Plane News Weekly:
20 September 2026
By Mr Plane Guy, Travel Blogger, Flight Expert & Airport Lounge Addict
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Pegasus Airlines gifted my flights from London Gatwick to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen and onwards to Kayseri. The opinions about the trip, airports and lounges are my own.
This Week’s Flight Plan
BIGGEST STORY: British Airways is adding Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar for summer 2027, alongside changes across its long-haul network.
NEW AIRLINE: Riyadh Air is bringing its Boeing 787 to Manchester.
LOUNGE NEWS: A new Aspire lounge opens at Manchester Terminal 2, while Etihad reveals its future Heathrow lounge.
PLANE HONEST: What a UK air traffic control disruption taught me about communication.
HOTEL DEAL: A targeted £50 Radisson cashback offer on American Express.
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.
I’ve spent the week in Türkiye, flying the new Pegasus Airlines service from London Gatwick to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, then connecting to Kayseri for Cappadocia. And wow. If Cappadocia isn’t on your travel list, put it there. The balloons, the sunsets, the food, the atmosphere, I could have stayed much longer. Then came Istanbul, ferries, Turkish tea and approximately a thousand more photos on my phone.
There are no direct UK–Cappadocia flights on this trip’s route, but connecting through Sabiha Gökçen was straightforward. I’ll have the full flight, hotel and destination guides out this week, including a review of what may be the worst airport lounge I’ve ever visited. Yes, worse than Birmingham No1 Lounge. I need a cup of tea before I tell you about it.
First, the news. And BA has given us a route that actually makes sense for the holiday you want to take.
Boarding Announcements, Airline Updates & Loyalty News
British Airways Is Flying to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar in 2027
From 29 May 2027, BA plans to fly three times a week from London Gatwick to Kilimanjaro, then Zanzibar, before operating the return leg nonstop from Zanzibar to Gatwick. The seasonal service is scheduled through the end of October, using a Boeing 777.
The clever bit is the triangle: fly into Kilimanjaro, explore northern Tanzania or go on safari, make your way to Zanzibar, then fly straight home from the beach. If Zanzibar is your only destination, the outbound flight makes a scheduled stop in Kilimanjaro; the return journey is nonstop.
BA has also announced wider summer 2027 changes: daily nonstop Heathrow–Buenos Aires with an onward Santiago sector; Rio staying daily without the Buenos Aires continuation; year-round San José, Costa Rica; extra Cape Town and Las Vegas flights; and revised Gatwick services to Barbados and St Lucia, with onward Caribbean links via Barbados.
I’ve put the useful booking details, route options and Zanzibar tips in my full guide: British Airways flights to Zanzibar in 2027: safari first, beach later.
Riyadh Air Is Coming to Manchester
Riyadh Air is adding Manchester–Riyadh flights, giving northern travellers another option for Saudi Arabia and connections beyond. The planned Boeing 787-9 has Economy, Premium Economy and Business cabins, plus Business Elite, a particularly limited front-row Business product with four seats.
There’s a useful wider network story here too: Riyadh can connect you onwards to destinations including Jeddah, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Manila.
Etihad’s Heathrow Lounge Is Getting a New Look in 2027
Etihad’s Heathrow Lounge Has Me Wanting to Fly Them Again
Etihad is giving its Heathrow lounge a complete makeover, with the refurbished space due to open in summer 2027. It will be the first lounge to show off the airline’s new Beyond Borders look. Details are still limited, so this is one to watch rather than one to add to your next Heathrow departure plan.
I have only flown Etihad in Economy, but the A350 genuinely impressed me. The seat was comfortable enough for me to sleep for four hours, the entertainment system was excellent, and the breakfast was worth waking up for. It is one of the best Economy cabins I’ve tried.
Plane Honest: A swanky lounge is lovely, but the best airline experiences get the basics right from check-in to landing. Etihad already convinced me with its A350 Economy cabin. Could the new Heathrow lounge persuade me to try Business Class next time? I wouldn’t say no.
Manchester Terminal 2 Gets a New 300-Seat Aspire Lounge
Aspire’s new lounge opened in Manchester Airport Terminal 2 on 15 September. According to its launch information, it has 300 seats, a dining area with hot and cold food, family and group seating, work booths and a separate work zone. Advance prices were quoted from £46.99 per adult and £31.99 for children aged two to 11; check current prices and admission terms when booking.
That sounds promising, especially if you’ve been caught in a queue outside a busy airport lounge. But capacity on paper and the experience when several flights depart together can be two very different things.
Plane Honest: I’m hoping to visit Manchester in October and try this one myself. I’ll tell you whether it delivers the calm it promises. Until then, consider it a new option rather than a personal recommendation from me. Here are all of the other Manchester Airport Lounges I have managed to review so far.
The 8 September Air Traffic Control Disruption: My EasyJet Day
On 8 September, I was due to fly easyJet from Amsterdam Schiphol to London Gatwick at 15:45. Instead, I spent the afternoon watching the departure screens change by another hour, then another. I received occasional delay emails, but very little explanation of what would happen next.
I could see our aircraft had pushed back at Gatwick, yet it was still waiting to depart. Around 10pm, we were finally told to go to the gate. We landed at Gatwick just before midnight.
The captain was excellent. He came to the gate and told us what he knew about the aircraft, the air traffic restrictions, crew hours and even the limited food and drink available. It was the most useful update I had all day. That is why I often like easyJet: when someone speaks plainly, passengers can make decisions. The app could have done a much better job of providing those updates earlier.
Subsequent reporting on the air traffic disruption says NATS identified a software fault. As the delay arose from air traffic control restrictions, I’m not expecting fixed delay compensation from easyJet. I have, however, submitted a claim for around €80 in reasonable expenses and will let you know what happens. Compensation and reimbursement are different things; keep your receipts if you have to buy essentials while waiting.
Plane Points Deal: £50 Back at Participating Radisson Hotels
Check the Offers section of each of your eligible UK American Express cards. Some cardholders have a £50 statement credit after spending £250 at participating Radisson group hotels by 31 December 2026. Spending can be cumulative, but you must save the offer to your card first, and registration is limited.
Read the actual offer terms before paying: this one specifies in-person checkout spending at participating hotels and excludes online prepaid bookings and online checkout. The American Express participating hotels list is worth checking because not every Radisson-branded property is included; other participating group brands may be.
Plane Honest: £50 off a £250 hotel spend is a decent return if you were booking the stay anyway. It is less exciting if you add an unnecessary night just to trigger the cashback. Save the offer, check the exact hotel, then pay in the way the terms require.
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Plane Tip of the Week: The Drink I Took Before Flying to Istanbul
After the air traffic control chaos, I’d already spent about ten hours travelling for a 50-minute Amsterdam–Gatwick flight, including hours sitting on a cramped easyJet aircraft. By the time I reached Gatwick for my Pegasus flight to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen the next day, my head was pounding.
I drank a can of Flydrate before boarding and felt much better. Could I prove the drink alone did that? No. But I was glad I had it. We Brits love a pre-flight pint in Wetherspoons though that certainly wasn’t my routine when I was cabin crew and then wonder why we feel rough when we land. I’ve been preaching about drinking enough on flights for years.
Flydrate is a 250ml drink with sodium, potassium and magnesium. The brand says its electrolytes are intended to support hydration and fluid balance before, during or after a flight. For me, it was a handy addition to my travel bag, alongside ordinary water.
Plane Honest: Flydrate kindly sent me a pack to try.
This is not a paid advert; these are my own impressions. I’ll be looking out for a can before my next flight.
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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
You can book one trip for 2027. Which gets your vote: Cappadocia and Istanbul with Pegasus, or a Tanzania safari followed by Zanzibar with BA?
FINAL BOARDING CALL
I’ve got plenty to share from Cappadocia and Istanbul this week: the Pegasus flights, Sabiha Gökçen Airport, where I stayed, what I’d do differently and that memorably dreadful lounge. Cappadocia genuinely surprised me. You don’t need a beach to have an amazing Turkish holiday although I’d happily add one afterwards.
Next on the calendar: Manchester, Birmingham and a Shoreditch hotel stay I’ve kindly been invited to try. The hotel invitation will be clearly disclosed in the review, and I’ll tell you how the experience really was.
👉 Follow Mr Plane Guy on Instagram for the trips as they happen.
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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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