January 30, 2024

More articles from the category

January 30, 2024

Emirates is expanding flights to Australia

Effective October 1, 2024, Emirates will operate the EK430/431 (Dubai-Brisbane-Dubai) route pair with Airbus A380 aircraft. From December 1, a second daily connection between Dubai and Perth will be launched with a Boeing 777-300ER. From October 1, Emirates' second A380 flight EK430 to Brisbane will depart Dubai at 02:30 and arrive in Brisbane at 22:20. Emirates' return flight EK431 will depart Brisbane at 01:55 and arrive in Dubai at 10:05. The additional flight to Perth will be operated with an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER. From December 1, Emirates flight EK424 will depart Dubai at 9:15 and arrive in Perth the following day at 9:05. The Emirates return flight EK425 departs Perth at 6:00am and arrives in Dubai at 13:10pm. All times are local.

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Vida demands fair pay in the tourism sector

Given the latest overnight stay figures of around 151 overnight stays in 2023, the Vida union is quite annoyed, as it believes that tourism workers have been forgotten in the recovery. Hebenstreit underlines the need to distribute the sector's successes fairly: "These impressive figures prove that the tourism industry in Austria is not only resilient, but also very profitable. These successes have been achieved on the backs of the hard-working people in the industry. It is time for these dedicated employees to share appropriately in the successes. A fair and equitable distribution of the wealth generated is essential. It is unacceptable that the sector is achieving record sales while those who contribute to its success are not adequately remunerated. We demand better working conditions and fair wage increases for all employees in the tourism industry," said Vida chairman Roman Hebenstreit.

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Spain with new records for passengers and overnight stays

In 2023, Spain had more overnight stays than ever before. According to the state statistics office, the number of overnight stays increased by 8,4 percent to 347,1 million - a new record. The previous record, which was achieved in 2019, was exceeded by 1,2 percent. On average, 112,90 euros were paid per overnight stay and room. Compared to the value for 2022, this represents an increase in prices of 8,5 percent. Foreign guests accounted for 225 million overnight stays, 12,6 percent more than in the previous period. Residents of the United Kingdom accounted for 58 million overnight stays and Germans made 40 million overnight stays. The new record is also reflected in aviation, as the vast majority of holidaymakers arrived by plane. In total, Spain had 95 million arriving passengers, 0,5 million more than in the record year of 2019. The figure for the previous period was even exceeded by 18 percent.

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Austria had 151,14 million overnight stays

In 2023, according to preliminary results from Statistics Austria, Austria achieved 151,14 million overnight stays and 45,20 million arrivals in all accommodation establishments. Despite higher prices, overnight stays were only just below the 2019 peak. The strongest increase compared to the previous year was achieved by the federal capital Vienna. With 57,43 million overnight stays and an increase of 7,5 percent over the previous year, German guests continued to be one of the most important and stable source markets for Austria, followed by the Netherlands with an increase of 11,2 percent over the previous year. It is interesting to note that overnight stays are distributed across all accommodation categories with growth rates, with the holiday apartment sector recording the strongest growth. Almost 28 percent of all overnight stays in Austria are now in holiday apartments, private quarters and farm holidays, and the trend is rising. "The annual figures for 2023 show very encouragingly: Austrian tourism continued to grow in 2023 and is only around one percent behind the overnight stay figures of the record year 2019. Domestic demand has returned to its old strength and confirms that Austrian guests consider holidays in Austria as a fixed point in their holiday planning. Foreign demand also increased by 13,5 percent and, with a share of 74 percent of foreign guests, is as international as it was before the pandemic. The desire to travel is therefore unbroken despite challenges such as inflation, short-termism and price sensitivity. This is also a confirmation of the very good price-performance offer in all price and offer categories in Austria," said State Secretary for Tourism Susanne Kraus-Winkler. In the first third of the 2023/24 winter season, total overnight stays also increased by 5,6 percent compared to the previous year, with foreign guests increasing by 6,1 percent.

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Rail strike: Flixbus criticized for high ticket prices

The recent rail strike has brought many additional passengers to Flixbus and Flixtrain, which were not affected by the industrial action. But the company has also come under criticism because the reservation system has temporarily collapsed due to the enormous number of requests. The sharp increase in demand has also led to much higher ticket prices than usual on many routes. Flixbus and Flixtrain are therefore likely to have benefited financially from the strike, which affected their competitor Deutsche Bahn AG. However, it is common practice in the industry for the last seats to be sold at a high price. The supply is likely to have been much lower than the demand.

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Airbus and Tata build H125 final assembly line in India

In cooperation with Tata Sons, a final assembly line for the Airbus H125 helicopter is to be set up in India. The line will serve the Indian market and some neighboring countries. The FAL is the first private sector helicopter manufacturing facility in India and will give a major boost to the Indian government's "AatmaNirbhar Bharat" (Self-Reliant India) program. As part of this partnership, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), a subsidiary of the Tata Group, will set up the plant together with Airbus Helicopters. The FAL in India will take care of the integration of the main components, avionics and mission systems, installation of the electrical harnesses, hydraulic circuits, flight control, dynamic components, fuel system and engine. In addition, it will take care of testing, qualification and delivery of the H125 to customers in India and the region. The FAL will take 24 months to set up and deliveries of the first H125 "Made in India" are expected to begin in 2026. The location of the FAL will be determined jointly by Airbus and the Tata Group.

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Delta no longer accepts bookings from non-IATA travel agencies

The US airline Delta does not want to accept bookings from travel agencies without an IATA license as of January 8, 2024. These can no longer sell tickets via GDS systems. The Swiss Travel Association informed the companies that so-called non-IATA travel agencies can only sell Delta tickets through brokers. The US carrier justified the decision by saying that it was an effort to curb "fraudulent and abusive bookings of Delta fares and other violations". There will be no changes for agencies that have an IATA license. Non-IATA travel agencies outside the USA are dependent on brokers or must alternatively arrange flights for their customers on other airlines. A large number of agencies worldwide are affected, because the vast majority of stationary agencies in particular do not have IATA approval - mostly for cost reasons.

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Mexico: Man opens emergency exit, is arrested and passengers demand release

On January 25, 2024, an Aeromexico passenger at Mexico City Airport thought he had to illegally open an emergency exit of an airplane and board the wing. The man was arrested. The Aeromexico flight AM672, which was supposed to fly from Mexico City to La Aurora, was affected. The flight was significantly delayed and the climatic conditions on board the Boeing 737 were said to be uncomfortable. Local media even report that many passengers even celebrated the man's action, so that fresh air came on board the medium-haul jet. It does not seem to have been a typical reflex action of a confused traveler, but rather a kind of protest. On social media, some of those affected write that they had to wait around 5,5 hours with the air conditioning turned off and without water in the plane, which was parked right at the gate. They were refused permission to leave the plane and the crew was generally reticent about when the flight would finally take off. Even when asked, the ventilation was not switched on and no water was served. At some point, the "unruly PAX" seems to have lost his temper and illegally opened an emergency exit and left the Boeing 737. He is said to have danced around on one of the wings. Local media reports indicate that many passengers applauded and celebrated the man's actions, because fresh air was finally getting into the cabin. Passengers are petitioning for immediate release The captain saw things quite differently and called the police. They are said to have arrested the unruly PAX, who

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Tui Cruises also wants to refuel Mein Schiff 7 with methanol

The shipping company Tui Cruises has announced that it has signed a contract with Mabanaft for the supply of methanol, which is to come from renewable sources. Initially, the fuel will be made available at German ports. In a further expansion phase, refueling with methanol will also be possible at other European locations. Initially, the "Mein Schiff 7", which is due to enter service in summer 2024, will be able to use this fuel. In the future, it is conceivable that other cruise ships from Tui Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd will be converted to use this fuel.

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Quarterly figures: Wizz Air doubles operating loss

The Wizz Air Group incurred a significantly higher loss in the third quarter of the current 2023 financial year than management had forecast. This is primarily attributed to the fact that numerous A320neo/A321neo aircraft could not be used temporarily due to engine problems. The conflicts in the Middle East are also said to have had a negative impact on revenue. In direct comparison with the same period last year, Wizz Air was able to increase the capacity offered by 20 percent. Compared to the Corona year 2020, the offer was even 50 percent higher. From this, the group derives its own claim that it is the fastest growing airline in the world. The current 2023 financial year does not coincide with the calendar year, but ends in March 2024. Regarding the fourth quarter, the company is confident that it will be in the black. Wizz Air is also maintaining its forecast that it will close the financial year with a net profit. Loss twice as high as forecast In the third quarter of the current period, an operating loss of 180 million euros was incurred. For comparison: In the same period last year, the deficit was 155 million euros. This means that Wizz Air has not reduced its losses, but rather increased them. Previously, it was assumed that a loss of 2023 million euros would have to be reported for the third quarter of the 93 financial year. This amount was then approximately twice as high. Nevertheless, CEO Jozsef Varadi is sticking to his forecast that the airline will be in the black for the full year. This is said to be due, among other things, to the very strong summer business. Most recently, Wizz Air was able to

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