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Category: News

  • News: Network Rail awards major Crossrail contract for southeast London

    Network Rail has awarded a first-rate contract, with a worth of roughly £130m, to Balfour Beatty Rail for the development of a two-mile component to the Crossrail route from Plumstead to Abbey Wood in southeast London.

    The contract will include:

    *  The installation of 2 new dedicated Crossrail lines from Abbey Wood to the Plumstead portal, providing access to the recent Crossrail tunnels. The Crossrail lines will run alongside the present North Kent lines; and
    *  Works to change several bridges along the path to accommodate the overhead electric wires and two new lines which will be utilized by the recent Crossrail trains.
    *  The contract may even include construction of a brand new station building at Abbey Wood with a brand new Crossrail platform so one can allow for simple interchange with north Kent services. Designs for the brand new station are currently being finalised. The principle construction works will start in 2014, with some preparatory work expected to begin later this year.

    When Crossrail opens, as much as 12 trains per hour in each direction will link southeast London and the Royal Docks with Canary Wharf, central London and beyond, slashing journey times and boosting regeneration within the area.

    Passengers in southeast London will get pleasure from a number of Crossrail’s most vital time savings. With Crossrail, the adventure from Abbey Wood to Bond Street would be around 20 minutes quicker and passengers travelling to Heathrow would be capable of shave around 40 minutes off their journey.

    Peter Mason, Network Rail’s crossrail senior programme manager, said: “Network Rail is undertaking a main upgrade of the present rail network for Crossrail, including an important programme of track renewals in addition station improvements. The transformed Abbey Wood station will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the encircling area and supply opportunities for local employment, meeting the event aspirations of the 2 London boroughs it serves, Greenwich and Bexley. We’re now watching for continuing our excellent partnership with Balfour Beatty Rail to deliver this exciting project.”

    Matt White, surface director at Crossrail said: “Crossrail will transform rail travel for local residents and contribute significantly to the regeneration during this portion of southeast London. Fast, frequent and direct services will link residents with central London and beyond, slashing journey times and making it easier to get to an entire range of destinations.”

    Under the Crossrail programme, Network Rail is accountable for the upgrade of 43 miles of track, in addition to improving 27 stations from Maidenhead within the west to Abbey Wood and Shenfield within the east.

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  • News: Steigenberger Cruise Ships launched

    The Steigenberger Omar El Khayam is the jewel within the crown of Steigenberger’s new fleet of cruise ships. It has no fewer than 80 cabins, including 68 double cabins, four Royal Suites and 8 Grand Suites. Accommodation sizes are 24 m², 35 m², 25 m² or 70 m² dependent on category. All cabins are equipped with their very own balcony and have large panoramic sliding windows offering views out over the Nile. Passengers also benefit from the use of bogs with both bathtub and shower and video channels broadcast by the ship’s own satellite reception system. Individually adjustable aircon systems has been installed in all of the rooms. The cabins and suites are decorated in bright shades of cream and beige brown whilst dark wood fixtures and deep red colour details combine to create an opulent atmosphere. The primary restaurant on board, “Abu Nawas”, serves up first-class gourmet cuisine. Guests might also relax inside the lounge bars “Bashawat” and “Mamlouk”. The sun terrace of the six-storey ship has a swimming pool, a whirlpool and a pool bar. an additional whirlpool are available within the on-board Cleopatra Spa, which also incorporates a modern gym and 3 separate massage rooms.

    The Steigenberger Legacy and Steigenberger Minerva are both new Nile cruise ships within the fleet. Both extend over five storeys and feature two luxury suites in addition to offering 74 and 75 double cabins respectively. Accommodation is arranged around the lower four decks of the liners. Room decorations feature the identical cream and beige hues, deep red colour highlights and dark woods found at the Omar El Khayam, the latter two aspects reflecting the average oriental flair of Egypt. All cabins have individually adjustable aircon, satellite reception, on-board video channels, a minibar, a secure and personal bathrooms. The Steigenberger Legacy and the Steigenberger Minerva also are capable of fulfil any culinary requirement passengers may need. The menus typically restaurants on both vessels include everything from regional dishes to international specialities and offer something for everybody. There are fresh water pools, these being located at the top decks of the ships at the side of a pool bar and a sun terrace relating to both liners.

    The Steigenberger Minerva and the Steigenberger Legacy travel the River Nile between Luxor and Aswan and offer trips with a decision of 3, four or seven overnight stays. The Steigenberger Omar El Khayam operates on Lake Nasser between Aswan and Abu Simbel and might be reserved for cruises of 3 or four nights’ duration.

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  • News: Aegean Airlines to sell ancillaries through Sabre

    Sabre has extended its relationship with Aegean Airlines so the carrier can sell pre-paid baggage through Sabre-connected travel agencies.

    Agents should be in a position to view the discounted pre-paid baggage option at both the shopping and pricing stage of a fare search.

    The two companies have already got a multi-year distribution agreement in place that offers agents access to the airline’s fares, schedules and inventory.

    Dimitris Gerogiannis, managing director of Aegean Airlines, said: “It is critical that modern airlines maximize revenues generated by the sale of ancillary services.

    “Sabre’s global reach into the travel industry community allows us to take action by putting our fares and the pre-paid baggage option on agency desktops all over.”

    David Gross, senior vp of Sabre Supplier Distribution, said: “Aegean Airlines recognizes the price of having the ability to market and sell products, including ancillaries, to millions of travellers worldwide.

    “We’re seeing more carriers turn to ancillary products to enhance their revenues, and decide to sell through Sabre’s high-yield marketplace.

    “It’s a local within which we’ve made significant investments so airlines can market and sell their products, and so agents can improve efficiency and repair by booking and fulfilling tickets and ancillaries together, while capturing data for his or her corporate customers.”

    Aegean has chosen to sell its ancillaries through Sabre using industry technology standards developed by ATPCo and IATA. The electronic miscellaneous document (EMD) allows an agent to efficiently purchase an airline’s ancillary products on behalf of shoppers within the same way they’d a base airfare.

    Sabre provides both the airline and the agency a straightforward and efficient strategy to manage the sale and buy of recent airline ancillary products, while also providing travellers with complete transparency as they may be able to see the whole cost of the fare and extras. 

    Aegean joins a listing of world airlines, including Alitalia, Air New Zealand, Finnair and US Airways already selling ancillary products through Sabre.

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  • Vail Resorts announces record capital plan for 2013

    Vail Resorts, today announced its calendar 2013 capital expenditure plan.  The Company’s 2013 capital plan features a high-impact new lift, significant terrain expansion, a brand new restaurant and the fourth generation of EpicMix, in addition to $25 million in spending for the primary phase of its new summer operations and nearly $10 million in upgrades for every of the recently acquired Afton Alps and Mt. Brighton, leading to the most important choice of planned improvements inside the Company’s history.  The corporate currently anticipates it is going to spend approximately $130 million to $140 million in resort capital expenditures in calendar year 2013, including approximately $47 million to $52 million in maintenance capital, that’s essential to maintain the looks and level of service appropriate to resort operations, including routine replacement of snow grooming equipment and rental fleet equipment.  The entire proposed capital projects are subject to applicable regulatory approvals, including U.S. Forest Service approval.

    Highlights of the calendar year 2013 capital expenditure plan include:
    Epic Discovery – This primary phase of Epic Discovery, the Company’s summer mountain activity plan, includes approximately $25 million to radically change the summer experience at six of its mountain resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly and Northstar).  Plans for every mountain, include a diffusion of zip lines, ropes courses, signature climbing walls, Forest FlyersTM, summer tubing, expanded hiking and mountain biking trails and education centers.  Each of those new activities will capitalize at the existing summer visitation at each resort and leverage existing infrastructure, creating the chance for top-impact and high-return projects.  The corporate expects these activities, in total, to generate approximately $7 million of incremental Mountain Reported EBITDA of their first full summer of operation.

    Improvements at Afton Alps & Mt Brighton – The corporate is planning major enhancements and upgrades to the newly acquired Afton Alps near Minneapolis, Minn., and Mt. Brighton near Detroit, Mich.  The corporate plans to take a position nearly $10 million at each resort to bring a wholly new ski experience to those markets, that are home to greater than 450,000 skiers and riders.  The Company’s plans include dramatic improvements in snowmaking to increase the season and supply a more consistent and quality snow surface, the creation of state-of-the-art terrain parks with extensive new features, animation and dedicated lifts; upgrades to base area facilities; the addition of EpicMix, EpicMix Racing and raise ticket scanning to personalize the guest experience and higher promote the Company’s western resorts to those skiers; and enhancements to guest safety and quality around the ski areas.  These improvements are being announced inclusive of new season pass plans for the resorts and a more dedicated sales effort in those markets to drive a more robust connection between those guests and the Company’s Colorado and Tahoe resorts.  The corporate believes that following these plans, future capital spending at each resort shall be more limited in scope.

    Peak 6 terrain expansion at Breckenridge – The height 6 terrain expansion includes two new chairlifts and 543 acres of recent terrain, a 23 percent expansion to the resorts skiable acreage.  Peak 6 will offer an intermediate “bowl” skiing experience, with the chance for a wide selection of guests to ski this new high alpine area that sits above tree line.  Peak 6 becomes another iconic feature of Breckenridge, and can better disperse skiers and improve the guest experience around the resort, that is perennially the #1 or #2 most visited mountain resort within the America.

    New Red Tail Camp restaurant at Beaver Creek – Just before the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships, the corporate is building a brand new 500 seat restaurant at Red Tail Camp, located on the finish of the men’s and women’s downhill courses, which greater than doubles the present restaurant’s capacity.  Red Tail Camp will offer gourmet dining options in an upscale cafeteria setting and should add a second top quality and high capacity dining venue for Beaver Creek, better positioning the resort for continued growth in visitation.  The brand new restaurant will follow at the success the corporate has had with the Tamarack Lodge at Heavenly, the Zephyr Lodge at Northstar and The 10th at Vail. 

    Replacing Vail’s Chair 4 (Mountain Top Express) with a high speed, six-person chairlift – Vail’s Mountain Top Express (#4) is among the most recognized and highly utilized chairlifts in North America- serving both a critical skiing pod for the mountain and an incredible transportation lift from Lionshead and Vail Village to the Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin.  The hot six-person chairlift increases capacity by 33 percent, dramatically reducing lift lines and building in this year’s success of the newly built Gondola One.  The recent chair will continue to construct upon Vail’s preeminent position in delivering the most efficient valuable experience within the ski industry worldwide.

    EpicMix Academy – EpicMix Academy stands out as the fourth generation of the groundbreaking and award-winning EpicMix application, following the introductions of EpicMix Photo and EpicMix Racing.  With EpicMix Academy, the Company’s ski school instructors could be capable of certify the attainment of certain skills and ski levels for any of the scholars of their classes.  Children and adults in both group and personal ski lessons may be capable of earn permanent recognition and review their accomplishments online.  Parents might be ready to track the progress in their kids and the Company’s ski schools will immediately know the facility level of each student before the beginning of every lesson.  EpicMix Academy will offer special certified digital pins, which might be easily shared through Facebook and Twitter along side pins for vertical feet, photos and racing medals.

    The Company has historically invested significant profit capital expenditures for resort operations and believes the calendar 2013 capital plan maintains the high-quality standards for which Vail Resorts is famous and invests in improvements around the Company’s resorts and new growth opportunities.  All discretionary capital improvements are evaluated in accordance with an expected level of return on investment. The corporate plans to make use of cash accessible, borrowings available under its Credit Agreement and/or cash flow generated from future operations to supply the money essential to execute its capital plans.

    Commenting at the resort capital expenditure announcement, Rob Katz , chief executive officer, said, “The 2013 capital plan is unprecedented in its size and underscores our operating philosophy of regularly reinvesting in our resorts to provide absolutely the most beneficial experience to our guests and highlights several of our unique growth opportunities in Epic Discovery and newly acquired resorts.  Our commitment to repeatedly investing in our resorts to improve the guest experience grows our season pass programs that create customer loyalty, supports our premium pricing strategy, drives new visitation, and increases guest spending.  This year’s plan represents the culmination of a few years of exertions with recent regulatory approvals making an allowance for projects including Epic Discovery and the height 6 terrain expansion at Breckenridge, in addition to a focused acquisition strategy that permits for a much better connection to skiers and riders in Minneapolis and Detroit.”

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  • News: Finnair to go into joint business with American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia

    American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia celebrate a key milestone today as fellow oneworld® alliance member Finnair announces its intent to hitch the transatlantic joint business, established by the 3 airlines in October 2010.

    Once Finnair joins the transatlantic joint business later this year, customers in North America and Europe may have increased number of flights and services in addition more straightforward connections to flights around the Atlantic.

    As a part of the joint business, Finnair will add its (AY*) code to chose American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia flights between North America and Europe (EU, plus Norway and Switzerland). American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia will add their respective (AA*), (BA*) and (IB*) code to Finnair’s daily flights between Big apple and Helsinki.  All together, the joint business will operate as much as 102 daily round trips between North America and Europe, serving 42 gateways on both sides of the Atlantic. Customers will even have access to an extra 163 onward connections in North America and 126 in Europe.

    New horizons for patrons on either side of the Atlantic

    Benefits for purchasers of the four airlines include:

    *  Coordinated schedules on joint business routes, providing customers with more flight choices and more straightforward times
    *  Members of the four airlines’ frequent flyer programs – Iberia Plus, American Airlines AAdvantage®, British Airways Executive Club and Finnair Plus – would be capable of earn points or miles at the new codeshare flights
    *  Dedicated support teams for purchasers transferring at seven of the airlines’ hubs: Big apple JFK, London Heathrow, Madrid, Chicago, Miami, Dallas and La.
    *  Online check-in and boarding pass printing with either the airline operating the flight, or the web site of the airline used to book travel

    “Our participation on this venture will significantly increase the portfolio of accessible destinations to Finnair’s existing customers, in addition to open up Northern Europe to a complete new network of potential travellers,” says Allister Paterson, Finnair’s Senior Vice chairman, Commercial. “Fare combinability between the four carriers also brings more ticket flexibility to customers, because the fares and prerequisites are identical between the airlines. A business traveler soon should be ready to combine American, British Airways, Iberian and Finnair routes flexibly when flying between Europe and North America.”

    “American Airlines is delighted to welcome Finnair to the transatlantic joint business and leverage its extensive network across Northern Europe,” says Kurt Stache, American Airlines’ Vice chairman, Strategic Alliances. “The existing joint business has already brought many opportunities to our customers in its first two years along with coordination across schedules and enhanced frequent flyer benefits on each carrier. American looks forward to even greater integration around the four airlines that Finnair’s arrival will bring to the expanded joint business.”

    “British Airways looks forward to Finnair joining the transatlantic joint business this year,” says Simon Talling-Smith, Chair, Atlantic Joint Business Management Committee, “the addition of the Helsinki hub to our joint business network will bring faster and easier connections for patrons on hundreds of city connections between Europe and North America. We’re excited with a view to offer more choice and new benefits to all our customers.”

    “We are happy to welcome Finnair into the North Atlantic Joint Business,” says José Bolorinos, Iberia’s Senior Vice chairman, Strategy. “Finnair have been a very good partner of Iberia for decades. We started our code share cooperation with them within the year 2000. We’re sure their contribution will significantly expand the reach of the oneworld North Atlantic JB in Northern Europe and offer more service options for our customer.”

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