- Mr Plane Guy
- 12 hours ago
- 7 min read
This Week's Plane News
16 November 2025
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 from the skies.This week I was given an exciting opportunity to do some work in Paris so I hopped on the train and spent 3 wonderful days in the city! Whilst I was there I noticed American Express bring out an amazing sign up BONUS!
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: 16,000 Amex Membership Rewards Points (usually 9,000!) per approved friend.
They’ll earn: 45,000 Membership Rewards Points (usually 22,000!) when they get approved and spend £5,000 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.
Black Friday is around the corner and yesterday I was told I could offer my readers a HUGE 40% OFF deal on a Priority Membership! This is unbelievable value! So that means you can get an annual pass form £41, that will get you into over 1800 lounges worldwide for around £24, depending on the lounge! THIS IS CHRISTMAS GIFT territory, what a cool gift!
If my partner is reading this I am size window seat in Christmas gift this year (Biz of course!)
Also this week was easyJet's 30th birthday!
Happy Birthday, easyJet
✉️ Subscribe to Plane News Weekly for exclusive flight deals, loyalty tips, and aviation updates every Sunday. Sign up here.
Welcome aboard this week’s Plane News Weekly, your Sunday fix of UK airline updates, aviation news, loyalty deals, and travel hacks from the skies. Let's start this week PLANE strong!
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This week's Plane Poll, what type of traveller are you?
The BIG question!
Bloody Mary
G&T
Plane News Weekly: Black Friday Flight Frenzy
Black Friday lands on November 29, followed by Cyber Monday (Dec 2) and Travel Tuesday (Dec 3) three of the biggest deal days of the year for savvy travellers. Expect flight sales, hotel flash offers and plenty of luggage, tech and travel-essential bargains on Amazon.
Plane Tip: My Amazon Storefront is already stocked with the best early Black Friday travel deals, from noise-cancelling headphones and cabin-size suitcases to travel adapters up to 40% off.
My favourite luggage brand Cabin Max has some amazing Black Friday sales on Amazon already, this is why I love Cabin Max cases!
Boarding Announcements, New Routes & Airline Updates
Big Jet2 Energy: Gatwick Gets a Brand-New Base
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have officially confirmed a brand-new base at London Gatwick, taking off in March 2026 their 14th UK base and a major win for travellers across the South East.
Operating from the South Terminal with five brand-new Airbus A321 neo aircraft (plus one based overseas), Jet2 will serve 29 destinations across Spain, the Canaries, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Croatia and more.
Plane Tip: Don’t waste those gate-wait minutes Audible for Travel turns every layover into a first-class story time, and right now you can start listening for just 99p. Get the trial here.
Blue Islands Collapse: What Channel Islands Travellers Need to Know
Blue Islands has suspended trading, all flights cancelled.
Second UK regional airline to fold this month after Eastern Airways.
100 staff affected, sending my best to everyone impacted.
Routes to Jersey & Guernsey now disrupted.
Loganair starts emergency services from Sunday.
Aurigny running a temporary schedule until Wednesday.
Serious question now: what’s going on with UK regional aviation? More info here
Pre-Flight, Lounge & Airport Experiences
🔥 Black Friday Deal: Priority Pass Up to 40% Off
This is the BEST Priority Pass offer I’ve EVER seen and I don’t know when it will end.
Right now you can get Priority Pass from just £41, giving you access to over 1,800 airport lounges and airport experiences worldwide at massively reduced rates.
If you’ve ever wanted lounge access, this is the time to grab it.
Hurry, this Black Friday deal won’t last long.
Frequent Flyer Briefing, Loyalty Offers & Points
Virgin Points: Virgin Atlantic is handing out 12,000 Virgin Red points
Virgin Atlantic's new “High Five” perk rewards anyone who’s flown Virgin in any five years between 2021–2025, including reward flights.
That means one cheeky Virgin trip in 2025 could lock in:✈️ 12,000 Virgin Red Points✈️ 10% bonus points on future flights
Classic Virgin: clever, a bit cheeky… and guaranteed to get a few of us booking New York “just to qualify.”
Want to Land 2000 Virgin Points in 2 minutes?
Sign up with my affiliate link and get a 2,000 Virgin Points welcome bonus! (Very limited time offer be quick!)
Train Points Hack
Earn TRIPLE Virgin Points on Every Train Ticket
Your Christmas travel just levelled up. For a limited time, Virgin Trains Ticketing is offering TRIPLE Virgin Points that’s a huge 9 Virgin Points per £1 on any train ticket you book.
Book your festive trips, your New Year getaways, even your Monday-morning commute… and watch the points roll in.
Avios Tip of the Week:
🔥 Avios Black Friday: 50% Bonus on 1,000+ Brands (Now Live)
BA’s Avios eStore has launched its biggest promo of the year: 50% bonus Avios on 1,000+ retailers until 28 December. If you’re doing Christmas shopping, this is the easiest, laziest way to turbo-charge your balance and yes, it stacks with your Amex / Chase / BA credit card points.
Big wins this week include Selfridges (12 Avios/£1), Harvey Nichols (16 Avios/£1), M&S (8 Avios/£1) and huge boosts at Sainsbury’s for new Click & Collect customers.
Plane Tip: Always click through the BA Shopping portal first, then pay with a points-earning card. With the 50% bonus on top, you’re basically double-dipping your way to a Europe return.2,615 Avios from one £40 shop Sainsbury's shop, Full details here.
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
Flight Deal of the Week
Edinburgh £20 to
£60 Return*
From
Belfast City (BHD) - £36 (nye)
Birmingham (BHX) - £45
Bournemouth (BOH) - £28
Bristol (BRS) - £42
Cork (ORK) - €32
Dublin (DUB) - €30
Knock (NOC) - €30
London Gatwick (LGW) - £51
London Luton (LTN) - £36
London Stansted (STN) - £31
Shannon (SNN) - €30
👉 See the latest cheap flight offers here and sign up for Jack’s Flight Club Premium for £1 you’ll also enter a £500 flight voucher giveaway this month.
Christmas Market Spotlight:
Also with Christmas Market season fast approaching, now is the time to plan festive European trips check out my Christmas Market guides. Full details of Christmas Market dates for 2025, amazing deals, reviews and guides.
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! Follow me on Instagram for behind-the-scenes travel updates and real-time airline news from my journeys.
This week I am off to Manchester to check out two Airport Lounges and I am also popping into KLM's Crown Lounge at Amsterdam's Schiphol.
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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🅿️ Airport Parking Compare prices and save up to 75% at airports across the UK from Heathrow and Gatwick to Manchester, Birmingham and beyond with
🍸 Lounge Access Start your journey with a prosecco instead of a queue.
Get 30% off Priority Pass membership and relax in 1800+ lounges worldwide.
🌍 Travel Insurance Cover every trip for less with Coverwise (by AXA) annual European cover from £10.20.
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Plane News This Week, 16 November 2025.
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