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For anyone who's planning a holiday soon, here's a round up of the latest announcements.

American Airlines will cease its flight from Birmingham to JFK effective 6 January 2017.  United will still serve Newark from Birmingham.

Emirates has decided to swop its daytime A380 flights from Birmingham and Manchester to evening departures, to provide better connections to its other A380 flights from Dubai. Both changes effective 1 January 2017.

Jet2, the Yorkshire based airline/holiday company, has announced new bases at Birmingham and Stansted, commencing Spring 2017.  Flights to the "usual" holiday destinations. Also, from October 2016 they commence flights to New York from Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, East Midlands and Newcastle.

P&O has released its 2018 cruise programme; with early bird fares available. 

Shock, horror, another divorce in Tinsel Town!

Mary Berry leaving Bake Off, Paul Hollywood not, now this.  How will we cope with the Labour leadership result tomorrow....... 

Thought I'd let you have your moment Clive 

I'm sad I know but I still enjoy most of the airline meals.  Sadly the best free ones I've ever had were on airlines that no longer exist.  Virgin Atlantic lunch wasn't bad last year, but breakfast was dire.  Monarch was fine for £8 each way; couldn't finish it which is unusual for me.

What I objected to with Thomson was introduction of chips.  Their marketing people claimed they were responding to customer requests; well they didn't ask me!  Don't mind them using fuel made from old chip oil.  I usuall buy a Boots meal deal, but most airports have outlets that will make fresh sandwiches or a salad box to take on board.

Other airlines already using Buy on Board (BoB) are Iberia and Swiss.  A cynic has already asked if the generous M&S refund policy will apply, whether you can collect Sparks and how long will it be before Dine in for £10 is introduced in Club and First......

Originally Posted by Steve Richardson

“That's dangerous territory, you're not supposed to incentivize/bribe customers into leaving reviews according to the Competition and Markets Authorities recent guidelines, although lots of companies do, and the whole thing has become a bit of a grey area ”

Didn't know that!  I think the company means well and they don't make the products they are selling.  These are personal purchases, not business related, but always in search of a bargain I'll be comparing prices anyway.  Usually start with Amazon and see if I can get it cheaper.

BA has signed deal to sell M&S sandwiches to economy passengers from January 2017.  This applies to short-haul flights only and replaces the free "meal" currently provided.  BA customers have reported a downturn in quality/quantity of late and the apparent introduction of low cost airline practices.

Waitrose apparently declined.  Various questions have been asked about claiming Sparks points on purchases and whether the refund policy applies.   As one cynic put it, the slogan of "To Fly To Serve" should now be changed to "To Fly To Starve".

Not that I fly BA these days (they don't serve Birmingham) but I'll stick with Boots Meal Deal or something made to order in the departure lounge.  

Interim report published a couple of weeks ago and it mentions the evacuation difficulties due to the fire and weather conditions (very windy), as well as passengers trying to take bags with them.

It appears that insufficient time may not have been allowed between powering up engines for go-around and retraction of undercarriage.  There is some speculation outside of the report about flight deck inexperience (Captain 34).  Hope the Dubai Government don't "spin" the final report, if human error is the cause.

If it's anything like any other government department I've contacted recently, I think I'll save my breath!

Will run it past doc when I go to see him next, after all it's not what you know but who you know....

Thanks for your view on this one Steve. Don't worry about your hair falling out, it will save you money 

I haven't bothered to look at that particular site today and I feel a lot better for it!  I believe that if it was factual then the company should have been exposed for its unacceptable practices.  I don't condone false reviews/complaints by those seeking their moment in the sun.  

I actually posted something unrelated on the business traveller website last night and made someone's day. The thread was about strange travel stories, so here goes.  Director visits company branch in Lagos.  He asks fellow Director (ex-pat) where he can get some cigarettes.  Director calls in his driver and gives him three brands of cigarettes that he can purchase.  If he can't get any of those then he can bring something else.  Driver returns with a meat pie.....

Steve, well said and great comparison with RNLI.  At ex-employer one project involved updating military living accommodation.  Project Manager visited the RNLI training college in Poole.  The photos he took made our military clients green with envy.  The RNLI ethos was that as most are volunteers then they deserve decent facilities.  Can't argue with that.

Totally agree about a centralised air ambulance structure.  What I can never understand is why "we" have separate charities for the same cause.  I've been approached by collectors for children's cancer (okay I understand the psychology there) and children's kidney cancer, but surely the cancer charities should be working for a cure for all types of cancer in children and adults.  

Steve, there are lots of rules for landlords.  I've just had a look on Citizen's Advice site and the guy on LinkedIn was right with all the defects he picked up.  

There's a long list of duty of care items, including safety of small electrical appliances such as toasters and kettles through to gas safety for boilers.