It’s an airline bonanza today and considering we’re writing this wrap from the airport, you could say we’re super committed to our work. Well, half committed…

Free Doha Stopover for Qatar Airways Passengers

Qatar airways have partnered with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) to offer free Doha stopovers with free luxury hotel stays and complimentary transit visa to passengers in transit, to promote and market Qatar as a destination of choice for international travellers. The unique offer is part of a broader campaign called +Qatar which looks to encourage all transit passengers to consider adding Qatar to their itinerary.

Throughout the summer, the national carrier, with the support of QTA, will give all Qatar Airways passengers the chance to turn a layover into a stayover by offering four and five star hotel accommodation at no charge to those transiting through Doha. Passengers can choose from hotels such as The Four Seasons, Marriott Marquis, Radisson Blu and Oryx Rotana.

To be eligible for this offer, passengers simply book their flight on www.qatarairways.com/plusqatar, select ‘multi-city’ and choose their hotel once they receive their flight confirmation. The online transit visa application is also free and is eligible for those in transit between five and 96 hours.

South Africa Airway’s Mother’s Day Photo Competition

Send us your African themed photo with yourself in it, and go into win two bottles of South African red wine.

Just send us your photo to saa.australia@walshegroup.com and we will pick 5 winners.

Maximum image size should be 2MB. The Competition closes on Monday 15 May and the winners will be chosen by Fri 19 May.

Finnair and Finavia test face recognition technology at Helsinki Airport check-in

Finnair and Finavia, together with Futurice, will test the use of face recognition technology for the check-in process of Finnair flights at Helsinki Airport.

Finnair General Manager, Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia, Geoff Stone said during the test period until 23 May, the companies will gather information on the applicability of face recognition technology to the airport environment and the systems and processes used by the airline. Finnair has invited a group of 1,000 frequent flyers to take part in the test.

Finnair customers taking part in the test will use a test application to send their face portraits to the test system. When checking in to their flights, customers will use a designated check-in desk, where the face recognition technology will be installed. A customer service agent will then check the customers travel information and indicate in the test system if the face recognition was successful.

“Book & Go” away with Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific has re-launched its popular fare promotion, “Book & Go” to help Aussies live a life well-travelled. The “Book & Go” sale includes huge savings on flights for immediate departure from select origins to select destinations including Johannesburg, Seoul, Taipei and Toronto.

The sale lasts for five days only, May 5 to May 9, 2017.

The sale includes flights between Sydney to Johannesburg from just $1,131* return, Melbourne to Taipei from $618* return and Perth to Toronto from just $1,121* return. Passengers will experience Cathay Pacific’s Economy Class – designed to make your travel experience better than ever and the journey as comfortable as possible.

Qantas to Fly Daily to Queenstown 

Qantas has announced it will continue its daily direct flights* between Sydney and Queenstown from October 2017, in response to strong demand.

Operating on a Boeing 737, the daily service presents good connection opportunities for passengers transiting through to Queenstown from other destinations in the Qantas network.

The announcement complements a recent increase in services during the July to August ski season peak of up to 10 services per week.

Qatar Airways Celebrate One Year of Flying to Adelaide

Qatar Airways celebrate their first anniversary of operating direct flights between Adelaide to Doha, connecting South Australians to more than 150 destinations around the world.

As the first airline to bring an A350 to Australia with its launch into Adelaide, South Australians have been quick to embrace state-of-the-art flying, with performance on the route exceeding expectations by opening up a gateway to Europe and Asia without the need to stop in Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne. From 2 December 2017, Adelaide to Doha route will increase to daily flights.

South Australian Minister for Tourism Leon Bignell, said Qatar Airways’ flights have provided a major boost to the South Australian economy.

“The daily service is expected to bring an annual windfall of $41 million to the State, supporting 228 jobs, with an enormous opportunity for business and trade export to a global network,” Mr Bignell said.

TigerAir Australia Support Whitsunday Tourism bounce back from Cyclone Debbie

today from just $33* each way between Brisbane and Whitsunday Coast Airport (also known as Proserpine Airport) and from just $66* between Sydney and Whitsunday Coast Airport, for travel period extending from 18 May to 28 June. Sales ends midday AEDT 9 May or until sold out.

In further support, the airline is also thrilled to announce three major sponsorships including being the official airline partner for the Cyclone Debbie recovery concert in Airlie Beach on 27 May, the major sponsor of the Whitsunday Tourism Awards in September and the major airline partner of the Airlie Beach Festival of Music in November.

Tigerair Australia recently added additional services to fly six weekly return services between Sydney and the Whitsundays and in March launched four weekly return services between Brisbane and Whitsundays, providing in total, close to 200,000 visitor seats annually through Whitsunday Coast Airport, in response to consumer demand.

Botswana introduces new Tourism Development Levy

South African Airways has advised its customers travelling to Botswana that the country’s government is introducing a new Tourism Development Levy. The new levy of $US30 is applicable from June 1, 2017 and will impact all visitors to Botswana from Australia.

The stated intention of the levy is to raise funds for conservation and tourism development in the country and to support tourism industry growth in Botswana.

The levy will be payable at all ports of entry including airports and border posts. Payments will be made through electronic payment machines through cash ($USD) or with debit and credit cards. Following payment, a receipt corresponding to the visitor’s passport will be generated which is presented to immigration officials who will note the payment and stamp the passport. The receipt is valid for 30 days and valid for multiple entries to the country.

Air New Zealand open expansive new Melbourne lounge

Located on the ground floor of Melbourne International terminal, Air New Zealand’s new lounge carries an ultra-modern design created in conjunction with award-winning global architectural firm Gensler and Australian based design firm Marsden Collective.

The lounge offers five different spaces for close to 250 guests, allowing customers to relax and refresh or get some work done. A self-service food buffet, two self-service drink stations and a barista station are also available.

Air New Zealand General Manager Customer Experience, Anita Hawthorne, said the airline is committed to improving the customer experience and is proud to be able to offer customers flying out of Melbourne a new lounge space with 50 percent more seating than the previous lounge.

The Air New Zealand Melbourne International Lounge forms part of the airline’s four year $100 million programme to develop its network of lounges and follows the opening of new lounges in Sydney and Brisbane as well as in Auckland, Nadi, Wellington, Queenstown, Hamilton and Invercargill.

Qatar Airways is the Official Partner and Airline of FIFA until 2022

Upcoming events sponsored by Qatar Airways will include the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017, the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the FIFA Club World Cup, the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

As an Official Partner of FIFA, Qatar Airways will have extensive marketing and branding rights at the next two FIFA World Cups, with an expected audience reach of more than two billion people per tournament. The airline will also have visibility at competitions such as the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the FIFA Futsal World Cup and the FIFA Interactive World Cup, the world’s largest online gaming tournament.

The Partnership represents one of the biggest sporting sponsorships in the world and the largest in the history of Qatar Airways.