Jan 31, 2018 - It rains a lot on the West Coast, some might say that is a bad thing, but as Andrew Robb, Chairman of the West Coast Governance Group stated in his foreword of the Tai Poutini West Coast Economic Development Action Plan 2017*Ref1 "The West Coast is full of potential. Many of the characteristics of the region that have traditionally been seen as barriers will be the keys to our future success." (2017, Pg2) His foreword continued "This is the time for us as West Coasters to grasp these opportunities, to celebrate and market our identity, tell the world our positive stories and that the region is open for business." (Robb, 2017, Pg2)
Jan 31, 2018 - Qantas has overhauled its Brisbane to Los Angeles, replacing the Boeing 747-400 currently operating this route with Dreamliners. The Dreamliner will then continue on as QF11/12, Qantas’ connecting service between Los Angeles and New York (JFK), carrying passengers connecting from Sydney and Melbourne services as well as from Brisbane.
Jan 26, 2018 - American Airlines has opened its new Flagship Lounge and Flagship First Dining facilities at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Hong Kong knows how to throw a party, particularly when the Sevens comes to town! From the amazing skyline to the equally amazing fans, your time in Hong Kong will last long in the memory and this is your chance to see all the action, live!
Jan 19, 2018 - United Airlines intends to add a premium economy section with comfortable recliner seats on long-haul aircraft soon, matching a product already offered by American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, its two main competitors.
United will call the cabin Premium Plus, and it will feature several free perks business class travelers usually receive, including meals served on china, alcoholic beverages, a Saks Fifth Avenue blanket and pillow, and an amenity kit. In an internal note, later put on the company blog, United said it will “begin to introduce” the product later this year, though it’s not clear on what flights or routes.
United’s seat is expected to be similar, if not identical, to the recliners Delta and American already fly. Both competitors have seats that are nearly identical to U.S. domestic first class, with seats about 18 or 19 inches wide, with roughly 38 inches of pitch.
Delta introduced its Premium Select cabin late last year on its new Airbus A350s, which fly some of its longest routes, often to Asia, and plans to add the cabin on its Boeing 777s. Last month, Delta executives told investors that on the Detroit to Tokyo Narita route, the first with premium economy, the product had an 85 percent load factor during its first month, with an average fare at 1.7 times coach.
American also started selling Premium Economy last year, with its Boeing 777-200s and Boeing 787-9s getting it first, followed by Boeing 777-300ERs and Airbus A330-200s.
United should debut its version just as it ends first class service on long-haul routes. Some of United’s Boeing 767-300s and Boeing 777-200s still have a true first class cabin, a relic from before United’s merger with Continental Airlines. Under the new cabin arrangement, United will again have three classes, but they’ll be different — business class, premium economy, and economy class.
A United spokeswoman declined to add information about the airline’s plans for Premium Plus, saying “we will have additional details to share at a later date.”
Polaris Lounges
Also, United intends to soon commit to customers that it will open four Polaris lounges for long-haul business class customers later this year, according to employee communications.
The lounges have been delayed due to construction problems, and recently United removed expected opening dates from its website, leading some to ask if any lounges would open in 2018. But United now plans to tell customers that lounges in San Francisco, Newark, and Houston will open this summer, with Los Angeles coming this fall.
The lounges, which are more opulent than United’s typical clubs, feature shower suites, rest pods with day beds, and preflight dining.
United’s only existing lounge, in Chicago, has been so popular it often has been overcrowded, forcing the airline to expand it.
Source: Skift | January 18, 2018 |||
Jan 17, 2018 - Fonterra has launched a new fresh milk product in China in partnership with Hema Fresh, Alibaba’s innovative new retail concept which combines traditional bricks-and-mortar shopping with a digital experience. The new Daily Fresh milk range is now available in Hema’s 14 stores in Shanghai and Suzhou in 750mL bottles, sourced directly from Fonterra’s farm hub in Hebei province. The product boasts unique product labels to match each day of the week in order to emphasise freshness, with stock being replenished overnight ready for each new day.
Jan 12, 2018 - Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, completed a year of strong growth in 2017. The air cargo carrier’s robust performance, set against the backdrop of a resurgent global air cargo market, was underlined by the introduction of specialised customer focused air transportation solutions across a number of industry verticals and by continued investment in infrastructure.
Jan 10, 2018 - Emirates and flydubai will offer travellers even more connectivity and flight options in 2018, with new codeshare flights planned to Krakow in Poland from 8 April, and Catania in Italy from 13 June. Both Dubai-based airlines currently offer customers a breadth of travel options across their complementary networks, with codeshares to 81 destinations and more to follow.
The partnership initially began with codeshare flights to 29 cities, and this has quickly expanded to meet demand as customers realise the benefits of increased flight frequencies, expanded access to global destinations on a single ticket, the convenience of checking in their baggage through to the final destination, smooth transfers during transit in Dubai, and more.
In the two months since the first codeshare flights took off on 29 October, over 165,000 passengers have benefitted from the partnership.
Click here to see the list of Emirates and flydubai partnership codeshare destinations.
Smooth journeys
Emirates and flydubai will continue to offer travel experiences reflecting their individual brands. For bookings under the codeshare, Emirates passengers will receive complimentary meals and the Emirates checked baggage allowance on flights operated by flydubai in Business and Economy class.
Connecting via Dubai’s ultra-modern hub offers a smooth transfer experience and under the partnership, passengers will benefit from a reduced minimum connection time of 120 minutes between Emirates’ home in Terminal 3 and flydubai’s in Terminal 2.
More benefits for frequent flyers
Emirates Skywards members earn Skywards miles and Skywards Tier Miles on codeshare flights as per the existing Skywards programme.
In addition to the Emirates free checked baggage allowance, Skywards Premium members can also enjoy their extra checked baggage allowances of 20kg (Platinum members) 16kg (Gold members) and 12kg (Silver members) on codeshare flights operated by flydubai.
Skywards Silver, Gold and Platinum members travelling on codeshare flights can access flydubai’s Business Check-in counters and receive priority tags.
Further benefits for members of each airline’s frequent flyer and loyalty programmes will be announced in due course.
| An Emirates release || January 10, 2018 |||
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