Airline News and Hotel Updates

Friday 28 October 2011

Etihad Airways Signs Codeshare with TAP Portugal

Etihad Airways has signed a new codeshare agreement with TAP Portugal, the national carrier of Portugal. The deal offers Etihad Airways passengers a wealth of new flight options to destinations in Portugal including Lisbon, Faro, Funchal (Madeira) and Porto.

The agreement is Etihad Airways? 34th such commercial partnership.

Under the codeshare, Etihad Airways will place its ?EY? code on services operated by TAP Portugal from Lisbon to Brussels, D?sseldorf, Faro, Frankfurt, Funchal, Geneva, London, Milan, and Porto. TAP Portugal flights from Porto to Brussels and Geneva will also carry the ?EY? code.

TAP will place its ?TP? code on Etihad Airways flights to and from Brussels, D?sseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, London, and Milan.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways? Chief Executive Officer, said, ?This new codeshare illustrates Etihad?s growing ambitions in Europe. It opens up four key destinations in Portugal that we have been eager to offer our customers for a long time and we are certain the connections and seamless flight experience offered by Etihad Airways and TAP Portugal will appeal to business and leisure travellers.?

Fernando Pinto, TAP Portugal?s Chief Executive Officer, added, ?TAP has been very active in providing new and more diverse quality services to its worldwide customer base. Through this new agreement with Etihad Airways, TAP will be reaching the United Arab Emirates for the first time ever, not only offering faster and more convenient links between the Gulf region and Portugal, but also attracting and carrying new passengers to its own network, based at its functional Lisbon hub.?

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Positive Q3 2011 for AirAsia X

AirAsia X, the long haul low cost affiliate of AirAsia, has reported strong growth in Q3 2011, carrying 0.62 million passengers, an increase of 21.3% over the same quarter in 2010.

In terms of passenger traffic, AirAsia X grew by 27.2% to 3.6 billion Revenue-Passenger-Kms (RPKs) for Q3-2011, achieving similar levels in the earlier two quarters. Capacity grew by 17% to 4.5 billion Available Seat-Kms (ASKs), resulting in a load factor of 80%. This represents an increase of 6 percentage-points from the same quarter in 2010, where it registered a load factor of 74%.

For the 9-months Year-to-date, AirAsia X has carried 1.9 million passengers, up 42.6% from the previous year?s corresponding period, and a higher load factor of 80%, up 5 percentage-points from the previous year. This brings total passenger traffic to 10.6 billion RPKs and 13.3 billion ASKs, a growth of 46.8% and 37.2% year-on-year respectively.

Cargo operations continue to be strong, with AirAsia X carrying 9,220 tons of freight in Q3-2011, registering a 33.2% growth from a year ago. Cargo load factor stands at 69% while its Flown-as-Booked ratio has reached an industry-leading level of 93%.

Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X, said, ?In addition to our continued unit cost industry-leadership, AirAsia X has focused on achieving superior on-time performance reliability for our flights, registering an on-time rate of 89% flights departing within 15 minutes of schedule, for both Q3-2011 and 2011 year-to-date. This proves that even though we are a low cost carrier, we do not compromise on reliability.?

Currently, AirAsia X?s aircraft fleet remains at 9 Airbus A330s and 2 Airbus A340 with an order of 3 new A330-200s scheduled for delivery in 2012. This new aircraft purchase will replace the A340 used for flights into Europe and is expected to help increase fuel efficiency.

AirAsia X is expecting further growth in the final quarter of 2011, as it will be launching its flights to Osaka, Japan from 30 November, as well as additional flights to Australia and Taiwan during the peak December period.

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Cebu Pacific Launched Online Check-In Service

Cebu Pacific has launched a web check-in service with free seat selection, in anticipation of high passenger traffic at the airport this November and December travel peak.

Passengers automatically get assigned a seat for free during the web check-in process. The airline also added flights and seat capacity in the last quarter of 2011 to cope with demand.

?Passengers on Airbus flights can check-in online from 48 hours up to 4 hours before their flight, and get assigned a seat for free. We hope this added service will help minimize lines at the airport and provide added convenience to our guests,? said CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog.

Passengers on international flights with no check-in luggage need to drop by the web check-in counter for verification of travel documents at least 45 minutes before departure time.

Those on domestic flights with no check-in luggage can go straight to the boarding gate at least 30 minutes before departure time.

Passengers with check-in luggage have to drop their bags off at the web check-in counter at least 45 minutes before the flight.

CEB currently operates 10 Airbus A319, 17 Airbus A320 and 8 ATR-72 500 aircraft. By the end of 2011, CEB will be operating a fleet of 37 aircraft with an average age of less than 3.5 years. Between 2012 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of 23 Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft orders, and 2 Airbus A320 aircraft on operating lease agreements.

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Syna Tiger Resort Opens in India

The Syna Tiger Resort opens today, following a four-year development at a cost of approximately $1.8 million.

The luxury jungle resort, a member of the Great Hotels of the World Luxury Collection, is located right on the edge of Bandhavgarh National Park in central India.

Stretching over 437 square kilometres, the surrounding forest was once the hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa, and renowned as the home of the big cats. The resort serves as the ideal base from which you can explore the territory of the Royal Bengal tiger.

The resort setting is picture perfect, with an azure plunge pool surrounded by fifteen exclusive luxury cottages and one signature tree-house, all complete with modern amenities, network connectivity, private walled gardens and a jacuzzi.

The resort offers a wealth of offerings including the Wildwood spa, which provides guests with a variety of holistic and indigenous treatments, state-of-the-art fitness centre, pool, a restaurant that serves international and local cuisine, and a bar.

The real thrill of Bandhavgarh is the opportunity to see the big cats roam freely in the jungle. The Syna Tiger Resort provides special guided jeep and elephant safaris with experienced naturalists who aid in making trips more enriching. There are also various bird walks that guests can enjoy as well as separate cycling tracks.

Syna Tiger Resort also offers a naturally inspiring venue for corporate clients, featuring a fully equipped, modern day ?tapovana? ? an outdoor space for spiritual practice, used for holding effective training programmes.

Syna Tiger also has facilities to host weddings and banquets. The resort prides itself on being eco-friendly by harvesting rainwater and recycling.

The resort is free of plastic and no chemical is allowed to seep back to the earth, via meticulous water treatment. By using local produce, employing local people and utilising locally relevant skills the resort keeps its carbon-footprint to a minimal level.

Arpan Dutta, chairman of Modus Vivendi Hospitality, said, ''This property is definitely one of the finest. Syna Tiger Resort will set an example for other resorts to follow. We aim to deliver the best of services with a rural touch and have a rural kitchen concept where guests are served authentic cuisine, cooked in a village style mud oven. Syna Tiger Resort will take tourists? expectations to a deeper and higher level.''

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Singapore Zoo Launches Chinese Mobile Interactive Trail

Singapore Zoo, one of four wildlife parks managed by Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) including the first river-themed attraction River Safari, has launched a Chinese mobile interactive trail for students.

The new visitor experience uses location-based and Image Recognition Technology to create new learning activities for children at the zoo.

The trail employs the neumind approach, which focuses on visual recognition, and promotes words recognition, powerful memory ability and Chinese literary appreciation.

Instead of park guides and worksheets, trail participants will be equipped with specially configured smart phones. Pre-loaded content will be triggered by the phones? Global Positioning System (GPS) as they move around the park.

Upon arriving at a designated site, such as the Wild Africa exhibit for example, the mobile phones will come alive with specific instructions prompting participants to conduct a mini treasure-hunt to look for a specific object within an animal enclosure. Taking a picture of the correct object will enable the children to access imbedded interactive content related to the specific animal at the exhibit. This includes fascinating video clips showing zebras escaping attacks, cheetahs running at top speed and rhinos marking their territories.

?We are very excited about introducing this first of its kind student experience which places great emphasis on real-life usage and interaction skills through the learning of the Chinese language. We are confident this digital generation of young people will appreciate the interactivity and rich content provided by this mobile trail. At the same time, we hope they will take away valuable lessons about wildlife and conservation while becoming proficient and comfortable users of the language,? said Ms May Lok, Director for Education, WRS.

Currently, the programme is only available to school groups.

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Singapore and Ethiopian Airlines to Codeshare

From 1 November 2011, Singapore Airlines? customers will have the option of flying to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia?s capital city, through a codeshare agreement with future Star Alliance partner Ethiopian Airlines.

Under the agreement, SIA will add its ?SQ? code to Ethiopian-operated flights operating daily between Dubai and Addis Ababa. On a reciprocal basis, Ethiopian Airlines will add its ?ET? code to seven SIA-operated flights per week between Singapore and Dubai. SIA serves Dubai with 11 flights per week.

Ethiopian Airlines is currently working towards membership in the Star Alliance, which will enable Singapore Airlines? KrisFlyer members to accrue frequent flyer miles when travelling on Ethiopian?s flights. Ethiopian?s Sheba Miles members will also be able to accrue miles when travelling on SIA?s flights.

Tickets for the codeshare flights are now open for sale for travel from 1 November 2011.

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TravelRave 2011 Opens in Singapore

TravelRave 2011, a mega travel and tourism festival, opens in Singapore today with a compelling programme of anchor events, content from new partners, and delegate representation from the entire spectrum of the travel and tourism industry.

?Last year was a significant year for Asia and the travel and tourism industry. This year, set against a challenging environment and a slowdown in international tourism, Asia has once again proved its mettle, growing at a healthy rate of five per cent for the first half of the year. It is becoming increasingly imperative for the different sectors of the travel and tourism industry to come together and discuss how to not only leverage this growth, but to sustain it in the future as well,? said Ms Aw Kah Peng, Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). ?This year?s TravelRave will see the return of key events such as the Asia Travel Leaders Summit and ITB Asia, while delivering an exciting line-up of business events with new partners on-board.?

To be held from 17 to 23 October 2011, TravelRave 2011 will comprise six existing anchor events: the Asia Travel Leaders Summit, Web In Travel, Singapore Experience Awards, Cond? Nast Traveler World Savers Congress, ITB Asia, and Aviation Outlook Asia.

In testament to the strategic role that TravelRave plays in the Asian tourism industry, this year?s TravelRave also brings with it four new events: the UNWTO High Level Meeting in Asia, the Asia Pacific Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference 2011, the Cornell Hotel Society Asia Pacific Regional Meeting, and Asia for Asia ? a high level meeting of Asia?s MICE industry leaders.

Mr. Zubin Karkaria, Chief Executive Officer and Managing director of VFS Global Group, as well as Chairman of Kuoni for India and South Asia, said, ?When I heard of TravelRave and the Asia Travel Leaders Summit, I felt it was a great opportunity to make contact with like-minded individuals who had the same agenda to not only leverage but also sustain Asia?s growth. The bringing together of thought-leaders from across the sectors to collaborate and discuss the challenges and opportunities presented in the region will enable us to fully realize the potential of Asia?s travel and tourism industry.?

International partners and event organizers are also launching new and original content, furthering catalysing opportunities for investment in new tourism products, services and capabilities in Asia.

Questex Media Group will bring together hotel owners and investors to showcase distinctive opportunities for Asia. They will launch the Asia Pacific Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference 2011, a strategic half-day meeting that will lead up to the full-fledged International Hotel and Tourism Investment Forum (Asia Pacific) in 2012. The inaugural event will showcase distinctive opportunities for the Asia hotel travel and tourism investment sector.

ITB Asia, a main anchor event at TravelRave, will launch new dedicated forums including an Associations Conference and a one-day travel agent conference.

In addition, Travel + Leisure?s Luxury Travel Insights Paper and latest findings from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) on the Economic Impact of Business Travel will be shared for the first time at TravelRave 2011.

WTTC?s President and Chief Executive Officer David Scowsill, one of the distinguished speakers who has chosen to attend several TravelRave events as a delegate, said, ?TravelRave creates synergies across diverse travel and tourism sectors by locating related business events and gathering industry leaders who share best practices, expand business networks and set the stage for collaboration to leverage and sustain Asian?s tourism growth. I am delighted to take part and attend some very important events in the same city in only one week.?

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