The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Airlines for America (A4A), have launched a year-long global campaign related to baggage tracking with the goal of reducing mishandled bags in addition to increasing efficiency in baggage operations.
Annually, more than 4 billion bags are carried by airlines globally. Less than 0.43 percent do not arrive with their owners. By June 2018, airlines have committed to being able to track a bag when it is accepted at the airport, loaded onto the aircraft, transferred to the arrival system or put into the transfer system for carriage by another airline. Airlines should also be able to share this tracking information with interline carriers as needed.
| A TravelInc Memo release || July 25, 2017 |||
The Commerce Commission has published a statement of preliminary issues relating to Trade Me Limited’s (Trade Me) proposed acquisition of up to 100% of the shares in Limelight Software Limited, trading as Motorcentral.
The statement outlines the main issues that the Commission considers important in deciding whether or not to grant clearance to the proposed merger. A copy can be found on the Commission’s Clearances Register.
The Commission invites interested parties to provide comments on the likely competitive effects of Trade Me’s proposed acquisition of Motorcentral. Submissions can be sent by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the reference “Trade Me/Motorcentral” in the subject line. Any submissions should be received by close of business on 7 August 2017.
The Commission has also updated its Clearances Register to reflect the indicative time frame for its decision on the proposed merger. We have agreed with Trade Me that we will make a decision by 5 September 2017.
However, this date may change as our investigation progresses. In particular, if we need to test and consider the issues identified further, the decision date is likely to extend.
Background
Trade Me is an online marketplace and classified advertising platform, based in New Zealand. Trade Me operates the "Trade Me Motors" business division, which has services including the provision of online vehicle classified advertising and applications that dealers use to manage and sell their stock. Trade Me is seeking clearance to acquire Motorcentral, whose primary business is the provision of dealer management system software to motor vehicle dealers.
When considering a proposed merger, the Commission must determine whether the competition that would be lost with the merger would be substantial.
We will give clearance to a proposed merger only if we are satisfied that the merger is unlikely to have the effect of substantially lessening competition in a market.
A fact sheet explaining how the Commission assesses a merger application is available on the clearances page
Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, known for making cathedrals and concert halls out of paper, is designing 20,000 new homes for refugees in northwest Kenya. Ban, who won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2014, will be working with the UN Habitat to build homes in the Kalobeyei refugee settlement in Kenya’s Turkana region.
After the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, Ban designed a temporary replacement for the church made out of cardboard.
Ban, a minimalist who uses materials ranging from cardboard and paper to beer crates, is known for his work on emergency housing. He’s built DIY refugee shelters in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide and in Nepal after its 2015 earthquake2015. His paper log houses have been used in Japan, Turkey, and India. In Kenya, Ban says his goal is to design housing simple enough for residents to replicate and maintain by themselves—Kenya’s refugee population, at about 400,000, is expected to continue growing.
“The key thing will be to design and construct shelter where no or little technical supervision is required, and use materials that are locally available and eco-friendly. It’s important that the houses can be easily maintained by inhabitants,” Ban said after visiting the Kalobeyei settlement last week.
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On Wednesday, the council’s Finance Committee is being asked to give urgent funding approval to purchase 17 new battery powered trains, or Independently Powered Electric Multiple Units (IPEMUs) as they’re referred to officially.
The council paper and the full business case notes that the urgency is because a deposit needs to be made by September this year to ensure delivery of these new trains in 2019 which is when the capacity constraints really start to bite. Given how plainly obvious this issue has been for some considerable time, it’s a bit absurd that it now needs to be made so quickly.
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How cheap will air travel become? The chief executive of one low-cost carrier believes flying is destined to become so cheap that airlines will end up paying travellers to fly with them.
Chief executive and founder of WOW Air, Skúli Mogensen, considers that flight pricing is becoming so competitive, airlines eventually will hand out free trips just to get passengers aboard their planes.
Mogensen told Britain’s Daily Telegraph: “In the future we could pay you to fly with us – if you come to us and trust us with your booking, we can see that your airfare is reduced to zero and even reward you for it.”
The secret of the cheaper-than-cheap flights is that the flights would be used as bait, in a similar manner to operators who offer “free” resort stays to consumers – who then spend plenty on airfares. Mogensen believes that as airlines make more money from tie-ins with car hire and hotel bookings, the flights themselves could be given away free to lure customers in.
Here’s a telling sentence about the development from London’s Sun newspaper, which will rile a few agents: “By rewarding loyal customers with free flights, they would then become a one-stop shop for travel, like the old fashioned travel agencies.”
WOW Air is an Icelandic low-cost carrier headquartered in Reykjavík and based at Keflavík International Airport. It favours purple, for livery, décor and uniforms. Founded in 2011 it first flew in 2012.
WOW’s sole owner is Titan, an investment company owned by Mogensen. In 2012, WOW acquired Iceland Express’s operations and network to several destinations in Europe and North America.
WOW Air has sold transatlantic flights in the UK (via Reykjavík) for as little as GBP 150 (AUD 246). It is not giving flights away yet or paying customers to fly with it, but you never know.
Rival Scandinavian low-cost airline Norwegian has reportedly started handing out free return flights or upgrades to its most frequent flyers, but plenty of carriers already do similar for frequent flyers who amass enough points.
| Written by Peter Needham For Global Travel Media || July 25, 2017 |||
This pair of enormous mirrored-steel boxes connected by a glazed bridge were designed by Antonini + Darmon and RMDM, to complement and extend an aluminium-clad archive facility outside Paris.
The CTLES (Technical Centre for Books of Higher Education) is a national public administrative institution located in the Parisian suburb of Bussy-Saint-Georges, around 25 kilometres east of the city centre.
The facility is operated by the Ministry for National Education, Higher Education and Research, and is responsible for the preservation and communication of documents for universities and research centres in Paris.
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Wintec and Waikato District Council will launch a cadetship programme next year that will create employment opportunities for civil engineering students and ensure the council has a highly skilled and qualified workforce.
The cadetship scheme is an opportunity for Wintec students studying the civil elements of the New Zealand Diploma in Engineering and the Bachelor of Engineering Technology. Under the scheme, students will work and study part-time for two years before completing one year of bonded employment with Waikato District Council.
Wintec Chief Executive Mark Flowers says the scheme is a great example of Wintec working with industry partners to deliver real-world training for students and highly qualified graduates to employers.
“I really commend Waikato District Council for driving this initiative – it’s a win win for all. For our students it’s a great opportunity to study and work in a real-world environment and get the benefits of having employment in their chosen career path.
“We’re training students for a rapidly changing world and the practical and soft skills they learn through on the job training are critical for their success. Working with industry also means we continue to be relevant and authentic in what we deliver to meet their needs.”
Waikato District Council will recruit cadets from Wintec year one and two students this year to launch the scheme for the 2018 study year. The aim is to have up to six civil engineering student placements with Waikato District Council by year three.
“We’re delighted to work with Wintec on this scheme and we regard this as an effective recruitment tool,” says Waikato District Council’s General Manager Service Delivery Tim Harty.“The council is considered to be a perfect training ground for students to develop a range of skills, knowledge and technical experience. The cadetship will provide real-life practical experiences as well as the opportunity to be immersed in a range of areas relevant to the cadet’s specific area of study.”
Wintec is also working with other industry partners to secure similar cadetships for its students.
| A Wintec release || July 24, 2017 |||
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242