Virgin Atlantic to resume New York flights

Virgin Atlantic said today it would be resuming its flights to and from storm-lashed New York with its first flight due to leave Heathrow around noon.

Virgin is also putting on an extra flight which will leave Heathrow for New York around 1.50pm today and fly back from the hurricane-hit city later.

Virgin had to axe its VS18 service from Newark and its VS26 flight from New York today. These would have landed at Heathrow this evening.

However, the airline was able to operate normal services today to and from Boston and Washington DC.

A Virgin spokeswoman said: "We continue to thank our passengers for their patience and apologise for the inconvenience caused to their journey.

"We advise all passengers to check our website www.virginatlantic.com for the latest updates and advice on rebooking their flights."

British Airways had to axe most of its services to New York and neighbouring Newark today, but hopes to get flights away to both cities later today.

It will be the first time since Sunday afternoon that BA has been able to operate to New York and Newark due to superstorm Sandy.

BA was able to operate normal services today to four other US east coast cities - Boston, Baltimore, Washington DC and Philadelphia.

BA said: "Customer safety with regards to Hurricane Sandy remains our highest priority and following advice from the US authorities we are cancelling the majority of flights to and from New York and Newark on Wednesday.

"Customers with confirmed flights only should come to the airport. We are doing all we can to help customers whose flights have been cancelled and will look to use larger aircraft on some routes when the full flying schedule resumes to help get customers to their correct destination as quickly as we can.

"Customers should continue to check ba.com for the very latest information."

PA

Etihad resumes flight, Emirates cancels one

(Staff Reporter) / 31 October 2012

Etihad Airways resumed its US operations Wednesday with flight EY101 to New York departing from Abu Dhabi on schedule at 10am (local time).

Emirates Airlines, however, cancelled flight EK203 which was supposed to depart Dubai for New York at 2.55am today.
A spokesperson of Emirates Airlines said that following the gradual decrease in the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the eastern part of the United States, Emirates flights EK201 and EK202 to and from New York today will resume as per the schedule.
“Emirates will continue to monitor the situation closely. Passengers are advised to checkemirates.com for further updates, where information is updated every five minutes,” the spokesperson said.
lily@khaleejtimes.com

Nigeria: My Airline Will Come on Stream Soon - Sani Bello

By Ahmed Usman, 28 October 2012

 

Interview

Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello is an international businessman based in Kaduna, Kaduna State. He has his finger in many good pies. Bello who is chairman of Millennium Air, a subsidiary of Millennium Travels and Tour, chairman of Properties and Estate Limited, and a Board Member of various other companies including Communication Services, Health insurance to general trading, spoke with USMAN AHMED in Kaduna on the Nigerian business environment and a host of other issues.
May we know you better?
My name is Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, I am a businessman based in Kaduna, and I run an aviation company called Millennium Air which is a subsidiary of Travels and Tower as well as Property Estate Limited. I have served as a board member in various companies from health insurance to general trading and stuffs like that.
In your opinion, how is the present security system impacting on businesses in the country?
Without a doubt I can tell you that the security challenge in the country has affected businesses drastically, especially in the area of trading, particularly in the northern states where we have seen turnover decline in different markets of between 40 to 60 per cent, and in some cases up to 70 per cent. It has affected cash flow seriously and it should not be surprising because for business to flourish there must be some sort of comfort in terms of security, and if there is no security, people find it difficult to invest money.
What is the remedy to the security situation?
For businesses to flourish, we must have an enabling environment, ensure security is good and have working infrastructure. I think the major concern is that of security, I believe the government is making efforts to see that the security situation in the country comes back to normal. I understand that various dialogues have been opened to people who have grudges or misunderstanding.
Also, infrastructure is a major requirement without which the cost of production becomes very high, I strongly believe that one of the major problems of Nigeria is unemployment because the private sector, particularly small businesses have not really developed to the extent they can sustain the economy.
So, I believe one area the government needs to come in is to see that we develop our infrastructures, and promote small and medium businesses. I mean if you create a lot of companies that are able to employ 10, 20 up to 100 people then you realise you have actually created a lot of jobs.
I personally do not believe that the government should solve the problems of unemployment by employing more and more in the civil service - QUOTE. What I think the government should do is to create an enabling environment for business to flourish and to allow the private sector to strictly take care of our unemployment issue. I have noticed that majority of our working youths are out of job. I think if the government is able to address the security challenges and to improve our infrastructure I believe everything will be good.
As an aviation expert, what is your view on the aviation industry, particularly in the area of safety?
The aviation industry unfortunately because of the history of crashes we have had in the past, many Nigerians have lost confidence in the aviation, but again to be honest, sometimes if you look at these crashes from the layman point of view, you will think it is negligence strictly on the part of the airlines. That is not always the case; these could be human error of course. To operate an aircraft you have a lot of checks and balances.
And everyone is responsible for particular function. You could buy a brand new air craft today but if you do not maintain it, it becomes riskier than the old aircraft which is maintained regularly. Most of these aircraft and most of their parts have a life span.
And as long as you do the necessary checks at the appropriate time, they continue to give you good service. These aircraft are designed for up to 50, 60 and 70 years, so it's not really the age. But I am aware the government is making a lot of efforts to make aviation safer.
The Dana Crash
The Dana plane crash made me speechless. Many people keep saying different things, but I believe there is no official report yet. Now the Nigerian civil aviation authority has become very strict and believe me, it is one of the strictest in the world. If you are able to scale their requirement you can scale requirement of any civil aviation in the world.
So, I understand the government is making efforts to encourage more airlines to operate. So, in the very near future, I expect to see some other new airlines coming up, including mine because we are mostly into cargo operations now. But soon we will start flight operation on passenger commercial services covering some parts of the country. I believe the government is doing everything to restore the glory of air lines in the country. The operators too are trying, because no pilot wants to fly a coffin. Such things happened but you can't tell.
As a well travelled businessman, what do you think government should do to move the country forward?
Well in my own opinion from what we see in other countries, the Nigerian government should encourage a lot of small and medium size businesses because majority of people survive on small scale and medium size businesses. A few people can afford big corporations. If the government will promote businesses, I think that gesture will create jobs, and of course when more jobs are created, there will be more revenue from taxes and the standard of living of the average man will improve.
The middle cadre holds the key to the economy not the top few or the small ones. So, government should support them by protecting them. Some of the items that are being smuggled into Nigeria are basically things we can produce here. So, we are sustaining the jobs of those people in those countries that manufacture these items. Imagine if these products are manufactured here, the economy will be better.
For example, the Kaduna textile it used to employ over 10,000 people, now it's closed down. What we have is a lot of imported materials. Suppose, we have like 50 or 100 of Kaduna textiles spread across the country. If these textile industries are working to capacity 90 or 100 percent, it means that there will be demand for cotton.
So, if you look at the links people will benefit from that; from the farmer to the middleman that make supplies to those manufacture and supply to different categories of Nigerians. I remember that in Kano State where I grew up, on my way to school I used to see these heavy industries working but now the story is different. Check out the number of jobs lost. So, one area I think the government should really help is to control the flow of some of these items that can be produced locally.

Nigeria beefs up security at airports after airline scare

Nigeria has beefed up security at major international airports across the country following a recent scare involving a domestic airliner.

According to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), security has been tightened at the four operational international airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt with the introduction of sniffer dogs and anti-terrorism squads in order to enhance safety and security.

The local media Friday quoted a statement by FAAN spokesman Yakubu Dati as saying the measure would be extended to the other airports in the country later.

''A comprehensive audit of security and surveillance has been conducted on aircraft, terminals and security personnel to align them to standards in the industry.

''The airport security personnel have been trained in crowd control, body search and other specialised areas, while undercover surveillance is conducted by plain clothes crack team,'' the spokesman said.

He said at present, all Nigerian airports had security equipment, including hand-held metal detectors, closed circuit television cameras, x-ray screening machines and 3D scanning machines.

Dati also said there is a 24-hour security patrol on the air side by the aviation security personnel and the presence of Police Bomb Disposal Units in the terminals.

Last Tuesday, passengers and crew aboard an Arik Air plane flying from the northern city of Maiduguru to the capital city of Abuja were scared when a passenger behaving in a strange manner stood up and screamed Allahu Akbar (God is great) midair.

''Nothing incriminating; no explosives or weapons whatsoever were found on him. However, midair, the passenger began to act strangely, loudly screaming, ‘God is great.’ Fellow passengers, alarmed by his behaviour rushed to apprehend him.

''A thorough search by fellow passengers and crew members revealed nothing dangerous on him. The pilot immediately radioed Air Traffic Control and airport security operatives.

''The plane landed safely at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at exactly 12.53hrs and the suspect was handed over to the SSS (State Security Service) at about 14.45hrs. He is currently being interrogated,'' the Ministry of Aviation said in a statement on the incident.

Hot Spot

The Palms, Zanzibar

 

Situated on the north-east coast of Zanzibar, Tanzania, alongside the pristine white sandy beach of Bwejuu, sits the luxury five-star resort, The Palms. Bwejuu Beach has been voted multiple times one of the best island beaches in the world”….

The Palms combines traditional local architecture and elegant soft decor with a range of modern amenities and facilities, surrounded by lush tropical gardens and the white sand of one of the world’s best beaches.

Accommodation

The unique boutique resorts offers guests luxury accommodation set within six spacious villas each boasting spectacular views overlooking the Indian Ocean providing the perfect setting for a honeymoon in Zanzibar.

The individual villas feature over 140 square metres of spacious elegant accommodation including a bedroom, living rooms, full en-suite bathroom, a dressing room, and an additional room with its own bathroom. Guests at the relaxing beach resort in Zanzibar can enjoy breathtaking views of the sparkling Indian Ocean from the comfort of their own private furnished terrace which features a four poster day bed and a refreshing plunge pool.

The villas are stylishly decorated in colours of coffee, cream and caramel, and dark grain polished floors, creating a sensual and relaxing environment. Modern amenities are available in each of the villas and include air conditioning, a standing bar with tea and coffee facilities, a mini bar, Satellite TV and a DVD player, a safety deposit box and a telephone.

The luxury villas also come with private palm thatched beach bandas with day beds and carved sun loungers, providing ultimate privacy within tranquil surroundings.

Facilities

The beach resort in Zanzibar offers visitors a wide range of facilities reflecting the elegance and character of the Swahili-style architecture. These include a soothing swimming pool, a pool bar, and the colonial style Plantation House which leads into the Spice bar and onto the ancient dining room where an exotic menu provides guests with an array of local dishes and a fusion of spices and flavours.

The five-star resort features a luxury sanctuary spa in Zanzibar with a selection of relaxing and rejuvenating treatments to help stimulate the senses. The team of international professionals can help relieve guests of everyday stress and anxieties with the help of natural ingredients and serene surroundings.

Activities

Activities at the Palms resort include a range of water sports at the Palms Water Club. Water sport enthusiasts can enjoy wind surfing, kite surfing and kite sailing with the help of an IKO certified instructor, as well as kayaking, sailing, snorkelling, padel boarding, and pedal boats. Guests staying at the Palms can also use the facilities of the neighbouring Breezes Beach Club.

The all inclusive beach resort in Zanzibar is situated less than an hour away from Zanzibar International Airport where Kenya Airlines provide direct flights in ad out of the region.

Travellers from Europe can fly with main airlines such as British Airways and KLM to Dar-es-Salaam where a number of connection options to Zanzibar are available with local airlines, air charters and ferries.

The Palms Zanzibar offers the perfect destination for a honeymoon in Zanzibar or luxury holidays for families seeking tradition, charm, personal attention, and a wealth of activities and excursions within idyllic intimate surroundings set upon a world-class award-winning beach.

 First look at the Airbus A350 XWB: The nose section of the first Airbus A350 XWB plane is seen on the final assembly line in Toulouse, France, on Oct. 23, 2012. The A350 is Europe's first contribution to a new generation of mid-size wide body airliners that bring together the latest in aerodynamics, design, and advanced technologies to provide up to 25% better fuel efficiency and operating costs compared to current aircraft in the same size category.                             

Francois Mori, AP

Work on London airport expansion underway

 

Work on an extension to the terminal at London Southend Airport that will enable more than three hundred additional new, local jobs being created will get underway in early November.
Kier has been appointed as the key contractor for the work, and construction of the extension will be split into three phases.
The first phase is a new arrivals facility, and this is scheduled to be ready at the end of May 2013.
The final phase will be completed just before Christmas 2013.
Phase 1 of the light and airy, fly-through terminal became operational on February 28th 2012 and is less than 100 paces from the new railway station.
Passengers flying out from the airport will wait for a maximum of four-minutes for security, whilst those arriving with just hand luggage can expect to travel from plane to train within 15 minutes of leaving the aircraft.
This Phase 2 extension is to ensure those high standards of service passengers are currently enjoying are not compromised as passenger numbers grow towards 2 million per year by 2020.
This extension will cost around £10 million to complete.
The terminal building will become 90 metres longer.
The number of check in desks/baggage drop off points will increase, as will the amount of space for passengers in security.
The Departure Lounge will grow in size to enhance the experience for passengers relaxing and awaiting boarding after security.
A larger Arrivals area will have enhanced baggage reclaim facilities and a larger immigration area.
Retail and catering facilities will be expanded throughout the terminal in order to provide a much wider range of shops and services available to passengers.
The 300 new jobs will arise from the increase in Southend based aircraft over time which will result in a variety of additional operational and service roles such as passenger service, security, retail, catering, baggage handling, engineering and maintenance, plus airline crew from London Southend based airline operations.
London Southend Airport managing director Alastair Welch said: “Our aim is to ensure that we deliver a very special level of customer service in Southend and this extension will allow us to ensure we can continue to deliver those high standards as the airport grows.
“This is also further evidence of the role the redeveloped airport is playing in supporting the regeneration of the wider Essex economy.

FAAN Official Arrested with $1.4m at Lagos Airport

Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos

By Chinedu Eze

The arrest of a security official of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Akinyele Adetule, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos when he attempted to launder $1.4 million (N218m), has confirmed long-held belief that those who know the inner working of the airport are among members of syndicates operating at the airport.

The arrest of Adetule took place less than a month after the EFCC arrested a 24-year-old man, Mr. Abubakar Sheriff, at the same airport with $7 million (N1.1 billion).

The Head of Operations, EFCC, Mr. Iliyasu Kwarbai, said the suspect was able to pass through Nigeria Customs Service and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) security checks because he was wearing his identity card and therefore did not draw any suspicion.

“The suspect is a FAAN security guard. He wore his tag and was thus able to move freely in the airport without drawing suspicion. He was carrying a bag and it went through the scanner. It is curious that such a huge sum went through the scanner undetected. Or was it a case of conspiracy and collusion?

“The suspect passed through NDLEA and Customs and he went to the waiting area; but he started making phone calls instead of proceeding to board his flight. We accosted him and noticed that his bag was heavy.

“When we searched him, we saw the large sum of money, which he said did not belong to him and that he was only trying to telephone the owner who never showed up,” EFCC said in a statement.
Adetula said he had worked for FAAN for over five years and he was promised N10, 000 if he could successfully get past security with the money.

Reacting to the incident, FAAN in a statement admitted that Adetula was a staff member of the organisation, stressing that he was not on duty when he was caught with the money.

“The suspect, who is an employee of the security directorate, was neither on duty nor on an official assignment. He was consequently accosted by security personnel at the Customs Currency Declaration Desk and has since been handed over to the EFCC custody for investigation,” the statement, which was signed by FAAN’s Head of Corporate Communication, Yakubu Dati, said.

The agency also commended the joint efforts of the EFCC, Customs, Police and other security personnel who aided his arrest, and assured them of its unalloyed assistance in unravelling the crime, “particularly as the staffer was acting on his own accord”.

According to aviation security experts, for years, currency smugglers have been using security operatives at the Lagos airport to facilitate the nefarious activity through which over N3 trillion has been smuggled out of the country since the past 13 years of democratic governance.

Together with drugs, there have been syndicates that facilitate the movement of couriers out of the country through the airports and there also have not been effective efforts to stamp out the security operatives that aide these smugglers.

A former FAAN Managing Director, Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun, said that insider threat, which is the violation of security policy using legitimate access or obtaining unauthorised access, was the major challenge of aviation security at the Lagos airport.

Airport security officials are said to collude with passengers to smuggle banned materials, including hard objects to the aircraft by being compromised and allowing them to board with carry-ons (hand luggage) containing the illegal objects.

NDLEA once made a damning report about the nefarious
activities of aviation security officials on how they aid and abet drug trafficking.

In a report titled “Investigation Activities: Request for the Release of Aviation Security Officials”, dated March 29, 2006, the agency said that it carried out hard drug investigation that involved conspiracy and abetting.

“On Monday 27th March, 2006 during the outward clearance of KLM flight to Amsterdam, two hard drug couriers were intercepted by the officers of the NDLEA at the KLM boarding gate at 2140 hours. The two couriers did not pass through the normal security check as they were carried through the tarmac gate one, in a station wagon car to the E wing of the MMIA and subsequently aided to the boarding gate.

“The two hard drug suspects confessed that they were carried through the tarmac in a car in which they laid down on instruction of the driver as they approached the tarmac gate,” the report said.

The CCTV review revealed that aviation security officials conspired, “aided and abetted couriers to the KLM boarding gate through unauthorised access door, thereby facilitating the circumvention of the normal security check and narcotics screening, contrary to the Provision of Section 10 (c) (b) of the NDLEA Act…”

NDLEA noted, “This practice of conspiracy, aiding and abetting through the tarmac and unauthorised access doors is an ugly incident that has been going on for some time at the airport. It is a syndicate of persons in the aviation security, FAAN and Avio Bridge that are involved in this matter.”

The agency therefore requested that FAAN should release the indicted officers and the driver of the said vehicle.

When the above disclosure was made, it was said that the then FAAN management transferred the suspects and there was massive shake-up but a source recently disclosed to THISDAY, “All those people have walked their way back to Lagos.”

THISDAY once spoke with an aviation security expert, Adebayo Babatunde, who said that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) security standard that took effect from January 2006, articles of annex 17 made it clear that all luggage that are in-bound must go through screening and any deviation from this is a breach.

“If you don’t screen, you allow threat items into the aircraft thereby compromising safety and security,” he had said.

He said that there was a proviso that all personnel involved in security at the airports must be properly trained so that they would be proficient in their job and have certificate of competence to know the implication of what they are doing.

Babatunde noted that close circuit cameras are used at the airports, focused on the screening areas to record anything that may be happening and there should be a superior officer who should observe the activities of those screening the passengers and such breaches “are notified and measures are taken to tackle the problem as they arise”.

FAAN names Dana Air Nigeria's best domestic airline

Despite an air crash that claimed the lives of 153 people four months ago, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) over the weekend named Dana Air as the best domestic carrier for 2011.

According to FAAN’s Regional General Manager, Mr. Chris Bature, said the airline is yet to commence flights since the crash but was awarded the prize for its good customer relations and prompt payment of dues.

The Federal Government seized Dana Air’s license following the air disaster, but restored the license 93 days after the crash.

Speaking at the occasion, Bature stated that the airline was selected because of its outstanding performance and punctuality while Lufthansa Airlines was also selected as the best international carrier for the same period.

He explained that “mode of selection includes passenger capacity, frequency of the landing and take-off, their response to payment of bills.”

“Among the domestic carriers, they were the best. They had the best volume; they were punctual in their operations” he added.

Reacting to a question on the timing of the award which is coming four months after the June 3 Dana Air crash, Mr Bature explained that the award would have taken place earlier in the year and that the reward came after the operator’s license had been restored.

“In all fairness, they did their best and we need to recognize that and encourage them to get back to their feet,” he added.

Dana’s Station Manager at the Nnamdi Azikwe Airport in Abuja, Mr. Kayode Adeniran, stated that the airline’s commitment to best customer service and timely departure earned its the award.

“We have this policy in our company that we must not delay passengers, we have introduced another type of system. If your flight is delayed by 40 minutes, we give refreshments to all passengers that already had their boarding passes. So people will be impressed by our service” he said.

He however lamented the loss of lives by the crash, stressing that the operator visited and commiserated with the families of the deceased.

To prevent such a recurrence, the station manager revealed that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has embarked on series of investigation to ascertain when the airline would be allowed to commence operations following the lifting of the ban on the airline by the federal government.

He noted that the airline has commenced demonstration flights as stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and that the operation would run until NCAA certifies the carrier fit to resume full operations.

The Dana Air crash on June 3, killed the entire 153 passengers and crew members on board and a number of people as the plane crashed into a densely populated area of Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos state. A number of buildings were also destroyed by the crash.

British Airways simplifies online booking process

Customers visiting will find it even easier to book flights on the British Airways website thanks to a new registration scheme. The new service offers customers a simple registration option during the booking process, so they can save their personal details to make future bookings easier and quicker.

When customers login, their personal information and APIS details are automatically entered to every new booking, taking out the hassle of adding them each time. Kevin McQuillan, British Airways’ head of ba.com, said, “We are committed to personalising the experience on ba.com to make it more relevant and responsive to our customers. Easy registration is an important step in that direction, which will ensure we recognise our customers and provide them with a process that is quick and easy to use - every time.”

Like other online retailers, such as Amazon, the new British Airways easy registration option allows customers to quickly sign up,providing only their name, email address and password, or to log into their existing registered customer or Executive Club account, while in the booking process. A post-login landing page will display all upcoming flights, providing easy access to bookings.

Registered customers will also have an option to easily convert their account to an Executive Club account, while existing Club members will be able to see all their flights, not just those containing their frequent flyer number.

Oduah Charges Air Traffic Controllers on Safety

Chinedu Eze

The Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah, has commended Air Traffic Controllers for their invaluable contribution in having stable safe air operations in the country and charged them to continue to remain dedicated to the service of the nation by discharging their duties effectively.

In her address at the 41st Annual General Meeting (AGM) and conference in Makurdi, Benue State, Oduah noted that the controllers had a great role to play in achieving the envisaged airport growth.
Oduah, who was represented by her technical adviser, Victor Oche, said the controllers played a very vital role in the last Dana Air crash in Lagos with directions in search and rescue during the exercise.

The management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) said at the conference that the welfare of the Air Traffic Controllers remained paramount in the establishment.
The Managing Director of NAMA, Nnamdi Udoh, explained that their plights regarding workload were being taken very seriously to ensure that all their working tools were provided.

Udoh who was represented by the Director of Air Traffic Safety Electronic Services, Ifeanyi Nwankwo, said the role of the controllers could not be ignored, adding that the agency was on course by training the controllers in spite of the huge financial commitment and ensuring that the automation of Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) would be completed by the end of this year.
Delivering his opening address, the chairman of the occasion, Bala Na Allah, a former deputy chairman House Committee on Aviation, said the aviation industry remained the most important industry for economic development.
Na Allah stressed the need for all parastatal chiefs to attend aviation conference organised by associations in the sector to brain storm on issues affecting the sector.

He stressed the need for government to always look into the condition of service for air traffic controllers describing them as hardworking and tireless people adding that the country’s airspace had continued to be dependable and safe.
In his welcome address, the outgoing president of NATCA, Haske Jibrin, called on the management of NAMA to upgrade and renew its communication, navigation and surveillance infrastructures and the urgent need to improve the funding of such equipment.

Jibrin, who also called for the implementation of enhanced professional allowances for controllers in NAMA, the Nigeria Civil Aviation  Authority (NCAA) and the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), noted that since 2011 when NATCA demanded for the upward review of existing allowances nothing had come out from the management adding that the agreement provided a periodical review.
He commended the government for the intervention in the funding of TRACON project, Total VHF coverage project and the Aeronautical Information Management, calling for their completion before the end of the year.

The NATCA boss called on all airlines operating in the country to support safe and efficient air traffic services in the country by timely paying all applicable charges.Jibrin noted that NATCA, in the past five years, had agitated for more manpower and expressed delight over the engagement of new hands for the ATC in the last three years.

“While these steps will assist in meeting the vital and critical challenge of developing adequate human capacity in ATC, we call on NAMA management to change the practice of sponsoring ATC cadets on training at NCAT instead of direct recruitment,” Jubrin said.

Lost luggage can mean more than lost possessions

Vicky Karantzavelou -

Losing luggage can be a traumatic experience, but travellers face losing more than just possessions, says Send My Bag.

Being without clothing, essential personal items and accessories is inconvenient and stressful enough, but losing electronically-stored photographs and entire music collections can be a major set-back at the beginning or end of a holiday.

Lost baggage is sadly not unusual – according to Send my Bag, at least one in every 45 bags goes astray. Adam Ewart, Send My Bag founder, says: “Losing a piece of luggage is a worry for every traveller and much more common that anyone thinks. People are often insured which will cover the replacement of these items, but it doesn’t make it any less of a hassle. In the case of lost photos stored on a camera or other device, nothing will bring them back. It’s actually the main thing we find people are most worried about losing – photos are treasured and irreplaceable.”

Adam founded Send My Bag in response to the growing number of passengers requiring reliable and cost-effective baggage shipping. Initially aimed at students who travel with extra luggage and receive packages from home, the service has grown among people who became disgruntled with increasingly
complicated rules around cabin and hold baggage adopted by low-cost airlines, and the extortionate excess baggage shipping fees that can so often be imposed.

Adam continues: “Travelling can be stressful enough without worrying about the different rules that different airlines have around baggage allowances – add on top of that the worry of losing a bag, it’s no wonder people are opting for a dedicated baggage shipping service. This service is now popular
with families as well as people who are embarking on a sports trip and need to take extra equipment.”

Singapore prepares to host inaugural travel ‘Oscars’

Theodore Koumelis -

World Travel Awards, hailed as the ‘Oscars of the travel industry’ by the global media, highlights and rewards those travel brands that have made the greatest contribution to the industry over the past year.

SINGAPORE - The votes have been counted, the trophies polished and the VIP guests are starting to arrive as Singapore steps up to host one of the most important evenings of the year for travel and tourism – World Travel Awards 2012 Asia, Australasia & Indian Ocean Ceremony.

The red-carpet event takes place at InterContinental Singapore today, Thursday 18th October 2012. Hundreds of senior travel decision-makers from across the region will be attending the ceremony.

The likes of Mandarin Oriental, Banyan Tree, Cathay Pacific Airways, The Ritz-Carlton, Le Touessrok Mauritius and Tourism New Zealand are among the brands nominated for the prestigious awards programme.

The must-attend ceremony is being held in partnership with TravelRave, Asia’s most influential travel trade festival, and will include a gala dinner, top entertainment, as well as the presentation of the coveted awards.

WTA, hailed as the ‘Oscars of the travel industry’ by the global media, highlights and rewards those travel brands that have made the greatest contribution to the industry over the past year.

The WTA organisers highlight the significance of hosting its first ever ceremony in Singapore.

Graham E. Cooke, President & Founder, WTA, says: “We are delighted to host our first ceremony in Singapore, a decision which reflects its standing as one of the most dynamic destinations in the world.”

He adds: “Our partnership with TravelRave is a perfect match. Since its debut in 2010, TravelRave has quickly established itself as the definitive platform for Asia’s travel leaders to maximise the tourism potential of the region. WTA will offer these senior decision-makers a unique opportunity to savour and celebrate their achievements of the past year with their industry peers. I look forward to finding out which organisations will make it on to the winner’s podium on 18th October.”

Singapore Tourism Board notes the added dimension this prestigious awards programme will bring to TravelRave’s mix.

Andrew Phua, Director, Exhibitions & Conferences, Singapore Tourism Board, says: “Singapore is honoured to partner World Travel Awards to host the prestigious Asia, Australasia & Indian Ocean Ceremony 2012. In recognising excellence in the travel and tourism industry, the awards ceremony sets off the spirit of TravelRave in sharing best practices, celebrating our successes, and motivating our travel partners to collaborate for the future.”

Other key events taking place under the TravelRave umbrella include ITB Asia, Asia Travel Leaders Summit, Web In Travel, Tourism Destination Investment Conference Asia, Hotel Technology Conference, and Aviation Outlook Asia.

WTA’s Asia, Australasia & Indian Ocean Ceremony 2012 marks the final regional leg of WTA’s Grand Tour, a global search for the world’s leading travel brands, which also includes regional heats in Dubai, Singapore, Turks & Caicos and Portugal. The winners of these legs will then go head-to-head at WTA’s Grand Final, which takes place at The Oberoi, Gurgaon, New Delhi, India on 12 December 2012.

Alitalia increase online bookings thanks to Webtrends

Theodore Koumelis 

Webtrends Optimize allows the first Italian airline company to raise online bookings by 7.09% in just three months.

LONDON - Webtrends, the global leader in digital intelligence, has announced it has helped Italian airline Alitalia increase online bookings by more than 7% in just three months thanks to its Webtrends Optimize solution and team of specialist consultants.

In today's competitive online airline industry, offering customers' the best possible user experience with a simple online purchasing process is key to increasing market share and revenue. This was Alitalia's strategic goal.

The Italian airline company sells its services online in 31 countries all over the world, in 14 different languages. Every month, Alitalia's website receives over 5 million visits, 12% of which come from mobile devices (80% from tablets). Alitalia register over 900,000 transactions monthly, including check-ins and tickets sold. In Italy, one customer out of three purchases online: for some specific routes - for example, departures from Bergamo and Verona - over 60% of customers exclusively buy online.

Alitalia's objective was to guarantee that all services offered were fully available for the digital world in the simplest and most intuitive way possible, in order to improve customer experience, increase visits and raise conversion rates.

For this reason, in late 2011, Alitalia selected Webtrends Optimize - a testing and targeting solution enabling both a deeper visitor engagement and improved conversion and revenue. Optimize combines a complete selection of test types, (both A/B and multivariate tests) allowing companies to identify and target their most valuable customer segments, and then target these specific segments with customised campaigns, offering real-time relevant content.

Alitalia immediately set up e-commerce and IT dedicated teams, which worked closely with the Optimize Webtrends team to define processes and objectives. They carried out different tests on a certain number of pages, for instance that of the special offers page, the most important one to Alitalia, as it is the one that receives all the traffic coming from paid search.

"Once the optimal page had been identified, we could see an increase of click-through conversions of about 6%,  a great result if we consider that our website gets an average of 200,000 visitors per day. A further measurement demonstrated that the optimised page led to an increase of 500 online bookings over three weeks, which means about 220,000 euro per month, at an average Alitalia price," statesNicola Arnese, VP eCommerce, Alitalia.

More tests have been made on the home page, testing three different versions until the one which registered the highest number of conversions was identified.

"Webtrends Optimize team's outstanding experience and consultancy approach allowed us to increase the number of online bookings of 7.09% in three months," Arnese concludes. "This increase had a significant impact on our results, allowing us to stay ahead of our competitors, offering our customers the best service possible."

"We are proud to work with a company like Alitalia," states Tracie Caroopen, Director Southern EMEA, Webtrends. "Major brands across Europe increasingly understand the importance of a strong online presence and an efficient e-commerce operation to maximise revenue. However, to achieve this, brands need to understand what makes their customers buy. This is where multivariate testing, targeting and optimisation is proving invaluable. Webtrends Optimize allows brands to run tests in a live environment before the changes are applied so brands can achieve the most optimised version of their site without gambling on what will work."

Webtrends has been working with Alitalia since 2009, when the airline company adopted Analytics, Webtrends' platform which provides performance measurement on all digital channels. It offers insight on visitors and customers' behaviour, habits and tastes, a key element in a strong competitive area such as airlines, where potential customers are virtually flooded by a huge number of offerings.

Over these years, Alitalia were able to increase understanding of their customers through accurate profiling and could gain visibility on how many people completed the purchase process and how many abandoned to help them determine which pages to optimise, which consequently has lead to increased bookings and revenue.

Virgin Atlantic Customers Can Now Buy Miles Via Customer Call Centres

Points.com Provides an Additional Method for Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Members to "Top Up" Their Account and Book the Travel Rewards They Want in a Single Phone Call

TORONTO, Oct. 15, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Points.com, the world's leading management platform for loyalty reward programs, today announced that it has expanded its partnership with the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, a move which will offer members a new way to acquire more Flying Club miles and top up their account via a Buy Miles Call Centre. The new Call Centre program is an extension of Virgin Atlantic's online Buy Miles, Gift Miles and Transfer Miles programs, and enables customers to purchase any additional miles they need on the telephone at the same time they are shopping for flights. 

In spite of the rapid growth of online services, a significant portion of travel booking and award redemption activity worldwide is still handled through Customer Service Call Centres. Some loyalty program members are simply more comfortable talking to a service representative to make their travel plans. Points.com has developed a solution for Virgin that lets Flying Club members get what they want even when they are not online.

This new feature developed by Points.com enables Call Centre staff to help members purchase the additional miles they might need while they are shopping for reward travel. The complete process of selecting rewards and purchasing miles can be completed with one phone call.  

This is a great opportunity for members to get a reward flight precisely when they need it and redeem enough miles for the flight they are currently booking. It also offers members with limited Internet access more ways to purchase additional miles. By the end of the year, Points.com will have four Call Centre solutions in place with its loyalty partners.

"Virgin Atlantic's new Buy Miles Call Centre is a great complement to our online Buy Miles, Gift Miles, and Transfer Miles options," said Rob MacLean, CEO of Points.com. "The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has been a great partner of Points.com. We are now widening and deepening our relationship with them by offering another innovative product. We are excited to be able to provide Virgin Atlantic and the global loyalty marketplace even more ways to help members get immediate value from their programs."

"The Buy Miles Call Centre is a great addition to our product offerings, as it provides our loyal customers even further ways to make use of their frequent flier miles," said Alan Lias, Head of Loyalty & Ancillary Revenue Development for Virgin Atlantic. "We are expanding our affiliation with Points.com with this unique opportunity, and we will continue to partner together and find more ways to make the Flying Club the best loyalty program for our customers."

Points International Ltd. works in partnership with all loyalty and reward programs active on Points.com, and all transactions are fully approved by program operators. For more information, follow the Company on Twitter, Facebook or via the Points.com blog.

About Points International Ltd.

Points International Ltd. (TSX:PTS) (Nasdaq:PCOM), is the owner and operator of Points.com, the global leader in reward currency management providing multiple eCommerce and technology solutions to the world's top loyalty brands. Points.com also manages the largest consumer rewards management platform, allowing more than 3 million users to trade, track, exchange, and redeem their loyalty points, miles, and rewards. Recently, Points International was named the 5th largest Canadian software company and the 40th largest Canadian technology company in the 2012 Branham300 list.

Points.com's solutions enable the management and monetization of loyalty currencies, including frequent flyer miles, hotel points, retailer rewards and credit card points, as well as enhancing loyalty program consumer offerings and back-end operations for more than 40 partners worldwide. Further, Points.com's SaaS products allow eCommerce merchants to add loyalty solutions to their online stores and reward customers for purchases.

For more information on Points.com, visit www.pointsinternational.com, follow us on Twitter (@pointsadvisor), fan us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pointsfans) or read our blog (http://blog.points.com)

About Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic flies to 33 destinations worldwide including New York, Boston, Washington DC, Miami, San Francisco & Los Angeles, Delhi, Shanghai, Tokyo, Dubai and Lagos as well as many Caribbean destinations.

American Airlines to recruit and hire more than 1,500 flight attendants

Lina Rokou 

American will begin the process of recruitment and hiring in November, with the first new-hire class beginning training in January 2013. 

FORT WORTH - American Airlines announced plans to bring more than 1,500 new flight attendants onboard over the next year.

The overwhelming response by current flight attendants to the company's recent voluntary separation options, combined with an aggressive training schedule during the transition to the newly established flight attendant contract, led to the ability to welcome new flight attendants to American. This is an exciting step forward and an opportunity for American to look for candidates to join the current team and help deliver the best onboard experience and represent the new American.

"For the first time in over a decade, American is seeking to add more than 1,500 new flight attendants who we believe will bring new perspectives to the airline," said Lauri Curtis, American's Vice President – Flight Service. "We value our flight attendants and appreciate the important contributions they make to our company every day. We look forward to welcoming new faces and working together to bring a fresh energy to our team, while at the same time giving current flight attendants the opportunity to move up the seniority list and reducing the number of current flight attendants who have to serve on reserve."

The airline will post the job openings in November, at which time eligible candidates can visit aacareers.com and submit their interest. American intends to start the selection process for new-hire flight attendant candidates in early December, with the first class starting its training course in late January. 

Revamped Heritage Wing allows guests to feel Singapore's colonial roots.

Luc Citrinot

Experience the best of both worlds at Mövenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa's as the Swiss hotel group will unveil early December its revamped 1940’s style Heritage Wing.

SINGAPORE- Mövenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa will be concluding its construction and revamp at the end of this month with the unveiling of its Heritage Wing – an integral part of the historical site which blends old world charm with contemporary luxury, for guests on 1 December.

Featuring 62 spacious Heritage Suites – its namesake suite, a cigar lounge and whisky bar, this 70 plus-year-old section of the hotel has been given a fresh face-lift; allowing guests to step back in time amidst modern-day comforts.

With its location steeped in Singapore's rich colonial history, the hotel retained the essence of the original 1940s colonial architectural character when renovations were carried out on the wing. The Heritage Wing is made up of two British quarters connected by covered link-ways at each of the three storeys, and this same layout can be seen today, with the link-ways serving as corridors along which the Heritage Suites are lined.

Beyond the external architectural elements, the hotel also retained elements like the conservation door and window frames to preserve the historical integrity of the Heritage Wing.

Part of the hotel’s design concept, the minimalist, elegant interiors that run through the hotel’s Contemporary and Heritage Wings is a deliberate attempt to bring forth Mövenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa’s qualities of the East (modern Asian lifestyle) and West (rich Swiss brand values of quality and reliability). By marrying the two juxtaposing facades with the interiors, the hotel is able to successfully illustrate the Mövenpick Heritage value of a luxurious lifestyle hotel.

In the Heritage Suite, for example, floor-to-ceiling windows allow soft light to flood the space revealing relaxing ochre shades, modern soft furnishing and wooden surfaces. Drawing on the use of the geographical features specific to each region, guests can look forward to relaxing in tastefully decorated suites that are decked out in natural, tropical elements like slate flooring in the bathrooms and natural wood finishings. Coupled with the earth-toned colour scheme running through the hotel, guests will be constantly reminded that they are in the soothing island oasis that is Sentosa.

With the eclectic mix of suites at the hotel’s Contemporary and Heritage Wings, the Mövenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa now provides the widest range of themed suites on the island resort of Sentosa.

"Mövenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa will continue to provide the trademark Swiss hospitality that can be experienced at all Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts worldwide, through our superior mix of rooms and suites,” said Andreas Mattmüller, Chief Operating Officer Middle East and Asia, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts.

“The signature Onsen suite in Mövenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa, for example, is targeted at guests who are looking for a unique experience in the tropics. Business travellers, on the other hand, will enjoy the executive and penthouse suites, which offer quiet relaxation in spacious and comfortable settings. We would like all our guests to come away from our hotel feeling exclusive and exceptional." The Heritage Wing will open its doors to guests with effect from 1st December.


Photo caption: The Heritage Suite in Mövenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa as it is now.

Virgin America wins top U.S. airline in Conde Nast Traveler's 2012 Readers' Choice Awards

Tatiana Rokou 

Airline voted No1 for fifth year and launches "You Rocked Our World. Again."

SAN FRANCISCO - Virgin America, the California-based airline that is reinventing domestic travel, took top honors as "Best U.S. Airline" in the prestigious Conde Nast Traveler's 2012 Readers' Choice Awards.  Launched in August 2007, Virgin America has captured the award for the fifth year in a row for its innovative service.  The results of this year's Readers' Choice Awards will be reported in the November issue of Conde Nast Traveler magazine.  The survey is unique for both its size and unfiltered results and reflects the opinions of more than 46,000 Conde Nast Traveler readers.  To thank guests for voting the airline best in America for the fifth year in a row, Virgin America launches a "You Rocked Our World. Again." one-day fare sale celebrating this fifth consecutive win.

"We're honored to again be named the top airline in America by Conde Nast Traveler readers for hitting the mark with flyers for our unique mix of low fares, stylish design, tech-forward amenities and outstanding guest service," said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush.  "Our teammates have worked so hard to reinvent the flying experience for travelers over the last five years and this kind of feedback from discerning travelers is a testament to that."

With outstanding service, beautiful design and a host of inventive amenities, Virgin America has built a loyal flyer following since its 2007 launch. The airline is the first domestic carrier to offer both standard power outlets at every seat and in-flight WiFi on every flight. In addition to a Main Cabin that offers custom-designed leather seats with a deeper pitch, the carrier's premium Main Cabin Select service offers guests 38" of seat pitch – about 6 inches more legroom than Main Cabin, unlimited complimentary cocktails and snacks from the airline's award-winning menu, an all-access pass to in-flight media content (including free movies and premium TV like HBO and Showtime), priority security access/boarding, dedicated overhead bin space and one free checked bag.  Virgin America's First Class features international-grade amenities and plush white leather seating with 55 inches of pitch, 165 degrees of recline and lumbar massagers. The airline's Red™ in-flight entertainment platform offers guests their own seatback touch-screen TV, with 25 films, live TV, Google Maps, videogames, a 4,000 song library and an on-demand menu – so flyers can order a cocktail or snack from their seatback any time during a flight. Virgin America's latest advertising campaign offers a digital experience that brings the airline's unique cabins to life – through the eyes of a few of its most frequent travelers.

This summer, Virgin America launched a suite of enhancements to its Elevate frequent flyer program – including Elevate Gold and Elevate Silver status levels that offer perks such as:  priority check-in, security clearance and boarding; points earning bonuses; free checked bag allowances; enhanced digital/social rewards; private discounts; an expanded advance purchase upgrade window for the airline's exclusive eight-seat First Class; complimentary space-available upgrades to the carrier's premium Main Cabin Select service; and complimentary access to the best seat assignments within Main Cabin.

Earlier this month Virgin America also won top honors as "Best Premium Class" among domestic airlines in Conde Nast Traveler's 2012 Business Travel Poll. The annual independent survey of the magazine's business travelers ranked Virgin America as the top U.S. airline for Premium Class service for the fifth consecutive year and to thank its loyal flyers, Virgin America launched a special rewards offer where Elevate® frequent flyers who register through October 31, 2012, can earn 50 percent bonuspoints per $1 spent on the base fare for qualifying flights booked and flown in the airline's award-winning Main Cabin Select or First Class service before the end of the year. All bonus points earned will also count towards Elevate Silver or Elevate Gold Status. 

Has IATA New Distribution Capability been thought through?

Tatiana Rokou

IATA airlines are going to vote on 18-19 October on a new model intended to revolutionise distribution of air tickets and ancillaries through travel agents. But a lack of timely involvement of the travel agent industry and a number of questions on how NDC can fit in the European legal environment are tarnishing the process.

ECTAA is closely following the NDC project, considering the huge impact it could have on air ticket distribution and on travel agents, who sell nearly 60% of global air tickets. IATA only started to engage on NDC with ECTAA and other travel agent trade associations in September 2012, despite their repeated requests to be involved since June 2012. The principles of NDC, laid down in a draft resolution which will be submitted to IATA airlines’ vote in the IATA Passenger Service Conference on 18-19 October, were established earlier, mainly by a small group of airlines within IATA.

“While a single standard to improve the distribution of ancillary services could be beneficial for the whole distribution chain, we feel there has been no consultation on whether NDC is the appropriate model”, said President of ECTAA, Boris Zgomba. A salient point of NDC is that airlines would no longer file their fares in GDSs. They would instead determine an offer in response to a specific request including information on the requestor. NDC is also encroaching upon ownership of customer information and PNR.

The project raises numerous questions, notably on potentially huge costs. To apply the NDC model, an airline would need to develop an interactive pricing and availability engine. Many airlines are unlikely to have the means to make such investments and could be left aside. Aggregators and travel agents would need to redevelop their whole systems and processes to accommodate for NDC distribution and to coordinate NDC with the remaining fare filing distribution model.  Coordination between NDC and the fare filing model is of special concern for interlining and codesharing, while NDC is driven by the principle not to be constrained by compatibility with existing legacy messages.

For consumers, transparency is at stake. The objective of making more airline products available in indirect channels is positive, but an industry standard cannot pre-empt airlines’ commercial policy on content availability in different channels. Besides, the end of fare filing raises questions on consumer’s continued ability to carry out full spectrum comparison shopping, which currently promotes competition on air fares between carriers. Furthermore, there may be a breaking point between differentiation of airline products and aggregation enabling transparent comparison.

ECTAA thus sees a number of unanswered questions with NDC, which need to be carefully analysed, including with regard to EU legislation on the use of CRSs, air ticket transparency, data protection and competition. In addition, airlines putting together different travel services through NDC expose themselves to obligations in the EU Package Travel Directive, notably the liability to perform all bundled services, a financial guarantee in case of insolvency and exhaustive information obligations.

World Responsible Tourism Day set for November 7th

During the World Travel Market on November 7th this year, the World Responsible Tourism Day will bring attention to the problems of wildlife poaching still affecting endangered animals today.
Pairing with the World Tourism Organisation UNWTO, the WTM World Responsible Tourism Day is the largest and most far reaching initiative undertaken by the international conservation community.

Poaching has been a huge problem for many parts of Africa, South America and Asia, with some animals driven to extinction. This includes the white rhino, African elephants, white and Bengal tigers and many other animals hunted for their pelts or other materials such as claws, teeth or ivory.

For years the international community has attempted to preserve animals and their natural habitats while boosting the tourism industry. It used to be that safaris meant wealthy individuals going to hunt for various wild animals, but now it refers to observing the animals in their home environment.

The best example of the conservation effort begins with the Shamwari Game Reserve. Once a 2,000 hectare area plagued by poaching that reduced wildlife numbers to practically zero and ruined the ecology of the area, now it stands at 25,000 hectares of protected land where all animals once native to the Eastern Cape now thrive and live undisturbed. The success and sustainability of the Shamwari Game Reserve has meant that it has become a blueprint for other conservation projects throughout the world.

Anti-poaching and conservation groups believe that the best way to progress the effectiveness of these conservation projects is through education. The Mantis Group, a collection of boutique hotels and eco-escapes throughout the world, has a strong and committed stance on conservation-led tourism. Along with the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF), situated in Mantis’ Stanley and Livingstone Hotel in Victoria Falls, they have launched various projects to educate people about the effects and dangers of poaching. The IAPF also run various courses including; leadership courses, recruitment and deployment of anti-poaching teams, specialist courses in tracking/medicine, instructor courses and a volunteer programme where anyone concerned with the survival and conservation of the global wildlife can help out..

The Voices of Conservation is a separate project set up by Worldwide Experience, the education arm of the Mantis Group, and takes the education into schools. Children are encouraged to learn about breeding programmes and the endangered animals throughout the world.

 If you want to help out with international wildlife conservation, make sure that any safari holidays are properly accredited and are conservation-led tours. The organisations are always looking for volunteers and donations too.

British Airways on course for first A380 delivery

The building of British Airways’ first Airbus A380 superjumbo aircraft has reached a major milestone, with the installation of the four giant Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines.

The engines, which each produce 70,000 lbs of thrust, were attached to aircraft ‘MSN095’, the first of 12 A380s the airline has on order.

The aircraft is due to be delivered to British Airways in July next year.

British Airways’ director of engineering, Garry Copeland, said: “We are delighted to see the aircraft taking shape, and can’t wait for it to join the British Airways fleet.

“This delivery is the latest step in a huge investment to upgrade the fleet and improve the in-flight experience for our customers.”

Having been constructed at Rolls-Royce Derby plant, the engines were transported to Toulouse via road and ferry.

Each engine, weighing six tonnes and with a diameter measuring almost ten feet, took a team of five Airbus engineers to install.

These aircraft, form part of a £5bn investment by British Airways in new aircraft, smarter cabins, elegant lounges, and new technologies to make life more comfortable in the air and on the ground.

Travelport signs GDS deal with RAK Airways

Travelport and United Arab Emirates-based RAK Airways have jointly announced their first ever GDS participation agreement.

Under the new deal, Galileo and Worldspan-connected users worldwide will gain access to all of RAK Airways fares and inventory with immediate effect.

“The deal between the two companies will enable RAK Airways to widen its distribution base considerably.

“Offering our customers better access and more choice is important to us and this agreement will help us deliver this,” said John Brayford, chief executive, RAK Airways.

“Travelport’s extensive global network complements our ambitious expansion plans and this agreement will really help serve RAK Airways’ future distribution needs.”

Travelport confirmed that the deal formed part of its ongoing strategy to aggregate the broadest range of airline content into its GDS channel for travel agency customers worldwide.

“We are thrilled to be signing our first participation agreement with RAK Airways,” said Will Owen Hughes, business development director for Travelport in the Middle East and Africa.

“It very much forms part of our ongoing strategy to work hand in hand with the country’s national carriers to maximise the growth potential of this important travel region.”

Etihad announces Live Free For a Year winner

Winner Matt Parkhouse, centre left, celebrates with Clive Wratten, UK country manager, Etihad Airways, centre right

Etihad Airways has announced the winner of its ‘Live Free For a Year’ competition.

The £55,000 cash prize, the largest the airline has ever awarded in a competition of this kind, went to Matt Parkhouse, of Worthing-based specialist sports event travel agency TravelPlaces.

The competition was open to all agents booking a set number of Etihad Airways tickets during one month.

The grand prize of £55,000 was designed to cover all the winner’s expenses for 12 months, enabling him or her to ‘Live Free for a Year’ courtesy of the Abu Dhabi-based airline.

A number of daily mini-prizes, including iPads and iPhones, were also awarded during the competition period.

Parkhouse, said: “It’s fantastic. I entered because my iPod had broken the day the competition opened, and I thought it would be a great way to replace it.

“I don’t think buying a new iPod will be too much trouble now.

“I’m thinking of taking a holiday to celebrate, and of course I’m looking forward to flying business class – or even first class – with Etihad Airways to one of its 86 destinations.

“Everyone at TravelPlaces, my employer, was incredibly excited for more, and they managed to hide their envy.”

Etihad Airways is considered the World’s Leading Airline by the World Travel Awards.