AUSTRALIA: Avani Adelaide Residences And Avani Melbourne Box Hill Residences To Open End Of This Year, 2019

Avani Hotels & Resorts will welcome guests to two new properties in Australia.

Avani Adelaide Residences and Avani Melbourne Box Hill Residences will both open later this year.

Contemporary, relaxed and imaginative, the Box Hill property will open on the fourth quarter of 2019, while Adelaide will officially roll out the welcome mat from October 2019.

Avani Adelaide Residences, a first for the brand in South Australia, comprises 76 beautifully appointed studios and suites, each with fully-equipped kitchen and laundry facilities.

The hotel also includes a heated pool, cinema, library, AvaniFit gym with steam room and sauna, and even a state-of-the-art golf simulator.

Located in the heart of this cultural capital, guests enjoy stone’s throw proximity to Rundle Mall shopping and cafes, Adelaide Central Markets, the Art Gallery of South Australia and the South Australia Museum.

A convenient alternative to its cosmopolitan city centre sister hotel, Avani Melbourne Box Hill Residences has a prime position in in the popular commercial and academic hub of Box Hill.

With a mix of 75 spacious one- and two-bedroom suites with chef-style kitchens, the hotel facilities also extend to a heated infinity pool, on-site sauna, and rooftop amenities with stunning views of the Dandenong Ranges.

Avani Box Hill offers discerning business and leisure travellers easy access to the city and airport, with diverse dining choices and a vibrant shopping centre on its doorstep.

We are delighted to see the continuing growth of the Avani brand in Australia and New Zealand with these new openings, which follow from our initial openings on the Gold Coast, and in Melbourne and Auckland, said chief operating officer of Minor Hotels & Resorts Australia and New Zealand, Craig Hooley.

Travellers the world over have responded to this fresh modern brand with our upbeat service culture that is rooted in traditional Thai hospitality.

We will continue to identify key locations to grow this exciting brand and bring a new level of service to the Australian and New Zealand landscape.

Tourism Observer

MALAYSIA: Malindo Goes To Adelaide

Malindo Air has made Adelaide (ADL), destination for this year’s World Routes, its fourth Australian gateway, launching a four times weekly service from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) via Denpasar (DPS) to the city.

The carrier is already present in Australia with flights to Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane. Launched 16 April from Kuala Lumpur, the carrier will serve the tri-city route using its fleet of 737-800s.

Competition on the 5,688-kilometre connection between Kuala Lumpur and Adelaide comes from Malaysia Airlines. The oneworld member already serves the airport pair five times weekly using its fleet of A330-300s.

The 3,764-kilometre sector between Denpasar and Adelaide is also served by another operator, with Jetstar Airways offering a daily rotation between the two destinations at present.

Malindo Air has added a fourth destination in Australia following the arrival of the Malaysia-based carrier’s inaugural service to Adelaide.

Flight OD173, operated by Boeing 737-800 9M-LCD, touched down in Adelaide a little after 0600 local time Wednesday morning and was greeted by an Airservices Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) monitor cross as it taxied to the terminal building.

The aircraft was on the ground for about two hours before operating the reciprocal OD174 to Denpasar (Bali), following some celebrations at the boarding gate. The flight then continues onward to Kuala Lumpur.

Malindo Air chief executive Chandran Rama Muthy, who was on the inaugural flight into Adelaide, said there had been a good response to the service since ticket sales began three weeks ago.

“I see the demand as solid from Adelaide to Bali and Kuala Lumpur,” Muthy told Australian Aviation in an interview on Wednesday.

“The Australian market is really good for us. We use Bali as our intermediate hub before flying into Kuala Lumpur, mainly because our aircraft needs refuelling.”

“We found that Bali is another good destination for Australians so why not use Bali as a transit hub.”

Further, the Adelaide route also offered good connections from Kuala Lumpur to Malindo’s Asian network, which stretches north to Japan and west to countries such as India and Sri Lanka.

“We have a great range of connecting destinations from Kuala Lumpur and also from Bali,” Muthy said.

“From Kuala Lumpur you can connect to about 57 destinations.”

Adelaide Airport managing director Mark Young the airport was excited to have Malindo Air at Adelaide.

“Malindo Air will also be the first carrier since 2016 to offer a Business Class product directly between Adelaide and Bali,” Young said in a statement.

“This service provides South Australian passengers with more choice when heading to two of our most popular destinations, and also creates opportunities to attract South East Asian visitors to our city and local attractions.”

Malindo Air will operate four Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar-Adelaide flights a week with a mix of 737-800s and 737-900s featuring business and economy class seats.

Currently, Malaysia Airlines offers nonstop flights between Adelaide and Kuala Lumpur, while Qantas’s low-cost carrier (LCC) Jetstar is on the Adelaide-Denpasar route.

Malindo Air, which is part of Indonesia’s Lion Air group of carriers, started serving Australia in November 2015 when it began nonstop flights from Kuala Lumpur to Perth.

It added Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar-Brisbane and Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar-Melbourne services in March 2017 and June 2018, respectively.

All routes are served with either Boeing 737-800 or 737-900s in a two-class configuration. The airline has fifth freedom traffic rights for all it one-stop flights from Kuala Lumpur to Australia via Denpasar.

Muthy said he hoped to start flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sydney, again via Denpasar, in the second half of the year.

“We are still waiting for one final regulatory approval from the Malaysian civil aviation authority,” Muthy said. “Once that is sorted out, then we will announce the date and start operating the flight.”

“Hopefully we can catch the June school holidays. That would be great. We’ll see how it goes.”

As aviation thinktank CAPA – Centre for Aviation noted in a recent research report, Malindo is utilising the available capacity to serve Australia from Bali under the Indonesia-Malaysia air services agreement.

The bilateral allows Malaysian carriers to operate a maximum of 28 flights a week between Bali and Australia, and a maximum of seven frequencies per Australian destination.

Should Sydney launch with a daily service, that would mean Malindo would operate a total of 22 of the 28 available weekly Bali-Australia flights – four flights a week to Adelaide and Brisbane, as well daily services to Melbourne and Sydney – leaving only six frequencies for other airlines.

CAPA chief analyst Brendan Sobie said the expansion of Malindo in this part of the world has led to an intensifying of competition in the Australia-Bali market.

“Bali remains a popular and growing destination for Australians. As competition intensifies the fares will likely come down, stimulating further demand,” Sobie said in his March 19 2019 research note.

Jetstar could drive a new phase of growth as it starts to take delivery of A321neoLRs, some of which are earmarked for Australia-Bali routes, in 2020.

“The return of AirAsia X could have an even bigger impact, but bilateral constraints will need to be resolved.”

Muthy said Malindo would remain a narrowbody operator for the foreseeable future.

“I’m quite concerned to expand into widebody because the cost of operations is totally different than narrowbody,” Muthy said.

“We don’t want to take the risk of competing head to head with the national carrier and also the other carrier, fighting for market share.”


Tourism Observer

AUSTRALIA: Malindo Air Crew Arrested After Smuggling $21m Worth Of Drugs

Police have busted an international drug syndicate that they allege has been using airline cabin crew on board flights from Malaysia to smuggle drugs into Australia over a number of years.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Victoria Police have arrested eight people in the past 10 days who they allege brought heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine worth $21 million into Australia.

Assistant Commissioner Tess Walsh from Victoria Police said the arrests occurred as part of Operation Sunrise, which involved the AFP, Australian Border Force and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.

The joint investigative team has alleged that the syndicate used cabin crews at Malindo Air, a small airline based in Malaysia, to bring the drugs into the country.

Investigators allege the drugs were brought in via Melbourne and Sydney, carried on the bodies of the cabin crew.

One defendant allegedly told investigators it was his 20th trip into Australia.

Operation Sunrise is a complex, five-month operation targeting an alleged Vietnamese organised crime syndicate based in Melbourne, Assistant Commissioner Walsh said.

Assistant Commissioner Walsh said police believed the syndicate had been operating for at least five years and that the drugs seized so far were clearly not the total amount of drugs alleged to have been imported.

This is a significant seizure but I think reality would say that it's not the total amount of drugs that this team have brought into this country, she said.

Intelligence would tell us that this crew has been operating for some years, I would say five plus I don't know whether or not it's decades.

Those arrested by police include a 38-year-old woman arrested on January 7 in Tullamarine, and another six people arrested in raids at Sunshine North and inner-city Melbourne a day later.

On January 14, a woman from Richmond was also arrested.

Two of the defendants were Vietnamese-born Australians.

Six kilograms of heroin were seized, as well as 8kg of methamphetamine and half a kilo of cocaine.

Luxury cars, $100,000 in cash and drug paraphernalia were also seized.

Assistant Commissioner Walsh said the investigation was active and ongoing.

Malindo Air's website describes it as a premium airline with headquarters in Petaling Jaya, a town just outside of Kuala Lumpur.

In a statement, Malindo Air it was aware that one of its cabin crew had been arrested on arrival at Melbourne Airport on January 7.

While the airline said it had not had any official communication with its staff member or the AFP over the crew member's detention, the person had been suspended with immediate effect.

It said none of the other Malindo Air crew on the flight were detained.

Malindo Air stands ready to co-operate with all the relevant authorities be it in Australia or in Malaysia in this regard, the airline said.

Given all that we know to date and based on the findings of our internal investigations, we are confident that this arrest appears to be an isolated incident arising out of a crew's misconduct.


Tourism Observer

AUSTRALIA: Singapore Airlines Pilot Fails Alcohol Test, Flight From Melbourne To Wellington Cancelled

Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from Melbourne(MEL) to Wellington(WLG) was cancelled on Saturday morning (Sep 15) after the pilot failed an alcohol test.

Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority had conducted a random drug and alcohol test on all crew members before the flight, and the pilot didn’t pass the test due to having higher than suitable blood alcohol limit, said an SIA spokesperson.

The pilot in question has been suspended from all operations until an investigation is undertaken, SIA said.

Flight SQ247 was scheduled to depart Melbourne at 07:00 Local Time on Saturday and arrive in Wellington at 12.20 Local Time. And the return flight SQ248 on Saturday was also cancelled, said SIA.

Passengers affected due to flight cancellation took to social media to express their frustrations, saying that they had no information for several hours about alternative arrangements such as booking a new flight.

We sincerely apologize to those affected by the cancellation of these flights. However, the safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority, said the SIA spokesperson.

We are currently working with those customers whose travel has been inconvenienced to find suitable alternate travel arrangements as soon as possible, SIA added.


Tourism Observer

AUSTRALIA: Qantas Flying San Francisco-Melbourne Nonstop

Qantas introduced a brand-new 787-9 Dreamliner on its Los Angeles-Melbourne route, and now the Australian airline says it will bring the Dreamliner to San Francisco as well.

The airline doesn’t have a firm start-up date yet, but said it expects to begin new San Francisco-Melbourne flights with the 787-9 Dreamliner in late 2018.

There is currently no non-stop service in the SFO-MEL market.

Initially operating six days a week on the LAX-Melbourne route, the 14-hour 787-9 flights will complement Qantas’ existing daily A380 service, a spokesperson said– which means it will fly SFO Melbourne a few days a week, and LAX-Melbourne a few days a week.

Why split the route up like that?

My best guess is that the LAX-Melbourne flights have not been selling as well as hoped, so Qantas will try and beef up revenues by adding SFO legs.

Here’s our preview of the new Qantas aircraft, which will have 42 business class seats configured 1-2-1; 28 in premium economy, with a 2-3-2 layout; and 166 in economy, configured 3-3-3 and offering 32-inch pitch.

The San Francisco schedule is still undetermined.

Capacity between the U.S. and Melbourne will be rebalanced to match demand from the two California cities, meaning that the Dreamliner will fly from Los Angeles some days of the week and San Francisco other days, the spokesperson said.

Qantas CEO Alison Webster said in Melbourne that the company is seeing strong demand for San Francisco-Melbourne service, both from a tourism perspective and because of the business links between Silicon Valley and Melbourne.

As well, a significant number of our Melbourne passengers flying to Los Angeles already connect on to San Francisco.

Qantas’ only current San Francisco service is a 747-400 non-stop to Sydney, a route also flown by United.

The LAX-Melbourne route is being operated with the airline’s first newly delivered 787-9. The second will go into service in March, providing the first non-stop flights between Australia and Europe on a Melbourne-Perth-London routing.

The airline expects to take delivery of eight 787-9s by the end of 2018, with four based in Melbourne and four in Brisbane.


Tourism Observer

UAE: Emirates Throws Out Epilepsy Patient From Flight, Apologizes Later

Emirates has issued an apology after asking a teenage boy with disability to disembark a plane.

Eli, 17, was travelling with his famliy, including his mother, Isabelle Kumar, last week.

He had boarded a France bound flight in Dubai on Wednesday, the last leg of a multi-stop trip from New Zealand via Melbourne, Australia.

However, when the airline staff learned that the boy had an epilepsy, he was asked to disembark the plane.

Isabelle had asked the cabin crew for a seat with an empty seat next to it, in case he had a seizure.

In a statement the airline said it is sorry for any distress and inconvenience caused to Isabelle and her family.

Such situations are usually difficult for operational staff to assess, and they opted to act in the best interest of our passengers safety as well as on advice from our medical team.

Our customer service team has been in touch with the family, and we have offered them complimentary hotel stay while in transit and rebooked them on another flight that departed on 26 July.

Isabelle, complained about the incident on social media, citing that they had a doctor’s certificate clearing the teenager to fly despite his condition.

Thanks @emirates for removing our family from your flight. Our son has epilepsy: we had told you, just come 14 hours from Melbourne, got his doctor on the phone and medical clearance while still on board, Isabelle said on Twitter.


Tourism Observer

INDONESIA: Garuda Indonesia Is A Leading Airline , Denpensar The Leading Airport In Asia

Denpasar is the main international airport on the Indonesian island of Bali.

It was the second largest Indonesian airport based on total departing capacity in 2017.

Denpasar was the fourth busiest Indonesian airport for departing domestic seats last year and the second largest for international capacity.

The available two-way seats on flights serving Denpasar grew from 10.63 million in 2008 to 29.18 million in 2017, representing a substantial 174% increase.

Between 2009 and 2017 the airport experienced double-digit, year-on-year growth on six occasions.

The single largest annual increase came in 2010, with available seat numbers boosted by nearly 20% over 2009 levels. Since 2008, Denpasar has only witnessed one annual capacity contraction.

This took place in 2015, and the cuts were marginal at less than one percent. From 2010 to 2017 available capacity to and from the Balinese airport more than doubled, increasing by 108%.

Denpasar has seen a relatively even split between capacity offered on domestic and international services over the past 10 years.

In 2008 there were 5.43 million two-way seats available on domestic services. By 2017 this had grown to 14.65 million, which is equivalent to a 170% increase.

Over the same period, international capacity increased by 174% from 5.20 million seats to 14.53 million. Domestic seats accounted for 51% of the airport’s two-way capacity in 2008 and around 50% in 2017.

Indonesian-based carriers accounted for nine of the top 12 airlines at Denpasar in 2017, based on annual departing seats.

This included the four largest airlines, and eight of the top 10. National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia was the biggest single capacity provider, with more than three million departing seats, 21% of the airport’s total.

Garuda will offer 323 flights from Denpasar across 29 destinations during the week commencing 15 May, with between 45 and 47 daily departures.

Jetstar Airways was the largest international carrier in 2017.

During the week commencing 15 May it will serve eight destinations from Denpasar with the highest frequency link being Perth, which it operates three times daily.

Most of the top 12 airlines expanded their capacity from Denpasar last year. The strongest growth came from Batik Air 620% increase and NAM Air 207%.

Batik Air was a new entrant to the top 12 in 2017 increasing the number of one-way seats on offer from Denpasar from 65,000 in 2016, to 468,000 last year.

The Indonesian airline more than trebled its domestic capacity in 2017 and introduced international services to Perth and Kuala Lumpur.

Two of the top-ranked airlines cut capacity from the Bali facility last year. The largest reduction came from Indonesia AirAsia, with the LCC removing 5.4% of its seats compared to 2016.

Half of the top 12 routes from Denpasar in 2017 were domestic services. This included its biggest single link to Jakarta.

There were 3.21 million one-way seats available on the capital city connection, representing 22% of the airport’s total capacity.

Six airlines will offer 232 combined flights from Denpasar to Jakarta during the week commencing 15 May.

Three of the top-ranked routes last year were international services, with Singapore the largest of these. The biggest international country market was Australia, with nine links and 1.74 million seats available.

The largest country market outside of Asia Pacific was Qatar, which finished in seventh place.

Denpasar’s top two routes remained unchanged in 2017, with the majority of the top-ranked routes witnessing a year-on-year capacity boost comapred to 2016.

The largest increases came on services to Kuala Lumpur 60% increase over 2016 , Jakarta 24% and Doha (23%).

The Kuala Lumpur link experienced growth from existing operators, plus the introduction of services by Batik Air and AirAsia X.

The Malaysian destination subsequently overtook Surabaya to become the third largest route from Denpasar.

Three connections witnessed a year-on-year decline in seat numbers. The largest cuts came on domestic services to Surabaya 16% reduction. Melbourne dropped out of the top 12 and was replaced by Doha.

One new route has already launched to Denpasar in 2018 and that at least three more are scheduled to begin.

These include Qantas and Malindo Air introducing services to Melbourne, and Emirates adding a link to Auckland. All three services are due to commence in June.


Tourism Observer

FRANCE: Air France And Qantas Re Establish Codeshare Agreement

Qantas and Air France have renewed its codesharing agreement on May 23, offering further connectivity between Europe and Australia via Asia.

Flights are available to book from June 5 for travel starting July 20, 2018.

Air France will add its flight codes to Qantas Flights between Hong Kong, and Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane as well as between Singapore (SIN) and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.

The French carrier’s customers will also be able to access codesharing services from Sydney to five cities across Australia’s domestic network: Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Cairns, and Darwin.

In return, Qantas will add its code to flights operated by Air France between Singapore, Hong Kong, and Paris-CDG, as a continuation of connections between Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth.

The new agreement will let the two carriers come together and codeshare onto as many as 200 flights per week.

Air France’s eligible customers can also use the Qantas lounged in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia.

Likewise, Qantas’ eligible customers are now able to use Air France lounges in Paris, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

We are very pleased to be re-establishing a partnership with Qantas, said Patrick Alexandre, EVP Commercial Sales, and Alliances at Air France-KLM.

Thanks to this agreement, the Air France-KLM group will be able to offer one of the best possible travel solutions for its customers from Europe to Australia, he added.

This new cooperation confirms our group’s desire to expand in the Asia-Pacific region, said Alexandre.

Alison Webster, CEO of Qantas, added that “this is great news for our customers who want to travel to Europe via Asia, giving them another option to get to Paris and more opportunities to earn Frequent Flyer Points.”

Despite the fact that Qantas and Air France are members of different alliances, the opportunity to earn miles on these codeshare flights is now possible.

The return of this popular codeshare delivers on our strategy of partnering to provide customers with access to an expanded network and more seamless travel experiences wherever they want to fly, Alison Webster says.

With the carrier recently expanding its presence out of London with direct flights to Perth on its brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, Europe is finally at direct reach for the Australian carrier.

Through this codeshare with Air France, Australian customers will now have a more seamless experience.


Tourism Observer

BRUNEI: Royal Brunei Airlines Starts Direct Flights To Heathrow, October 28th

Royal Brunei Airlines announced yesterday that they will be launching daily non-stop flights between Brunei and London-Heathrow from October 28th this year.

This route will replace the current Brunei – Dubai – London routes, reducing travel time by three and a half hours from Brunei and 5.3 hours from Melbourne.

The introduction of RB’s non-stop flight to London-Heathrow will be a significant milestone as for the first time Brunei and England will be seamlessly connected by a direct air link, said Karam Chand, RB Chief Executive Officer.

The through flight via Dubai has served us well however with the demand for more direct routing from our guests, it becomes an important commercial imperative to provide that, he added.

According to the airline’s CEO, the flight will last approximately 14 hours.

Although the Dubai-London-Dubai route will be scrapped, the carrier will still provide the Brunei-Dubai-Brunei route so then the connectivity to Dubai still remains for fliers to use.

From October 29, this route will be in use from four times per week.

Royal Brunei’s relationship with London has been in existence since 1990 when they used to operate from London-Gatwick via Singapore and Dubai.

By May 1991, the carrier flew twice weekly to London-Heathrow, launching its daily flights to Dubai in May 2004.

This ultimately boosts connectivity to Brunei and also puts connectivity to Dubai on the side.

The non-stop flights will also be an enabler for increasing tourism from UK and Europe, the CEO added.

We have had a record 2017 for visitor arrivals and the initiatives such as the London direct, additional Seoul flights, China charter flights and to be announced new markets will play a pivotal role in getting half a million visitors to our Shores by 2021.


Tourism Observer

UAE: Etihad Airways Introduces Changes to Ground And Inflight Services

In an effort to offer ground and inflight services of increased value and flexibility, Etihad Airways announced it is gradually proceeding with a series of changes, based on customer feedback.

According to an announcement, the airline’s complimentary chauffeur service is retained at Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub and has been replaced – as of July 3 – in all other cities with a paid option at specially negotiated rates.

The airline will also extend the paid airport transfer option to all guests across all cabins and allow Etihad Guest members to accrue miles on their chauffeur bookings.

The decision by Etihad Airways to change its offering has been taken to provide increased choice and to ensure fares remain as low and as competitive as possible, while retaining best-in-class service for all guests, in all cabins,” said Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways Executive Vice President Commercial.

Guests travelling in “The Residence”, Etihad’s 3-room suite onboard the flagship Airbus A380 fleet, will continue to receive complimentary chauffeur services at all A380 destinations, specifically in Abu Dhabi, London, Paris, Sydney and New York.

First and Business Class tickets issued prior to 3 July 2017 will not be affected by these changes and will receive complimentary chauffeur service across destinations where the service is currently offered.

Furthermore, guests travelling on Etihad Airways Business Class tickets can now pay and upgrade to the airline’s luxurious flagship First Class Lounge & Spa when flying from, or transiting through Abu Dhabi.

Paid Access to Lounges for Economy Class Passengers

Etihad Airways will also offer Economy Class guests paid access to its growing portfolio of dedicated lounges around the world, including its premium lounges in Abu Dhabi, London, Manchester, Dublin, Paris, Washington D.C., New York JFK, Sydney, Melbourne and Los Angeles.

Moreover, the airline introduced an innovative new ‘Neighbour-Free Seat’ option in Economy Class, which provides guests with the opportunity to bid for up to three empty seats next to their original seat, thus enjoy more space, comfort and privacy, at an affordable price.


Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com

NEW ZEALAND: Police Storm Malaysia Airlines Flight After Passenger Threatened To Blow Up The Plane

Armed police stormed a Malaysia Airlines flight which was forced to return to Melbourne after a passenger tried to enter the cockpit claiming he had a bomb, officials said Thursday.

Passengers told of fearing for their lives, but Malaysian Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said a Sri Lankan national, who appeared to have been drunk, was overpowered by the plane's crew and later arrested.

It is not a hijack. One disruptive passenger tried to enter the plane's cockpit,he said.

The passenger claimed to have a bomb. But it was not a bomb but a powerbank, Aziz said.

Everyone on board is safe.He was taken out of the plane handcuffed by Australian security officers."

Kuala Lumpur-bound Flight MH128 left Melbourne at 11:11pm (1311 GMT) on Wednesday but turned back shortly afterwards when a man allegedly threatened those on board, Australian police said.

It is alleged that a man tried to enter the cockpit and threatened the safety of passengers and staff, Victoria state police said in a statement, but added that he did not gain entry to the cockpit and was subdued.

Superintendent Andy Langdon said the suspect appeared to have a history of mental illness.

We do not believe this is terrorist-related at the moment,Langdon said.

Photographs on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation website showed black-clad officers armed with rifles on board the plane.

While officials tried to play down the incident, passengers told of some 90 minutes of onboard drama and fear after take-off.

A business class passenger, who identified himself as Andy, said the arrested man had threatened to blow the plane up.

The staff were saying 'Sit back down sir, sit back down sir'. He goes 'No, I'm not going to sit back down, I'm going to blow the plane up', Andy said.

"The staff screamed out 'I need some help, I need some help'. So I jumped up, undid my buckle, and approached him."

Andy said the man ran to the back of the plane, where two other men grabbed and disarmed him of a "giant black thing" and "put hog ties on him".

Superintendent Langdon described the experience for passengers as "very traumatic", adding passengers and crew were "heroic".

Passenger Arif Chaudery said he joined several others to subdue the man.

"Families, kids, they were very scared, and some screaming... so three or four guys, we jumped as quickly as possible," he told Channel Nine.

"We just put him on the floor and finally staff brought the belt, so we handcuffed him and tied his legs and put his face on the floor."

Laura, who asked for her surname to be withheld, told the ABC she feared for her life.

"I thought the plane was going to go down, I thought the bomb was going to go off, I really did think I was going to die," she said.

Malaysia Airlines said the plane's passengers would be put up at hotels and offered another flight.

Melbourne airport said inbound and outbound flights had been affected and advised passengers to check with their airlines.

The incident came just months after Canberra called off the search for missing flight MH370 carrying 239 passengers and crew, after a vast underwater hunt off Australia's west coast failed to find the plane.

MH370 disappeared in March 2014, while another passenger jet, MH17, was shot down in July of the same year while flying over Ukraine in twin tragedies to hit Malaysia's national carrier.

AUSTRALIA: Qantas Reveals International Transit Lounge At Perth Airport

Qantas customers are set to benefit from smoother connections and improved facilities at Perth Airport with construction to begin on a new integrated domestic and international passenger hub.

A new international wing, will be located within the existing T3/T4 area.

It will feature a large outdoor deck with alfresco seating, a streamlined immigration and customs area to enable a faster transfer experience, additional food and beverage outlets and a new Duty Free store.

Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce said all of the airline’s domestic flights, as well as services to Singapore, Auckland and London, would operate from the new facility.

Perth will become the western hub for our international services to the United Kingdom and potentially other European destinations in the future,Joyce said.

Combining all of our operations under one roof means customers can transfer from domestic to international services without changing terminals.

The new design allows for an outdoor space and natural sunlight, which is something we know our customers will value ahead of a long haul flight.

It’s fair to say there’s been a huge amount of excitement about the launch of our non-stop services from Perth to London, and we’re delighted to be working with the State Government and Perth Airport to encourage overseas visitors to stopover in Perth.

Qantas will also construct a new International Transit Lounge that will provide a space for customers to relax and refresh between flights.

The transit lounge will offer more than a dozen shower suites, space to refresh and a wellness facility.

The outdoor patio provides fresh air and natural light, with a barbeque grill and Neil Perry designed Australian-style BBQ menu.

The International Transit Lounge has been designed for customers transiting in Perth when travelling on QF9 from Melbourne to London and QF10 from London to Melbourne.

Perth customers will also have access to the lounge.

Perth Airport chief executive Kevin Brown welcomed the announcement of the new passenger facilities.

There’s already been so much hard work done by the Perth Airport and Qantas teams on this project and it’s incredibly exciting that we can now see the vision taking shape for what will be a world class transit lounge, he said.

The International Transit Lounge has been designed as a collaboration between leading firm SUMU Design and award-winning Australian industrial designer David Caon, who is also the lead designer for the interiors of the Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

Preparatory works have begun with the project to be completed by March next year, in time for the inaugural non-stop services between Perth and London.

CHINA: Headphones Explode On A Flying Plane

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) issued a passenger warning notice today related to a recent incident on board involving a battery explosion.

On a flight between Beijing and Melbourne, a woman was wearing noise-canceling headphones while sleeping.

After two hours of flight, she woke up in pain.

“As I went to turn around I felt burning on my face,” she said according to a statement published Tuesday by the ATSB. “I just grabbed my face which caused the headphones to go around my neck.”

“I continued to feel burning so I grabbed them off and threw them on the floor. They were sparking and had small amounts of fire.”

“As I went to stamp my foot on them the flight attendants were already there with a bucket of water to pour on them.

They put them into the bucket at the rear of the plane.”

By the time the flight arrived, the headphone battery and cover were both melted and stuck to the floor of the aircraft.

“People were coughing and choking the entire way home,” said the woman referring to the smell of burned plastic in the aircraft.

Until now, the personal information of the passenger of that flight, as well as details on the airline in which the incident took place are still unknown.

AUSTRALIA: AccorHotels Takes 15 Australian Hotels

AccorHotels has reached a new agreement for the restructuring of its Australian portfolio, which will include the acquisition of 15 ibis hotels in the country.

Under the terms of the deal with a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), the European hotel group’s real estate unit, HotelInvest, will acquire 15 ibis and ibis Budget properties comprising almost 1,600 rooms for a total of AU$200 million (US$145m). The agreement includes hotels in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne, as well as two airport hotels.

In addition, AccorHotels has agreed long-term management agreements for 16 of its Australian hotels. These include ibis, ibis Styles, Mercure, Novotel and Pullman properties with a combined inventory of more than 2,500 rooms. The new contracts will run for 50 years.

“This deal is in line with our stated strategy to optimise cash flow generation, reduce earnings volatility and restructure lease contracts into owned and managed hotels,” said John Ozinga, chief operating officer of HotelInvest. “The acquisition of the economy hotels in key locations is a signal of our continued focus on supporting the Group’s growth strategy by holding a selective portfolio of profitable hotel property assets.”

The agreement involves a portfolio which was purchased by the ADIA subsidiary in 2013.

NEW ZEALAND: Airbnb In New Zealand

The number of Airbnb listings in New Zealand has doubled to more than 15,000 with hosts earning on average $3800 a year.

The home sharing company says that while this may not sound like a lot, the impact can often be "life changing."

It says they use this income to help pay off their mortgage, pay the bills and afford groceries.

Airbnb today revealed the average host age in New Zealand is 47 years old and almost half are over 50.

New Zealand hosts rented out their houses or rooms for an average of 26 to 27 nights a year. They were evenly split between entire houses and single rooms in a property.

There are around 4000 listings in Auckland and the most popular suburbs in Auckland are: Auckland Central, Grey Lynn, Ponsonby, Newmarket and Mount Eden.

The top five international markets Airbnb travellers to New Zealand originate from are Sydney, Melbourne, London, Singapore and Brisbane.

The top five destinations New Zealanders are travelling to on Airbnb are London, Melbourne, New York, Paris and Sydney.

Airbnb has listings in 191 countries and over 34,000 cities around the world and there are more than two million Airbnb listings worldwide.

Since the company was founded in 2008, there have been over 80 million guest arrivals at Airbnb listings worldwide.

Bloomberg reports Airbnb has secured a US$1 billion debt facility from some of the largest US banks to help grow even more.

The financing gives Airbnb more money to spend on global growth strategies and expansion beyond home-sharing. The San Francisco-based company is building add-on travel services

Overseas and in this country its running big advertising campaigns to recruit more hosts.

While Airbnb hasn't announced plans for an imminent initial public offering, investment banks often arrange debt facilities for successful private companies in hopes of building relationships to win future business like underwriting an IPO. Facebook got an US$8 billion package of financing from a group of banks in 2012, some of which helped take the social network operator public two months later.

Airbnb, last valued at US$25.5 billion, has watched Uber raise more than $11 billion in cash and debt. That number could climb by at least $1 billion when Uber, worth almost $68 billion, closes its latest debt financing.

The Airbnb data comes as the hotel industry says 2015 was an exceptional year for properties in New Zealand.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa's 140 member hotels which enjoyed an average 78.8 per cent occupancy in 2015, up 3.1 points on 2014, TIA Hotel Sector Manager Sally Attfield says.

This was the highest occupancy rate in five years.

The average daily rate (across all star grades) rose to $157, up $12 on the previous year, and also a five year high. This generated total revenue of $1.17 billion, up from $1.05 billion in 2014.

The strong performance is a result of improvements in the New Zealand economy and an increase in international visitor arrivals. New Zealand welcomed more than 3.1 million visitors in 2015 - 9.6 per cent more than in 2014.

UAE: Emirates To Increase Flights To Africa And Europe

Emirates is set to enhance its on-board experience and increase capacity on its Zambia and Zimbabwe route with the deployment of a larger Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from February 1 2016.

The Boeing 777-300ER will replace the current Airbus A340-300 and offer an additional 97 Economy Class seats per flight. The aircraft will have eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class.

“As Emirates we are constantly seeking ways to enhance our services, and the upgauge to the Boeing 777-300ER on the Lusaka-Harare route is part of our commitment to offer Zambian and Zimbabwean travellers even more comfort and entertainment on our daily service,” said Orhan Abbas, Emirates Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Latin America, Central and Southern Africa.

EK713 departs Dubai every day at 0925hrs, arriving in Lusaka at 1440hrs. The flight then departs Lusaka at 1610hrs, arriving in Harare at 1715hrs. The return flight, EK714 leaves Harare at 1850hrs, arriving Lusaka at 1955hrs. It departs Lusaka at 2140hrs and lands in Dubai at 0650hrs the next day.

Emirates has also announced an addition of a second daily flight to the Greek capital Athens from March 1 2016. The addition of a second daily service will take the total weekly Emirates flights serving Athens to 14. The flight will be linked to the existing Dubai-Larnaca route, allowing travellers to book tickets between the Cypriot city and Athens.

The Dubai-Larnaca-Athens service will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration, with eight Private Suites in First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class, and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class.

“Emirates started serving Athens in June 1996; since then we have carried over 2.2 million passengers on the route. Boasting a rich history and picturesque islands, Greece is a popular destination for travellers from the UAE, Australia, China and South Africa. The expanded schedule will also enable more seamless connections for business and leisure passengers travelling from Athens to key destinations like Dubai, Manila, Johannesburg, Dhaka, Melbourne, and Hong Kong,” commented Thierry Aucoc, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe and Russia.

EK 107 will depart Dubai at 0750hrs, arriving in Larnaca at 1020hrs. It will then depart Larnaca at 1150hrs, arriving in Athens at 1335hrs. The return flight, EK 108, will leave Athens at 1615hrs, arriving in Larnaca at 1800hrs. It will then depart Larnaca at 1930hrs, and land in Dubai at 0125hrs the next day.

AUSTRALIA: QANTAS Expands Melbourne – Singapore Service From Late-April 2016

QANTAS in Northern summer season is expanding operations on Melbourne – Singapore route, where it plans to operate 10 weekly flights, instead of 7.

Subject to Government Approval, planned service increase will commence on 29APR16, with following schedule.

QF035 MEL1145 – 1755SIN 333 x12
QF035 MEL1145 – 1755SIN 332 12
QF037 MEL1605 – 2215SIN 333 5
QF037 MEL1605 – 2215SIN 332 67

QF036 SIN1955 – 0520+1MEL 333 x12
QF036 SIN1955 – 0520+1MEL 332 12
QF038 SIN2335 – 0900+1MEL 333 5
QF038 SIN2335 – 0900+1MEL 332 67

PHILIPPINES: Philippine Airlines Now Flying To Auckland

The new flights will operate four times a week from the home base of Philippine Airlines in Manila to Auckland, with an intermediate stop in the Australian resort city of Cairns, using a 156-seater Airbus A320 aircraft.

Late night Flights leave Manila on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday at 2315, with a scheduled arrival in Auckland at 1630 the next day. The return flights leave Auckland in the evening on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 1930 and arrive Manila at 0330 the next day.

Auckland is PAL’s 38th international destination and the airline continues to expand its presence in the region with another new service starting 18 December from Manila to Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. PAL also has regular services to Darwin, Brisbane and Melbourne.

More and more passengers are choosing to fly with Philippine Airlines as their unique combination of competitive fares and friendly on-board service makes them a great alternative to flying with heavily advertised airlines whose services depend upon connections through airports in the Gulf region.

We recommend giving Philippine Airlines a try next time you are heading down south

ARGENTINA: Aerolineas Argentinas To Code Share On New Route From Buenos Aires To Auckland

The new service will operate three times a week into Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires and will be flown on a Boeing 777-200 aircraft wth Business Premier beds and comfortable new Premium Economy seats.

Aerolineas Argentinas also offer codeshare flights on Air New Zealand's services from Auckland to Sydney and Melbourne.

We recommend the world to travel to Argentina, one of the hidden gems of world tourism and can be sure that a mutual love of rugby and the outdoors will mean more and more kiwis will travel to this amazing country.

UAE: Etihad Airways In Partnership With Charter Company Victor

Etihad Airways has announced a new partnership with Victor, the fastest-growing on-demand private jet charter company in the world, to complement and promote its exclusive The Residence and First Apartment cabins, both available on the airline’s Airbus A380 fleet. The partnership also allows customers the ultimate convenience of chartering a seamless private aircraft connection to or from their international A380 flights.

Etihad Airways is the first scheduled airline to partner with private jet charter providers world-wide to promote specific scheduled flights on its extensive global network. The airline has seen strong interest and demand within the private jet market for its ultra-exclusive A380 cabins, and is using the charter distribution network to reach this important customer segment.

Victor, which has bases in London, New York and California, is the only jet charter company to provide real-time availability, and the only one fully disclosing transaction fees, and specific operator and aircraft details, offering customers total transparency and control with no upfront commitments. Victor’s end-to-end charter booking and flight management service is also unique, supported by innovative technology and using smartphones, tablets and computers.

Shane O’Hare, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President Marketing, said: “With the A380, Etihad Airways has designed innovative and luxurious interiors, products and services which match the sophisticated needs of the private jet customer. Our unique agreement with Victor will give those customers wanting the ultimate luxury private jet experience a simplified end-to-end journey combining our magnificent A380 with a private jet by simply using their laptop, smartphone or tablet.

“Victor has revolutionised the private jet charter space by giving full control and transparency to the customer, so they can expedite their travel themselves by using the latest technology, at any time, removing the lengthier booking procedures and processes associated with many private jet bookings.”

Victor is the first jet charter company to disclose aircraft and crew specifics, and side-by-side comparisons of more than 7,000 jets at 40,000 airports worldwide via a network of 131 partner operators.

Clive Jackson, Victor founder and Chief Executive Officer, said: “Discerning travellers will enjoy a truly seamless, door-to-door flying experience through our new partnership with Etihad Airways.

“Customers can quickly and easily book both The Residence or First Apartments and their connecting private jet charters, first or last leg, on the Victor app while receiving the highest quality, all-in-one customer service. Our 24-7 customer team, working closely with Etihad Airways’ VIP Concierge service, will have access to a wide range of key amenities and resources to ensure total comfort. This unique offering brings a new level of accessibility, control and choice to specialised ultra-luxury travel for executives, VIPs and seasoned travellers. Working alongside Etihad Airways, we are able to provide the most complete luxury air travel experience, an experience meeting every single need of discerning international travellers across both commercial and private flights.”

The partnership features a bespoke technology integration which allows Etihad Airways guests to book The Residence, or First Apartments, together with private jet charter flights directly from the Victor mobile app, which launched in April 2015 – the first time commercial flights have been bookable seamlessly via a private jet service. The mobile app allows travellers to search, compare, book, and board a private jet entirely from their smartphones. Currently, 50 per cent of all Victor bookings are made through the mobile app, for aircraft types ranging from light jet aircraft to larger, longer range private jets.

Members of Etihad Guest, Etihad Airways’ frequent flyer program, will be provided with access to the Victor app, and an incentive offer of a Victor card with a value of USD $1,500 as a discount towards their first private jet charter booked using the app.

Etihad Airways’ A380s currently operate two of the three daily services from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow, one of its two daily services between Abu Dhabi and Sydney, and one of its two daily services to New York JFK. In 2016, Etihad Airways will add its giant flagship aircraft on services to Melbourne and Mumbai.

Measuring 125 square feet, The Residence has changed the landscape of premium airline travel, providing a private three-room cabin, including a living room, double bedroom, private bathroom, dedicated Savoy-trained Butler, and onboard Chef.

The Etihad Lifestyle Concierge team, which works closely with the airline’s Butlers in-flight, delivers a highly personalised experience, offering a range of services including dining reservations, entertainment bookings, special events, destination information and lifestyle services. On the ground, a VIP Concierge team assists guests with all check-in and security formalities

The Etihad Airways A380 fleet is configured with nine ground-breaking First Apartments, featuring a completely private living space with a reclining lounge chair and an ottoman which converts to become a separate 80.5 inch long fully-flat bed. The onboard Chef provides First Apartment guests with superior à la carte dining, or a menu tailor-made from a larder of fresh ingredients.

Guests staying in The Residence and First Apartments enjoy full inflight connectivity, including WiFi and mobile services, advanced personal entertainment systems, and luxury chauffeur transfers to and from airports served by the Etihad Airways A380 fleet.