Bits: Aer Lingus quits Gatwick, Turkish Airlines adds Australia, South Place Hotel joins Preferred

News in brief:

Aer Lingus drops London Gatwick flights

Aer Lingus appears to be ending services to Dublin from London Gatwick.

Flights have been pulled from the booking system for the summer 2024 season, with the last flight scheduled for 30th March.

This was an attractive flight for British Airways Gold card holders, since they could use the British Airways lounge at Gatwick. You can’t bring any guests and you can’t get in with a Silver card – it is purely a Gold perk.

Hat-tip to @SeanM1997 on X.

Turkish Airlines launches flights to Australia

As teased in my round-table interview with Turkish Airlines Chairman Dr. Ahmet Bolat, Turkish Airlines is finally launching flights to Australia.

Melbourne will be the airline’s 364th destination and Australia the 130th country served, increasing Turkish Airline’s lead as the airline with the most global cities served.

The flights will launch from 15th March and will initially operate thrice weekly. It will be a one-stop service from Istanbul with a layover in Singapore, as Turkish Airline’s current fleet does not have the legs to do the route direct. There are plans for this to change with the arrival of new aircraft.

Istanbul – Singapore – Melbourne will be operated with a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which I previously reviewed here. The business class cabin is very comfortable and Turkish Airlines has invested significantly in its food on board. If you start in London, you are likely to get either the 787-9 or a single-aisle A321neo, which has an impressive European business class.

The launch is a kick in the teeth for Qatar Airways, which initially sought to increase its Australia services last year. It was rebuffed by the Australian Government following intense lobbying by (ironically) oneworld partner Qantas.

Instead the Government loosened bilateral ties with Turkey, allowing the country to immediately launch 21 weekly flights to the country, rising to 35 by 2025 (5 per day). Turkish Airlines is taking up some of these traffic rights.

From the UK the journey involves two stops, once in Istanbul and once in Singapore. That makes it less competitive than one-stop options, but with reduced Australia – Europe capacity from Qantas it can probably hoover up enough passengers to make it work until it goes non-stop.

Flights are now bookable on the Turkish Airlines website.

South Place Hotel joins Preferred Hotels

This is a little niche but will be of interest to some of our City readers.

South Place Hotel, the smart hotel between Liverpool Street and Moorgate which was once part of the D&D Restaurants group, has joined Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

As well as having 80 rooms, the hotel includes Michelin-starred restaurant Angler, above, and five bars (it knows its local market well …..)

It will be part of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts ‘L.V.X. Collection’ which represents ‘renowned properties that feature the finest accommodations coupled with attentive, engaging, and exclusive personal service.’

Preferred Hotels is an independent marketing group, similar to Leading Hotels of the World, with properties in 80 countries. Most relevant for HfP readers, it runs the ‘I Prefer’ loyalty scheme which allows you to earn cash credit towards future stays based on your spending.

You can learn more about the ‘I Prefer’ programme on its website here.