Airlines
A NEW WAY OF THINKING
IATA has called for new thinking on the relationships between partners in the air transport value chain in order to attract the $4 trillion to $5 trillion that will be needed over the next 20 years to meet the growing demand for aviation-enabled connectivity. The call came in an IATA study supported by analysis from McKinsey & Company, "Profitability and the Air Transport Value Chain," which shows that returns on capital invested in airlines have improved in recent years, but are still far below what investors would normally expect to earn. Tony Tyler, IATA's director general and CEO,...
EL AL SELLING ANCILLARIES THROUGH SABRE
Sabre Travel Network now offers pre-paid baggage and other ancillary services from El Al. As a result, Sabre-connected travel agents worldwide can now reserve and buy pre-paid baggage, pet transfers and unaccompanied minors. Seat reservations will follow later this year. David Gross, Sabreãs senior vice president of Global Supplier Distribution said the sale of ancillary services, such as pre-paid baggage and pet transfers, is an extremely valuable revenue stream for airlines. Said Gross: "The core of our business is to provide a global travel marketplace where suppliers can efficiently...
DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH IN DUBAI
Dubai International has reported another month of double-digit growth with an 18.9% increase in passenger numbers recorded in May. During that month, passenger traffic reached 5,218,832, an increase of 18.9% compared to 4,388,614 during the corresponding month in 2012. With May being the sixth consecutive month the airport has recorded passenger numbers exceeding 5 million, the year to date traffic is up 16.8% to 27,124,195 compared to 23,216,893 during the first five months of 2012. Dubai International recorded a total of 31,121 aircraft movements, up 10% compared to 28,304 in May 2012. The...
MORE ALOHA FROM WESTJET
WestJet has unveiled the details of its new, daily service between Vancouver and Hawaii Island (Kona) and between Vancouver and Kauai (Lihue), that it will be starting this December. On Dec. 12, 2013, service between Vancouver and Hawaii Island increases to daily from the four times weekly that was offered last winter. Service between Vancouver and Kauai also increases to daily, beginning Dec. 14, 2013, from three times weekly. In addition to increased service to Hawaii Island and Kauai, WestJet also offers twice-daily service from Vancouver to both Honolulu and Maui. Flights are now...
TWO FOR QATAR IN CANADA
Qatar Airways is marking the second anniversary of the launch of its Montreal to Doha service by offering Canadians exclusive fares throughout the 2013 Canada Day weekend (June 28 to June 30). Two years ago this week, Qatar Airways started offering three weekly flights between Montreal and Doha, opening up an extensive network of destinations across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and the Far East for Canadian travellers via Qatar. Qatar Airways CEO, Akbar Al Baker observed: "Qatar Airways opened its Montreal-Doha route with the sole objective of connecting Canadians to incredible new...
FLIGHT OF THE 787s
Air New Zealand has confirmed that its new fleet of ten Boeing 787-9 aircraft will be flight to Shanghai and Tokyo (long haul) and Honolulu, Auckland, Perth and Papeete (mid haul). Air New Zealand is the launch customer for the 787-9, the first of which is due to roll off the production line at Boeing in Seattle next month. The carrier's CEO, Christopher Luxon said that the 787-9 is a game changer for the airline. "This modern, flexible, fuel efficient aircraft will not only replace our current fleet of Boeing 767s, it also represents a significant growth opportunity for our business and...
TRENDS ARE IN THE AIR
According to a new survey released by Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) recently, despite an unprecedented number of disruptions over the last year business air travel is showing encouraging signs of recovery -- with travel to emerging markets in Africa and Latin America leading the charge. Based on data on HRG UK clients' domestic and international air transactions and fares from April 2012 to March 2013 indicates that despite ongoing challenges, particularly in the Eurozone economies, there are signs that the business travel market is on the road to recovery. Global air travel booking activity in...
EXPLORE WITH AIR NEW ZEALAND
Air New Zealand has launched its Air New Zealand Explorer Pass fare. The new product has been designed to encourage visitors to New Zealand to explore more of the region, with the pass making travel within New Zealand and around the South Pacific easier and more flexible. The pass is available exclusively to residents of the USA and Canada travelling on Air New Zealand fares to New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands and allows travellers to purchase between three and ten flights using zone fares. Date and routing changes or additions can be made for a nominal fee, even if the...