Road Warrior: whizzing to Oz and Trump trouble

BA cabin crew vote to strike at Heathrow

British Airways cabin crew who are members of the Unite trade union have voted to strike in a dispute over pay at Heathrow. The vote comes after cabin crew rejected a two per cent pay rise. The strike action could begin after December 21st and may affect travellers over Christmas. The 2,000 workers represent about 15 per cent of the cabin crew. BA said that Unite was creating uncertainty for passengers.

Lufthansa takes over Brussels Airlines

Brussels Airlines will become part of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and will be fully integrated into the Eurowings Group by 2018. The home market in Belgium and well-established Africa network will strengthen the Lufthansa and Eurowings market position. The improved cost structures of being part of a larger group will allow Brussels Airlines to compete in the low-cost Belgian aviation market. After the acquisition, Brussels Airlines will continue to operate 23 long-haul destinations as well as 79 destinations within Europe.

First non-stop flight between UK and Australia

Qantas Airways plans the first non-stop flight from Australia to the UK to be operational in March 2018. The Australian national carrier says flights from Perth to London will take 17 hours on a Boeing Dreamliner (or 787). The trip will be the shortest and fastest version of the Kangaroo Route since it was first flown 80 years ago. The 14,498km route will be among the world's longest passenger flights.

Trump hotel hits conflict of interest

It looks like president elect Trump is going to have to divest himself of his most recent hotel, that opened in September in Washington DC, due to a conflict of interest. The Trump Organisation negotiated a 60-year lease with the General Services Administration for the hotel which is in the federally owned Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue. Elected officials cannot hold leases on federally owned properties.