SAA and JetBlue announce codeshare agreement

JetBlue Airways and South African Airways have announced a bilateral codeshare agreement to connect the carriers' networks via New York's John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Washington's Dulles International Airport (IAD). The agreement is pending US DOT regulatory approval and subject to receipt of foreign government operating authority.

The partnership – an expansion of an interline agreement first inked in 2010 – allows customers to purchase a single ticket combining SAA- and JetBlue-operated flights and enjoy day-of-travel conveniences such as one-stop check-in and baggage transfer.

JetBlue intends to place its B6 code on SAA-operated flights between the US and both Johannesburg, South Africa, and Dakar, Senegal, as well as on connecting flights to select destinations beyond Johannesburg, including Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

SAA offers daily direct flights between New York and Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport, and a stopover daily flight between Washington and Johannesburg via Dakar's Leopold Sedar Senghor International Airport.

SAA has had a similar arrangement in place with JetBlue since 2011, placing its SA code on JetBlue-operated flights from its US gateways to top destinations including Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida.

Via its Johannesburg hub, SAA links the world to most cities and destinations across southern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, including South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zambia.

JetBlue operates one of America's youngest airline fleets, with 187 Airbus A320 and EMBRAER 190 aircraft. At JFK Airport, JetBlue operates from its acclaimed Terminal 5, while SAA operates from the adjacent Terminal 4.

At Washington Dulles, both JetBlue and SAA are co-located in Concourse B.

More Best Western hotels for West Africa

Best Western International has announced the addition of three new hotels to its West African portfolio. With eight properties open and five additional hotels in the pipeline, Best Western plans to have more than 1,300 rooms in West Africa.

The newest additions are the Best Western Plus Ajuji Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria, the Best Western Starfire Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria, and the Best Western Plus Atlantic Hotel in Takoradi, Ghana.

“We see West Africa as one of the global hotbeds for hotel development and these three properties are a major step forward in our efforts to expand throughout that region,” said Best Western’s Vice-President of International Operations Suzi Yoder.

The Best Western Plus Ajuji Hotel will offer 104 rooms in the new Gudu District, with direct access to the CBD, Abuja Domestic Airport and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

The Best Western Starfire Hotel, in the heart of Lagos, is adjacent to the city’s large shopping district. The property offers 40 bedrooms. Breakfast, Wi-Fi and car parking are complimentary to all guests.

The Best Western Plus Atlantic Hotel in Takoradi is a 5-star property that features 200 guest rooms, a wide selection of dining and beverage outlets and a conference and banqueting hall, which can accommodate up to 400 people.
 

Travelport launches Search Control Console

Travelport, a distribution services and e-commerce provider to the travel industry, has announced the global launch of its new Search Control Console, a tool to customise searches in real time.

The application enables agencies to centrally control over 35 rules and parameters to fine tune the relevancy of search results to their traveller’s needs, and to quickly capture business opportunities. Travelport’s Search Control Console is a web-based solution that enables agencies to configure air shopping search parameters according to individual traveller needs.

The Search Control Console removes the burden of labour-intensive ‘intelligence coding’, or the need to continually send instructions to frontline sales staff, saving both time and money. Agencies can also leverage the Travelport Search Control Console to achieve important financial objectives. Search modifiers within the application can be applied to meet airline sales targets.

The Travelport Search Control Console application is available to subscribers to the Apollo, Galileo and Worldspan systems worldwide. For more information, visit the TravelportTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/TravelportTube), or click here to view the video demonstration.

Arik acquires A330-200

According to Breaking News Travel, Nigeria’s Arik Air has expanded its international fleet with the acquisition of the new A330-200 twin-engine aircraft.

The new aircraft will service long-haul routes, including London Heathrow, New York John F Kennedy and O.R. Tambo International in Johannesburg.

The introduction of the airline’s first Airbus A330-200 widebody aircraft will increase the fleet to 24, with another two dozen planes on order.

“We continue to rise as the airline of choice for passengers travelling to West Africa from New York, and we are dedicated to the delivery of premium customer service and efficiency to our passengers,” said Robert Brunner, VP: America’s Arik Air. “The expansion of our fleet with the acquisition of a new A330-200 twin-engine aircraft, will enable us to provide our passengers with an even more robust service offering.”

Turkish Airlines finalises order for five additional 777-300ERs

Turkish Airlines has announced an order for five Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) aircraft. The Turkish flag-carrier has exercised options on five 777-300ERs that were first announced in December 2012 as part of a previous firm order for 15 777-300ERs. Turkish Airlines now has 20 of these planes currently on order from Boeing.

Turkish Airlines' fleet currently includes 12 777-300ERs, the first of which Boeing delivered in October 2010. Since then, the 777-300ER has played a significant role in Turkish Airlines' long-haul growth.

The 777-300ER can seat up to 386 passengers in a three-class configuration and has a maximum range of 14,685 kilometres.

The airline’s African destinations include Accra, Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Algiers, Cape Town, Dakar, Entebbe, Johannesburg, Kinshasa, Kigali, Lagos, Libreville, Lusaka, Mombasa, Mogadishu, Ndjamena, Nouakchott, Tripoli, Tunis and Yaoundé.
 

KQ to start direct flights to Abuja

According to News24, Kenya Airways will soon begin direct flights to Abuja, Nigeria, in a bid to further tourism and trade.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said the recent review of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement between the two countries was an important milestone that will allow Kenya Airways to fly directly to Abuja. Speaking during a meeting with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan at State House, Abuja, Kenyatta said that the Memorandum of Understanding on co-operation on tourism under consideration by the two countries will also offer other avenues for exchanges in this sector.

“We want to see Nigerians stopping in Kenya for business and tourism, not just transiting through Nairobi," he said.

He encouraged Nigerian entrepreneurs to take advantage of the attractive investment opportunities available in Kenya to conduct business, and called for closer interaction between business communities from both countries, through the respective chambers of commerce and relevant trade and investment institutions, to facilitate and expedite trade and investments.

Air Seychelles and Etihad expand codeshare

Air Seychelles recently announced an expansion of its codeshare partnership with Etihad Airways, for travel to Kuwait over Abu Dhabi.

The newly-added codeshare destination will see Air Seychelles and Etihad offer 10 return flights per week from Kuwait to the Seychelles, including a daily service. Air Seychelles will place its HM code on Etihad flights between Kuwait and Abu Dhabi.

With this latest addition, Air Seychelles now offers codeshare flights to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain and Oman for a collective 55 return services per week to the Gulf region. The new codeshare flights can be booked online, through its call centre (+248 4 38 10 13), at the airline’s sales offices, or through a travel agency.

Air Namibia to fly daily to Luanda

Air Namibia will increase the frequency of its flights between Windhoek, Namibia, and Luanda, Angola, to meet the rising demand for seats on this route.

From 6 August, the national air carrier will introduce one additional flight per week on the route – on Tuesdays – to bring to seven the total number of flights operated by Air Namibia between Windhoek and Luanda.

The additional flight will be operated using the Airbus A319-100 fleet, and will operate at the same flight timings as the current six flights. The plane will depart Windhoek at 08h50 and land in Luanda at 11h15; the return flight will leave Luanda at 12h15 and arrive in Windhoek at 14h35.

The airline launched its service between Luanda and Windhoek in May 1991, with a frequency of one flight a week on Sundays. The operation was interrupted and then halted during 1992 as a result of the civil war in Angola, and resumed in 1995. Since then the Luanda route has seen a steady growth in passenger numbers and as a result an increase in the frequency of flights.

Government considers the return of Uganda Airlines

According to eTurboNews, Uganda’s government is considering reviving Uganda Airlines which was liquidated in 2001, due to high running costs and a large debt burden the government could not service quickly enough.

The State Minister for Transport, Stephen Chebrot, said a cabinet paper has been developed for further consultation with different interested parties, to pave a way forward for the return of Uganda's national carrier. Uganda Airlines was established in 1976 amidst strained relations between the partners of the former East African Airways – Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The late Idi Amin ensured the airline got off the ground in 1977 with Entebbe Airport as its hub.

Uganda has had a sharp increase in the number of passengers transiting at Entebbe International Airport. The numbers hit 1.3 million passengers in 2012.

Although this number pales in comparison with Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya and Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, of four million passengers annually, expansion of Entebbe airport both in cargo handling and passenger terminals, will hopefully attract other airlines to the country and push passenger numbers up.

Arik increases capacity between Lagos and Johannesburg

Arik Air has increased capacity on its Lagos-Johannesburg route.

The airline switched planes – from the 148-seater Boeing 737-800 to the 238-seater Airbus A340-500 – and began transporting more passengers on daily flights from 16 July.

According to website Centreforaviation, Arik’s decision will increase competition with SAA, which operates daily with a mix of two-class 253-seat A340-300 and 317-seat A340-600 planes as the only other carrier on the route.

Flight W3103 departs Lagos, Nigeria, at 22h45 and arrives in Johannesburg, South Africa at 05h50. Return flight W3104 leave Johannesburg at 09h35 and lands in Lagos at 14h55.

Europcar’s B2B portal is addressing customer demand

Europcar’s website now provides its corporate website users with improved ease of use, facilitation control and report accessibility.

“Europcar harnesses technology to deliver world-class solutions, letting technology take care of customers’ regular car rental needs so that they can give their full attention to what is important in terms of their own businesses,” says Dawn Nathan-Jones, CEO of Europcar SA.

The website offers an improved booking engine, a modern interface, clearly presented information, improved navigation, the introduction of mapping technology, a vehicle comparison process, and several features that aid searches and access to information, and new administration features.

The Europcar Business-to-Business website tool, which is compatible with all major web browsers, is available to all Europcar account customers, with the company providing training and assistance to all new customers via its sales team to ensure clients use the booking tool to their best advantage.

www.europcar.co.za/b2b
 

Kenya’s second runway project back on track

According to eTravelNews, the second runway project at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has been given the green light to proceed with due haste.

Under the previous government, the runway was repeatedly delayed, but the new Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, Michael Kamau, was swift in clearing the mess left behind by his predecessor, and got the project back on track.

The cost of completely the new runway will run to about $650 million at current prices, and completion, once ground is finally broken, will take at least three-and-a-half years. Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was built to accommodate two million passengers.

Today it services nearly seven million passengers annually. Capacity constraints have cost Kenya dearly as more airlines wish to fly to Nairobi but find themselves restricted by the lack of suitable slot times, parking for aircraft, air bridges, office space and overcrowded departure and arrival terminals. The new runway will be joined by a new terminal building to help process the increased visitor numbers.

Dusit looks ahead to Nairobi opening

Construction is well under way on what will be Dusit International’s first hotel property in Kenya, and only its second on the African continent.

Dusit is an international hotel group with the bulk of its properties located in Thailand. It also has properties in the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), Maldives, China and Egypt, whilst plans are in place to expand Dusit’s presence in Thailand, China and the UAE, and add properties in the USA, India, Qatar and Kenya. The latest opening was Dusit’s first property in China, the dusitD2 Fudu Binhu Hotel Changzhou in Jiangsu Province.

Dusit International operates four brands: Dusit Thani Hotels & Resorts; dusitD2 Hotels & Resorts; Dusit Princess Hotels & Resorts; and Dusit Residence Serviced Apartments.

The property in Nairobi will be a dusitD2 property, and opening is provisionally scheduled for the end of the year. It is well located on the west edge of the suburb of Westlands, off Waiyaki Way and Riverside Drive, within 14 Riverside, Nairobi’s first and only secluded office park with a luxury hotel. Dusit recently named Olivier Francais as the hotel’s general manager.

BA confirms A380 for South Africa

British Airways is taking the Airbus A380 to South Africa, with tickets already on sale.

The airline aims to start flying the A380 to Johannesburg from 12 February 2014, although the date for the inaugural flight may be earlier. Initially, it will operate three times a week, increasing to six weekly services by March 2014. These flights will be part of the airline’s normal schedule to South Africa’s commercial capital.

Since British Airways took delivery of its first superjumbo earlier this month, Johannesburg is only the third A380 route to be confirmed after Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

To mark the announcement, British Airways is offering discounts of up to 40% from South Africa to London across all cabins. World Traveller fares start from R8,380, World Traveller Plus from R15,380, Club World from R30,380 and First from R53,380. The launch special runs until 31 August for travel from 12 February to 21 June 2014. Fares include all taxes and surcharges, but may vary slightly on the day of purchase due to exchange rate fluctuations.

British Airways’ A380s can accommodate 469 customers across four cabins. That includes 14 in First Class, whilst Club World (Business Class) customers can choose from 44 seats on the main deck, or 53 seats on the upper deck. The upper deck seats will be arranged in a new 2:3:2 configuration across the cabin. The 55 World Traveller Plus (Premier Economy) seats are located on the upper deck, while World Traveller (Economy) customers can choose seats on both the main and upper deck. The aircraft’s innovative design makes it much quieter during take-off and landing, and the cabin has the lowest noise level of any existing passenger aircraft.
 

Ticket sales open for Qatar’s Ethiopian route

We announced earlier this month that Qatar was adding three flights a week between Doha, Qatar, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Ticket sales for this route have opened and can be booked via travel agents or online at www.qatarairways.com to take advantage of connections to popular destinations including London, Frankfurt, Paris, Montreal, New York, Chicago and Washington via the airline’s Doha hub.
Flights depart from Doha on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 22h15 and arrive in Addis Ababa at 01h40 the following morning. The return flight leaves Addis Ababa at 02h50 and lands in Doha at 06h15.

The new service will be operated with an Airbus A320 in a two-class configuration of 132 seats in Economy and 12 in Business Class.

Addis Ababa joins a rapidly growing African network that Qatar Airways serves, among 19 other routes in North, East, West and Sub-Saharan Africa.

In the last 24 months the airline has added Benghazi (Libya); Entebbe (Uganda); Kigali (Rwanda); Tripoli (Libya) to its global route network, and re-launched flights to Kilimanjaro (Tanzania); and Maputo (Mozambique).
 

Book tickets online at Air Uganda

Air Uganda launched a new revamped booking engine, with improved functionality, earlier this month.

The new platform allows customers to search, book and pay for their tickets on the Air Uganda website in real time, using all major payment channels like ATM, debit and credit cards (Visa, Mastercard), Paypal and mobile money (M-Pesa and Airtel Money). Once payment is made, the air ticket is delivered to the email address provided.

The booking engine is set to change the way Air Uganda interacts with its customers, by offering a faster and more convenient way of ticket purchase and travel.

The airline is also upgrading its website for easier customer interaction. The new website, designed with customer feedback in mind, should be easier to navigate, quicker to load and is intended to be a one stop shop for clients.
 

Sun International plans casino for Pretoria

According to eProp, Sun International has announced plans for a new R3 billion urban entertainment destination at Menlyn, in Tshwane’s eastern suburbs.

The group is making an application to the Gauteng Gambling Board to amend its Morula casino licence to relocate from Mabopane, in South Africa’s North-West Province, to Menlyn, Pretoria. Its current location is apparently too inaccessible for growth, and a move to a more commercial site will allow for more non-casino gambling activities in its catchment area.

Sun International is hoping to be part of Menlyn’s new large scale mixed-use Green City project – an R8 billion‚ 315‚000 square kilometre precinct‚ with a new shopping mall‚ a high-end residential component‚ an office park‚ hotels and an entertainment node – which is the component that Sun International will provide‚ with its proposed Time Square at Menlyn Maine.

Time Square at Menlyn Maine will offer a 5-star hotel and conference centre, with 100 luxury rooms and 10 suites to cater to the diplomatic travel market and the business traveller.

SAA and Etihad codeshare

South African Airways has commenced codeshare services with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, following regulatory approval, which enables both carriers to offer codeshare and interline services to destinations on their respective route networks.

Effective immediately, and under the first phase of the codeshare agreement, SAA customers can now access SAA marketed flights on Etihad scheduled service from Johannesburg to its hub in Abu Dhabi, and onwards across the airline’s network to Bahrain, Kuwait, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Other destinations currently pending local regulatory approval include Shanghai, Singapore and Jeddah.

In return, Etihad passengers can now travel on Etihad Airways’ marketed flights from Johannesburg to four destinations on the SAA network, including Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth. Codesharing on scheduled services to other destinations, including Livingstone, Lusaka, Ndola, Harare and Victoria Falls is currently pending, subject to government approval.
- See more at: http://www.businesstravellerafrica.co.za/news/saa-and-etihad-codeshare#sthash.TTKIaZcE.dpuf

Libyan Airlines’ first Airbus A330

According to Libya Business News, Libyan Airlines, the national carrier of Libya, took delivery of its first Airbus A330-200 earlier this month. The carrier already operates seven A320 aircraft, with three A330-200 and four A350-800 aircraft on order.

The aircraft, with a two-class configuration of 24 Business and 235 Economy seats, will carry passengers in and around the Middle East, Dubai and Jeddah, as well as on Asian and European trunk routes.

Three Cities expands into East Africa

The Three Cities Group recently acquired the Zanzibar Beach Resort and the Kunduchi Beach Hotel and Resort in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. With these new properties, it has the capacity to expand its management and marketing services into East Africa.

The soon-to-be-refurbished Zanzibar Beach Resort is situated on the south-west coast of Zanzibar, only 10 minutes from Stone Town and five minutes from the international airport.

The resort has 84 rooms and suites, which range from the Palace Block rooms set in the gardens, to en-suite chalets with balconies. All rooms feature air-conditioning, colour television with satellite channels, high bandwidth Internet, mini-bar and tea and coffee-making facilities.

The resort’s conference facilities seat up to 1,200 in a variety of fully air-conditioned meeting venues.
The Kunduchi Beach Hotel and Resort is situated 18 kilometres from Dar es Salaam International Airport and 21 kilometres from the city centre. There are 138 sea-facing rooms and 48 apartments, each with its own private balcony onto the beach front.

The four conference facilities, with seating for up to 1,500 delegates, are equipped with all the necessary support systems and services.

New planes for Mango

South African low-cost airline Mango will receive two new Boeing 737-800s in August. The fleet additions will sport the first set of new-look, environmentally friendlier seats.

Additional flights are scheduled for the Johannesburg-Durban, Durban-Cape Town and Cape Town-Johannesburg routes.

Mango is currently investigating both new domestic routes and regional destinations.

“We have applied for a schedule operation to two East African destinations and are presently in the final planning stages for a seventh domestic port,” said CEO Nico Bezuidenhout.

Mango currently operates charter flights to Zanzibar on behalf of tour operator AfricaStay.

The new seats will save approximately 820 kilograms in aircraft weight, resulting in overall emission reductions of up to 1,7 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, upon completion of the seat replacement programme. The existing fleet will be added to the programme once the new planes are in operation.

Mango has already reduced fleet weight by 270 kilograms per aircraft, with overall weight savings of the new fleet additions amounting to 1,090 kilograms each.

Mango will also launch a Durban base later this year, with permanently stationed aircraft enabling the airline to provide an improved schedule to and from the city.

Emirates to add A380 to Mauritius route

Emirates will launch a daily Airbus A380 service between Dubai and Mauritius from December, it was announced today.

From December 16, the aircraft will operate as flight EK701 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and EK3701 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, departing from Dubai International Airport at 03.10 hours and arriving in Mauritius at 0940.

Return flight EK702 and EK3702 will depart Mauritius' Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport at 1820 hours and arrive in Dubai at 0110 the next day.

The A380 service will replace one of the existing three class Boeing 777-300 services the airline currently operates to Mauritius, meaning there will be an additional 153 seats on the route each day across first, business and economy.

The news comes four months after Emirates operated a one-off A380 flight to Mauritius to celebrate the island's 45 years of independence.

Thierry Antinori, Emirates' executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said: "Having brought our flagship A380 aircraft to this beautiful island for the first time in March, we could see how much appeal the aircraft had for our customers on the route.

"A first amongst the Indian Ocean Islands, it is a matter of great pride to be able to offer this service on a daily basis from December this year."

Emirates currently has the world's largest fleet of A380s, with 35 of the superjumbos.

emirates.com

Graham Smith

Qatar Airways to start Ethiopia flights

Qatar Airways has announced that it will start a service to Ethiopia in September. The three weekly Doha–Addis Ababa operation will be flown by a 144-seat, two-class Airbus A320 aircraft with 12 seats in business and 132 in economy.

Ethiopia is becoming an increasingly promising trade hub for European and Asian investments. Just last month, Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn extended an invitation to China’s entrepreneurs, encouraging them to invest in the region’s apparel manufacturing sector. "Qatar believes in the long-term potential of the destination, hence the reason for its expansion of its international route network there," Colin Neubronner, regional marketing manager of East Asia and Southwest Pacific for the airline, confirmed.

The Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa will become Qatar’s 20th destination on the African continent, and is part of the carrier’s aggressive expansion plan, which has seen the company order nine B777-300ERs  recently, along with frequency increases to Paris, Pakistan and new services to Basra

Visit www.qatarairways.com for more information.

Clement Huang

KQ and KLM cleared to align

According to eTurboNews, the Kenya Competition Authority has granted alliance partners Kenya Airways and Air France-KLM a further seven-year exemption in co-ordinating schedules, setting fares and using joint measures to save costs through codeshare agreements, scheduling alignments, and where necessary adjusting capacity on the Nairobi-Amsterdam route and beyond.

This means that no other airline may file cases claiming anti-competitive behaviour against them. KQ and KLM are free to align fares and take other joint action.

Kenya Airways and KLM have been in a close partnership since KQ was privatised in 1996, with KLM holding a significant share portion, alongside the government of Kenya. KLM sponsored KQ to full membership at SkyTeam, which has benefitted the African airline through codeshare arrangements with a number of partners, opening routes to Australia, Seoul, Ho Chi Minh City, and a number of Chinese mainland destinations.

 

World Travel announces sub-agent in South Africa

United Europe has been appointed by World Travel as its first sub-agency in South Africa.

The company was established in 2010, with the aim of making travel to Europe simple and cost effective. United Europe offers custom tours to over 40 countries in Europe and North America. Journeys are tailor-made for business, leisure, and MICE needs.

World Travel, established in 1951, is the South African General Sales Agent (GSA) for Rail Europe 4A (RE4A), with a portfolio of international rail products. RE4A is a joint venture of the French National Railways (SNCF) and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). Through the RE4A distribution system, Euronet, World Travel offer real-time availability at the best available fares.

For more information, go to United Europe and World Travel.

Radisson Blu to open in Nigeria

The Rezidor Hotel Group is opening the Radisson Blu Hotel Port Harcourt Olympia in Nigeria in the first quarter of 2016.

The property is located in the southern part of the city, in the less congested old Government Reserve Area, directly opposite the Port Harcourt Club 1928 golf course.

Besides 206 guest rooms with services such as free high-speed Internet access, the hotel will offer an all-day dining restaurant, a specialty restaurant and bar, and the largest conference facilities in the Niger Delta, with 2,100m² of conference and meeting space. Additionally, there will be a gym, spa, outdoor swimming pool, business centre and rooftop bar and terrace.

www.rezidor.com

Fastjet receives Foreign Operator Permit

Fastjet, the low-cost carrier operating from its hub in Tanzania, has finally received its Foreign Operator Permit from the South African Department of Transport. This was the final administrative hurdle that needed to be overcome, in order for the airline to begin operating flights between Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg.

“We expect this to be a particularly popular route, due to the fact that South African Airways has had a monopoly on this route for far too long,” said Ed Winter, Chief Executive Officer of fastjet. “We are very keen to offer substantially more affordable fares to customers and further stimulate the potential traffic between these two key African cities, which can only have a very positive effect on the critical trade, commercial and tourism industries between South Africa and Tanzania.”

Fastjet’s June revenue in Tanzania exceeded $2.2m, a 22% increase on the previous month. Fastjet load factors for the month grew from 68% to 78%, with yield per seat also increasing.

 

Arik receives two A330s

According to CH-Aviation, Nigeria’s Arik Air is set to take delivery of two A330-200s later this month.

The planes are being leased from Irish aviation specialists, Pembroke Group.

The airline plans to increase the frequency of its flights to New York JFK from three times a week to daily - the two A330s will help to make this expansion possible.

The aeroplanes are already four years old, but Arik plans to use them only for the next eight years, before swapping them for new Airbus A350s.

Arik also has seven B787-900s, two B747-800s and eight B737-800s on order from Boeing. Once the B737-800s are delivered, the airline intends to commence flights to Egypt and other North African countries.

Between its two hubs in Lagos and Abuja, Arik flies to 30 destinations, including London, New York and Johannesburg.

New national carrier for Malawi

According to Nyasa Times, Malawi Airline Limited will be run in partnership with Ethiopian Airlines.

Malawi Airline Limited replaces Air Malawi, after the national carrier failed for years to turn a profit. It struggled with flight delays, cancellations and suspensions, and was finally disbanded earlier this year.

In a deal to get a new national carrier in the air, servicing local, regional and international routes, Ethiopian bought a 49% stake in the new Malawi Airline, adding two planes to the fleet.

Of the Malawian Government’s 51% shareholding, 31% will be given to Malawian citizens interested in being part of the company.

To pay off some debts, liquidators for Air Malawi are selling three planes to interested parties.

New hotel for Misty Blue

The Three Cities Auberge Hollandaise in Durban North, South Africa was acquired in June.

“We have always had our eye on this exclusive establishment, as we felt it added the upmarket accommodation option to our portfolio,” said Vejan Pillay, owner of Misty Blue.

There are 10 guest rooms and the boardroom seats up to 20 people.

The guesthouse is close to King Shaka International Airport, the Durban city centre, the city’s sports stadiums and the ever-growing business hub in Umhlanga. Also within easy reach are Durban’s Golden Mile and Ushaka Marine World.

There are plans afoot to open a branch of Aqua Spa and a fully-equipped gym on the premises. “We also hope to expand our gastronomic offering to include exclusive evening dinners,” said Pillay.  

Air France joins BA in relaxing IFE restrictions

Air France passengers can now enjoy in-flight entertainment from the moment they arrive at their seats until they disembark on select long-haul flights.

The relaxation of rules, which follows in the footsteps of British Airways, means passengers no longer have to wait until the seatbelts sign is turned off after take-off.

The airline introduced the measure on Monday.

Nineteen Air France aircraft, including all the carrier's A380s, are so far equipped with the system, which will be gradually implemented across the entire Air France long-haul fleet.

Last year, BA obtained permission from the Civil Aviation Authority for its long-haul passengers to be allowed to watch their IFE screens "from the second they reach their seat to the moment they arrive at their destination".

BA had required passengers to wait until after take-off and announcements have been carried out before the IFE system can be used, and turned off the system 15-20 minutes before landing.

But, from December 1, the carrier became the first UK airline to relax these restrictions on all long-haul flights, following nine months of negotiations with the CAA.

Certain restrictions, however, have remained in place for Club World and First passengers, and those sitting in exit row and bulk head seats.

airfrance.co.uk

Graham Smith

Cinemas the most desired feature at airports, according to Skyscanner survey

Cinemas are the most desired feature at airports, according to a Skyscanner survey of more than 10,000 travelers worldwide.
The survey asked respondents what they’re most desired airport facilities were. Cinemas took the lead with a strong 49 percent. The next most desired was sleep pods, which 36 percent wanted. Rounding out the top ten features were libraries (32 percent), parks (31 percent), vanity areas (30 percent), kids play areas (21 percent), pools (20 percent), gyms (15 percent), man-made beaches (12 percent) and bikes (11 percent).

The survey also found that 10 percent of women and 8 percent of men wanted a personal shopper.

Where can travelers find some of these dream features? Hong Kong International has a UA IMAX theatre, and sleeping pods have been introduced at Abu Dhabi Airport starting at £8 an hour. Dallas/Fort Worth recently opened a Minute Suites nap center (see online news June 6, 2013).

For more information visit skyscanner.com

Maggie Squires

Governments advise against non-essential travel to Egypt

The escalating levels of civil unrest in Cairo, Egypt has led to several government bodies in Asia-Pacific to issue travel warnings.

In Hong Kong, the Security Bureau has issued the “red” Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) – meaning that travel to Egypt has been labelled as a “significant threat”, and travellers are advised to adjust their plans and avoid non-essential travel to the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singapore has likewise issued a travel notice, advising citizens to defer non-essential travel to the country, in particular, Cairo, Alexandria and Suez.

The Australian government has also upgraded its travel warning for Egypt, urging citizens to reconsider their needs to visit the country. This warning increase follows the “Exercise a high degree of caution” alert issued earlier.

The ongoing conflict follows a speech of defiance by Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who has vowed to protect his reign regardless of a potential intervention by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which would in effect subsume his government.

Clement Huang

RwandAir now flies to South Sudan

RwandAir has started servicing Juba, South Sudan, with three return flights a week, using the recently-acquired new CRJ900NextGen regional jets. Planes are departing Kigali at 09h45; return flights leave Juba at 13h00, South Sudan time.

“With the replacement of older Boeing 737-500s by the Boeing 737-700 NGs and the redesign of our current pattern of operations, we are able to enhance the efficiency of our network,” said Bert van der Stege, RwandAir’s Commercial Director. “Improving connectivity is key for us to attract more passengers.”

Juba, South Sudan’s capital and the country's largest city, is an important African business travel destination. The country has experienced an ongoing economic boom in the past few years; independence brought thousands of merchants to Juba, mostly from Sudan and East Africa.

Park Inn by Radisson opening in Kigali

Carlson Rezidor has announced that it will be opening the Park Inn by Radisson Kigali in Rwanda.

The property will feature 161 rooms in the group’s second hotel project in Kigali - the Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre Kigali is already underway and is scheduled to open mid-2014. The plan is for the Park Inn by Radisson to open its doors a few months later.

The site of the Park Inn by Radisson Kigali is centrally located in the up-market Nyarugenge district of the city centre – less than 12 kilometres west of the international airport, Rwanda’s primary point of entry. Besides the guest rooms, the hotel will offer a 225m² all-day dining restaurant, a 80m² lobby bar, a club lounge, an outdoor swimming pool with a 110m² pool bar and terrace, 500m² meeting and conference facilities, as well as gym, spa, hair salon and nightclub.

Kigali is Rwanda’s most populated city with more than one million inhabitants, and is also the country’s most important business and convention destination. Tourism, minerals, coffee and tea are Rwanda's main sources of foreign exchange. Since joining the East African Economic Community, Rwanda is aligning its budget, trade, and immigration policies with its regional partners.

Free Wi-Fi for Tsogo Sun guests

South African hotel group Tsogo Sun has installed high-speed Wi-Fi in all its hotels, and is offering a certain amount of free connectivity over a range of packages.

Depending on where you’re staying, you can enjoy 250MB (at StayEasy hotels), 350MB (at Garden Court hotels), 500MB (at Southern Sun hotels), or 750MB (at Tsogo Sun’s Deluxe hotels) of free Wi-Fi Internet access, per room, per day. In all the hotels, these data limits are restricted to a maximum of three devices per room.

The introduction of this service follows extensive specification of the technical requirements of providing free Wi-Fi, and the installation of an advanced system by service provider Alwayson. This system network offers symmetrical, high-speed Internet access.

“We were determined to get our Wi-Fi offering right in terms of what our guests need – whether they’re business or leisure travellers,” said Graham Wood, Tsogo Sun hotels Managing Director. “Our Wi-Fi offering is free from the first connection and we have set the cap in our different hotels at levels that would suit even the most technophilic of our guests.”

Sun International property promotions and GDS code

Sun International has launched a South African government rate sales strategy for the 2014 financial year.

“We have tailor-made our customer offering to better manage and increase government and public sector business into key Sun International properties,” said Ian Anderson, General Manager Resort Sales and Distribution.

It has a team dedicated to reach all divisions of the public sector, including municipalities, local, provincial and national government.

It’s also conducting a marketing blitz in Sandton, Johannesburg to promote its new property there, The Maslow. From 1 July to 30 November, sales staff will visit corporate companies within a five-kilometre radius of the hotel, to inform local businesses of its offerings.

Sun International has also partnered with Travelport, and its private label GDS (Global Distribution System) chain code, SQ, will officially go live on 12 July. Targeted at travel management companies, a single code will be more convenient for travel professionals, enabling them to easily locate and book Sun International’s hotel rooms on the GDS.

Travelport cements UST&T partnership

Travelport has announced the renewal of its 15-year partnership with Uniglobe Skylink Travel & Tours (UST&T) – one of Tanzania’s most established corporate travel management companies.

The two parties have signed a new five-year contract, and UST&T has designs on becoming “the leading and most dependable travel-related management company in Africa.

Under the new agreement, UST&T will gain access to Travelport’s latest technology solutions, including Agentivity – Travelport’s business intelligence suite for travel agents – and Travelport Mobile Agent, the mobile Global Distribution Systems (GDS) application that enables agents to gain full access to Travelport content from their iPad or iPhone device.