Fresh Air Commences Flights

 Fresh Air, the Zimbabwean-registered airline which recently entered into a joint venture agreement with South African low-cost carrier, 1time Airline, is set to take to the skies on 2 November, with its first flight departing O.R. Tambo International Airport, en route to Victoria Falls Airport, Zimbabwe. This follows as Fresh Air officially acquired the traffic rights to commence operations. As initially agreed, the JV encompasses 1time utilising its fleet of aircraft to serve the Fresh Air route, which subsequently replaces 1time’s current Livingstone flight schedule in favour of flights between Johannesburg and Victoria Falls Airport. The route schedule, as it stands, includes three weekly flights from O.R. Tambo International Airport on Mondays and Fridays at 10h40 respectively, as well as a Sunday flight at 10h20.

New Booking Tool for BA

Customers visiting ba.com will now find it easier to book flights on the British Airways website, thanks to a new registration scheme. The new service offers customers a simple registration option during the booking process, so they can save their personal details to make future bookings easier and quicker. When customers log in, their personal information and APIS details are automatically entered to every new booking, taking out the hassle of adding them each time.
 Like other online retailers, such as Amazon, the new British Airways easy registration option allows customers to quickly sign up, providing only their name, email address and password, or to log into their existing registered customer or Executive Club account, while in the booking process. A post-login landing page will display all upcoming flights, providing easy access to bookings.
 Registered customers will also have an option to easily convert their account to an Executive Club account, while existing Club members will be able to see all their flights, not just those containing their frequent flyer number. Later next year, ba.com will also introduce the ability to save payment card details, making booking for customers even quicker.

Levy for Labadi Beach Hotel

The Ghana Tourism Authority has notified the Labadi Beach Hotel – a Legacy Hotels & Resorts property – that it qualifies for the 1% tourism levy, specified in the country’s Tourism Act. Labadi Beach regrets to inform the start of the collection of the levy with immediate effect, which they say is beyond their control.

Trouble at SAA

South African Airways CEO, Siza Mzimela has resigned, along with two other senior managers. The exit of Mzimela follows the dramatic walk out by the majority of the board at the airline earlier this month‚ including the chairwoman Cheryl Carolus‚ with all citing a breakdown in the relationship with the shareholder, which is the Department of Public Enterprises.
 Further to that, former CEO, Khaya Ngqula's lawyers have informed Carolus that he intends to sue her for R40m for defamation. This was reportedly because Carolus told the Business Times on September 30 that the SAA board had made progress in tackling labour, competition, fraud and corruption problems, which the airline had "inherited from previous management".
The SAA board is also currently suing Ngqula, who left the airline in 2009, to recover about R252m from him in four separate claims, following a forensic investigation by auditors KPMG.

KQ Increases Simba Lounge Capacity

Kenya Airways has expanded its lounge at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, to cater for increase in customer growth. Under the brand name ‘Simba Lounge’, two Kenya Airways-operated lounges at JKIA will seat over 200 passengers, with the older Simba Lounge seating over 50 passengers and the newly-expanded Simba Lounge on the second floor at JKIA seating 150 passengers, in an area of about 1500 square metres.
 The lounge service will cater for Business Class, Flying Blue Elite Plus and SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers, where high value customers get the same unique service across all 500 lounges in all Skyteam member airlines. Passengers will have an option to choose which of the two lounges to use while waiting to depart. The lounge services will include amongst others, complimentary food, snacks and drinks, hot shower facility, high speed Wi-Fi Internet connection, satellite TV, and international newspapers and journals. The new lounge will be open to all Platinum and Gold card elite frequent fliers from all SkyTeam member airlines, departing or flying via Nairobi.

New African Signing for Hilton

Hilton Worldwide has announced the signing of a licensing agreement with long-standing franchisee, the Opulent Group, for the conversion of a hotel in the capital city of Bujumbura in Burundi, East Africa. The 130-room DoubleTree by Hilton Bujumbura will open in early 2014.
 Formerly the Novotel, the hotel will undergo an extensive 18-month improvement and rebranding programme, before officially opening under the DoubleTree by Hilton banner. Renovation plans are already under way and will cover all key areas of the hotel, including full refurbishment of the hotel lobby and renovation of all guest and meeting rooms.
 A new business centre and fitness centre will also be introduced for the first time. DoubleTree by Hilton Bujumbura will be located in the centre of the commercial district and close to businesses, embassies and government offices. Once open, the hotel will boast four conference rooms, a business centre, fitness centre and outdoor pool. Dining options will include two restaurants, including one speciality and one all-day dining, and a bar.
Guests at DoubleTree by Hilton Bujumbura will benefit from the brand’s standout features, including the welcome of the brand’s legendary chocolate chip cookie presented to every guest upon check-in; an array of upscale amenities and guest services; and the rewards of the Hilton HHonors guest loyalty programme. Hilton Worldwide currently operates 56 hotels in Middle East and Africa, totalling more than 17,000 rooms across 19 countries, and has a signed development pipeline of an additional 52 properties across Middle East and Africa in the U.A.E, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa and Cape Verde.

New Qantas Offering

Qantas has taken the next steps towards establishing its new gateway to Europe and the UK, enabling customers to book flights through the global hub of Dubai for travel from 31 March, 2013. The revised Qantas routes, Sydney-Dubai-London and Melbourne-Dubai-London, come as the ACCC considers the proposed Qantas-Emirates partnership, which remains subject to regulatory approval.
The schedule changes do not involve co-ordination between the airlines and do not require ACCC approval. Qantas will start initial work with Emirates on its proposed partnership, following discussions with the ACCC and withdrawal of the airline’s request for interim authorisation.
The ACCC is considering the airlines’ substantive application for authorisation. Qantas has also made a series of other adjustments to its international flight schedule, focused on giving customers more choice and flexibility. Qantas services to Frankfurt will continue until October 2013 and flights to Singapore will be timed so that they connect better with onward flights within Asia.
 The new schedule will be available shortly on qantas.com and via travel agents. Qantas will contact passengers with existing bookings to Europe or the UK after 31 March 2013 affected by these changes, to offer them alternative flights. Customers with bookings prior to this date are not impacted by the change.