bring the he is! mobile world 4ravel$aily ph: 1300 559 527 · tropical paradise in the new year....

5
Website: www.traveldaily.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected] Page 1 Monday 24th December 2012 Watch video now sabre red app centre open for business www.sabreredappcentre.com enquiries@sabrepacific.com.au Bring the mobile world into your business success with Abacus Mobile HE IS! Email: [email protected] Are you keeping up to 100% of your up-front commissions? At Travel Partners you can. Ph: 1300 559 527 Christmas Eve TD Travel Daily today has five pages of news & photos. We’d like to wish all of our readers a happy Christmas. The next issue of TD will be published on Thu 27 Dec due to the Christmas Day and Boxing Day public holidays. New Skywest FIFO deal SKYWEST has announced a new agreement with mining giant Rio Tinto to operate scheduled charter flights to Boolgeeda in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, servicing the Brockman 4 mine. Over the three year term Skywest anticipates operating up to eight return flights per week using A320 and F100 aircraft. South Sea Cruises rejigs Fiji timetable A NEW South Sea Cruises Resort Connections timetable is in place for Fiji holidaymakers effective from today, due to the closure of Castaway, Malolo and LikuLiku islands (TD Fri). Three routes per day will be operating, utilising a single vessel, and guests already booked will be automatically switched to the appropriate route. Qantas Holidays has advised that this may mean that timing on client documentation may have changed, with passengers urged to reconfirm their island transfers at least 24 hours prior to departure on +679 675 0500. South Sea Cruises said it’s also reviewed its day cruise offering with a full range of trips still available to South Sea Island, Treasure Island, Beachcomber, Mana and Bounty Island, while Blue Lagoon Cruises are operating as normal, having recommenced on Sat after Cyclone Evan passed. The new South Sea Cruises timetable can be viewed at ssc.com.fj or by CLICKING HERE. COMMONWEALTH BANK NEW TRAVEL TEAM - PARRAMATTA • Seeking Experienced Travel consultants for this new operation. Many roles available for the right candidate – VIP, Multi Skilled, Groups and Online Consultant positions • Competitive Salary Offering plus bonus • Apply now for a February start. If you wish to know more please call David Jackson @ Communico on 9112 1612 or send your resume to [email protected] Kakadu pass update KAKADU National Park is making it mandatory for tour operators to ensure that their clients have correctly completed passes, after a number of blank passes were re-sold online. Effective from 01 Apr 2013 the person’s name, entry and expiration date must appear on all passes and tour operators “must enforce that their clients do the right thing,” according to an update issued today. Kakadu said that “unsigned and undated passes have been re-sold on Gumtree this year that were initially purchased by a tour operator and provided their clients upon entry to the park.” Carnival prof its dive CARNIVAL Corporation has reported a net profit of US$98m for the three months to 30 Nov - less than half the $217m result for the same time last year. However ceo Micky Arison said the figure was better than anticipated, with improved yields combining with lower than expected fuel costs. “As a result of the Costa Concordia tragedy in January, the past year has been the most challenging in our company’s history,” Arison said. He said Carnival is expecting a recovery in ticket prices and occupancy for its North American brands and Costa, but its Europe brands are still being hit by the poor economic environment. But Arison said the firm was well positioned for recovery as pax “continue to capitalise on cruising’s superior value versus land-based vacation alternatives. “We continue to focus on a measured growth strategy through the introduction of two to three ships per year and the development of emerging cruise markets in Asia,” he concluded. Etihad boosts airberlin ETIHAD has announced a further expansion of codesharing activities with airberlin, which will see the AB code added to EY’s flights to Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu in China as well as Tokyo and Nagoya in Japan. Along with Virgin Australia, airberlin will also codeshare on Etihad’s increased Qld capacity from Feb 2013, which will see EY’s current thrice weekly Brisbane-Singapore-Abu Dhabi flights boosted to daily. QF agents trading hours THE Qantas Industry Centre and Qantas Groups Sales will operate normal trading hours on all days throughout the current festive season apart from the public holidays on 25, 26 Dec and 01 Jan. However Qantas Industry Refunds is closed until 07 Jan. QF ‘significant harm’ alert QANTAS says it is already incurring “significant financial harm” due to its inability to sell joint fare products with Emirates in the period prior to approval of the carriers’ proposed alliance. In a formal ACCC submission seeking urgent interim authorisation of the deal (TD Fri), Qantas has highlighted the “severe competitive disadvantage” caused by uncertainty around its European offering. QF says there’s a “substantial amount of revenue at risk, particularly where corporates and industry clients will be looking for some certainty allowing them to plan their activity”. Currently QF and EK are only able to engage in “limited, ring- fenced discussions regarding a potential model for fare class alignment,” with sales teams urgently wanting to start negotiations with key customers in relation to the joint offering. “Any extra time to sell tickets would have a material, positive impact on route profitability for Qantas,” the submission says. QF has also highlighted the urgent need to develop a joint marketing strategy, integrate connectivity of IT systems and work on customer handling. Another key issue raised is the importance of coordinating schedules, with the document confirming that although QF has independently obtained slots to operate its own services to Europe via Dubai, these are not aligned with those of Emirates. Fine tuning of arrival and departure times is still possible, & is “imperative from a customer connectivity perspective”. Because the arrangements remain subject to regulatory approval “there is a perception within the market that Qantas flights cannot be booked with any certainty,” the submission says. Interim authorisation would mean the carriers can act quickly to restore consumer and trade confidence, with QF warning that the termination of its Joint Services Agreement with BA leaves it with “very significant gaps in its Europe offering” unless the alliance with EK proceeds.

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Page 1: Bring the HE IS! mobile world 4RAVEL$AILY Ph: 1300 559 527 · tropical paradise in the New Year. Special fares of up to 43% off are available for sale to 28 Dec, valid for various

Website: www.traveldaily.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected] Page 1

Monday 24th December 2012Watch video now

sabre red app centreopen for business

www.sabreredappcentre.com

[email protected]

Bring the mobile world into your business success with

Abacus Mobile

HE IS!

Email: [email protected]

Are you keeping up to 100% of your up-front commissions? At Travel Partners you can.

Ph: 1300 559 527

Christmas Eve TD Travel Daily today has fivepages of news & photos. We’d like to wish all of ourreaders a happy Christmas. The next issue of TD will bepublished on Thu 27 Dec dueto the Christmas Day andBoxing Day public holidays.

New Skywest FIFO deal SKYWEST has announced a newagreement with mining giant RioTinto to operate scheduled charterflights to Boolgeeda in WesternAustralia’s Pilbara region,servicing the Brockman 4 mine. Over the three year termSkywest anticipates operating upto eight return flights per weekusing A320 and F100 aircraft. South Sea Cruises

rejigs Fiji timetable A NEW South Sea Cruises ResortConnections timetable is in placefor Fiji holidaymakers effectivefrom today, due to the closure ofCastaway, Malolo and LikuLikuislands (TD Fri). Three routes per day will beoperating, utilising a single vessel,and guests already booked will beautomatically switched to theappropriate route. Qantas Holidays has advisedthat this may mean that timing onclient documentation may havechanged, with passengers urgedto reconfirm their island transfersat least 24 hours prior todeparture on +679 675 0500. South Sea Cruises said it’s alsoreviewed its day cruise offeringwith a full range of trips stillavailable to South Sea Island,Treasure Island, Beachcomber,Mana and Bounty Island, whileBlue Lagoon Cruises are operatingas normal, having recommencedon Sat after Cyclone Evan passed. The new South Sea Cruisestimetable can be viewed atssc.com.fj or by CLICKING HERE.

COMMONWEALTH BANK

NEW TRAVEL TEAM - PARRAMATTA

• Seeking Experienced Travel consultants for this new operation. Many

roles available for the right candidate – VIP, Multi Skilled, Groups and

Online Consultant positions

• Competitive Salary Offering plus bonus • Apply now for a February

start.

If you wish to know more please call David Jackson @ Communico on

9112 1612 or send your resume to [email protected]

Kakadu pass update KAKADU National Park ismaking it mandatory for touroperators to ensure that theirclients have correctly completedpasses, after a number of blankpasses were re-sold online. Effective from 01 Apr 2013 theperson’s name, entry andexpiration date must appear onall passes and tour operators“must enforce that their clientsdo the right thing,” according toan update issued today. Kakadu said that “unsigned andundated passes have been re-soldon Gumtree this year that wereinitially purchased by a touroperator and provided theirclients upon entry to the park.”

Carnival profits dive CARNIVAL Corporation hasreported a net profit of US$98mfor the three months to 30 Nov -less than half the $217m resultfor the same time last year. However ceo Micky Arison saidthe figure was better thananticipated, with improved yieldscombining with lower thanexpected fuel costs. “As a result of the CostaConcordia tragedy in January, thepast year has been the mostchallenging in our company’shistory,” Arison said. He said Carnival is expecting arecovery in ticket prices andoccupancy for its North Americanbrands and Costa, but its Europebrands are still being hit by thepoor economic environment. But Arison said the firm waswell positioned for recovery aspax “continue to capitalise oncruising’s superior value versusland-based vacation alternatives. “We continue to focus on ameasured growth strategythrough the introduction of twoto three ships per year and thedevelopment of emerging cruisemarkets in Asia,” he concluded.

Etihad boosts airberlin ETIHAD has announced afurther expansion of codesharingactivities with airberlin, which willsee the AB code added to EY’sflights to Beijing, Shanghai andChengdu in China as well as Tokyoand Nagoya in Japan. Along with Virgin Australia,airberlin will also codeshare onEtihad’s increased Qld capacityfrom Feb 2013, which will seeEY’s current thrice weeklyBrisbane-Singapore-Abu Dhabiflights boosted to daily.

QF agents trading hours THE Qantas Industry Centre andQantas Groups Sales will operatenormal trading hours on all daysthroughout the current festiveseason apart from the publicholidays on 25, 26 Dec and 01 Jan. However Qantas IndustryRefunds is closed until 07 Jan.

QF ‘significant harm’ alert QANTAS says it is alreadyincurring “significant financialharm” due to its inability to selljoint fare products with Emiratesin the period prior to approval ofthe carriers’ proposed alliance. In a formal ACCC submissionseeking urgent interimauthorisation of the deal (TD Fri),Qantas has highlighted the“severe competitive disadvantage”caused by uncertainty around itsEuropean offering. QF says there’s a “substantialamount of revenue at risk,particularly where corporates andindustry clients will be looking forsome certainty allowing them toplan their activity”. Currently QF and EK are onlyable to engage in “limited, ring-fenced discussions regarding a

potential model for fare classalignment,” with sales teamsurgently wanting to startnegotiations with key customersin relation to the joint offering. “Any extra time to sell ticketswould have a material, positiveimpact on route profitability forQantas,” the submission says. QF has also highlighted theurgent need to develop a jointmarketing strategy, integrateconnectivity of IT systems andwork on customer handling. Another key issue raised is theimportance of coordinatingschedules, with the documentconfirming that although QF hasindependently obtained slots tooperate its own services toEurope via Dubai, these are notaligned with those of Emirates. Fine tuning of arrival anddeparture times is still possible, &is “imperative from a customerconnectivity perspective”. Because the arrangementsremain subject to regulatoryapproval “there is a perceptionwithin the market that Qantasflights cannot be booked with anycertainty,” the submission says. Interim authorisation wouldmean the carriers can act quicklyto restore consumer and tradeconfidence, with QF warning thatthe termination of its JointServices Agreement with BAleaves it with “very significantgaps in its Europe offering” unlessthe alliance with EK proceeds.

Page 2: Bring the HE IS! mobile world 4RAVEL$AILY Ph: 1300 559 527 · tropical paradise in the New Year. Special fares of up to 43% off are available for sale to 28 Dec, valid for various

Website: www.traveldaily.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected] Page 2

Monday 24th December 2012

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SYD forecasts China boom SYDNEY Airport Corporationchairman Max Moore-Wilton sayshe expects China to grow tobecome the airport’s biggestmarket by a significant marginwithin the next eight years. Speaking at the arrival of theinaugural China Eastern Airlinesdirect flight from Nanjing toSydney, Moore-Wilton said thatChinese passenger numbers hadalready overtaken the UK andmoved into second place behindNew Zealand, “but I predict Chinawill be three times bigger thanthe Kiwi market by 2020”. The inaugural service, whicharrived on Sat morning, includeda 40-strong delegation of Chineseofficials, with the Nanjing flightbuilding on China Eastern’slongstanding commitment toAustralia which has seen it fly toSydney since 1996. Moore-Wilton said there arenow 44 weekly flights by China

Eastern and other carriers fromfour main cities in China, whichare worth an estimated $74million to the NSW economy. Sydney Airport is working hardto ensure it’s “China-ready” withinitiatives including the releasethis week of a full Chineselanguage version of its populariPhone app, which willautomatically display the Chineseor English version depending onuser settings. “Sydney Airport’s phone app isused more than 30,000 timeseevery week, and we hope thatour Chinese passengers will alsouse it to check flight arrivals anddepartures and other airportinformation,” said airport ceoKerrie Mather. She also highlighted SYD’s ‘RedAmbassadors’ - Mandarin-speaking guides who greet andassist Chinese passengers. Mather said 40 of thevolunteers would be in place overthe New Year festival period ofJan and Feb, with a strongresponse from the communityinterested in “improving thepassenger experience for ourgrowing Chinese visitors”. She added that dynamicChinese wayfinding signage willalso be installed in the arrivalssection of the internationalterminal, as well as adding moreChinese food outlets. More from the China Easterninaugural on page five.

Rail Plus price changes RAIL Plus has advised agentsthat all current files must be paidand ticketed by midday today,otherwise 2013 rates will apply inthe new year. The reservation system used byRail Plus has an annual end ofyear booking deletion which seesall confirmed but unpaidbookings cancelled, withrebooking subject to new ratesand availability. Should clients not wish to paytoday, their booking will berecosted subject to space andpossibly new fare types to reflect2013 pricing. For seat reservations currentlyon request that cannot be bookedin 2012, the new rate will apply. Rail Plus says it may take up toseven days for existing bookingsto be recosted after the start ofthe new year.

Air Canada moves toself-handling AIR Canada has relocated itsAustralasian head office to BlighChambers, 25 Bligh Street inSydney, with the move followingits switch away from long-timegsa Airline Marketing. AC is now handling its ownreservations, with the main resphone number unchanged at1300 655 767. GM Jeannie Foster thankedAirline marketing for a “long andvery productive relationship overthe years”.

SIA 777-200 upgrades SINGAPORE Airlines hasannounced a SG$95m refit of tenBoeing 777-200ERs, with the firstupgraded aircraft to operatebetween Singapore andAmsterdam from 13 Jan 2013. The carrier said the upgradeprogram will provide greaterproduct consistency across itslong-haul fleet, with worksincluding the installation of full-flat business class beds and largerIFE screens in both business andeconomy class. As with SIA’s A380, A340-500and B777-300ER fleets thebusiness class cabin will feature afour-abreast forward facing 1-2-1configuration giving all customersdirect aisle access. Australia will see the newproduct by the end of 2013/14,with the upgraded aircraft to bedeployed on SQ241/242 to SYD.

QH/Viva! Xmas hours QANTAS Holidays and Viva!Holidays are closed today andtomorrow for the Christmasperiod, reopening at 8am on Wed26 Dec for the Boxing Day rush. Normal business hours are thenin place until 8pm AEDT on 31Dec, with the wholesaler againclosed on New Year’s Day. Agents needing any emergencyassistance today for last minutebooking amendments are advisedto call the emergency number1300 130 524, with this linemanned until 5pm AEDT.

FJ special fares AIR Pacific has launched a ‘Fiji -Back in Business’ sale to enticeAustralians to travel to thetropical paradise in the New Year. Special fares of up to 43% offare available for sale to 28 Dec,valid for various travel periodsbetween Jan and Jun 2013. Prices lead in at just $482 returnfor adults ex SYD, while kidsunder 12 can travel from $266.

Tibet tours back on WORLD Expeditions is set toresume tours to Tibet, with the‘challenging’ visa arrangements inplace for much of the year havingnow been overturned. Earlier in 2012 a new ‘FiveNationality Rule’ meant thatpermits would only be issuedwhen a minimum of five travellersfrom the same country appliedtogether. The tour operator said todaythat the new arrangements allowpermits to be issued when thereis a minimum of two trekkers,making it much simpler to securevisas for the destination. World Expeditions ceo SueBadyari said 2012 had been “verydifficult,” with the strict visaregulations made even harderwhen Tibet was officially closedfor the month of Oct, requiring anumber of trips to be changed. “We’re delighted that thissituation has been lifted and lookforward to continuing to supportthe people of Tibet by operatingour trips in Tibet, using Tibetanlocal partners, whenever we can,”Badyari said.

New Italian Club Med CLUB Med has expanded itsEuropean offerings with theopening this week of thePragelato Vialattea resort in theItalian Alps. The new property is in the heartof Italy’s Piedmont region, about100km from Turin. The fully inclusive offering atPragelato Vialattea featuresgourmet Italian cuisine, a fullopen bar, ski lift tickets andactivities for kids of all ages.

Huge Japanese dump SNOW specialist agencySkiJapan.com has kept itsreservations team working hardafter an “unprecedented amountof last minute bookings”. The demand is being driven byhuge snowfalls at resortsincluding Niseko, where over638cm has fallen since late Nov. Resort operators have alsoreportedly hired more instructorsto cope with record-breakingnumbers of Aussie skiers.

Page 3: Bring the HE IS! mobile world 4RAVEL$AILY Ph: 1300 559 527 · tropical paradise in the New Year. Special fares of up to 43% off are available for sale to 28 Dec, valid for various

Website: www.traveldaily.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected] Page 3

Monday 24th December 2012

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THE federal Dept of Immigrationand Citizenship has joined inwith the Christmas spirit, on Friissuing a media statement aboutspecial visas which have beenissued to Santa and his elves. “Given Santa’s intention toengage in limited work of ahighly specialised and non-ongoing nature while downunder, he applied for a subclass456 business short stay visa. “Santa’s visa was approvedquickly, given the happiness thathad resulted from previous visitsand an excellent record ofcompliance with past entryconditions,” the release added. DIAC also highlighted ‘studentvisas’ issued to up-and-comingelves who hone their toy-makingskills in Australia via industrialdesign and engineering courses.

CASA grounds Barrier Aviation THE Civil Aviation SafetyAuthority has suspended theoperations of Cairns-basedBarrier Aviation, which operates arange of services including scenicflights from Cairns and Darwin. Itineraries include scenic BarrierReef flights, as well as flights overthe NT’s Kakadu National Parkand charter services in the TorresStrait including scenic flights overThursday Island and Cape York. CASA said it regretted theinconvenience that the groundingwould cause for passengers andBarrier’s employees - particularlyat this time of year - but believesthat “permitting Barrier Aviation

to continue to fly poses a seriousand imminent risk to air safety”. According to an update issuedthis morning, CASA believesBarrier Aviation has beenoperating aircraft with “seriousand known defects,” and hasevidence that pilots have beendirected to fly these planes aswell as not recording the defectson aircraft maintenancedocumentation. The suspension follows an auditof the carrier which revealed arange of maintenance deficiencies. Initially the suspension is inplace for five working days,during which time CASA mustapply to the Federal Court for anextension to allow it to finalise itsinvestigations into the carrier.

Getting on board with Amadeus SEVERAL lucky travel agentsfrom around the country areset to enjoy a Christmasspending spree after beingnamed as the winners of therecent ‘Get OnBoard’Campaign run by Amadeus. The highly sucessfulpromotion, which saw severalthousand click-throughs fromadvertisements in TravelDaily, involved answering aseries of questions in a shortsurvey, with a total of $4500up for grabs. The major prize winners of a$1000 Westfield voucher eachwere Kate Cook fromRickshaw Travel in Adelaide,and Sue Tate of Altitude

Travel in Sydney, who’s picturedabove after receiving her prizefrom Jenny Short of Amadeus. Five prizes of $100 Westfieldvouchers were each won byDeirdre Yau of TravelEdge inSydney (pictured left with RobinWoods of Amadeus) as well asCarol Fuchs, air n travel inVaucluse NSW; Janine Mallon, TheTravel Brokers NZ; Trish Downs,Travel Counsellors in Avalon NSW;and Karina Knock of Harvey WorldTravel Berkeley Vale NSW

Egyptair to Toronto EGYPTIAN flag carrier Egyptairhas flagged the introduction ofdirect flights between Cairo andToronto, effective 02 Jun 2013. The 777-300ER flights willoperate four times per week.

VX JFK-Palm Springs VIRGIN America has launchednew once-weekly flights betweenNew York JFK airport and PalmSprings in California. VX already operates seasonaldaily flights to Palm Springs fromits San Francisco base, with thenew JFK service offering a way forNew Yorkers to escape the cold.

Expedia German deal ONLINE travel giant Expedia hasannounced the acquisition of amajority holiding in Dusseldorf-based Trivago. Expedia will pay about $600mfor its piece of Trivago, which is atravel metasearch specialistcurrently conducting more than100 million searches annually. Founded in 2005, Trivagoaggregates search results from140 booking sites in 23 languagesfrom more than 30 countries. It utilises a ‘cost per click’revenue model which is expectedto deliver about €100m in netincome for 2012. Expedia’s stake in the companywill be about 61.6%, with Trivagoto continue to be operated by itsfounders and management team.

BOEING has come up with arather resourceful way of testingwireless signals in the cabins ofaircraft in manufacturing stages,saying it will use about 10 tonnesof potatoes to take the place ofpassengers on test flights. Apparently, potatoes, properlybagged, have similar electroniccharacteristics to passengerswhile in flight, enabling Boeingto study radio signal qualityagainst “proprietary” technology. The method has allowedBoeing to cut the test periodfrom two weeks to 10 hours,with local food banks receivingthe potatoes once completed.

AND back on the subject ofChristmas, don’t forget to checkout Air Services Australia’sspecial Santa-tracking website. www.airservicesaustralia/santaincludes an interview withSanta, his official flight plan anda video tracking the expectedpath of the reindeer and sleightomorrow night - check itout on Travel Daily TV atwww.traveldaily.com.au/videos.

Heathrow Expresssuspended for Xmas LONDON’S Heathrow Expresstrain service, which links the city’smain airport to Paddington, willnot operate on 25 or 26 Dec. However a revised 15 minutetransfer service will still be inplace between LHR Terminal 5,Terminals 1&3 and Terminal 4. The suspension is due to“essential engineeringimprovements,” with the worksalso seeing the normal 15 minutefrequency halved to once everyhalf hour on 24, 27, 28 and 31Dec as well as 01 Jan.

Page 4: Bring the HE IS! mobile world 4RAVEL$AILY Ph: 1300 559 527 · tropical paradise in the New Year. Special fares of up to 43% off are available for sale to 28 Dec, valid for various

Website: www.traveldaily.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected] Page 4

Monday 24th Dec 2012

Brochures of the WeekWELCOME to Brochures of the Week, Travel Daily’s Mon feature.If your firm is releasing a new brochure you’d like to make the industryaware of, send a brief description summarising its features anditineraries, including a PDF of the front cover, and contact details [email protected].

Scenic Tours - Asia 2013/14Whether speeding through the Japanese countrysideon the famous bullet train, to elephant riding in NorthThailand or on Vietnam’s Halong Bay, all of this andmuch more will be found in Scenic Tours’ new guide toAsia. All-inclusive product also includes Camboda,Laos, Myanmar and China with all tours offering visitsto famous attractions and landmarks. New for 2013

include extra experiences in China, while new combo tours allow a mix.

Freestyle Holidays - Hawaii 2013/14An expanded range of “Freestyle Freebies” feature inthe new guide to the popular US holiday state, offeringa wider range of FIT product from hotels, transfers,vehicle rental and day touring across all four majorislands. For sports fans, Freestyle has secured anumber of tickets to the NFL’s annual Pro-Bowl all-stargame, held at Aloha Stadium on Oahu. Hotel & ticket

packages are on sale until 15 Jan, with four nights starting at $315ppts.

APT - Luxury Small Ship Cruising 2013Following its investment earlier this year in NobleCaledonia and its specialist ships, APT has launched arange of small-ship expedition voyages covering Cuba,Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealandand Australia’s Kimberley Coast aboard the 110-paxCaledonia Sky and nearly identical Island Sky. Eachoffers a large Freedom of Choice sightseeing range.

Travel Indochina - Thailand and Burma 2013Designed for independent travellers, the new range ofHandmade Holidays features a wide range of itinerariesthat can be tailored to suit individual preferences. Alsofeatured is a range of specialist holidays such as SpiceRoad Cycling itineraries and others than incorporatevisits to elephant sanctuaries, cooking schools andcultural experiences mixing with local tribes.

Norwegian Cruise Line - Freestyle Cruising 2013/14Recently released to the trade, all of Norwegiansdestinations are featured, including the Mediterranean,Caribbean, Hawaii, Alaska, Panama and the MexicanRiviera. A number of pages have also been dedicatedto the new Norwegian Breakaway. A special dininggrid details the speciality restaurants and which areincluded in cruise fares, along with a guide to the NCL

fleet, cruise planner, full ship info, itineraries and full ports-of-call info.

Sunlover Holidays - Tasmania 2013/14New for 2013 are a range of Romantic Getaways at avariety of hideaways across the state, including manybonuses such as bottles of wine and special benefits.New accom options in Hobart include the MonaPavilions and Grand Mercure Hobart Central. Also onoffer are a number of wilderness adventures such asscenic flights, multi-day itineraries and coastal walks.

Asia Escape Holidays - Hong Kong 2013/14Featured within are 35 world-class hotels, includingHong Kong Disneyland and Macau. A wide range ofsightseeing tours are also featured, including HongKong’s Victoria Harbour, and many attractions onHong Kong Island. China has been introduced into therange for 2013, with nine destinations and many otherassociated attractions via coach touring sightseeing.

Goldman race around Sydney

ABOVE: The team fromGoldman Travel celebrated their2012 Christmas Party by matchingtheir wits against each other inteams representing airline names. The staff split into teams namedQantas, Singapore Airlines, UnitedAirlines, Emirates and VirginAustralia for a series of challengesheld in Sydney over two days. Splitting the competition dayswas a stay at the luxuriousLangham Sydney in The Rocks. The team are pictured above inthe Domain preparing for anotherday of gruelling, yet fun activities.

GF cuts three routes GULF Air has suspendedreservations on flights fromBahrain to Aden, Erbil and Kabul,all of which will cease operatingwithin the next few weeks.

Time on Tauck boosted TAUCK has extended its ‘Timeon Tauck’ promotion through toall bookings made by 15 Feb 2013. The deal offers Australians theability to add two complimentarypremium hotel nights to eitherthe beginning or end of their tour,along with complimentary airporttransfers. More info 1300 950 622.

New Brazilian Sheraton STARWOOD Hotels and ResortsWorldwide has signed a newhotel management agreementwith GJP Hotels & Resorts, tooversee a 284-room property inSalvador, on Brazil’s eastern coast. The Sheraton da Bahia Hotel isundergoing a full renovation andrefurbishment, due to reopen inthe first quarter of 2013, and willbe the seventh Sheraton or FourPoints by Sheraton hotel in Brazil.

BA boosts kids offering BRITISH Airways has announceda range of new products andservices to keep young flyersentertained both on the groundand in the air. Initiatives include refreshed‘Kidszones’ in the lounges atLondon Heathrow Terminal 5,with new furniture, talkingmirrors and aviation-inspired toys- as well as charging stations formobile devices such as iPads. BA has also partnered withMicrosoft to offer Xbox systems inthe lounges, while in flightofferings include refreshed‘Skyflyer’ activity packs.

MH signs with Amadeus MALAYSIA Airlines hasconfirmed a new five year globalcontent deal with Amadeus,offering agents across the globethe same access to the airline’sfares, inventory and schedules asall other distribution channels.

Simpler US screening US President Barack Obama hassigned into law a new ‘No-HassleFlying Act’ which allows theTransportation SecurityAdministration to waive domesticscreening of luggage which hasalready gone through pre-clearance screening at certainoverseas airports. The legislation initially coversnine airports in Canada, two inIreland and four in the Caribbean. The Airlines for America lobbygroup said the move was a “smart,efficient way to streamline travel,boost tourism and lower costs”.

Page 5: Bring the HE IS! mobile world 4RAVEL$AILY Ph: 1300 559 527 · tropical paradise in the New Year. Special fares of up to 43% off are available for sale to 28 Dec, valid for various

Website: www.traveldaily.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected] Page 5

Travel Daily is Australia’s leading travel industry publication.Produced each weekday since 1994, the newsletter is first with thelatest industry news and is available by paid subscription to peoplewithin the travel industry. Sign up for a free 14 day trial subscriptionat www.traveldaily.com.au.PO Box 1010, Epping, NSW 1710Phone: 1300 799 220 Fax: 1300 799 221

Travel Daily is a publication of TDaily Pty Ltd ABN 34 108 508 765. All content fully protected by copyright. Please obtain written permission to reproduce any material. While every care has been taken in the preparation ofTravel Daily no liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. Information is published in good faith to stimulate independent investigation of the matters canvassed. Responsibility for editorial comment is taken by Bruce Piper.

Publisher/Managing Editor: Bruce PiperEditor: Guy DundasContributors: Matt Lennon, ChantelHousler, Jenny Piper and Barry MathesonEmail: [email protected]

Advertising and Marketing: Christie-LeeLachance, Lisa Martin and Magda HerdzikEmail: [email protected] Manager: Jenny PiperEmail: [email protected]

Travel Daily Group:

Monday 24th Dec 2012

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” Travel Daily’s popular Christmas photo competition is back!

Fraser Place has arrived in Melbourne with the launch of the brand new studio suite accommodation in a quintessential Melbourne city laneway.

Our good friends at Fraser Place Melbourne want to celebrate the festive season with the travel industry, and are asking you to send in your work Christmas party photos throughout December.At the end of the month, the judges will select their favourite photo and the person who submitted this will win two nights accommodation for two guests in a brand new Studio Deluxe Suite, buffet breakfast for two on both mornings, complimentary internet and midday check-out.Bonus points will be awarded for photos that include a copy of the Travel Daily issue.

So get into the spirit and start snapping, then email your festive photos (including names of the people pictured) to:

[email protected].

WIN TWO NIGHTS IN AT

FRASER PLACE MELBOURNE!

LEFT: Nationwide Travel enjoyed an afternoon at the Newport Arms for their Christmas party.

The team is pictured here enjoying each others company as well as the ambiance of the venue.

Nanjing flights welcomed

AIRLINE staff dressedup as koalas andkangaroos and wavingAussie and Chinese flags(right) farewelledpassengers on the firstChina Eastern non-stopflight from Nanjing ineastern China to Sydneyon Friday night. It was a colourful send off fromthe city's Lukou Airport, withChinese girls performingtraditional dances in thedeparture hall for the 248 pax onthe A330-300 aircraft. Travel Daily was on board andspoke to one young Chinese manwho said he was very excited atcoming to Sydney as he wanted"a bikini Christmas." MU's Chief Pilot, Zhishui Lu

commanded the 300 seat twin-engine jet on the 10hr 30 minutejourney, the first internationallong-haul flight from the Provincewhich was met on arrival inSydney by Airport and localtourism officials. Pictured top at the officialwelcoming ceremony are, fromleft: Sydney Airport chairmanMax Moore-Wilton; ChinaEastern vice director Shengji Ba;

Sydney Airport ceoKerrie Mather; andKathy Zhang, ChinaEastern Airlines gmOceania. And left are some ofSydney Airport’s ‘RedAmbassadors’ (seep2) who were onhand to help outChinese-speakingpassengers arriving onthe Nanjing inaugural.

EK Venice switch EMIRATES is set to rejig itsVenice operations, with A330-200s replacing A340-500s from 01Oct 2013 - meaning First ClassSuites will no longer be offered.

Hilton Moorea refurb THE Hilton Moorea LagoonResort & Spa in French Polynesiais now offering tuests a fullyrefurbished pool area, includingan all-new teak deck, hot tub andpool shower alongside thecompletely retiled pool.

KLM expands in UK KLM Royal Dutch Airlines hasannounced the introduction ofdouble daily flights betweenAmsterdam and Manston in Kent. The new south east Englishdestination is KLM’s 14th port inthe United Kingdom.

£1m surplus for ABTA THE Association of British TravelAgents has released its financialresults for the year to 30 Jun,showing a net profit of just over£1 million. Total turnover of £7.04mincluded £4.5m in membershipsubscriptions amd fees. whileinsurance activities turned over£1.8 million for the organisation. ABTA said it had “continued togrow in political influence,” whileother recent initiatives included arelaunched website with a ‘GoTravel’ consumer zone offeringtravel tips and info on benefits ofbooking with ABTA members.