UK & US Travel Headlines - December 15, 2023

Last Day to Cast Your Vote for TAG at the 2024 TPi Awards!

For 23 years, the TPi Awards have been recognising achievements in the world of live touring. This year, we're calling on you to help us stand out amongst the crowd.

With 11 TPi Award wins, TAG is thrilled to be nominated as Favourite Travel Company once again!

Vote for TAG on category #23 today, by 3:59 P.M. PT / 11:59 P.M. GMT.

Vote Now

Air Canada Launches Intermodal Booking Service in Europe

Air Canada has introduced new air-to-rail booking options for travellers flying to France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria following a series of new railway and distribution partnerships.

On 5 December, the carrier launched the intermodal offer via an existing partnership with Lufthansa Express Rail and new collaborations with AccesRail and WorldTicket.
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President Biden Announces $8.2 Billion in New Grants for High-Speed Rail & Pipeline of Projects Nationwide

The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced that it has awarded $8.2 billion for 10 passenger rail projects across the country, while announcing corridor planning activities that will impact every region nationwide. 

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Etihad & TAP in Codeshare Agreement

The partnership will offer Etihad’s passengers onward connections to Madeira, Malaga, Seville and Valencia, as well as Marrakech and Dakar in Africa, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in Brazil, and San Francisco and Miami in the US.

Arik De, Etihad’s Chief Revenue Officer, said the collaboration “expands the choices available to TAP customers travelling from Europe to Abu Dhabi."

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British Airways Offers Signed Travel Videos for Deaf Passengers

Carrie Harris, Director of Sustainability at British Airways, said: "We are proud to partner with SigncodeUK to further improve our accessibility offering for our deaf and hard of hearing customers. This collaboration aligns with our ongoing commitment to ensure that all our customers have a seamless experience and can travel with confidence, with dignity and in comfort.”

Videos will be in British Sign Language (BSL) and American Sign Language (ASL) and other languages, such as Spanish, may also be introduced.

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LATAM Launches Only Direct Route From London to Peru

LATAM has launched its direct service from London Heathrow to Lima, marking the only direct route from the UK to Peru.

The route launched on 2 December, with the first Peruvian crew to operate a flight between Peru and the UK arriving at Heathrow at 1400.

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SAF Certificate Registry Launches at COP28

An independent, not-for-profit sustainable aviation fuel certificate registry was launched at the United Nations COP28 Climate Change Conference in Dubai, clean energy nonprofit RMI announced. The founders include RMI and the Environmental Defense Fund, in collaboration with the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance and digital solutions developer, Energy Web.

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International Air Transport Association (IATA): SAF Production to Triple in 2024

After the production of sustainable aviation fuel doubled in 2023, reaching more than 600 million from 300 million in 2022, it is expected to triple in 2024 to nearly 1.9 billion liters, according to the IATA. That amount will account for 0.53% of aviation's fuel need and 6% of renewable fuel capacity.

"Even with that impressive growth, SAF as a portion of all renewable fuel production, will only grow from 3% this year to 6% in 2024," IATA Director General Willie Walsh said in a statement.

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