Last orders from Virgin, Tap Air Portugal for sale, and who turned up the music at Heathrow?

Last orders please! Virgin Atlantic announces the retirement of the inflight bar by 2030,but was it ever a real revenue winner or an ego trip for some? Did anyone ever grab a drink at the bar, and has reality finally overcome fantasy?

Half-year airline results begin this week with easyJet in Europe and United Airlines in the US. Delta Air Lines posted above-expectation results last week. Is this a positive trend for the rest of the year, or will it be a year of two halves, with a better H1 performance?

With the Air India interim report published, we’ve seen another “rush of experts” offering insights with no experience or knowledge, or having ever investigated such an event before. Let’s wait for those working on the incident to report in full rather than speculate.

hashtag#Heathrow has announced a £10 billion refurbishment programme for which airlines, or their customers, will pay 80% of the cost, with Heathrow’s owners investing £2 billion. Part of the refurbishment includes the addition of “background noise” playing in all Terminals as part of a customer enhancement...a wise investment? Hmmmm

Riyadh Air | طيران الرياض’s CEO has confirmed that the airline will fly to all European capital cities. Great news for Cardiff and the Welsh Government, who will presumably underwrite the service?

Finally, TAP Air Portugal is up for sale; well 49.9% of it to be precise. Given that fixed minority interest, will the Big Three remain interested, or will they walk away from the opportunity? Does strategic presence add more than majority ownership? All to play for in Lisbon in the coming months.