On March 18, Turkish Airlines launched its inaugural flight to London Stansted Airport.
The airline operates 14 weekly flights between Istanbul and Stansted – two daily flights from Sunday to Thursday, one flight on Fridays and three flights on Saturdays.
With the addition of London Stansted, Turkish Airlines now serves six UK airports.
Lufthansa strengthens Nordic routes
Lufthansa is expanding its Nordic reach with two weekly flights to Rovaniemi (RVN). Flights depart Munich (MUC) on Fridays and Sundays at 11h30 and arrive at RVN at 15h45. Return flights depart RVN at 16h40 and arrive in MUC at 18h55. The new route will be serviced by an A320neo.
The airline also adjusted its 2026/2027 winter flight schedule:
- Frankfurt (FRA) to Tromsø (TOS) and MUN to TOS will each increase by two weekly connections.
- Between February and March 2027 FRA to RVN will gain a third weekly flight, FRA to Kuusamo will gain a second frequency and MUC to Kittilä will gain a second and third weekly frequency.
VA revamps Heathrow lounge
Virgin Atlantic has revamped its Clubhouse lounge at London Heathrow.
The lounge offers a new cinema area with TV access and Bluetooth headphones, work pods, a new Royal Box VIP area and a refreshed gallery with panoramic runway views.
Two new pop-up wellness experiences are available. Three Somadomes (technology-enabled meditation pods) offer immersive meditation programmes, and a new partnership with Secret Spa offers a selection of spa treatments.
BA rolls out Starlink
British Airways’ first Starlink-equipped B787-8 aircraft took flight on a route bound for Houston. The airline plans to fit its entire fleet of over 300 aircraft with Starlink within the next two years.
The service will be available, free of charge, to all customers in every cabin, with download speeds of up to 500+ Mbps – ideal for streaming.
This is the latest in a series of enhancements aimed at improving the customer journey. Other initiatives include new lounge concepts in Dubai and Miami, as well as utilising AI and new technology to increase flight punctuality.
Sean Doyle, Chairman and Chief Executive of British Airways, said: “This milestone is part of a wider investment in elevating every aspect of our customer journey as we continue to modernise our airline.”
Star Alliance opens Connection Centre at LAX
Star Alliance has opened its ninth Star Connection Centre. The new centre, based in Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), helps passengers seamlessly connect to flights on multi-airline journeys.
Star Alliance will proactively identify passengers at risk of missing their connections due to delayed incoming flights. Agents monitor the transfer windows using specialised software and expedite passengers to their next flight.
“At Star Connection Centres, our member airlines come together to ensure that, regardless of which airline passengers are flying with, they are supported from an Alliance perspective,” says Amber Franco, Vice President of Customer Experience at Star Alliance.
At present, 16 Star Alliance member airlines serve LAX, including Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, SWISS, Turkish Airlines and United. Together, they operate more than 2 000 weekly flights to over 80 destinations across more than 20 countries.
