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  • News: Travelocity Business taps into mobile technology

    Travelocity Business has revealed that TBiz Chat has gone mobile, allowing business travellers to talk one on one with TBiz agents previous to and through their business journey throughout the TripCase mobile app.

    Launched on both Concur and GetThere online booking tools in May 2012, TBiz Chat has proven to be a valuable tool for business travellers with greater than 97 percent of respondents saying they’ll use the product sooner or later, based on a contemporary customer satisfaction survey.

    “Knowing what our customers need and like is important to our business,” said Yannis Karmis , president of Travelocity Business.

    “It ensures we’re providing the very best service day by day to each customer. TBiz Chat offers an innovative solution to easily and effectively communicate travel needs and requests so our customers can specialise in their work to hand. While using Chat you could easily change travel plans while multi-tasking in a gathering or at home.”

    TBiz Chat leverages the messaging capabilities of TripCase Connect, an internet platform for travel agencies, to send messages to travellers via a mobile device.

  • New chief executive for the Ascott

    CapitaLand has announced its wholly-owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott, has appointed Lee Chee Koon as its chief executive with effect from June 1st 2013.

    He will succeed Chong Kee Hiong who has resigned to pursue other opportunities.

    Chong will step down as Ascott’s chief executive and as a non-independent non-executive director from the board of Ascott Residence Trust Management, the chief of Ascott Residence Trust, with effect from June 1st 2013.

    Lee will take over Chong at the board of ARTML, subject to approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

    Lim Ming Yan, president and group chief executive of CapitaLand said: “We thank Kee Hiong for his contributions to CapitaLand.

    “The decision to depart isn’t a very simple one for him and for us but we fully respect Kee Hiong’s decision to pursue a better stage of his career.

    “Kee Hiong has served the corporate for 12 years and have been instrumental in leading the expansion of Ascott and Ascott Residence Trust.

    “We wish him the whole best in his future endeavours.”

    He added: “With Chee Koon’s extensive experience in strategy development and his wealth of data in operations, we’re confident that he’s going to lead Ascott to further strengthen its position as a worldwide leader within the serviced residence industry.”

    Lee will relinquish his current appointments as Ascott’s deputy chief executive and managing director for North Asia.

  • Brand USA seals global cope with STA Travel

    Brand USA and STA Travel have signed a world deal worth $4million over the following two years to advertise america to the youth travel market.

    This is the primary time that Brand USA, the official tourism marketing organisation for the us of America, has launched into a dedicated youth campaign.

    The USA is already a key destination for STA Travel, the world’s leading student and youth tour operator for 18 to 35 year-olds, nevertheless it is aiming to increased sales to the us by 30 per cent over the 2 year period.

    The campaign has launched within the UK, Northern and Central Europe, Asia, Australasia and South Africa with a contest for 3 winners to every win a road trip to the us.

    The winners may be joined by a qualified film crew that will gain exciting and experiential footage which might be placed online.

    The aim is to get under the outside of America and look for what makes the us a singular destination to the youth traveller to allow them to discover this land like never before.

    The campaign will largely be driven online across plenty of social media and digital platforms, across college campus activity and throughout STA Travel global retail stores.

    STA Travel chief executive, John Constable, said: “We are delighted to be working which includes Brand USA in this ambitious campaign.

    “We’ve seen the recognition and insist for america grow exponentially during the last five years and spot this as a chance to carve out a special proposition about USA to the youth audience.

    “Brand USA couldn’t have come at a smarter time; the us has needed a consolidated marketing approach for a while and we’re very concerned with working together to advertise a totally special landscape.”

    Brand USA is the general public-private partnership answerable for promoting the U.S. as a premier travel destination and communicating US entry/exit policies and procedures.

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  • News: Icelandair and WestJet sign interline deal

    WestJet and Icelandair have launched a brand new interline agreement opening up the skies for passengers connecting between the Americas and greater than 20 Icelandair destinations throughout Europe.

    Passengers can now book a single combined e-ticket for WestJet and Icelandair flights consisting of the conveniences of single check-in for all flights and baggage sent through to the general destination.

    When connecting within the Americas, Icelandair customers will enjoy WestJet’s fleet of Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft serving greater than 80 cities in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

    “Icelandair and WestJet share a number of the same philosophies including offering our passengers a refreshing travel experience” said Helgi Mar Bjorgvinsson, Icelandair’s Senior Vp of promoting and Sales. “Our complementary customer support and connections through Toronto and Halifax make this a natural partnership. We also sit up for further opening the skies of Canada for both inbound and outbound passengers.”

    Earlier this year Icelandair expanded its seasonal service from Toronto to a year-round operation with plans to extend capacity next summer. Icelandair will even resume seasonal service from Halifax with two flights every week starting June 1, 2013.

    “We’re excited to welcome Icelandair as WestJet’s thirty-second partner airline,” said Todd Peterson, WestJet’s Director, Alliances. “Icelandair and WestJet share a name for quality service and great value. The brand new relationship between our airlines will enhance options for travel between North America and Europe.”

    Icelandair offers service to Iceland from Boston, Ny-JFK, Seattle, Denver and Toronto with seasonal service from Newark, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orlando Sanford, Halifax, and Anchorage (starting May 15, 2013).

    Connections through Icelandair’s hub at Keflavik International Airport are available in to greater than 20 destinations in Scandinavia, the U.K. and Continental Europe. Only Icelandair allows passengers to stopover in Iceland at no additional airfare.

  • News: Alps coach driver praised for bravery

    The British coach driver who died in a crash within the French Alps was praised for saving passengers lives.

    The coach, which was travelling from Alpe d’Huez to the united kingdom was carrying 50 staff from tour operator Skibound.

    Three Britons were seriously injured within the incident, which ended in the coach bursting into flames.

    French transport minister Frederic Cuvillier praised driver Maurice Wrightson, 64, from County Durham, for displaying “remarkable courage”. It’s thought that the accident might have been much worse had the coach not bogged down ahead of the crash. 

    There can have been an issue with the vehicle’s breaks, consistent with police.