Powered by PerfectStay’s HBX Group’s specialist brand for travel packages, the new offering brings together flights, accommodation and experiences in ready-to-book packages across a broad range of destinations.

Advisors will have access to a curated selection of three- to five-star hotels alongside a wide choice of airlines, with options ranging from standard to business travel.

Fully integrated into Bedsonline+, the new package solution requires no additional onboarding or separate credentials. Travel advisors can access and sell packages within their existing workflow, removing the need to source individual suppliers, build packages themselves or manage multiple booking components across different systems.

“Travel advisors are looking for ways to offer more to their clients while keeping their businesses simple and efficient. By bringing PerfectStay’s packaged-travel expertise into Bedsonline+, we are giving advisors an easy way to expand their offering, capture more of the travel journey, and access new earning opportunities through a platform they already know and trust”, said HBX Group Chief Distribution Officer David Amsellem.

Advisors will also benefit from 24/7 customer service and booking protection, backed by PerfectStay’s extensive experience in packaged travel. This combination of quality sourcing and dedicated support is designed to help advisors sell with confidence while giving travellers a convenient way to book more of their trip in one place.

Bedsonline+ Packages is now available to travel advisors in the United States, Canada, the UK, Spain and France since 1 November.

(Source: HBX Group)

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ITA Airways is Italy’s flag carrier and serves more than 70 destinations worldwide as part of the Star Alliance network.

Listed on the New Your Stock Exchange, Archer’s Midnight aircraft under the partnership agreement will deploy air taxi services in major cities across Italy.

Designed for rapid, back-to-back flights with zero operating emissions, Archer’s Midnight aircraft aims to transform urban travel by replacing 60 to 90-minute drives with quiet, all-electric flights of 10 to 20 minutes. For example, an hour-long trip on the ground from Fiumicino Airport to Rome’s city centre could take less than 10 minutes with the  Midnight aircraft.

Midnight recently showcased its ability to operate seamlessly in complex urban airspace, completing several days of piloted flights in the Bay Area, which included multiple flights from Oakland to San Francisco’s Marina District in roughly 10 minutes.

“ITA Airways aims to play a pioneering role in advanced air mobility, exploring innovative solutions and collaborations that can strengthen connectivity and deliver tangible benefits for passengers,” said ITA Airways Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Joerg Eberhart.

“This agreement with Archer represents an important step in assessing how electric air taxi services could complement our network and enhance connections between airports, city centres and other strategic destinations. As part of this process, we are exploring different solutions to identify the best possible product for our customers.” 

Founder and CEO of Archer, Adam Goldstein, said: “Rome Fiumicino crossed 50 million passengers last year for the first time in its history. Every one of those travellers deserves the option to skip an hour in traffic with a 10-minute, all-electric flight. Italy has the regulatory leadership, the infrastructure, and now the airline partner to make air taxis a reality, and I’m proud to be taking this step with ITA Airways and the Lufthansa Group to bring the future of electric aviation to Europe”.

ITA Airways aims to act as a catalyst for innovation across Italy’s advanced air mobility ecosystem, bringing together relevant expertise and stakeholders and helping create the conditions for new solutions to complement existing transport options and improve airport and urban connectivity. Its contribution will focus on enabling an integrated customer journey and connecting the new service with its network, working alongside the specialised partners responsible for its operation. The partners will explore a range of solutions to deliver the best possible product for customers.

With today’s agreement, ITA Airways becomes the first European carrier to join Archer’s global network of airline partners, extending its commercialisation strategy already underway in the US, UAE, and beyond.

Archer’s commercial flagship electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, Midnight, has been conducting both uncrewed and piloted flight test programmes.

FAA Certification Status: Archer is progressing through the final phases of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type-certification process. Initial commercial routes and passenger operations are targeted to begin following final FAA airworthiness approvals in the US.

Archer has set up partnerships in international markets, such as the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) and now Italy, which may allow early trial/restricted operations before widespread US deployment.

(Source: ITA and additional TTRW input)

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This winter, the airline will launch four new routes, welcome its first retrofitted A380 and several new aircraft, and increase capacity across 11 popular long-haul destinations. 

The airline is also boosting service to in-demand European cities and adding seasonal flights to help customers make the most of winter escapes and festive getaways.

Colombo, Sri Lanka

British Airways’ inaugural flight to Sri Lanka departed London Gatwick on 23 October and touched down in Colombo the following day. Flight and cabin crew colleagues with close personal and family ties to the island operated the milestone flight, and a troupe of traditional Sri Lankan dancers welcomed it on arrival.

Operating three times a week throughout the winter season, the new service will connect customers directly from London to Sri Lanka. The route will offer a choice of World Traveller (economy), World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and Club World (business class), with return fares from UKP524 including taxes, fees and carrier charges.

British Airways’ Chief Planning and Strategy Officer, Neil Chernoff, 

said: “The launch of our new Colombo service marks an exciting start to our winter schedule and reflects our continued commitment to offer customers more choice across our network. Alongside opening inspiring new destinations, we’re increasing capacity on some of our most popular long-haul and short-haul routes, from winter sun favourites such as Cape Town and Barbados to festive city breaks in Europe. Whether customers are seeking sunshine, culture, sporting events or Christmas markets, we’re delighted to be expanding the options available to them this season.”

Winter sun and new route down under

British Airways is increasing capacity to a host of popular long-haul destinations, including Cape Town (South Africa), Tokyo (Japan), Bridgetown (Barbados), Kingston (Jamaica) and San José (Costa Rica). It is also launching a brand-new route to Melbourne, Australia on 9 January, via Kuala Lumpur.

The launch of British Airways’ second route to Australia coincides with two of the city’s biggest events, the Australian Open and the Melbourne Grand Prix, giving customers a convenient way to travel to Australia’s sporting capital.

Customers can choose from four cabins: World Traveller (economy), World Traveller Plus (premium economy), Club World (business class) and First. Return fares start from UKP1,110, including taxes, fees and carrier charges.

European breaks and seasonal getaways

The winter schedule also adds more flights to popular European destinations, giving customers more options for city breaks and seasonal getaways. Frequencies are increasing to destinations including Rome and Florence in Italy, Gothenburg in Sweden, and Jersey in the Channel Islands.

One of the Canary Islands’ most popular year-round sun destinations, Fuerteventura, will move from London Gatwick to London Heathrow and operate twice a week from mid-December to April. Meanwhile, Palermo in Italy becomes a year-round service on the British Airways network, and Thessaloniki in Northern Greece extends its season into November and March, reflecting continued demand for these vibrant Mediterranean cities. In a significant capacity increase, there will also be seven additional flights per week to Cairo, taking the schedule to three per day.

Geneva remains a key destination for customers heading to the slopes this winter, with British Airways operating up to 110 flights a week during the peak ski season. With convenient departures from London Heathrow, London Gatwick and London City, customers can easily reach some of the Alps’ most popular ski resorts. Whether planning a family ski holiday, a weekend on the slopes or a longer mountain escape, the airline’s extensive schedule offers greater flexibility and choice throughout the winter season.

For customers looking for a festive escape, British Airways will operate up to five flights a week from London Heathrow to Cologne, and four times per week to Nuremberg, throughout December, perfectly timed for the Christmas market season. In addition, Innsbruck in Austria, home to seven charming Christmas markets, will be served 16 times per week from London Gatwick and twice per week from London City.

The airline is also bringing the magic of the Arctic within easy reach this Christmas, with direct flights launching from London Gatwick to Rovaniemi, Finland, the home of the famous Santa Claus village. 

Operated by BA Euroflyer, flights will depart twice a week to the capital of Finnish Lapland, between 4 December and 4 January. The new route complements the existing service from London Gatwick to Ivalo, Finland, and the now daily service from London Heathrow to Tromso, Norway, giving customers even more opportunities to experience the wonder of the Northern Lights and the awe of the Arctic Circle.

(Source: British Airways)

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The launch of British Airways’ second route to Australia coincides with two of the city’s biggest events — the Australian Open and the Melbourne Grand Prix — giving customers an alternative daily service to Australia’s sporting capital via a transit stop in Kuala Lumpur.

The airline will deploy a 214-seat B787-900 to serve the route daily, with an end-to-end flight time of around 22 hours from LHR to MEL, including a 100-minute transit stop in Kuala Lumpur. British Airways has secured fifth freedom rights for the KUL-MEL-KUL sectors, allowing it to sell tickets between the two cities and through to London Heathrow.

Flight schedule LHR-KUL

BA33 departs London (LHR) at 2110 and arrives in Kuala Lumpur (KUL) at 1805.
BA34 departs Kuala Lumpur (KUL) at 2315 and arrives in London (LHR) at 0520.

Flight time on the LHR-KUL sector is 12 hours and 55 minutes

Flight schedule KUL-MEL

BA33 departs Kuala Lumpur (KUL) at 1945 and arrives in Melbourne (MEL) at 0640 (plus a day).
BA34 departs Melbourne (MEL) at 1635 and arrives in Kuala Lumpur (KUL) at 2135.

Flight time on the KUL-MEL sector is seven hours and 55 minutes.

Customers have a choice of four cabins — World Traveller (economy), World Traveller Plus (premium economy), Club World (business class) and First. Return fares start from UKP1,130 (including taxes and carrier fees).

(Source: British Airways)

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The 22-hour flight operates Helsinki-Melbourne via Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, where the A350-900 makes a two-hour transit stop for a crew change. The airline enjoys fifth freedom rights in Bangkok, allowing it to sell tickets on the Bangkok-Melbourne roundtrip sectors

Fares for a roundtrip Helsinki-Melbourne journey start at EUR998.

Meanwhile, Finnair announced earlier that it will strengthen its Japan network and operate up to three daily flights to Tokyo during the summer 2027 timetable.

In a press statement, Finnair said it was responding to growing demand for travel to Asia, particularly Japan. The airline will increase frequency on its Tokyo Narita route during the peak summer travel period, operating up to two daily flights. In addition, Finnair will continue to serve Tokyo Haneda Airport daily. 

With the additional Narita frequencies, Finnair will offer a record number of connections between Helsinki and Tokyo next summer, with up to three daily flights at peak times. The flights have been timed to provide smooth onward connections from Japan across Finnair’s European network. 

With the additional frequencies, Finnair’s services to Japan will increase from 28 weekly flights this summer to up to 32 weekly flights in summer 2027, further strengthening Finnair’s position as one of the largest airlines between Europe and Japan. 

Finnair operates year-round services to Tokyo Haneda, Tokyo Narita and Osaka. In summer, Finnair also flies to Nagoya, the only European airline serving the Japanese city. 

Additional Narita frequency from 12 May to 14 August 2027 (excluding HEL-NRT on 13 May and NRT-HEL on 14 May): 

AY71 HEL-NRT 1220-0715 (plus a day)
AY72 NRT-HEL 0855-1535

(Source: Finnair)

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Air France and KLM moved their operations at Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) from Terminal 2 to Terminal 5 on 20 October 2026. From that date, Air France and KLM travellers will check in, go through security, and depart from Terminal 5.

The move means that Air France and KLM will be grouped with other SkyTeam members in Terminal 5. Eligible Air France and KLM customers will have access to SAS lounges near gates E1 and F26.

Terminal 5 is Arlanda’s largest terminal and handles the majority of the airport’s international air traffic. The new security checkpoint uses modern technology that allows travellers to keep electronics and liquid containers up to 100 ml in their hand luggage during security, helping them move through more smoothly. 

(Source: Air France-KLM)

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The new seasonal nonstop service operates every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday during the airline’s 2026–2027 UK winter season.

Representatives from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Phuket International Airport and Virgin Atlantic joined the welcoming ceremony and greeted arriving passengers on Monday 19 October.

Virgin Atlantic posted the news on its Facebook page, noting: “Our first flight has officially taken off, with ‘Queen Bee’ leading our new direct service from London Heathrow Airport to Phuket, Thailand, as the only UK airline to fly this route.”

The airline assigned a 258-seat Dreamliner 787-9, named Queen Bee, to the 12-hour-and-15-minute LHR-HKT flight.

TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing – Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa, Chiravadee Khunsub said, “Virgin Atlantic’s new service gives UK travellers greater access to Phuket during the winter season. 

“Under TAT’s Airline Focus and Value over Volume directions, we are working with airline and travel trade partners to convert additional flight capacity into high-value tourism.”

The inaugural flight departed London Heathrow on 18 October and arrived in Phuket on 19 October. 

Flight schedule

VS214 departs London Heathrow (LHR) on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 1545 and arrives in Phuket at 0955 plus a day.
VS215 departs Phuket (HKT) on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 1145 and arrives at London Heathrow (LHR) at 1925.

Among the passengers were 29 Barrhead Travel representatives, led by Managing Director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell, participating in TAT’s Joint Agent: Top Sellers Fam Trip. The programme offers UK travel sellers first-hand experience of Thailand’s tourism products and destinations to support future sales.

The route complements existing UK–Thailand nonstop services. Thai Airways International and EVA Air operate 21 weekly flights between London Heathrow and Bangkok. At the same time, British Airways, TUI, and Norse Atlantic Airways offer seasonal connections from London Gatwick and Manchester to Bangkok and Phuket.

TAT’s London Office partnered with Virgin Atlantic on a UK marketing campaign to stimulate travel for late 2026 and early 2027. Combining digital advertising, Thailand-themed promotions at Virgin Atlantic Holidays outlets, email newsletters, and in-store displays, the campaign generated 9,079 bookings on the London Heathrow–Phuket route and reached at least 5.41 million people.

The UK ranks among Thailand’s five highest tourism revenue-generating markets. In 2025, UK arrivals surpassed 1 million for the first time, generating THB74,515 million, up 21.7% year on year. From 1 January to 3 September 2026, Thailand welcomed 682,684 UK visitors, with demand showing improvement ahead of the winter season.

UK travellers stay an average of 14.18 days and spend THB61,615 per person per trip. First-time visitors account for 56.99% and repeat visitors 43.01%. Leading destinations for UK travellers include Bangkok, Krabi, Phuket, Surat Thani and Chiang Mai, reflecting demand for Thailand’s combination of coastal holidays, culture, gastronomy, wellness and nature-based experiences.

(Source: TAT plus Virgin Atlantic)

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The Airbus A350-900, registered HB-IFC and named ‘Zug ’, is the third aircraft of its type to join the Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) fleet, following ‘Lausanne’ (HB-IFA) and ‘Delémont’ (HB-IFB).  

From 19 October, SWISS deployed the A350 on services between Zurich and Shanghai and Zurich and Johannesburg. 

SWISS will add 10 Airbus A350-900s to its fleet by 2030. Like the first two A350s, the latest addition features the new “SWISS Senses” cabin, offering guests a new travel experience across all four classes of travel: First, Business, Premium Economy, and Economy. 

In related news, SWISS will offer its first-ever service to Bengaluru, India (starting 27 October) during the 2026/27 winter schedule, with five weekly flights. Bengaluru becomes SWISS’s third destination in India, joining Delhi and Mumbai.

The new eastbound LX140 service will depart Zurich daily (except Mondays and Wednesdays) at 1320 and arrive in Bengaluru at 0255 the following day. 

The westbound LX 141 service will leave Bengaluru daily (except Tuesdays and Thursdays) at 0450 and arrive in Zurich at 1050 the same day.

The 2026/27 winter timetable period will run from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027. Overall, SWISS will serve 88 destinations from Zurich and Geneva in its upcoming winter schedules.

(Source: SWISS)

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For the first time, the leisure airline will connect Frankfurt with Edmonton, Canada, and Belize City, Belize. The airline’s presence in Munich will also continue to grow.

Beginning 1 June 2027, Discover Airlines will fly three times a week from Frankfurt to Edmonton (YEG), Alberta, Canada. 

Flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. This will make Discover Airlines the only carrier offering nonstop service from Germany to the city, an ideal gateway to the Canadian Rockies. 

Edmonton complements the airline’s existing Canadian destinations of Calgary and Halifax and creates new road-trip opportunities —for example, flying into Edmonton and returning from Calgary.

Belize will be a special highlight of the winter schedule: Beginning 16 December 2027, Discover Airlines will become the first European airline to serve the Central American country. Located between Mexico, Guatemala, and the Caribbean Sea, Belize captivates visitors with its Caribbean islands, rich biodiversity, and fascinating remnants of Maya culture. 

English is the official language, and the destination remains relatively unknown in Europe. Flights from Frankfurt to Belize City will operate twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays through mid-April 2028. 

Beginning in late March 2027, Discover Airlines will also take over Lufthansa’s service from Frankfurt and Munich to Seattle (SEA), which currently operates up to daily. Nothing will change for guests with existing bookings; the booking system will be updated automatically in the coming weeks.

The addition of Seattle service, together with the previously announced increase in Windhoek service to five weekly flights, will further expand Munich’s offering. An additional Airbus A330-300 will also join the Munich fleet in March 2027, bringing the total to 10 aircraft.

(Source: Discover Airlines)

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For the first time, holidaymakers can explore Europe year-round on Rhapsody of the Seas, from summer adventures with overnight stays in Egypt to winter getaways to the Canary Islands. 

Throughout the season, travellers can discover sought-after destinations across Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Spain, and Northern Europe, including Royal Caribbean’s return to Copenhagen and Stockholm, on seven- to 12-night holidays. 

Bookings for the European 2028-29 season are now open as of 15 October.

Europe 2028-29 Highlights

Rhapsody of the Seas — From Athens (Piraeus), Barcelona, and Lisbon, Portugal. 

Rhapsody will kick off Royal Caribbean’s year-round Europe season with seven- to 12-night holidays from Athens (Piraeus), Barcelona and Lisbon. 

Explorer of the Seas — From Ravenna (Venice).

From May to October 2028, Explorer will offer seven-night Mediterranean holidays to the Greek Isles and Croatia, with longer stays in Santorini to soak up the island’s iconic caldera views, whitewashed villages, and spectacular sunsets, plus Royal Beach Club Santorini. 

Jewel of the Seas — From Copenhagen and Stockholm.

Returning to Copenhagen, Stockholm, and the Baltic, Jewel will sail from May to August 2028 on seven- to 11-night adventures visiting Helsinki; Visby, Sweden; Gdansk (Gdynia), Poland; and Klaipeda, Lithuania, with itineraries highlighting Scandinavia’s striking coastlines and centuries of Nordic history and culture. 

Liberty of the Seas — From Barcelona, Athens (Piraeus), and Rome (Civitavecchia).

From May to October 2028, Liberty will take holidaymakers on seven- and eight-night getaways to the Greek Isles, plus Mediterranean adventures to Provence (Marseille), France, Sicily (Palermo), Italy, and Cagliari, Sardinia. 

Mariner of the Seas — From Barcelona, Lisbon, Athens (Piraeus), and Ravenna (Venice).

Returning to the Mediterranean, Mariner will deliver seven-night holidays exploring some of the region’s most sought-after destinations, including Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Porto (Leixoes), Portugal, and Dubrovnik, Croatia. 

Odyssey of the Seas — From Rome (Civitavecchia).

From April to October 2028, Odyssey will return to Rome (Civitavecchia) for seven-night adventures through the Greek Isles, including visits to destinations like Ephesus, Turkey, and Mykonos, Greece. 

(Source: Royal Caribbean)

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