Saturday 5 November 2011

Air Canada Disappointed with U.S. Government Fee on Travelers

Air Canada has said it is disappointed about the U.S. Government's decision to apply an additional $5.50 customs fee on travelers arriving in the United States by air from Canada.

A statement from the airline reads, "Air Canada is disappointed to see an additional government fee levied on air travelers. This decision by the U.S. government comes at a time when initiatives should be undertaken to encourage economic growth, not burden consumers with additional costs. Moreover, there is no indication that the monies raised from these additional fees will be used where they are sorely needed - to make the necessary investments in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pre-clearance resources at Canadian airports in order to better meet demand for U.S.-bound travelers. Air Canada urges the U.S. government to address staffing shortages at these U.S. pre-clearance facilities, consistent with the objective of improving the flow of passengers and goods between Canada and the United States as both governments have committed to do."

Air Canada is one of the largest commercial airlines in the world and serves over 32 million customers annually. It provides scheduled passenger service directly to 60 Canadian cities, 57 destinations in the United States and 60 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America.

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Accor Expands ibis Brand to Japan

Accor has expanded its portfolio of ibis hotels in Asia with the ibis Tokyo Shinjuku, the first ibis hotel in Japan.

The rebranded hotel is located right in the heart of Tokyo?s Shinjuku centre and only three minutes away from the world?s busiest train station.

 ?Ibis Tokyo Shinjuku will bring in a fresh sensation to the economy hotel industry in the country?s capital. As Accor?s leading economy hotel brand, ibis has earned a worldwide reputation for excellent services at very competitive prices,? said Patrick Basset, Accor?s Vice President for Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan. ?This hotel is the first ibis hotel brand to set foot in Japan, but it will be the 10th hotel in Accor?s Japan network.?

The 206-room ibis Tokyo Shinjuku will begin an extensive refurbishment over the following months. Once complete, the hotel will become a key addition to the Ibis network, accumulating the numbers to almost 100 hotels and over 17,340 rooms in Asia Pacific region. 

Shinjuku is a major commercial and administrative centre of Tokyo and one of the 23 special wards in the Capital. Shinjuku train station is the busiest train station in the world, with over 3.5 million passengers passing through each day. The hotel is 1.5 hour away by train from Tokyo Narita International Airport and 45 minutes away by train from Tokyo Haneda International Airport.

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Abu Dhabi Airport Reports Q3 2011 Traffic

During the third quarter of 2011 Abu Dhabi Airport recorded a 15% increase in passenger traffic compared with the same period in 2010.

Some 3.3 million passengers passed through the capital?s airport during the period July to September 2011 surpassing for the first time the 1 million milestone for three consecutive months.

A total of 1,086,348 passengers passing through the airport in September, a double digit increase of 17.1% compared to the same month last year.

The increase in last quarter?s passenger traffic was mainly driven by Eid and summer holidays, Omra, the inauguration of new airlines and the frequency increases and new destinations introduced by most of the carriers at Abu Dhabi International Airport, mainly Etihad Airways.

Cargo volumes presented a parallel growth to that of passenger traffic with a recorded 10.8% increase in the month of September alone, and a further 7% increase over the July- September 2011 period, compared with same periods last year. The recorded increases are a result of the healthy economic growth witnessed in Abu Dhabi along with the increased cargo activity by Etihad Airways.

Commenting on this, Eng. Ahmad Al Haddabi, Chief Operating Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), said, ?The passenger activity increases at Abu Dhabi international Airport are certainly a positive economic indicator for the UAE and the region. It is especially encouraging that we are seeing sustained growth throughout the year. We are thrilled with the positive passenger activity results of the third quarter of this year and it is clear that both business and leisure travelers are choosing Abu Dhabi International more and more as their portal to the world.?

The top five routes in the third quarter of 2011 include London, Bangkok, Doha, Jeddah, and Manila.

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Qatar Airways to Increase Flights to Iran; Launch Isfahan Service

Qatar Airways is to increase capacity across its network in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will launch daily scheduled flights to a fourth city ? the central Iranian city of Isfahan.

An additional 31 flights each week will be operated by the Doha-based airline between the State of Qatar and Iran, representing an 150% increase in overall frequency.

The capacity rise to 52 services a week, up from the current 21, will be phased in over a four-month period, starting 1 December 2011.

The capital Tehran will be served with an additional daily flight; Iran?s second largest city of Mashhad is to get nine extra flights; Shiraz, the economic centre of southern Iran, will be given eight new flights; and, starting 11 January 2012, services will begin to Isfahan in central Iran.

 Shiraz: 8 new flights ? currently twice-weekly, rising to daily, effective December 1, and a further three flights introduced each week from March 2012.

 Isfahan: new route ? daily flights from 11 January 2012.

 Mashhad: 9 new flights ? from the current five flights-a-week to 14 services (double daily), beginning March 2012.

 Tehran: 7 new flights ?.from the current 14 flights each week (double daily) to 21 services (thrice-daily), beginning March 2012.

All flights will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft in a two-class configuration of 12 seats in Business Class and 132 in Economy.

Qatar Airways began flying to Iran in 2004 with the launch of services to Tehran. Flights to Mashhad started the following year, with Shiraz introduced to the network almost five months ago.

Isfahan, home to textile and steel mills and located on the country?s main north-south and east-west crossroads, is the heartbeat of central Iran?s economy. With fine historic Islamic architecture, palaces and tree-lined wide boulevards, the city is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the Middle East.

 ?Almost five months ago, Qatar Airways introduced the Iranian city of Shiraz to our network. We have been working with the authorities in Iran for increased capacity across the country and delighted to have reached agreement to make this announcement,? said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker. ?Additional flights will ultimately benefit passengers travelling to and from Iran and with our large international network of destinations, we facilitate travel with more ease, more flexibility and more choice, particularly for the large Iranian expatriate community around the world.?

So far this year, Qatar Airways has launched flights to 12 cities worldwide ? Bucharest (Romania), Budapest (Hungary), Brussels (Belgium), Stuttgart (Germany), Aleppo (Syria), Shiraz (Iran), Venice (Italy), Montreal (Canada), Medina (Saudi Arabia), Kolkata (India), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Oslo (Norway).

Three further routes are planned during November alone ? to the Libyan port city of Benghazi from 1 November 2011; Ugandan city of Entebbe effective 2 November 2011; and the central Chinese city of Chongqing on 28 November 2011.

Friday 4 November 2011

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Logitech Wireless Anywhere Mouse MX for PC and Mac

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Qatar Airways to Launch Flights to Benghazi

Qatar Airways is launching four-times-a-week non-stop scheduled flights to Libya?s second largest city of Benghazi on 1 November 2011.

Benghazi, Libya?s north eastern Mediterranean port city and major economic centre, is a key destination for trade and exports. Many industries including oil refining, food processing, cement production and tuna fishing, reside in the surrounding region of Cyrenaica, of which Benghazi is the capital.

Qatar Airways has a well established presence in Libya, having initially operated services to the capital Tripoli eight years ago. Flights to Tripoli are currently suspended due to the political situation, but are expected to resume soon.

?Qatar Airways continues to strive to provide a network to cater for all travel segments, conveniently connecting through our Doha hub. Almost a year ago in Nice, I spoke about the possibility of expanding our Libyan operations, and I am delighted that we are now, within this short of a period, set to start flights to Benghazi, another key city in the country, said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker. ?We identified Benghazi as an underserved, primarily business destination, and now have the opportunity to bring this city into our fold.?

Qatar Airways will operate the route with an Airbus A320 dual configuration aircraft, offering 12 seats in First Class and 132 in Economy.

Benghazi will be the airline?s 13th route of the year, and precedes two other new route launches ? Entebbe and Chongqing ? starting on 2 November and 28 November respectively.

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