SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines Commences Flights To Seattle

Singapore Airlines is going ahead with non-stop services to the US with the departure of flight SQ28 to Seattle this morning.

The flight departed Changi International Airport earlier and is scheduled to arrive at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport today, at 09:05 local time.

Customers departing from Singapore received an exclusive goodie bag containing items such as a commemorative certificate, SIA batik pen and passport cover as well as a mini notepad featuring the Seattle skyline.

Upon arrival in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the aircraft will be receiving a water cannon salute.

Seattle is the fourth US destination after Los Angeles, New York (Newark) and San Francisco to be served non-stop from Singapore.

The Seattle flights will initially be operated three times weekly before increasing to four times weekly in October, bringing the total number of weekly non-stop Singapore-US services to 31.

When combined with SIA’s existing one-stop services to Houston, Los Angeles, New York (JFK) and San Francisco, total US service frequency will increase to 57 per week.

The new Seattle services will further strengthen the Singapore hub by providing customers faster and more convenient connectivity from key markets such as south-east Asia, south Asia and Australasia to North America.


Tourism Observer

USA: Meet Kimberly Anyadike The Youngest African American Pilot

Kimberly Anyadike, who was born in 1994, is a pilot from Compton, California. In 2009, Kimberly Anyadike, an African American teenager of Nigerian descent made history and became the first African American female and the youngest African American to fly an aeroplane across the United States.

Kimberly achieved this great heights and set the record after just two years of pilot training through a special after-school programme she enrolled in .

The programme was ran by the Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum in Compton where she lives with her family.

While on the 13-day flight, Kimberly successfully flew from Compton to Virginia and back. In an interview with CNN, she described the experience as a dream come true and an amazing experience with only a light storm and bad weather as her challenge.

Kimberly fell in love with planes and flying at the age of 12 while learning about the African American pilots who flew in the World War.

The lessons in history school inspired the teenager who had dreams of becoming a cardiovascular surgeon to achieve more and also become a certified pilot breaking records in America and for the black community at large.

Anyadike was accompanied by an adult safety pilot, and by a retired Air Force pilot who had served with the WWII Tuskegee Airmen.

Her plane was autographed by about 50 Tuskegee airmen as she stopped at different cities across the US, and she completed the round-trip journey in a single-engine Cessna 172 in 13 days.

Kimberly enjoyed a lot of fame and recognition for her achievements, thereby, encouraging young girls and black people, in general, to follow their dreams and never stop believing in them.

During her flight, she made stops to speak with several young people and meet many of the Tuskegee Airmen who signed her plane.

In 2015, Anyadike received the first Young Aviator’s Award from the Tuskegee Airmen in recognition of her achievements.

In 2016, she graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with an undergraduate degree.

Born in 1994, Anyadike grew up in Compton, California. She has an older brother and sister. Her parents are originally from Nigeria, and their surname Anyadike means “eye of the warrior” in the Igbo language.

Anyadike took dance lessons at the Lula Washington Dance Academy, served as a junior lifeguard at Venice Beach for five years, and volunteered as a youth leader at her local church.

At a young age, she showed a strong interest in medical science and anatomy; her mother taught her to identify and name all 206 bones in the body.

Anyadike later attended science classes at the Charles Drew University Saturday Science Academy, an L.A.-based STEM subjects program for youth ranging in age from preschool to grade 12.

Anyadike took her first flying lessons at the age of 12, attending an after-school aviation program offered by Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum for disadvantaged youths.

She was inspired to take lessons after reading about Jonathan Strickland, an earlier participant of the program who became the youngest person to fly a fixed-wing aircraft and a helicopter solo in a single day.


Anyadike paid for her flight lessons with “museum dollars” earned by washing airplanes and working odd jobs around the Compton Airport. As part of the program’s requirements, she maintained a strong academic record throughout the period.

Despite having a fear of heights, Anyadike said that being in the cockpit of a plane is an amazing experience.

As Anyadike gradually built up 100 hours of flight time, she conceived the idea of flying across the country. She wanted to inspire other youths, while also honouring the Tuskegee Airmen, an African-American air combat unit that served during World War II.

Departing on June 29, 2009, 15-year-old Anyadike flew a single-engine Cessna 172 from Compton, California to Newport News, Virginia and back, completing the journey in 13 days.

She was accompanied by adult safety pilot Ronnell Norman, and Major Levi H. Thornhill, an 87-year-old retired U.S. Air Force pilot who had served as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Anyadike made at least a dozen scheduled stops along the way, and navigated through thunderstorms as she flew across Texas.

In Washington, D.C., Congresswoman Laura Richardson came to congratulate the young pilot, and in Tuskegee, Alabama, Mayor Omar Neal proclaimed July 2 to be “Kimberly Anyadike Day”.

During stops in different cities, Anyadike’s plane was autographed by about 50 different Tuskegee Airmen. Major Thornhill acted as Anyadike’s representative to make the necessary introductions with regional chapters of the airmen.

Although the record had never been officially tracked before her journey, Anyadike is considered the youngest black American woman and possibly the youngest person of any race or gender to have successfully piloted a plane coast-to-coast across the United States.

Upon her arriving home on July 11, 2009, Anyadike received an award from the County of Los Angeles, and was personally invited by governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to visit the California State Capitol.

In May 2015, Anyadike received the Tuskegee Airmen’s inaugural Young Aviator’s Award in Tuskegee, Alabama, in recognition of her achievements as a pilot.

In 2017, Anyadike was interviewed about her transcontinental flight for a special Disney Channel segment for Black History Month entitled ‘True Heroes Are Timeless’.

Earlier in 2018, Pilot Kimberly Anyadike was invited to speak at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day event at West Covina Civic Center where she spoke as a 23-year-old full of hope and determination encouraging the youth to be inspired by their history and not let race limit them to achieve their dreams.

For her college education, Anyadike enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), majoring in physiological science with minors in African-American studies and Spanish.

During her senior year, she was also working as a registered emergency medical technician, and was volunteering for her local chapter of the Flying Samaritans to bring medical care to Tijuana, Mexico.

She graduated with her undergraduate degree from UCLA in June 2016. When asked about future aspirations, Anyadike has said that she plans to enroll in medical school and become a cardiovascular surgeon.

Anyadike’s elder sister, Kelly, also took aviation lessons at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum. In 2008, on her sixteenth birthday, Kelly became the youngest African-American woman to pilot four different fixed-wing aircraft in a single day.

In interviews, Anyadike has said that a friendly rivalry with Kelly helped inspire her to complete her own piloting achievements.


Tourism Observer

SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Town Is Most Biologically Diverse City On Earth

Cape Town was recently named the most biologically diverse city on Earth, but its natural beauty is under threat according to a new study.

Cape Town was named the most biologically diverse city on Earth in the first ever City Nature Challenge.

The challenge, which began in the US in 2016, is an international effort to get citizens to record plant and animal species, and to see which city can make the most observations and record the most creatures.

It started out as a battle between San Francisco and Los Angeles, but went global in 2018.

In 2019, Cape Town won by a long margin. We did not just win the challenge, Tony Rebelo, a senior scientist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) said. We totally outperformed all other cities when it came to species.

The city boasts 53 763 observations by 1 141 people and recorded 4 588 different species. Its closest competition, La Paz in Bolivia, saw 46 931 observations and 3 006 species recorded – even though it had more people (1 500) trying to observe species.

San Diego County in the US came third, with 38 241 observations of 3 019 species.

The Cape is home to the smallest of the planet’s six floral kingdoms. The Cape Floral Kingdom has a high number of unique species that are found nowhere else on the planet.

In the meantime, the Cape’s natural treasure seems to be under threat according to a new study published in the scientific journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.

According to the study the Cape has experienced the second highest plant species extinction rate since 1900 at 37, after Hawaii which has lost 79 species.

Rebelo estimates that 13 plant species are already extinct in the city, and this is having a knock-on effect on insects, amphibians and other animals. “Cape Town has a huge responsibility for conservation of our biodiversity.”


Tourism Observer

USA: Air Canada Flight From Toronto To LAX Diverted To Salt Lake City After Passenger Was Found Dead

A plane flying to Los Angeles had to be diverted after a passenger was taken ill onboard and later died.

The Air Canada service from Toronto, Canada, to LAX was diverted to Salt Lake City after a passenger reportedly suffered a medical emergency.

He could not be revived and sadly died.

The Air Canada service from Toronto, Canada, to LAX was diverted to Salt Lake City after a passenger reportedly suffered a medical emergency.

He could not be revived and sadly died.

Speaking to US media, Air Canada confirmed flight AC795 left Toronto International bound for Los Angeles when it was diverted to Salt Lake City in Utah.

The plane left Toronto at 4.35pm local time on Monday afternoon (9.35pm BST).

It was expected to land at LAX at 6.53pm Pacific Summer Time (2.53am Tuesday BST).

The plane was expected to touch down at LAX in Los Angeles last night

But instead, it was diverted to Salt Lake City.

It finally landed at LAX at 9.24pm local time (5.24am BST).

According to Air Canada, the aircraft was met by medical services after landing.

The airline didn't give an update on the passenger's status.


Tourism Observer

FINLAND: Finnair Starts New Flights To Los Angeles

Continuing with its growth strategy, Finnair has announced it will begin flying to Los Angeles, California, as of next spring.

Finnair will fly three weekly frequencies to LAX airport as of March 31, 2019. In addition, the new route to Los Angeles will be Finnair’s first US route to be regularly operated with the new Airbus A350 aircraft.

Finnair is also making some additions to its summer program for the San Francisco and Chicago route.

Both routes will begin in April, and a fourth frequency will be added for San Francisco as of May.

With these changes, Finnair will now offer a daily flight to California during the summer season with the new three-weekly flight to Los Angeles and the new fourth weekly service to San Francisco.

Los Angeles is best known for its beautiful weather, famous beaches, and as the home of the US television and film industry, including the world-renowned Hollywood neighborhood.

It is also one of the largest business travel and cargo hubs in the United States.

Thanks to Helsinki’s geographical location, Finnair’s new northern route to Los Angeles will offer competitive and convenient travel times for customers from Scandinavia, the Baltics, Russia, Northern Germany as well as domestic routes in Finland.

We are very happy to expand our North American network and fly a new route to Los Angeles with our Airbus A350, says Juha Järvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Finnair.

We opened our route to San Francisco two years ago with tremendous success, proving that California and the West Coast are very popular with our customers.

We are confident that this new route to Los Angeles will garner the same level of interest moving forward.

Los Angeles will be Finnair’s fifth US destination, along with New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami. The approximate flight times are expected to be 11 hours to LAX and 10 hours and 30 minutes to Helsinki.

The new route will be operated within the Atlantic joint business between Finnair, American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia.

Currently, the four airlines operate over 100 daily return flights between Europe and North America.


Tourism Observer

CANADA: WestJet To Cease Flights To Mexico City In October 2018

WestJet will exit Mexico City in October, becoming the latest among several North American airlines to retrench from Mexico's capital city.

This only seven months after WestJet entered the Mexico City market with routes from Calgary and Vancouver.

It's just not performing up to the standards that we would like to see, WestJet chief financial officer Harry Taylor says of Mexico City. We don't want to be cost subsidizing at this point.

Taylor adds that despite retrenching, WestJet still sees long term opportunity to serve Mexico City and could return.

Long term there's something there.

WestJet will operate its last Vancouver-Mexico City flight on 3 October, followed by its final Calgary-Mexico City flight on 27 October.

The carrier launched both routes in March and does not serve Mexico City from any other destination, data shows.

WestJet's move mirrors cuts by other airlines.

Alaska Airlines will stop serving Mexico City on 7 November when it operates it last flight from Los Angeles.

Alaska called that route underperforming and said that the change frees aircraft to launch new routes, such as Seattle to Columbus, Ohio, which the airline plans to start in March 2019.

Alaska also had served Mexico City from San Francisco, but ended that route in May.

Likewise, United Airlines will also cut its Los Angeles-Mexico City flight in October, schedules data shows.

Capacity in available seats from North America to Mexico City jumped 9% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2018, primarily reflecting expansion by low-cost carriers Aeromar, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, VivaAerobus and Volaris, schedules data shows.

WestJet's move comes as the airline seeks to tighten its operation and bolster its finances.

The carrier has seen costs swell in recent quarters, and posted a second quarter operating loss.

The financial challenges hit amid a broad, companywide transformation under which WestJet is moving upscale, acquiring Boeing 787s, installing business class seats on 737s and adding flights at its hubs.


Tourism Observer

USA: United Goes Nonstop To Tahiti

United announced that it will fly between San Francisco International Airport and Papeete, the capital of Tahiti, in 2018.

United will operate nonstop service, three times weekly with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft between SFO and Fa’a’ā International Airport (PPT), beginning Oct. 30, 2018, through March 28, 2019, subject to government approval.

United’s announcement comes on the heels of French Blue, a new Paris based airline, announcing its intentions to fly between San Francisco and Tahiti starting in May 2018.

However, our contacts at SFO say that they have not heard officially from the airline yet.

Currently, the only non-stop service to Tahiti from the U.S. mainland is out of Los Angeles on Air Tahiti Nui and Air France with economy fares in the $1,300 roundtrip range. Hawaiian Airlines also flies once a week between Honolulu and Papeete.

Until now, one stop fares from SFO via LAX have been in the $1,500.

A quick search on United’s site today showed SFO-PPT fares of $1,467 roundtrip in the first week of Oct 2018.

Searching for mileage redemptions, the cheapest we could find for October flights was 160,000 round trip.

Before this announcement, United Mileage Plus members did not have an easy way to fly to Tahiti using their miles.

Here’s the San Francisco – Papeete schedule, which still requires government approval.

Flight time between SFO and PPT is about nine hours. It is about 4,200 miles from SFO to PPT each way.

Tahiti is part of French Polynesia, which is located on the eastern side of the International Date Line, so flights arrive on the same day they depart, not two days later as they do when flying to Asia.

United says Tahiti is the “South Pacific’s gateway to more than 118 islands in French Polynesia including Bora Bora, Moorea, the Marquesas and Raiatea.


Tourism Observer

USA: Teen Passenger Helps Blind And Deaf Lone Passenger On Alaska Airlines Flight

Passengers and crew members on an Alaska Airlines flight last week stepped up to help a blind and deaf man who was traveling alone.

One passenger, in particular, a 15-year-old girl named Clara Daly, stepped up huge to assist her fellow traveler.

Daly was supposed to fly from Boston to Los Angeles with her mother when their flight was canceled and they were rebooked on a journey to Portland.

As the Daly family boarded the connecting flight, they noticed a man, identified as Tim Cook, saying goodbye to his sister using sign language in his hands so he could feel her words.

That’s when the passengers realized Cook was blind and deaf.

Alaska flight attendants called over the public-address system for anyone who knew American Sign Language (ASL) so they could properly communicate with the man.

Daly, who had been studying ASL for the last year, rang the attendants and said she would help.

Cook met Daly and attendants noted how excited he got when he realized someone would talk to him during the flight.

Daly spoke to him twice in order to help him with common tasks and spent the last 30 minutes of the journey simply chatting with the man in order to make him feel comfortable.

Another Alaska passenger named Lynette Scribner shared the story on Facebook, and the post has gone viral.

Daly’s mother told Scribner she believed their original flight was canceled so her daughter would be able to help Cook during the trip to Portland.

When a service provider from Brookdale Senior Living picked up Cook from the airport to take him home, he told them his experience on the Alaska flight was the best trip he’s ever taken.


Tourism Observer

USA: United Airlines Drops Some Mexico Flights Because Of Declining Demand

United Airlines will cut service to a few destinations in Mexico this year due to a decline in demand, but will beef up a few flights too.

The airline announced yesterday it will eliminate its Mexico City-Los Angeles service on October 4.

It will also cut flights this summer to the Pacific coast resort towns of Huatulco, Oaxaca, and Mazatlán, Sinaloa, and to Villahermosa, Tabasco.

In addition, a Saturday flight between Mexico City and Denver will end June 23, and service between Mexico City and Houston will be cut by one frequency.

The airline will drop two daily flights between León, Guanajuato, and Los Angeles in October.

However, United will increase flights on two other routes and add one new one.

Starting October 4, it will fly three times daily between Newark, New Jersey, and Mexico City, up from twice a day, and open a route connecting Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport with Leon.

The airline will increase service to four times a day between Queretaro and Houston, and on December 19 will begin flying a larger, 76-seat aircraft between the Texas city and San Luis Potosi.

While our Mexico network remains strong, customer demand on certain routes has declined and service to some markets is unsustainable, United said.

We continue to closely monitor demand for travel in the region and look for new flying opportunities for our customers.

The airline said it has doubled its passenger capacity between the two nations over the last decade, and remains committed to Mexico.


Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Airberlin Stops All Caribbean Long-Haul Flights

airberlin, which filed for bankruptcy last month, is to close all of its long-haul routes to the Caribbean from Sept. 25 because of cuts to its long-haul fleet.

On Sept. 11, the oneworld member said its entire Caribbean network will be closed, including flights from Dusseldorf to Curacao (Dutch Antilles), Cancun (Mexico), Havanna and Varadero (Cuba), as well as Punta Cana and Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic).

Airberlin has already announced plans to close all of its long-haul routes from Berlin Tegel – including Berlin-Abu Dhabi – as well as cuts to its Dusseldorf network.

Berlin-Los Angeles and Berlin-San Francisco will now stop four weeks earlier than originally planned, from Oct. 1. Dusseldorf-Boston Logan will also close earlier than expected, on Oct. 1.

Airberlin, which is Germany’s second largest carrier, filed for insolvency Aug. 15 after 29.2% shareholder Etihad Airways withdrew financial support.




Tourism Observer

USA: A Blanket Dispute Causes Flight From Las Vegas To Honolulu To Be Diverted

A flight from Las Vegas to Honolulu was diverted to Los Angeles on Wednesday after a passenger refused to pay $12 for a blanket and was accused of being unruly, police said.

The incident unfolded after the Hawaiian Airlines flight took off from Las Vegas and the passenger a 66 year old man requested a blanket as he was cold, Officer Rob Pedregon, a spokesman for the Los Angeles airport police said.

When told he would have to fork out $12 for the blanket, the unidentified man got upset and demanded to speak to a corporate representative from the airline, Pedregon said.

”During the in-flight call he allegedly said‘I would like to take someone behind the woodshed for this’ and the pilot deemed that to be threatening behavior and ordered that the plane be diverted to Los Angeles,” he said.

Police and FBI agents met with the passenger and crew when the plane landed in Los Angeles and determined after questioning both sides that no crime had been committed, Pedregon said.

The man voluntarily abandoned his flight and caught another one, he said.

Pedregon said the incident may not be the oddest he has handled “but it ranks right up there.”

”You know, if I was a passenger on board that plane I would have paid the $12 dollars for him,” he chuckled.

NAMIBIA: Air Namibia, Ethiopian Sign Code Share Agreement

Africa’s largest airline, Ethiopian Airlines, last week concluded a codeshare agreement with Air Namibia. The codeshare agreement covers Ethiopian thrice weekly services to Windhoek and the services of both airlines beyond their respective hubs. The agreement will allow both airlines to expand their global network through the services of each airline and also facilitate the provision of competitive and convenient travel choices to their respective customers.

Mr. Girma Shiferaw, Acting Vice President, Strategic Planning and Alliances said, 'We are glad to partner with Air Namibia. It is my sincere belief that such strategic collaboration among African airlines is one of the necessities to see African aviation thrive and grow faster in line with the economic development of the continent.

Now, customers of Air Namibia will enjoy seamless connection on Ethiopian ever expanding global network across five continents with a minimum layover in Addis Ababa; conversely, our passengers will be able to access destinations beyond Windhoek on Air Namibia flights'.

In response did Air Namibia's Acting Managing Director, Advocate Ellaine Priscilla Samson say: 'We are very pleased with the signing of the codeshare agreement with Ethiopia Airlines, an airline which achieved amazing accomplishments in the global arena. This will be an opportunity for the liberalization of intra-Africa air transport in furtherance of the Yamoussoukro Decision as two African carriers.

In addition, this will assist Air Namibia to expand its network via the global reach and stature of Ethiopia Airlines. Hence the teaming of our two airlines is the consummate endeavor of our continent moving towards a fuller liberalization in the aviation sector'.

The codeshare agreement will allow Ethiopian and Air Namibia to place their codes on each other’s flights beyond their respective hubs.Ethiopian will place its code on SW flights from Windhoek to Gaborone, Luanda, Victoria Falls, and Cape town, while Air Namibia will place it’s code on ET flights between Addis Ababa and Windhoek, Beijing, Lagos, Los Angeles, and São Paulo.

Ethiopian Airlines currently serves more than 90 global destinations across five continents with over 240 daily departures.

CHINA: Passenger Assaults Attendant On Los Angeles Flight

A Chinese airline passenger is under investigation for allegedly assaulting a member of the cabin crew on a flight to Los Angeles, according to a newspaper report.

The man is accused of attacking and threatening a male flight attendant on a China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou to the United States earlier this month.

The passenger, who was not named, hit and yelled at the attendant after claiming his seat had been taken.

He allegedly continued to harass the cabin crew member during the flight and was quoted as saying: “Los Angeles has a lot of cars. You’d better watch out for an accident.”

The plane’s captain alerted the authorities and ordered the crew to monitor the passenger during the rest of the flight.

After the plane landed in Los Angeles, police detained the man and interviewed crew members and other passengers.

The case has been transferred to the FBI for further investigation, according to the report.

The authorities in China are creating a database of unruly behaviour by Chinese travellers after a spate of incidents, feared to have harmed the country’s reputation overseas.

Overseas travel has boomed in recent years among increasingly affluent Chinese.

SOUTH AFRICA: Emirates To Make More International Flights To Cape Town

Emirates Airline has announced a third daily flight between Cape Town and Dubai, starting July 4.

Flight EK778 departs Dubai at 10h50 and arrives in Cape Town at 18h30.

Flight EK779 departs Cape Town at 20h05 and arrives in Dubai at 07h30.

The airline now has connections to New York, London, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Rome, Sydney, Athens, Mumbai, Shanghai, Milan, Beijing, Munich, Hong Kong, Phuket, Bangkok, Singapore, Medina, Deli, Male and more.

Customers Seek Compensation For $26k Shopping To Replace Lost Luggage

A couple who lost a suitcase full of expensive clothes on a flight to England have lost their argument that Air New Zealand should repay the $26,000 they paid to replace them.

The pair, referred to in court proceedings only as Mr and Mrs Green, flew to England in November 2015 to attend an important event and related social functions.

When they arrived, they discovered their suitcase was stuck in Los Angeles. They did not receive it for nine days.

The couple was told by staff that they could replace the missing items but should keep the receipts.

Mrs Green said she specifically asked whether the clothing could be replaced on a "like-for-like" basis and was told it could.

The couple spent more than $26,000 on replacing the items they had lost. They recovered $1900 from an insurer on a travel policy and sought the rest from Air New Zealand.

They brought a claim in the Disputes Tribunal for $15,000, the extent of the Tribunal's jurisdiction.

Air New Zealand did not argue that the clothes bought were similar to those lost but said the reimbursement was governed by the Montreal Convention, which covers airline's compensation payments, and limited to $2125.90.

But the Disputes Tribunal hearing found the Greens should be reimbursed the full amount because Air New Zealand had made a representation they relied on to their detriment.

Air New Zealand made an application for judicial review of that decision, heard in the High Court. It argued the case would set important issues of principle and precedent.

The judge in the Christchurch High Court found the Disputes Tribunal had made an error of law and set the claim aside.

Air New Zelaand will only have to pay the amount the $2125.90 specified in the convention.

QATAR: Qatar Airways Adds Boston Flights

Qatar Airways, which in East Africa flies to six airports in three of the East African Community countries, earlier in the week launched flights from Doha to Boston, adding yet another US city to their growing list of international destinations.

Subsequently did Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Mr. Akbar Al Baker host a press conference at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, to report on the recently-inaugurated service from Boston Logan International Airport to the airline’s hub in Doha, Qatar.

Qatar Airways’ service to Boston is operated non-stop daily with the state-of-the-art Airbus A350. The airline was the global launch customer of the aircraft and operates the A350 to Munich, Philadelphia, Singapore, and will start operating to Adelaide in Australia from next month. There are currently eight Airbus A350s in the fleet, with a further 72 to be delivered.

Mr. Al Baker remarked: 'We have introduced the world’s newest aircraft to Boston and look forward to providing all of our passengers on this route with a memorable journey that provides a superior inflight experience. Boston is a key city for business and leisure travellers and total comfort and hospitality is point of focus, in particular as the US market means that our passengers are travelling long- and ultra-long haul. Our entire customer experience is focused on the details, on all aircraft types. Qatar Airways has the youngest international fleet in the world, averaging just five years old, and our experience is second to none'.

Ed Freni, Massport’s Director of Aviation responded: 'We are pleased Qatar Airways, recognised by Skytrax as 2015’s Airline of the Year, is coming to Boston. This is yet another affirmation of the importance of the regional economy to the global economy. People from around the world come here for education, for health care, for business and for fun and we are proud that Logan Airport is New England’s gateway to the world'.

Qatar Airways, the world’s third largest cargo operator, has also commenced a daily cargo service between Logan International Airport (BOS) in Boston and its global cargo network of more than 150 destinations. Currently the airline operates six cargo destinations to the United States: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and Los Angeles.

USA: Tourism Commission To Revisit Awarding Of Grants

The Nevada Commission on Tourism will review how it awards grants to rural tourism entities that seek state help expanding their markets.

Board members also will consider whether it will expand how much it provides to promote some urban special events.

The department is entitled to three-eighths of 1 percent of collected room tax revenue, but rarely does it receive the full amount from the state. In the current budget, legislators appropriated the department $16.7 million, even though its cut of room-tax revenue was $20.5 million in 2015. When room tax revenue comes in over the budgeted amount, it automatically is transferred to a reserve account.

Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison, who chairs the commission, tasked the commission’s marketing committee with exploring how other states distribute grant money and how the state can get its best return on investment.

The action came at a Tuesday quarterly meeting at which the board unanimously approved allocating $238,000 in grants to 24 rural entities after receiving 31 requests totaling $511,997. The commission also has $100,000 available to promote urban special events, such as Hot August Nights, the Reno Air Races and the Great Reno Balloon Races in Northern Nevada and the Red Rock Rendezvous in Southern Nevada.

Organizations within the state’s largest cities — Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Reno and Sparks — aren’t eligible for rural grants, but one Clark County entity was among the 24 that won approval.

The Moapa Valley Revitalization Project, which requested $16,756, half the amount needed to undertake the entire project, was awarded $12,200.

Funds will be used to build a visitor information kiosk, install benches, a shade shelter and trash receptacles in downtown Overton.

Moapa Valley Boulevard is the main street through Overton consisting of five blocks of storefronts, restaurants and commercial properties. The three-phase revitalization program is designed to make the street more accommodating for tourists.

The commission acknowledged that the purpose of grant system is to assist rural entities that don’t have resources such as the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority to turn to for marketing assistance.

Longtime commission member Ryan Sheltra, general manager of the Bonanza Casino in Reno and an advocate for rural programs, said the commission should analyze what events provide the best potential return in room-tax revenue. Added to the marketing committee Wednesday, Sheltra said he also wants to evaluate the special events the commission supports.

“It’s not a question of whether these are good events,” Sheltra said. “It’s a matter of whether we can afford all of them.”

In other business Wednesday, the board unanimously approved the department’s $2.3 million spring-summer marketing campaign, which runs May through August in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Boise, Idaho.

Commissioners were encouraged with results from the fall-winter campaign, the first featuring the “Go home with more stories than souvenirs” theme behind the backdrop of the Las Vegas band The Killers singing “Don’t Fence Me In.” Department marketing experts said in some markets, television ads scored well while digital content online was better in other markets.

Department director Claudia Vecchio also confirmed that this year’s Governor’s Global Tourism Summit would be Oct. 11-12 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno.

US: Havana Cuba Is Top Destination For US Airlines

U.S. airlines are looking to serve Cuba primarily from their large hub cities, with Havana being the most popular destination.

At least eight carriers submitted applications to the U.S. Department of Transportation Wednesday outlining what routes they would like to fly. The government will spend the next few months reviewing the requests and is expected to award the contested Havana routes this summer. Flights to smaller cities — if uncontested and lacking any contentious issues — could be approved much sooner.

Once routes are awarded, airlines will still need time to develop schedules and actually sell seats on the flights. And while the U.S. government will set the routes, airlines will also need to apply to Cuba's civil aviation authority for a permit to operate in the country.

All flights operating between the two countries today are charters, but an agreement signed between the two nations last month allows for up to 110 additional flights — more than five times the current charter operations.

Only 20 of those flights can go to Havana, in addition to the current 10 to 15 charter flights a day. The rest would fly to other Cuban cities.

U.S. tourists still won't legally be allowed to visit Cuba but the start of commercial flights will make it much easier for those who fall into one of the authorized travel categories. Charter flights are expensive, frequently chaotic and lack many of the traditional supports of commercial aviation such as online booking and 24-hour customer service.

Most of the planes proposed by U.S. airlines would carry about 160 passengers.

Nearly 160,000 U.S. leisure travelers flew to Cuba last year, along with hundreds of thousands of Cuban-Americans visiting family. Tourism is still barred, but the number of legal reasons to go to Cuba — from organizing professional meetings to distributing information to Cubans — has grown so large and is so loosely enforced that the distinction from tourism has blurred significantly.

American Airlines was the most-aggressive carrier in its approach, requesting more than half the possible slots to Havana plus service to five other, smaller Cuban cities. The airline has a large hub in Miami, home to the largest Cuban-American population.

In American's filing with the DOT, CEO Doug Parker wrote that his airline has been "the undisputed leader" in charter service, having done so since 1991.

The airline notes in its application that last year alone, it operated 1,084 Cuba charters while JetBlue Airways had 221 and Delta Air Lines had four.

Following Wednesday's route application deadline, airlines and the public have a chance to comment on the flights sought. That process will conclude by March 21.

The airlines won't get all of their requests, but below are the routes each carrier applied to fly:

— American is seeking 10 daily flights from Miami to Havana, one from Charlotte and one from Dallas as well as one weekly flight from both Los Angeles and Chicago. From Miami, it is also looking for two daily flights to Santa Clara, Holguin and Varadero and daily service to Camaguey and Cienfuegos.

— Delta is seeking flights from Atlanta, New York, Miami and Orlando to Havana. All would be daily, except for Miami where Delta is seeking two daily flights.

— JetBlue is looking to serve Havana with four daily flights from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, two from Tampa, Florida, Orlando and New York and one daily flight from Boston and Newark, New Jersey. It also wants one daily flight from Fort Lauderdale to Camaguey, Holguin and Santa Clara.

— Southwest Airlines wants to fly to Havana with six daily flights from Fort Lauderdale, two from Tampa and one daily flight from Orlando. It also applied for daily flights from Fort Lauderdale to Varadero and one to Santa Clara.

— United Airlines is asking for daily flights between Newark, New Jersey, and Havana with two flights on Saturdays. It also wants Saturday-only flights from Chicago, Houston and Washington D.C.

— Alaska Airlines wants two daily flights from Los Angeles to Havana.

— Frontier Airlines applied for one daily flight between Denver and Havana, three daily flights between Miami and Havana, one daily flight between Miami and Santiago, four weekly flights between Miami and Camaguey, three weekly flights between Miami and Santa Clara, one weekly flight between Chicago and Varadero and one weekly flight between Philadelphia and Varadero.

— Silver Airways, a Florida-based regional airline, wants to fly to Havana twice daily from West Palm Beach, once daily from Fort Myers and Fort Lauderdale, five times a week from Key West, and twice a week from Jacksonville. It also proposed to fly from Fort Lauderdale to nine other Cuban cities.

TAIWAN: EVA Air Increases Flights To JFK Airport

EVA Air of Taiwan will be adding three additional weekly flights on their direct Taipei (TPE) – JFK route effective July 7, thus bringing the airline’s total number of New York flights to ten weekly.


The Star Alliance member first began service to the New York area in 1992 with service to Newark via Seattle. With the delivery of new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft the route went nonstop in 2008, although a technical stop in ANC in one direction was still required. In 2011 the airline moved to JFK with nonstop flights and eventually increased to a daily frequency.

The additional flights will operate during daylight hours on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday – a great opportunity for local spotters to finally catch the airline’s fun array of ‘Hello Kitty’ inspired aircraft. EVA recently introduced a new corporate livery and has announced intentions of adding Chicago and Washington, D.C. to their route map in the United States.

The airline currently serves Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, and San Francisco, in addition to Toronto and Vancouver in Canada. Further growth is expected with orders for Boeing 787 aircraft.

EVA Air joins other Asian carriers who have recently increased their JFK frequency, many adding a second rotation on certain days of the week. Among these include ANA, JAL, China Eastern, and Air China who have all added to the market.

Schedule:

BR030 TPE0750 – 1045JFK 77W 246
BR032 TPE1910 – 2205JFK 77W D

BR031 JFK0125 – 0455+1TPE 77W D
BR029 JFK1245 – 1615+1TPE 77W 246

AUSTRALIA: Limited Edition Gin On Qantas

Rockpool mixologists Ryan Gavin, Max Gurtler and Jacob Dykes, along with Four Pillars’ distiller Cameron Mackenzie handpicked the botanicals which include red and green Szechuan, quandong, macadamia nuts, fresh grapefruit peel, tangelos and Rosie Glow apples. Combined with the traditional Four Pillars botanicals, the result is an Asian-inspired, Modern Australian gin with softness and spice.

The ‘Modern Australian Gin’ will be poured in the Qantas First lounges in Sydney, Melbourne and Los Angeles, as well as the Hong Kong and Singapore lounges. The Rockpool Mixologists have designed three special cocktails, Hanky Panky, Gin Spritzer and The Doctors Order which will be featured in the Sydney and Melbourne First Lounge.

The gin will also be poured throughout Rockpool Group restaurants across Australia and will be available to purchase through Qantas epiQure, via the Four Pillars website and at the Four Pillars Distillery.

Cameron Mackenzie, Four Pillars Distiller said it was a great partnership that has resulted in an even greater product.

“As it says on the side of the bottle, when the opportunity arose to make a gin with the Rockpool Mixologists for Qantas, how could we say no? We’re really excited to extend our Bartender Series and welcome the newest member of the family; the Modern Australian Gin,” said Mackenzie.

“The gin itself is exceptional. The Asian spices give it a lovely warm mouthfeel, while the macadamia nuts give it softness and the apple and quandong give it freshness and a touch of the exotic. It’s delicious, it’s different and it will make a great drink, however you choose to enjoy it,” Mackenzie continued.

The limited edition drop is available to purchase for Qantas epiQure members for $80 at Qantas epiQure (www.qantasepiqure.com.au), or at the Four Pillars Distillery in Healesville or via the Four Pillars website (www.fourpillarsgin.com.au), for $85 from 3 December 2015.