GEORGIA: Delta Air Lines is taking a strong position on health and safety in the COVID era and first and foremost is mask-wearing. Delta CEO Ed Bastian told media on Friday, August 7, that, “We’ve had well over 100 people that have refused to keep their mask on during the flight.” People who refuse to wear a mask are barred from flying with the airline. “You can’t get on the plane without wearing your mask. But we do have some customers that don’t want to keep their mask on during flight,” Bastian said. “We remind them several times over the…
Author: holidayweekly
BANGKOK: Thailand is unlikely to reopen its borders to international leisure visitors this year, predicted a deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Speaking at a webinar hosted by Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and TravelMole, Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, Deputy Governor for international marketing at TAT, said that there has been no talk of or timeline issued for reopening the country to inbound or outbound leisure travel during weekly Covid-19 national meetings. He added that as part of the government’s “very, very cautious” approach to reopening borders, he does not expect Thailand to welcome leisure visitors until 2021.…
NEW YORK: Travel companies will be more cautious in approaching markets in China due to geopolitical tension. That was the message of Glenn Fogel, Booking Holdings CEO and President. “There’s been a lot of let’s say ‘tension’ between different countries for some time,” Fogel. “We’ve been talking for some time about the potential of something called the “splinternet,’ or the fracturing of the overall cyberspace into different areas.” Fogel referred to how China and other countries have been setting rules in how people can use the internet within their borders that complicates the work of global companies. Coinciding actions by…
LONDON: Most UK holidaymakers would cancel a holiday if they had to wear a mask in public on a trip, according to a new report. A YouGov survey released this week found that two-thirds of people (65%) would cancel if masks were mandatory at all times, 43% would still cancel if only compulsory inside, while 70% would scrap the holiday if they had to quarantine on return. The results come as the industry continues to face cancellations and redundancies, after Spain was removed from the UK government’s travel corridor list on 26 July. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)…
SINGAPORE: Sabre Corporation, a leading software, and technology provider that powers the global travel industry, today announced a new distribution partnership with fast-growing regional carrier Royal Air Philippines to enable the airline to power future revenue growth while reaching new, high-yield market segments. Royal Air Philippines was established as an air charter service in 2002, before entering into commercial operation in 2018 with its inaugural domestic flight from Clark to Caticlan and subsequently building a strong international network to China. The airline is now committed to adding more domestic routes, along with regional routes throughout Asia Pacific, to its schedule…
DOHA: Qatar Airways announces significant updates to its mobile app that allow passengers to plan their travel with greater ease, helping minimise physical contact and interactions throughout their journey. With an updated, intuitively designed look and feel, the Qatar Airways mobile app now presents a personalised home screen that provides the most relevant information to each user. For those with an upcoming flight, the mobile app’s existing ‘My Trips’ feature will now be displayed on the home screen, highlighting the most important information at each stage of their journey. For those without a current booking, special offers will be displayed,…
BANGKOK: The Pacific Asia Travel Association is calling upon all industry stakeholders from both the public and private sector to work more closely together towards the recovery of the travel and tourism industry. “Covid-19 is the greatest single crisis in the history of travel and tourism. “Now, more than ever, the industry needs to work together to provide a coordinated, unified and transparent path forward towards recovery. “A fractured approach will leave our industry forfeiting many issues to health and security authorities, and the implications can be disastrous,” said PATA chief executive, Mario Hardy He added: “While the current pandemic…
RAWALPINDI: Good news for Britain bound passengers from Pakistan. The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will partially resume its flights to the United Kingdom from Aug 14 with a hired plane. [huge_it_slider id=”565″] PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez said on Wednesday, August 5, that Alternate arrangements have successfully been implemented by PIA to restore its Flight Operations to UK consequent to the recent suspension. An agreement has been finalised with a Portuguese company to operate PIA flights. PIA would operate flights with an Airbus A330, having a seating capacity of more than 300 passengers. PK call sign and slots will be used…
KARACHI: As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect both individuals and whole countries in varying degrees, aviation sector has more responsibilities than ever before. Therefore, Turkish Airlines continues its commitment to help preventing the spread of Covid-19 with precautions at every level from mandatory testing to aircraft disinfection. Within that framework, starting from 8 August 2020, Turkish Airlines passengers departing from Pakistan will have to present their PCR test result during their check-in. For the test results to be accepted during check-in, they must be made 96 hours prior to the related flight in the testing centres approved by Turkish…
LONDON: Virgin Atlantic has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US after telling a UK court that it would run out of money before the end of September unless creditors approve a £1.2 billion rescue deal. The airline is seeking protection from its creditors under Chapter 15 of the US bankruptcy code, which allows a foreign company to shield assets in the country. In its court filing in New York on Tuesday, Virgin Atlantic said it had negotiated a deal with stakeholders ‘for a consensual recapitalization’ that will get debt off its balance sheet and ‘immediately position it for sustainable…