In this post:
BA’s home at New York JFK will get revamp
Terminal 8 has already had substantial development recently with the new lounges and new piers to allow BA to move in. Within the past year, Iberia and Japan Airlines also relocated their operations, and Qantas returned service to Terminal 8.
Now there is to be further redevelopment of the rest of the facilities such as the shops and restaurants in the terminal which is good news for oneworld fliers.
“This is another tremendous milestone in our extensive JFK Redevelopment Program,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “We are excited for the continued transformation to bring customers a world-class travel experience, boost employment opportunities for our local communities, and provide a pathway for local and minority businesses to propel their business as a design, construction or concession partner.”
“Visitors from around the world will get their first taste of what our region has to offer as soon as they step into JFK’s Terminal 8, which, like all of our new airport terminals, will feature a wide range of local dining and shops,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “Local businesses help us create a sense of place unique to the region.”
With sustainability as another fundamental element to the redevelopment, T8 Partners has partnered with The Green Restaurant Association to deliver a food and beverage program with brands that value sustainable business practices and get 100 percent of all eligible tenants to become Certified Green Restaurants.
End of World of Hyatt/MGM status match and partnership
For anyone hoping to keep their Hyatt status alive, the partnership between MGM and Hyatt has been a godsend. It allowed you to keep matching your status back and forth between the two brands to keep it current. It also allowed you to earn Hyatt points and s status nights at MGM hotels.
The partnership is now due to end with status matches only available until Friday 14 July and Hyatt points on MGM stays only available for stays with checkout by 30 September. If you plan to head to Vegas in the next 6 months, it is worth doing the status match to MGM if you have Hyatt status. MGM status is useful for skipping lines in its properties if nothing else.
- For any stays with a checkout date after September 30, 2023, World of Hyatt members will no longer be able to earn and redeem World of Hyatt points at any MGM Rewards destinations, earn World of Hyatt Tier-Qualifying Nights or other benefits for stays at MGM Rewards destinations.
- For any stays with a checkout date after September 30, 2023, MGM Rewards members can no longer elect to earn MGM Rewards Tier Credits in lieu of World of Hyatt Base Points for qualifying nights at Hyatt hotels.
- For any stays with a checkout date after September 30, 2023, World of Hyatt Credit Cardmembers will no longer be eligible to earn four (4) World of Hyatt Bonus Points per $1 spent at participating MGM destinations through the use of the World of Hyatt credit card.
Hyatt are supposed to be developing what is currently the Rio hotel into a large Hyatt property which will allow Hyatt members somewhere to earn points in the future.
In the meantime, it will be interesting to see if MGM forms another partnership. After all, it is buying the Cosmopolitan, which is still part of Marriott Bonvoy, which everyone found surprising. I can only hope they form a wider partnership with Marriott given the lack of higher-end Marriott properties on the strip compared to Hilton.
You can find all the details about the changes here.
London City to appeal expansion rejection
London City Airport (LCY) has confirmed that it will appeal against the decision made by Newham Council to refuse the airport’s planning application to increase passenger numbers and amend its opening hours.
The airport submitted its plans in December 2022 to increase its annual passenger cap from 6.5 million to 9 million; to add three more flights in the first half hour of operations during the week, and fly on Saturday afternoon until 6:30pm (7:30pm in summer) – with no increase to the annual number of flights, beyond what is currently permitted. It also said that only cleaner, quieter, new generation aircraft would be allowed to fly in any extended periods.
The application was refused by Newham Council’s Strategic Development Committee due to their concerns about the impact of noise on local residents from three additional morning and Saturday afternoon flights.
The airport said that it considers that this was the wrong decision and did not properly balance the limited impacts with the very significant benefits of the proposals, particularly in the context of Government policy, including making best-use of existing runway capacity.
Commenting on the decision, London City Airport’s Chief Executive, Robert Sinclair, said: “We are disappointed with Newham Council’s refusal of our proposals that will deliver significant benefits to our local community – including new jobs, more choice of holiday destinations for passengers and better local transport connections.”
“We have worked incredibly hard to develop proposals that genuinely reflect concerns raised, sought feedback from our local community and worked closely with the Council’s planning officers. Their views are built into our proposals to ensure that we addressed appropriate concerns and continue to be a good neighbour and local employer.”
“If the appeal can be determined shortly, our airlines will be able to progress refleeting to cleaner, quieter, new generation aircraft sooner; delivering more choice for passengers, more jobs for local people and reducing the overall noise impact as early as next summer.”
Tom Stoddart, CEO of British Airways CityFlyer, said: “The proposals will improve choice and connections for our customers, as well as create considerable employment opportunities and support economic growth in local areas. The proposed extended Saturday afternoon operating hours will also support the investment into new, more fuel-efficient and quieter aircraft, which can help benefit the local community.”
What do you think? Are London City’s proposal’s reasonable? Let us know in the comments below.
