Category: Top Stories

German flag carrier Lufthansa has announced that it will cut 20% of its leadership positions and 1,000 administrative jobs, in a restructuring plan to cope with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.  After downsizing the executive board of the Lufthansa parent company, the corporation is now also planning similar actions at its subsidiaries, with Lufthansa Cargo AG, LSG Group, and Lufthansa Aviation Training set to lose one board position each.  The airline said that it would also halve its investment in new aircraft, although it could still add up to 80 new planes by 2023. According to a statement, ... Read more

United Airlines has warned that 36,000 employees, nearly half its US staff, could be furloughed in October in a clear indication of how deeply the virus pandemic is hurting the airline industry. The outlook for a recovery in the airline industry has dimmed in just the past two weeks, as infection rates rise in the US and some states impose new quarantine requirements on travellers, according to a PTI report. Airlines say they must shrink to match falling travel demand. American Airlines executives have said they could have 20,000 more employees than the airline will need this fall. United told ... Read more

Hyatt says all of its hotels in the Asia Pacific region have completed the first phase of its new cleanliness programme, Business Traveller reports. All 149 hotels in the region have hired “hygiene and wellbeing leaders”, a measure that is part of the hotel group’s Global Care and Cleanliness Commitment, which was announced in early May to restore confidence in travel. Other hygiene and safety measures introduced in phase one include providing alcohol wipes at restaurants and as part of in-room amenities, knock-and-go room service, “increased frequency” of cleaning air filters, implementation of a new wellness policy for colleagues, and ... Read more

The Boris Johnson government is under pressure to strip British Airways of valuable landing slots at UK airports amid concern about the airline’s plan to cut 12,000 jobs, according to a report in the Daily Mail. More than 100 British members of parliament from various political parties are asking the prime minister to reconsider British Airways’ right to slots at airports such as Heathrow, the newspaper said. The mounting political pressure comes after British Airways revealed it would cut about 28% of its 42,000 workers as it struggles to survive amid the coronavirus pandemic. The airline holds more than half ... Read more

Marriott has expanded its AC Hotels brand to Japan, with the opening of the 296-room AC Hotel by Marriott Tokyo Ginza. Located in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district, the hotel’s modern glass and stone façade makes it a standout landmark in the heart of the capital’s luxury shopping, culinary and fashion scene. “We are thrilled to be bringing AC Hotels by Marriott to Ginza – one of Tokyo’s most esteemed neighbourhoods,” said Rajeev Menon, President, Asia Pacific (excluding China), Marriott International. “This represents a milestone in the expansion of our European-inspired lifestyle hotel brand in this region, and further compliments Marriott ... Read more

Emirates, the leading Dubai-based carrier, is set to cut as many as 9,000 jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to the crisis, Emirates had 60,000 staff members. In a conversation with the BBC, Emirates president Tim Clark said the airline had already cut a tenth of its staff but said: “We will probably have to let go of a few more, probably up to 15%.” The global airline industry has been severely impacted by coronavirus, with activity all but grinding to a halt. Tim told the BBC that the airline was “not as badly off as others”. But its ... Read more

The Russian tourism industry has lost 187 billion euros over the past six months due to coronavirus, and it will take at least a year and a half to restore the industry to pre-crisis levels, president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Andrei Ignatiev said, citing data from the Federal Tourism Agency. However, Ignatiev said that the situation has begun to change for the better. He said about 2.5 million people work in the tourism industry in Russia and 5-6 million people work in related industries. Tourism has already begun in the region, he noted, and expressed hope that ... Read more

The Dekho Apna Desh webinar series titled ‘Uttarakhand Simply Heaven’ highlighted the potential of tourism in Uttarakhand’s two regions namely Kedar Khand (Garhwal Region) and Manu Khand (Kumaon Region) and touched upon popular destination like Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Hemkhund Sahib and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Valley of Flowers. The webinar session was presented by Pushpesh Pant, an eminent scholar, food historian and an expert in international relations, Ganesh Saili, a renowned author, noted photographer and an authority on the history of Uttarakhand and Shashank Pandey, a certified outbound trainer, MD of Aspen Adventures, Rishikesh. The session was ... Read more

Leisure tourists who would like to visit Thailand during a soft reopening may have to spend at least 14 days within designated areas, though a negative test for Covid-19 after two weeks would free them to go anywhere in the country, Bangkok Post has reported. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the tourism and sports minister, said his ministry has talked with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha about creating a travel bubble for tourists, requiring them to plan a trip with a minimum 14-day stay. Instead of being kept in quarantine, tourists could still travel within five designated areas: Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Krabi, Phuket ... Read more

With Covid-19 throwing a spanner in the works of the international aviation industry, the well-heeled traveller is looking to engage private jets and chartered flights even more regularly. A chartered flight is an unscheduled flight that is not part of a regular airline’s routing. A chartered flight is any aircraft, whether an 8-seater private jet or a 180-seater airliner, exclusively rented for an itinerary.  They are usually classified into group charters or individual client flights.  With a group charter flight, the flying experience is determined by whomever is chartering the plane, whether it be for a special tour, or group travel or a ... Read more

Punjab’s Tourism Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has directed the officials of the department to complete all projects on time, after assessing the situation along with the concerned officials. Principal Secretary Tourism & Cultural Affairs Hussan Lal, IAS, along with Director, Tourism and Cultural Affairs Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar held a review meeting to discuss the deadlines regarding completion of all projects. During the meeting the officials inspected the work on the Medal Gallery & Coin Museum being developed at Mohindra Kothi, Patiala, which is being done at an approximate cost of Rs. 8.95 crores with the help of the Asian Development ... Read more

The Croatian authorities have decided to open their borders for all travellers who intend to enter the country for business, tourism, or other personal reasons, including Americans. Despite the EU-wide entry ban on United States citizens, Croatia (a non-Schengen EU Member State), has taken the matter on its own hands and opened the borders to all EU/EEA nationals and individuals holding permanent residence in the EU/EEA countries, and more. According to a notice of the US Embassy in Zagreb, published in its official website, all third-country nationals have been eligible to enter Croatia since July 1.“All other foreign nationals, including ... Read more

Etihad Airways on Friday said it will operate a limited number of special flights from six Indian cities to Abu Dhabi between July 12 and July 26 for eligible passengers. The airline said it will operate services to Abu Dhabi from Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. “Eligible passengers include UAE nationals and residents as well as people with relevant UAE entry approvals from India. All passengers must have ICA approval from the government of Abu Dhabi before they travel and will not be permitted to check-in without the necessary approvals,” the airline said in its press release. ICA ... Read more

Saint Lucia has introduced several new and updated protocols for arrivals from July 9, following a reassessment of market conditions. Travellers will be required to obtain a negative PCR (polymerised chain reaction) test within seven days of travel unless they are arriving from countries in the travel bubble designated by the government of Saint Lucia. Visitors travelling only from destinations that have zero or a low instance of Covid-19 cases will be exempt from the seven-day pre-testing requirement, Breaking Travel News has reported. These destinations currently include Antigua, Barbuda, Aruba, Anguilla, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, ... Read more

AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes on Thursday said the low-cost airline can bounce back to profitability next year, but that it will look to raise 2 billion ringgit ($469 million) in the next six months to be in a “very comfortable” position. In an interview with Nikkei Asian Review, Fernandes expressed confidence that AirAsia can overcome heavy losses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Malaysia-based company said earlier on Thursday that it was working to raise more than 1 billion ringgit ($234 million). Air Asia gave details of its plans after its shares fell sharply on Wednesday following a ... Read more