Qantas (QAN.AX) announced today it will add Broken Hill to its domestic route network for the first time, with the airline to begin direct flights from Sydney starting on April 8, 2022. The airline will operate two weekly round trip flights between Sydney and Broken Hill with its 50-seat Q300 aircraft.
QantasLink CEO John Gissing said the service will create stronger connections for the far west of New South Wales for both business and leisure travelers. Broken Hill Regional Council Mayor Tom Kennedy welcomed the announcement of the new Qantas services as they will provide the local community with additional choice and flexibility.
Broken Hill is the newest destination to join QantasLink’s extensive regional network, with the airline now operating flights to 57 regional and rural towns across Australia. With the inclusion, the Group has launched 52 new domestic routes, including many country destinations since the start of the global pandemic, as Australians seek new holiday adventures closer to home.
The flights will operate on a Monday and Friday to offer Broken Hill residents an easy long weekend in the city and allow visitors to make the most out of their outback exploration. Fares will start from $269 one-way, but to celebrate the new destination, Qantas is offering a special sale fare starting from $189 one-way, available for sale until 21 February, unless sold out prior.
British Airways is launching four new domestic routes from Belfast this summer, supporting important business and tourism links between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
Over the next few months, the airline will start to operate 18 flights a week between George Best Belfast City Airport and Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford and Newquay airports. The new routes will run alongside existing British Airways services between Belfast and London City and London Heathrow airports.
Customers can book via ba.com from today, with return fares from Belfast to these new destinations starting from £48 each way.
Customers booking with British Airways can do so with absolute confidence, thanks to the airline’s flexible booking policy. Customers are able to exchange their booking for a voucher or move their dates without incurring a change fee if their plans change. British Airways Holidays’ customers also have access to a range of additional flexible booking options, as part of the company’s Customer Promise.
Full schedule:
Route
Flight number
Schedule/departure time
Belfast City (BHD)/ Exeter (EXT) From 16 June 2021
The additional services will be operated using BA CityFlyer’s existing fleet of Embraer 190 aircraft.
For more information about the NI Domestic Aviation Kickstart Scheme visit www.economy-ni.gov.uk
Aer Lingus is operating services between Belfast and Edinburgh, Manchester, and Birmingham. Please check www.aerlingus.com for the latest schedules.
British Airways has introduced a number of measures at the airport and on board to look after the safety and wellbeing of its customers and crew. These include social distancing measures, the wearing of face masks and hand sanitiser stations. Prior to travel customers will also receive details of how they can prepare for their next flight.
The airline is cleaning all key surfaces including seats, screens, seat buckles and tray tables after every flight and each aircraft is completely cleaned from nose to tail every day. The air on all British Airways flights is fully recycled once every two to three minutes through HEPA filters, which remove microscopic bacteria and virus clusters with over 99.9% efficiency, equivalent to hospital operating theatre standards.
Emirates will be ramping up operations to Jordan during the summer with the introduction of second daily A380 flight during the months of July and August. The airline will operate the second daily flight from 15-20 July 2021, ahead of the Eid Al Adha period. Emirates will also operate double daily A380 services from 10-31 August. The move to boost capacity between Dubai and Amman during these periods was driven by high forecasted passenger demand. The double daily A380 services to Amman also demonstrate the airline’s commitment to adapting its operations to better serve customers.
Emirates will also increase flights between Dubai and Amman from 12 to 14 weekly, from 1 July.
From 15-20 July 2021, and from 10-31 August 2021, Emirates flights EK 905 and 906 will be operated with an Airbus A380 in a three class configuration, featuring 14 luxurious First Class suites, 76 lie flat Business Class seats and 420 generously pitched Economy Class seats. Passengers in all classes will enjoy over 4,500 channels of films, TV shows, music and games, with an impressive selection of Arabic content, through ice, Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system. What’s more, First and Business Class passengers can enjoy the Emirates Onboard Lounge, where they can safely network and enjoy the signature Emirates experience.
Since it safely resumed tourism activity in July 2020, Dubai remains one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations. The city is open for international business and leisure visitors. From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences. It was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.
Emirates remains focused on taking various steps to ease travel and has been a leader in introducing initiatives in cooperation with health authorities and organisations to protect the health of customers and to ensure their safety. Emirates introduced measures on the ground throughout all touchpoints and onboard to provide its passengers with the highest safety and hygiene standards at every step of the journey. The airline has also recently introduced contactless technology to ease the customer journey through Dubai airport.
British Airways has today announced the launch of two new routes to Jersey and Gibraltar from London City Airport. Operating initially over the summer period, the routes will launch on 25 June, 2021. Two flights a week will operate to Jersey and Gibraltar – on Mondays and Fridays – offering important air links for business travellers, holiday makers and those visiting friends and relatives as regulations ease, as well as for cargo.
With fares starting from just £42 to Jersey and £43 to Gibraltar each way*, customers can book from today via ba.com. Customers benefit from British Airways’ flexible booking policy, offering customers no change fees or a voucher exchange for bookings made for travel before the end of April 2022, giving customers a large variety of options should their plans change.
Minister for Business, Tourism, Transport and the Port of Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar the Hon Vijay Daryanani MP said: “This is excellent news and continues to show the confidence that the industry has in Gibraltar as a destination. A seasonal link with London City Airport operated by BA CityFlyer brings yet another operator to Gibraltar and opens up a further catchment area from the UK. This service will complement BA’s mainline services from Heathrow and the local business and financial services community will undoubtedly welcome a link to London’s financial district. Our tourism, retail and hospitality industries can also look forward to greeting customers from the City and the east London catchment area.”
Both flights will be operated by BA CityFlyer’s Embraer E190 aircraft. British Airways will continue to operate its services to Jersey and Gibraltar alongside these new London City services.
British Airways has introduced a range of safety measures and partnerships to make the travel experience simple and enjoyable during and after the pandemic. These include partnerships with testing provider Qured, and mobile travel health app VeriFly.
Infrastructure work across the Auckland metro rail network is set to ramp up over the Christmas period during a network wide shut down.
As Aucklanders head out of the city on holiday, work on several projects is scheduled across the network to take advantage of the quieter period.
KiwiRail Chief Operating Officer Todd Moyle says work will focus on track repairs.
“We’ll have more than 100 people working over the Christmas and New Year period across the network. Additionally, preliminary work on Papakura to Pukekohe electrification, the Westfield and Wiri junction and the construction of a third main will be getting underway.”
All of the projects are part of the Auckland Metro Rail Programme and once complete will deliver Auckland a resilient train infrastructure network for improved reliability of passenger train services provided by Auckland Transport and freight trains.
Earlier in the year, testing uncovered damage to more than 100km of track which required urgent upgrading.
“Our teams have put in a lot of hours and have already completed over 50 percent of the required work.
“The upgrade has been a massive task and KiwiRail has worked with Auckland Transport throughout the project to try to minimise the impact on commuters.”
The network shutdown will take place from Saturday 26 December to Sunday 10 January. During that period only freight trains will operate on the tracks.
Commuters on the Western line between Fruitvale Road and Swanson will need to prepare for a longer period of disruption, with work starting earlier, on December 20, and continuing along the entire Western Line until the end of January 2021.
“We have planned the repairs on the Western line to minimise the impact when the school year begins in February.”
“KiwiRail appreciates the level of cooperation and understanding from the public as this necessary work continues. The progress that will be made during the shutdown is an investment which will make the network more resilient and reduce future outages.”
AT Executive General Manager Integrated Networks Mark Lambert says “Once again AT wishes to acknowledge the disruption that these works have had on our customers. We will continue to provide Rail Replacement Bus services across the network throughout the shutdown, including New Year’s Eve, when many Aucklanders will be wanting to spend time with their friends and loved-ones.”
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.
– You and your family can travel safely and with flexibility with Aer Lingus
– Free Unlimited changes on all routes and all fare types
– Guaranteed Voucher and Cash Refund option on certain fare types
Aer Lingus today launched its summer 2021 schedule offering a range of fare options so customers can book that long-anticipated summer holiday with confidence. Aer Lingus is ensuring families can look forward to traveling safely and with flexibility in summer 2021, and today it introduced new ways to keep bookings flexible should travel plans change with its ‘Book with Confidence’ proposition. With direct flights to Europe starting at €25.99 and US and Canada at €159, now is the time to start planning summer 2021.
Chief Commercial Officer, Dave Shepherd said: “We are offering customers a range of choices. There are free unlimited changes on all routes and all fare types*. There is the option of a full cash refund** on our Advantage/Flex fares. And from today, our Smart / Plus fares includes a new feature so that customers can avail of a voucher up to 14 days before travel to any destination or within 14 days if a country’s travel guidance changes*** from just €25.99. Aer Lingus is giving our customers the confidence to dream, so you can start to plan next summer’s adventure today with confidence.
“With flights up to August 2021 available for sale, you can start planning a reunion with friends in the Algarve, a sunny beach break with family in Malaga, or a romantic adventure in a European city and have something great to look forward to next year with Aer Lingus. For those looking to travel across the Atlantic in 2021, we have 12 direct North American routes to choose from including New York, Florida, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, and Toronto, ”
With Aer Lingus, customers can book with the confidence that the airline prioritises the safety and wellbeing of our customers and our people at all times. Earlier this year Aer Lingus introduced a range of safety measures in line with the guidance provided by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control). These measures include the mandatory wearing of face masks at all times by all customers and crew. Social distancing is practiced at check in, boarding gate, boarding and disembarking the aircraft. These measures, along with an enhanced cleaning system and our state-of-the-art air filtration technology as standard on our Airbus aircraft, ensure customers have a safe and comfortable flight.
For more information on the Aer Lingus summer 2021 sale, please visit www.aerlingus.com.
Notes to Editor:
*A fare difference may apply. Unlimited changes can be made on all bookings until 31st May
** Requests for vouchers and refunds can be made up until 14 days pre-departure
***Should a country move to red on the imminent EU Travel Framework
Terms & Conditions
Vouchers are valid for 5 years and can be used on the entire Aer Lingus network.
Change Fee Rules apply and fare difference may apply.
Change or Voucher requests must be made in advance of travel or these options will not apply.
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.”
Fast facts:
Intention to travel for Frequent Flyers remains high at 90 per cent.
Majority of Qantas Points in the program are earned on the ground, this hasn’t changed.
Qantas Frequent Flyers typically save points over a long period of time for a big dream trip – travel still remains the number one preference to redeem points.
Qantas’ latest nationwide sale shows that Sydney-Brisbane, Melbourne-Sydney, Perth-Broome, Sydney-Cairns, Brisbane-Cairns as the most popular routes.
KiwiRail is delighted to announce the return of its acclaimed TranzAlpine train service between Christchurch and Greymouth.
“I’m excited to be able to say that this award-winning train, which last ran on March 22 before the lockdown, will be back from July 4,” KiwiRail Group Chief Executive Greg Miller says.
“We will resume with a weekend and school holiday timetable in July and August as KiwiRail continues to assess demand in a difficult season for tourism, with borders still closed to international visitors.
“We’re conscious of how important this service is to the West Coast economy and we’re looking forward to bringing visitors to the Coast again, allowing them to see the snow-capped Southern Alps along the way.
“This will be an ideal time for New Zealand families to try something new, and together experience what Lonely Planet has described as one of the world’s 10 most amazing rail journeys.”
During July and August, the TranzAlpine will run on weekends, departing Christchurch at 8.15am, and spending an hour in Greymouth before leaving at 2.05pm on Saturdays and Sundays. It will also run every day of the school holidays, July 6-17 inclusive, on the same timetable as weekends. KiwiRail hopes this will be an opportunity for families to share this unique experience. All fares will be changeable, fully refundable and available at the winter special rate of $75 per seat one way.
Opening the TranzAlpine is KiwiRail’s priority for its scenic train services which, on average, have more overseas than domestic customers. The company also operates the Coastal Pacific train between Picton and Christchurch, which does not run during winter, and the Northern Explorer between Auckland and Wellington which is not currently considered financially viable. No decisions have yet been made on the return of the Northern Explorer and Coastal Pacific. KiwiRail also runs a commuter rail service between Palmerston North and Wellington, which resumed in late April.
“Covid-19 has taken a heavy toll on tourism everywhere and unfortunately, like other tourism providers, KiwiRail and the communities we serve have suffered the impact,” says Mr Miller.
“We have utilised this downtime to look at exciting opportunities and options, including offering different classes of service onboard the TranzAlpine, beginning this spring. We are confident we can serve the market at different levels with an enhanced service for those who want something extra, while still ensuring more accessible fares are also on offer.”
The booking system at www.greatjourneysofnz.co.nz/tranzalpine/ is open now for TranzAlpine bookings in July and August, and bookings will open shortly for September and beyond. KiwiRail will be contacting those people who have bookings on services that have been cancelled. Those people already booked on the Northern Explorer – which has very light advanced bookings – will be given a 100 per cent refund or, if they prefer, a letter of credit. People booked on the TranzAlpine on days when it will not now run can choose to be rebooked, or receive either a 100 per cent refund, or a letter of credit for a future booking.
In addition, anyone with an existing booking on the TranzAlpine for one of the winter weekends or the July school holidays will receive a refund of the difference between the higher fare they paid, and the new winter special rate of $75 per seat. For example, if you have already paid $150 for a ticket on the TranzAlpine, we’ll either refund you the $75 difference, or give you a voucher for $75 to spend onboard, or you could use the difference to buy another ticket for a friend or family member.
“We know that our customers all look forward to their trips with us, just as we look forward to serving them. We apologise to affected customers for any inconvenience as we urgently consider how to make long-distance train journeys more attractive, more diverse and more financially sustainable.
“Our Interislander ferries and scenic trains play a significant role in New Zealand’s tourism sector but 2020 has turned out to be difficult for all operators. We are focussed on our return, and on better days ahead.
“We’re working hard on options and opportunities, are looking forward to making further announcements. In the meantime, we will welcome families and holidaymakers aboard the TranzAlpine from Saturday, July 4.”
Last flight will land on 19 March in Vienna / all further flights are temporarily suspended until 28 March
Lufthansa Group: entire short and long-haul schedule significantly reduced again
As of 17 March: ten percent of the originally planned capacity will still be available on long-haul routes and 20 per cent on short-haul routes
Lufthansa Group airlines fly thousands of cruise passengers and holidaymakers home
Arrangements for further evacuation flights
Lufthansa Cargo flight operations carries out all planned flights despite corona crisis
The Lufthansa Group carrier Austrian Airlines will temporarily suspend scheduled flight operations as of Thursday, 19 March 2020. Austrian Airlines is thus reacting to the entry restrictions imposed by many countries in response to the massive spread of the coronavirus.
For the time being, the last flight with flight number OS 066 will land in Vienna from Chicago at 8:20 a.m. on 19 March. Until then, flight operations are to be reduced in a controlled and structured manner in order to bring all passengers and crews home if possible. Initially Austrian Airlines will cancel all flights until March 28th 2020, and passengers who have booked a flight with Austrian Airlines during this period will be rebooked on other airlines if possible.
In addition, Lufthansa Group airlines will further reduce their short- and long-haul schedule. The cancellations, which will be published as early as tomorrow, March 17th, will lead to a sharp decline in long-haul service especially in the Middle East, Africa and Central and South America. Overall, the Lufthansa Group’s seating capacity on long-haul routes will be reduced by up to 90 per cent. A total of 1,300 weekly connections were originally planned for summer 2020.
Within Europe the flight schedule will also be further reduced. Starting tomorrow, around 20 percent of the originally planned seating capacity will still be offered. Originally, some 11,700 weekly short-haul flights were planned for summer 2020 with Lufthansa Group airlines.
The additional cancellations will be published over the next few days and passengers will be informed accordingly.
Despite the large-scale cancellations, Lufthansa, Eurowings and Austrian Airlines have scheduled more than 20 special flights with over 6,000 guests on short notice to fly cruise passengers and holidaymakers back home. Wide-body aircraft namely, the Boeing 747 & 777 and Airbus A350 are being used to offer as much capacity as possible on these return flights. Since thousands of German, Austrian, Swiss and Belgian citizens are still waiting to return to their home countries, Lufthansa Group airlines have made arrangements for further evacuation flightsand are in close contact with the governments of their home countries concerning this. Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said: “Now it is no longer about economic issues, but about the responsibility that airlines bear as part of the critical infrastructure in their home countries.” Lufthansa will work with airports and air traffic controllers to develop a coordinated concept for maintaining the critical infrastructure.
The new timetable for all Lufthansa Group airlines will initially be valid until 12 April 2020. Lufthansa Group passengers planning a trip in the coming weeks are advised to check the current status of the respective flight on their airline’s website before departure. If rebooking possibilities exist, the passengers concerned will be proactively informed about alternatives, as long as they have provided their contact details online. In addition, currently changed rebooking conditions apply on a goodwill basis. Customers can find more information about this at lufthansa.com.
We are currently receiving an exceptionally high number of customer calls at our Service Centers and at our stations. We are continuously working on increasing capacity to meet this demand. Nevertheless, there are currently long waiting times. Passengers can use the extensive rebooking and self-service options on the airlines’ websites as an alternative to the Service Centers.
Unlike the passenger airlines, Lufthansa Cargo has so far been able to operate all its planned flights except for cancellations to mainland China. The Lufthansa Group subsidiary will continue to do everything in its power to maintain the flight operations of its own cargo fleet and thus support the global supply chains. Especially during the current crisis, logistics and thus also airfreight are of paramount importance.
