Friday 28 October 2011

Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to Visit New Zealand

Air New Zealand will host the Boeing 787-8 test aircraft at its engineering base at Auckland International Airport for two days.

Exact timings of the 787's arrival on Saturday 12 November non-stop from Seattle are expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks, but will be timed to give Aucklanders the best chance of seeing the aircraft as it flies into Auckland.

"We're looking forward to seeing the 787 in our skies for the first time. This is an aircraft which has the exciting environmental advantage of using up to 20% less fuel while also being able to carry up to 50% more cargo than other jet aircraft of comparative size," said Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe.

Air New Zealand is the launch customer for the larger 787-9 variant, which will have a greater range capability and seating capacity than the 787-8 of which ANA is the launch customer.

"Once the 787-9 goes into service sometime in 2014 it will change how New Zealanders fly and how we bring the world to New Zealand. Its composite structure enables better cabin humidity and lower relative cabin altitude for a more comfortable flying experience," Mr Fyfe added.

The aircraft on display in Auckland will be one of the first test aircraft produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes and as such is fitted with test equipment.

Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager for the 787 program at Boeing Commercial Airplanes said, "We are thrilled to be able to bring this test plane down here for Air New Zealand. While the interior is filled with test equipment and therefore far from showroom standard, the exterior is not only aerodynamically efficient but extremely beautiful and people will be able to see just how different it looks."

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Ritz-Carlton Opens Palatial Hotel in Riyadh

The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh, with 493 rooms and suites located next to the Diplomatic Quarter and adjacent to the King Abdul Aziz Convention Centre, has opened.

The sense of arrival through 213,500 square meters (52 acres) of exquisitely landscaped gardens is befitting of the grandeur of the palace that lies ahead. Designed by Al Rasheed Engineering Company and constructed by Oger International, The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh boasts spectacular fountains that front the one kilometer driveway.

Originally envisioned as a royal guest palace for visiting dignitaries and heads of state, the hotel?s stately architecture is modeled on traditional palaces and elegant Arabian residences, with ochre facades blending gracefully with the verdant landscape of the gardens. Native palms, 600-year old olive trees from Lebanon, and water fountains abound on the property, providing an oasis of serenity amidst the city centre.

All guestrooms and suites are elegantly styled using the vibrant colors and ethnic textures of the region, with subtle touches reflecting the Kingdom?s heritage. Highlights include not just one, but 49 two-bedroom Royal Suites, each generously measuring more than 425 square meters (4,574 square feet,) and 50 one-bedroom Executive Suites at 95 square meters (1,022 square feet,) ideal for senior corporate titans and political delegates.

All guest rooms are equipped with the latest technology, including wireless and wired internet access, flat screen televisions and DVD players as standards.

The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh offers more than 5,800 square meters (62,000 square feet) of conference space combined, including two colossal ballrooms in a separate wing that are both identical in size at 1,970 square meters or 21,000 square feet each. They are complemented by two vast auditorium-styled theatres with stepped floors and built-in stages, perfect for press conferences and symposium lectures, and a generous variety of smaller meeting rooms. Completing the conference area is Aubergine restaurant that caters exclusively for the invited delegates, journalists and accompanying security personnel.

Guests are offered a selection of gourmet dining venues, including Al Orjouan, the signature all-day dining buffet restaurant featuring Lebanese favorites; and Turquoise, the cigar lounge that will be home to one of the widest selection of Cuban cigars in Saudi Arabia. Presenting an alfresco option is Chorisia Lounge for leisurely breakfast, lunch or the signature afternoon tea, while Strike offers a fun and stimulating atmosphere for mocktails and smoothies within the 1,000 square meter (10,700 square feet) indoor six-lane bowling alley.

Flanking the indoor swimming pool on the ground level, which features garden views from the floor-to-ceiling windows, are Hong, the Asian restaurant featuring a contemporary fusion of fresh Oriental ingredients with a western flair, and Azzuro Italian restaurant that serves authentic cuisine from the old country.

Recreational facilities include a full-service men?s health club complete with three treatment rooms.

The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh joins nine other Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts currently operating or under development in the Middle East: Bahrain, Dubai, Sharm El Sheikh, Doha, Sharq Village & Spa, Dubai International Finance Centre, Muscat, Abu Dhabi and Nile Cairo (opening respectively in 2012 and 2013).

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North American Leisure Travel Edges Ahead of Global Market

North American leisure travel outpaced global travel bookings in September by 1.4%, according to data from Pegasus Solutions.

Overall, the leisure market saw leisure bookings gain momentum worldwide from the +4.2% increase seen in August, evidencing a surge in off-peak travel.

In the midst of the Euro debt crisis, Europe?s leisure reservations actually declined slightly by -0.5% compared to September 2010.

Globally, the ADR for leisure bookings increased by +3% over prior year, with North America jumping +5%, ahead of the +3.8% year-to-date pace. Outside North America, ADR stayed ahead of the prior year by +1.5%.

?The leisure market?s showing in September evidenced a move towards off-peak travel by consumers,? said Mike Kistner, chief executive officer of Pegasus Solutions. ?It?s not a month we usually would expect to see leisure gains, but efforts to make travel dollars go farther by travelling during the traditional ?off-season? made bookings jump, especially in North America. Hoteliers for their part resisted deep discounting following the summer peak season, and as a result drove more revenue as leisure bookings poured in at more moderate, off-peak rates.?

The corporate market continued to grow over prior year, registering a +6.1% increase in global GDS channel bookings; this was slower than August?s uptick of +10.2%, but ahead of July?s +5.8% pace. Rates remained positive, rising by +3.5% globally over 2010. Looking forward, corporate bookings and rates are both expected to continue beating prior year figures through the fourth quarter, with the potential for slower booking growth combined with a rate uptick come January.

The Pegasus View comes from billions of transactions processed monthly by Pegasus Solutions and reflects data drawn from both GDS and ADS transactions, representing the business and leisure markets respectively for approximately 90,000 hotels worldwide.

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Strong Q3 2011 for Eurostar

Eurostar delivered a solid performance in Q3 2011 with sales revenues up 7% (?197m in 2011 vs ?183m in 2010).

Year to date, total sales revenue figures have grown by 5% compared to the same period in 2010 (?617m in 2011 vs ?588m in 2010).

The total number of passengers travelling on Eurostar services between January and September 2011, rose by 1% compared to the same period last year (7.3m in 2011 vs 7.2m in 2010) and excluding the estimated impact of the ash cloud disruption in 2010, the underlying increase in passenger numbers for the year to date was 3%.

Nicolas Petrovic, Chief Executive, Eurostar, said, "We have delivered a solid performance during both the third quarter and the year as a whole although the tough trading environment across Europe demands a cautious watching brief. Since the beginning of the year we have seen growth in both our sales revenues and passenger numbers reinforcing our popularity with regular and new travellers alike."

In spite of an uncertain economic climate, Business Premier sales revenues grew 2% in Q3 2011 vs Q3 2010 and the number of leisure travellers for the year to date grew by 2%.

Eurostar enjoyed strong growth in international passenger numbers, up 21% for the year to date and 15% for the third quarter compared with same periods in 2010.

Despite the global economic backdrop, London and Europe continues to be a big draw for international travellers. With London 2012 now less than a year away, Eurostar anticipates increased interest in the UK as a destination as the world's focus turns to the Games next year.

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Finnair Improves Carbon Disclosure and Emissions Reduction

The Carbon Disclosure Project has commended Finnair for its efforts to substantially by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving reporting capabilities, and recognizing the strategic business risks associated with climate change.

In the CDP's Nordic Report 2011, Finnair earned a score of 76 out of 100, a strong improvement over its 2010 score of 61. A score greater than 70 puts a company in the ?high? category of climate change-aware firms. In such companies, the report explains, ?senior management understand the business issues related to climate change and are building climate related risks and opportunities into core business.?

The CDP report singled out Finnair for its leadership on biofuels and for its travel agencies? significant emissions reductions. CDP reports from the rest of the world are forthcoming later this year.

?This is a really positive step forward,? said Kati Iham?ki, Vice President, Sustainable Development. ?It?s a clear signal that we?re on the right track to reduce emissions over the long term and will hold a competitive advantage when we begin to participate in forthcoming emissions trading schemes.?

Since 1999, Finnair has reduced its emissions per seat by a quarter. By 2017, the airline is aiming to further reducing its emissions per seat by 24% from 2009 levels. In pursuit of the eventual long-term goal of carbon-neutral aviation, the airline follows a four-pillar strategy: technological advancement, operational improvement, infrastructure development, and support for a global emissions trading scheme.

More than 3,000 organizations in 60 countries measure and disclose their greenhouse gas emissions, water management and climate change strategies through the Carbon Disclosure Project, an independent, not-for-profit NGO that assists companies in setting reduction targets and making performance improvements. CDP gathers data on behalf of 551 institutional investors holding US$71 trillion in assets (51 trillion euros).

?Company responses this year are an abundant source of examples of innovation,? said Amanda Haworth Wiklund, Director of CDP Nordic. ?Nordic companies are showing that superior products can be made using less energy and fewer scarce natural resources.?

Finnair began participating in the CDP in 2007.

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India Names Hong Kong Cricket Sixes Team

Dinesh Karthik will hope to follow in the footsteps of Robin Singh and lead India to a second Cup title at the Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes at the Kowloon Cricket Club on Sunday.

Former Hong Kong coach Singh was at the helm of the only Indian side to win the title, when he played a match-winning role to lead the crowd favourites to a four-wicket triumph over the West Indies in the 2005 Cup final.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Karthik will hope to emulate that feat with a new-look India team that will be banking on a mix of youth and experience to pull off what would undoubtedly be a popular win with the hordes of Indian fans.

Karthik will be at the helm of a side that includes Ranji Trophy players Shalabh Srivastava, Sridhran Sriram, Vignesh Ganapathy, Mayank Agarwal, Manvidner Basla and Rajoo Bhaktal.

Much will depend on Karthik, who has played 23 tests and 45 one-day internationals for India, and the feisty batsman could take a leaf out of Singh?s book. In 2005, Singh led from the front, scoring an invaluable unbeaten 34 in the final as well as excelling in the field with some tidy wicket-keeping.

Prior to 2005, India had twice been losing finalists in the Cup competition (1992 and 1996), and the Chennai-born Karthik will be hoping his side can go all the way this time.

All eyes will be on Agarwal, 20, an explosive right-hand opening batsman from Bangalore who has modelled his style of play on Virender Sehwag. Agarwal toured Australia in 2009 with the U-19 side and hit a match-winning 160 in a one-dayer.

Another player to watch out for is opening batsman Bisla, who has been an IPL regular since 2009. Bisla, who now plays for the Kolkota Knight Riders, has also represented India at the Under-19 level.

India has been drawn with rivals Pakistan, South Africa and hosts Hong Kong in the preliminary round.

India: Shalabh Srivastava, Sridharan Sriram, Dinesh Karthik, Vignesh Ganapathy, Rajoo Bhaktal, Manvinder Bisla, Mayank Agarwal

Pool A: All Stars, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Scotland.
Pool B: Australia, England, Bangladesh and Ireland.
Pool C: Pakistan, South Africa, India and Hong Kong.

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ANA Launches Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Japan?s All Nippon Airways made aviation history on Tuesday by operating the first ever passenger flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The specially chartered flight took off from Narita Airport, Tokyo, with more than 240 passengers of board just after midday and landed four and an half hours later in Hong Kong.

Built mainly from carbon fiber composite material, the Dreamliner?s innovations include:

- Passenger-friendly cabin air pressure - Passenger comfort will be improved by maintaining air pressure inside the cabin at the equivalent of an altitude of 6,000 feet (1,800m), noticeably lower than the 8,000 feet (2,400m) maintained on conventional aircraft. The plane?s composite materials also allow for humidity to be maintained at a more comfortable level for passengers.

- Auto-dimming windows - The 787?s windows are 30% larger than those on the Boeing 767. A higher eye level means passengers can maintain a view of the horizon throughout the flight while smart glass ?auto-dimming? windows use electro-chromatic technology to reduce cabin glare at a touch of a button while allowing passengers to still see outside.

- Largest overhead compartments yet - approximately 30% larger than those on the Boeing 777, the overhead compartments have enough space to hold four large-size carry-on bags.

The 787 Dreamliner has strong links with Japan, with Japanese manufacturers providing approximately 35% of all the aircraft parts, including key sections of the wings and fuselage.

ANA has ordered 55 Dreamliners from Boeing and has already received two planes, with a total of 20 expected to be delivered by the end of FY2012. The Dreamliners are expected to eventually help ANA save ?10 billion a year (US$130m) through fuel savings.

Scheduled services featuring the Dreamliner will begin on 1 November to domestic Japanese destinations and international services on ANA will commence in the following two months with flights initially to Beijing and Frankfurt.

Two domestic excursion flights, departing and landing at Narita and lasting approximately an hour, are also planned following the flight to Hong Kong to allow more ANA customers to experience the increased level of comfort resulting from the plane?s innovative features.

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