Emirates adds Guangzhou to its global list of A380 destinations

Emirates, voted the World’s Best Airline 2016 at the Skytrax World Airline Awards, announced that it will operate its flagship A380 on services between Dubai and Guangzhou from 1st October 2016, the 67th National Day of People’s Republic of China. This follows the airline’s recent announcements of A380 deployment on its Milan and Johannesburg routes.

Guangzhou will join more than 40 destinations on Emirates’ extensive global network served by its highly popular A380 aircraft, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, London, Paris, Sydney, Toronto, Auckland, Bangkok, and Seoul.

Since the route’s inauguration in 2008, Emirates has been flying a two-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on its daily flights between Guangzhou and Dubai, and the airline has seen steady growth for its service on the route. Once the A380 service commences, it will increase capacity by 15% to meet the growing travel and trade demand from Southern China to Dubai and beyond.

Emirates will deploy its three-class A380 on the Guangzhou route, offering a total of 491 seats, with 14 private suites in First Class, 76 mini pods with lie-flat seats in Business Class and 401 spacious seats in Economy Class. Flight EK362 will depart Dubai at 10:20am and arrive in Guangzhou at 22:05. The return flight, EK363, will depart Guangzhou at 12:15am and arrive in Dubai at 03:50.

Have your say with Cathay Pacific for a chance to fly away!

Cathay Pacific is calling all Australian travel trade partners to participate in a nationwide survey, for their chance to win two return Economy Class tickets to Hong Kong!

From now until midnight (AEST), 23 August 2016, the airline is inviting its partners to provide feedback on Cathay Pacific’s service in Australia. The survey questions are designed to offer trade the opportunity to share their opinions on how the airline can continue to build on their service and ensure they continue to be easy to work with across the industry.

Richard Jones, Sales and Marketing Manager, Cathay Pacific Airways, Australia said: “Our travel trade partners are an important part of our Australian business. We believe it is essential to our success locally to listen to our partners, to ensure that we are continuing to improve and are providing the services and assistance that they need.”

In addition to the major prize, participants will also have the chance to win one of fifteen daily prizes on offer. To participate and for your chance to win, please visit:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CathayPacificAUS

Air New Zealand adds Sydney to Norfolk flight

Air New Zealand will be adding extra flights between Sydney and Norfolk Island by operating a Sunday service on 8 January and 15 January and also between 26 February through to 30 April 2017. The additional Sunday flight will operate at the same times as the current Monday and Friday services and will be reflected in the GDS from Thursday 14 July 2016.

Experience more of Brazil with LATAM Airlines

LATAM Airlines, South America’s leading airline, is excited to announce its latest Destination of the Month Sale with discounted return economy airfares to Brazil starting at AUD$1,579* (including taxes).

All eyes are on Brazil for the 2016 Olympic Games but for those who won’t be cheering front row at the world’s biggest sporting event this month, not to worry, Brazil’s famed golden beaches, samba-fuelled nightlife and breathtaking natural wonders will still be open and in full swing post-Olympics.

For the sun-worshippers and history-buffs, Rio de Janeiro’s illustrious Copacabana and Ipanema beaches are the place to play volleyball with the city’s cariocas, sip caipirinhas while working on the tan or simply take in the passing parade of people. Or for those after something a bit more cultural, head further north along the golden coast to Salvador de Bahia, the country’s Afro-Brazilian jewel, to explore this living museum filled with 17th and 18th century Portuguese architecture along with an enigmatic energy and unadorned beauty few cities can match.
For the night-owls and nature-lovers, music is the lifeblood to South America and Brazil’s Sao Paulo is no exception; get to know the moves and soundtracks that make the country tick with a night out experiencing the city’s samba-fuelled nightlife. Or for those wanting to explore Brazil’s natural splendours there’s none other than the powerful sight of the Iguazu Falls – taller than Niagara Falls and twice as wide.

There has never been a better time to discover more of Brazil and this is the perfect opportunity for Aussies to grab an incredible deal, with discounted flights on sale till 31 August, 2016.

Malaysia On Sale From $119 with AirAsia

Explore the Diversity of Malaysia on AirAsia Flights from Perth. Book from 1 – 22 August for immediate departure from 2 August to 24 November 2016.

AirAsia and Tourism Malaysia are showcasing Malaysia’s broad range of experiences and multicultural highlights by offering a range of destinations on sale for a limited time only.

AirAsia’s limited time promo is available at www.airasia.com from 1 to 22 August 2016 for immediate travel from 8 August to 24 November 2016.

Guests can fly economy one-way to Kuala Lumpur from Perth from $119* or on one of AirAsia’s Premium flatbeds from $398*.

Fly to these exciting Malaysia destinations one-way from Perth:

Penang, Kota Bharu and Kuala Terengganu from $197*

Langkawi from $201*
Kuching from $211*

Miri and Sibu from $214*

Bintulu and Labuan from $217*

Kota Kinabalu from $227*

Sandakan and Tawau from $230*

AirAsia X, together with AirAsia, provides Australians with low fares and connectivity to over 100 destinations across 26 countries.

Emirates Goes All A380 to Manchester; Adjusts A380 Schedule to Birmingham

Emirates announced an 11% capacity increase to Manchester with the deployment of a third daily A380 on the route. As of 1st January 2017, the replacement of the Boeing 777-300ER will mean that all Emirates flights to Manchester will be operated by the iconic double decker aircraft. The airline also unveiled plans to swap its current A380 service at Birmingham from the morning to the afternoon departure slot, in order to offer customers even more connections beyond Dubai to other Emirates A380 destinations – ensuring a seamless “A380 to A380” experience.

Thanks to the new aircraft deployment, Emirates will offer 2,198 additional weekly seats on the route, enabling further business and leisure travel between Dubai and Manchester. The airline also expects to break the symbolic mark of one million passengers carried on the route for this financial year, attesting to the growing demand in the market. With a total of 517 seats in a three-class cabin configuration, the aircraft features 14 private suites in First Class, 76 flat-bed seats in Business Class and 427 spacious seats in Economy Class.

Cathay Pacific credit card charge changes

From 1 September 2016, Cathay Pacific Airways will move from a fixed dollar amount to a percentage fee on credit card payments for Australian flight bookings.

The changes are in line with recent regulatory changes made by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) with regards to card payment fees. The current credit card payment fee is a fixed AU$30 on all fares.

Details of the new credit card payment fee, effective from 1 September 2016, is outlined in the table below:

For example, an airfare of $1,500 paid with Visa or Mastercard will incur a fee of $14.85. This will mean most Cathay Pacific customers will pay the same or less in card payment fees than they do today, while some customers may pay more.