Corporate Travel News

Skytrax awarded (04-Dec-2017) Lufthansa a five star rating, marking the carrier as the first in Europe to receive the rating. Deutsche Lufthansa AG chairman and CEO Carsten Spohr said: "We have caught up because we made huge investments in our fleet, updated all our cabins, introduced digital services, opened new lounges and improved service on board and on the ground". [more - original PR - English/German]

LOT Polish Airlines resumed (04-Dec-2017) twice daily Warsaw Chopin-Berlin Tegel service, operating with Bombardier Q400 and Embraer aircraft. The service marks the carrier's sixth destination in Germany. The carrier plans to increase frequency to three times weekly from Jun-2018. [more - original PR - German] [more - original PR - English - II]

Air New Zealand announced (04-Dec-2017) plans to open its first lounge at Perth Airport on 05-Dec-2017. The 441sqm, two level new lounge caters for more than 110 customers and was designed by Gensler and Marsden Collective. The design follows that already seen in Air New Zealand lounges in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane airports, as well as in lounges throughout New Zealand. [more - original PR]

Austria's Federal Minister of the Interior Wolfgang Sobotka confirmed Flughafen Wien AG will test biometric facial recognition technology at Vienna International Airport in Dec-2017 (Krone, 03-Dec-2017). As previously reported by CAPA, the systems will be deployed in the non-Schengen area.

Med-View Airline CEO Muneer Bankole said the airline plans to commence three times weekly Lagos-Abuja-Dubai service on 07-Dec-2017 (NAN, 03-Dec-2017). The airline will offer travel packages to Dubai, including airfares, visa fees, accommodation and tour guides.

Virgin Australia unveiled (04-Dec-2017) plans to redevelop its domestic terminal at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport Terminal 3 (T3) over the next three years. Virgin Australia and Melbourne Airport are working together to finalise the design process, with works anticipated to begin in 2018. By mid-2019, the redeveloped domestic terminal will offer an automated check in process in the T3 check in hall for Virgin Australia guests, including:

• Automated bag drop facilities;
• Enhanced self service kiosks, which will enable guests to check in, print boarding passes, add bags and print baggage tags;
• Service pods where ground crew can assist guests with check in;
• A service desk to assist with traditional check-in and general enquires.

Once construction has been completed, T3 will also feature:

• Dedicated premium entry for business class fare holders and Platinum and Gold Velocity Frequent Flyer members, including dedicated check-in, bag drop and security screening features and direct access to the Virgin Australia lounge;
• New internal ramp between T3 and T4, which will enable the repositioning of the general T3 security screening facilities and reduce passenger congestion, create a more spacious area for T3 security screening and offer better access to the new retail offering in Terminal 4;
• Seamless transition for passengers to their gates, with all of T3's repositioned security screening facilities to be located before lounge entry;
• The addition of two baggage carousels in the T3 arrivals hall. [more - original PR]

Royal Air Maroc applied (01-Dec-2017) to the US Department of Transportation for a two year renewal of exemption authority to operate between Casablanca and Washington Dulles. The authority was initially granted on 17-Dec-2015 and expires on 17-Dec-2017. [more - original PR]

Air Austral and Madagascar's Government signed (30-Nov-2017) a shareholders' agreement on 30-Nov-2017, formalising the acquisition of equity in Air Madagascar by Air Austral as a strategic partner and formally commencing Air Madagascar's transformation plan. The parties aim to return Air Madagascar to profitability through a plan based on three areas: strengthening and developing the domestic market; developing international operations, particularly between Madagascar and Paris; and strengthening cooperation for regional services. The 10 year plan will be implemented in two phases: three years of recovery followed by a growth phase, including fleet development and new services. Air Austral will hold a 49% stake in Air Madagascar and Madagascar's Government will retain 51%. The Government will withdraw from subsidising Air Madagascar in 2018. [more - original PR - French]

Airservices Australia CEO Jason Harfield stated (01-Dec-2017) new airport infrastructure investment in Australia will total AUD19 billion (USD14.4 billion) over the next five years, including construction of Western Sydney Airport and new runways at Perth Airport, Brisbane Airport and Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. He emphasised the need to act as an "aviation ecosystem" and improve collaboration. "If we are to maximise the benefits of that investment it is vital that our strategies are aligned and that we cooperate as fully as possible... There needs to be a partnership and not a customer-supplier relationship", Mr Harfield said. [more - original PR]

Tourism Western Australia (Tourism WA) partnered (30-Nov-2017) with Travelport to promote Perth and Western Australia to travel agents. The parties launched a targeted trade campaign on 16-Oct-2017, with the following objectives:

• To stimulate interest among travel agents within Australia;
• To raise the awareness of unique experiences offered by Western Australia;
• To encourage more tourist arrivals for Western Australia.

Over Oct/Nov-2017, the campaign engaged over 200 agents who have completed a mini-training portal and referred friends and colleagues to participate in the training. Based on bookings made through Travelport's platform, there was a 16% year-on-year in bookings in Oct-2017 for WA. [more - original PR]