Latest news with #CatherineCooke
Sunday World
17-07-2025
- Business
- Sunday World
Aer Lingus announces three new flight routes from Dublin and Cork airports
New winter routes are set to take off from Dublin and Cork during airline's winter schedule Aer Lingus has announced new winter flights from Cork Airport to Geneva and Prague, as well as a new seasonal route from Dublin to Turin. The three are on sale now with fares from €49.99 each-way, the airline said. Flights from Dublin Airport to Turin will operate weekly from December 21 to March 29, offering access to the ski resorts of Italy's Piedmont region. These include Via Lattea (The Milky Way), Pila in the Aosta Valley and Bardonecchia. From Cork, flights to Geneva will operate once weekly from December 20 to March 28. A popular city break, the Swiss destination also links skiers with resorts like Morzine and Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. The Prague service will run from October 23 to March 26, with two flights a week on Thursdays and Sundays from Cork. Cork Airport said Aer Lingus also plans to increase the frequency of its Lyon route to a twice-weekly service, operating from December 20 to March 28. It follows news that KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will add a third-daily service from Cork to Amsterdam Schiphol over certain periods this winter. Aer Lingus crew members (L-R) Catherine Cooke, Laurence O'Callaghan, Jonathan Rath and Susan Kelly celebrating the news in Cork. Photo: David Creedon "Winter breaks or 'coolcations' are growing in popularity among Irish consumers,' noted Susanne Carberry, chief customer officer at Aer Lingus. The announcements follow another new Aer Lingus route announcement, from Dublin Airport to Cancun in Mexico. It will operate for four months from January 6. The airline is currently at the peak of its busy summer schedule, and has been advising customers to drop off bags the evening before they fly at both airports following 'an exceptionally busy" period for the airline at Dublin. The seasonal service allows customers booked on early flights (between 5.30am and 8am) to drop off their bags at certain times the evening before travel. Last month was the busiest ever June for passenger numbers at both Dublin and Cork, and Aer Lingus saw a 10pc rise in the number of its customers checking in for early-morning departures compared to the same period last year. Cork Airport recently launched a €200 million capital development programme to enable it to cater for over five million passengers in years to come. Aer Lingus cabin crew members Amy Casey and Lauryn Hamilton celebrating the new routes. Photo: Naoise Culhane Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 17th
Scoop
18-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
17,096 Kiwis Call For Urgent Action To Fund Keytruda For New Zealand's 'deadliest Breast Cancer'
Breast Cancer Foundation NZ is proud to support Auckland woman, Catherine Cooke, as she presents her petition to MP Hon. Mark Mitchell, urging the Government to fund the cancer drug Keytruda for early stage triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Catherine is presenting the petition at Breast Cancer Foundation NZ office in Parnell on 27 June at 2pm. The level of support for this petition is significant and shows New Zealanders are fed up with falling behind the rest of the world in terms of access to life-saving treatment. Catherine was diagnosed with early TNBC, an aggressive form of breast cancer in November last year after her yearly mammogram. She was told Keytruda with chemotherapy would give her the best chance of survival – but the drug would only be funded if her cancer was advanced. Instead, Catherine has had to put most of her work on hold and sell her family home to fund the treatment - which is costing around $85,000. Around 350 women are diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer every year, which is approximately 10% of all breast cancer diagnoses. It is also more common in younger women with nearly 15% of diagnoses in women under the age of 45 being triple negative. For one in three women with early triple negative breast cancer, it will return and become incurable within five years. It is the deadliest form of breast cancer and is harder to treat. Unlike most other breast cancers, triple negative breast cancer doesn't respond to hormone-blocking treatments and targeted drugs. Keytruda is an immunotherapy drug, and it is the only targeted treatment that works to fight triple negative breast cancer and is given to patients alongside chemotherapy. It's fully funded in 40 other countries including Australia, Canada and Britain. New international research was published last year and showed that Keytruda can stop women dying from triple negative breast cancer because it's highly effective at preventing cancer coming back. Patients with early triple negative breast cancer receiving Keytruda in a clinical trial were 34% less likely to die and 32% less likely to have their cancer spread beyond the breast. It is widely accepted by the medical community internationally as the best drug to treat early triple negative breast cancer and New Zealanders deserve access to this treatment. Breast Cancer Foundation NZ Chief Executive, Ah-Leen Rayner said 'women like Catherine are having to go through drastic lengths to be able to pay for Keytruda. It's atrocious that New Zealanders are selling their homes, asking for help from their parents or complete strangers to find hundreds of thousands of dollars, or potentially simply going without treatment that could save their lives. 'We are so grateful to Catherine for working tirelessly for better drug access for New Zealanders in the future, but she shouldn't have to. We're urging the government to ensure Pharmac has the budget it needs to fund these essential medicines that are standard of care around the world.'
