Global Perspective

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Dancing it out

Aiming to bring back some fun to flying, staff at Swiss regional carrier Helvetic Airways have been causing a stir on social media with their own version of the viral #JerusalemaDanceChallenge. “We’re really not able to fly much right now,” explains cabin attendant Sara Müllhaupt, the initiator of the project. “So we wanted to make some creative use of our free time. And this was a great opportunity to strengthen our team spirit in a constructive and lighthearted way.” Their video was shot at Zurich Airport and can be viewed on YouTube. youtu.be/1sAAPLNK68M the long goodbye?

In a reflection of the straightened times we're living in, Gatwick Airport has found itself a new revenue stream by charging passengers before they even enter the building! Travellers who want to be dropped off immediately outside the terminals will now pay a £5 drop off charge. If they don't want to pay, they will have to be dropped-off in the airport’s long-stay car parks and take a free shuttle bus to the terminal. On the plus side two hours free parking at the long-stay car park will allow them plenty of time for a kiss and fly, long goodbye!

@Gatwick_Airport right jab

Emirates is among the first airlines in the world to operate a flight with fullyvaccinated frontline teams servicing customers at every touchpoint of the journey. Check-in, security, lounge and boarding gate employees, as well as engineers, pilots and cabin crew have all chosen to be fully vaccinated. So too have aircraft appearance, loading and special handling teams from dnata, and SkyCargo teams working on the cargo and logistics. The Emirates Group has vaccinated close to 26,000, or 44%, of its UAE frontline aviation workforce who have received both doses of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Sinopharm vaccines.

@emirates iced-landic buns

Any excuse to celebrate is good these days and if that means cream buns onboard so much the better. That was the thinking at Icelandair when it brought a taste of local tradition onboard just before Lent. The crew served cream buns to celebrate Bolludagur (‘Bun Day’), a day traditionally spent in Iceland consuming bollur – pastry buns filled with jam and cream, and topped with chocolate glaze. Children onboard also received small bags of candy on Öskudagur (Ash Wednesday), a day celebrated like Icelandic Halloween.

@Icelandair

Cotton for fuel

Japan Airlines (JAL) has successfully operated a commercial flight using fuel created from cotton clothing! The flight from Tokyo Haneda to Fukuoka used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blended with traditional jet kerosene and SAF. In October 2018, JAL launched a project to convert cotton clothing into SAF. The project saw approximately 250,000 pieces of clothing collected and put through a bio-process developed by the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) to produce the SAF. The flight was executed on a Boeing 787-8.

@JAL_Official_jp pandemic action Etihad Aviation Group will work with the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for the next five years to support its Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative. It will aid worldwide distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, essential medicines, medical devices, and other critical pandemic supplies through a dedicated COVID19 Workforce, as well as supporting immunisation programmes for the world’s most vulnerable children.

@etihad

Open air at sea

It's all about the great outdoors for MSC Cruises as it prepares to launch its new flagship cruise liner MSC Seashore this August, in the Med. The ship is designed to maximise outdoor space and get passengers closer to the sea and includes 13,000sqm of outdoor space, six swimming pools, an expansive 540 metre-long waterfront promenade close to the water, a 3,000sqm, four-deck Yacht Club and suites with terraces or balconies.

@MSC_Cruises_UK

Food for good

Inflight catering specialist Monty’s Bakehouse in the UK has now donated over 1.3 million hot snacks and meals to local and global causes during the COVID19 pandemic. Its work has provided targeted help for the homeless, the vulnerable and families most affected by the pandemic. montysbakehouse.com

@MontysBakehouse