News in Brief: Tuesday November 25
Qantas and American Airlines have expanded their joint business, enabling Qantas customers to codeshare on an additional nine American Airlines services, including to four new destinations of Kona, Lihue and Maui in Hawaii, and Richmond, Virginia.
Effective for sale today and travel from November 27, the Qantas codeshare on American Airlines will extend to include nine new services departing Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth.
The Australian Federation of Travel Agents has announced that Consolidated Travel Group is now ATAS travel accredited.
AFTA’s general manager Gary O’Riordan welcomed the long-standing AFTA members to the family, saying, “In becoming ATAS accredited they join the network of travel businesses that are synonymous with quality, credibility and a professional standing.”
In the midst of her adventures around the UAE, Kim Kardashian made the time to stop by YUAN, the signature Chinese restaurant, bar and lounge at Atlantis, The Palm.
The celeb’s visit comes just before YUAN celebrates its first anniversary, with the hotspot a favourite among other A-Listers such as supermodel Jourdan Dunn and fashionista Millie Mackintosh.
Travel Counsellors have reported an impressive sales growth over the past 12 months for both its corporate and leisure divisions at the company’s annual conference, with its global sales for the financial year end up $771 million from $693 million the previous year.
The Australian business grew by 5% over the past year for both its leisure and business division, with phenomenal growth of 53% over the past five years, while the company revealed repeat business levels of 95% for business travel customers, and 70% for leisure customers.
On average each Travel Counsellor grew their individual income by 10% last year, with 620 Travel Counsellors achieving their best ever sales months in 2014.
A group of 14 travel agents have recently returned from a luxurious cruise through Turkey and Greece aboard APT’s small expedition ship the MS Island Sky as part of its 2014 VIP Top Achiever Trip.
APT’s 12-day ‘Path of the Ottomans’ cruise set sail from Istanbul and stopping at various Turkish ports, heading to Rhodes and exploring the Greek Islands throughout the Mediterranean Sea, soaking up plenty of culture and history along the way.
Lizard Island will officially reopen on March 1 2015, following 12 months of extensive refurbishments and rebuilds after the impact of Cyclone Ita.
Returning guests will notice a few changes to the accommodation, including a new stand-alone suite with two bedrooms, en-suites, wraparound deck and beach views known as The Villa.
Other accommodation changes feature the expansion of The Pavilion, with separate lounge, private gazebo and plunge pool, Sunset Point Villas with new private plunge pools also, and the Anchor Bay Rooms and Garden Rooms restored to their original quality standards.
Australian travel industry leaders gathered on the decks of the destroyer HMAS Vampire in Sydney this week to hear Star Alliance chief executive Mark Schwab share news on how the company intends to continue its quality customer service.
Schwab took the opportunity to highlight some of the major developments for Star Alliance in 2014, including the arrival of Air India and the revamp of Star Alliance’s Round the World fare, which saw four new categories and greater flexibility.
He said that in 2015 Star Alliance would continue to enhance its global network, with a strong focus on South America, while also introducing new service innovations, including Gold Track, which will provide Star Alliance Gold members with priority clearance through airport security checkpoints.
Etihad Airways has announced the appointment of Shane O’Hare as its senior vice president for marketing.
O’Hare brings a mix of experience in airline marketing and management, with a range of senior executive positions in the Gulf and around the world under his belt, acting most recently as president and CEO of Royal Jet.
In his new role, O'Hare will have responsibility for developing the airline's marketing strategy, and for leading its successful implementation across commercial strategies, brand management, communications, product and service development, and sales and distribution strategies.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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