We’ve done all the hard work, so you don’t have to! Read on for the top ten travel news stories we think you need to know today.
1. Think your BBQ skills are better than the US?
Sally McFadyen (Flight Centre), Mark B, Kochie, Andrew Daddo, Nat, Kendall, Ollie Philpot (Brand USA), Matt Cameron Smith (Trafalgar) and Kirill Litovchenko (United). Pic: Matt Leedham
Grab a pair of tongs, cool a couple of stubbies and get a few mates around – it’s time to light up them barbies and show the US who the best BBQers REALLY are.
Trafalgar, Brand USA, Flight Centre, United Airlines and Weber have this morning launched their biggest integrated marketing campaign of the year in Australia.
‘The Australia VS USA World BBQ Champion Cook Off 2015‘ essentially dares Aussies around the country to put their cooking skills to the test and prove that we are the best behind the barbecue.
Speaking to Kochie and Mel on the Sunrise show this morning, the five brands dubbed the campaign as the ‘most highly publicised tourism marketing campaign of the year’ that’s expected to reach some seven million potential travellers.
2. Air NZ & United fly to San Fran
United has entered a new partnership with Air New Zealand to operate flights to San Francisco.
The Auckland-San Francisco service will kick off from 3 July 2016, with three times weekly flights from Auckland to San Francisco using United’s 787-8 aircraft. Flights will increase on 30 October 2016 to daily with United’s larger 787-9 aircraft taking over on the route.
“Customers will not only be able to fly with United direct to one of America’s most popular business and tourism destinations, they’ll also benefit from seamless onward connections via our San Francisco hub to cities throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Central/South America.”
Jim Compton, United Vice Chairman and Chief Revenue Officer
3. Qantas’ Alan Joyce is ‘CEO of the Year’
First it was an enviable super-sized bonus and now Qantas’ head honcho, Alan Joyce, has been named ‘CEO of the Year’ for his efforts in pulling the airline out of financial strife and into profitability.
The CEO was honoured with the title this week at the World Aviation Summit held in Helsinki by aviation company, Centre for Aviation (CAPA).
CAPA’s Executive Chairman, Peter Harbison, said Joyce earned the title after pulling off ‘one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the history’ of aviation.
4. And the airlines with the best inflight experiences are…
Virtual head sets, iPads, Wi-Fi, celebrity dishes and showers – airlines are doing all they can to keep their passengers happy, but which ones offer the best inflight experiences?
The guys over at AirlinesRatings.com did the research and selected the top ten airlines from around the world with the best first, business, premium economy and long haul economy class travel.
Only three airlines made all four lists including Australia’s very own, Qantas which offers spacious first class suites and is currently trialling virtual headsets. The others are Singapore Airlines, with its spacious A380 economy class as well as its mult-lingual and diverse inflight entertainment system; and Japan Airlines.
5. Carlson Rezidor expands around Australasia
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group will expand its presence in the Australasia region with a new development in Fiji.
Park Inn® by Radisson Fiji Suva is the group’s second Carlson Rezidor hotel in Fiji, following Radisson Blu Resort Fiji Denarau Island and is scheduled to open during the second quarter of 2018.
The property will house up to 130 rooms and will be located within walking distance of the main street, the wharf and the city’s main bus terminal. Nausori International Airport will be about a 30-minute drive away.
There are six hotels currently in operation in Asia Pacific and with the signing of Park Inn by Radisson Fiji Suva, there are now 13 NexGen Park Inn by Radisson hotels under development in the region.
Carlson Rezidor’s operating portfolio in Australasia currently includes Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney, Radisson Hotel & Suites Sydney, Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens Melbourne and Radisson Blu Resort Fiji Denarau Island.
6. Booking Boss says you’re invited!
Booking Boss has teamed up with Tourism Australia to kick start a series of special webinars for the industry.
Commencing 13 October, the first webinar will be hosted by Glen Davis from Tourism Australia. During his talk he will discuss the year in tourism so far, what’s next for Tourism Australia and how others can get involved.
Renee Welsh from Booking Boss will also present during the one-hour event.
Click here for more information.
7. Ecruising & Oceania enter new partnership
Ecruising has entered a new partnership with Oceania Cruises to create unique cruise holiday packages in South America for 2016.
Among them is a 25-night ‘Incas to the Big Apple’ package on-board Oceania Cruises Marina begins on 22 April in Lima for a seven-day fully escorted land tour in Peru including comprehensive sightseeing in Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu whilst staying in five star accommodation.
The group will then board Oceania’s Marina in Lima for a 16-night cruise to New York with numerous port visits in a variety of cities in Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and the USA before reaching the final destination of New York to spend three days exploring the city that never sleeps.
The 16-night cruise on Marina includes accommodation with all meals including free use of the 4 speciality restaurants, 24-hour room service, complimentary soft drinks, bottled water and specialty coffee, all gratuities and port taxes.
8. Skyscanner upgrades its flight app
Skyscanner has made six user-friendly changes to its mobile flights app to simplify the search process for holidaymakers.
The first major upgrade since the app launched in 2011 includes recent search memory; an ‘everywhere’ tab that allows users to browse through the top destinations listed in price order; and a top offers section for the budget-conscious traveller.
New push notifications notify app users when there’s a rise or fall in a flight fare and the colour-coded calendar makes it easier to view cheapest days to fly.
Plus there’s now a better results filter which allows travellers to filter through various factors such as price, flight duration and number of stops.
Click here for more Skyscanner news.
9. Venture hosts agents on Singapore long-weekender
Venture Holidays in conjunction with Singapore Airlines hosted a group of South Australian travel agents on a four-day weekend educational in September.
The group experienced the best of the destination from Chinatown to Sentosa Island, Kampong Glam to Ann Siang Hill whilst also enjoying the food scene.
Among the many culinary experiences included lunch at Ding Dong restaurant in Ann Siang Hill and dinner at Carousel restaurant at Royal Plaza on Scotts. The group said they enjoyed the Lantern Bar at the Fullerton Bay Hotel, which provided panoramic views of Singapore’s skyline including the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Singapore Flyer.
A day was spent at Sentosa Island to discover the many attractions available. Gardens by the Bay was also a highlight with the group enjoying the Garden Rhapsody, where the Supertrees come alive with a dazzling light show at night.
Click here for more Venture Holidays experiences.
10. The future of flying = Sitting on top of each other
Airbus has released some interesting images of what the future of flying could look like and it literally has passengers sitting on top of each other.
In attempt to make the most of space available in premium cabins such as business, the plane manufacturer has suggested introducing split-level seats with rows in the middle section sitting at an elevated level.
This would almost double the number of passengers in the cabin, but could irritate a few passengers who often fork out a bit of money for the space and privacy of business.
On a positive, each seat would be able to recline, with those on the lower level slotting their feet under the seat above them, and those on the higher level resting their feet over the people below.