Airbus believes that formation flying could potentially happen on high-frequency routes from 2050 onwards.

In its latest vision for sustainable aviation, the plane manufacturer also said that shorter flights would save fuel and dramatically reduce CO2 emissions.
It stated that by the middle of the 21st century, flights in Europe and the USA could be an average of 13 minutes shorter, saving around nine million tonnes of fuel each year.
Shorter journey times, which could be achieved by the optimisation of air traffic management and on-board technology systems, would lead to the annual saving of more than 28 million tonnes of avoidable CO2 emissions a year as well as the saving of five million flying hours.

Airbus also envisages planes free-gliding on their approach into airports to reduce emissions and reduce noise, and aircrafts climbing more steeply on take-off to minimise noise and allow for shorter runways.
In addition, the company imagines an increase in the use of sustainable biofuels and other potential energy sources such as electricity, hydrogen and solar power, plus highly intelligent aircraft which are able to “self-organise” and select the most efficient and environmentally friendly routes.

It would also like to see passengers reaching terminals faster, so travellers at airports such as Stansted and Luton can get to their destinations in a speedier and more relaxed manner.

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Families spend 10% of their travel budgets before they even leave the airport, a survey has shown.

Travel agency sunshine revealed that an average family of four spends £116 after checking in before they take off.

A large majority (97%) of respondents said they often spend money like this at places such as Stansted and Luton Airport, with drinks to take on board being the most popular purchase.

Other in-demand items for holidaymakers about to jet off for their break included meals, snacks, toiletries and reading books or magazines.

Results from the poll showed that the average spending money a family of four took away with them was around £1,100.

A total of 1,783 adults who had been abroad as part of a family of four in the past 12 months were quizzed for the research.

Sunshine co-founder Chris Clarkson said: “To see that as much as 10% of the holiday spending money budget is blown in the airport before a family have even left the UK is a revelation indeed.

“When booking a holiday and saving for spending money, people often forget about expenses incurred on things like transport to the airport, airport hotel stays and the money spent on a pre-flight meal, or getting some last-minute toiletries.”

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A new survey reveals that many holidaymakers would rather go on a trip abroad with their pet than their family.

More than a tenth (13%) of the 2,010 adults questioned in TravelSupermarket’s poll said that when travelling, they prefer the company of their pet to that of their parents, siblings and other close family members. And findings also show that almost 40% are now bringing their pets abroad with them on holiday.

Almost half (47%) of travellers flying from the UK’s major hubs, such as Stansted or Luton airports, without their favourite critters said they missed them the most while abroad, and a tenth of the parents quizzed admitted they would choose their pet over their children to go on holiday with.

Furthermore, nearly one in five (18%) said they treat their pet to a souvenir when they come home from a trip, while almost 50% said they like to lavish them with attention.

The survey also indicates that two-fifths of holidaymakers often call home to see how their pets are doing, and more than a third (36%) said their biggest concern was the health of their animals while away on a trip.

TravelSupermarket’s Bob Atkinson said: “We all know that Brits love their pets and this research has found that many pet owners are happy to admit we actually miss our furry friends more than we miss immediate family and friends when we are away.”

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Luton Airport has said it wants to increase its capacity by almost 50% to help handle the large numbers of passengers at airports in the south east of England.

If the development plans go ahead, the fourth biggest airport in the London area could see its passenger figures almost double, from 9.6 million travellers expected in 2012 to around 18 million.

The airport said it plans to overhaul the aircraft taxiways, aprons, aircraft parking stands and wants to modernise the passenger terminal. It also aims to improve the existing road network in a bid to strengthen transport links to London.

This would help Luton Airport to make the best possible use of its space without increasing the size of the airport.

The airport management also said it wants to work closely with the local community and announced a six-week consultation period on the planned modifications during which local residents are asked to come forward with feedback and suggestions.

A number of public exhibitions are also to be held across the area until the end of the consultation period.

The plans will be welcome news for many travellers in the South East, as the region’s capacity constraints have been the subject of debate for some time.

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, has suggested building a new international airport in the Thames Estuary, dubbed “Boris Island”, but the plan are unlikely to go ahead.

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Air passengers can now travel direct from Luton Airport to Lodz in Poland.

Travellers have been taking advantage of the one-way flight with low cost airline Wizz Air since the route was launched on September 13. It runs three times a week.

The airline is currently celebrating an historic landmark after carrying its eight millionth passenger from Luton Airport in the summer. It has taken just over seven years to reach this milestone after the it started operating flights from the airport in May 2004.

The carrier has proved increasingly popular with travellers and it seems to have carved out a niche for itself, serving 20 destinations in central and eastern Europe.

Simon Harley, business development manager at Luton London Airport, said he was delighted that the airport has been able to expand its services to now include 23 routes from Wizz Air.

He added that the airline has become a key partner to the airport as a result of its rapid expansion of low cost flights offered to travellers.

Lodz is Poland’s second largest city and has a wide variety of attractions from interesting architecture in Art Nouveau style to a vibrant night life. It is also home to the longest pedestrian street in Europe. At just under five kilometres long, Ulica Piotrkowska stretches through the city centre with a diverse range of restaurants and bars running alongside.

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Research has revealed that many Britons like to be considerate to hotel staff when on holiday by cleaning their rooms.

The poll of 2,000 people by website Hotels found that up to 59% of those surveyed had given their hotel room a clean before heading off.

Some 60% of holidaymakers even made the bed – suggesting that people travelling out of the major UK airports such as Luton and Stansted like to keep things tidy.

Around 59% of people also said that cleaning their room before heading off was merely good manners – even though the majority of people didn’t say they enjoyed it.

For 45% of those polled this cleaning extended to folding towels, while 11% even cleaned the toilet.

When it came to the exact reasoning behind the cleaning, for 43% it was a matter of routine, while 45% wanted to leave a good impression on hotel staff in a bid to avoid being called messy.

Regionally, people from the South East were the most likely to tidy their rooms – with 67% getting involved before heading off to catch their airport transfers.

But only 39% of people in East Anglia said they tidied up, making the region the least likely to clean.

The website’s communications director Alison Couper said: “Going on holiday is all about getting a break from the routine of home life, yet it’s evident many Brits just can’t drop the cleaning when away.”

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British Airways cabin crew have accepted a peace deal to end their long-running conflict with the company.

Unite announced that the 18-month dispute was over after 92% of its members voted to accept an “honourable settlement” offered by BA. 

Just 8% of almost 10,000 union members voted against the move in a turnout of 72%.

The deal ends one of the longest industrial disputes in recent history, with the bitter row threatening flights from UK airports including Stansted and Luton last summer.  

Under the terms of the agreement, travel concessions will be returned to the BA crew who had the facility removed when they went on strike last year, Unite said. 

The union added that agreement had also been reached on a new pay deal, as well as the safeguarding of routes and working arrangements as BA introduces a new fleet of crew.

There will also be a third party binding arbitration process established to consider the cases of crew disciplined by the airline during the dispute.

Len McCluskey, Unite’s general secretary, who drew up the deal with BA’s chief executive Keith Williams, said: “Unite always firmly believed that this dispute would be solved not through conflict but through negotiation. Thankfully we have reached an honourable agreement with BA.

“The overwhelming acceptance of this deal by cabin crew means that both parties can now move forward together on securing a bright future for the airline.”

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Passengers at Luton Airport were treated to a touch of A-List style on Friday as J Lo jetted into London.

The 41-year-old singer arrived at Luton Airport by private jet for her performance at Capital FM’s Summertime Ball.

The American Idol judge and mother to Max and Emme stepped out in the latest trends, wearing a nude maxi dress and wedges.

And there wasn’t a bus or airport transfer service in sight as she strolled onto the tarmac clutching a brown bag.

Alongside her twins, Jennifer Lopez also brought her mother Guadalupe to watch her perform at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

More than 75,000 people are reported to have attended the event, despite the drizzly weather.

Among other stars performing at the Capital FM event were Cee-Lo Green, Katy B, JLS, Nicole Scherzinger, Jessie J and Ne-Yo.

Ms Lopez has enjoyed a career revival in the past year with her latest singles On The Floor and I’m Into You rising up the charts.

And fans in Luton and beyond look set to enjoy her new album, which she has labelled her most introspective to date.

She said: “Absolutely everything I’ve been through in my life is right there because that’s what I’ve felt and suffered and celebrated. You have to sing what you know.”

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Many holidaymakers are keeping their spending in check this summer by booking all-inclusive breaks, a survey has indicated.

Britons departing from airports such as Gatwick and Luton are taking advantage of favourable exchange rates in Mexico and Turkey.

A survey by American Express revealed that sales of the Mexican peso increased 168% in the first three months of this year compared with the January-March 2010 period.

The Turkish lire is also proving popular, but currency sales for traditional holiday hotspots such as the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Thailand have fallen.

Unrest in Egypt had some effect on sales of the Egyptian pound, but Egypt stayed in fourth place in the currency table, which was headed by the euro, with the American dollar second and the Australian dollar third.

Terry Perrin, director at American Express global foreign exchange services, said: “Not only do Turkey and Mexico offer favourable exchange rates for the pound, they are also well-known all-inclusive destinations.

“The all-inclusive holiday trend has increased in recent years as holidaymakers, especially families, like to plan their spend ahead of time. Therefore, locations like Turkey and Mexico offer the best of both worlds for a lot of Britons.”

These were the top-selling foreign currencies in the first three months of 2011:

1. The euro

2. US dollar

3. Australian dollar

4. Egyptian pound

5. Turkish lire

6. Mexican peso

7. New Zealand dollar

8. United Arab Emirates dirham

9. Thai bhat

10. Canadian dollar

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Airlines were right to ground aircraft after the eruption of a Icelandic volcano last year, researchers have said.

Scientists led by Dr Sigurdur Gislason from the University of Iceland examined samples of ash from the volcano as part of a new study and concluded they were capable of causing an air disaster.

Flights across the UK including from airports such as Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick and Luton, were cancelled or delayed due to the volcanic ash, affecting some 10 million passengers and costing between  £1.3 billion and £2.2 billion.

But in a new study the researchers found the fragments remained “sharp and abrasive” even after attempts to blunt the particles by stirring them in water.

They would have sandblasted aircraft windows, making them impossible to see through, and had the potential to stall engines.

The explosive nature of the eruption on April 14 last year was caused by glacial meltwater coming into contact with hot volcanic magma.

Tiny pieces of extremely hard, abrasive material were ejected to heights of more than 9km and carried as far as Russia.

The researchers wrote in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: “The very sharp, hard particles put aircraft at risk from abrasion on windows and body and from melting in jet engines.

“In the lab, ash particles did not become less sharp during two weeks of stirring in water, so airborne particles would remain sharp even after days of interaction with each other and water in clouds. Thus, concerns for air transport were well grounded.”

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