Big fat airline wrap
You’re all busy bees so we’ve made this wrap short and sweet. We wanted to say ‘just like us’ but our colleagues reckon we’re tall and rude.
Take 20 per cent off all fares with AirAsia
AirAsia has today launched a promotion that is sure to bring joy to millions, with 20% off all seats on all flights* booked during the promotional period.
It’s a great chance for guests to grab a last-minute bargain and escape to one of AirAsia’s 140 destinations.
The sale is available for booking at airasia.com or via the AirAsia mobile app from 18 February (0001h GMT +8) to 24 February 2019 (2400h GMT +8) for travel period 25 February until 31 July 2019.
Singapore Airlines: Third Quarter revenue growth offsets higher new fuel costs
The SIA Group reported an operating profit of $388 million in the third quarter of the 2018/19 financial year, a decline of $66 million (-14.5%) from last year’s restated profit of $454 million [Note 2], notwithstanding a steep $227 million (+22.2%) increase in net fuel costs. A robust improvement in revenue (+$265 million or 6.5%) largely offset higher fuel and non-fuel expenditure.
Group revenue increased $265 million to $4,342 million on stronger flown revenue (+$248 million), largely driven by growth in passenger demand (+$245 million or 7.7%). Passenger traffic for the Group rose 8.0%, which outpaced the growth in capacity, resulting in a 0.9 percentage-point improvement in passenger load factor to 83.0%.
Expenditure for the Group rose $331 million to $3,954 million (+9.1%), mainly due to higher net fuel cost (+$227 million or 22.2%). Fuel cost before hedging for the Group rose by $285 million, predominantly due to a US$16 per barrel (+21.1%) increase in average jet fuel price, partially alleviated by a larger hedging gain versus last year (+$58 million or 131.6%).
Group net profit declined $105 million (-27.0%) to $284 million, as the weaker operating profit was exacerbated by share of losses of the Group’s joint ventures (-$28 million), in particular NokScoot, which saw its results being adversely impacted by the rise in fuel prices and intense competition.
Emirates to link Phnom Penh and Bangkok with daily service from Dubai
Emirates will link Phnom Penh (PNH) and Bangkok (BKK) with its new daily service set to launch on June 1, 2019. The service from Dubai to Phnom Penh, via Bangkok, will provide passengers travelling between the capital cities of Cambodia and Thailand with more flight options. Travellers from both Southeast Asian nations will also enjoy access to Emirates’ global network, with enhanced connectivity to over 150 destinations in 86 countries and territories.
The new service will be operated with an Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft. Flights to Phnom Penh will depart daily from Dubai International Airport (DXB) at 0845hrs local time, as EK370, and arrive in Bangkok at 1815hrs. The same flight will then depart Bangkok at 2000hrs, before arriving at Phnom Penh International Airport at 2125hrs. On the return segment, flight EK371 will depart Phnom Penh at 2320hrs, and will arrive in Bangkok at 0040hrs, the following day. It will then set off to Dubai at 0225hrs, arriving at 0535hrs. All times are local.
LATAM Cargo flies over 9,000 tons of flowers for Valentine’s Day
LATAM Cargo operated more than 140 flights from Colombia and Ecuador using specially fitted B767-300F aircraft between January 14 and February 8 to transport flowers for the 2019 Valentine’s Day season. LATAM Cargo carried more than 9,000 tons of flowers over this period, which together with Mother’s Day (in April and May) represent the peak of fresh flower export activity.
Red and pink roses, mixed bouquets, carnations, chrysanthemums, iris, gypsophila and green foliage were among the most popular varieties this season.
During the four weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, LATAM Cargo transported flowers from Bogota and Medellin in Colombia and from Quito, Ecuador, to North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania as well as other parts of South America. This connectivity was possible thanks to LATAM Cargo’s network of over 140 destinations, linking Latin America with the rest of the world.
Vietnam Airlines Flight Sale
- Sydney and Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City with Vietnam Airlines, from $728 return in economy*
- Sydney and Melbourne to Hanoi with Vietnam Airlines, from $735 return in economy*
- Valid for travel from 4 February to 7 December 2019
- Fare on offer from 4 February to 28 February 2019
- For bookings see www.vietnamairlines.com/au
Singapore Airlines to boost Osaka services with third daily flight
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will add a third daily service to Osaka’s Kansai International Airport in April 2019, to meet growing demand for travel between Singapore and Japan.
SIA already operates two flights per day on the popular Singapore-Osaka route, and the third will be introduced with effect from 27 April 2019. Airbus A330-300 aircraft will be operated, adding nearly 2,000 seats per week in each direction.
Flight SQ620 will depart Singapore at 0830hrs and arrive at Osaka at 1610hrs. The return flight will operate as SQ621, departing Osaka at 1725 hrs and arriving in Singapore at 2305hrs.
In addition to Osaka, Singapore Airlines operates six daily services to Tokyo (Haneda and Narita airports), as well as daily services to both Fukuoka and Nagoya. Regional subsidiary SilkAir operates thrice-weekly services to Hiroshima, while low-cost subsidiary Scoot operates 11 weekly flights to Osaka, four weekly flights to Sapporo and 19 weekly flights to Tokyo Narita. With SIA’s third daily service to Osaka, the SIA Group will operate a combined 114 weekly flights between Singapore and Japan.
The new flights are subject to regulatory approvals. Tickets will be made available for sale progressively through the various distribution channels.
easyJet offers customers new 3D augmented reality hand luggage scanning feature
easyJet, Europe’s leading airline, has offered a feature on its app which enables customers to scan their cabin bag to check its size before they travel to the airport.
The new technology has been introduced to offer customers an easy way to check their hand luggage dimensions to give them peace of mind before they travel to the airport.
easyJet already has one of the most generous cabin bag allowances with no weight limit and whilst the permitted dimensions of cabin bags are clearly displayed on easyJet’s website, the move is set to make it even easier for customers to check their luggage and provide greater certainty as to whether they can travel with their bag in the cabin. It also means they won’t be faced with any additional charges at the gate for bringing an oversized bag which can’t be taken onboard.
The new app feature, which uses Apple’s ARKit 2 technology, is available on iOS initially and sits on easyJet’s app – which has now surpassed 30 million, downloads. The app works by using augmented reality technology combined with customers’ smart phone cameras (iPhone 6S onwards). The scan itself provides an on-screen 3D box which when combined with the phone’s camera sizes the cabin bag and indicates whether it fits within the maximum dimensions.
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