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  • News: Turkish Airlines places its biggest order ever with Airbus

    Turkish Airlines, the biggest airline in Turkey, has signed a freelance for as much as 117 A320 Family aircraft (25 A321ceo, 4 A320neo, 53 A321neo and options for 35 additional A321neo aircraft). This order is the biggest ever placed by a Turkish carrier. The engine selection should be made at a later date.

    “We are placing our biggest ever order with Airbus,” said Faruk Cizmecioglu, Chief Marketing Officer. “At Turkish Airlines our customers expect the only. The A320 Family with its economic benefits combined with superior cabin comfort will greatly contribute to fulfill our ambitious growth plans.”

    “We are delighted with this new order from Turkish Airlines, which takes us above 2,000 NEO orders in a little bit over two years after launch” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “This order confirms that the NEO is the cheapest and profitable solution for airlines with ambitious growth plans. The 15 per cent fuel saving and the widest cabin in its class give Turkish Airlines a huge competitive advantage.”

    Turkish Airlines already operates 75 A320 Family aircraft. The hot order may also help Turkish Airlines expand their short to medium-haul routes from their Istanbul hub, while the aircraft’s commonality with their existing Airbus fleet will generate additional cost-savings.

    Incorporating new engines and enormous Sharklet wing tip devices, the A320neo Family will deliver fuel savings of 15 percent. Similarly, the A320neo Family will provide a double-digit reduction in NOx emissions and reduced engine noise. The A320neo will enter into service from late 2015, followed by the A319neo and A321neo in 2016.

    More than 9,150 A320 Family aircraft were ordered and greater than 5,450 dropped at greater than 385 customers and operators worldwide reaffirming its position because the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft Family. The A320neo has over 95 percent airframe commonality making it a simple fit into existing fleets while offering as much as 500 nautical miles (950 kilometres) more range or two tonnes more payload at a given range.

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  • New Zealand reveals ‘hot’ new tourism products

    New Zealand’s tourism industry is hot news this week at TRENZ 2013 – Tourism Rendezvous New Zealand – in Auckland.

    An illusion gallery, zipline tours high above the forest canopy, and Christchurch hotels are among the new and innovative New Zealand tourism products with a purpose to be on show to the world’s travel and tourism buyers.

    And when you can’t make it to Auckland, Canadian tourism bloggers Ruth Atherley and Paul Holman are blogging to the remainder of the arena about what’s new and exciting in New Zealand.

    Trenzblog.com is already live as Atherley and Holman have travelled through several New Zealand regions – Auckland, Wellington, Martinborough, Marlborough, Christchurch, Kaikoura – on their strategy to TRENZ.

    TRENZblog may be updated several times an afternoon from the trade extravaganza with product news, and interviews with travel professionals, and tourism leaders. There’ll even be regular Twitter updates.

    Tourism and hospitality
    TRENZ – organised by New Zealand’s Tourism Industry Association (TIA) – is the $23.4 billion New Zealand tourism and hospitality industry’s main international showcase.

    This year around 250 New Zealand tourism operators may be doing business with 290 international buyers.

    These “influential” buyers expected to send “about 700,000 visitors to New Zealand over the approaching year – over half our holiday arrivals,” in line with TIA chief executive Martin Snedden.

    “Tourism is a hugely competitive international business so it’s vital we show them fresh and exciting new products and visitor experiences.”

    New tourism product
    At TRENZ 2013, buyers will discover 52 new tourism products, including 16 tourism operators who’re exhibiting for the 1st time.
    They include first-time TRENZ exhibitor Rotorua Canopy Tours, in business for only a year and hoping to make a good impression at the international buyers.
    “We take visitors deep into pristine native bush where they experience 1.2km of ziplines, flying foxes, treetop swing bridges and treetop platforms. It’s a strong combination of adventure and conservation, something we are hoping will firmly establish us at the cutting edge of eco-tourism in New Zealand,” says director James Fitzgerald.

    “Our goal for TRENZ is to make sure the market has a very good understanding of what we do – that we’re way over a zipline tour. We also need to show that Rotorua is stepping up with multiple new innovative businesses which are redefining what this destination offers.”

    Accor Hotels rapidly developing New Zealand portfolio includes several new products including a brand new Sofitel for Wellington, and two new Christchurch hotels – the Novotel, scheduled to open in September 2013, and the Ibis which opened in September 2012.

    Wanaka’s Puzzling World can be promoting its biggest project in over a decade – a NZ$2.5 million extension that features a gallery of illusionary sculptures. The Sculptillusion Gallery showcases over 20 large sculptures, artworks and displays within a structure that has “illusionary aspects – together with a wave ceiling and hanging waterfalls” incorporated into the design, says Puzzling World marketing manager Duncan Spear.

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  • News: Charter passengers chargeable for majority of additional security costs in airports

    Passengers of charter flights are liable for nearly all of extra costs arising from delays in airport security checks, in response to scientific research conducted by airport security consulting company, Kirschenbaum Consulting.

    The findings are in accordance with a one-year in-depth study held at a regional European airport. The consequences indicate that while only 10-15% of scheduled passengers carried prohibited items, 33-50% of charter passengers did so.

    Moreover, while only 10% of normal flyers were re-examined by security employees, 33% of charter passengers needed another check.
    The research, which included both an ethnographic and time-motion study, also showed that, while charter passengers accounted for under 50%of overall traffic, they were accountable for one more 35% of the final security costs.

    Even though the vast majority of passengers go through the safety process right away, passengers who negotiate with the protection personal consume just about 80% of the time spent passing through screening.

    “Security has become a key cost component in airports. Passenger behavior and its significance to airport profits shouldn’t be underestimated,” said Prof Alan (Avi) Kirschenbaum , founder and CEO of Kirschenbaum Consulting.

    “We can clearly see that delays on the screening check point are directly concerning the kind of passenger involved. This requires paying more attention to the role that the human factor could have on security costs.”

    Kirschenbaum added that it may be conjectured that charter passengers were likely to purchase holiday gifts and, given their lower sensitivity to security, prone to be stopped for possessing prohibited items.

    Airports estimate that it may take 20-30 seconds for a standard passenger to go through the safety screening process. The research showed, however, that it took those blind to the guidelines one to 2 minutes.

    Prof. Kirschenbaum will present the findings on the Passenger Terminal Expo, so they can occur on April 9-11, 2013, in Geneva Switzerland.

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  • News: Club Med launches new brand campaign worldwide

    Club Med – the unique all-inclusive resort company with greater than 78 resorts worldwide – launches a brand new global campaign surrounding “happiness,” a philosophy that’s been within the brand’s DNA for the past 60 years. The campaign is launching in 47 countries all over in 22 languages, including the U.S. This breakthrough campaign highlights the individuality of Club Med vacations through a contemporary, surprising and participative approach that differentiates the emblem from the market. The campaign is delivered to life through 16 visual metaphors and invites everyone to visualize their very own happiness through a brand new tagline – “And What’s Your Idea of Happiness”

    The main creative contains 16 visuals whose dreamlike dimension harnesses the ability of imagination, enabling Club Med to speak the intensity of the sensations and emotions that guests will experience. The tagline invites people to ponder their very own, more modern and participative idea of happiness, which has evolved with society and the arriving of the digital age. Additionally, the campaign highlights Club Med’s specific and indisputable strengths within the form of activities offered inside the “all inclusive” concept, and shared moments through special occasions with friends and family.

    “Today, happiness is participative – everyone needs to be ready to give their very own vision, their very own idea of happiness,” said Jerome Hiquet , CMO of Club Med North America.” This creative approach enables Club Med to update your entire values that form the brand’s DNA, while helping guests to meet their very own ideas of happiness through a singular Club Med vacation and experience.”

    The new campaign launches within the U.S. through a multiphase 360 degree disruptive approach via advertising outlets including large building scapes, digital displays in airports, magazine ads, experiential events in partnership with Shape, Self and Family Fun magazines and travel agencies. The emblem is likewise engaging valuable customer communities by revealing the campaign through fresh tactics from media blitzes in key markets to intimate events for high clients and brand ambassadors. Because the campaign asks the question, “And What’s Your Idea of Happiness”, Club Med is inviting guests and fans to share their ideas of happiness and notice what other have shared on our wall of happiness www.IdeaOfHappiness.com. The campaign will additionally be delivered to life through social media initiatives increasing the virality of the campaign.

    In 1950, Club Med was built at the vision of its two founders, Gerard Blitz and Gilbert Trigano, saying, “The goal of life is to be at liberty . The time to be at liberty is now. And where to feel free is here.” And today, in the course of the new campaign, Club Med maintains this vision.

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  • Rezidor starts 2013 with solid RevPAR development

    Rezidor started the year with a favorable RevPAR development: The group’s Like-for-Like RevPAR increased by 9.8% in January and eight.1% in February. “The key driver for the lift in RevPAR was a rise trendy in most our markets across Europe, the center East and Africa. The amount driven improvement came from various commercial initiatives, and brought about an additional gain of market share”, commented Wolfgang M. Neumann, President & CEO of Rezidor on the group’s Annual Business Conference 2013 in Riga, Latvija.

    “The financial system remains to be fragile and unsure. The underlining trend has continued into March, however the month would be negatively impacted by the timing of Easter. We shall continue to rigorously monitor the improvement in the course of the rest of the year. Our initial results reflect the effective execution of our turnaround programme Route 2015”, continued Neumann.

    In his key note speech to the five hundred conference delegates – General Managers and company/Area Management Teams – Neumann outlined his strategic focus where talent development and guest delight are the core drivers in pursuit of long run sustainable profits. He further underlined Rezidor’s commitment to profitable asset-light growth with a focal point on Emerging Markets. All the group’s five signings (1,037 rooms) in January, February and March thus far were located in Russia/CIS and Africa, Rezidor’s core markets for future business development. The latest key signing was the Radisson Blu Sheremetyevo Airport Hotel, Moscow (379 rooms, opening in Q2 2014). In early February Rezidor also opened an Emerging Market flagship property: the Radisson Blu Hotel, Maputo in Mozambique featuring 154 guest rooms.

    Route 2015 is Rezidor’s guiding light in pursuit of the group’s strategy. The great turnaround programme was launched in December 2011 with the purpose to extend the EBITDA margin by 6 to eight percent by the year 2015. The programme puts a powerful talk about Revenue Generation including: global synergies and activities with Rezidor’s strategic partner Carlson, cost-saving initiatives, accelerated Asset Management and additional growth of the associated fee-based hotel portfolio especially in Emerging Markets.

    Prior to the yearly Business Conference Rezidor’s Leadership Team demonstrated the group’s strong commitment to social responsibility: The 22 executives team – supported by the conference sponsor LG – dedicated a day to support an area orphanage in Riga by painting a subsection of a children’s home.

    During the continued conference Rezidor may also celebrate the farewell of Kurt Ritter, the group’s former President & CEO. Swiss-born hotelier Ritter has lead Rezidor from 1989 to the tip of 2012 and was likely the longest serving Chief Executive Officer of the hospitality industry. Under his management Rezidor grew from a small Scandinavian company to a worldwide player, and have become a member of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “Kurt is a legendary leader who has built Rezidor from scratch and has given us our unique culture and image. We’re going to build on his legacy and develop it further on our journey towards improved sustainable profitability”, said Wolfgang M. Neumann.