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…
Author: holidayweekly
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…
KARACHI: After getting into the media limelight for her breakout role in Ehd-e-Wafa, the stunning Naeema Butt has just signed as the lead in ace filmmaker Mehreen Jabbar’s upcoming short-form web-series, currently shooting in New York for Rinstra Technologies. [huge_it_slider id=”570″] The series is a psychological thriller written by Shah Yasir, produced by RINSTRA Technologies and is being co-produced by Khurram Azim and Mehreen Jabbar herself, and the executive producers are Dr. Adil Akhtar, Amir Jahangir, and Misbah Ishak. Apart from Naeema Butt, the cast also includes Tania Kazi, Shezi Sardar, and Nida Hussain. Talking about this new role, Naeema…
WASHINGTON: With Congress still stalling over an extended bailout for airlines, President Donald Trump may take decisive action. Trump could bypass Congress and sign an executive order to provide extra payroll funding for the airlines. “If Congress is not going to work, this President is going to get to work and solve some problems. So hopefully we can help out the airlines and keep some of those employees from being furloughed,” said Trump’s Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows. “We are looking at other executive actions.” Payroll protection funding for airlines runs out at the end of September with the prospect…
ISLAMABAD: Following the ban by European Union, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to call back its staffers posted in various member countries, it emerged on Tuesday. The EU agency had suspended PIA’s authorisation to operate to EU member states for a period of six months from July 1 due to the aviation minister’s statement that more than 260 PIA pilots had fake or dubious licences. According to details, PIA staffers deputed in Milan, Italy; Oslo, Norway; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Barcelona, Spain will be called back. The development comes a day after the national flag-carrier decided not to lodge an…
ISLAMABAD: In order to promotion responsible tourism in Kalasha Valleys of Chitral District, Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan (STFP) has published a new travel guide under the title of “Kalasha Valley Travel Guide and Hotel Directory” with the support of UNESCO Pakistan. The main focus of this Urdu travel guide is to provide accurate information to domestic visitors about the sensitive Kalasha culture, their way of life, festivals and information about the places of tourist interest in the three Kalasha Valleys. Moreover, it encourages domestic visitors to follow the guiding principles of responsible tourism with a view to minimize their impact…