LONDON: London’s labyrinth Tube system will offer mobile phone coverage at all stations and throughout all Tube lines by 2024. Admittedly, it’ll only be 4G as a baseline, while the system and its 2,000km network of cables will be “5G ready”, adding that high-speed kit (and paying for it) will be up to each mobile carrier. But as anyone who’s visited London can attest, 4G is infinitely better than the zero-coverage of 0G. Five of the busiest stations – Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Bank, Euston and Camden Town – are being prioritised and will come online by the end…
Author: holidayweekly
BEIJING: China’s another mega Chengdu Tianfu International Airport has officially commenced operations on Sunday June 28. The Airport opened a new gateway to the city’s giant pandas and greater Sichuan Province. Currently capable of handling 60 million passengers annually, Tianfu is also set to double capacity in due course. Phase one, encompassing three runways and two terminals, has been constructed at a cost of approximately 70 billion yuan ($10.8 billion). Upon completion of Phase Two, Tianfu Airport will have 6 runways and house terminals taking up 1.26 million square meters. The airport’s first flight was a Sichuan Airlines A350-900 service…
Virgin Australia will join Qantas in offering free flights as an incentive for Australians to be vaccinated against COVID-19.TUnder the airline’s VA-X & Win promotion, there’ll be a major prize of one million Velocity Frequent Flyer points, “dozens of free business class flights” plus a range of other prizes. The competition will launch later this year, once all Australian adults are expected to be eligible for the vaccine. “What the latest lockdown in Melbourne has taught us, is the sooner we can all get vaccinated, the sooner we can get on with our lives, without the constant fear and uncertainty…
SINGAPORE: Sabre Corporation, a leading software and technology provider that powers the global travel industry, and Virgin Australia have reaffirmed their long-standing relationship with the renewal of their global distribution agreement. Under the renewed agreement, Sabre will continue to distribute Virgin Australia flights and services through the Sabre GDS marketplace, ensuring that hundreds of thousands of Sabre-connected agencies will continue to have access to Virgin Australia’s great value products and services. “Although international borders remain largely closed at the moment, there is a lot of pent-up demand and positivity in the domestic market” said David Orszaczky, General Manager Digital and…
DUBAI: UAE authorities Saturday announced to extend travel restriction from Pakistan and 13 other countries until further notice. The banned list includes Liberia, Namibia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Zambia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and South Africa. Reports in international media quoting United Arab Emirates’ national carrier said ‘flights from Pakistan to Dubai will remain suspended until further notice.’ A suspension on flights from Pakistan to Dubai, which was started on May 12, has been extended as Emirates said that there is no confirmed date for the resumption of flights, adding that their website will…
KARACHI: The Sindh government has signed an agreement with Gerry’s Visa services for COVID-19 vaccinations for students, businesspeople, and people traveling for religious reasons. The Sindh health department signed a MoU with Gerry’s Visa Wednesday, June 23, in Karachi. They will streamline the Covid-19 vaccine process at select Gerry’s Visa branches. The MoU will come into effect from June 28. Those traveling abroad can obtain documentation and evidence of their vaccination status. Gerry’s will be providing the Pfizer vaccine or another shot permitted for international travel. The vaccines will be supplied by the health department. The attestation of the NIMS…
KARACHI: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has granted permission to increase the number of flights up to 40 per cent to five countries. A NOTAM has been issued by the CAA’s air transport department following the orders of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) regarding the increase of flights to five countries. Following the new order, the airlines have been allowed to increase flights up to 40 per cent to Canada, Europe, United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. However, the inbound passengers will have to undergo a mandatory COVID-19 PCR test prior to departing from the countries. Upon their arrival…
LONDON: Travel agents, pilots, tour operators, aviation workers and cabin crew are among the thousands of people who will ‘speak up for travel’ today, as part of a day of action. The sector is seeking to put pressure on the government to capitalise on the Covid-19 vaccine rollout by safely reopening travel for the summer season and provide tailored financial support to businesses. The pandemic has been a catastrophe for the travel industry, closing borders, and even making most travel to and from the UK illegal for months on end. Data from ABTA estimates that as many as 195,000 jobs…
SINGAPORE: 2022 will see a bit of a ‘Singapore shuffle’ for the Hilton brand, with the iconic Hilton Singapore leaving the group’s portfolio to become part of the IHG Voco chain while the former Mandarin Orchard Singapore will be reborn as the Hilton Singapore Orchard. First up, the 423-room Hilton Singapore will be rebranded as the Voco Orchard Singapore in January 2022, making it the first Voco to open in Southeast Asia. Part of the IHG empire, Voco is positioned as an “upscale lifestyle brand… hotels that are reliable enough to depend on, but different enough to be fun.” IHG…
NEW YORK: A $30 million promotional campaign, aimed at luring back all the visitors who vanished during the pandemic, is about to get underway. The city’s biggest advertising campaign in decades hopes to encourage would-be visitors with the slogan: “It’s time for New York City.” As New York City fully reopens, tourism officials are hoping to revive a critical driver of its economy by making an urgent plea for visitors to start rushing back. Armed with $30 million in federal aid, the city’s tourism promotion agency, NYC & Company, is developing an aggressive campaign to overcome New York’s image as…