LESS than one year after being invited to join global airline alliance Oneworld (TTG Asia e-Daily, October 9, 2012), Qatar Airways has announced that it will become a full member of Oneworld as of October 30.

British Airways, which is sponsoring Qatar Airways’ entrance into the alliance, successfully completed a thorough review of the latter’s readiness and paved the way for the clearance.

Beginning October 30, Qatar Airways passengers can avail of Oneworld’s full range of services and benefits, such as earning frequent flyer privileges when travelling with any Oneworld alliance member.

Privilege Club Platinum cardholders will have Emerald status in the Oneworld programme; Privilege Club Gold will be equivalent to Oneworld Sapphire; and Privilege Club Silver will be Oneworld Ruby.

Privilege Club Platinum and Gold members will also be able to access 550 airport lounges offered by alliance member airlines, while Qatar Airways’ First and Business Class passengers can also use Oneworld partner airline lounges.

Frequent flyers on Oneworld member airlines can also earn and redeem awards and tier status points on Qatar Airways, as well as other Oneworld benefits.

CARLSON Rezidor Hotel Group is ramping up its Asia-Pacific portfolio with seven new hotel signings in 2Q2013, including a management deal that will see the group’s entry into Indonesia.

Simon C Barlow, president, Asia-Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said: “Carlson Rezidor Asia-Pacific closed the second quarter of 2013 on a strong note, especially in the key market of India, where 25 per cent of all the deals signed in Q2 were for Carlson Rezidor hotels, according to Horwarth’s Q2 Hotel Deal Signing Report.

“These seven new deals place us in good stead as we build our portfolio in Indonesia, grow our presence in China and reinforce our leadership position in India. We are continuing to take the lead in India and expect to open eight more new hotels in India before year-end.”

The group will add four new properties in India: the 200-key Radisson Blu Mumbai Essel World, expected to open in 4Q2014; the 84-key Country Inns & Suites By Carlson Kota in 2Q2016; the 87-key Country Inns & Suites By Carlson Raipur in 3Q2016; and the 100-key Country Inns & Suites By Carlson Noida Extension in 3Q2016.

Carlson Rezidor will also up its Shanghai presence with the 200-key Radisson Shanghai Qingpu and the 250-room Radisson Shanghai Pudong Jinqiao. Both are slated for opening in 3Q2013.

Meanwhile, Radisson Batam will usher in the company to the Indonesian market in 2H2015. The 222-key hotel is located within the Bukit Indah Sukajadi development comprising a golf course, residential units, offices, as well as commercial and retail spaces.

ROYAL Caribbean International has unveiled next year‘s summer itineraries for Voyager of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas, featuring sailings to the East Asian destinations of South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

Between March and November 2014, Mariner of the Seas will offer roundtrip cruises from Shanghai (Baoshan) to South Korea on three- to six-night itineraries. Ports of call include Seoul (Incheon), Busan, Jeju Island or Yeosu (Gangyang).

The ship will then end the season with an eight-night trip from Shanghai (Baoshan) to Singapore, calling on Xiamen, Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City.

Sister vessel Voyager of the Seas kicks off the season on April 10 with a 10-night sailing out of Singapore to Tokyo, with stops at Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Taipei (Keelung) and Nagasaki.

From Tokyo, Voyager will embark on a six-night roundtrip sailing from Tokyo to South Korea and Nagoya on April 20, followed by two Japan cruises, a four-night itinerary from Tokyo to Taipei (Keelung) on May 5, and a seven-night roundtrip itinerary from Taipei (Keelung) on May 9.

Between June and September, the ship will sail four- to six-night Korean itineraries roundtrip from Beijing (Tianjin), and call on Seoul (Incheon), Yeosu (Gangyang), Busan and Jeju Island.

It departs on September 10 for a seven-night Japan and South Korea cruise from Beijing (Tianjin) to Hong Kong. Out of Hong Kong, Voyager will depart on roundtrip four-, five- and seven-night Japan and Taiwan cruises throughout September and October.

Voyager of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas are two of six Royal Caribbean ships offering the DreamWorks Experience, and summer itineraries are now open for sale.

THAI Airways International (THAI) will launch an investigation into last night’s incident at Suvarnabhumi Airport, where one of the airline’s planes skidded off the runway upon landing.

The Airbus A330-300 aircraft had departed Guangzhou at 21.25 and arrived in the Thai capital at 23.20, carrying 288 passengers and 14 cabin crew members.

In an official statement, THAI said that the aircraft’s landing gear had malfunctioned after touchdown, causing the plane to skid off the runway. Sparks were also noticed near the right landing gear close to the engine.

After the plane came to a complete stop, passengers were evacuated via the aircraft’s emergency exits and the 13 passengers who suffered minor injuries were transferred to the hospital.

The Bangkok Post reported THAI president Sorajak Kasemsuvan as saying that the runway was closed to flights as the aircraft had not been moved, but there was no need to divert flights to Don Mueang Airport.

Nevertheless, delays are expected for both inbound and outbound flights today, he said.

DESPITE the decline in the rupiah against the US dollar and aggressive competition from Thailand, Indonesia’s travel trade stakeholders have said that lowering prices to further attract overseas visitors is not on their short-term agenda.

The rupiah last month dipped to Rp11,330 per US dollar on August 22, the lowest it has been since 2009, though it made a slight recovery by the end of the month.

Marintur Indonesia’s executive director, Ismail Ali, said: “Indonesia as a destination is becoming more affordable for travellers who come and spend their money here.

“However, as far as packaged tours by tour operators (from visitors’ countries of origin) are concerned, they will cost more or less the same, as the biggest price component is airfare.”

Before the stabilisation of the rupiah over the last few years, local inbound operators and hoteliers were asked by overseas travel partners to lower their prices in US dollars whenever there was a fall in the Indonesian currency.

While stakeholders TTG Asia e-Daily spoke to have not received any such requests as yet due to ongoing contracts, rates may become a point of debate when the next contracting season arrives.

Indonesia Hotel and Restaurant Association chairman, Yanti Sukamdani, explained: “In terms of operational costs, the impact (of a weaker rupiah) is much lower than that of the increase in oil prices, because the import component in hotel operations today is minimum.

“In terms of revenue, those who trade in the US dollar – such as hotels who have contracts with overseas tour operators or whose markets are international travellers – are gaining, but the majority of hotels in Indonesia today cater for the domestic market, and in rupiah.”

When asked if this was not a good time to reduce prices to compete with Thailand, Aneka Kartika Tours and Travel Services’ Surabaya operations manager, Adjie Wahjono, said: “The airfare component is around 60 per cent of the packaged tour price.

“With or without the weakening of the rupiah, airfares to Indonesia are always higher than to Thailand, so cutting the cost of the land component does not make much of a difference. Thailand can offer competitive prices with government support. Can we do the same?”

HOGG Robinson Group (HRG) last week introduced its new mobile solution in China for the corporate travel industry, a BlueSky-enabled online booking tool for mobile users.

Said Yates Fei, director of sales and account management at HRG China: “The current BlueSky platform that HRG provides on desktop computers is now available via the new mobile app, elevating the experience for the business traveller. This is in line with the global HRG strategy in relations to mobile customer solutions, where the provisions of localised solutions are available.”

The app gives users access to a range of information, including real-time flight searches, booking details, and corporate travel policies and approvals.

It is available for all mobile operating systems such as Android, Apple, Windows and BlackBerry.

FLIGHT delays and cancellations cost airlines more than dollars and cents, and responses to such situations must take a customer-focused approach, according to a new study.

Commissioned by Amadeus and written by Norm Rose, senior technology and corporate market analyst of PhoCusWright, Passengers first: Re-thinking irregular operationsproposes that changing the way airlines handle delays, cancellations and missed connections could minimise the effects on future booking behaviour and customer loyalty.

The study, which included a survey of 2,800 travellers from Australia, Brazil, China, the UK and the US, showed that two of global travellers’ top five most common frustrations were the lack of sufficient communication and conflicting communication about what was happening.

The report recommends that airlines:

– Deliver a standard service approach to disruptions. By incorporating a standard service approach to passenger itinerary changes, airlines only need extend their processes to travellers instead of reacting to the situation.

– Implement an intelligent one-click solution that allows passengers to choose re-accommodation alternatives in case of itinerary disruptions, and invest in systems for a better understanding of each passenger’s needs.

– Introduce an integrated, cross-departmental approach to customer service to provide passengers with authoritative, personalised and proactive communication.

– Adopt a different approach to social media. Besides conducting promotional activities, airlines can embrace analytical tools and practise social mapping to better understand the impact of disruptions on their brand and the sentiment of passengers.

Rose commented: “Many airlines around the world have challenges in measuring the true cost of irregular operations on customer sentiment. Whilst carriers are aware of the direct costs associated with delays and cancellations – US airlines alone lost US$7.2 billion as a result of disruption in 2012 – those figures do not tell the whole story.

“When travellers post negative messages on Twitter or decide never to book with a particular carrier again after being kept waiting for several hours at the airport, this results in an indirect loss of revenue for airlines which is often difficult to measure. A passenger-centric approach requires a re-evaluation of irregular operations management, to enable airlines to better serve customers and protect revenues”.