Fly away from your problems with this fab airline wrap, and please take us with you. We can’t believe how many problems we have this early in the week.

Silkair selects Thompson Aero Seating for flat-bed business class seat upgrades

Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) regional wing, SilkAir, has selected Thompson Aero Seating for the upgrade of Business Class seats on its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet. The upgrades are a part of a significant investment programme that will eventually see SilkAir merged into SIA.

The upgrades will commence in May 2020 and will feature new lie-flat Business Class seats in a forward-facing staggered layout – in line with SIA’s regional Business Class offering on its Airbus A350-900 medium-haul and Boeing 787-10 fleets.

SilkAir currently has five 737 MAX 8s in its fleet with another 32 on order. The new seats will be retrofitted onto aircraft already in the fleet, and installed at the time of arrival in Singapore for aircraft not yet delivered.

Plans for the upgrades were announced in May 2018, as part of a move to more closely align SilkAir’s products and services with those of SIA in preparation for its merger into SIA. The merger will eventually encompass a full re-branding of SilkAir as SIA, with repainting of aircraft and adoption of SIA’s service delivery.

The upgrade programme will also see the installation of new seat-back in-flight entertainment systems in both Business Class and Economy Class. An announcement on the supplier for these systems will be made soon.

Qatar Airways Launches Premium Companion Offer, Enabling Family and Friends to Experience the Rewards of Travel Together

Qatar Airways is pleased to announce its latest Premium Companion offer, designed to enable passengers to experience how much more rewarding travel can be when experienced with family and friends. Qatar Airways’ customers can enjoy exclusive fares during this special promotion when booking for two or more passengers travelling together.

The promotion is valid on Qatar Airways flights in First Class and Business Class booked from 11-18 February 2019 for travel until 11 December 2019. Passengers who book during the promotion period can take advantage of fares to Turkey starting from $5,899 per person*, Spain from $5,909 per person*, Greece from $5,929 per person*, or Malta from $5,999 per person*, among others. They will also receive double Qmiles and Qpoints for bookings made in Business and First Class.

More info here.

Cathay Pacific draws on its roots by rolling out new  ‘Hong Kong Flavours’ dining series across all cabin classes

Wok-fried lobster in broth with crispy and steamed rice, fish ball and fish cake flat rice noodle soup and soy-braised chicken with Chinese sausage on steamed jasmine rice are among a series of authentic Cantonese dishes that Cathay Pacific customers are now enjoying inflight as part of the airline’s new ‘Hong Kong Flavours’ dining concept.

Launched to celebrate the diversity and vibrancy of the city’s rich gastronomic traditions, Hong Kong Flavours features a variety of signature local specialities available across all cabin classes on flights from Hong Kong to Australia and New Zealand, Europe, South Africa and North America.

February Fare Specials for SAA

South African Airways have released a February Fare Sale to Africa effective now until end of the month.

Economy Class and Business Class fares from ADL/BNE/MEL/SYD/PER to Africa in will be available for sale until 28 February and will include travel between 01 February and 11 December 2019 (seasonality will apply for economy class).

Economy fares to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban start from $1228- inclusive of taxes and government charges from the East Coast with Business Class fares from $4622. From Perth economy prices start from $1472 all-inclusive and Business from $4661. * There are also airfares available to 20 other destinations within Africa.

More info here.

Emirates Forges Codeshare Partnership with China Southern Airlines

Emirates and China Southern Airlines (IATA code: CZ) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to progress a comprehensive reciprocal codeshare agreement, which is set to open up new destinations for passengers travelling between China and the Middle East and Africa.

The partnership with the Guangzhou-based carrier also allows Emirates’ passengers to enjoy seamless connectivity on domestic flights within China, adding eight new destinations to its global network.

The Chinese cities covered by the codeshare agreement include Fuzhou, Chongqing, Kunming, Qingdao, Xiamen, Chengdu, Nanjing and Xi ‘an during the initial phase of the partnership, subject to necessary government approvals.

Passengers travelling from China will have more choice and travel seamlessly with minimum connection times, when flying to destinations in Emirates’ Middle East network such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Muscat, Kuwait and Cairo. The codeshare agreement also includes flights to African destinations such as Seychelles and Lagos, operated by Emirates.