We’ve done all the hard work, so you don’t have to! Read on for our top ten travel news stories we think you need to know today.
1. Amadeus just completely changed the way you work
Travel tech company, Amadeus has just revolutionised the way travel agents work, with the launch of a new completely web-based booking platform.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Your booking system is going completely mobile (literally, you can use it on your mobile – but more to that shortly).
The new Amadeus Selling Platform Connect is an upgrade from the existing Selling Platform Classic and is accessed via a URL weblink.
2. Get ready for more AzAmazing bookings
Surprised by the positive reception from both local and international guests, Azamara Club Cruises has announced a third season sailing from Australasian waters.
The announcement comes as the luxury cruise line prepares for Azamara Quest’s inaugural season in Australasia later this year.
The 702-passenger ship will arrive in Darwin on 28 December for a series of itineraries departing from Australia and New Zealand.
3. Aussies return home from devastated Vanuatu
Image: Humans of Vanuatu/Facebook
Australians continue to be advised to reconsider their need to travel to Vanuatu at this time as the island nation deals with the devastation left behind by Cyclone Pam.
According to the United Nations, the ‘monster’ storm, as described by the country’s president, has taken 24 lives – more are expected.
Around 30 people have been seriously injured, and 3,300 or around 70 percent of the population are now displaced and living in evacuation centres.
4. Tigerair reduces carry-on baggage allowance
Travellers flying with Tigerair will get a little less ‘bag’ for their buck, as the no-frills airline reduces carry-on baggage allowance.
Currently, travellers can carry-on a maximum of 10 kilograms. This will change from 17 April to seven kilograms per person.
The new Tigerair carry-on baggage guidelines will allow customers to carry a maximum of two bags free of charge provided they do not exceed 54cm X 38cm X 23cm or a total combined weight of seven kilograms per person.
5. New hotel set to open in Sydney
A new hotel is set to swing open at Sydney Airport later this month to fill the growing need for accommodation in the city.
Located less than one kilometre from Sydney Airport, Adina Apartment Hotel Sydney Airport will start welcoming guests late-March.
Dubbed a spacious apartment-style property, it will cater to both the growing number of business and leisure travellers to Sydney with some 123 serviced apartments across six storeys.
6. SWISS’ network grows
SWISS is growing its network with 22 new destinations from its Zurich hub.
Commencing on 29 March, many of the new routes are intended as “point-to-point” connections, while others will receive seasonal service during the summer months.
New non-stop services include to and from neighbouring countries: Leipzig and Dresden in Germany, Toulouse in France and Graz in Austria. And for Italy the seasonal service to Palermo introduced in 2014 becomes a year-round affair, while Bari, Naples and Brindisi are also added to the network.
The new points from Zurich further include a number of vacation destinations such as Thessaloniki, Izmir, Malta, Bilbao and Porto.
City-break seekers will be pleased to see the addition of Gothenburg, Helsinki, Santiago de Compostela and Riga. And Ljubljana, Krakow, Sarajevo, Sofia and Zagreb provide further new travel potential.
SWISS will also be increasing its frequencies on a number of existing routes from Zurich – to Copenhagen, Hamburg, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Stockholm and Valencia – for the coming summer months.
On its intercontinental network SWISS will be raising its frequencies between Zurich and San Francisco to 13 weekly flights – almost two a day – in the July and August peak summer season.
SWISS will also be expanding its Geneva-based network from the start of the summer schedules, with year-round service to six new destinations.
Florence receives four new weekly services, while Valencia, Sarajevo and Skopje will each have two weekly flights. Algiers and Dublin will also receive new non-stop service from Geneva.
The new routes bring the SWISS network to 106 destinations (80 in Europe and 26 farther afield) in 49 countries.
7. Adventure World’s new art experience
Travellers can take their appreciation of art to the next level on Adventure World’s new 14-day Rediscover the Renaissance in Tuscany.
The journey will be hosted by art critic and presenter, the BBC’s Andrew Graham-Dixon.
He will take travellers on a journey through the hidden gems and masterpieces of Renaissance art, as they travel through Florence, Pienza, Orvieto, Volterra, Pisa, Brunelleschi, Masaccio, Orcagna, Donatello and Ghirlandaio.
The tour will depart from Tuscany on 1 September 2015.
It is priced from $10,111 per person, twin share and includes 13 nights accommodation, meals as per itinerary, services of an English Speaking Journey Manager, expertise of Journey Expert Andrew Graham-Dixon, activities and sightseeing as per itinerary, airport transfers and transportation via private air-conditioned vehicle.
8. Oscar-winner meets Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises has teamed up with three-time Oscar winner and composer of ‘Wicked’, Stephen Schwartz for a first-of-its-kind cruise industry partnership.
The new relationship will see Schwartz oversee the creative development of four new musicals to debut across the Princess fleet.
His first musical for Princess will celebrate his lifelong fascination with magic.
Called ‘Magic to Do’, the show will combine magic with some of Schwartz’s famous songs and a brand new song written exclusively for Princess.
The show will debut on Crown Princess in the Northern Hemisphere.
Schwartz said he was exciting to work with Princess to create new and innovative theatrical entertainment.
“Their onboard theatres are Broadway-calibre venues with state-of-the-art technical capability, and coupled with their access to first-rate performers, I see it as an extraordinary and almost irresistible opportunity.”
Stephen Schwartz, composer
9. P&O guests get dolled up for Food and Wine
P&O takes guests to the Melbourne food and wine festival.
P&O Cruises celebrated its inaugural Melbourne Food and Wine Festival cruise on the weekend, with guests enjoying a full day of great food as well as the fillies at Flemington.
As part of their fare, Pacific Pearl’s 1800 guests received a ticket to the festival event at Flemington Race Course, which coincided with the colour and excitement of Super Saturday’s Group 1 horse racing in the Victorian capital.
On their sea days, guests on the four-night cruise enjoyed the choice of more than 20 onboard events including a special wine tasting and pairing session by winemaker Duane Roy from Glandore Estate Wines and live culinary demonstrations with Daniel Abou-Chedid from Fork n Knife Catering and Leanne Thomas from BENTfork.
P&O Cruises will return to Flemington in November, when its entire fleet will sail south to the Melbourne Cup for the first time.
10. Scam alert! Qantas fans targeted
A fake Qantas page has fooled some 130,000 people with a fake flight competition.
The page offered fans the chance to win free first-class tickets for the rest of the year, simply by liking and share the competition image.
In less than a day, the post had received some 130,000 likes and 153,000 shares.
However, those with an eye for scams noted the page’s dubious title ‘Qantas Airline’ and punctuation errors throughout the update.
“This is a scam and has nothing to do with Qantas.”
Qantas spokesperson