If you didn’t notice it was Anzac Day tomorrow, don’t worry. We didn’t notice we’d spilt coffee all down ourselves this morning until five minutes ago.

Air Canada rolls into Melbourne’s ‘heart’ to promote new non-stop Vancouver service

As excitement builds around the June launch of its new non-stop Melbourne-Vancouver service, Air Canada is taking its distinctive maple leaf brand into the very heart of Victoria’s capital with an eye-catching wrap on the city’s iconic trams.

Over the next eight weeks the Air Canada logo will adorn a tram travelling along key routes covering the Melbourne CBD, St Kilda Beach, Swanston Street, Southbank, Prahran and Chapel Street.

The clever artwork not only highlights the non-stop service – which will operate three times a week from 3 June – it also promotes Vancouver as a new gateway for Victorians travelling to North America and showcases the airline’s state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Air Canada General Manager Australia and New Zealand Vic Naughton says the tram takeover brings together two tourism icons – the Air Canada ‘Rondelle’ and Melbourne’s world famous trams.

In addition to the tram promotion, Air Canada is now spruiking its new Vancouver service via radio advertising and on digital billboards across Melbourne.

Emirates scoops four awards at the World Travel Awards Middle East 2018

Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, has been recognised at the World Travel Awards Middle East 2018 with four awards – Middle East’s Leading Airline, Middle East’s Leading Airline Brand, Middle East’s Leading Business Class Airport Lounge and Middle East’s Leading Cabin Crew.

The red carpet ceremony was attended by more than 500 industry leading figures and professionals from across the Middle East. Khalid Al Serkal, Emirates’ District Manager Sharjah received the awards on behalf of the airline.

Last year, the airline launched product enhancements on its Boeing 777 and A380 aircraft – unveiling its enhanced A380 Onboard Lounge, game-changing Boeing 777-300ER First Class private suites and new Business Class cabin and configuration on its Boeing 777-200LR aircraft.

Passengers on Emirates across all cabins can enjoy its award winning in-flight entertainment system ice, with up to 3,500 channels and 20MB complimentary on-board Wi-Fi, as well as regionally inspired meals prepared by award-winning chefs.

Emirates’ state-of-the-art, seven Business Class Lounges at Dubai International Airport Concourses A, B and C – boast a total seat capacity of over 4,500.

Concourse B lounges recently completed a US$ 11 million makeover, offering Business Class customers, as well as Platinum and Gold Skywards members  the highest standards of comfort before their flight.

The airline also expanded its global network of lounges to 41 dedicated Emirates Lounges in 2017.

Qatar Airways and Air Italy announce Codeshare

Qatar Airways is pleased to announce a new codeshare agreement with Air Italy, starting 24 April. The new agreement provides codeshares on Air Italy’s routes between Milan-Malpensa Airport and six domestic cities across Italy, including Catania (CTA), Rome (FCO), Naples (NAP), Olbia (OLB), Palermo (PMO) and Calabria (SUF).

The agreement also consists of Air Italy’s route between Rome Fiumicino Airport and Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (OLB).

Qatar Airways first began flying to Italy in 2002 with a service from Doha to Milan. A year later, the airline launched direct service to Rome.

In 2011, the award-winning airline started operating to Venice, and in 2016, Qatar Airways further strengthened its commitment to the country with a daily service to Pisa.

Since adding its fourth Italian destination, Qatar Airways has been operating 42 weekly flights from its home and hub in Doha, Hamad International Airport, to Italy.

From 24 April Air Italy will also offer codeshare flights on all of Qatar Airways’ Italy to Doha services along with two further routes on the Qatar Airways network to Singapore and Male.

Singapore Airlines extends title sponsorship of Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix

Singapore Airlines (SIA) today announced that it will extend its title sponsorship of the FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX for another two years, until 2019.

Singapore Airlines first signed as Title Sponsor in 2014, initially for two years. The sponsorship was subsequently extended for the 2016 and 2017 races.

This year’s event – the FORMULA 1 2018 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX – will take place over 14-16 September at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

The Singapore Night Race is the highlight of Singapore’s sporting calendar and SIA is thrilled to continue as its Title Sponsor.

American Airlines bolsters cuisine offering with celebrity chef partnership

American Airlines has appointed Sean Connolly to introduce his highly-awarded style of cuisine to Oceania.

The celebrity chef, who has restaurants in Australia and New Zealand, will introduce his knowledge of local cuisine to premium cabins on all American Airlines flights from Sydney to the U.S from March 2018.
English-born, Australian raised Sean is one of Australia and New Zealand’s most respected and recognised chefs.

His extraordinary career spans across TV shows, cookbooks and restaurants – all of which celebrate Sean’s love affair with multicultural dining and beautiful, quality food.

Travellers on the selected routes will experience Sean’s nod to local produce, where local proteins have been used wherever possible, such as Queensland Prawns and Blue Eyed Cod, as well as also incorporating several of his own Sean Connolly branded products into the recipes.

In addition to award-winning cuisines, American Airlines’ premium cabins are stocked with a variety of complimentary beers, wines and spirits to complement each inflight menu.

Each wine served goes through an extremely selective process as part of the award-winning wine program lead by Bobby Stuckey, who has for over 20 years gained experience as a Master Sommelier and restaurateur.

American partners with well-known chefs to design several on-board premium cabin menus. As of March 2018, additional chef partnerships include Maneet Chauhan, a James Beard Award winner, restaurateur and TV personality whose cuisine is available on all flights from the U.S. to Europe and South America.

American has also begun collaborating with noted chef, Jun Kurogi in conjunction with Japanese Airlines.

Emirates receives official Royal visit at Arabian Travel Market

Emirates, the Official Airline of the 2018 Arabian Travel Market (ATM), welcomed His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, to its stand during the opening of the region’s largest travel and tourism trade event.

His Highness Sheikh Maktoum was officially welcomed by Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Centre, Emirates, who gave a tour of Emirates’ exhibition stand, including the airline’s game-changing, fully enclosed First Class Private Suites, the Boeing 777 Business Class seats and the new A380 Onboard Lounge.

This is the first time Emirates’ new Boeing 777-300ER private suites are being showcased at Arabian Travel Market.

When in Rome lounge in luxury with British Airways

As part of its £4.5bn investment to benefit its customers, British Airways is set to revamp lounges across its network, starting with the opening of a brand-new lounge in Rome’s Fiumicino Airport.

The lounge follows a new design concept for the airline featuring the very best of British and European design and delivering a luxurious and contemporary look and feel.

Spread over 460 square metres, the space can comfortably host nearly 140 customers.

It also features a number of zones that create separate spaces for customers to work or relax in ahead of their flight.

The centre-piece of the lounge is a granite topped feature bar, with bespoke lighting and comfortable low seating.

During peak times the bar will be hosted by a mixologist enabling customers to sit back and relax as their drink is made to order.

In quieter periods, the design of the bar allows customers to help themselves from the wide range of beverages on offer.

The lounge also features high windows that allows natural light to flow in and provides fantastic views across the runway.

The windows will feature smart electronic blinds that are programmed with sensors to react to light and heat throughout the day, ensuring that the lounge is always a comfortable environment for customers to relax in.

Qatar Airways celebrates the inaugural E-Prix in Rome as Official Airline Partner

After expanding its highly-successful sponsorship of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship earlier this year, Qatar Airways this weekend celebrated its partnership in Rome where the airline was represented as the Official Airline Partner of the 2018 CBMM Niobium Rome E-Prix presented by Mercedes EQ, held on Saturday 14 April.

After much anticipation, the CBMM Niobium Rome E-Prix presented by Mercedes EQ arrived on the city’s streets last week with a 1.76 mile track between Cristoforo Colombo and the Palazzo dei Congressi.

As Official Airline Partner, Qatar Airways hosted a lounge inside the Allianz E-Village, where families and sport enthusiasts were able to take part in a variety of activities, including a photo booth with fun pictures to share on their social media channels and other competitions.

As part of a new three-season deal, announced in Doha in January this year, Qatar Airways reaffirmed its continued title sponsorship of the Qatar Airways Paris E-Prix, which this year takes place on 28 April, as well confirming the title sponsorship of the Qatar Airways New York City E-Prix on14 and 15 July.

Singapore Airlines’ flight information now available on Google Home

Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) customers can now enjoy fast and easy access to flight information from the comfort of their home, with just a voice command.

The Airline is the first carrier in South East Asia to provide such flight information via Google Home, which was launched in Singapore today.

With Google Home – a voice-enabled speaker powered by the Google Assistant – users can simply give a voice-initiated instruction to obtain information on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights. Information includes the most up-to-date status on departures and arrivals, dates, times and airport terminals.

SIA intends to progressively increase the amount of information available via Google Home to address more pre-flight queries.

The information provided via Google Home is an extension of the Airline’s beta chatbot, Kris, which was first made available on the SIA global Facebook page in December last year.

Kris, which was developed by an in-house team, will be launched on singaporeair.com by the second quarter of this year.

Air Canada elevates premium travel experience for International and North American customers

Air Canada today introduced its new Air Canada Signature Service, providing an enhanced and seamless end-to-end travel experience for customers flying in Air Canada Signature Class, the premium cabin of its wide-body aircraft.

Available today for international customers and, starting June 1 on select flights within North America, the new service makes Air Canada the first North American airline to designate aircraft with lie-flat seats for premium customers on select non-stop, transcontinental flights within Canada and to the U.S., including overnight daily flights from Vancouver, Los Angeles and San Francisco to Toronto.

Air Canada Signature Service customers will receive priority service at every stage of the journey, including access to airport concierge services, expedited check-in and security clearance, priority baggage handling and preferential boarding.

Customers will also enjoy Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge access and, for eligible customers travelling to international destinations from Toronto-Pearson, access to the exclusive Air Canada Signature Suite, featuring à la carte restaurant dining from a menu created by celebrated Canadian chef David Hawksworth.

Available starting today on all Air Canada international flights and beginning June 1 on select transcontinental flights within North America, Air Canada Signature Service and Air Canada Signature Class incorporate and elevate the award- winning attributes of Air Canada’s International Business Class, featuring its next generation lie-flat suites.

Air Canada Signature Service will be available on select transborder and domestic Canadian transcontinental flights when operated with Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing 777, Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 aircraft. This includes routes between Toronto and the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, and between Vancouver and the cities of New York-Newark and Montreal.

Emirates to debut its new fully enclosed First Class Private Suite for the first time at ATM

Emirates will unveil its new Boeing 777-300ER First Class Private Suite exhibit at the Arabian Travel Market 2018 (ATM). The region’s leading travel and tourism exhibition will run from 22 – 25 April.

This year marks Emirates’ 25th year of partnership and commitment to ATM. When the exhibition first opened its doors in 1993, Emirates flew 15 aircraft to 32 destinations and carried 2 million passengers.

Today, Emirates is one of the largest international airlines serving 159 destinations in 85 countries, carrying more than 59 million passengers to, and through, its hub in Dubai annually.

The Emirates stand will offer visitors a chance to experience the airline’s recently-launched products and service enhancements.

The game changing, fully enclosed First Class private suites on exhibit have floor to ceiling sliding doors, soft leather seating, high-tech control panels and mood lighting.

Incorporating cutting-edge technology, the suites also feature several world-firsts, including: ‘virtual windows’ using real-time fibre-optic camera technology, a NASA inspired ‘zero-gravity’ seating position, and a personal video-call service.

Design details within the suite were inspired by luxury automotive brand Mercedes-Benz.

Emirates will also showcase its latest Boeing 777 Business Class seat, the A380 OnBoard lounge, along with other iconic products such as the First Class Shower Spa and the latest version of its generously-pitched Economy Class seats.

Qatar Duty-Free awarded prestigious ‘Airport Retailer of the Year’ title at DFNI Global Awards 2018 in London

Qatar Duty Free (QDF) has been awarded ‘Airport Retailer of the Year’ at the DFNI Global Awards 2018 that took place at the Royal Lancaster hotel in London on 13 April.

The DFNI Global Awards are selected by a judging panel of industry leaders and experts, who recognise and accolade international retailers for being best-in-class.

QDF is one of the largest duty free retailers in the world, with more than 90 boutiques and luxury, high-end stores, as well as more than 30 restaurants and cafés covering an area of 40,000 square meters at Hamad International Airport (HIA), home to QDF.

QDF boasts many renowned international luxury brands, including Gucci, Bulgari, Hermès, Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss, Moncler, Rolex and Harrods.

QDF was the Gold Sponsor for two categories at the DFNI Global Awards 2018, ‘Best New Product’ and ‘Best New Product Packaging’.

The ‘Best New Product’ category, won by WorldSIM, focused on several judging factors including, the commercial success, quality and brand appeal of the product.

‘Best New Product Packaging’, won by Champagne Lanson, was judged on the concept, design, quality and brand visibility.

Air Astana’s Indian passengers enjoy 72 hours Visa free stopover in Kazakhstan

Air Astana passengers holding Indian passports can enjoy 72 hours visa free stopovers in Kazakhstan with effect from 23th April 2018 until the end of the year.

Passengers with Air Astana flights transiting in Almaty and Astana simply need to notify check-in staff at the point of departure in order to enjoy the benefit of a visa free visit.

Air Astana offers Delhi – Almaty daily flights and a Delhi – Astana service three times a week operated by modern Airbus and Embraer aircraft. The direct flight connecting the capitals of India and Kazakhstan was introduced on July 2, 2017.

Since introduction of the first flight between two countries Air Astana has carried almost 570 thousand passengers.

Favourite Air Astana destinations for Indian passengers include Moscow, Kiev, Tbilisi, Baku, Istanbul and Bishkek.

Additional cities, where Air Astana provides convenient onward flights include St.Petersburg, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Beijing and Urumqi as well London, Frankfurt, and Paris.

Air Astana’s transit traffic for period of January – March 2018 grew by 62 per cent compared for the same period last year, which represents almost 30 per cent of total passenger traffic.