The logo of IndiGo Airlines is pictured on passenger aircraft on the tarmac in Colomiers near Toulouse
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s air safety watchdog said IndiGo must do more to fix its aircraft fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines, linked to in-flight shutdowns, as it fears the budget airline may not meet its Jan. 31 deadline to replace them.
Deliveries of new planes taken by IndiGo must be used to replace the aircraft that are fitted with the problem Pratt engines, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Monday. Those planes should then be grounded until their engines are replaced with new ones, after which they can fly again.
Indigo is the biggest customer of Airbus A320neo jets.
The regulator’s move effectively prevents India’s top airline from expanding its network until it has replaced all the Pratt & Whitney engines.
United Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney engines have consistently caused issues since they entered into service in 2016, forcing IndiGo to ground its planes several times.
In a recent review meeting with the airline, the DGCA felt that the steps taken by IndiGo so far to replace all the engines “do not instil enough confidence with regard to the timely completion of the said task”.
“If left unaddressed, we may find ourselves in a situation, in which, we remain saddled with large number of aircraft with unmodified engines … and we are left with the only option i.e. to ground them,” the regulator said in the statement.
On Nov. 1 the regulator had ordered the airline to replace all P&W engines on its fleet of almost 100 twin-engined Airbus A320neo family aircraft with new power units by Jan. 31, 2020.
If the replacement is not complete, all planes that still have unmodified engines will be grounded and could cause “large scale disruptions” in operations. The latest directive is aimed at preventing such a situation, the DGCA said.
IndiGo, owned by InterGlobe Aviation, said the current schedule remains intact, and it is working with P&W and Airbus to meet the DGCA guidelines.
(Reporting by Aditi Shah, editing by Louise Heavens)
22 November 2019 – The Northwest Rapid Transit Consortium (NRT) has reached contractual close for the extension to the existing NRT Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract on Sydney Metro.
The contract, which was awarded in 2014, has been extended to deliver a seamless customer experience on the new metro, with NRT to operate and maintain the full metro line from Rouse Hill to Bankstown – in total 66 kilometres of rail and 31 metro stations by 2024.
Alstom has signed a contract with NRT to supply the rolling stock and signalling system for the next stage of Sydney Metro, Sydney Metro City and Southwest. The project is an extension of the Metro North West Line, which successfully opened to customers in May 2019.
Under the contract, valued at approx. €350 million, Alstom will be responsible for the project management, design, supply, manufacturing, testing and commissioning of 23 six-car fully-automated Metropolis trains and the Urbalis 400 Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system. The trains will be manufactured in Alstom’s manufacturing centre in Sri City, India which successfully delivered 22 Metropolis trains for the Metro North West Line. The contract also includes an option to purchase further trains if required.
“Sydney Metro has been a game changer for the travelling public of Sydney and Alstom is delighted to continue to be a part of this iconic project. It strengthens Alstom’s position as the market leader for the supply of railway technologies in Australia.” said Ling Fang, Senior Vice President of Alstom Asia-Pacific.
As an extension of the existing Metro North West Line, the NRT PPP will provide a fully integrated turn-up and go service along a dedicated 66-kilometre metro network with a total of 31 stations from Rouse Hill through the City and to Bankstown. The Metro North West Line operator, Metro Trains Sydney, will be responsible for the operations and maintenance of the entire line.
The City and Southwest extension includes a 15km greenfield line with seven new stations plus the conversion of the existing suburban rail line to metro rail standards, covering a further 13km of track and 11 existing stations. The project also includes expansion of the current Sydney Metro Trains Facility at Rouse Hill and a new trains facility at Sydenham. Construction of the new line is currently underway with revenue service expected to start in 2024.
The Metropolis trains and digital signalling systems for the City & Southwest project will include the same design and features as the North West Line, designed to meet the specific needs of Sydney. According to the specifications, the new trains will meet strict sustainability criteria; a robust lightweight structure, low energy consumption, high levels of recoverability and recyclability, technical reliability and ease of maintenance. The trains will also be equipped with remote sensors for optimal maintenance planning.
Alstom has put sustainability and the passenger at the heart of its design process. The trains for Sydney will be built with the safety and comfort of passengers in mind, offering accessibility, wide doors and spaces to facilitate passenger flow, acoustic comfort, vibration mitigation and passenger information in real time.
Alstom’s metro trains are a world-leading, proven, safe and reliable train that serve many of the world’s great cities, including Paris, London, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Singapore. Alstom has more than 65 years’ experience in the production of metros, having sold over 17,000 metro cars that operate in 55 cities around the world and carry 30 million passengers every day.
Rouse Hill Station is on Sydney’s first metro line, Metro Northwest, which opened on 26 May, 2019. Services at the 13 metro stations operate every four minutes in the peak in each direction on Australia’s first driverless railway.
From horseback riding to cave diving, puffin watching to hot spring soaking, Iceland has turned itself into a popular vacation destination. Until fairly recently however, beer tourists didn’t have much to entice them to this island nation in the North Atlantic. In fact, 2019 marks only 30 years since Iceland legalized the sale and consumption of beer with over 2.25% alcohol, ending nearly eight decades of a curious and narrowly defined type of prohibition. Things have changed considerably however, particularly in the last few years.
The first Icelandic craft brewery, Bruggsmiðjan, which produces the popular Kaldi, didn’t open until 2006, and as recently as 2015 there were only seven small breweries nationwide. Today, nearly 30 beer companies dot the countryside, with the highest concentration in greater Reykjavík. There’s trendy KEX Brewing in the capital city, which just opened its second location in Portland, Oregon; Ölverk Pizza and Brewery in the South, where the brewhouse is powered by geothermal energy; Brugghús Steðja, which gained publicity by making beers with unusual ingredients including smoked whale testicles; and Lady Brewery, one of the newer brands in Iceland, started by two young women in a home kitchen.
Ölverk Pizza and Brewery in Hveragerði.
“The culture has changed so fast,” says Valgeir Valgeirsson, head brewer at RVK Brewing Company in central Reykjavík. “[Craft beer] is quite a new concept. We’re just trying to build it up.”
Ten taps greet visitors to RVK, along with a British beer engine, traditionally used to serve cask ales. Here, in an unassuming taproom overlooking the brewery’s stainless steel fermentation tanks, those with adventurous palates can try everything from a juicy, easy-drinking pale ale with notes of tropical fruit, to a boldly flavored, high-alcohol stout made with coffee and coconut. Creativity is king in this new era of brewing, with the sky as the limit. Valgeir and a number of other brewers around the country have even made sour beers by incorporating skyr, an Icelandic cultured dairy product, into their recipes.
Meanwhile, more than 230 miles (370 km) away in the small but scenic fishing village of Siglufjörður, Marteinn Haraldsson is the proud owner of the country’s northernmost brewery, Segull 67. Marteinn, a computer scientist who grew up in town but lives in Akureyri, learned the basics one homebrew recipe at a time, but now produces much larger batches in a former fish-freezing factory a short distance from the popular Herring Era Museum. An amber lager simply called Original and Sigló, an India pale ale, sell best, but Marteinn also makes a Belgian-style wheat beer with coriander and lime peel and a pineapple summer ale—not exactly options you would have had in Iceland as recently as a few years ago.
Segull 67’s Sólstingur, brewed with pineapple.
For all of the tourists that arrive in Siglufjörður via cruise ship during the summer months, Marteinn talks about the obstacles to being a little business in a remote town of 1,200. “Most of our challenges are getting people to know about us,” he says. “We just try to take it one day at a time.”
East of Reykjavík, in the town of Hveragerði, Ölverk Pizza and Brewery has successfully gained attention since opening its doors in 2017, by combining complementary passions: wood-fired pizza, and craft brewing. General manager Laufey Sif Lárusdóttir and her partner head brewer Elvar Þrastarson don’t currently can or bottle any of the beers they make, preferring to serve them on premise by the glass, pitcher, or tasting flight. Working on a small system enables Elvar to keep the draft list varied and interesting, tempting taste buds with a mild, malty, and food-friendly Altbier alongside a hazy, hoppy, party-in-a-glass imperial IPA like Disco Juice. The couple also typically devotes two of their eight taps to other small Icelandic breweries they admire, like Ölvisholt in Selfoss or The Brothers Brewery on Heimaey in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago.
Cheese-stuffed breadsticks at Ölverk.
“It’s really small and friendly,” says Laufey of the young Icelandic beer scene. “For other industries it’s really weird. But if someone else opened up a brewery here I would say ‘Okay, I will be better.’” Ólafur Ágústsson, one of the partners behind KEX Brewing, echoes this sense of camaraderie, and explains how a desire to build and promote interest in craft brewing motivated the company to begin hosting an annual Icelandic Beer Festival at KEX’s four-story space in downtown Reykjavík eight years ago. Last year more than a dozen Icelandic brewers poured their ales and lagers alongside examples from the US and elsewhere in Europe.
“We’re not brewers at all,” he says. “I’m a chef. We’re just people who like good beer. We wanted to make the scene better. That’s what’s important right now—helping everybody and trying to grow the market.”
Something’s Brewing, All Around Iceland
1. KEX Brewing Hosts of the popular annual Icelandic Beer Festival.
2. RVK Brewing Company Fruity sours share space with easy- drinking lagers and hazy, hoppy IPAs.
3. Brugghús Steðja Sleep on the farm in an insulated cabin at this rural brewery.
4. Dokkan Brugghús The first brewery in the Westfjords, and possibly the most remote in Iceland.
5. Segull 67 Brewery Fresh beer, fishing history, and views of Siglufjörður.
6. Bruggsmiðjan Kaldi Brewery Soak in a beer spa at the country’s oldest craft brewery.
7. Húsavík Öl Expect creative saisons made with birch, rhubarb, juniper, or mint.
8. Beljandi Brugghús Approachable beers and a rustic vibe inside a former slaughterhouse.
9. Smiðjan Brugghús Try the baby back ribs cooked in Icelandic stout.
10. The Brothers Brewery Watch for puffins on the ferry ride to this island brewery.
11. Ölvisholt Brewery Don’t miss the chance to try Lava, a smoked imperial stout.
12. Ölverk Pizza and Brewery Pair a tasty ale with the surprisingly delicious banana pizza.
Nov 6 (Reuters) – Aircastle Ltd said on Wednesday Japan’s Marubeni Corp and Mizuho Leasing Co Ltd had offered to buy the aircraft lessor in a deal valued at $2.4 billion, ending a nearly two-week long strategic review of its business.
Shares of the company rose 16% to trade in line with the offer price of $32 per share. Marubeni, the company’s largest shareholder, has a 29% stake in Aircastle as of Oct. 23 that is currently valued at about $600 million.
Aircastle, which owned and managed 277 aircraft in 48 countries as of Sept. 30, counts American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines among its customers.
Airline bankruptcies have increased this year at the fastest ever rate, led by the collapse of India’s Jet Airways, British travel group Thomas Cook and Avianca of Brazil, adding pressure on aircraft leasing companies.
Fitch Ratings said in September that it expects the sector to worsen in the medium term with a potential rise in airline bankruptcies, further aircraft repossessions and increased financing costs. (http://bit.ly/2qrjaG5)
The deal, which is valued at $7.4 billion including debt, is expected to close in the first half of 2020, Aircastle said.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc will serve as financial adviser to Aircastle.
(Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Anil D’Silva)
Oct 31 (Reuters) – VietJet Aviation has ordered 20 Airbus long-range A321XLR aircraft that the budget carrier hopes will support its international expansion as Vietnam’s aviation market heats up.
VietJet expects the first aircraft to be delivered in 2023, it said in a statement on Thursday, adding that it will be the “first carrier in the world” to operate the new long-range version of the single-aisle A320neo family jets.
Industry sources said VietJet would be among the first to put the XLR into service.
Vietnam’s largest conglomerate in August applied to launch an airline next year, intensifying competition in one of the fastest-growing aviation markets.
The sector includes Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific Airlines and Vietnam Air Services Co.
The airline also signed a separate agreement in Toulouse, France, for two A320/A321 aircraft simulators.
VietJet’s order book for Airbus aircraft now totals 186, the airline said.
In September, Reuters reported that Airbus sold 15 A321XLR jets to VietJet.
Airbus on Thursday confirmed that VietJet had placed a new order for 15 XLR and said another 5 would be converted to the new jet from the A321neo model.
VietJet CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao said Thursday’s order will “modernise VietJet’s fleet as we look to strongly grow our international flight network.”
The airline currently flies to destinations including Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and India.
(Reporting by Nikhil Kurian Nainan in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Jason Neely and Dan Grebler)
PARIS, Oct 7 (Reuters) – France’s Dassault Aviation and Europe’s Airbus have stepped up pressure on France and Germany to agree on the next stage of a planned fighter project, warning Europe’s arms industry and long-term security could suffer from delays.
The two companies are the leading industrial partners in a project to build a futuristic swarm of manned and unmanned warplanes, announced by the leaders of France and Germany two years ago and expanded earlier this year to include Spain.
Dassault and Airbus won a 65-million-euro contract in January to develop the concept for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) but await a new contract to build demonstrators for interlinked fighters, drones and an “air combat cloud” by 2026.
Dassault Aviation Chief Executive Eric Trappier told a conference of policymakers last month that the demonstrator contract should have been launched in September but this was now slipping towards end-year. He called it “indispensable” to avoid any further delays in order to maintain the 2026 deadline.
No reason has been given for the delays.
On Monday evening, Dassault and Airbus amplified those warnings with a joint statement.
“If Europe does not move forward — and move forward quickly — on this programme, it will be impossible to maintain the development and production capabilities needed for a sovereign defence industry,” the companies said.
The warplane system is expected to be operational from 2040, with a view to replacing Dassault’s Rafale and the four-nation Eurofighter, in which Airbus represents both Germany and Spain.
The new project faces competition from Britain and its plans for a new combat jet dubbed “Tempest”.
The fighter developments have split the current Eurofighter consortium and led to a shake-up of industrial alliances as Italy joins Eurofighter partner Britain on Tempest, turning its back on Germany and Spain, while Sweden has opened the door to abandoning its independent stance by co-operating on Tempest.
The FCAS is also overshadowed by differences between France and Germany over export policy after Germany imposed a ban on arms exports to Saudi Arabia over the death of killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi a year ago by Saudi operatives.
The ban, recently extended to March, has raised questions over a long-delayed Saudi border systems contract run by Airbus.
Airbus Defence and Space Chief Executive Dirk Hoke called in a magazine interview last week for the export ban to be relaxed. German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has said there is no reason for the moratorium to be lifted.
France and Germany are expected to discuss the issue at ministerial meetings this week.
AIRBUS SETBACK IN SPAIN
Airbus meanwhile faces a battle to shore up its position as a top defence contractor in Spain after losing its place as the representative of Spain’s interests on the upcoming fighter project to local defence electronics firm Indra Sistemas.
Spain last month named Indra as contractor for the Spanish share of the Franco-German-led FCAS project, displacing Airbus from the Spanish coordinator role it had held on Eurofighter.
Airbus officials have pledged to try to overturn the move but a Spanish defence source told Reuters there was no change in the decision.
Indra declined to comment.
Publicly, Airbus has said it was surprised by the decision but has pledged to continue to defend Spain’s best interests.
Dassault will meanwhile mark a long-awaited milestone on Tuesday when it delivers the first of 36 Rafales to India, the culmination of a fighter procurement process that lasted almost 20 years and involved the cancellation of a much larger deal.
La Tribune reported on Monday that France and India were discussing a possible repeat order for 36 more Rafales.
(Additional reporting by Emma Pinedo Gonzalez in Madrid, Tassilo Hummel in Berlin, Editing by Deepa Babington)
(Reuters) – The collapse of British travel operator Thomas Cook left hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers abroad and forced governments and insurers to coordinate a huge operation to get them home.
FILE PHOTO: Passengers are silhouetted in front of a closed service counter of travel agent Thomas Cook and airline Condor at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, September 24, 2019. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
The company ran hotels, resorts and airlines ferrying 19 million people a year to 16 different countries.
Here is a summary of the impact of the collapse in different countries and efforts to salvage parts of the group:
GERMANY
Thomas Cook’s German tour business filed for insolvency on Wednesday in a move aimed at separating its brands and operations from its failed parent, and it said it was in talks with potential new investors.
The German government said it was considering an application for a bridging loan from Thomas Cook Germany, a day after it said it would guarantee a 380 million euro ($418 million) bridging loan for Condor, the British group’s German airline.
The company is in contact with the German foreign ministry, insurers and other partners to get customers home. Zurich Insurance, which provided insolvency cover to Thomas Cook Germany, will cover the costs for those on holiday.
About 97,000 holidaymakers were still stranded on Thursday.
AUSTRIA
Thomas Cook Austria, which belongs to the German unit, also filed for insolvency on Wednesday, with the aim of continuing in business.
THE NETHERLANDS
The Dutch unit of Thomas Cook canceled all travel booked through Thomas Cook Netherlands and subsidiary Neckermann.
A Dutch court on Wednesday granted Thomas Cook Nederland B.V., a Netherlands-based subsidiary, protection from creditors. It employed roughly 200 staff.
POLAND
Thomas Cook’s Polish unit, Neckermann Polska, said on Wednesday that it has filed for insolvency. Poland regional authorities says around 3,600 customers of Neckermann Polska are still abroad.
BELGIUM
Thomas Cook’s Belgian unit ceased carrying passengers on Tuesday and liquidated two businesses, seeking protection from creditors and ultimately a buyer for Thomas Cook Retail Belgium.
It still has some 13,400 customers on holidays abroad.
NORDICS
Several planes operated by Thomas Cook Scandinavian Airlines have not been able to take off because their leasing contracts remained with the British parent, Danish subsidiary Spies said.
It was not immediately clear how the situation would be resolved.
Thomas Cook’s Nordic business said on Monday it would continue to operate as it is a separate legal entity from its London-listed parent and added that it was looking for new owners.
The Nordic business consists of two legal entities, Thomas Cook Northern Europe and Thomas Cook Scandinavian Airlines, and is also known as Ving Group.
The business operates under several brands: Ving in Norway, Spies in Denmark, Tjäreborg in Finland, as well as Ving and Globetrotter in Sweden.
BRITAIN
Emergency flights had brought 14,700 people back to the United Kingdom on 64 flights on Monday, and around 135,300 more were expected to be returned over the next 13 days, Britain’s aviation regulator said.
More than 70 flights were scheduled to operate on Wednesday to bring back 16,500 people.
MEXICO
The collapse of British travel firm Thomas Cook will not have a “significant impact” on Mexico’s tourist industry as it only represents about 0.4% of the sector’s foreign income, the Mexican tourism ministry said on Tuesday.
BULGARIA
Thomas Cook’s collapse poses a serious challenge to Bulgarian tourism, with dozens of Black Sea hotels facing losses totaling tens of millions of dollars as negotiations for the next summer season take place, its tourism minister said on Tuesday.
TUNISIA
Tunisian tourism minister Rene Trabelsi told Reuters that 4,500 Thomas Cook customers are still on holiday in Tunisia.
The British government repatriated about 1,200 tourists via planes sent to Tunisa’s Enfidha airport, and another 4,000 still in Tunisia will return after their holidays.
FRANCE
The French arm of the business said on Tuesday it was asking the French commercial court of Nanterre for creditor protection
Thomas Cook France will hold a meeting of its works council on Thursday about a plan to declare insolvency and to start a recovery procedure.
French organization Entreprises de Voyage said that about 10,000 French tourists could be affected by the bankruptcy.
SPAIN
The collapse has affected 53,000 Britons in Spain, Spanish Acting Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto told reporters.
The ministry has been in touch with German and Swedish authorities to ensure Thomas Cook subsidiaries continue to operate at least for the winter season, she added.
GREECE
A Greek tourism ministry official told Reuters that about 50,000 tourists were affected.
CYPRUS
Cyprus says 15,000 Thomas Cook customers were stranded on the island.
HUNGARY
Thomas Cook’s Hungarian unit Neckermann Magyarorszag said it was continuing its operations and all passengers would be able to return from abroad as planned.
It said its financial situation was stable and its assets were sufficient guarantee that its passengers would not suffer any financial damage. It said passengers should contact its offices directly about upcoming flights.
RUSSIA
Thomas Cook’s Russian tour operator subsidiary, Intourist, said the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook will have no impact on clients, Executive Director Sergei Tolchin told Interfax.
TURKEY
The Turkish Ministry of Tourism said it will provide support for local companies affected by the Thomas Cook collapse.
The head of the country’s Hotelier Federation said about 45,000 tourists from the UK and elsewhere in Europe are in the country.
MOROCCO
Morocco’s tourism ministry said it had created a crisis unit to handle the fallout from Thomas Cook’s collapse. Thomas Cook operated two flights to Marrakesh a week. No official numbers were given.
EGYPT
Thomas Cook operator Blue Sky Group said that 25,000 reservations in Egypt booked up to April 2020 had been cancelled. Blue Sky currently has 1,600 tourists in Egypt’s Hugharda resort.
INDIA
Thomas Cook India said it had been unaffected as it has been a separate entity since August 2012.
05/08/2019 – Alstom India continues its noteworthy innings in India by rolling out the 100th ‘Make-in-India’ metro trainset today from its state-of-the-art rolling stock manufacturing facility in Sricity, Andhra Pradesh. The delivery of the centurion trainset to Kochi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL) also marks completion of the Kochi Metro order for 25 trainsets by Alstom. Kochi operates a 100% ‘Make in India’ metro fleet entirely custom-built at the flagship manufacturing facility at Sricity.
The facility was set up as Alstom’s first global manufacturing centre for rolling stock in the Asia-Pacific region. This plant commenced operations in November 2013 and delivered its first metro trainset to Chennai Metro Rail Corporation (CMRL) in February 2014. The facility currently employs more than 600 employees and has a production capacity of 240 cars per year. The factory is currently scaling up to double production capacity and also introducing latest industrial technologies.
Till date, Alstom’s Sricity facility has made on-time deliveries of more than 420 metro cars for its Indian and international customers. This includes delivering completely indigenous trainsets to metro rail corporations of Chennai, Lucknow, Kochi and Sydney (its first international order).
Speaking on this occasion Alain Spohr, Managing Director for India and South Asia, said “We have hit a century by delivering the 100th trainset. This milestone signifies many things, but most importantly, it is a vote of confidence of our customers in our capabilities to deliver world class, custom-made solutions. This achievement has been possible by our belief in our Indian talent that includes more than 4200 team members working across various locations in India. We are confident to reach greater heights with our commitment to ‘Make in India’ and aligning our business goals with the country’s vision.”
In just six years since its commencement, Sricity facility has cemented its position as a manufacturing hub for Alstom’s domestic and international clients. The supply chain is close to being 75% domestic to ensure localised manufacturing. Locally, it is also a preferred workplace due to its regular employee development and inclusive programmes with more than 10% of the staff strength being women in various roles as supervisors, planners, engineers etc.
Before end of this year, the facility will commence production for 248 metro cars (31 train sets of 8 cars each) for Mumbai Metro Line 3, 212 metro cars (106 train sets of 2 cars each) for Montreal Metro (Réseau express métropolitain) and 10 more train sets for Chennai Metro, which is already under execution.
Just three weeks after a skydiving plane in Hawaii crashed on take-off killing all 11 aboard, nine people were killed in a Swedish skydiving accident on July 14, 2019. The Skydive Umea AB GippsAero Airvan 8 reportedly lost control and crashed on Storsandskar island, in the Ume River, about 1km south of Umea Airport, Umea, Sweden. The aircraft was operating a skydiving flight from Umea and had reached the planned jump height of around 13,000ft, when the airplane lost control. The last reported contact with the flight was when the pilot advised that they were starting the jump. The accident happened during daylight hours.
The Gippsland GA8 Airvan is a single-engine light utility aircraft designed and manufactured by Australian company GippsAero. Mahindra Aerospace, an Indian company, acquired a majority shareholding in GippsAero in 2010
Addition of Alila Hotels provides World of Hyatt loyalty members even more places to earn and redeem points and connect to exclusive experiences across distinct hotels and resorts
CHICAGO (June 25, 2019) – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) today announced the introduction of Alila Hotels into the World of Hyatt loyalty program beginning June 25, 2019. This program expansion allows World of Hyatt members to enjoy more unique stay options, the ability to earn and redeem points and enjoy in-hotel benefits at 16 participating Alila properties located throughout Asia, Southwest Asia and the U.S. This program addition quickly follows Hyatt’s November 2018 acquisition of Two Roads Hospitality and its recent integration of the Thompson Hotels and Joie de Vivre brands, with the Destination Hotels brand set to follow later this year.
16 Alila hotels are joining World of Hyatt beginning June 25, 2019 through July 16, 2019, including:
Ventana Big Sur – an Alila Resort – Big Sur, California (June 25)
Alila Solo – Solo (Surakarta), Central Java, Indonesia (June 25)
Alila Seminyak – Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia (June 25)
Studios at Alila Seminyak – Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia (June 25)
Alila Ubud – Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia (June 25)
Alila Villas Uluwatu – Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia (June 25)
Alila Manggis – Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia (June 26)
Alila SCBD – Jakarta, Java, Indonesia (June 26)
Alila Diwa Goa – Salcette, Goa, India (July 15)
The Diwa Club by Alila – Salcette, Goa, India (July 15)
Alila Jabal Akhdar – Jabal Al Akhdar, Oman (July 15)
Alila Fort Bishangarh – Jaipur, Rajasthan, India (July 16)
Alila Anji – Anji, Zhejiang, China (July 16)
Alila Wuzhen – Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China (July 16)
“Following the additions of the Thompson Hotels and Joie de Vivre brands into World of Hyatt, we are thrilled to introduce Alila as the next former Two Roads brand to join the loyalty program,” said Amy Weinberg, senior vice president, World of Hyatt. “Alila is an award-winning brand known for its combination of innovative design and eco-luxury in unique locations, set apart by an unprecedented level of private space, crafted artisanship, personalized hospitality, and bespoke journeys. We are looking forward to offering our World of Hyatt members the opportunity to discover even more unique destinations and exclusive experiences at these remarkable properties while enjoying the rewards they’ve come to expect from World of Hyatt.”
Following the completion of the Alila Hotels integration on July 16, 2019, more than 40 hotels across the Thompson Hotels, Joie de Vivre and Alila brands will have joined World of Hyatt in many new destinations including Zihuatanejo, Mexico, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, and more.
Exclusive Alila FIND Experiences
Additionally, as part of the Alila brand integration, World of Hyatt members will be able to participate in uniquely crafted, authentic experiences at participating Alila hotels and resorts through the FIND experience platform, all of which will align with Hyatt’s three landmarks of wellbeing: Feel, Fuel and Function. Available for members to redeem using points, these specially curated experiences will be focused on enhancing mind and body, through offerings like the Balinese Beauty Ritual at Alila Seminyak, Seminyak, Indonesia; Journey to Gastronomy at Alila Villas Uluwatu, Uluwatu, Indonesia; Payangan “Private Bali” Trekking to explore rice terraces and riverside views at Alila Ubud, Gianyar, Indonesia; and Snorkeling the Blue Lagoon in Bali at Alila Manggis, Karangasem, Indonesia.
Exclusive World of Hyatt Member Offer
To celebrate, members can earn 2,000 Bonus Points for their first
qualifying stay exploring each of the new brands for a total of up to
8,000 Bonus Points, plus a free night when they experience all four
brands this year. Eligible stays at participating hotels begin once each
property participates in World of Hyatt and are valid through December
31, 2019. No registration is required. Full terms for these offers are
below. These offers are combinable with other program offers, and are
part of World of Hyatt’s continued commitment to increasing rewarding
offerings for its global members.
