DOHA: Qatar Airways has won four prestigious awards at this year’s 2018 Skytrax World Airline Awards. The multi award-winning airline has once again been named ‘World’s Best Business Class’ at this year’s awards ceremony, held yesterday at the Langham Hotel in London. This is the sixth time and third consecutive year that the airline has won this recognition. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker was at the awards to receive the accolades alongside Hamad International Airport Chief Operating Officer Engr. Badr Mohammed Al Meer. In addition to being voted ‘World’s Best Business Class’ by travellers from around the…
Author: holidayweekly
LONDON: AirAsia took home the “World’s Best Low-Cost Airline” award for the 10th year in a row at the 2018 Skytrax World Airline Awards held at The Langham, London. Dubbed the ‘Oscars of the Aviation Industry’, the Skytrax Awards are the global benchmark of airline excellence with over 20.36 million customers surveyed worldwide by more than 105 nationalities, measuring standards across 49 key performance indicators of an airline’s frontline products and services. Kamarudin Meranun, AirAsia co-founder, Executive Chairman of AirAsia Group Berhad and Group CEO of AirAsia X, accepted the award in London. Meranun said, “I’m honoured to celebrate our…
DUBAI: After Dubai Some flyers leaving Abu Dhabi International airport are also going through tighter screenings, as new rules have recently been put in place for taking powders in hand luggages. Etihad Airways has announced that it has started rolling out new rules on carry-on bags aboard flights to select destinations, and passengers are now prohibited from packing in carry-ons certain powdered substances. Items that will be subject to restrictions include salt, talcum, detergent and cleaning products carried by flyers bound to Australia and the United States (US). News of enhanced rules came after the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA)…
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that, as part of its strong support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it will introduce new pricing for most of its training courses to make them more accessible to developing nations. “Aviation is the business of freedom and a catalyst for development. A well-trained aviation workforce is essential to realising the industry’s potential to support social and economic growth—critical enablers of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. By making IATA training more accessible in developing nations we are helping airlines nurture the talent they need to support growing demands for connectivity. And…
Amadeus has received the level three New Distribution Capability certification as an aggregator from International Air Transport Association. The news comes in addition to Amadeus’ existing level three New Distribution Capability certification as an IT provider, making Amadeus one of the first providers with dual level three certification. Level three is the highest New Distribution Capability certification and is awarded to companies that can demonstrate the ability to execute offer and order management. This means that Amadeus is able to consume New Distribution Capability offers from airlines and distribute them to travel sellers. Through the NDC-X program, Amadeus is connecting…
KARACHI: Mövenpick Hotel Karachi is a socially responsible organisation that believes in supporting social causes that can benefit the area and people of the city. Recently the hotel developed exclusive internship opportunities for the individuals enrolled in TVET Reform programme. TVET Reform Programme has been established by the government to provide skill based training to individuals in order to meet demands of labour market. The General Manager, Mr. Mirza Mansoor along with the Learning and Development Manager, Ms. Shaheen Lasi designed an internship program for the students enrolled in hospitality cook diploma. ‘‘We wanted to extend support by providing a…
More adventurous and better-off Chinese tourists are eschewing regular package deals and demanding customized tours that include exclusive visits to film locations, Michelin-star restaurants, ancient sites off the beaten track, and prestigious sporting events. According to joint research by ForwardKeys and the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI), China outbound bookings for the summer are ahead 13.5%. The demand for customized travel showed a 300% growth in 2017 and this year there are currently more than120, 000 new orders a month, representing a market share of almost 15%. Europe, particularly the UK is the destination most favored by the new…
MANAMA: The Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai has been declared as a World Heritage Property by UNESCO. The decision was taken at the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO at Manama in Bahrain. As recommended by the World Heritage Committee, India accepted the renaming of the ensemble as “Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai”. This makes Mumbai city the second city in India after Ahmedabad to be inscribed on the World Heritage List. In the past 5 years alone, India has managed to get inscribed seven of its properties/sites on the World…
PESHAWAR: The Chitral team on Monday retained the Shandur Polo title in a one-sided game and defeated the Gilgit-Baltistan 10-5 goals in the decider played at the world’s highest polo ground in the valley. [huge_it_slider id=”263″] Inspector General of Frontier Corps (IG FC) Major General Waseem Ashraf was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony. Deputy Speaker Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Jaffarullah, Minister for Tourism Gilgit-Baltistan Fidaullah, ambassadors of various countries, a good number of local and foreign tourists, former polo players and officials of Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) were also present. Stringent security arrangements had been put in place during…
MINGORA: The Buddha of Swat, carved on a cliff in the seventh century, was dynamited by the Pakistani Taliban in 2007. Now it has been restored, a powerful symbol of tolerance in the traumatised valley. The holy figure, depicted in a lotus position at the base of a granite cliff in northern Pakistan, was severely damaged by insurgents. For some, it was a wanton act of vandalism that struck at the heart of the area´s unique history and identity. It felt “like they killed my father”, says Parvesh Shaheen, a 79-year-old expert on Buddhism in Swat. “They attack… my culture,…