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Strike brewing at Edinburgh Airport
Unite, the union behind the Heathrow T5 strikes, are now threatening to cause “chaos” at Edinburgh airport after members voted for strike action. No dates for a strike have been set yet. Edinburgh Airport said it had offered an 11% pay rise along with a £1,000 cost-of-living payment and has also now made an improved offer.
The Union are saying it is not enough as Gatwick were recently given 12%. The staff involved include those in airport security and passenger support so it could have a substantial impact on travellers if the strike goes ahead without enough contingency.
Lufthansa’s Purchase Of ITA Airways Imminent
It has been rumoured for a long time that Lufthansa would be a substantial stake in the Italian airline ITA which is the rebirth of Alitalia. It has now been announced that Lufthansa and the Italian government have secured an agreement for the German airline to take over ITA, with formal confirmation imminent.
The Lufthansa Group is anticipated to invest 300 million euros in ITA Airways, resulting in the acquisition of a 40% interest that would subsequently expand to 90% upon the payment of an additional 500 million euros. The Italian government intends to retain a 5% to 10% ownership stake in the airline. ITA recently took delivery of its first A330neo.
ITA is currently part of Skyteam and was offering status matches which allowed many people to get status when they first started. However, the status has rarely worked properly and is often not recognised by other members. If Lufthansa were to take over, it would be interesting to see if ITA moved to Star Alliance like the rest of the Lufthansa group. You can read our review of ITA here.
The purchase of such a substantial stake seems a very risky move from Lufthansa, given that the various iterations of the airline have been unprofitable for many years and did not serve Etihad well when they had a stake in the airline.
Virgin Atlantic Holidays discount
Virgin Atlantic Holidays have a new Spring Bank Holiday Sale that applies to new package holidays where the price includes flight and accommodation or flight and car, that is booked between 00:01 Friday 26th May 2023 and 23:59 Tuesday 30th May 2023.
The savings are as follows:
- Save 5% for departures 1st June 2023 to 31st December 2023.
- Save 10% for departures 1st January 2024 – 30th June 2024
You can find more details and book here.
