NEWS AND OFFERS: Etihad’s Valentine Deals from £1499, Gourmet Boxes for Air France Business and British Airways changes

Etihad Airways’ Valentine’s Deals

We covered some of the bargains in Etihad’s last sale from Europe in this article. 

Now they have launched a Valentine’s sale for bookings between 9 and 14 February 2024,  for travel between 1 May and 15 October 2024.

Arik De, Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer, Etihad Airways, said: “At Etihad, we believe in turning moments into memories. This Valentine’s Day, we are thrilled to offer our guests the opportunity to celebrate love in the skies. Our exclusive offer is a token of appreciation for our guests, whether they’re flying solo or with a special someone.”

Etihad guests can enjoy Etihad lounges at Zayed International Airport – Terminal A in Abu Dhabi, accessible to those flying in Etihad’s The Residence, First and Business Class and eligible Etihad Guest members. Guests flying in the economy who wish to enjoy the exclusive lounge space can purchase access, subject to availability.

The following fares are per person return in Business Class from Manchester or London Heathrow. 

You can find the sale page here.

A new gourmet meal box in Business on Air France short-haul flights

I have always enjoyed the catering on Air France, but the latest change is not positive in my eyes. Although some flights like Paris are short, it still puts the airline behind its competition with short-haul catering.

On 1 February 2024, Air France started offering Business customers travelling on short-haul a “gourmet” box as the catering. 

On flights leaving before 10 am, breakfast is served, consisting of sandwiches with adapted fillings such as smoked salmon and cream cheese with dill on white bread, accompanied by a breakfast pastry. After 10 am, you get ‘signature’ sandwiches  such as smoked paprika chicken and tarragon vegetables on granary bread, as well as typically French sweets and desserts such as a calisson, a cannelé or a tropézienne.

Chef François Adamski has created tasty sandwiches which are easy to eat on these short flights, selecting local and seasonal produce, meat, poultry and dairy products of French origin, PDO cheeses and fish from sustainable fisheries.

These menus will change every month, and the food is presented in a meal box. However, they do at least promise to serve wine and champagne in a glass.

If you were thinking that the boxes seem very wasteful, apparently Air France, and with the support of Servair, will ensure that the boxes are subject to “mechanization” which is a natural biological process in which organic matter is broken down in order to be recycled into energy.

HT: Sean M

 

BA downgrades aircraft and tier points for Tel Aviv

 

Frequent flyers have been making quite a noise about BA’s changes to their Tel Aviv flights. These are due to resume on 1 April after being suspended after the 7 October attacks in Israel. Quite a few airlines, such as Air France, Lufthansa and Ryanair, have already resumed.

 

BA has announced that they will make Tel Aviv a short-haul route in every respect – the aircraft, the service AND the tier points. Until it was suspended, the service was on a long-haul aircraft with proper flatbeds and received the full Club World service.  Now, they will fly four times a week on an A320 with a stop in Larnaca on the outbound for 45 minutes to change crew. You will not be permitted to leave here.