News in Brief: Wednesday February 20
Swiss-based hotel provider lowcostbeds.com has joined Travelport Rooms and More with the deal to add 90,000 properties to the technology firm’s hotel portfolio.
Garuda Indonesia will deepen its codeshare relationship with Etihad with the addition of six destinations in Europe and the Middle East currently served by the Middle Eastern carrier to its expanding network.
The Indonesian carrier will launch services to Frankfurt, Brussels, Milan, Dusseldorf, Munich and Bahrain from January 2013. The new additions join existing codeshare destinations Abu Dhabi, London, Paris, Manchester, Moscow, Athens and Muscat. Garuda will fly to all 13 destinations from its Abu Dhabi hub.
Passenger traffic through Sydney Airport rose 3.8% in January to 3.26 million, driven by strong domestic growth of 4.9% on the back of capacity increases. International traffic climbed just 1.9%, impacted by Chinese New Year falling later in the year than in 2012.
Melbourne Airport saw passenger numbers rise 5% in January to reach 2.62 million. Domestic passengers climbed 6% for the month, with international traffic up 2%.
The Oneworld Alliance has been named the best alliance for on-time flights by the independent FlightStats organisation. It is the first time a punctuality award has been presented to a global alliance, according to Oneworld.
SilverNeedle Hospitality has signed a deal to develop a 200-room NEXT hotel in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo. The property will form part of a US$100 million "mixed-use lifestyle centre".
Winnebago Australia has rebranded to Avida with all vehicles to adopt the new by February 28. The rebrand follows legal action by Iowa-based Winnebago Industries which successfully sought to prevent Winnbago from using the name in Australia.
Winnebago Australia, which said the legal action came after four decades and despite Winnebago Industries signing an agreement in the early 1990s, has appealed the decision. A hearing is set for March.
"Avida is a brand that will be with us for many years irrespective of the appeal," Avida Motorhomes chief executive Ben Binns said.
Holiday Inn Express has opened its first hotel in Phuket. It has 277 rooms.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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