SINGAPORE, 17 June 2024: Less than a year after its launch, Discover Airlines won two German Brand Awards in the main category, Excellence in Brand Strategy & Creation, during a ceremony in Berlin last Thursday.
The German Brand Awards annually honour strong and successful brand management in Germany.
The leisure airline was presented with the German Brand Award in the main category “Excellence in Brand Strategy & Creation” in two sub-categories; “B2C Brand Strategy” and “Brand Strategy of the Year”.
The leisure airline, previously known under the Eurowings Discover brand, presented its new brand identity to travellers on 5 September 2023. Part of the Lufthansa Group, Discover Airlines, the leisure travel from its Frankfurt and Munich hubs. It currently operates a fleet of 27 aircraft and employs around 2,000 people.
GURUGRAM, 17 June 2024: Air India launched a direct daily service between Vijayawada and Mumbai last Saturday, enhancing its network connectivity in Andhra Pradesh.
A special ceremony was hosted at the Vijayawada Airport Domestic Terminal at Gannavaram to mark the occasion of the inaugural flight.
Photo credit: Air India.
Member of Parliament from Machilipatnam Shri Vallabhaneni Balashowry and Member of Parliament from Vijayawada Shri Kesineni Sivanath attended the inaugural celebrations.
The direct service will enhance the connection between Vijayawada and Mumbai, meeting a long-standing need to improve connectivity for both leisure and business travellers.
Operated by an A320 family of single-aisle aircraft, flight AI598 will take off from Mumbai at 1555 to arrive in Vijayawada at 1745. The return flight AI599 will depart Vijayawada at 1910 and land in Mumbai at 2100.
Passengers can make convenient international connections to destinations in the UK, the North Americas, Dubai, and Singapore, as well as to over 45 domestic destinations.
Bookings for the flights are available across all channels, including Air India’s official website (www.airindia.com), mobile app, and online travel agents.
Vijayawada: A cultural treasure trove
Vijayawada is a city in Andhra Pradesh, 992 km from Mumbai. While it is not the capital (that status goes to Amaravati), Vijayawada is often referred to as the cultural capital due to its blend of historical significance, cultural immersion, and scenic beauty.
Here are some of the city’s attractions
Temples and Spiritual Sites: Vijayawada is known for its many temples, including the Kanaka Durga Temple, one of the most famous temples in South India. The Hazratbal Mosque, a pristine white mosque in the city’s heart, is another architectural marvel.
Historical and Archaeological Sites: The Undavalli Caves, near Vijayawada, are rock-cut caves with intricate sculptures and a four-storeyed rock-cut temple. The Kondapalli Fort, in ruins now, tells stories of a bygone era. The Amaravati Museum houses a collection of artefacts from the ancient city of Amaravati.
Natural Beauty: The Krishna River flows through Vijayawada, offering scenic beauty, especially at sunset from Gandhi Hill. Bhavani Island, an island on the Krishna River, is popular for resorts and recreation.
Culture and Food: Vijayawada offers a vibrant culture, reflected in its festivals, music, and dance. The city is also known for its delicious Andhra cuisine due to its abundance of spices and chillies.
About Air India Founded by the legendary JRD Tata, Air India pioneered India’s aviation sector. Since its first flight on 15 October 1932, Air India has built an extensive domestic network with non-stop flights to cities around the world, across the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Gulf. After 69 years as a government-owned enterprise, Air India and Air India Express were welcomed back into the Tata group in January 2022.
AI chatbot assistant technology concept. Business people use computer laptop conversation with Artificial intelligence chat bot program in website for generate something show virtual on screen.
SINGAPORE, 17 June 2024: HBX Group will invest in customer service innovation, leveraging Google Cloud’s AI technology to redefine customer experience in the travel and hospitality sector.
The strategic decision underscores HBX Group’s commitment to delivering service excellence and innovation to their partners and clients. Having transformed its foundational technology, HBX Group understands the importance of introducing innovative and transformational products and services. With a robust technological foundation, the company is strategically positioned to leverage cutting-edge AI capabilities, offering customers revolutionary experiences that redefine the travel and hospitality industry standard.
Photo credit: HBX.
HBX Group is harnessing Google Cloud Contact Centre AI technology and Gemini models to transform customer interactions and deliver swift, precise support across all customer engagement channels. The project will be developed in partnership with specialised provider Emergya. The new AI-first customer service model will be progressively rolled out across service channels over the coming months.
“This collaboration with Google Cloud and strategic partnership with Emergya is an important milestone in our transformation journey at HBX Group and is a great testament to our commitment to innovation across multiple areas, including customer service,” said HBX Group Chief Operations Officer Xabi Zabala.
SINGAPORE, 17 June 2024: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has announced 83 finalists vying for the Experience Excellence (Leisure/MICE), Enterprise Excellence and Customer Service Excellence categories of the Singapore Tourism Awards 2024, Singapore’s most prestigious award for the tourism sector.
Due to take place on 28 June 2024 at Raffles City Convention Centre, the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Lawrence Wong, will preside over the prestigious Singapore Tourism Awards. The Awards celebrate the exceptional experiences, innovation and dedication displayed by tourism stakeholders and businesses as Singapore welcomes more visitors. The award ceremony will also honour recipients of the Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism, Outstanding Tourism Entrepreneur, Best Business Event Champion and Special Recognition awards.
Photo credit: STB.
A total of 765 nominations were received across 20 award categories this year. New entrants for Singapore Tourism Awards 2024 include Asia’s first indoor gamified electric go-kart circuit, HyperDrive; holistic wellness club, Trapeze Rec. Club; online travel platform Seek Sophie; and the highly coveted business event, Trip.com Group’s Global Partner Summit 2023.
“We are heartened by the strong participation in Singapore Tourism Awards 2024, with new and existing players submitting nominations for distinctive and refreshing experiences. As the Singapore Tourism Board commemorates its 60th anniversary this year, we are delighted to pay tribute to the outstanding individuals and organisations that form the heart of our sector. Their unwavering dedication and passion enhance visitors’ experiences and make Singapore a top destination of choice,” said STB Director, Communications Kwan Su Min.
All finalists underwent rigorous assessments, including evaluations by a panel of prominent and well-established judges, mystery audits and behavioural interviews.
HANOI, 14 June 2024: Vietnam Airlines has successfully implemented Amadeus’ enhanced passenger service system (PSS) technology and related technology solutions.
As part of the carrier’s ongoing digital transformation, Amadeus’ Altéa PSS offers Vietnam Airlines inventory, reservation, ticketing, departure control and digital solutions for end-to-end efficiencies to enhance user experience.
Deploying the Amadeus Altéa passenger service system showcases Vietnam Airlines’ ambition to become a digital airline by 2025.
The Altéa PSS also enables Vietnam Airlines to deliver modern, efficient reservation services for front-line employees, aiding passengers in purchasing, changing, and using airline services.
Vietnam Airlines is also transitioning to the Xchange Payment Platform (XPP) from Outpayce, Amadeus’ payments business. This platform allows Vietnam Airlines to easily accept a wide range of card and alternative payment methods from travellers. With XPP, the carrier can accept payments globally by connecting to a wide range of specialist partners.
Vietnam Airlines Executive Vice President Dang Anh Tuan stated: “The partnership will enable us to use innovative solutions to improve our operations, customer service and competitiveness. With Amadeus’ technologies, we can now offer more tailored and smooth experiences to our passengers across all channels and touchpoints. The successful implementation of the new Passenger Service System is an important milestone for Vietnam Airlines in its journey to becoming a digital airline, improving customer experience and our operational efficiency.”
Amadeus Executive Vice President Travel Unit & Managing Director, Asia Pacific Javier Laforgue said: “We achieved a very exciting technology upgrade with Vietnam Airlines and are proud to work hand-in-hand with the carrier on its transformation journey. “
KUALA LUMPUR, 14 June 2024: In response to strong travel demand and a healthy load factor on the Amritsar-Kuala Lumpur route, Malaysia Airlines will increase flights from four weekly to daily effective 1 August 2024.
The latest move follows the airline’s earlier decision to double the frequency to Amritsar from two to four times weekly in January 2024.
Photo credit: Malaysia Airlines.
The increase to daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and Amritsar in India will elevate Malaysia Airlines’ total weekly flights in India to 71.
Flights to Amritsar were introduced last November, joining Ahmedabad and Trivandrum as three new Indiam routes introduced during 2023. The airline had also recently increased frequencies on the Trivandrum route to four times weekly, effective 3 April 2024.
Malaysia Airlines boasts an extensive India network, offering flights from nine major India aviation hubs; New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Amritsar and Trivandrum. Tthe airline offers onward connections to Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, and other key Asia Pacific destinations from its Kuala Lumpur hub.
SINGAPORE, 14 June 2024: Emirates has begun using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as part of its fuel agreement with Neste on flights departing from Singapore Changi Airport, marking its inaugural SAF investment in Asia. Over the last few weeks, approximately 3.3 million litres of blended SAF have been integrated into Changi airport’s fuelling system.
Emirates is tracking the delivery of SAF into the fuelling systems, accounting for and assigning its environmental benefits through widely used and accepted industry methodologies. Earlier this year, the airline closely collaborated with Neste to supply 2.6 million litres of neat SAF in the fuelling systems of Amsterdam Schiphol airport.
The SAF being provided by Neste is produced from sustainably sourced and 100% renewable waste as well as residue raw materials, including used cooking oil and animal fat waste. SAF used as part of this agreement can be safely used in existing Emirates aircraft and airport fuelling infrastructure and in neat form, reduces lifecycle carbon emissions (CO2) by up to 80%* compared to using conventional jet fuel.
Emirates Deputy President and Chief Operations Officer Adel Al Redha: “Emirates’ investment into Neste-produced SAF in Singapore marks a first step forward in our SAF adoption in Asia, a region that is primed to become a leading supplier of SAF, which continues to be in short supply. While the activation of this agreement marks a milestone in our SAF journey in a new region, there’s still a lot of work to do. And as we procure SAF for the short term, we’ve got our sights set on longer-term agreements to help scale up a steady supply of SAF for our operations.”
Emirates’ multi-faceted SAF strategy focuses on exploring opportunities to use SAF operationally wherever it is available in its network, share emissions reductions with corporate customers or freight forwarders where feasible, cooperate on longer-term SAF projects with reputable partners and support SAF ventures in the UAE with the potential to supply sustainable aviation fuel at its hub in the future.
Emirates currently operates flights from Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Paris, Lyon and Oslo with SAF. The airline also integrated SAF into the fuelling systems at its Dubai hub late last year. In 2023, Emirates was also the first airline in the world to operate two landmark demonstration flights from Dubai on the Boeing 777 and A380 with 100% SAF in one engine in partnership with Neste and other committed partners, supporting future certification where 100% drop in SAF is approved for commercial airline operations. Currently, SAF is approved for use in all aircraft but only in blends of up to 50% with conventional jet fuel.
The airline has also committed USD$200 million to research and development (R&D) projects focused on reducing the impact of fossil fuels on commercial aviation. Last month, it became an industrial partner of the Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA), based at the University of Cambridge. Emirates intends to actively share its knowledge and data, as well as insights, with AIA to support the development of cutting-edge tools and solutions to reduce the long-term impact of commercial aviation.
The airline is a member of the Solent Cluster in the UK, an initiative focused on low-carbon investments. If operational by 2032, the cluster’s initiative could create a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) plant that can produce up to 200,000 tonnes (200 kt) per year.
Emirates is also a founding participant of the UAE research consortium AirCRAFT, which is focused on developing, producing, and scaling sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technologies for the industry.
*When used in neat form (i.e. unblended) and calculated with established life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, such as CORSIA methodology
BANGKOK, 14 June 2024: Thailand’s annual Visa Grand Sale 2024 got underway last week, with some of the key players figuring in a photo shoot to kick off the campaign that runs until the end of August.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool promoted the launch on her Facebook page earlier this week, recognising the cooperation with Visa International Thailand and other partners that promote the country’s mega shopping campaign. It offers up to 50% discounts at shopping malls and includes travel and hospitality bargains at top tourist destinations across the country.
Photo credit: Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Campaign partners include Visa, Siam Paragon, The Mall Group, Siam Piwat, Icon Siam, King Power, Central and the Association of Entrepreneurs in Rajaprasong District.
The TAT governor said the campaign “enhances the image of cooperation between public and private agencies in organising marketing activities to encourage travel and spending.”
The Visa Thailand Grand Sale 2024 campaign, a value-packed initiative, encourages international travellers to visit the country during the so-called Green Season (rainy season). Supported by Visa, it offers attractive discounts at popular luxury shopping malls located in Thailand’s popular destinations through 31 August 2024.
SINGAPORE 14 June 2024: Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s newest airline, has signed a partnership agreement to implement CellPoint Digital’s Payment Orchestration Solution.
The partnership will see Riyadh Air provide passengers with a seamless cross-border payment experience as the airline approaches its launch date in 2025
Partnership agreement to implement CellPoint Digital’s Payment Orchestration Solution.
Cellpoint Digital, a leading provider of payment solutions to the airline industry and a global pioneer of Payment Orchestration, confirmed Wednesday the new partnership with Riyadh Air that will equip the carrier with an innovative payment technology to fuel its digital-first business strategy.
The partnership supplies Riyadh Air with CellPoint Digital’s Payment Orchestration platform, enabling the carrier to efficiently process local and cross-border transactions.
Riyadh Air’s vision is to disrupt a Saudi Arabian commercial aviation market dominated by legacy players.
Based in Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh Air is set to launch commercial operations by mid-2025 and is an integral part of Saudi Arabia’s mission to establish itself as a global aviation hub. The USD30 billion start-up airline aims to connect the country to 100 regional and international destinations by 2030, leveraging the kingdom’s location between Asia, Africa and Europe and creating over 200,000 jobs.
CellPoint Digital’s Payment Orchestration platform uses intelligent routing, considering the pricing, processing and acceptance currency, and processor’s geographical location, which increases transaction success rates. In this way, Payment Orchestration minimises the number of declined transactions, preventing the customer from abandoning the booking and driving revenue for Riyadh Air.
Pact signed with Singapore Airlines
Meanwhile, Riyadh Air and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a new partnership between the two airlines.
The agreement was inked by Riyadh Air Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tony Douglas and Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong in Dubai at the 80th International Air Transport Association (IATA) AGM and World Air Transport Summit earlier this month.
Under the MoU, the carriers will explore opportunities for interline connectivity on each other’s services, subject to regulatory approval. They will also work on other potential areas of commercial cooperation, including codeshare arrangements, reciprocal benefits for their frequent flyer programme members, cargo services, customer experience, and digital innovation as a precursor to a deeper, long-term, strategic partnership.
These will offer Riyadh Air’s guests access to SIA’s network in Southeast Asia and the South West Pacific region, and SIA’s customers greater access to the Middle East region through Riyadh Air’s network.
HONG KONG, 14 June 2024: Hong Kong Airlines will commence direct flights to Danang in central Vietnam on 19 July. This busy route is already served by two very competitive low-cost airlines: Hong Kong Express and Vietjet.
Hong Kong Airlines, home-based in Hong Kong, will schedule daily flights using an A320 with 169 seats. Flight time is one hour and 50 minutes.
Hong Kong Express, a low-cost airline based in Hong Kong, flies the Hong Kong-Danang route twice daily (morning and evening) using the bigger A321 with 209 seats. Its website quotes its lowest roundtrip fare at USD138.
Hong Kong Airlines quotes a starting fare of USD189 for its daily flight, which is due to commence on 19 July.
More competition is on the horizon as Vietjet Air increases its direct Danang-Hong Kong service from four times weekly to daily, effective 1 July. At present, the airline flies the route on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday using an A321 with 209 seats. Its lowest fare on the website is USD155.
The average roundtrip fare on the Hong Kong-Danang route is USD230.
In its publicity for the new service, Hong Kong Airlines describes Danang as “The Oriental Hawaii,” one of the largest and most important cities in central Vietnam.
“From the cool retreats of Ba Na Hills and the historic and culturally diverse ancient towns to the prime selfie spots on stunning beaches, the Pink Church, and Asia Park, coupled with a variety of traditional Vietnamese cuisine, Danang remains a popular destination for international tourists and is regarded as one of the hotspots for tourism in Asia.”
Hong Kong Airlines flight schedule: Hong Kong-Danang
About Hong Kong Airlines Established in 2006, Hong Kong Airlines is a full-service airline firmly rooted in Hong Kong. The airline flies close to 30 destinations across the Asia Pacific and currently maintains interline and codeshares with multiple airline partners and ferry service providers. Hong Kong Airlines operates an all-Airbus fleet.
