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Tag: COVID-19 (Page 5 of 17)

Emirates Operates Flight Serviced by Fully Vaccinated Teams Across All Touch Points

February 21, 2021 /

DUBAI, UAE 21 February 2021: Honouring its commitment to the health and safety of its employees and customers, Emirates today has become among the first airlines in the world to operate a flight with fully vaccinated frontline teams servicing customers at every touchpoint of the travel journey.

This morning, the full airport and onboard customer experience for flight EK215, which departed Dubai at 0830hrs for Los Angeles, was safely supported by check-in, security, Business and First Class lounge and boarding gate employees, as well as engineers, pilots and cabin crew who made the choice to be fully vaccinated.

Also supporting the flight’s operations were fully vaccinated aircraft appearance, loading and special handling teams from dnata, as well as SkyCargo teams working on the cargo and logistics requirements for EK215.

The Emirates Group rolled out its vaccination drive at pace just over a month ago, and since then, close to 26,000, or 44%, of the Group’s UAE frontline aviation workforce have received both doses of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Sinopharm vaccines.

Nearly 5,000 Cabin and Flight Deck Crew have opted to receive both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. In addition, thousands more Emirates Group employees in other roles have taken their COVID-19 vaccine through the company’s clinics and vaccination centres, while others have opted to take their vaccine at one of the many vaccination centres across the UAE.

The Emirates Group vaccination programme is the latest in its series of safeguards and protections to deliver on its health and safety promises to its customers, employees and the communities it serves around the world. The Group’s vaccination centres have been running 12 hours a day, every day of the week to prioritise and provide aviation frontliners with the vaccine.

The UAE currently has one of the world’s highest rate of vaccinations for its citizens and residents as it fights to curb the spread of Covid-19. So far, the UAE has administered over 5.4 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, and Our World In Data, a research website based at Oxford University, recently reported that the country’s distribution rate stands at 55.27 doses per 100 people, ranking it the second highest in the world.

United Announces New Nonstop Service Between Boston Logan & London Heathrow

February 19, 2021 /

CHICAGO, Feb. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — United Airlines (Nasdaq: UAL) today announced plans to expand its global route network with new, nonstop service between Boston Logan International Airport and London Heathrow. This new service builds upon United’s growing presence in London and provides customers on the East Coast with another convenient option to get to London. United plans to operate its premium Boeing 767-300ER aircraft on the route, with 46 United Polaris Business Class and 22 United Premium Plus seats. The aircraft features the highest proportion of premium seats on any widebody aircraft operated by a U.S. carrier between London and the United States.

“We are thrilled to offer travelers a convenient, non-stop option between Boston and London with this addition to our global network,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s vice president of International Network and Alliances.  “We will continue to monitor the demand recovery and travel restrictions as we finalize a start date for this service later in 2021.” 

Tickets will be available for purchase on united.com and the United app in the coming weeks. 

United has provided service to London Heathrow for nearly 30 years and over the course of the pandemic has maintained continuous service between the U.S. and London. Looking ahead,  Boston will be United’s 19th daily flight between the United States and London Heathrow. 

Boston – London Schedule
FromToDepartArriveFrequencyAircraft
BostonLondon10:00 p.m.9:35 a.m.+1Daily767-300ER
LondonBoston5:00 p.m.7:30 p.m.Daily767-300ER
 Schedule subject to change

United’s Polaris product is a premium travel experience that prioritizes relaxation and comfort with features that include everything from custom, luxury bedding from Saks Fifth Avenue and restaurant-quality, multi-course inflight dining to premium amenity kits and full flat-bed seats with direct aisle access. Along with its 46 Polaris Business Class seats, the aircraft also features 22 United Premium Plus seats, 43 United Economy Plus seats and 56 United Economy seats.

Committed to Ensuring a Safe Journey

United is committed to putting health and safety at the forefront of every customer’s journey, with the goal of delivering an industry-leading standard of cleanliness through its United CleanPlus program. United has teamed up with Clorox and Cleveland Clinic to redefine cleaning and health safety procedures from check-in to landing and has implemented more than a dozen new policies, protocols and innovations designed with the safety of customers and employees in mind.

Qantas Adds New Routes to North Coast for Holidays by the Sea

February 18, 2021 /
  • Three new routes to Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay (Ballina)
  • Additional seats to Coffs Harbour from Sydney for April school holidays
  • Sale fares on new routes from $129 one-way

Qantas has today announced it will add three new routes and extra seats to the New South Wales north coast to support growing demand for holidays in Australia. From 1 April 2021, Qantas will launch three new routes to both Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay (Ballina).

  • Melbourne to Coffs Harbour – flights will operate daily with Qantas’ Boeing 717 aircraft, adding more than 1,750 seats on the route each week.
  • Brisbane to Coffs Harbour – flights will operate four days per week with the turboprop Q400 aircraft, adding around 600 seats on the route each week.
  • Canberra to Byron Bay – Qantas’ first ever direct service connecting the two destinations, offering two flights per week with the turboprop Q400 aircraft. Flights will initially operate in April and Qantas will look to continue the service from July in line with demand.

More seats will also be added between Sydney and Coffs Harbour with the introduction of Qantas’ larger two-class B717 aircraft during the April school holidays, operating alongside the Q400 which also operate on the route. This will see Qantas offer around 500 extra seats on the route each week (a total of 4,300 seats), and the option to travel in Business.

QantasLink CEO John Gissing said these new routes would provide Australians with more options to plan their next holiday in their own backyard.

“The beautiful coastal hubs of Byron Bay and Coffs Harbour continue to be incredibly popular with travellers, so it makes sense to provide direct connections from other capital cities to make them even more accessible.

“Travellers from Canberra can spend more time on the beach and less time on their journey with our direct service to Byron Bay.

“We’ll be promoting these new flights to millions of our frequent flyers across the country and think they’ll enjoy the benefits of our premium service, including complimentary food and drinks, baggage and lounge access before they fly out.

Qantas is offering special fares for flights on the new routes from $129 one-way for periods of travel between April and October, available at qantas.com or through Travel Agents, until 11:59pm 21 February 2021, unless sold out prior.

Qantas currently operates up to 20 return flights per week between Sydney and Ballina Byron Bay and 28 weekly return flights between Sydney and Coffs Harbour.

The announcement follows a suite of customer initiatives unveiled last week, including a boost to flexibility allowing unlimited flight changes until at least January 2022.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Qantas has introduced a number of initiatives improve safety and peace-of-mind when travelling domestically through its Fly Well program, including masks on board, hand sanitising stations and enhanced aircraft cleaning.

Hilton Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results

February 17, 2021 /

MCLEAN, Virginia – Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (“Hilton” or the “Company”) (NYSE: HLT) today reported its fourth quarter and full year 2020 results. The following results reflect the material impact that the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic has had on Hilton’s business. Highlights include: 

  • Diluted EPS was $(0.80) for the fourth quarter and $(2.56) for the full year, and diluted EPS, adjusted for special items, was $(0.10) for the fourth quarter and $0.10 for the full year
  • Net loss was $225 million for the fourth quarter and $720 million for the full year
  • Adjusted EBITDA was $204 million for the fourth quarter and $842 million for the full year
  • System-wide comparable RevPAR decreased 59.2 percent and 56.7 percent on a currency neutral basis for the fourth quarter and full year, respectively, from the same periods in 2019
  • Approved 18,700 new rooms for development during the fourth quarter, bringing Hilton’s development pipeline to 397,000 rooms as of December 31, 2020
  • Opened 22,900 rooms in the fourth quarter, reaching the one million room milestone and contributing to 47,400 net additional rooms in Hilton’s system for the full year, which represented approximately 5.1 percent net unit growth from December 31, 2019 
  • As of February 10, 2021, 97 percent of Hilton’s system-wide hotels were open
  • In December 2020, issued $1.9 billion of senior notes consisting of: (i) $800 million aggregate principal amount of 3.750% Senior Notes due 2029 and (ii) $1.1 billion aggregate principal amount of 4.000% Senior Notes due 2031; and used the net proceeds to redeem: (i) $1.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of outstanding 4.250% Senior Notes due 2024 and (ii) $900 million in aggregate principal amount of outstanding 4.625% Senior Notes due 2025 
  • In January 2021, repaid $250 million of the outstanding debt balance under the $1.75 billion senior secured revolving credit facility
  • In February 2021, issued $1.5 billion aggregate principal amount of 3.625% Senior Notes due 2032 and used the net proceeds to redeem $1.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of outstanding 5.125% Senior Notes due 2026

Click the link below to view the full press release!

https://newsroom.hilton.com/assets/HWW/docs/2021/Q1/2020-Q4-Earnings-Release-FINAL.pdf

International Space Station Tests Virus Fighting Surface Coating Developed by Boeing & University of Queensland

February 16, 2021 /

BRISBANE, Australia, Feb. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are conducting experiments with an antimicrobial surface coating designed to fight the spread of bacteria and viruses, including the Earth-bound SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic. Developed by Boeing [NYSE: BA] and The University of Queensland (UQ), the joint research project was tested aboard Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator last year as part of the company’s Confident Travel Initiative.

The ISS experiment tests two identical sets of objects, including an airplane seat buckle, fabric from airplane seats and seat belts, and parts of an armrest and a tray table. One set received the antimicrobial surface coating, the other did not. ISS crew members are touching both sets of objects every few days to transfer microbes naturally occurring on human skin; no microbe samples were sent to the station for this experiment. Later this year, the test objects will be returned to Earth for analysis at Boeing’s labs to measure the effectiveness of the surface coating in a space environment.

An antimicrobial surface coating in a spacecraft could help ensure the health of the crew and protect the spacecraft’s systems from bacteria – and ultimately may help prevent interplanetary contamination from Earth-borne or another planet’s microbes.

Boeing was selected by NASA as the prime contractor for the ISS in 1993. Since then, Boeing has provided round-the-clock engineering support – maintaining the station at peak performance levels through dynamic missions and ensuring that the full value of the unique research laboratory is available to NASA, its international partners and private companies for years to come.

Since 2003, Boeing and The University of Queensland have collaborated on a broad portfolio of joint research and development projects. In 2017, the Brisbane-based Boeing Research & Technology engineers relocated to the university in a first-of-its-kind partnership for the company’s Asia-Pacific region.

The Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) at UQ has been a driver for multidisciplinary research to tackle global problems. The AIBN houses over 400 researchers across a wide range of scientific disciplines.

Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. As a top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth.

Ryanair Launches Over 700 Winter Route Destinations For 2021/2022 Season

February 15, 2021 /

Ryanair (London: RYA.L), Europe’s no. 1 airline, has today (11 Feb) launched its Winter 21/22 schedule, covering its most popular destinations for trips taking off from late October. Boasting over 700 routes across the Ryanair network – and further destinations to be released in the coming weeks – winter sun is where it’s at for 2021. Ever popular with its customers, Ryanair has launched routes to the likes of sunny Cyprus, Gran Canaria, the Greek islands, Sicily and Malaga for Winter ’21 and avid skiers who missed out on their trip to the slopes can dust off their skis with popular destinations such as Turin, Milan and Salzburg set to welcome visitors once again next winter.

In addition to winter sun and ski, customer can also book winter city breaks to Lisbon, Paris, Venice and many more. Having missed out on holidays and weekend breaks in 2020, an eclectic mix of destinations is on offer from Ryanair this winter spanning beach holidays, city breaks, cultural and foodie hotspots. To celebrate the release of Ryanair’s Winter ’21 / 22 schedule, Ryanair has launched a seat sale with fares available from €29.99 for travel from October ’21 – March ’22, available for booking on the Ryanair.com website only until midnight, Sunday 14th Feb 2021.

Statement from Ryanair’s Director of Marketing, Dara Brady

“While we believe the successful roll-out of the vaccine will see Europeans enjoying their favourite spots this Summer, Ryanair wants to give customers further choice and something to look forward to, whether that is a break to reunite with friends and family in July, or a winter sun getaway to the sunny Greek Islands in November. With 20m seats on sale on over 700 routes and further destinations to be released in the coming weeks, customers can now book a Winter getaway until the end of March 2022, always on the lowest fares.

We’ve added firm favourites Barcelona, Malta and Marrakech to the list of destinations this year, and to celebrate we’ve launched a seat sale with amazing fares available from just €29.99 for travel from October 2021 until end of March 2022, which must be booked before midnight Sunday, 14th Feb 2021. Since these amazing low fares will be snapped up quickly, customers should log onto www.ryanair.com”.

JAL Group Announces Domestic Network Plan through March 11

February 15, 2021 /

The JAL Group (OTC: JAPSY; Tokyo: 9201.T) today announced further reductions on its domestic network plan through March 11, 2021. With the state of emergency in effect through March 7, travel demand is expected to decline. As such, the JAL Group will reduce additional flights within the month of February and the beginning of March. For flights between March 12-31, the carrier plans to announce details on February 18, 2021.

The JAL Group has implemented key measures against COVID-19 to provide our customers with a safe and secure travel experience. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience, but would like to ask for our customer`s understanding during this unprecedented time.

10FEB21 - Press Memo Domestic Reductions Summary Chart FNL.png

Note – Figures Include JAL Group Operated Flights (JAL, J-AIR, JAC, HAC, JTA, RAC)

Air New Zealand Updates Covid-19 Alert Levels Following New Cases in Auckland

February 14, 2021 /

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that New Zealand is going back into lockdown following reports of 3 new Covid-19 cases in the south Auckland area. Following the press release earlier today, Air New Zealand (OTC: ANZLY) is asking that customers traveling to and from Auckland check they are eligible to travel under the new Alert Level 3 restrictions. Customers travelling from Alert Level 2 regions on our services are able to transit through Auckland on their way to other Alert Level 2 regions.

Food and beverage service onboard domestic flights had already been suspended in response to the latest community cases and this suspension will remain in place until further notice. Water is available on request on all flights.

From tomorrow, Air New Zealand’s Auckland lounges and valet parking will close. Due to capacity restrictions under Alert Level 2, the maximum number of people able to access the airline’s lounges in other regions is capped at 100.

While the country is at elevated Alert Levels, Air New Zealand will be taking extra precautions to keep its staff and customers safe. Air New Zealand front line staff and cabin crew will be wearing masks and gloves and customers are required to continue to wear face coverings onboard.

Customers with existing bookings between Monday 15 February and Sunday 21 February who wish to rebook to travel before Sunday 7 March will have any fare difference waived, and customers can call the contact centre to arrange this.

In addition to this, customers who hold a ticket for a domestic flight scheduled to depart up until 30 March 2021 and no longer wish to travel are able to opt in for credit and can do this via the airline’s online booking tool. Customers who are unable to manage their booking online do not need to contact Air New Zealand immediately or prior to their flight’s departure – assistance will be provided at a later date to find an alternative flight option or a credit note can be arranged.

The Air New Zealand contact centre and social media team are currently experiencing very high demand and the airline is grateful to customers for their patience while it works through these changes.

For the latest information, customers can check the Air New Zealand COVID-19 Hub and travel alerts page.

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