LONDON: A U.K. court has signed off on Virgin Atlantic’s restructuring plan, paving the way for the troubled carrier to “emerge from the Covid-19 crisis a sustainably profitable airline.” The £1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) plan gives Virgin Atlantic breathing room for 18 months to restructure its operations. The carrier plans to realize £280 million in annual costs savings and to reduce its fleet capital expenditure by £880 million over the next five years. The carrier also announced today that it is cutting another 1,150 jobs and will provide the option for 600 cabin-crew employees to take voluntary separation packages. The…
Author: holidayweekly
KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Friday, September 4, announced that the fares for domestic flights have further been reduced. According to a PIA spokesperson, reduced fares have been introduced for flights between Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. As per the new package announced for flights between Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore, the airline has fixed Rs7,400 for the one-way ticket along with 20 kilogrammes cargo weight, whereas, Rs13,500 would be charged for the two-way ticket from the passenger travelling to the aforesaid route along with 20kg cargo weight. Meanwhile, Rs8,400 will be charged for a one-way ticket along with 35kg…
LONDON: Virgin Atlantic is pleased to announce it will be launching flights to Pakistan in December 2020. [huge_it_slider id=”571″] Operating three new routes from London Heathrow to Lahore, London Heathrow to Islamabad, as well as from Manchester to Islamabad; these direct flights and new services will go on sale in September 2020 subject to applicable regulatory approvals, and will boast Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class, Premium and Economy Light, Classic and Delight offering. Pakistan has the seventh largest diaspora in the world and the new services aim to respond to the large, fast-growing demand to visit friends and relatives (VFR) from…
LONDON: Adventures Overland, an expedition company has announced the “most epic bus journey in the world”. How would you feel about becoming part of the longest bus journey in the world spanning two continents, 18 countries and covering a distance of 20,000 kilometres in 70 days? The ‘Bus to London’ will be the first-ever hop-on/hop-off bus service between India and the United Kingdom. In this one-of-a-kind road-trip, you will get to explore thousands of pagodas in Myanmar, meet rare species of Giant Pandas in Chengdu and will get to hike the Great Wall of China. Not only all this, but…
LONDON: Transport secretary Grant Shapps has hinted that the quarantine period from high risk countries could be halved. He told Sky News it was possible the government may cut the period from 14 to seven days, followed by a Covid test. The news comes as the industry deals with the fallout from the latest travel update which has seen governments across the UK draw different conclusions to medical advice, a situation described as ‘bewildering’ by the World Travel and Tourism Council. Questioned on the continuing quarantine issue and testing, Shapps suggested changes could be on the way. “You probably have…
ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Wednesday, September 2, approved funds worth $142 million to address the financial challenges faced by the PIA-owned Roosevelt Hotel in New York, US. The decision to grant the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) the funds was made in a meeting chaired by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, according to a press release issued by the finance ministry. The move came on the recommendation of a committee constituted in an earlier meeting. It is headed by the Planning Commission’s deputy chairperson and comprises the secretaries of the…
BRUSSELS and GENEVA: Facing the most difficult winter season in aviation’s history, airlines and airports have agreed to abide by a set of conditions together with slot coordinators under which an extension of the waiver of the “use-it-or-lose-it” rule could be applied for the entire 2020-2021 winter season. Continued uncertainty about a second wave of the pandemic and haphazard travel restrictions have caused passenger demand to plummet, leading to a slower recovery in European air transport and making the need for an extended slots waiver more urgent than ever. To facilitate a prompt decision by the European Commission, ACI Europe,…
ISTANBUL: Turkish Airlines has signed an IT deal with Amadeus that will help it deliver personalised offers to travellers across all platforms and devices. The Turkish flag carrier is aiming to expand its customer reach with a series of new shopping solutions from Amadeus’ Offer Suite. These flexible and modular solutions will allow the airline to connect with new market channels and develop a future-proof retail strategy, a statement said. Most significantly, Turkish Airlines will be the first airline to adopt Massive Search, a solution which will help it deliver the most relevant and bookable fares to travellers. Massive search…
DUBAI: Dubai-based airline flydubai has announced that passengers booking with flydubai for travel between September 1 and November 30, 2020 will automatically receive free global cover for Covid-19. The new service covers passengers’ health expenses and quarantine costs if diagnosed with Covid-19 during their trip and is valid for 31 days from the time they take their first flight on their itinerary. The service enables passengers to benefit from coverage for their medical expenses up to EUR 150,000 ($178,850) and quarantine costs up to EUR 100 per day for 14 days. Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai said: “The…
SOUTHLAKE-TEXUAS: Sabre Corporation, the leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, today named Scott Wilson as president of Sabre Hospitality Solutions, effective September 8. Wilson joins Sabre from Great Wolf Resorts where he served as its Chief Commercial Officer. “We are thrilled to have Scott Wilson join Sabre’s executive leadership team at such an important time for our Company. Scott brings twenty-five years of experience leading strategic planning and key commercial activities for large global organizations in both the hospitality and airline industries, having spent several years at Marriott International, United Airlines and most recently at…