We kicked off the New Year with a brand new format, enabling us to measure which stories are tickling your interest the most. So, here we go with a round-up of the top ten stories from each month to take you on a journey back through the rollicking year that was 2013.

January

January was a month filled with talk of the impending tie-up between Qantas and Emirates, and a controversial word beginning with an F made it into the marketing material of adventure operator Geckos.

Qantas-Emirates flights go on sale

Bookings opened for flights on the joint Qantas-Emirates network for travel from March 31, the proposed start date for their alliance.

Geckos reveals f*#cking brave rebrand

Geckos Adventures unveiled its long-awaited rebrand, with the adventure travel firm adopting a new “raw and real” approach to marketing with swearing part of its lingo.

Qantas takes code off Jetstar routes

Qantas removed its code from a range of Jetstar-operated domestic flights with immediate effect in a bid to “increase transparency” in the booking process.

Sydney agent becomes first failure of 2013

Sydney-based retailer Travel Agents Nexus has became the first company failure of 2013 with claims expected to hit $100,000.

Air NZ edges closer to Canberra flights

Air New Zealand confirmed it is in "active dialogue" with Canberra airport over the possible launch of flights to either Auckland or Wellington.

Search begins for Air NZ GM

Air New Zealand commenced its search for an Australia general manager with the carrier anxious to appoint an experienced executive with existing local trade relationships.

Sabre move marks new era for Virgin

Virgin Australia expressed hopes its migration to the SabreSonic platform would create new opportunities to grow revenue from across the travel distribution landscape.

Hayes names as new AAT Kings boss

The Travel Corporation concluded its lengthy search for a new chief for AAT Kings, with the appointment of former Tourism Queensland chief executive, Anthony Hayes.

Cruise claims keep rolling into TCF

The TCF confirmed it is still receiving 10 to 15 claims each day following the November collapse of Classic International Cruises, as investigations begin into the reasons behind the failure.

LAN to split with World Aviation

LAN Airlines announced it would company with its Australian general sales agent, World Aviation Systems (WAS), and established its own Asia regional office in Sydney.

February

Change at Qantas continued to dominate headlines, along with the ongoing review over at JTG and a significant sales restructure at Carnival Australia.

JTG sees TTV tumble as review continues

Jetset Travelworld Group reported a decline in pre-tax profits of 9.5% to $14.9 million amid a sharp fall in total transaction value (TTV) and revenue.

Qantas, Emirates unveil frequent flyer synergies

Qantas and Emirates unveiled a range of frequent flyer benefits under their proposed partnership, as the two airlines further aligned their individual schemes.

Carnival overhauls sales structure

Carnival Australia confirmed Complete Cruise Solution would cease operations on March 11, as it unveiled a new sales structure for its cruise brands.

Flight Centre on the hunt for new digs

The search got underway for a new global head office for retail giant Flight Centre, with the firm hinting further growth is on the agenda

Qantas reports after tax profit of $111m

Qantas reported an after tax profit of $111 million in the first six months of the financial year, up 164% on the corresponding period last year despite "challenging conditions".

Qantas unveils new Asia approach

Qantas revealed plans to axe its Adelaide-Singapore and Perth-Hong Kong services under a restructure of its Asian network from March 31, the start date of its proposed tie-up with Emirates.

Air Pacific CEO departs

Air Pacific managing director and chief executive Dave Pflieger announced he would leave the airline to return to the US, with the search underway for a replacement.

QantasLink expands NSW services

QantasLink to add eight weekly flights from Sydney to both Tamworth and Dubbo from April as part of an expansion of its New South Wales network.

IHG walks away from four NT hotels

InterContinental confirmed it would cease management of four Northern Territory hotels from May 1, three of them in Darwin.

Jetstar replaces QF on loss-making Ayers Rock route

Jetstar to replace daily loss-making Qantas flights between Sydney and Ayers Rock with a four times weekly service from June 4.

March

Qantas and Emirates got the all important all-clear from the ACCC, as restructuring continued over at JTG and industry farewelled two of its comrades.

Qantas pays respects to former chief

Qantas paid tribute to its former chief executive James Strong, who died at the age of 68.

Sydney hotel owner killed in Pakistan

IHG and Crowne Plaza Norwest Sydney paid tribute to the hotel's managing director and co-owner, Minhas Zulfiqar, who was tragically killed in Pakistan.

Agents losing ground to online: study

Harvey World Travel, Jetset and Travelworld lost market share to online retailers in 2012 as Flight Centre retained its market leading position.

Alliance all clear for Qantas, Emirates

The future of Qantas' international business became "much brighter" with the competition regulator's authorisation of its partnership with Emirates, according to chief executive Alan Joyce.

F-bomb rebrand drives Geckos sales growth

Gecko’s Adventures reported a doubling of brochure requests in the two months since its Run Wild rebrand, although some retailers had removed the material in protest at its use of swearing.

Hotels “confused” by Qantas-owned Hooroo

The commercial boss of Qantas off-shoot Hooroo admitted the industry is still likely to be scratching its head at who and what the business is after hoteliers faced three separate meetings with the accommodation retailer under three different identities.

CTM names first local CEO

Corporate Travel Management (CTM) appointed a chief executive for its Australian and New Zealand business to ensure it does not lose focus on its core profit-making operation.

QBT boss Hughes goes in shake-up

QBT general manager David Hughes to depart on March 31 after four years heading up the operation, part of Jetset Travelworld, under a restructure.

Bratton to leave Orion after sale to Lindblad

Orion Expedition Cruises founder and managing director Sarina Bratton to leave the business after it was sold to US-based small ship operator Lindblad Expeditions.

Webjet on hunt for chief executive

Webjet got on the search for a chief executive to oversee both the Webjet and Zuji brands in Australia and New Zealand.

We'll be back tomorrow with the next installment – don't miss it!