News

Design Contract for New Saudi Arabia Airport In fall 2019 the Red Sea Development Co. awarded Fosters + Partners a design contract to develop a new international airport in Saudi Arabia, one officials anticipate will serve up to 1 million passengers per year by 2030.

With a focus on sustainability, Fosters + Partners will work with subconsultant WSP Global to complete an “airport for the future,” set to open in 2022. The ecofriendly design will pay homage to the surrounding natural landscapes and fit into the design vision of The Red Sea Project, an adjacent resort also scheduled to open in 2022.

Touted as the world’s most ambitious tourism and hospitality project, the Red Sea Project will comprise an archipelago of 90 islands featuring dormant volcanoes, deserts, mountains and rich culture and will be served by the new Red Sea Airport. During the first phase of completion, the resort will open 14 hotels on five of the islands, as well as commercial and leisure operations. By the time of its final completion, estimated in 2030, the resort will span 22 islands. theredsea.sa fosterandpartners.com

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British Airways Automatically Offsets Carbon Emissions It’s no secret air travel is bad for the environment, so airlines have begun to take action against the harmful contributions to the atmosphere. Since Jan. 1 British Airways automatically pays to offset carbon emissions for all passengers on domestic flights. This is often an option travelers can select when booking a flight on other airlines, but now British Airways passengers will enjoy this benefit regardless of whether they opt in.

British Airways currently only offers this service for 75 domestic flights departing from London daily, but customers who travel internationally with the airline can still opt to pay to offset their carbon emissions on an individual basis.

The price to offset carbon emissions for a short flight can cost $3–5, while the cost for long-haul flights can be up to $25. Based on calculations, for 75 daily flights each with 150 passengers, British Airways covers quite a tab per day. britishairways.com

TripIt Checks Your Carbon Footprint One of the best ways to help combat climate change is to find alternative ways to travel (such as bus or train), but when a flight is the only available option, you can now check your flight’s effect on the environment, which may increase or lessen your guilt.

A new feature from the mobile app TripIt lets you enter your flight details to view your carbon footprint based on that flight or based on multiple flights over time. Using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to calculate the figures, TripIt also relies on data such as flight distance, cabin class and other environment elements such as weather to provide information about a given journey’s carbon footprint. Once they add a trip to the app, users can toggle to the flight detail screen and click Carbon Footprint. This page not only displays information about the carbon emissions of a particular flight but also provides a list of ways travelers can offset these emissions on their own. tripit.com ghgprotocol.org

Air New Zealand’s Edible Coffee Cups To play its part in helping the environment, Air New Zealand has begun to serve coffee — both in the air and on the ground — in edible coffee cups.

Through a partnership with twiice, a New Zealand company that makes edible coffee cups, the airline adopted the vanilla-flavored, leakproof cups as both mugs for coffee and bowls for ice cream and other desserts. Twiice plans to roll out other edible products in the near future.

Air New Zealand also uses plant-based cups on board and in its airport lounges. Made from paper and corn, the cups are compostable. These minor changes in daily services will help the airline reach its goal of stabilizing its carbon emissions by the end of 2020 and reduce its net emissions by 50 percent by 2050. airnewzealand.com twiice.co.nz

Hopper Plants Trees for Booked Flights Travelers who book flights directly through the search engine app Hopper can take solace in knowing the flight search and price comparison company now plants a tree for every flight booked through the app. Through an initiative called Hopper Trees, Hopper will donate money to Eden Reforestation Projects to plant up to four trees for every flight booked, and for each hotel booked, Hopper will donate enough to plant two trees. The trees will be planted in locations all over the world such as Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique and Nepal. This service comes at no cost to the traveler and will not be added to any booking fees incurred through Hopper or through the airlines.

Hopper is committed to planting approximately 6 million trees in 2020, each with the potential to offset 900kg of carbon dioxide during its lifetime. hopper.com/trees edenprojects.org

Chase, United Launch New Business Card Credit card giant Chase and United Airlines launched a new version of the United Business Explorer Card, now called the United Business Card and geared toward small-business owners. Cardholders earn more miles when they make business-related purchases such as office supplies, fares for commuting to work and business meals at restaurants. Sign-up bonuses include two miles per $1 spent on transit (such as taxis, rideshare services and tolls); 5,000 miles for each card anniversary; an annual travel credit of $100 after purchasing seven United flights for a minimum of $100 each; and 25 percent back as a card credit for in-flight purchases on United flights (such as WiFi, food and drinks). chase.com united.com

New Amex Centurion Lounge in Phoenix At the start of the year, the new Amex Centurion Lounge opened its doors at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Located on the upper level of Terminal 4, the 10th U.S. Centurion Lounge offers premium cardholders the benefits they have come to expect from these well-known airport lounges.

With 9,500 square feet of amenities, up to 240 guests can grab a Mexican-themed meal at an eatery conceptualized by local chef Doug Robson or sip on a cocktail by famed mixologist Jim Meehan. Other amenities include dedicated workspaces, high-speed WiFi and showers.

American Express customers who carry Centurion- or Platinum-branded cards are eligible to take advantage of the lounge, as are travelers with other Amex Platinum cards from Schwab or Ameriprise.

New Amex Centurion lounges are also scheduled to open in 2020 at London Heathrow and in New York (JFK), Charlotte (CLT), Denver (DEN) and Los Angeles (LAX). thecenturionlounge.com