NEWS: Heathrow to triple taxi fees, Virgin points on wine, Southampton airport & US TSA liquids change

Heathrow to triple taxi fees as well as new £8.90 fee

Heathrow Airport is frantically trying to recoup some of the losses that it has made in a rather undignified way. First came the extra passenger charge of £8.90 per person. Now according to the FT, they are preparing to nearly triple the charges for London’s Black Cab from £3.60 to £10 from July onwards.

The system at Heathrow for black cabs is tightly controlled and in normal times taxi drivers could wait up to 4 hours to get a fare from a massive feeder rank. Nowadays that wait can be 24 hours with taxi drivers “living” at the airport for days at a time.

What the effect will be on taxi numbers at Heathrow remains to be seen, but I can foresee a lot of issues ahead, none of which are good for passengers. Many of the drivers already hate short journeys, now with a £10 fee, I can see them trying to refuse to take people short distances. 

Virgin Red partners with Virgin Wines to earn more Virgin Points for flights

Virgin Red has announced that it will partner with Virgin Wines and more ways for its members to earn Virgin Points. Existing Virgin Wines customers can earn 1,000 Virgin Points on three different cases of wine. New Wine Bank members can earn 2,000 Virgin Points when they sign up via Virgin Red and purchase a 12-bottle case of wine, including sparkling wine and champagne too!

Kelly Best, Chief Marketing Officer at Virgin Red, says: “From Chenin to Chardonnay and Merlot to Malbec, most people have a favourite, which is why our partnership with the award winning Virgin Wines is so special – it’s not a one size fits all offer. And with up to 2,000 Virgin Points up for grabs, Virgin Red members can treat themselves to 10 sausage rolls, an Atlas Mountains artisan tote bag, a book by Sir Richard Branson or can make two charitable donations, just by buying wine – or they can put the points towards their next extraordinary experience.  Nowhere else can people benefit from the breadth of the Virgin family and beyond in this way.”

The new Virgin Wines offers for existing customers:

Spring Mixed Wines Deal

• Mixed 12-case purchase price: £107.88 (save £14, was £121.88)
• Earn 1,000 Virgin Points

Exclusive HUGE Reds Deal

• All-red 12-case purchase price: £129.88 (save £38, was £167.88)
• Earn 1,000 Virgin Points

Virgin Wines Hero Whites

• All-white 12-case purchase price: £119.88 (save £22, was £141.88)
• Earn 1,000 Virgin Points

The new customer offer for Virgin Wines’ WineBank service:

Introduction to WineBank – 12 bottle wine selection including an Italian bottle of bubbly 

• Available as: Mixed, all-red or all-white selections: £65.88 (save £67, was £132.88)
• Free delivery
• Earn 2,000 Virgin Points

You will need to be a member of Virgin Red, not just Virgin Flying Club. You can find out more about Virgin Red here. 

Southampton airport expansion approved

Southampton Airport has been through some challenging times not just with Covid but also the collapse of Flybe which accounted for over 90% of their flights previously. Due to their short runway, the airport has been limited in the destinations and airlines they can serve as only smaller aircraft such as the Dash-8 and Embraer 190 can use the runway. The local council has now approved an extension to the runway of 164m which will enable larger aircraft to use the runway. 

Responding to the positive decision from Eastleigh Borough Council to approve the planning application for the extension of Southampton Airport’s runway, Operations Director, Steve Szalay, said:

“This is the news we have been hoping for and working so hard to achieve. By listening to the overwhelming public and business support, as well as the planning officer’s recommendation to approve, the councillors have safeguarded the future of the airport. The decision also ensures we are well placed to provide employment and support the region as we seek to recover post pandemic.

“We are excited about our future. This positive decision allows us to further develop our plans, play a full part in the Solent Freeport and deliver on our commitments set out within the planning application, which will further enrich our neighbouring communities.

“Thank you to everyone who has engaged with the consultations and shared their thoughts and opinions. We listened and reflected your feedback within our plans. You have helped shape the future of Southampton Airport.

“We appreciate that some of our neighbours have concerns regarding noise and the environment. Please be assured that we want to work with residents to mitigate these issues going forward.”

US TSA liquids rule change

Despite it now being 15 years since the plot to blow up an aircraft resulted in a ban on liquids larger than 100ml being introduced, we are still not much further forward. There was talk before Covid that new scanning machines could allow an easing in the restrictions in the future, but so far little has happened. In the US the TSA has taken a pragmatic step that would be great if the UK followed.

One of the main issues with taking hand luggage on a trip to sunnier climes is that it is impossible to pack enough suncream for the duration of most trips. Then you either have to buy it at the airport or abroad. Personally, I have particular products I like to use that aren’t readily available, making this very annoying.

The TSA in the US is now allowing customers to take bottles of over 100ml as they are classing sunscreen as a medical product. This category of liquids also includes things such as contact solutions, hand sanitizer, and medication. If you want to take any of these items over 100ml through security, you just have to alert an agent at the screening process.

The rule was changed after a US university challenged that sun cream is a medical product as it protects the user from skin cancer.