Can a new airline take the name of a defunct carrier?

Simon Calder answers your questions on setting up a new airline, sky couches and Covid concerns with visiting Asia

When the current Stansted terminal opened in 1991, Air UK was about the only customer (Getty)

Q I am genuinely asking for a friend. He has a plan for a new airline. I’m not allowed to tell you anything about the business plan, but can I enquire if he would be able to call it Air UK?

Name supplied

A In the past two decades of the 20th century, Air UK was a well-regarded regional airline that was substantially focused on Anglo-Scottish routes, but also had an interesting European network stretching as far as Innsbruck in Austria. The carrier was notable for establishing a base at Stansted, serving Paris and various UK destinations, at a time when the Essex airport had a tiny terminal and easy parking right outside; when the current terminal opened in 1991, Air UK was about the only customer. For a time there was a budget airline offshoot, Air UK Leisure, which I enjoyed flying. With a bit more vision, it could have been at the forefront of the no-frills revolution – but once easyJet was launched, it began to fade.

In 1997 Air UK was taken over by the Dutch airline KLM, and became KLM UK. It still had a large presence at Stansted – just as Ryanair was expanding rapidly from the Essex airport. Three years later, in desperation, KLM UK transformed into another low-cost airline, Buzz – which survived for three more years until the Dutch carrier threw in the towel and virtually gave it away to Ryanair. The Buzz name lives on in Ryanair’s Polish subsidiary. But what of Air UK? I searched at the Intellectual Property Office and discovered that it was registered, bafflingly, as a trade mark by an American learned society in 2007.

Your friend could have a word with them and see if they are prepared to let it go for an agreeable sum. To save him time, I have also checked Air GB – which is also spoken for. But UK Airways appears to be up for grabs.

The Skycouch is an imaginative and simple way to offer enhanced comfort (Air New Zealand)

Q Just before the coronavirus pandemic my sister and I flew on Air New Zealand from London Heathrow to Los Angeles, and tried the “Economy Skycouch”. It was great: three seats that convert into a flat bed. I see Air New Zealand no longer flies the route, and I wonder why other airlines don’t do the same?

Poppy C

A I haven’t tried the Skycouch but I have seen it, and it looks to be an imaginative and simple way to offer enhanced comfort. Effectively, some rows of three places have a specially designed footrest that can be raised to seat level. Here’s the sell from Air New Zealand: “Imagine a row of economy seats that can change into a couch after take-off. Clever, right? Comfy, too. Use the Skycouch the way you want. Sit, spread out, or lie down and snooze. Share the space with a partner or children, or keep it all for yourself. It’s a world first.”

The cost for the extra seat is typically about 50-75 per cent of the adult fare. That is a fair deal for the passengers – the empty seat does not incur tax and will not require to be fed and watered by the airline – and also for Air New Zealand, which can keep its load factors high.

So, an excellent concept. Why, then, is it not replicated by other airlines? I believe the reason is cost and flexibility. Air New Zealand has a longer average length of international flight than any other carrier because of its location; the newest link is a 17-hour hop from Auckland to New York. Existing routes such as the US west coast are all above 12 hours, and when the east Asian network gets reestablished to Hong Kong and mainland China, those links will all be in double figures.

In contrast, on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic average flight length is probably around eight hours. The investment required for, and the complex revenue management around, the Skycouch concept is probably seen as excessive – especially since many people are prepared to pay handsomely for premium economy. So I fear the three-seat trick will remain an Air New Zealand speciality, though I am always seeking lightly loaded flights with plenty of room to stretch out on one’s own.

Thailand’s beaches always provide travel temptation in the depths of the British winter (Getty/iStock)

Q We are considering cancelling a long-booked holiday this month to Singapore and Thailand. The prospect of an influx of Chinese travellers when Covid is rife there is off-putting. Would you go?

Chris D

A Like a shot. I cannot think of anywhere I would rather be than in South East Asia in January. Singapore will be en fete around the Lunar new year, while Thailand’s beaches, cities and landscapes always comprise travel temptation in the depths of the British winter. And I am concerned that you are not anticipating the trip as much as I would be.

The Covid-19 crisis in China is palpable. This weekend the life science data analytics firm Airfinity predicted infections will reach 3.7 million cases a day by the end of this week, with deaths estimated to peak 10 days later at around 25,000 a day. Those are tragic numbers, but the population is not vaccinated as effectively as those of us in the West.

At the same time, today China opens its borders for citizens who wish to travel abroad. They will now be able to travel as tourists, and millions will want to take holidays in Thailand to celebrate some freedom after three years of draconian restrictions.

That is why the UK and many other countries have instituted tests for travellers arriving from China – despite considerable medical opinion disputing their efficacy. But for anyone from the UK who has availed of Covid vaccinations and is not in a high-risk group, I believe the chance of contracting a troubling infection is very low. Covid is ripping through the UK and many other nations, and frankly you will be far less likely to contract the virus while enjoying an outdoor lifestyle in Singapore and Thailand than when confined to indoor venues in the UK.

My one worry would be: keeping tabs on requirements that Thailand (in particular) may impose on travellers from anywhere. Ensure you have evidence of vaccination, and check a couple of days ahead to see if either country has reinstated a testing requirement.

Email your question to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder