking of the world's best airports — and if you're a frequent flyer it may come as little surprise that none in the US made the top 20.

As more passengers — nearly 8.5 billion to be exact — returned to the skies last year, one international hub made its way back into the global top 10. 

Close to 8.5 billion passengers took a plane trip last year, according to Airports Council International (ACI) World’s just-released list of the top 10 busiest airports worldwide for 2023.

Virgin Atlantic is best known for linking Britain with the United States, but there’s another market that is increasingly important for the carrier. 

Las Vegas has secured a new low-cost, long-haul transatlantic link. The service, which will connect the Nevada city with London, is due to start on September 12.

It will soon be easier and cheaper to fly from Las Vegas to London.  Norse Atlantic Airways is launching a new route from London’s Gatwick Airport to Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport, the airline shared with Travel + Leisure on Thursday. The service will begin on Sept. 12, and operate three times per week. In a nod to the luck that visitors aim to have when visiting Las Vegas, the flight will operate with Norse’s lucky number seven as flight ‘Z0777’. The 9-hour and 50-minute direct route will depart Las Vegas at 4:45pm, and arrive in London Gatwick at 10:35am the following day, local time. The flight will operate on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. “We are excited to introduce this new route from London Gatwick to Las Vegas, a unique city that offers unparalleled diversity, boasting an abundance of entertainment, dining, and recreational options to suit every taste,” Norse Atlantic Airways CEO and Founder Bjorn Tore Larsen said in a statement.

It's theoretically great news for travelers leaving the U.K. with carry-on hand luggage—that by June 2024, all U.K. airports should have scrapped the 100ml limit on liquids.

The new routes, introduced by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling, will provide travellers with direct access to captivating destinations across the globe, reaffirming Heathrow’s status as a premier gateway to the world. Ancient Roman mosaics, glittering golden beaches and mouth watering culinary delights await Heathrow passengers this summer.

If you thought the concept of flying first class was dying out, think again.