- Mr Plane Guy
- Aug 16
- 7 min read
Plane News Weekly
16 August 2026
By Mr Plane Guy, Travel Blogger, Flight Expert & Plane Geek
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, I might earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps keep this blog running and funds my ongoing airport lounge "research." Thanks for your support!
This Week's Flight Plan
BIGGEST STORY: Revolut is opening its own airport lounges
AIRLINE NEWS: KLM is saying goodbye to the free cheese sandwich
LOUNGE REVIEW: Oh Là Là! I visited the Air France Lounge at Heathrow
POINTS: Tesco brings back its 30% Virgin Points bonus
TRAVEL HACK: Could Hilton Gold unlock SkyTeam Elite Plus?
DEAL: This week's IceLolly package holiday deal
Welcome back to another edition of Plane News Weekly, your Sunday roundup of airline news, airport lounges, loyalty updates, travel deals and everything happening in the world of aviation.
It's been another busy travel week.
I was reunited with an old friend, FlixBus, for the trip between Gatwick and Heathrow. Glamorous? Perhaps not. Useful? Absolutely. And I'll have more to say about that journey soon.
Once at Heathrow, things became considerably more ooh là là as I finally visited the new Air France Lounge at Terminal 4.
Think Laurent-Perrier, macarons, Clarins and some rather lovely runway views. I've got a full review coming your way, including whether I think it's actually worth a visit.
And while I was at Heathrow...
I filmed something rather exciting.
I'm keeping that one under wraps for now, but you'll be seeing it very soon.
Let's just say there was a little more going on behind the scenes than my usual lounge-hopping...
Right, onto this week's news.
Boarding Announcements, Airline Updates & Loyalty News
Revolut Is Opening Its Own Airport Lounges
Well, this is interesting. Revolut is getting into the airport lounge business.
The fintech company plans to open its first branded airport lounge at Copenhagen Airport in 2027, with Plaza Premium Group involved as its operating and investment partner.
And this doesn't sound like a tiny room with a coffee machine and three sad croissants.
Revolut says the Copenhagen facility is intended to become the largest common-use lounge in Copenhagen Airport's Schengen area, and potentially the blueprint for a wider European network.
That last part is what really caught my attention.
Revolut already offers access to third-party airport lounges through some of its plans, but opening its own branded lounges puts it into territory already explored by companies such as American Express with its Centurion Lounges and JPMorgan Chase.
But if Revolut gets the pricing and access right, this could make its premium subscriptions considerably more interesting for frequent travellers.
And apparently the plan is for the lounge to be "gutsy and beautiful."
As someone who spends a frankly unreasonable amount of time inside airport lounges...
You have my attention, Revolut.
KLM Is Getting Rid of Its Free Cheese Sandwich
Now for an aviation institution that appears to be heading for the departure gate.
KLM is ending its traditional complimentary cheese sandwich on European flights.
Yes.
The cheese sandwich.
As someone who spends a lot of time flying between the Netherlands and the UK, this feels strangely personal.
From October, KLM is introducing its new Grand Café KLM catering concept on European flights, with a much larger selection of food and drinks available to buy. Passengers will also be able to pre-order meals including Caesar salads, poke bowls and pancakes.
There will still be something complimentary. On most European flights, KLM says passengers will continue to receive coffee, tea, water or orange juice plus a stroopwafel.
So we're not quite at Ryanair scratchcard territory, yet.
Oh Là Là! I Finally Tried the Air France Lounge at Heathrow
Last week I told you I was heading to the Air France Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4.
Well...Oh là là. And this is exactly why airport lounge reviews remain one of my favourite parts of Mr Plane Guy. We're talking:
Laurent-Perrier.
Macarons.
Clarins.
Runway views.
It feels distinctly more French than your average UK airport lounge and that's probably the point. I've now put together my full review covering the food, drinks, seating, facilities, access rules and, most importantly:
Is the Air France Lounge at Heathrow actually worth it?
👉 Read: Oh Là Là! My Air France Lounge Heathrow Terminal 4 Review (coming soon, like today!)
And while researching how else you could potentially access SkyTeam lounges, I disappeared down a loyalty rabbit hole. Which brings me rather neatly to this...
Plane Travel Hack of the Week: Hilton Gold → SkyTeam Elite Plus?
This is one of the more interesting status hacks I've found recently. The route potentially looks like this:
Qualifying hotel status (including Hilton Honors Gold)
↓
Kenya Airways Asante Gold Elite Plus
↓
SkyTeam Elite Plus
Yes, your hotel status could potentially become airline alliance status. Kenya Airways is currently running a paid Asante Rewards status match, and qualifying Hilton Honors Gold status is currently mapped to Asante Gold Elite Plus.
That tier aligns with SkyTeam Elite Plus, potentially bringing benefits including eligible airport lounge access, priority check-in, priority boarding, baggage benefits and lounge guest access when travelling on qualifying SkyTeam itineraries.
And SkyTeam includes airlines such as: Air France, KLM, SAS, Delta.
There's a catch. The hotel-status match to Gold Elite Plus currently costs $299.
So would I spend $299 to visit one airport lounge? Absolutely not.
But if you're regularly flying SkyTeam airlines throughout the year and can use the benefits repeatedly? That's where the maths becomes much more interesting.
And there's another twist. If you don't already have Hilton Gold, the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card currently gives cardholders instant Hilton Honors Gold status.
Travel hacking really is ridiculous sometimes and I love it.
👉 Read my full guide: The SkyTeam Elite Plus Hack, How Hilton Gold Could Unlock Airline Lounge Access ( coming soon!)
Plane Points Tip of the Week: Tesco's 30% Virgin Points Bonus Is Back
Got Tesco Clubcard vouchers sitting around doing nothing?
This could be considerably more interesting than swapping them for another kitchen appliance you don't need.
Tesco Clubcard members can currently get 30% extra Virgin Points when manually converting Clubcard vouchers into Virgin Points before 23 September 2026.
Normally:
£10 Clubcard vouchers = 2,000 Virgin Points
During the promotion:
£10 = 2,600 Virgin Points
£20 = 5,200 Virgin Points
£100 = 26,000 Virgin Points
And that last one is where things start getting interesting. Virgin Atlantic reward flights can sometimes start from around:
Economy: 6,000 Virgin Points + taxes
Premium Economy: 10,500 Virgin Points + taxes
Upper Class: 29,000 Virgin Points + taxes
Availability and pricing vary, obviously, but suddenly those forgotten Tesco vouchers don't look quite so boring.
And if you're collecting Virgin Points, don't forget you can stack earning methods Tesco, Virgin Red, Flying Club, shopping portals and credit-card offers can all help build the balance considerably faster.
Plane Deal of the Week:
Sometimes a Package Holiday Really Is Cheaper. Here's your weekly reminder not to automatically book the flight and hotel separately.
I've been checking IceLolly, which searches holiday deals from multiple travel companies in one place, useful when you don't fancy opening approximately 37 browser tabs comparing the same week in the sun.
This week's IceLolly find caught my eye: 7 nights at the 5-star Özkaymak İncekum Hotel in Antalya from £799pp, flying from Birmingham on 24 August.
It's all-inclusive, but here's the interesting bit. I checked what it could cost to book the same trip separately:
✈️ Comparable Jet2 return flights: around £502pp
🏨 7 nights All Inclusive at Özkaymak İncekum: around £579.50pp
At the time I checked, booking separately came to around £1,081.50pp
Package price: £799pp
That's a potential saving of around £282.50 per person or £565 for two people.
And that's exactly why I always say: don't automatically book the flight first. Check the package price too.
Prices checked 16 August 2026 and can change quickly. Always check the live price and what's included before booking.
Coming Soon...
It's been a busy week.
What exactly was I filming at Heathrow? You'll find out very soon.
I've also got more lounge reviews, flights and travel experiments on the way.
Make sure you're subscribed, because there's plenty coming.
✉️ Subscribe to Plane News Weekly for exclusive flight deals, loyalty tips, and aviation updates every Sunday. Sign up here.
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About Me
I’m Mr Plane Guy, sharing UK airline news, flight deals and loyalty tips with a Plane Honest perspective.
I test lounges, review flights, and break down what’s actually worth your money, so you can fly smarter, spend less and make the most of your points.
Plane Question of the Week
Would you pay for better food on a KLM flight or would you rather keep the free cheese sandwich and drink?
Because I'm not sure I'm emotionally prepared to say goodbye to the cheese sandwich.
Let me know in the comments.
FINAL BOARDING CALL
It's been another surprisingly interesting week in aviation.
Revolut is opening airport lounges. KLM is taking away the cheese sandwich.
Tesco is handing out 30% more Virgin Points and somehow I've discovered a route that could potentially turn Hilton hotel status into SkyTeam airline status.
Meanwhile, I've been drinking Laurent-Perrier and eating macarons in the Air France Lounge at Heathrow.
It's a tough job.
Until next Sunday...
Keep collecting points. Keep discovering airport lounges. Keep travelling smarter.
Mr Plane Guy
Let's make travel better.
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