As it prepares to launch international services from Apia to Auckland and Sydney, Samoa’s new international airline, Samoa Airways, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Fiji Airways writes Peter Needham for eGlobal Media. Under the MOU, the airlines will jointly pursue commercial opportunities and partnerships. Fiji Airways will provide initial support – through its established infrastructure in sales, commercial, operations and maintenance – to help launch Samoa Airways’ international services. “We are happy to play a support role to help reboot Samoa’s international airline”, Fiji Airways’ managing director and chief executive, Andre Viljoen, said.http://travelindustryexpo.com.au/?utm_source=Global%20Travel%20Media&utm_medium=Banners Samoan Prime Minister, Tuilaepa…

 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…

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…

Air New Zealand has announced it will nearly double capacity on its seasonal Auckland to Denpasar service in 2018 and will also extend the season it flies there by almost two months. The airline currently operates two services per week from Auckland to Denpasar International Airport between the end of May and mid-October, increasing to three services per week during peak times. Next year the airline’s Auckland to Bali season will start at the beginning of April with up to five services operating per week using the airline’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, subject to regulatory approval. Air New Zealand Chief Revenue…

Air New Zealand’s inaugural service to Haneda Tokyo has departed with the Boeing 787-9 aircraft scheduled to touch down in Tokyo at 11.00pm (local time). The new Haneda service will depart Auckland on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from July - May, offering customers a second point of entry to the Japanese capital alongside the airline’s daily flights to Narita Tokyo Airport. Air New Zealand Chief Revenue Officer Cam Wallace says demand for travel between the two countries continues to soar and the new Auckland-Haneda direct route will boost annual capacity to Japan by 15%. “Located just 20 kilometres from downtown…

In another airline inducement for customers to book directly online, Tigerair Australia has decided to let customers freeze their fares – holding a fare price for 48 hours – for a small fee. The offer is valid only for customers who book online and applies only to routes nominated by Tigerair. Some other airlines, notably Air New Zealand, offer similar services, although they charge more it than Tigerair will. For AUD 3 per person per sector, Tigerair customers can put a freeze on an attractive airfare they are viewing. Tierair says this will give them extra time to confirm their…

Auckland Airport has confirmed that a Mott MacDonald-led consortium will spearhead the design of its new integrated terminal. The consortium, which also includes Grimshaw, Architectus and Holmes Consulting, has been appointed to concept design a combined domestic and international terminal at the New Zealand gateway. The project forms part of the airport’s Terminal Development Plan, which aims to provide an expanded single terminal to accommodate further growth in international and domestic air travel. Auckland Airport has experienced significant growth in passenger numbers over recent years and has committed to building a world-class airport that can serve New Zealand in the…

Emirates and flydubai have unveiled an extensive partnership which will see the two Dubai-based airlines join forces to offer customers unmatched travel options. Both airlines will continue to be managed independently, but will leverage each other’s network to scale up their operations and accelerate growth. The innovative partnership goes beyond code-sharing and includes integrated network collaboration with coordinated scheduling. The new model will give flydubai customers seamless connectivity to Emirates’ worldwide destinations spanning six continents. For Emirates’ customers, it opens up flydubai’s robust regional network. The two airlines will also further develop their hub at Dubai International, aligning their systems…

Turning up to the airport with an expired passport will be a thing of the past for Air New Zealand customers, with the airline’s mobile app now able to scan and save passport information and send a timely reminder when it’s time to renew. Every month around 550 customers turn up to the airport with an expired passport, triggering a stressful situation for would be travellers. Air New Zealand customers can now save themselves the stress and embarrassment by using their smartphone camera to capture and save their passport details. Not only will this streamline their check-in experience, it also…

American Airlines is none too happy about Qatar Airways’ offer to buy a stake in the business, saying it was “unsolicited”. According to Sky News, Qatar CEO Akbar Al-Baker told American CEO Doug Parker that he wants to acquire about 10 per cent of the airline’s stock, which would cost about $US2.4 billion ($AU3.2 billion). Qatar said it plans to buy an initial stake of up to 4.75 per cent of American’s stock, before expanding to the full 10. But Parker was not enthused with the gesture, and expressed this in a memo to staff. “We aren’t particularly excited about…