Cebu Pacific expands route network
Cebu Pacific (CEB) will expand its domestic destination network with thrice-weekly flights between Manila and Marinduque, commencing on April 1.
The route will be operated by subsidiary Cebgo using its fleet of brand-new ATR aircraft on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The hour-long flight will shorten the travelling time from Manila to Marinduque by seven hours; the original trip takes eight hours by ferry and land transport.
In addition, CEB will launch three new domestic routes from Clark International Airport. CEB will mount daily flights between its hubs in Clark and Iloilo; as well as between Clark and Bacolod, starting August 9, 2019. Beginning October 9, 2019, CEB will mount daily flights between Clark and Puerto Princesa in Palawan.
Garuda spreads wings to Nagoya
Garuda Indonesia will soon launch a four-times weekly service between Jakarta and Nagoya on March 23.
Available on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the route will be operated with an Airbus A330 aircraft that offers 36 business class and 186 economy class seats.
GA884 will take off at 23.35 from from Soekarno Hatta International Airport and arrive in Chubu Centrair International Airport at 07.25 the next day. Return flight GA885 will leave Nagoya at 10.00 and arrive in Jakarta at 15.00.
Hainan Airlines launches two new routes
China’s Hainan Airlines has launched two new routes to Japan and France.
The first is between Haikou, capital of Hainan Province, and Osaka. The route will utilise a Boeing 737-800 aircraft and operate thrice-weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The outbound flight takes off from Haikou at 08.40, and will arrive in Osaka at 13.40. The return flight will depart Osaka at 14.40, and land in Haikou at 19.15.
On March 24, Hainan Airlines will also launch a weekly flight between Guiyang and Paris.
The airline will be serviced by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and takes off every Sunday. HU731 will depart Guiyang at 01.30 and arrive in Paris at 06.20. The return flight, HU732, will leave Paris at 12.30, and arrive back in Guiyang at 08.30 the following day.
This is the airline’s fourth non-stop route from mainland China to Paris following Xi’an-Paris, Chongqing-Paris and Shenzhen-Paris.
SIA embarks on wellness journey with Como
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Singapore-based wellness brand Como Shambhala, part of the Como Group, have signed an MoU to bring wellness-related in-flight offerings to travellers.
Under the initial phase of this partnership, Como Shambhala will introduce its wellness cuisine on selected SIA flights in 2H2019.
These dishes will feature seasonal ingredients sourced sustainably. A new wellness menu featuring specially curated dishes will then be introduced across all classes, and co-developed dishes will progressively be made available in SIA’s Book the Cook service.
Lufthansa and Amadeus renews technology partnership
The Lufthansa Group and Amadeus have renewed their longstanding technology partnership.
Through the deal, Amadeus’ Altéa Passenger Service System (PSS) will continue to provide Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines with their IT systems for reservation, inventory and departure control. In addition, the Lufthansa Group and Amadeus are also expanding their partnership to add further areas of collaboration. Areas in which Amadeus technology is supporting the Lufthansa Group range from operations, and merchandising & shopping to disruptions management.
Japan Airlines (JAL) and Travelport Worldwide will establish a joint venture to take ownership of Travelport Japan KK and JAL’s fully owned subsidiary, Axess International Network, and establish a GDS tailored to the needs of the Japanese travel industry.
The proposed joint venture, which will operate under the unified Travelport Axess brand name, is expected to be formed on June 1, 2019 following the signing of a definitive agreement between both companies.
Under the planned agreement, Travelport will hold a majority stake in Travelport Axess, with JAL controlling the remaining stake and playing an active role in the joint venture.
Travelport Axess will continue to offer travel agents services through Axess’ GDS platform, Axess, and enable access to Travelport’s GDS platforms, Apollo and Galileo.
The proposed joint venture will provide online, mobile and corporate travel propositions including global booking and expense management tools as well as access to New Distribution Capability (NDC) content for Japanese travel agencies and their customers.
Gordon Wilson, president and CEO of Travelport, commented: “This announcement and our ongoing partnership with JAL is a significant advance in the provision of state-of-the-art technology for the Japanese travel industry. We are very excited about the growth opportunities it presents for our mutual travel agency customers.”
Yoriyuki Kashiwagi, JAL’s executive officer of international passenger sales, said that Travelport Axess will enable “Japanese travel agents to respond to growing global demands by offering services based on state-of-the-art technology”.
Travelport Japan and Axess will continue to operate independently, with a gradual integration programme to combine the two organisations commencing later this year.