- Mr Plane Guy
- 21 minutes ago
- 5 min read
This Week's Plane News
11 January 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 fuels my habit of buying overpriced lattes at the airport). Thanks for your support! Note: I’m also not a financial advisor just sharing my experience.
Welcome aboard this week’s Plane News Weekly, your Sunday fix of UK airline updates, aviation news, loyalty deals, and travel hacks.
It’s been a rough week for airline operations in the Netherlands. I live around 30 minutes from Amsterdam Schiphol, and severe winter weather caught the airport off guard, triggering widespread disruption at one of Europe’s busiest hubs. It’s a clear reminder of how quickly performance issues at a major airport can ripple across the wider network.
It was also disappointing to see news emerge that Aer Lingus plans to withdraw its long-haul routes from Manchester Airport. My thoughts are with the staff affected route cuts like this are never just about aircraft and schedules, but about people and livelihoods too.
This week in Plane News:
Aer Lingus Pulls the Plug on Manchester Transatlantic Flights
New European Links to Northern Morocco
FINAL BOARDING CALL for this amazing American Express introductory deal!
Snow Disruption at Amsterdam Schiphol Hits KLM and easyJet Flights
Avios Tip of the Week, J.P. Morgan Personal Investing can earn 10,000 Avios
✉️ Subscribe to Plane News Weekly for exclusive flight deals, loyalty tips, and aviation updates every Sunday. Sign up here.
Boarding Announcements, New Routes & Airline Updates
Aer Lingus Pulls the Plug on Manchester Transatlantic Flights
Aer Lingus has paused sales of all transatlantic flights from Manchester Airport from 31 March 2026, strongly signalling the end of its UK long-haul operation launched in 2021. Direct services to New York JFK, Orlando and Barbados have been pulled from sale, with the airline citing ongoing “uncertainty” around the Manchester base, while short-haul flights between Manchester and Ireland will continue as normal. More about this over here.
New European Links to Northern Morocco
Royal Air Maroc has opened a new base at Tetouan Sania Ramel Airport and will launch six new European routes from 27 March 2026.
New direct flights will connect Tetouan with:
London Gatwick
Paris
Barcelona
Madrid
Brussels
Málaga
Flights will be operated by Embraer E190 aircraft, with the expansion designed to strengthen regional tourism and complement Royal Air Maroc’s existing Tangier hub.
This is one to watch if you’re planning Morocco in 2026, especially for less obvious entry points beyond Marrakech.
FINAL BOARDING CALL for this amazing introductory deal!
American Express has quietly dropped one of the biggest referral bonuses I’ve ever seen on the Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card:
If you use my referral link:
You’ll earn: 45000 Membership Rewards Points (usually 22000!) when you get approved and spend £5000 in 6 months.
That’s enough for:
A return to Europe, A one-way long-haul in Premium, Or a big chunk towards a Business Class Avios upgrade.
Offer ends 13 January 2026. Very limited and genuinely one of the best Amex Gold boosts in years.
Pre-Flight, Lounge & Airport Experience
Snow Disruption at Amsterdam Schiphol Hits KLM and easyJet Flights
This week severe winter weather at Amsterdam Schiphol has caused widespread disruption to KLM and easyJet, with heavy snowfall and de-icing shortages forcing multiple cancellations and knock-on delays across Europe. easyJet has grounded at least 20 UK–Amsterdam services, while KLM short-haul and Cityhopper flights have been particularly affected as the airline prioritises long-haul operations. Passengers rerouted via Amsterdam should expect congestion and delays, even when weather improves and can find what to expect onboard in my KLM Cityhopper Business Class review and where to wait it out in the KLM Crown Lounge Amsterdam review. Remember: even when weather is the cause, airlines must still provide meals, hotels, transport and rerouting, keep receipts.
Frequent Flyer Briefing, Loyalty Offers & Points
Want to Land 2000 Virgin Points in 2 minutes?
Sign up with my affiliate link and get a 2000 Virgin Points welcome bonus! (Very limited time offer be quick!)
Avios Tip of the Week:
If you’re starting 2026 with travel (and financial) goals, this is one of the strongest Avios offers I’ve seen in a while. New customers investing £500+ with J.P. Morgan Personal Investing can earn 10,000 Avios, double the usual bonus, when signing up by 30 January 2026. It’s not about spending more, it’s about organising money you already have (capital at risk), and getting a very tidy Avios boost for doing so.
Reward Flight Finder
If you’re serious about using Avios properly, this is one of the tools you need.
Reward Flight Finder shows you up to 355 days of British Airways reward availability on one simple page.
Once you’ve got the Avios, find seats before they vanish with Reward Flight Finder or grab Jack’s Flight Club for £1 and bag ridiculous flight deals when cash beats points.
Takeoff, Travel Deals & Flight Opportunities
This Week's PLANE FLIGHT DEAL OF THE WEEK
Return trips from London Heathrow (LHR):
Bangkok (BKK) £445
TRAVEL DATES
January-June (excl. Easter, varies by route)
AIRLINE
Etihad
STANDARD FARE
£800/€900
BAGS & FEES
Full-size cabin bag included. Checked bag upgrade starts at £30/€10 rtn.
More details here about how to
Plane Talk, Insider Insight & Reader Engagement
Have a lounge or route you’d like reviewed? Drop a comment or DM me on Instagram, your question might feature in next week’s edition!
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I’m Mr Plane Guy, sharing UK airline news, flight deals, and loyalty tips with a Plane Honest perspective and loyalty tips each week.
I test lounges, try new routes, and offer practical travel hacks so you can fly smarter, save money, and make the most of your points.
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This Week on MrPlaneGuy.com
If you missed them, here are the new pieces I published this week:
🎧 What to Download Before You FlyThe best podcasts and audiobooks to download before a flight, perfect for short-haul, long-haul, and red-eyes when Wi-Fi lets you down.
✈️ Travel Trends 2026: Catching Flights, Feelings & Everything In Between Skyscanner’s latest report decoded, plus why travel is becoming more personal, emotional, and experience-led in 2026. 👉 Read it here
📱 The Best International SIM Cards for TravelThe smartest eSIMs and SIM cards for staying connected abroad, without roaming shock or airport kiosk prices.👉 Read it here
That’s it for this week’s Plane News Weekly.As always, thanks for reading, supporting the site, and flying smarter with me.
Same time next Sunday. ✈️
Mr Plane Guy
Plane News This Week, 11 January 2026.
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