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From Donna's Desk

IATA: Send paper tickets to museum - The International Air Transport Association has heralded the end of an era by declaring that paper tickets “now belong in a museum”. From June 01st , e-tickets became mandatory for the industry, despite concerns it has come too early and will result in confusion. Industry segments have argued some carriers are unable to issue electronic tickets on certain routes while infants are not allowed to travel on e-tickets.  But IATA, which has played down the fears, insisted consumers can look forward to a “more convenient and more efficient era for air travel”. “The paper ticket has served us well but its time is over,” IATA director general and chief executive Giovanni Bisignani said. “If you have a paper ticket, it’s time to donate it to a museum. “In four years we have achieved what we thought was impossible. We made 100 per cent e-tickets a reality everywhere, from our largest hubs to small remote island airports with no electricity. It is an incredible industry achievement.”  And finally, a bit of fun…….with the rush to remove paper tickets globally, one of the New Zealand trade papers ran a competition to find the oldest paper ticket.  The winner sent in a ticket with Union Airways dated 1944!   With 350 airlines using 80 BSP clearing houses across 162 countries, IATA estimates that the move to a totally eticket world will save the lives of 50,000 trees per year……RIP paper tickets!

Breaking News

See the first showers in the Sky - unveiled this week in Hamburg, Emirates are the first commercial aircraft to have onboard showers.  Welcome to the Emirates' A380. It's been eight years in the making, but it's been more than worth the wait. Venture on board and you'll see why…click here to view video

Joyce named as Dixon successor ■ Jetstar boss takes over reigns - The Qantas group has
announced Alan Joyce will succeed Geoff Dixon as chief executive from November. Joyce, currently chief executive of Qantas low-cost subsidiary Jetstar, will take up his new role today, working "together" with Dixon until the latter retires in November. "Geoff and Alan will work together over the next four months to ensure a smooth transition," Qantas said in a statement. Dixon has made play of his plans to retire at the end of his tenure recently, with media reports suggesting he has a desire to reduce the power of staff unions as a Lasting legacy. Dixon will remain as a consultant to Qantas until the end of March next year and could continue to have a hand-on role in the rumbling dispute with engineers. Joyce has been with the Qantas group since 2000 and Qantas group chairman Leigh Clifford described him as "the best person to take Qantas forward in what is a very challenging environment."
Joyce previously held senior positions with defunct carrier Ansett Australia and Aer Lingus,
which transitioned between being Ireland's flag carrier to a no-frills airline. Joyce will become the second former Aer Lingus executive to hold top airline posts, as former Aer Lingus chief executive Willie Walsh was selected over industry stalwarts to run British Airways in 2005. BA is a Qantas partner in the Oneworld alliance and the two men will work closely together. No replacement for Joyce at Jetstar has been named.

Fuel forces further price hikes for Air NZ - The flag carrier for New Zealand may be forced to raise prices for the fifth time this year, as well as reduce capacity and cut costs, according to Air New Zealand CEO, Rob Fyfe.  The potentially drastic measures are an attempt to counter fuel prices, which doubled to NZ$2 billion in the year ending June 30.  “We'll be doing everything we can to mitigate the deterioration of financial performance on our business,” Fyfe told Radio New Zealand. “There are routes where we may look at reducing capacity if we can't cover our costs. There are no routes that we would consider exiting in total.”  The trauma in the aviation industry has spread worldwide, with the International Air Transport Association forecasting $6.1 billion in combined losses this year.

Star Alliance "near merger" cold for outsiders - Tuesday, 29 July 2008 - Carriers should be wary of the application from Continental to set up an alliance between it, Air Canada, United and Lufthansa, says analysts.  The application with the US Department of Transportation goes beyond the usual codeshare agreements, and the four carriers have incredibly complimentary networks, says the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).  CAPA goes as far as to remark, “the complementarities of route networks is almost as if the airlines had been planning this “merger” for years.”  “As the world digests the potential impact of these near-mergers, there will be many non-European airlines – and governments – awakening to the potential exclusivity of these developments.”  The industry should watch out for the creation of more of these types of alliances, now that the Air France/KLM and Delta/Northwest SkyTeam alliance was recently granted.  If the creation of this alliance from Star is given the green light, then the US logically has to grant the same rights for oneworld.  And with British Airways and American Airlines rumoured to be in similar talks, this may happen sooner rather than later.

New US visa procedures - THE US Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that from 01 Aug it will begin the implementation of its new Electronic System of Travel Authorization (ESTA) (TD 04 Jun). Under the new scheme, instead of filling out immigration forms while en route to the USA, travellers will instead provide “basic biographic, travel and eligibility information” online 72 hours prior to departure.  The new arrangements apply to travellers under the US Visa Waiver Program and don’t affect those with a valid US visa. A statement from the DHS this morning said the ESTA will enable it to approve candidates for travel before they depart Australia. Initially it will be implemented on a voluntary basis but will become mandatory on 12 Jun 2009, after which all travellers entering the US for temporary business or pleasure under the Visa Waiver Program will need to receive an electronic visa authorisation prior to boarding a US-bound plane or cruise ship. “The Electronic System for Travel Authorisation will be a more efficient method of collecting the same information VWP travellers already provide on the I-94W card,” said Thurmond Borden, Consular Coordinator of the US Mission to Australia. He said most travellers would receive a response to their online applications within several minutes, and “the system has been planned to allow for lastminute or emergency travel plans.” The website for the ESTA registrations is currently under construction and will be accessed at www.esta.cbp.dhs.gov The new US system is similar to the Australian govt’s ElectronicTravel Authority for inbound pax.

Airline News

QF changes kids policy - QANTAS has announced that it will no longer accept bookings for unaccompanied minors if the itinerary includes a connection to or from another airline in the US. The move covers all US carriers incl codeshare and oneworldpartners, with the airline saying it comes “in response to recent interline policy changes in the US by many US and other airlines.” As a result all unaccompanied moniors travelling to or from the US require a parent or guardian to be present at the QF departure and arrival points. The carrier said it would still interline unaccompanied minors on domestic and international flights to all ports outside of the US but recommended that agents review the connecting airline’s policy before any booking is made.Jetstar’s policy is unchanged, in that it will not accept unaccompanied children who aren’t in secondary school for travel on any flight.

Emirates announces third Melbourne flight - Emirates will commence a third daily service from Melbourne to Dubai from February 3, 2009.  The non-stop service will use an Airbus A340-500, offering 12 suites in first class, 42 seats in business class and 204 seats in economy class.

Pacific Blue expands across the ditch - Virgin's Pacific Blue has announced daily services from Auckland to Melbourne.

Virgin Blue flags luggage tax - Virgin Blue has hinted at introducing a charge for passengers who check-in their baggage as the carrier comes to terms with high fuel costs.  And Virgin Blue has also
foreshadowed a potential reduction in capacity to the Gold Coast as it looks to rein in costs. While no official decision has been made, Virgin Blue chief executive Brett Godfrey flagged the possibilities in an
interview with Channel Nine, claiming “a bag costs us more to put through an aeroplane than a passenger”. “There are markets such as Coolangatta that has seen a 40-odd per cent increase in capacity this year, so even though that has been a profitable route for us in the past, maybe we have too much in there,” Godfrey said. Virgin Blue is expected to officially announce cost-cutting measures this week.

Air New Zealand is the latest airline to succumb to high fuel prices, with the carrier forced to cut
capacity on the Tasman route.  The airline said it had been forced to axe services during nonpeak periods,
with flights on the Wellington-Sydney route falling from 44 per week to 36 during August. Flights from Hamilton to Sydney will fall from three per week to two between August and November, as will Sydney-
Dunedin services. Air New Zealand said both routes will return to three services per week from late November. Other changes include one less flight per week between Japan and New Zealand from September to November, with the twice-weekly Auckland-Hong Kong service to be removed during December and January. But Air New Zealand has announced it will move several of its Auckland-San Francisco services from a 777-200 to the larger 747-400 from October.

Rex board change - Regional Express has announced that current board member Stephen Jermyn will step down from his role, effective immediately.

Emirates’ A380 plan - Emirates will commence daily A380 services from August 1, with the introduction of a non-stop Dubai to New York JFK service. It will take services to three per day.

Airlines add to fees they charge fliers - Record oil prices' toll on air travel climbed Thursday as several airlines unleashed new fees, higher fuel surcharges and schedule cutbacks. •US Airways (LCC) said it will start charging $2 for a can of soft drink or juice, a bottle of water or a cup of coffee, starting Aug. 1. It's the first major U.S. airline to do that. Frequent fliers also will pay a fee to redeem miles for award tickets — $25 to $50, depending on the destination, for travel booked on or after Aug. 6th. •US Airways and United (USUA) said they will join American (AMR) in charging $15 to check a single bag.  •Most big airlines matched American Airlines' $20 increase to domestic tickets' fuel surcharge, raising the total to $150 above the base fare.

Continental to cut 43 routes from U.S. hubs - As part of last week's announced plan to cut capacity in the fourth quarter, Continental Airlines will eliminate a total of 43 routes from its three U.S. hubs, starting Sept. 3. 

United matches American's $15 charge for first checked bag - United will charge customers $15 each way to check their first bag, making United the first carrier to match a policy launched by American Airlines. 

US Airways to cut capacity, staffing levels - US Airways said Thursday that it plans to reduce its fourth-quarter domestic capacity by 6% to 8% and will cut its staff by about 1,700 employees as a result.

Frequent Flyer Update

Qantas frequent flyers to cash in - Qantas revamps frequent flyer program - Loyalty points can be used like cash - Frequent flyers able to book any seat - QANTAS frequent flyers will be able to use their points in the same way as cash to get any seat on any flight from July 1 as part of a revamp of the airline's loyalty program.  The airline will also make it easier for its five million frequent flyers to earn points from an expanding range of frequent flyer partners and to burn them on new items such as merchandise and retail vouchers.  The most drastic change will be the addition of a second tier to the loyalty program, to be known as Anyseat, which opens up all seats on Qantas and Jetstar flights. The new tier aims to remove a bottleneck preventing many frequent flyers booking tickets when they want to fly. But they will pay more for the option and they will not know how much more until they try to book.  Redemptions under the new system will start at about the same points level they are now and rise according to the availability of seats, demand and the time they are flying.   This means travellers will burn more points if they book closer to a flight and fewer if they buy their tickets ahead of time or during quiet periods.  A website similar to the Qantas booking engine used by people buying tickets will display how many points a particular seat will cost and give other options on and around that date.  Those wanting to remain with the existing system will do so on a separate "Classic" website.  Qantas Loyalty executive general manager Simon Hickey said yesterday: "Everything that's there today - all of the value that's there today, all of those seats, all of that capacity, everything that's in that program today - none of that changes. "What we're doing is adding a lot more choice. So if you want to fly at 7am, Monday morning, Melbourne to Sydney, you can get it now." The revamp comes as Qantas separates its frequent flyer operations into a new segment before a partial float expected this year. The airline is believed to be considering an initial public offering this year that would put 40per cent of the program on the market. Other changes will include the ability to pay for taxes and charges using frequent flyer points as well as more easily use a mix of cash and points to pay for flights.  The airline estimates a return flight from Sydney to London costing 128,000 points in the Classic system will cost about 200,000 points when roughly $700 in taxes and charges are factored in.  The airline plans to make it easier for members to earn points by expanding the number of businesses it counts as frequent flyer partners.  It will introduce new ways of redeeming them for rewards such as holiday packages and retail vouchers for businesses such as supermarkets and department stores. Mr Hickey was optimistic frequent flyers would welcome the changes but admitted that frequent flyer points were an emotive issue.   "I'm adding choice. I'm adding utility value and the ability to use your points in a much greater way," he said.

Update on Qantas Frequent Flyer Benefits:

Money Talks

THE Australian dollar slipped back yesterday to a two week low, over concerns about possible contagion from the US mortgage crisis hitting Australian banks.  Analysts now suggest the dollar is likely to slip further, with the local sharemarket continuing to flounder and better than expected US economic data. However the changes are only likely to be small, with the dollar still very high against most other currencies. The US$ is also benefiting from recent falls in the oil price.

Australian Dollar Exchange Rates
Release date: 2008-07-25

Travel Tips

BEST SEATS : 2008 SURVEY RESULTS   
Virtual links on the airline name

Health & DFAT Warnings

The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 8-24, 2008 click here

U.S. Increases Fingerprints IDs at Airports - International visitors flying into New York now face being identified by all ten fingerprints, part of a heightened security system aimed at identifying potential terror suspects and visa fraud, officials said.

Hotels Update

Green Globe for Sydney hotel  - FOUR Points by Sheraton Darling Harbour has achieved Benchmarked Bronze status under the internationally recognised Green Globe environmental benchmarking program. The award recognises the hotel for its commitment to benchmarking its energy and water consumption, total waste production and community commitment, as well as its implementation of an integrated environmental and social policy.

Ten top new hotels -  The "It" list is compiled by editors at Travel + Leisure and is not endorsed by Reuters. The full list can be viewed here.

1. Banyan Tree Maldives Madivaru (beach hotel) Banyan Tree, accessible by seaplane, is built in safari style: elaborate tents, a jungle setting, and its own aquarium lapping from the shore. The price is steep, but this is a camping trip without comparison with staff to indulge your every whim.
2. J.K. Place Capri, Italy (beach hotel) Surely one of Europe's most stylish recent openings, this nautical design hotel feels like staying at a chic friend's house. Drink Bellinis on the terrace while watching the beach below.
3. Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya, Mexico (beach hotel) One of the most anticipated hotel openings this year, the winning Mandarin formula of exemplary service, forward-reaching design, a first-rate spa-has taken root in a pristine Mexican coastal environment. Acres of mangrove forest surround 128 boxy white villas with sculptures by prominent Mexican artists, creating the most sophisticated resort on Mexico's eastern coast.
4. Six Senses Hideaway, Yao Noi, Thailand (beach hotel) All the beauty of a remote destination without the hassle of being entirely off the grid. On the island of Yao Noi, 45 minutes by boat from Phuket, guests are surrounded by lush jungle, tiny fishing villages, and untouched beaches. The resort has 56 villas and private plunge pools in a pristine environment.
5. Qualia, Hamilton Island, Australia (beach hotel) Billing itself as Australia's first seven-star hotel, Qualia has the requisite luxury trappings -- personal infinity pools, a 1,000-bottle wine cellar -- but the real stars here are architect Chris Beckingham and chef Stephane Rio, who have modernized the notion of an Australian reef resort. Airy one-bedroom pavilions combine native styles and materials with Rio using indigenous ingredients in unexpected ways.
6. Haymarket Hotel, London (city hotel) Kit Kemp has released an arsenal of bold colors and supergraphic effects on the former American Express London headquarters in the heart of the theater district. Kemp and her husband/business partner Tim Kemp have struck a balance between a classic English manor and a buzzy film- and-art world haunt.
7. Regent Bal Harbour, Florida (city hotel) Regent's first property in the United States has got the beautiful beachfront, the country's first Guerlain Spa, a $4 million art collection, but no Euro-lounge sound track pumping into the lobby. It's all about the signifiers of luxury: Anichini bedding, plasma television screens embedded in bathroom mirrors, and a dazzling crystal chandelier.
8. Hotel Fasano, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (city hotel) In his second property, restaurateur Rogerio Fasano has designed spare, breezy rooms environments with leather-upholstered Mies daybeds, Amazonian wood side tables.

9. JIA Shanghai, China (city hotel) Ensconced in a 1920's building on fashionable West Nanjing Road, the 55-room hotel adds a needed dose of boutique intimacy to the city's booming hotel scene. Its Asian-contemporary hideaway of dark wood floors, embroidered fabrics, and elegant birdcages sit alongside Knoll and Moroso furniture and free Wi-Fi.
10. Onguma Plains, The Fort on Fisher's Pan, Etosha, Namibia (rustic hotel) Northern Namibia is Africa's Next Great Safari Frontier, partly due its wildlife, but also because of its wealth of high-quality luxury lodges, like this camp on a private 50,000-acre game reserve, five minutes from Etosha National Park. Carved antique doors, billowy curtains, and reflecting pools, it's as if a casbah were relocated to the continent's south. Two of each guest room's walls are made of canvas and can be opened to reveal the plains like an Impressionist painting.

Rumours & Gossip

AC/CO partnership? AIR Canada & Continental Airlines are reportedly considering a code-share agreement, thereby boosting AC’s destination options and frequent flyer benefits.

Mt Hutt buried under snow -  The snow has piled up at Mt Hutt, with over 90cm blanketing the mountain and resort in just two days recently, temporarily blocking the access road and reaching up to the height of the Day Lodge roof.  This latest snow dump gave a weekend of two magic “power days” that the skiers and boarders relished in. Value currently has a 6-night package to Mt Hutt available from $1,154 per person twin share, incl return airfares to Christchurch from Syd, six days car hire, 5 nights at Forest Lodge Methven plus 1 bonus free night, and a five day Mt Hutt liftpass. For more info and bookings Contact Eva or Krystle at DBT

Conference & Venue News

Resorts World at Sentosa, Singapore – OPENS 2010! - Come early 2010, Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) will be having our very own Universal Studio and the world largest oceanarium, Marine Life Park in Singapore. Slated to be a leading global destination, the S$6 billion integrated resort will offer an unparalleled experience for all business & leisure visitors, offering world class attractions, spa, live entertainment, meeting and incentive venues, 6 hotels with 1800 rooms, and celebrity chef restaurants and shopping.   Located 20 minutes drive away from Changi International Airport, this mega resort can host more than 12,000 delegates in 3 formal meeting locations at any one time. On its premises are supporting amenities such as comfortable business and media centre’s, as well as a VIP lounge.   More than 20 indoor & outdoor incentive venues are available for launching your latest products, or simply hosting the town’s hottest party. Whether your group is 10,000 or 10, RWS’s premises can be configured & customized to suit any event.

Call our DBT Conference & Incentive Specialists Samantha Devlin or Anette Kirk-Goodare at DBT on 02 98885555 to enquire about Conference or Incentive deals.

Cruisenews - deals

For a full list of amazing cruise offers currently available, please click HERE or visit our site att www.cruisescene.com.au Our DBT Leisure & Cruise Specialists Krystle Trueman or Eva Budzynska eagerly await your enqiries. Phone 1800 678555 or 02 98885555

Need a Holiday ?

World's Top 10 Ethical Destinations Announced - The world’s most ethical destinations for 2008 have been announced in the biannual report named ‘The World's Best Ethical Travel Destinations’. “Each year, the public’s interest in responsible tourism grows” said Jeff Greenwald, Executive Director of Ethical Traveller and co-author of the report.   “This report helps travellers who choose to use their tourism dollars to support human rights and the environment”

The most ethical destinations in alphabetical order for 2008 are

1. Argentina
2. Bolivia
3. Bulgaria
4. Chile
5. Croatia
6. Costa Rica
7. Estonia
8. Namibia
9. Nicaragua
10. South Africa

RED HOT DEALS

Take a look at our destination holiday news and specials - here Updated every Wednesday!

Thought for the day:

"Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success." - Pablo Picasso

Thought for Everyday:

"There has never been a sports team that has successfully operated without a coach, no matter how brilliant the players."  - David Bentley, Naked Leadership