We’ve done all the hard work, so you don’t have to! Read on for the top ten travel industry news stories of the day we think you need to know.
1. How Aussies spend their time in Ireland
Image: Dennis van de Water/Shutterstock
Breathtaking sites, fun, ancient culture and don’t forget its connection to hit shows like Vikings and Game of Thrones.
It may not be number one on every Australian’s bucket list just yet, but it is definitely climbing the ranks.
According to the country’s Australian representatives, there’s a ‘strong connection’ between Australia and Ireland – a connection that saw Aussie and New Zealand arrivals grow from 156,000 in 2012 to 188,000 last year.
2. Sisters are doin’ it for Flight Centre
You can’t hold these ladies down! Flight Centre has restructured its wholesale division (including management) and placed a quarter of female talent at the top.
Allisa O’Connell – who formerly headed up Infinity Holidays – will now oversee all the Australian wholesale businesses including Infinity Holidays, Infinity Cruise, Infinity Rail and Quickbeds.
Allisa has been working with Flight Centre since 1988 and has progressed from front line to Ticket Centre Business to EGM of Australia to Infinity Nation Leader.
3. Adelaide gets ibis Styles rooms
Accor has officially opened the doors to Adelaide’s first ibis Styles property, located inside Mercure Grosvenor Hotel Adelaide on North Terrace.
The company has re-branded 64 of the hotel’s rooms on the southern end of the Mercure Grosvenor Hotel Adelaide building into to the ibis Styles brand. Accommodation choices include ‘classic queen’ and ‘classic twin beds’ options.
Guests of ibis Styles will also have access to all of Mercure Grosvenor Hotel Adelaide’s facilities including The Federal Restaurant & Bar, 24-hour room service and 24-hour reception.
The hotel is just steps away from the Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide Oval and Adelaide Casino, offering guests easy access to the city’s dining streets, shopping and entertainment options.
Room rates at ibis Styles Adelaide Grosvenor start from $89 per night room only for both ‘classic’ and ‘twin rooms’ until 8 February, 2015.
4. Guess who is heading to Cruise3sixty
Cruising leaders from around the globe will migrate down to Australia in February for the second Cruise3sixty Australasia.
Revealing the keynote speakers list this week, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) global president, Christine Duffy will open the event before handing the mic over to industry shakers.
Among them is Norwegian Cruise Line’s executive vice president international sales, Andy Stuart. He will be joined by Royal Caribbean Regional vice president Gavin Smith; Carnival Australia chief executive Ann Sherry; and Silversea Cruises Asia Pacific and Europe president Steve Odell.
Other confirmed speakers include Google Australia’s head of travel Ross McDonald; Aqua Expeditions chief executive Francesco Galli Zugaro; Star Cruises vice president sales Braydon Holland; senior vice president international sales Windstar Cruises’ Dan Chapelle’ and Holland America’s vice president international sales Mark Kammerer.
5. The ‘nutty’ case continues!
It looks like Korean Air could be paying – actually paying – for the nut incident earlier this month that saw the chairman’s daughter delay a plane over the way a flight attendant served her macadamia nuts.
If you’ve been hiding in a closet, click here and scroll down to #9 to find out what happened.
Korean officials have investigated the situation and confirmed Heather Cho (also an executive at the airline) engaged in abusive behaviour toward flight crew.
A ministry official said they are now investigating whether the incident has broken aviation law. If this is the case, Korean Air could be fined $2 million and face flight suspension, ABC News reported.
Ouch.
6. Brochures of the week
New tours, new destinations and early bird savings. The internet may have changed the way travellers do their research, but brochures are still one of the best and popular ways to obtain travel information.
7. Airport bomb threat + turbulence injuries
The skies were a little rocky this week, with both an airport bomb scare causing delays in Switzerland and turbulence injuring passengers flying American Airlines.
According to reports, Zurich Airport was partially shut down late Monday and around a dozen flights delayed over a bomb threat.
Police arrived at the scene to give the all-clear before services were able to resume. No flights were cancelled.
Meanwhile, American Airlines was forced to make an emergency landing in Tokyo after around 15 passengers were injured during turbulence.
Flight AA280 was flying from Seoul to Dallas when turbulence hit. Passengers are said to have experienced only minor injuries
8. WIN a gourmet hamper
Only two days left to enter Peregrine Reserve’s competition to win a gourmet, hand delivered Reserve food hamper.
Over the last couple of weeks, agents have been encouraged to complete a short questionnaire about Reserve, with all completed entries going in a weekly draw to win a food hamper, which includes gourmet cheeses, dips, meats and other deli products, as well as a bottle of Veuve and wines.
The questionnaire can be completed online here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ReserveQuestionnaire
9. Agents hop on and off in Barcelona
A group of 10 Queensland-based travel agents were taken on an enviable educational to Barcelona courtesy of Infinity Holidays.
Consultants soaked up the sights, sounds and tastes of the iconic city for seven nights in September this year.
As part of the itinerary, the group took a tour of the city via a Hop on Hop Off bus. There was three nights at the 4-star Hotel Melia Sky – one of Barcelona’s tallest buildings; and a Tapas tour – three hours of power eating and visits to off the beaten track, local neighbourhoods.
10. Escape to Norwegian’s massive aqua park
Norwegian Cruise Line is splashing its newest ship with incredible new features including the largest aqua park at sea featuring four water slides!
Scheduled to launch in October next year, 4,200-passenger Norwegian Escape will also have the largest ropes course at sea; a full sized basketball court; a bocce ball court; and a miniature golf course.
If the ship is starting to sound a lot like Royal Caribbean and Carnival’s ships then you’d better think again.
Carnival may have the largest water slide at sea – the Green Thunder – but Norwegian’s passengers will have four water slides to choose from including the Aqua Racer a tandem slide – competitors can race side-by-side on tubes; and Free Fall – a side-by-side set of slides where passengers free fall into a loop as the floor drops from underneath them.
Need to Know Extra: Totally random
There’s no doubt people in the travel industry have some of the funniest and wackiest stories to tell, we’ve decided to share one of these hilarious stories with you in a new section called ‘Totally random’.
Oh and you ‘totally’ have to let us know if you see or hear anything unbelievably random in travel.
Today’ story:
‘I need fresh air, let me just open this emergency exit door.’
That was the thought pattern of a Chinese traveller who recently caused a safety scare on a Xiamen Air flight when he yanked open the emergency door just before the plane was due to take off.
According to reports, that man wanted to ‘get some fresh air’ before the plane headed from Hangzhou to Chengdu.
Of course, the airline’s maintenance team jumped in hastily to fix the door before it took off, but not before other passengers onboard managed to snap a few shots of the middle-aged man poking his head out of the open door.
Ummmm what the!