Polar Routes’ co-founder Martin Johnson kicks off the second day of the annual ECN conference by announcing that Ponant UK GM and “industry veteran” Anthony Daniels will take on the chair role of the organisation replacing him in the position.

Intele CEO James Ferrara thanks partners in the room, saying: “Partners means something very special to InteleTravel. There are people who accepted us in the room from the beginning. We will always listen to you. The company is growing phenomenally everywhere.”

InteleTravel UK managing director Tricia Handley Hughes reveals the homeworking giant is 85% up yoy in peaks - and earlier she told me how the agency now has 30,000 agents in the UK with more than 4,000 joining since the Intele conference in the autumn.

Cunard president Katie McAlister tells agents and media at The Langham Hotel today about Queen Elizabeth “zhuzh up”, the return of line’s Event Voyages programme and how Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux is designing @Cunard’s Grills dining experience.

…and here’s me trying it out for the first time!

British Airways unveils its new first class cabin which will debut in early 2026. Calum Laming, BA chief customer officer, says moments before revealing the cabin: “First is a really important cabin for us. We want to make it as premium and as special as possible.” @ttgmedia.bsky.social

While in Nantes today we had a quick look at the Great Elephant at the Machines of the Isle of Nantes.

Speaking at a shipyard in northwest France, Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Group chair, hails the “incredible” British market and reveals MSC saw a surprising uptick of bookings from the UK for its 2026 Alaska sailings that recently went on sale.