Big Fat Airline Wrap
Writing this airline wrap is probably about as close as we will get to flying business class and landing somewhere tropical. That’s good enough, right?
Emirates boosts flights for busy Umrah season
Emirates will be boosting its flights to Jeddah during the busy Umrah season. The airline will operate 24 extra flights, adding more than 10,000 additional seats between Dubai and Jeddah from 12 June to 24 June. The additional flights will be serviced by the Boeing 777-300ER.
Emirates’ additional flights will help accommodate more convenient travel through Dubai during the Umrah season, which starts in Ramadan and concludes in July. These services will run in parallel with Emirates’ regularly scheduled services to Jeddah, which includes three daily flights. The additional services can be accessed by travellers holding a valid Umrah visa.
Onboard, Emirates’ award-winning ice system features special religious programming as well as popular regional entertainment options including new drama series. The airline’s diverse content available on board with up to 3,500 channels of entertainment includes 238 Arabic channels featuring movies, TV, music and audio.
“Get to the Sunshine by lunchtime”: New Air New Zealand campaign entices Kiwis to fly direct to the Sunshine Coast for a warm winter
Visit Sunshine Coast (VSC), Tourism Noosa (TN) and the Sunshine Coast Airport (SCA) are launching an integrated multi-media campaign, in partnership with Air New Zealand, to attract Kiwis across the ‘ditch’ to experience a warmer winter on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The campaign, which is funded by the Sunshine Coast Aviation Partnership (VSC, TN and SCA), will run through to early July when direct flights from Auckland to the Sunshine Coast will commence. The promotion encourages Kiwis to fly direct to the Sunshine Coast to arrive by lunchtime and experience all the region has to offer as they lap up the mid-20-degree-celsius temperatures typical of the region over ‘winter’.
The Air New Zealand campaign highlights the fact that New Zealand travellers can depart Auckland in the morning and be dipping their toes in the famed Sunshine Coast waters by lunchtime. It also showcases the many activities, from dining to adventure, on offer across the region from Caloundra and Mooloolaba to Noosa and the hinterland.
The campaign is being promoted across various media channels and on Air New Zealand’s website.
Qatar Airways to launch Qsuite on Canberra and Sydney route from July 2018
Qatar Airways is pleased to announce that its award-winning business class experience, Qsuite, will be available on flights to and from Canberra, its newest Australian destination, via Sydney, from 1 July 2018.
The announcement comes less than six months after the airline launched its Canberra route in February 2018. The Doha to Canberra flight makes one stop in Sydney, bringing Sydney residents a second daily service to and from the Qatari hub.
The route will initially be served by Qsuite up to four times a week, with daily Qsuite service to commence on 1 August 2018.
Patented by Qatar Airways, Qsuite features the industry’s first-ever double bed available in business class, as well as private cabins for up to four people with privacy panels that stowaway, allowing passengers in adjoining seats to create their own private room, a first of its kind in the industry. These new features provide the ultimate customisable travel experience that enables passengers to create an environment that suits their own unique needs.
Emirates SkyCargo signs milestone MoU with Cainiao Network to use Dubai as a hub
Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates and the largest international cargo airline, has signed an MoU with Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Ltd., the logistics arm of the Alibaba Group, to jointly facilitate the delivery of cross-border parcels as Cainiao looks to expand its global logistics infrastructure with Dubai as a hub.
This is a landmark agreement for both Emirates SkyCargo and Cainiao to leverage each other’s strengths in cross-border e-commerce trade and airline cargo operation. It will also support Cainiao’s broader efforts to offer enhanced customer experience. Cainiao recently unveiled plans to develop six global hubs in six cities around the globe. Dubai is one of them.
Under the terms of the MoU, Emirates SkyCargo and Cainiao will work closely to manage e- Commerce shipments in the Middle East and other neighbouring regions through Dubai. Further details of the tie-up will be announced progressively as they are developed by the two parties.
Fiji Airways unveils upgraded Tabua Club Programme
Fiji Airways, Fiji’s National Airline, has announced the introduction of a range of new benefits for Tabua Club Members, along with an exclusive new tier called Tabua Club Plus.
The changes also include new mechanisms for earning upgrade and status credits on both Fiji Airways and for the first time, on Fiji Link. The new benefits kick-in from July 16th 2018.
Fiji Airways has introduced tier status credits for the first time, and will offer credits for both tier status and upgrades on international and domestic travel on Fiji Link (where available). Members are now able to earn 0.25 credits for every eligible one-way domestic flight, one credit for every eligible one-way international economy, and two credits for every eligible one-way business class travel. Tabua Club Members who earn status credits of 20 within a membership year automatically get upgraded to Tabua Club Plus status.
Tabua Club Plus members will also enjoy a reduced annual membership fee of $599, and extra baggage allowance of up to 38kg in economy and 55kg in business class.
Emirates touches down in Auckland via Bali
Emirates has launched a new daily service from Dubai to Auckland via Bali, reflecting increased interest in the attractive Indonesian island destination and improving connectivity to New Zealand.
The new service offers global travellers a total of three daily services to New Zealand, complementing Emirates’ existing non-stop daily A380 service between Dubai and Auckland and its current daily A380 service between Dubai and Christchurch via Sydney. Travellers will now also enjoy a choice of three daily services between Dubai to Bali in the summer (northern hemisphere), as the new flight adds to Emirates’ two existing daily services which are currently operated by a Boeing 777-300ER in a two-class configuration.
Emirates’ new Dubai-Bali-Auckland flight provides the only year-round non-stop daily service between Auckland and Bali, giving passengers an opportunity to visit and/or stop over in one of the most popular islands in Indonesia. The new service will also be the first Emirates Bali flight to offer passengers the airline’s award-winning First Class product.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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