ISLAMABAD: Serena Hotels and HBL join hands to provides 30,000 meal-boxes over a period of one month, in seven cities with Serena Hotel presence, to medical professionals battling at the frontline of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic. Serena Hotels will provide the meal-boxes with the support of HBL. The collaboration, “Jazba-e-Khidmat”, is a joint initiative of HBL and Serena Hotels and aims to provide specially prepared meal-boxes to the medical teams at the COVID-19 designated hospitals and health camps in the seven cities: Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Swat, Quetta, Gilgit and Khaplu. The “Jazba-e-Khidmat” meal-boxes will be provided twice a day…
Author: holidayweekly
WRITTEN BY CH. FAISAL MAHMOOD Tourism industry all over the world from one end to another has entered into an unprecedented, unparallel and matchless crisis since the World War 2. The horrifying thing is that the duration and devastating impact of the killer virus is still unknown, apparently limitless. Truly, we never witnessed tourism industry of the world in such big trouble before. As we mentioned that the Tourism industry of whole world, from Artic region to Thailand is feeling the impact. Those places on the beautiful planet of Allah, where every good tourism destination was hasty busty with tourists…
KUALA LUMPUR: The Federation of Asean Travel Associations (FATA) has urged the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to resolve refund issues resulting from flight cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic. FATA president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said airlines have to prioritize making refunds instead of issuing vouchers which might have little or no value should they be liquidated. “The travel agencies are cognizant of the financial difficulties of the airline industry during these times. However, we also expect it would be equally respectful of the rights of the travel agencies. “More so, to our mutual clients who have entrusted their…
KARACHI: As you are aware that due to the ongoing crisis of COVID19, travel Industry in the world was the first business victim of the virus as abrupt travel restrictions caused closure of almost all Airports and cancellation of millions air tickets, umrah pilgrimage, tours, corporate and other traveling across the globe. Travel/ Tourism sector facing colossal financial losses and are at much higher risk of closure/ bankruptcy where hundreds of thousands of jobs are in danger because of predatory, unilateral and unfair policies adopted by IATA and Airlines, wherein the travel agencies on one hand are under acute pressure…
IATA CEO and Director General Alexandre de Juniac has written an open letter to travel agents about the ‘dark days’ for the industry why regulators must ease requirements for cash refunds and allow airlines to issue vouchers instead. Here’s what he said: “The global airline industry is going through its gravest crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting government ordered border closings and mobility restrictions have brought air transport to a standstill. One-third of the global fleet is parked, and we estimate that revenue from passenger ticket sales will fall 44% this year compared to 2019. There simply is no precedent…
MADRID: The unprecedented shut down of the aviation industry has left airlines holding a prospective bill of up to $35 billion as refunds to passengers for sold but unused tickets. The bill triggered by the covid-19 crisis, will further put pressure on airline reserves with new analysis by the International Air Transport Association IATA, predicting that airlines could drawdown as much as $61 billion of their cash reserves during the second quarter ending 30 June, 2020. They will also post a net loss of $39 billion for the quarter. “In addition to unavoidable costs, airlines are faced with refunding sold…
WASHINGTON: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was holding calls with airline CEOs throughout the day on Friday, April 10 and announced details of a $32 billion payroll grant package later this afternoon. Under the $2.3 trillion CARES Act, passenger airlines are eligible for $25 billion in cash grants for payroll while cargo carriers can get $4 billion and airport contractors like caterers and airplane cleaners $3 billion. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told major airlines that he wants them to repay some of the $25 billion in cash grants the U.S. Congress approved last month to cover payroll costs as…
KATHMANDU: For the second time in five years, the snowy slopes of Everest will lie empty and silent. On 11 March, China suspended all climbing expeditions from the Tibetan side due to the coronavirus pandemic. Neighbouring Nepal supported the decision and followed suit, suspending the climbing season on its side of the mountain. Once again, as witnessed in 2015 when devastating earthquakes hit the region, no human being will summit the world’s highest peak this season. [huge_it_slider id=”536″] COVID-19 has had an enormous economic impact across the globe in terms of tourism. Adventure tourism is the backbone of Nepal’s economy,…
NEW YORK: US airlines have been ordered to give customers with cancelled flights cash refunds instead of vouchers. The US Department of Transportation stepped in after a flood of complaints from passengers who were being denied cash by the airlines. However, it hasn’t set a fixed timeline for refunds to be issued, saying instead that it will ‘exercise its prosecutorial discretion’ to allow airlines time to process refunds. “The Department is receiving an increasing number of complaints and inquiries from ticketed passengers, including many with non-refundable tickets, who describe having been denied refunds for flights that were cancelled or significantly…
BRUSELLS: Airlines must reimburse customers for flights cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Union Transport Chief said on Wednesday, rejecting calls by carriers to relax European Union rules and allow a European Union-wide waiver of refund obligations. European Union Transport Commissioner Adina Valean also said the parameters could be changed for compliance with a United Nations climate scheme, scheduled to begin in 2021, following so many flight cancellations because of restrictions on movement to contain the novel coronavirus. As airlines seek government support, carriers say refunding hundreds of thousands of tickets will drain them of money. “In order…