Head for Points

18/06/2026

In a hangar in the Toulouse the parts for a revolutionary aircraft are being joined together. Made of carbon fibre, not aluminium, these planes will allow Qantas to operate the first non-stop commercial service between London and Sydney.

With a flight time of 22 hours, passengers on board will experience a double sunrise as the plane laps the earth’s rotation. This is why Qantas has named this decade-long endeavour Project Sunrise.

The project kicked off in 2017 when Qantas threw down the gauntlet to Airbus and Boeing in a tweet. It wanted an aircraft that could fly the 10,000 nautical miles required for non-stop services from Sydney to London and New York.

Ten years later at an event in Toulouse yesterday, which I attended, Airbus revealed the first customised A350-1000ULR it will deliver to Qantas next year. But how did it get there?

Click to read more: https://www.headforpoints.com/2026/06/18/qantas-unveils-project-sunrise-aircraft/

I was in Toulouse yesterday to watch Airbus and Qantas unveil the first 'Project Sunrise' aircraft which will fly directly from London to Sydney from October 2027.

18/06/2026

Hilton’s Summer Sale is now live, offering good deals for anyone who needs a hotel for a weekend trip between now and early September.

To provide some inspiration on where you could go, Hilton asked us to recommend our favourite five luxury Hilton hotels in Europe.

Hilton now operates hotels across 27 different brands but there are only five that it includes in its luxury category: Conrad, LXR, NoMad, Signia (not in Europe yet) and Waldorf Astoria.

Click to read more: https://www.headforpoints.com/2026/06/18/five-favourite-luxury-hilton-hotels-in-europe/

To provide some inspiration on where you could book in the Hilton Summer Sale, Hilton asked us to recommend our favourite five luxury Hilton hotels in Europe.

17/06/2026

Aspire Pre-Flight Hospitality – generous sponsors of the HfP summer party next week! – has released further details of its new lounge at Manchester Airport.

It follows the recent openings at Liverpool, which we covered here, and Birmingham, covered here, as well as the ‘three in one’ Newcastle lounge from 2024.

The opening date has been set for ‘late August 2026’.

Click to read more: https://www.headforpoints.com/2026/06/17/aspire-new-300-seat-manchester-airport-lounge/

Aspire Pre-Flight Hospitality has released further details of its new lounge at Manchester Airport, which is now due to open in late August and seat 300.

17/06/2026

In January, we told you that Hilton was gaining a potentially very interesting hotel – Elika Cave Suites Cappadocia in Turkey, which had joined Curio Collection. It is now open.

I’ve never been to Cappadoca, but the images I’ve seen look amazing

Click to read more: https://www.headforpoints.com/2026/06/17/hilton-cave-hotel-opens/

In January, we told you that Hilton was gaining a potentially very interesting hotel - Elika Cave Suites Cappadocia in Turkey, which has joined Curio Collection.

17/06/2026

In 2021 Virgin Red launched a new way of letting you earn Virgin Points – its own train ticket booking platform called Virgin Trains Ticketing. It was originally part of Virgin Red but is now a standalone smartphone app.

Until 13th July, you will receive double rewards – 6 Virgin Points per £1 spent. Your ticket can be for travel at any future date.

Click to read more: https://www.headforpoints.com/2026/06/17/double-virgin-points-with-virgin-trains-ticketing/

Until 13th July, you will receive double rewards - 6 Virgin Points per £1 spent - at Virgin Trains Ticketing. Your ticket can be for travel at any future date.

17/06/2026

Exclusive from Toulouse: first Qantas ‘Project Sunrise’ flight between London and Sydney set for Oct 2027, shaving 4 hours off flight time. New York is not first despite rumours.

17/06/2026

It isn’t just British Airways that runs ‘Avios only’ flights. Other IAG airlines have been jumping in too, and Aer Lingus has just launched its first transatlantic one, to New York.

This is to celebrate 10 years of the AerClub loyalty programme.

It is on sale now. All seats are offered at a 10% Avios discount to the standard rate.

Click to read more: https://www.headforpoints.com/2026/06/17/aer-lingus-avios-only-flight-to-new-york/

Aer Lingus has announced a special 'Avios only' flight to New York in November 2026 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Aer Lingus AerClub programme.

16/06/2026

An eagle-eyed Head for Points reader spotted something interesting on the Virgin Atlantic website.

On the page where the terms and conditions for upgrade auctions are listed, a new set of T&C has appeared – for ‘Neighbour-Free Seating’.

A quick search shows that Virgin Australia launched this concept in September 2025, with exactly the same name.

Click to read more: https://www.headforpoints.com/2026/06/16/virgin-atlantic-neighbour-free-seating/

Virgin Atlantic appears, judging by some T&C changes posted online, to be following Virgin Australia and introducing auctions for 'neighbour-free seating'.

16/06/2026

This is our review of Riyadh Air’s flagship Hafawa lounge at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

One benefit of being a brand-new airline is that you have the opportunity to create a brand-new lounge, which is exactly what Riyadh Air has done at its home base at King Khalid International Airport.

For now, this is Riyadh Air’s flagship and only lounge. At other airports it uses contract lounges for passengers, such as the Plaza Premium lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4. Long term, it’s likely we will see Riyadh Air build out its lounge portfolio at key destinations.

Click to read more: https://www.headforpoints.com/2026/06/16/review-riyadh-air-hafawa-lounge/

This is our review of Riyadh Air's flagship Hafawa lounge at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. One benefit of being a brand-new airline is that you have the opportunity to create a brand-new lounge, which is exactly what Riyadh Air has done at its home base at King Khalid…

16/06/2026

Back in 2019, American Express bought US-based restaurant reservation and software platform Resy. In 2024 it added Tock which performed a similar service for high end restaurants and events.

Seven years on from Resy, it is doubling down on the sector with the acquisition of TheFork from TripAdvisor for $700 million.

TheFork will give American Express a similar capability in Europe.

Click to read more: https://www.headforpoints.com/2026/06/16/american-express-buys-thefork/

American Express is paying TripAdvisor $700m to acquire TheFork, a restaurant booking business similar to Resy, which Amex acquired back in 2019.