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Gatwick extra runway to go ahead
Today, the UK Court of Appeal comprehensively rejected the final legal challenges brought by environmental campaign groups, giving London Gatwick Airport the definitive green light to proceed with its £2.2 billion second runway expansion, ending an eight-year planning and legal battle.
The judges agreed that while the expansion would have a “significant adverse effect” on the climate, it would not “materially impact” the UK government’s target of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Pierre-Hugues Schmit, Chief Executive of London Gatwick said: “Today’s Court of Appeal decision to comprehensively reject the legal challenges brought by the two campaign groups opposing London Gatwick’s Northern Runway Project, confirms, yet again, that the September 2025 decision by the Secretary of State for Transport to approve the Northern Runway Project was taken properly and lawfully. We are also very pleased that this ruling, from senior Court of Appeal Judges, brings to an end an eight-year planning and legal process which has carefully tested and scrutinised every aspect of our expansion plans on multiple occasions.
“The Northern Runway project will deliver significant business, tourism and trade benefits for the UK, including 14,000 new jobs, a £1bn boost to the economy every year and a comprehensive employment, skills and business strategy designed to bring maximum benefits to local people and the Gatwick region.
“This final ruling means that we can now press on with the important job of bringing this exciting project to life and move forward into the design and delivery phase. We would like to thank everyone who has supported our planning application through the various stages and will announce further details in due course.”
The project, known as the Northern Runway Project, does not build an entirely new strip of tarmac. Instead, it alters existing infrastructure by repositioning the standby/emergency northern runway 12 metres farther north. This allows the standby runway to be used routinely for departures of smaller, narrow-body aircraft (such as A320S and B737S), while the main southern runway handles larger planes and landings. The first flights are now expected to take off from the realigned runway by 2030. Whether this means new airlines at Gatwick or merely more flights from existing airlines remains to be seen. Given high fuel prices and the huge backlogs in aircraft deliveries, how much airlines will initially expand remains unknown.
The changes will increase flight capacity by roughly 100,000 additional flights per year and drive annual passenger volumes from roughly 45 million up to 75–80 million by the late 2030s, rivalling Heathrow.
Gatwick says all the extra passengers this will bring will be contained within its existing footprint, which would seem to rule out a third terminal. Though I can’t see how they can avoid expanding the current North and South terminals at some stage. I use Gatwick a lot, and it feels like the terminals, particularly the gates, have not been improved in many years. I can only hope that Gatwick starts to invest in the passenger experience, given the additional revenue it would bring.
100% IHG buy bonus
The latest IHG One Rewards 100% bonus points sale is now on (feels like the last one only just ended!) and runs until 17 August 2026.
This is the best bonus they ever offer, so it is pretty safe to buy if you need to top up. Standard members can buy a maximum of 200,000 points before the bonus (resulting in 400,000 total points), though some member accounts may be targeted for higher limits.
You must purchase a minimum of 5,000 to 30,000 points (depending on your account) to trigger the 100% bonus. I get 80% bonus for 5,000+, 90% bonus for 10,000+ and 100% for 30,000+.
The points will be credited to your account within 72 hours of completion. These point sales are targeted, so some members may receive a lower bonus (e.g., 60% or 80%) or no bonus at all.
Buying points without a clear redemption plan is not recommended due to potential future devaluations. However, this sale can save you a significant amount of money if you use it immediately for luxury hotel bookings (such as InterContinental or Kimpton properties) where cash rates are exceptionally high.
You can find the points page here.
Hilton Honors debit card offering up to 30,000 referral bonus
I recently got the Hilton Honors debit card (typically for me, just before they introduced a better offer!) and I have been very happy with how it works. The app works well and provides clear information on how much you still need to spend to earn your introductory bonus and elite qualifying nights. It also shows how much you have available to spend, so you don’t have to go to your bank account separately.
The good news is that if you want to earn hotel points but don’t want a credit card (never a good idea to apply for a new one if you are planning to apply for a mortgage soon), then this acts as a debit card with no hard credit checks.
There is currently a large bonus on offer for new sign-ups of 50,000 Hilton Honors points until 7 September on the Plus card. This increases to 55,000 if you are referred by someone, so it’s definitely worth checking if you know someone who has one.
As a referrer, you can earn up to 30,000 Bonus Points (that’s 6x the usual reward). Your friends can earn up to 55,000 Bonus Points when applying for the Hilton Honours Plus Debit Card.
If you are eligible for the promo, you should have received an email with your unique code, which you can share with others. Then, after they have applied and made their first purchase, you will be credited the bonus. If they choose the Plus Card, you’ll earn 30,000 Points, and they’ll get a total of up to 55,000. There’s no limit to your referrals.
If they order the Hilton Honours Debit Card, you’ll earn 2,500 Points, and your friend can earn up to 7,500 Points (2,500 referral bonus + 5,000 Welcome Bonus). If they order the Hilton Honours Plus Debit Card, you’ll earn 30,000 Points, and your friend can earn up to 55,000 Points (5,000 referral bonus + 50,000 Welcome Bonus). Enhanced Refer a Friend bonuses are valid until 30 September 2026, but the 50,000 Plus Card Welcome Bonus ends 7 September 2026.
You can read about the full benefits of the card, including Gold status as well as the costs, in this article.
