Skill up on all you need to know with bite sized travel news designed specifically to help you, the Travel Agent, be your best today and tomorrow.
1. ‘It’s standard’ for flight attendants to strip during interviews: Malindo Air
Malindo Air has defended one of its recruitment policies, saying it’s ‘standard’ for potential new flight attendants to strip during walk-in interviews.
In an online statement, the carrier said that its ‘grooming checks’ have been a part of the interview process since the airline’s conception in 2013 and denied that the policy is under internal investigation.
As part of the ‘check’, candidates are required to take off their clothes and examined for any marks that may be visible through their uniform. This includes marks such as scars, pimples or tattoos.
2. Sunrise hits up Vegas with Flight Centre & Brand USA
Channel 7’s Sunrise ‘USA Mystery Tour’ stopped by the widely popular entertainment city Las Vegas during day three of the show’s ‘USA Mystery Tour‘.
The week-long showcase of American destinations with Flight Centre and Brand USA sees the morning show’s hosts taken on several locations across the country, including Hawaii, San Francisco and now Nevada.
On day three, they landed in Vegas, the city of bright lights, at 10.00pm and made their way down the strip to the incredible Venetian Las Vegas in a limo, of course.
3. INCENTIVE ALERT: WIN a trip to Dubai through TravelCube
Pack your bags, fly Emirates, unpack in a five-star hotel and spend the next five days shopping in the classiest malls, experiencing unique culture and taking in the world’s best architecture.
You’ve heard all your friends and colleagues brag about it and now it’s your turn to get an in-depth Dubai experience as part of TravelCube and Dubai Tourism’s incentive.
Taking off in October with Emirates, the five-night trip will take 10 lucky Travel Agents to the city’s mega-attractions such as Dubai Parks and Resorts, IMG Worlds of Adventure as well as a brand new safari park set to open its doors in the second half of 2017.
4. World Expeditions helps build a new school in Nepal
World Expeditions has launched a new school rebuild project in Nepal’s remote region of Gorkha, its fourth since the earthquake devastated the country on 25 April, 2015.
Administered by the company’s not-for-profit arm, the World Expeditions Foundation, the 18-day trip combines sightseeing in Kathmandu, an eight-day trek and four days working alongside local people to assist rebuild three new classrooms at the Shree Manjushree School in the remote village of Kashi Goan.
The school, which was established in 1962 and has 365 students attending, was severely damaged during the earthquakes.
The newest addition to the company’s humanitarian rebuild projects is the most remote and participants may be lucky enough to see red panda, musk deer, bear or even leopard, as they pass through untouched traditional villages, in the Tamang and Gurung regions, on route to Kashi Goan.
Click here for more information.
5. MTA rolls out ‘productivity game changing’ facility
In what MTA – Mobile Travel Agents – CEO, Don Beattie describes as a “massive game changer for productivity”, MTA will shortly commence the roll out of its new in-house ‘Global Fares’ tool across its entire Member base.
Having undergone successful trials, the new technology will give Agents a search engine displaying all available flights on any given sector; the ability to book flights that originate outside of Australia; access to world-wide low cost carriers/web fares for availability, pricing and ticketing; multi – leg itinerary search capability; and access market specific published and private fares– at local point of sale.
There’s also access world-wide specialty fares – e.g. marine/off-shore, missionary; automated PNR creation from existing GDS stored profiles; local currency equivalent display with each search; and fare rules shown with a click of a mouse.
6. ANA retains 5-star rating
All Nippon Airways (ANA) was awarded with the highest overall rating of 5-stars for the fifth consecutive year by SKYTRAX, retaining its position as one of only eight other airlines in the world to earn this accolade.
The carrier received the top rating for the consistently high levels of service the airline provides to its customers, from check-in to arrival. It also recognises that ANA strives to go the extra mile to continuously enhance its service quality as a global leading airline and meet the needs of its increasingly international customer base. The carrier continues to open new international routes, positioning its wide-reaching international network as a core growth strategy.
The airline maintains its unwavering commitment to quality and Japanese hospitality with a personal touch, which helped the airline to maintain its 5-Star rating. In the past year alone, ANA has carried out a number of new initiatives to further boost its services.
7. The winner of the Leading Hotels of the World incentive is…
The Leading Hotels of the World kicked off 2017 with the chance to win ‘Remarkably Uncommon’ experiences for their travel agency customers. With eight journeys to win, Agents simply had to register their LHW bookings online for the chance to experience some of the best properties in the LHW collection.
The Agents that booked the highest value bookings were: Brent Wallace, SmartFlyer Australia – South America Suzanne Duzenman, Global International Travel – USA Sean Simmons, Sean Simmons Travel – South Africa Michelle Hansen, Aurora Travel – England and France Lionel Brown, Wentworth Travel – Asia Sarah Phillis, Platinum Escape Travel – Switzerland and Holland Candy Rosenbaum, Global International Travel – Italy Ginine Schulberg, FBI Travel – Italy.
“We are so pleased to give our agency partners the opportunity to win accommodation in some of our member hotels,” said Craig Adamson, Director, Australia and New Zealand for The Leading Hotels of the World. “We created seven+ night journeys, giving agents the opportunity to explore a destination in the same style their clients would experience them.”
8. New Head of Marketing for A&K
Luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent has appointed Anthony O’Shea as its new Head of Marketing.
After studying law, and working briefly as a journalist, copywriter and then as a legislative drafter in NSW, Anthony has worked in marketing and communications roles for more than 25 years, most recently in the Victorian ski fields, where he was the Director of Marketing & Communications for Hotham and Falls Creek ski resorts.
Prior to working in the ski industry, Anthony held senior marketing roles for global wealth management and financial services firms. Anthony is an avid reader, accomplished skier and competitive surfer, passionate about family, food, travel and adventure.
9. Hawaiian hotel launches ‘Cocktail Hotline’
You’re in pure bliss, taking-in some of that gorgeous Hawaiian sun and letting your pigments soak-in those rays while Rihanna’s catchy AF ‘Only Girl in the World’ blasts through your earphones.
The lack of responsibilities has you in a state of serenity until you reach over for another sip of Margarita only to find the cocktail glass completely drained of its heavily tequila-based liquid.
“Nooooooooooooo,” you scream internally (because hello, you might bump into these people around the hotel).
10. Rocky Mountaineer bosses stop by Sydney
Rocky Mountaineer’s bosses – President Steve Sammut and Vice President of Global Sales Karen Hardie – were in town last week to update trade on the tour company’s business.
Speaking to KarryOn, Hardie described Australia as a consistently “strong market” for the business, having experienced double digit growth over the last six years.
“Australia’s love of the outdoors and their sense of adventure makes the Rocky Mountaineer product a perfect fit,” she said.
11. Outrigger resorts global showcase entertains across Australia
Outrigger Hotels and Resorts representatives from Hawaii, Mauritius, the Maldives, Fiji and Thailand joined with their Australian counterparts for the Outrigger Resorts Global Showcase last month.
Outrigger Resorts communicated with almost 400 travel industry professionals during the week-long road show, which saw Paul Richardson flag the likely re-entry of Outrigger into Australia as part of a broad global expansion under new owners KSL Capital Partners.
He said Australia was at the top of KSL’s list of destinations in which it was seeking management contracts or asset purchases for future operating capacity. He also said that beyond Australia, KSL had plans to boost its profile to Southern Florida, Southern California, Mexico and Hawaii.
12. helloworld agents Ski California with American Airlines
American Airlines recently flews its Helloworld’s top sellers to the US for a week of snow in the Californian Sierra Nevada Mountains and Tahoe City.
The group flew on the brand new flagship 777-300 aircraft with wi-fi, 300 movies on demand and enhanced meal service before touching down in California for a few nights at Mammoth Mountain Inn where the group quickly got out and explored the awesome terrain that was on offer.
Next stop, Tahoe City, where it was time for ice skating and walking around the crystal clear Lake Tahoe. A cosy night was then spent at Granlibakken Resort, and then straight back on the slopes at Homewood, with the most amazing views of the lake. It was then it was onto Squaw Valley, home to the 1960’s Winter Olympics before heading to Reno to fly via LAX and back home.