TOMORROWS TRANSPORTATION NEWS TODAY!
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India – As many as 170 passengers who were about to board a New Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram Air India flight were stranded for at least eight hours in New Delhi airport late Saturday as the pilot arrived late. The flight, which was supposed to leave at 9.45 pm on Saturday, took off only at 6 am on Sunday.
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Qantas will open a temporary lounge to cater for eligible customers travelling between Sydney and London via Darwin from next month.
It follows the recent announcement that Qantas’ flagship Australia to United Kingdom route would operate via Darwin once Australia’s international borders open on 1 November until at least April 2022 due to WA border closures.
Qantas will lease Darwin International Airport’s Catalina lounge, which will have space for approximately 100 guests utilising existing furniture and fittings. The offering will feature:
Qantas Group Chief Customer Officer, Stephanie Tully, said the national carrier is delighted to work with Darwin International Airport to ensure a comfortable transit experience for its top tier frequent flyers and customers travelling in Business Class.
Customers eligible to visit the Qantas Darwin International Transit Lounge include:
Qantas will also reopen its Sydney International First Lounge from 1 November and its London and Los Angeles lounges in December. In the interim few weeks of operation, eligible Qantas customers will be able to visit the British Airways T3 Lounge at London Heathrow and the Star Alliance Lounge at Tom Bradley International Terminal in LA. Other international lounges will reopen to align with the return of further international routes.
The Qantas Group is launching its reward campaign for COVID-19 vaccinated Australians to recognise their role in helping the country get out of lockdown.
From tomorrow, fully vaccinated Australian-based Frequent Flyers who are 18 and over will be able to claim their reward through the Qantas App by choosing one of three options:
Members will then be automatically entered into a mega prize draw to win a year’s worth of flights, accommodation and fuel.
Ten mega prizes will be up for grabs with a winner selected from each state and territory and two mega prize winners as part of a national TV campaign.
Winners of ten mega prizes will receive a year’s worth of flights to take off to more than 60 destinations around Australia, with free accommodation across 345 Accor hotels, resorts and apartments (including Sofitel, Pullman, Peppers, Mantra, Mercure, Mövenpick, Novotel and Ibis) and top up their cars with free fuel from any of bp’s 1,400 service stations across the country.
Winners will also be able to take off to any Qantas and Jetstar international destination when borders start to open.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the vaccine rollout was critical for protecting public health and key to breaking the cycle of lockdowns.
Australians can claim their points, status credits or flight discounts and be automatically entered in the mega prize draw by downloading the Qantas App (via the App Store or through Google Play), using their Medicare app to access and upload their COVID-19 digital vaccination certificate and selecting their reward choice. Vaccination certificate information will be deleted upon verification.
Click the link below to read the full story!
https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/qantas-unveils-vaccine-reward-mega-prize-campaign/
Queenslanders will have more travel options to the world-famous Whitsundays with QantasLink launching direct flights from Brisbane to the Whitsunday Coast (Proserpine) for the first time in seven years.
From 17 September 2021, QantasLink will operate up to seven weekly return flights between Proserpine and Brisbane with its 74-seat Q400 turboprop aircraft, adding more than 1000 seats on the route each week.
It follows the new routes QantasLink commenced from Brisbane to Albury and Cooma earlier this week. Between Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar, the Group has now launched more than 45 new routes since international borders closed, around half of which are into Queensland.
QantasLink CEO John Gissing said the new route would create stronger connections to the popular tourism destination.
Special fares on the new route are available from $109 one-way at qantas.com or through Travel Agents, until 10 July 2021, unless sold out prior.
The new Brisbane-Proserpine service will complement Jetstar flights to the Whitsunday Coast from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Qantas has recently extended its Fly Flexible policy, offering customers who book flights before 30 September 2021 with unlimited ‘fee free’ date changes when travelling before 28 February 2022. (A fare difference may apply).
QantasLink is today adding Griffith to its map, operating direct flights from Sydney for the first time to meet increased demand for travel within Australia. The inaugural flight QF2121 arrived in Griffith from Sydney at midday with local business and community leaders at the Airport to welcome the aircraft’s arrival. The service will operate daily with the airline’s turboprop 50-seat Q300 aircraft, adding more than 700 seats on the route each week.
Speaking from Griffith to mark the inaugural flight, QantasLink CEO John Gissing said the new route reinforced the national carrier’s commitment to supporting regional Australia. “As the national carrier, we have an important role to play in driving tourism and supporting the industry in its recovery from COVID-19. We know Australians want to travel so we’ve been looking for opportunities to support new routes where there is demand and help deliver a boost for local businesses. We’re working with tourism partners to promote the world-class wineries and fresh produce of the beautiful Riverina region to millions of our frequent flyers around the country”.
Qantas (QAN.AX) is also today launching a new regional route from Melbourne to Merimbula. Since the start of COVID-19, the Qantas Group has announced or commenced flying on 26 new routes across Australia, reflecting new travel demand patterns.
The route launch follows a new suite of initiatives introduced for customers, including a boost to flexibility allowing unlimited flight changes until at least February 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.
Virgin Australia has today revealed its Lounge of the future, with the opening of its highly anticipated Adelaide Airport Lounge. Designed by Brisbane’s WMK Architecture, the 283-seat Adelaide Lounge completes Virgin Australia’s network of seven domestic lounges across major airports around Australia. All future Lounge refurbishments around the domestic network will be done in line with this new and fresh design thinking.
The Lounge is true to the Virgin Australia brand, creating a warm, authentic and inviting environment for frequent flyers.
The contemporary design includes a breeze block feature wall upon entry, with canopy ceilings, before ceramic tiling leads guests into a large light-filled space, with the centre walkway leading guests to numerous dining and seating areas. Ambient lighting, bright greenery and Australian sustainable furniture completes the Lounge, making it a relaxed, inviting and uncomplicated place, to refresh and recharge in a delightfully Virgin way.
Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said the new lounge was the first of many new and exciting products for customers following the airline’s re-launch.
Adelaide Lounge features
The Coffee Bar: An eye-catching central café seating area, transforming from a place to unwind over a coffee during the day, turning into a wine bar at night.
The Cellar Door Hub: With some of Australia’s most awarded wineries on the doorstep of Adelaide Airport, Virgin Australia has created a feature space for South Australian wineries to bring their cellar door to the Lounge for seasonal wine tasting.
Distinct dining areas: Separate dining areas with diverse functionality have been built adjacent to servery areas to cater to all guest’s eating preferences, including large social tables, and banquette seating for more private dining.
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).
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.
Qantas Frequent Flyers can now earn and use points on premium train trips around Australia including The Ghan, Indian Pacific and the Great Southern – marking the first time Classic Reward Seats have been offered on the ground.
From today, members can use points to book Classic Rail Reward seats or earn 1 point per $1 spent on Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions journeys.
Journey Beyond offers extended overnight rail holidays that traverse some of Australia’s most picturesque and iconic landscapes such as the Red Centre, Blue Mountains and east coast. The all-inclusive high-end expeditions include bespoke menus inspired by the places the trains travel through and the opportunity for guests to explore beyond the tracks with immersive Off Train Excursions before returning to their onboard accommodation and world-class hospitality.
Qantas Loyalty CEO, Olivia Wirth said at a time when Australians are planning domestic holidays more than ever the partnership with Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions provides even more choice for frequent flyers to use their Qantas Points.
“Ninety per cent of our members want to use their points for travel so the ability to explore the country by rail is an exciting alternative for frequent flyers and a real drawcard for our program,” Ms Wirth said.
“Whether members are redeeming points on flights, hotel bookings, holiday packages or now rail travel, we’re always evolving and innovating to meet the needs of our 13 million members and help bring them closer to their next dream trip.”
Journey Beyond Chief Executive Officer, Chris Tallent said the announcement reflected a coming together of two great Australian brands.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Qantas Frequent Flyer and provide people who love to travel with greater value when they choose a premium rail holiday experience,” Mr Tallent said.
“Like Qantas, Journey Beyond is in the business of taking people to incredible places across the country and curating unique experiences that forge lasting memories.
“As the first travel partner to offer Classic Reward Seats outside of flights, with the launch of our ‘Classic Rail’ Rewards, we look forward to growing our partnership with Qantas and sharing the joy of travel with our guests.”
Bookings are now available for rail travel next year with the Great Southern’s second season being extended by two weeks into February and the once-a-week Ghan service becoming a twice-weekly service from May to August. Work is currently underway to see the Indian Pacific return with its weekly journeys from mid-February.
Qantas Frequent Flyers can earn 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on all Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions or use points to book twin and single Gold Cabins on The Ghan, Indian Pacific and Great Southern starting from 100,000 Qantas Points.
More information and bookings are available here.
MEXICO CITY, /PRNewswire/ — Volaris (NYSE: VLRS and BMV: VOLAR), the ultra-low-cost airline serving Mexico, the United States and Central America, reports September 2020 preliminary traffic results.
Volaris is well positioned for a continuing post Covid-19 traffic recovery and is regaining capacity at a fast pace, due to its strong ultra-low-cost business model focused on the VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) and leisure segments in the domestic and US-transborder markets. Volaris also continues to see success from its efforts to convert first time flyers through its bus switching marketing campaigns in Mexico.
In September 2020, capacity measured by ASMs (Available Seat Miles) was 84.2% compared to the same month of last year. Demand measured by RPMs (Revenue Passenger Miles) was 75.6% of last year. This represents an increase of 2.4% versus August 2020. Volaris transported a total of 1.3 million passengers during September 2020, an increase of 4.1% versus August 2020. Booked load factor for September 2020 was 74.4%, an increase of 1.8 pp versus August 2020. No shows were back to normal levels.
Click the link below for the full story with financials!
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/volaris-reports-september-2020-traffic-013900973.html
Qantas is making it easier for Frequent Flyers to use their points on domestic and Trans-Tasman flights, as more travellers look closer to home for their next holiday.
For the rest of 2020, Classic Flight Reward seat availability will be increased by up to 50 per cent to the most popular destinations in Australia and New Zealand including Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Queenstown and Auckland (when flights recommence).
To help regular flyers maintain their travel benefits, Qantas Frequent Flyer will also be giving tiered members Silver and above a one-off Status Credits bonus to compensate for reduced flying activity.
The increased availability and status support are part of a raft of initiatives from the loyalty program designed to give members more value from their upcoming holidays and the broader program.
Other program improvements include:
Extra Status Credits: To help our most frequent flyers maintain their benefits throughout travel restrictions, eligible Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One members will automatically receive 50 per cent of the Status Credits they need annually to keep their tier. Members most impacted, such as those whose membership year started at the peak of travel restrictions, will also be eligible for additional monthly Status Credits support. Loyalty Bonus’ for members will now also count towards reaching or retaining Platinum One until 31 December 2021.
Better value on accommodation: The number of points required for Points Plus Pay Qantas Hotels bookings will decrease by 20 per cent effective immediately. For a limited time only members will also receive 5,000 points back when they book a minimum of 3 nights and on selected Qantas Luxury offers earn up to 125 bonus Status Credits when they book before Monday 31 August 2020.
Greater flexibility: To enable members to plan their holidays with more confidence, bookings made using points on Qantas Group flights will have any change or cancellation fees waived until 31 October 2020.
More Points Planes: Qantas Frequent Flyer will launch more Points Planes – exclusive flights for frequent flyer redemptions – to meet the pent-up travel demand of members and boost Australian tourism. Timings and destinations of the flights will be released over the coming months.
Improved digital experience: Qantas Frequent Flyers will soon have a new way to plan their holidays with points. ‘Dream Planner’, launching on 28 July 2020, uses real time data and notifications to keep members informed on reward seat availability and special offers to their preferred destinations.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the changes were good news for members and for tourism.
“Australia is home to world-class destinations and Qantas is making it easier for frequent flyers to visit them,” Mr Joyce said.
“We’re adding more Points Planes and more reward seats to our most popular domestic destinations, because that’s where people will be holidaying for the rest of the year.
“We’re also helping our most loyal flyers maintain their travel benefits by giving them extra Status Credits in recognition of their long-term loyalty.”
Qantas Loyalty CEO, Olivia Wirth said Qantas Frequent Flyer is one of the most attractive loyalty programs in the world because it’s always evolving and innovating to meet the needs of its 13 million members.
“We’ve been listening to our Frequent Flyers closely over the last few months about how they feel about travel, where they want to go and how they want to use their points,” Ms Wirth said.
“What emerged was that despite what’s going on around the world, the notion of the dream trip is well and truly alive, they’re just looking a little closer to home.
“Qantas Frequent Flyers are some of the country’s biggest advocates for travel and this has been reflected in the number of bookings we’re seeing as travel restrictions ease.
“That’s why we’re continuing to invest in making our members’ travel dreams a reality with more choice, better value and greater flexibility.”
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