Flavour of the Week: AirAsia CEO’s new role, + MORE!
This Flavour of the Week edition is rather short, but would be a lot longer if we included Virgin Australia’s 750 job cuts. You already knew about that though.
AirAsia reshuffles leadership team
AirAsia has announced a reorganisation of its leadership team in support of the company’s transformation into a travel and financial platform, and to build airasia.com into a lifestyle brand.
AirAsia Group Berhad CEO Tony Fernandes (pictured above) will double up as CEO of airasia.com in the interim, with the company planning to appoint a permanent chief who will report to him in due course.
Joining Fernandes are AirAsia Berhad chief commercial officer Karen Chan, who will drive all commercial functions as airasia.com’s chief commercial officer, and Spencer Lee, who will take up the role of chief operating officer for AirAsia.com, managing the online business portfolio that includes OURSHOP and AirAsia WiFi (ROKKI).
AirAsia said in a statement that a chief product officer for airasia.com will also be appointed, while the company’s software engineering and technology head, Elias Vafiadis, will continue to lead software engineering, all reporting to Fernandes in the interim.
AirAsia Group Berhad’s deputy CEO for airlines, Bo Lingam, has been appointed as the company’s president for airlines, and will also head up AirAsia SEA (formerly known as AirAsia Global Shared Services), a shared services centre that provides corporate and support services to AirAsia.
Aireen Omar has been appointed as AirAsia Group Berhad’s president of RedBeat Ventures. In this role, she will focus on seeking out new companies and technologies to power AirAsia’s core business while still overseeing the company’s digital businesses such as BigPay, Teleport and AirAsia BIG Loyalty.
Helloworld appoints first cruise GM
Helloworld Travel has announced the appointment of Catherine Allison to the newly created role of general manager of cruise for product and commercial, based in Sydney.
Allison will be responsible for overseeing the commercial and product requirements of both Helloworld’s wholesale cruise division, Seven Oceans Cruising, and the preferred retail relationships with all cruise lines.
Allison has extensive knowledge of the travel industry and the cruise sector, having worked with Helloworld for the past 10 years, most recently as head of land, touring and
cruise contracting, and boasts more than 18 years’ overall in the industry.
Your Travel & Cruise appoints first national BDM
Host agency Your Travel & Cruise has promoted Bianca Schefe to a newly created national business development role, which will see her manage new agent recruitment and training as well as offer general support.
She steps into the role after almost 20 years in the industry, including the past two years as marketing manager with Your Travel & Cruise and a stint as a cruise specialist at Cruising Down Under.
PARKROYAL Parramatta appoints new general manager
PARKROYAL Parramatta has announced the appointment of Paul Flett as the property’s new general manager.
With a career spanning more than 20 years, Flett is a highly experienced leader within the hospitality industry who has held leadership positions with Pan Pacific Hotels Group both domestically and abroad.
In 2013, Flett was appointed hotel manager at PARKROYAL Darling Harbour in Sydney, where he oversaw the engineering, front office, restaurants, bars and events and housekeeping teams, before his promotion to GM of the hotel in 2016.
TMS Talent’s Ed Hewitt scores a promotion
TMS Talent has promoted Ed Hewitt to state manager for NSW and Queensland.
John Terry, managing director of TMS Talent, said: “We are pleased to announce the promotion of Ed Hewitt to state manager for both Queensland and NSW. This promotion offers the QLD region additional resources and service capabilities.
“Not only will clients and candidates have Ed available on the ground regularly in Brisbane, but they will also have our team of recruitment consultants supporting the market with our high-touch service approach.”
Pan Pacific Perth appoints assistant chief concierge as WA director
Pan Pacific Perth has announced the appointment of assistant chief concierge Stuart Spicer as director of Western Australia for the Les Clefs d’Or’s Australian national branch.
Les Clefs d’Or, or ‘The Society of the Golden Keys’, is an international professional association of the world’s best hotel concierges, founded in France in 1952.
A veteran hospitality professional of over 13 years, Spicer has worked at the Pan Pacific Perth since 2011, commencing as a porter before working his way to assistant chief concierge.
Spicer was accepted into the Les Clefs d’Or Australia in 2017 and was awarded Best Concierge in the 2016 Perth Airport Australian Hotels Association Western Australia Awards.
Corporate Travel Management renews and appoints new global chief legal officer and company secretary
Corporate Travel Management (CTM) has announced the appointment of Sophie Mitchell as non-executive director to the company board.
CTM has also announced the appointment of corporate lawyer Anne Tucker to the new role of global chief legal officer and company secretary.
Mitchell’s appointment forms part of a board and governance renewal process that will see the appointment of further non-executive directors.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
agent wrap airasia AirAsia Group Berhad Aireen Omar Bo Lingam Catherine Allison corporate travel management Ed Hewitt Elias Vafiadis Flavour of the Week hawaiian airlines helloworld helloworld travel Karen Chan Les Clefs d’Or pan pacific perth parkroyal Spencer Lee TMS Taslent tony fernandes Your Travel & CruiseLatest News
Collette goes off the beaten track with Canyon Country tour
To be clear TW is not advocating actually walking off the beaten track. Avoid the coyotes. Stay on the beaten track.
Intrepid & Korean Tourism Organisation team up to give agents a cooking masterclass
These guys learnt that Korean cooking is more than just putting kimchi on 2-minute noodles (as we once thought).
Winner, winner! Intrepid reveals the 9 lucky agents that won $2k
Who won the incentive? Which Intrepid trip will they spend it on? What day of the week is it again? Where am I? Huh?
Corporate Traveller reports 42% increase in Easter traffic this year
Business travellers just love Easter! Expect plenty of chocolate stained documents returning to the office on Tuesday.
Turbulent year wiped $384m off Qantas brand value: Report
Meanwhile, eating tuna at your desk can damage your own personal office brand value by several thousand dollars.
FAMIL: Room-Res & Singapore Tourism Board shows agents the Lion City’s roar
Click this article to see a man very impressed by a 20-layer chocolate cake. We're not kidding, he loved it!
Oceania Cruises offers sailors free pre-cruise hotel stay
Looking for ways to make your holidays as long as possible? Look no further.
Bonza launches new website to compliment app, agent portal
Does news about an airline's website fill you with ecstasy, glee and joy? Get your hit of the good stuff here.
MTA agents attends ‘Lunch ‘n’ Learn’ with AMA Waterways
When organising the event, Lunch 'n' Learn beat out Dinner 'n' Divulge and Breakfast 'n' Banter. Understandably so.
Travelmarvel reveals 2025 South America tours
If you spot any typos in the newsletter today it is because TW became distracted Googling images of Machu Picchu.
Tourists from 5 countries could be BANNED from visiting Australia
Anthony Albanese's immigration laws could impact tourism from certain countries.
Just how many passengers will Qantas & Jetstar hop around this Easter?
Airline workers are ready for gleeful Easter travellers! Also prepared for sticky children with chocolate on their face.
Air New Zealand gets ready for bumper Easter weekend
Air NZ gears up for travelling passengers this Easter, while TW looks to beat our egg eating record. 117 here we come!
Four Seasons Yachts reveals first itineraries to the Caribbean & Mediterranean
These trips look so good we wish there were five seasons! Alright, we'll see ourselves out...
FAMIL: Travellers Choice treats top agents to the wonders of Rotorua
This one's got plenty of famil pics and no one looks shockingly hungover in them! Clearly no TW staffers were there.
European Waterways celebrates 50th anniversary with week-long founders cruise
Plan on celebrating your 50th anniversary with a bottle of Moët and fairy bread? European Waterways has better ideas.
100th route! Jetstar celebrates the launch of Brisbane-Avalon with 12 hour sale
Jetstar knocks a ton and celebrates with a sale while TW once scored a ton and celebrated with about 17 beers.
Record-breaking year for NSW as visitor expenditure soars past $50 billion
Enjoy running round the Opera House? Be prepared to elbow even more tourists out the way.
Norwegian Cruise Line makes play for solo travellers
NCL ensuring you don't have to go trawling Tinder to find a cruise partner. Thank goodness, we were sick of catfishing.
Entire Travel Group’s Canada and Europe 2024/25 brochures are out now
Entire's new brochure is bittersweet; it both informs your clients and makes you envious of the holiday they'll take.
Malaysia Airlines adds 3 new destinations & A330neo seats
More seats means cheaper airfares and more money to spend on overpriced airport sandwiches. Woohoo!
Two divine days onboard Crystal Serenity
It's only pure serenity onboard this ship. Anxiety, agitation and anguish have been rejected by the bouncer.
How the Globus Family of Brands elevates coach touring: Travel Weekly TV with Chris Fundell
Chris' here so you don't think coaches mean peeling your thighs off a sticky leather seat every time you stand up!
The Flight Centre Foundation gears up for massive 2024 with 3 new board members
The foundation looks to invest $200k this year, spurring the TW journos to figure out how to qualify as a charity.
Barking Owl Communications to head up Anantara & Avani in ANZ
Fellow PR competitors had been barking up the wrong tree even thinking of bidding for this job!
Amex GBT to purchase CWT for $871m
It's big deals like this that get a firm handshake - hence the sore hands over at the CWT and Amex GBT offices.
1000MTG’s second global conference reminds agents to ‘strive and thrive’
Alongside messages to 'strive' and 'thrive' were those to 'survive', 'drive', 'arrive' and 'jive' (when appropriate).
Qantas A330 makes “loud bang”, pilots forced to shut down one engine
Qantas refusing to let Boeing have all the headlines in aviation world today!
GX Community Tourism Summit 2024 location revealed!
The new location has arrived and it'll blow your socks off! Time for another trip to Target for more socks then.
Visiting the destination my Mum didn’t want me to
Yet again, this journo has been a stress to his mother. Discover how this trip spurred his mother's anxiety here.
Agents come out of their shells at P&O’s turtle hatchery event
For some, it's a few glasses of bubbles to lure them out of their shell. For these agents, it was a bit more literal.
Boeing cleanout: CEO, chair to go as safety crisis plagues the manufacturer
CEOs are falling thick and fast these days. We should have started up a bingo game with their headshots in the office.
Virgin looks to swap MAX 10 order for MAX 8s amid Boeing delays: Reports
Virgin has changed its order for something smaller. Much like we have to at Maccas following a worrying doctor's visit.
Club Med unveils newest luxury yacht for 2024/25 early bird sale
This yacht is preserved for the early birds! Night Owls may also get onboard depending how late they stay up.
Abercrombie & Kent 2024 Asia Portfolio is here
Round up the family and get planning an Asia jaunt. Or, if they're hard to handle, brush them all and go it alone!
Elevate your earnings: Final days to secure double commission with Inspiring Vacations’ March offer
What could inspire you to sell more Inspiring Vacations? Double commission of course! That's all the inspiration needed.