Travel News Weekly - 2 June 2010

SouTHERN AfRICA’S TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY

June 2 2010 I No. 2109

TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY

INSIDE

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NEWS

ASh CloUd CriSiS

AgENTZoNE

MyStery Shopper

fEATurE

Corporates turn to agents

TNW checks out online holidays

Adventurers opt for cruise tours

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CrUiSing

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Page 10

Cough up yQ/yr, airlines told Rachael Penaluna

A

We’re here for you!

Ethiopian Airlines plans to establish a global call centre that will provide customers with access to its services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The initial phase of the call centre service is planned to go live in June covering North America, Europe and Asia. The project will be completed in three phases through October, covering the rest of the world. Services encompass reservations, sales, ticketing, flight information, flight irregularity handling, Sheba Miles enrolment and support programmes and other similar queries. The centre will have the capacity to reach customers at short notice and send information using multi-media channels such as email and SMS. Waiting to take your call are (from left) sales manager, Pierre du Plessis, sales executive, Enrico Esterhuizen, and reservations consultant, Annalize Martin Photo: Tijana Huysamen

9W partners with Voyager Jeanette PhilliPs JET Airways has partnered with SAA’s Voyager programme, enabling members of both FFPs to earn and spend miles on both airlines.

However, the new agreement, according to Alex Cost, Jet Airways gm Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, should not be confused with a codeshare agreement with SAA. “No codeshare has been signed between the two airlines to date. An agreement is in place for a partnership between the two frequent flyer

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programmes alone and no codeshare is necessary for this,” said Alex.

The arrangement allows Voyager members to collect and redeem miles on Jet Airways’ daily Johannesburg services to Mumbai as well as on its regional services and domestic, all economy Jet Airways Konnect flights.

Jet Airways has also forged a commercial agreement with SAA allowing it to provide competitive and convenient connectivity to and from South Africa’s major cities, including Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth as well as regional destinations. n

rECENT court judgment in Australia ruling that airline fuel surcharges could not be considered a tax but rather were part of the fare, could see travel agents worldwide demand that airlines repay millions of rands in commission on the surcharge component.

The Australian ruling forces airlines to include the fuel surcharge in their base figure for calculating commissions paid to agents.

Australian commercial litigation lawyer for Slater & Gordon Lawyers, Steve Lewis, who represented agencies against Qantas in this case, says the decision of the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia found that “under the Iata Passenger Sales Agency Agreement, Qantas (and by definition all international airlines) is bound to pay commission to travel agents on the fuel surcharges component of international published fares as the fuel surcharge is part of the applicable fare.”

Says Steve: “Applying this judgment, it can be argued that airlines in South Africa must pay (agents) commission on the fuel surcharges and refund the fuel surcharge if the airfare is also refunded as the fuel surcharge is part of the applicable fare.”

But it is this second point that continues to rile agencies as several airlines have a policy not to refund the fuel surcharge component of the

ticket even if the traveller has not flown on any of the segments and therefore has not ‘used’ any fuel.

Because most airlines consider the YQ tax to be part of the basic fare, basic fare conditions on nonrefundable tickets apply in the case of a refund of the YQ tax.

British Airways, one of the airlines that does not refund the surcharge component, does refund charges payable to third parties like airport authorities and government, but as fuel is “an integral part of the cost of the fare” it does not refund this surcharge if the fare is nonrefundable. Virgin Atlantic’s policy is the same.

This appears to be the bare minimum required by the EU Consumer Protection Commission as it mandates that passengers have a “clear legal right” to be refunded “all airport fees and government charges” that are not due. No mention of fuel surcharge refunds is made. Cathay Pacific, on the other hand, does charge the fuel surcharge as a YQ tax and if an unused ticket is refunded, regardless of the fare rules, all taxes, including the fuel surcharge, are refunded. Emirates, for instance, builds the surcharge into the basic fare, which means that the fare rules apply in all instances when a refund is sought.

Asata says the practice of not refunding fuel surcharges is “misleading”. It says: “It is standard To page 2

NEWS Top web stories ● CAA announces new ash operating rules ● TNW pick of the week: 50% of Cape Town hotel rooms empty ● BA latest: updated flight information ● Breaking news: strike shock for travellers ● Agents only: Southern Sun Riverside Hotel ● Road restrictions at ORTIA

Ash cloud crisis – corporates turn to agents Natasha tippel

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NW’s sister publication, BTN, recently conducted a brief survey to assess the impact of flight restrictions caused by the volcanic ash cloud on corporates’ travel programmes and their business travellers.

Less than half (40%) of corporates said they had a plan in place to help their stranded travellers while 60% did not. One respondent commented: “We depend on

airline companies, the travel industry and the airports company [during times like these]. They have the power and only they can make decisions.”

Only 44% of corporates said their preferred partners came to the party to assist them during the situation.

“It was our agent who worked hard to ensure our travellers had secured accommodation and flights.

The airlines were hard to get hold of and had no solutions,”

said a respondent.

Fifty-six per cent of corporates admitted to relying primarily on their travel agency or consultant to handle the situation and 33% used both an agent and their online booking tool.

None relied on their booking tool alone.

When asked if measures had since been put in place should a crisis like this happen again, most corporates voted yes (62%), with 38% still vulnerable. n

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Cough up YQ/YR, airlines told

Rubes® By Leigh Rubin

From page 1 that all taxes and charges are refunded on unused tickets (and pro-rata amounts refunded in the case of partially used tickets).

“Since fuel is, in Asata’s opinion, an operating cost, this fuel surcharge cost should be included in the airline’s base fare, particularly if the carrier chooses to make the fuel surcharge non-refundable. Given that no fuel has been consumed in the event of a ticket being unused, it is ludicrous to comprehend how such a surcharge may be nonrefundable.”

The impact of the Australian case, says Benchmark’s Advocate Louis Nel, is “speculative” at this stage

“It’s the new sheriff, and it looks like he means business.”

TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY

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2 n Wednesday June 2 2010

and would require study of the Iata Passenger Sales Agency Agreement, the approach taken by each airline to the fuel surcharge, how these are advertised and eventually the Consumer Protection Act, among others.

“If the fuel surcharge is coupled with the airfare, one would imagine it should be dealt with as such regarding commission, refunds and the like. Whatever the case may be, it can definitely be argued that it should be returned to the passenger, failing which, the airline is unjustifiably enriched.”

When industry took up the practice by British Airways of non-refundability it was told the airline had put the policy in place globally and would

not enter into local discussion on the topic. Similarly, Iata advised that YR, YQ tax boxes were made available to airlines for “carrier’s own use” and refused to comment further.

If the Australian ruling is sound and applied elsewhere in the world, airlines will be forced to regard the fuel surcharge component of the ticket as part of the base fare, pay commission on it and refund it, even if the fare rules dictate that it is a nonrefundable ticket.

But for now it seems the imminent implementation of the Consumer Protection Act in South Africa could be the catalyst South African agents need to change this business practice. n

Travelinfo,s Michele Reynolds selects the top specials from Travelinfo ● Thai Airways.. 50th anniversary round-trip fares to Thailand from R2 990 ex-Johannesburg. Valid for ticketing until August 30 and for travel between June 2 and September 15. Maximum stay is one month. Excludes taxes. ● Brothers Sport is offering World Cup match packages from R6 100 per person sharing. The rate includes three nights’ accommodation in Cape Town (June 13 to 16), transfers and a ticket for the Italy vs Paraguay match. Other packages also available.

Excludes flights. ● Sparkling Waters Hotel & Spa in the Magaliesberg is offering special winter rates from R465 per person sharing. The rate includes dinner and breakfast and is valid from July 11 to August 31. A minimum stay of three nights applies. Not valid over weekends ● Three Cities Cities. ‘Soccer Mania’ at Alpine Heath Resort in the northern Drakensberg – pay for four nights and stay for six. From R1 500 per chalet per night for a maximum of six people. Includes accommodation only. Valid from June 6 to July 13.

Specials Spot

QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

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INCLUDES: 2 x Swazi Trails Voucher 2 x Camelot Spa Voucher 2 x 18 Holes Golf 5 x Breakfast 5 x Lunch 5 x Dinner 5 x Beverage Allowance 5 x Kamp Kwena 5 x Breakfast 5 x Lunch 5 x Dinner 5 x Beverage Allowance FREE

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Book your all inclusive break now by calling your nearest ASATA travel agent or Dreams on 011 217 5555, or visit suninternational.com.

Specific Terms and Conditions apply. E&OE

NEWS

Candy’s Counsel

Hi guys!

Welcome back to my column!

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Just check the ticketing availability on www.hahnair.com - “Quick check”.

Simply follow the standard ticketing process in your respective GDS and issue any interline option on one

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After all it’s as simple as “Hahn Air. One Globe. One Ticket.”

If you like to learn more about Hahn Air’s services visit us at www.hahnair.com

See you next month!

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Candy Kasonkomona, Hahn Air’s Regional Director Africa, e-mail: c.kasonkomona@hahnair.co c.kasonkomona@hahnair.com

If you like to learn more about Hahn Air’s services visit us at www.hahnair.com TNW5117

SA Travel Counsellors show their mettle Travel Counsellors’ South African operation has become the group’s second largest and second most profitable, with a 142% increase in sales last year and an expected R300m target for this year. This was announced at the group’s third annual conference recently at Sun City. At least 45 suppliers were able to showcase their products at a Pow Wow session and the conference culminated in an Awards Dinner that also featured the game show, ‘Deal or no Deal’, where a number of travel and cash prizes were on offer. Pictured here celebrating the group’s success are (from left) Travel Counsellors Faaiza Pahad, Eunice van Rooyen, Malinda Roets and Christa Matthee

Get Dubai visas online Natasha tippel

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MIRATES’ customers will soon be able to apply for Dubai visas online. This applies to all ticketed Emirates customers, regardless of the sales channel.

To apply for visas, customers can log on to emirates.com and go the ‘Manage a Booking’ section and access the application tool. The service is hosted

by VFS Global Services.

According to the airline, the VFS website will look

and feel like emirates.com, where customers can apply for, purchase and track a UAE visa.

Two types of visa will be offered – 96 hours and 30 days. The tool will determine the type of visa based on the itinerary.

Minimum application time is four working days prior to entrance into the UAE, while maximum application time is 60 working days. Each visa is delivered electronically within approximately four international working days.

Online payment is taken

by VFS by credit or debit card. Payment will be in US dollars only. A 96-hour visa will cost $44 (R351) and a 30-day visa will cost $57 (R455) (plus approximately $17 (R136) service fee and any applicable sales taxes.

Existing visa processing arrangements via thirdparty companies, including VFS Global, will remain unchanged. The online visa product represents an additional sales and service channel. n

Relais acquires five-star property Natalia thomsoN

Frequent Flyer Reward Program

RwandaAir Dream Miles™ members can earn miles when flying RwandAir Earn ONE FREE TICKET on any RwandaAir Destination*: for every 5 roundtrip Regional RwandaAir flights OR for every 10 roundtrip Domestic RwandaAir flights

* Remember RwandAir now flies on Thursdays as well * Eligible only with tickets issued from 1st January, 2009. * Free tickets are transferable to anyone you choose.

5 X weekly flights from JNB to Kigali with connections to Bujumbura, Entebbe, Nairobi and Dar es Salaam Holiday Aviation, Holiday House, 156 Bram Fischer Drive, Randburg, Johannesburg Tel: +27 11 289 8050 • Fax: +27 11 289 8272 Email: rwandaair@holidayaviation.co.za • Website: www.rwndair.com TNW5145

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4 n Wednesday June 2 2010

RELAIS Hotels has recently acquired the management and marketing contract for L’Ermitage Franschhoek Chateau and Villas.

This marks the first five-star property for the hotel group.

to the point

Gary Elmes, ceo Tourvest products division, owner of Relais Hotels, says the group is looking at several opportunities throughout Southern Africa and hopes to make further announcements shortly.

L’Ermitage Franschhoek Chateau and Villas is

situated in the heart of the Franschhoek winelands and offers 42 bedrooms incorporating six de-luxe suites and 36 villas, ranging from oneto three-bedroom units.

There is also a restaurant, deli, conference centre, chapel and spa. n

☞

● Rwandair has bumped up its flights to Johannesburg to five a week. The additional flight will be on a Thursday and will depart Kigali and arrive in Johannesburg at the same time as the Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday flights.

QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

NEWS

Book online with Heritage Island Natalia Thomson

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ERITAGE Island, Ireland’s marketing group for visitor attractions, has recently launched a new website that offers tourists the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets to the country’s leading attractions.

The new website, called www.BookAnAttraction.com, includes attractions such as Trinity College, Dublin, the Cliffs of Moher, Blarney Castle, Kylemore Abbey, Old Jameson Distillery, Belvedere House, and the Guinness Storehouse. Also featured on the website are some of Ireland’s lesser known gems

Send cruising news to jeanettep@nowmedia.co.za

waiting to be discovered by travellers.

By purchasing e-tickets on BookAnAttraction.com tourists can save money and skip any queue on arrival. Once purchased, the e-ticket is emailed to the tourist, who simply prints it and brings it to the attraction to gain admission. ■

Vineyard Hotel opens new wing Natasha Tippel IN celebration of 115 years since its opening, Cape Town’s Vineyard Hotel and Spa has added a new, unique wing.

Forty-one brand-new en-suite rooms are now open, four of which cater especially for guests in wheelchairs or with special needs.

Gm of the hotel, Roy Davies, says all the new courtyard luxury rooms have been designed to easily accommodate wheelchairs.

“There is plenty of room

for easy movement and facilities and grip rails have been sensitively designed to double as towel rails when necessary. Bathroom fittings, such as taps and basins, are convenient and accessible.”

The courtyard luxury rooms have wooden floors to enable effortless movement and some have easily accessible balconies with views over the courtyard gardens.

“However, the entire hotel is wheelchair friendly,” says Roy. “There is no need for all-terrain wheelchairs at the Vineyard.

DreamBoats

Wherever there are steps there are also alternative, routes for guests in wheelchairs.”

The new wing comprises 32 de-luxe rooms, four courtyard luxury rooms, two sets of interleading courtyard de-luxe rooms for families, and the Kitty Suite in honour of Kitty Petousis, matriarch and co-owner of the hotel.

Additional parking has also been added, with 85 new parking bays for guests.

A sky bridge will soon be opened to link the new wing to the hotel. ■

Further discounts with European Waterways

LUXURY hotel barging operator, European Waterways, is offering further discounts on selected departures for June, July and August on bookings made and deposits paid by June 30. The Renaissance, L’Art de Vivre, La Belle Epoque, L’Impressioniste and Scottish Highlander are all offering a 25% discount on charter bookings for June, July and August. The abovementioned vessels and Anjodi are also offering a discount of £300 (R3 437) per cabin on selected July sailings on deposits paid by June 30, with Enchanté and Magna Carta offering the same discount throughout 2010 without any deposit deadline.

A seven-day luxury hotel barge cruise with European Waterways includes six nights’ accommodation in an air-conditioned, en-suite cabin with the services of an experienced captain/ host, gourmet chef, housekeeper, and driver/tour guide. All meals are included. There is an all-day open bar plus teas and coffees. Daily shore excursions by chauffered minivan are also included and entry fees to castles, vineyards, markets and other local places of interest. For more information, contact Development Promotions.

Seadream confirms agent rates

SEADREAM Yacht Club, represented by Cruises International, has confirmed its agent rates. Voyages are available from US$1 320 (R10 508) and include ocean-view accommodations, all gourmet meals, wine with lunch and dinner, open bar with selected premium brands, use of water toys from the yacht’s Marina, SeaDream’s Signature Champagne and Caviar Splash and gratuities. Refer to Travelinfo for more details.

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Group • Tammy on 072 378 1105 / tammyh@etravelcpt.co.za Inland • Laura on 011 502 3300 / lauraw@etravel.co.za Coastal • Charmaine on 021 521 9200 / charmainem@etravelcpt.co.za

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QUICK READ FOR busiest people

Wednesday June 2 2010 n 5

NEWS 23463 Travelport TNW editorial 2/1/10 2:33 PM Page 3 C

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Travel Talk

Followinghas a challenging Travelport considerablyyear for travel in 2009, plagued by the strengthened its offering in Africa effects of the economic recession over the past year, putting in and swine flu, those in the industry place a dedicated African team will be hoping for a rapid recovery and introducing number of new in 2010.

Indeed,a IATA’s latest report products. has hinted at an increase in business Newfollowing products include the travel a strong rise in Travelport Corporate Solutions world trade in recent months.

Portal and themarkets latest version ofto be Developing appear our corporate self-booking tool some improving more quickly than that enables management of the majortravel economies, with Asia, companies to obtain lowest South America andthe African rates and fares and manage travel countries showing encouraging growth. more efficiently. The new version is proving increasingly popular In South Africa, it us is likely that we and has now led to launching will see more consolidation, Corporate Online Solutions. with smaller agencies seeking the Designed specifically for travel relative security of theiritlarger management companies, is a compatriots.ofBigger groups will compendium tools from which continue to look at strengthening you can select the combination affiliations with global groups. most suited to your business. As well as our leading self booking The FIFA World Cup will provide a tool some of the other tools it boost over the traditional winter offers include: trough and hopefully also some ●longer-term e-Tracker a web-based growth forsolution the local that enables travel managers to airline, hospitality and related record and check on broader all electronic industries and the South tickets that have been issued, African economy.

Another benefit is saving time cooperation and money. You can increased between view the current of ticketsis African airlines.status GDS content and refund and exchange.

You being bolstered with more can also produce reports agreements and interlining and sharing to improve connections services download these for use inand Excel.

2010, theDocument advantages of which ●for Travelport Producer will extend beyond the allows you towell generate travel tournament. documents directly from Galileo.

As well as automated flight, Traveland agents canquotations expect to see hotel car hire andmore full-content agreements booking options, it enablesfrom you major carriers new airline participants to mergeand multiple PNRs into one

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on Galileosorted as they to regain itinerary, by seek segment and some of the ground in 2009 and date. Galileo Timaticlost information capitalise the World Cup. for visa andonhealth requirements Although Africa will can also beSouth added.

There is be a centre stage will also be host ofduring other 2010, usefulthere features, opportunities for other African including integrating some lowcountries, with airline GDS cost and GDS airline fares to sales showing growth in several create a consolidated quotation, countries. South African travel automatic storage of quotations agents should be well placed to and bookings and the ability to add capitalise on this. manual segments to allalso documents.

The coming year will see a ● e-Pricing is a low-fare shopping number of new innovative products solution, providing quick, introduced to the region, including: easy access to millions of fare Universal Desktop: a unified GDS combinations to obtain the best desktop that seamlessly integrates availabledirectly fare. It allows to shop content from ayou variety of for the best fares will before you book suppliers.

Agents no longer have anlog itinerary or searchsystems for the lowest to into different but can fares for an existingfrom itinerary access everything theiracross oneairline alliancessaving or multi-city stop-desktop, time, airport combinations.

It is essentially a improving service and efficiency. one-stop-shop for latest the lowest fares KDS Portal 6: the version of a and provides reliable, current fare corporate self-booking tool that rules and availability for airlines enables travel management worldwide. to book and manage companies ● Carbon tracker provides travel arrangements whilean reducing effective way to calculate, costs.

It combines Galileo, low-cost compare and car report travelcarrier, hotel, andon rail content as well as carbon agencyemissions and corporate related in negotiated rates, presented line with corporate policy or in a single display. set targets, something that is becomingan increasingly important Traversa: online booking tool that as companies face increasing allows business travellers the ability consumer pressure to quickly and and regulatory cost-effectively shop to reduce and maketheir theirenvironmental own reservations footprints. while enabling corporations to Corporate Online Solutions maintain travel policies, maximise is implemented and supported supplier agreements and achieve by a dedicated team, based in high online adoption. It is currently Johannesburg, with considerable used

by IBM. GDS and corporate experience.

www.travelport.com TNW5157

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CPA – industry codes needed for airlines Sue Lewitton

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HEN businessclass passenger Mike Symonds was recently bumped off his SAA flight to Brazil to accommodate Platinum Class passengers as the flight had been overbooked, the airline, he says, seemed quick to point fingers at the travel agent, refusing to accept “full responsibility”.

Come October 24, this will all change. Mike will walk away with more than the offer of a discount on his next flight as he was in this case – he will be entitled to a refund of the exact amount paid for the ticket.

The section of the Consumer Protection Act that deals with overbooking will come into operation in October, requiring airlines to compensate passengers who miss overbooked flights.

If a passenger is not offered a comparable flight, the traveller will be entitled to a refund of the amount paid for the ticket, says Peter Conradie, director of dispute resolution: litigation, arbitration and mediation

for Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr.

“Added to this is the interest at a prescribed rate from the date on which the amount was paid until the date of reimbursement.

“Passengers are also entitled to be compensated for costs directly incidental to the airline’s breach of contract,” says Peter. This could include hotel costs, car rental and food.

This is a toned-down version of the Act, compared with the September 2006 version of the Consumer Protection Bill, says author of the Consumer Protection Act Made Easy and advocate, Neville Melville. “In the previous version, airlines would also have been liable for lost business opportunities or loss of enjoyment of the holiday.

“In the final version, airlines have a defence if the shortage of capacity is due to circumstances beyond the supplier’s control – for example, the volcanic ash crisis in April,” says Neville.

The airline would also be protected from liability for damages if it took reasonable steps to inform the

passenger of the shortage.

However, at this stage, the Airlines Association of Southern Africa says regulations to back up and enforce the Act still need to be drawn up.

Chris Zweigenthal, Aasa ce, says industry codes may need to be drawn up specifically for the aviation and travel industry. “The airline industry needs to be involved in the consultation process but until such a time as this is finalised, I believe that current airline practices should remain in place.

“Overbooking is necessary because of the unfortunate trend, on some routes, for passengers not to show up for flights on which they have confirmed seats and where they do not cancel the reservation. Overbooking is ultimately in the interests of passengers to ensure that empty seats can be filled by passengers who wish to travel. Thereby we can ensure that airline fares are not increased to offset spoilage of empty seats where an opportunity existed to fill that seat due to additional demand.” n

From the Benchmark – legal tips More advice on intellectual capital and branding from Advocate Louis Nel… Remember that it is imperative when considering a new name or slogan for your business that you carry out the following searches for the same or a similar: 1) company or close corporation name,

2) trade mark and 3) domain name.

If you don’t do all these searches, you may waste a lot of time and money on advertising agencies and material and, ultimately, on legal fees!

Composite

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6 n Wednesday June 2 2010

QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

NEWS

AirHeads LH gets first A380

LUFTHANSA took delivery of its first 526-seat A380 on May 19.

The entirely new first-class cabin has eight seats on the upper deck; business class, also on the upper level, has 98 seats, and there are 420 seats in economy class. The aircraft will enter scheduled service with Lufthansa on June 11 on the FrankfurtTokyo route. By autumn, the airline expects to have taken delivery of four A380s, which will operate on routes to Beijing and JNB.

CX boosts Tokyo service

CATHAY Pacific Airways will resume its Haneda Airport (Tokyo) service with twice-daily flights from Hong Kong and will also extend its service by adding flights to the city’s Narita International Airport in October, subject to the necessary approval.

The airline also announced plans to add two daily flights to Taipei in June as well as increasing the number of flights to Jakarta from 14 to 18 per week from September.

Ash plume affects airline traffic growth

Tasty morsels!

Budget Car Rental was one of the exhibitors at Indaba this year and its famous Budget fudge was a firm favourite among hungry delegates pounding the halls.

Pictured here taking a fantastic fudge break are the Budget team (from left): Shaun Taylor, Prineta Diergaardt, Ray Booth, Annelize Groenewald, and Juanita Delaney

IATA’s Premium Traffic Monitor results for March show that there was a strong rise in premium travel demand in the month with traffic up by 10,8% on the previous year. During the first quarter, premium travel grew at an annualised rate of 25% over the fourth quarter of 2009, driven by a rise in business travel. However, as the fall in premium travel in 2008-2009 was so large, this market is still 15% smaller than before the recession. Iata said economy travel was back to pre-recession levels – 7,4% up on March last year. The volcanic ash plume in April, however, is expected to cut international travel numbers in that month by an estimated 4%.

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QUICK READ FOR busiest people

Wednesday June 2 2010 n 7

AGENTZONE Mystery

Dorine Reinstein tackles the online holiday environment, looking for the perfect Mauritius holiday to spend with her husband and two children during the World Cup.

Scenario: A holiday in Mauritius from June 19 to 26 for a family of four at Le Canonnier.

Also any suggestions for other hotels suitable for a family with kids. Budget is R50 000.

WINNER

The winner of this exercise is Beach Tag. Its website is fun, informative and easy to use.

They obtained all the necessary information from me to provide a holiday that best suits my needs at a competitive price.

General look of website:

Ease of use:

General look of website: ★ ★ ★ ★

Information on the website:

There is ample information on countries and hotels. A great feature is that it shows the most recent TripAdvisor comments and comments from its own customers. It also offers information such as fast facts, selling points and a slideshow of the hotels. The Beach Bonus and Travel Tips are interesting and include advice such as recommended prices for private transfers from the airport.

Response to enquiries: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A very upbeat pop-up message let me know that

★

There is no country information on the website. The hotel information is very brief and consists of a list of hotel and in-room amenities. There are very few pictures.

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ ★

Information on the website: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

★

The site is not easy to navigate. You can’t look for a specific hotel. To find what you’re looking for, you have to browse through 22 pages of offerings.

You can, however, type in your date and the available hotels will show.

Beachtag is an appealing website with a great holiday feel. The cute sea star icons and the Quote Me! Banner just beckon to be clicked.

The homepage offers specials, exchange rates and weather reports. The only negative point on the homepage is a box with reviews that automatically scroll. It’s small and you can’t click on it to enlarge so it is actually useless.

The site is very easy to navigate. You can easily browse on budget, destination, a specific hotel or click on one of the numerous specials advertised. On Quote Me! you have to select your budget but there is no scroll-down option to choose a specific hotel. You have to specify that in the general comment box.

★★

Travel.co.za looks modern but a bit amateurish. When it first loaded I thought I had typed in the wrong address. The website doesn’t really give a holiday feel, black being the dominant colour.

Sharon was thrilled to have received my request and would respond shortly. It made me smile and made all the pop-up messages from other websites fade in comparison. I immediately received an automated message in my inbox with an equally upbeat message.

Sharon responded to me early next day with three different quotations and a slideshow for the three hotels – Le Victoria, Le Mauricia and Le Canonnier. The questionnaire on the website asked me the age of my kids, so Sharon could offer me what I needed and she suggested the garden-facing apartment.

Price:

For the garden-facing apartment, Sharon quoted me R44 222 on a breakfast and dinner basis. For all-inclusive, she told me to add R281pppn (children free). This came to an additional R3 372, or a total of R47 594.

Response to enquiries:

★★★

I went through the website to make an enquiry for Le Canonnier and also asked for recommendations for other child-friendly hotels. My request prompted a pop-up saying: booking sent. I thought: “Help, did I really book?” There was no automated mail in my inbox.

However, travel.co.za was the first website to reply to my request.

Only three and a half hours after I enquired, Debbie from travel.co.za sent me a quote for a family duplex, specifying that it was not recommended for children under six. My kids are two and four.

The website, however, never asked for the ages of the children.Debbie also suggested Le Mauricia hotel and Shandrani Resort.

Price:

For Le Canonnier, Debbie quoted R45 688 for an allinclusive option for the family in a garden-facing family duplex for seven nights (from 19 June to 26 June) or R47 884 for a sea-facing family duplex.

Earn commission now!

Agents can earn commission on over 30 of our Destinations London from R4290

Munich from R4290,

Brussels from R4990

Fly to New York from R7990

www.freewayholidays.co.za email: packages@freeway.co.za 0861 flynow /011 661 0111

Each destination includes 48 hour stop over in Dubai – Crowne Plaza Hotel with breakfast.

Excludes airport taxes and visas. Price quoted per person sharing

+70 000 Hotels ● Sightseeing Tours ● Transfers For more info and all our packages, please log onto www.freewayholidays.co.za and click Packages. For customised packages please email packages@freeway.co.za

Freeway Holidays – Your 24/7 Online Tour Operator.

8 n Wednesday June 2 2010

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QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

General look: ★ ★ ★

The website lives up to the name of the agency, with palm trees and white beaches. I was also drawn by their pledge to beat any written quote and advertise a 99.02% satisfaction.

The downside is that the homepage is a bit crowded.

The travel tips on the homepage are not exactly what the average customer is interested in, such as how airport taxes are set to increase and how the holiday season is filling up fast.

featured with all the necessary information and quite a few pictures.

Response to enquiries: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The website is easy to navigate and features a comprehensive search with numerous options.

One can search on destination, on specific hotels or do a more general search on budget or other requirements.

After I enquired about the hotel, a pop-up message and an instant automated message in my inbox thanked me for my interest and stated I would receive a quote quickly. I received my quotation within 24 hours from Heidi. She sent me quotes for four different hotels – Le Canonnier, Tamassa, Legends and Sugar Beach Resort.

As the questionnaire on the website had asked me the ages of my children, Heidi also suggested the family apartment. Two days after receiving my quotation I received a reminder e-mail asking me if I needed any more information. Quite a nice touch!

Information: ★ ★ ★ ★

Price:

General look:

Users can view info on location, accommodation, leisure facilities, sports, restaurants, family activities, romance and business.

There are plenty of pictures.

All this information is provided in a clear and appealing way.

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★ ★

The website provides ample information, from climate and currency to tipping, what to wear and business hours.

The hotels are also extensively

★★★★★

The general look of the website is excellent. It shows a map of the Indian Ocean Islands, is clear, crisp and not too crowded and conveys a holiday feeling.

Ease of use:

★★★★★

The site is clear and concise and thus extremely easy to navigate.

When clicking on Mauritius, a map of Mauritius appears with the locations of the hotels as well as their star rating.

Information:

★★★★★

The website offers a fast facts tab with in-depth country information, a climate tab and an activities tab.

The hotels are also comprehensively covered.

General look: ★ ★ ★

The homepage gives the impression that you’ve come to the right place for a good deal. An appealing banner offers unbeatable deals to get out of town for the World Cup. A search engine at the side of the page allows the browsing of flights and hotels.

Ease of use: ★ ★ ★

It is easy to look for flights as this website searches low-cost carriers and major airlines. When clicking on packages, you can choose your destination and your budget. The downside is that you can’t look for a specific hotel. You have to browse through all the pages to see the hotels on offer.

Information: ★ ★

The information on the site leaves a lot to be desired. There is a travel guide but it only provides a short QUICK READ FOR bUSIESt pEOplE

For a garden-facing family apartment, Heidi quoted me R44 372. Unfortunately, she didn’t give me the option to upgrade to all-inclusive.

Response to enquiries: (No stars)

I received a confirmation e-mail acknowledging my request and that I would receive a quote as soon as possible but three days after my initial request I had not received a quotation. After re-submitting my query I still didn’t receive a quote.

Price: As no quotation was received, the price also remains a mystery.

and very generic paragraph on every island. There is not a lot of information on the hotels and no pictures whatsoever.

Response to enquiries: ★ ★ I received an instant e-mail repeating and confirming my query. Within 24 hours I received a quotation. It was a price per person, leaving me to calculate the total. The type of room (family duplex, family apartment, two separate rooms, sea-facing, gardenfacing) was not specified. Allison sent me a concise quote for three different hotels.

Price: Adding all the prices for the adults and the children and the all-inclusive supplement and subtracting the early-bird discount, it came to R45 876.

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Wednesday June 2 2010 n 9

Cruising Cruising holidays and incentives are a no-brainer when it comes to satisfying discerning clients – and earning good commission. Natalia Thomson brings you the latest news and trends…

Adventurers opt for cruise tours

I

F your clients want the best of both land and sea, why not suggest a ‘cruise tour’, a combination of a cruise holiday and land tour that is fast becoming popular among South African cruise enthusiasts.

Cruise tours allow passengers to spend more time taking in the local culture, flavours and history, says Development Promotions pr and marketing representative, Helen Fraser. “Cruise tours are becoming increasingly popular in the SA market as they are finally coming to realise that they really are excellent value for money.

“Cruising is such an easy and enjoyable way to see the world, with your hotel coming with you. Travellers also feel more secure and confident visiting foreign countries as part of a cruise tour.”

Tracey Krog, Cruises International product manager and PR representative for Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara Club Cruises, agrees. “A cruise tour land package is full of opportunity

for both agents and their clients. Your clients will get to explore even more exciting destinations they could never reach on a cruise alone.

“And agents get to enjoy higher earnings by sending their clients on a truly unforgettable land and sea adventure.”

Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises have introduced cruise tours to destinations such as Alaska, Canada, US, South America, Europe and Australia and, in most cases, the land portion is taken either before or after the cruise.

And it’s not just any tour that’s offered to avid cruise tourists. RCI’s Alaska cruise tours, for example, include visits to Mt McKinley, North America’s highest mountain, overnight accommodation in Denali with activities in the national park, a tramway excursion above the valley of Alyeska and learning about the Alaskan indigenous communities, as well as whitewater rafting and jet-boating on Alaska’s glacial waters.

CruiseMasters is offering a special for seven nights on Costa Serena from Venice, visiting Bari (Italy), (Greece), Izmir and Istanbul ! Katakolon/Olympia t i (Turkey), Dubrovnik (Croatia) and Venice. Departure k Boo dates are June 27 and July, 4, 11, and 18. Inside cabin prices are from €599pp (R5 854), outside cabins from €799pp (R7 809), and balcony cabins from €899pp (R8 786), excl. port charges and optional insurance.

Cruise tours are becoming increasingly popular and offer great value for money Photo: Stock Xchange

Fuelled up for more surcharges FUEL surcharges are nothing new to travel agents, not even when cruise lines are forced to reintroduce them to cover the effect of rising oil prices.

Although several cruise lines have recently reintroduced fuel surcharges, including Cunard, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and P&O, cruise line representatives in South Africa believe it will have little impact on travellers’ interest in and intention to opt for a cruising holiday.

Travellers appear to have become accustomed to these supplements and add-ons, say cruising specialists, and have benefited in the past few years from cruise lines withdrawing their supplements, initially imposed in 2007 when the oil prices soared.

Says Cruises International’s Tracey Krog: “Most guests are prepared to pay the nominal supplement as they’re aware of the rising price of fuel and its consequences on travelling.”

Holland America, for example, even has a standard reminder to guests making new bookings, advises Emma Momberg, marketing and senior cruise consultant.

Guests are made aware that the cruise line reserves the right to reinstate a fuel supplement for all guests at up to US$9

(R70) per person per day should the price of crude oil rise above US$70 per barrel.

Director of Starlight Cruises, MSC GSA in South Africa, Daphne Osborne, agrees: “Passengers are all made aware that this possibility exists and fortunately, over the past 20 years we have only had to impose a surcharge twice.”

The fuel price has already exceeded US$65 per barrel. However, says Tracey, cruise lines represented by Cruises International have yet to reintroduce their fuel supplements.

“They have, however, reserved the right to impose a fuel supplement on all guests once the price of West Texas Intermediate fuel exceeds US$65 per barrel.

“The fuel supplement for first and second guests would be no more than $10 (R78) per guest per day, to a maximum of $140 (R1 096) per cruise; for additional guests it would be no more than $5pp/day (R39), to a maximum of $70 (R548) per cruise.”

Lueftner Cruises, represented by Austria Connection, is not planning to introduce a fuel surcharge, says Inge Dobihal.

“At any rate, this type of cruise appeals primarily to upmarket clients, so a fuel surcharge would not have a great impact.”

SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST EXCITING CONFERENCE VENUES The MSC Sinfonia, The MSC Melody Both returning for the 2010/11 season!

• • • •

Group discounts are available!

Accommodation, meals, entertainment and conference venue all included in the fare!

Secure, and self contained environment.

Best value for money!

www.starlight.co.za

JOHANNESBURG 011 807 5111 | CAPE TOWN 021 555 3005 PRETORIA 012 342 4496 | DURBAN 031 303 3572 TNW4001SD

10 n Wednesday June 2 2010

QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

Getting in ship shape WELLNESS and beauty are no longer the sole domain of fancy spas and health resorts. Cruise lines are entering this ultra-competitive arena with innovative facilities and treatments being offered by such lines as Windstar and Holland America.

Windstar Cruises, represented in South Africa

by CruiseMasters and Thompsons Holidays, this year launched what it calls a new level of pampering and rejuvenation for guests.

The line’s ocean-view spa suites feature a queen-size bed with fine microfibre bed linens, lush spa robes, an elegant orchid flower arrangement, a spacious sitting area, two bathrooms, a flat-screen TV with DVD player, and Bose SoundDock speakers for Apple iPods,

and four plush fibre-fill pillows.

In addition to Windstar’s L’Occitane bath amenities, rich emollient WindSpa products from O SPA London are offered in each spa suite along with an aromatherapy essence that will be refreshed daily. Guests will also receive a nightly turndown gift such as organic lavender hand night cream, eye gel, or body cream from WindSpa. Spa suite guests are invited to a cocktail party in WindSpa’s reception area. They also receive an invitation to Windstar’s signature ‘Spa Under the Stars’ evening event, which showcases a sampling of spa experiences with complimentary refreshments on deck under the stars.

An array of decadent

Did you know?

Development Promotions offering a ! t k i isCosta Cruise Boo special in the Mediterranean during June and July. A seven-night cruise to Italy, Tunisia, Spain and Provence offers pretty ports, picturesque harbours, ancient ruins and historic monuments all in one voyage, for prices beginning from R4 390pp sharing. Other options include Malta, Greece, Croatia and Turkey with sevennight cruises from R4 290pps.

Furthermore, Costa’s ‘family deals’ mean that children up to the age of 18 years always travel free in their parents’ cabin. Only port charges apply. Youngsters can also enjoy two cabins at affordable prices.

WindSpa treatments are included in the spa suites programme, including two 60-minute facials, two grooming treatments of choice – manicure, pedicure or shave – as well as unlimited fitness, Pilates and Yoga classes.

Holland America has meanwhile also introduced its new Explore Wellbeing programme aimed at guests wanting engaging on-board activities while cruising.

Explore Wellbeing, designed for all ages, extends the Greenhouse Spa to incorporate new entertainment, fitness and sports activities.

Guests can start each day with Tai Chi on deck or jump into Boot Camp for a more challenging regime of exercises. Other activities include team trivia, a golfing

challenge, Wii bowling, Greenhouse Spa seminars, yoga, step classes, additional Wii games, Pilates, spinning, Sudoku puzzles and ballroom dance classes.

Complementing Explore Wellbeing are other programmes hosted by the Explorations Team.

The Party Planner hosts Explore Food and Entertaining events in the Culinary Arts Centre.

The Travel Guide gives multimedia presentations about the ship’s itinerary and Techspert offers Explore Technology classes and digital workshops powered

by Windows, where guests can learn to blog, work with digital photos, arrange a digital scrapbook, create a slide show or edit a movie.

On cruises of 14 days or more, there is a book club.

MS Westerdam heads for SA this month

Lueftner Cruises, represented by Austria Connection, has a fleet of five-star Amadeus ships, the newest being the ms Amadeus Elegant launched in April. This river cruiser can accommodate up to 150 passengers in 68 15sqm cabins and eight 22sqm Amadeus suites. Facilities include flat-screen TV, mini-bar and designer bathroom accessories as well as panoramic windows and French balconies in 80% of the cabins.

Cruiseliners head to SA for 2010 ‘Adouro’ Portugal’s river cruises BOASTING a wine heritage of over 2 000 years, Portugal’s Douro Valley is rated seventh on National Geographic Traveller’s 133 World’s Great Places list.

But whether it’s wine, culture or the charming Portuguese landscape of farms and vineyards clinging to the steep sides of the Douro River Valley, your clients will enjoy a Uniworld River Cruise experience in this country.

Among the highlights, in addition to plenty of opportunities for wine and port tasting, are traditional meals at Alpendurada Monastery and the famous Vintage House Hotel, an 18th century wine farm overlooking the Douro River.

Uniworld’s Portugal, Spain, and the Douro River Valley cruise departs between March and October 2010.

ONE Ocean Club, a luxury full-service hospitality provider, is bringing two luxury premium-class cruise liners from the Holland America Line to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. Locals can book a stay on board and enjoy the World Cup atmosphere while cruising to another city for matches, at the same time avoiding airport congestion.

The ms Noordam and ms Westerdam arrive in Cape Town on June 9 and 10 respectively and depart for Durban the next day. Both ships will then cruise between Durban and Port Elizabeth and dock in Durban for the majority of the soccer event. The ms Westerdam sails to Cape Town from Port Elizabeth on June 26 and will remain there for the remainder of the tournament.

Both ships leave Cape Town on July 12 – ms Noordam to Barcelona and ms Westerdam to Rotterdam.

One Ocean Club has partnered with iKapa Tours and Travel, as well as Pro Event Travel locally.

General Sales Agent for Costa Cruises, Holland America Line and Windstar Cruises.

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Tel: 011 469 5580 • email@cruisemasters.co.za • www.cruisemasters.co.za

QUICK READ FOR bUSIESt pEOplE

Wednesday June 2 2010 n 11

Cruising RCI debuts Allure of the Seas IN December, Royal Caribbean International will debut the next largest and most innovative cruise ship, the Allure of the Seas.

The Allure will bring an array of brand-new features and amenities, including one of Broadway’s longestrunning productions, Chicago: The Musical, which will headline in the 1 380seat Amber Theatre. A new webisode about Chicago: The Musical aboard Allure of the Seas is now playing at

MSC loyalty programme boost

www.AllureoftheSeas.com.

Allure of the Seas will feature a line-up of new entertainment options that will dazzle and delight guests of all ages, says Lisa Bauer, senior vp, hotel operations, Royal Caribbean International.

Many more world-class entertainment options will be available for guests to enjoy at the wide variety of venues ship wide – including a spectacle of music, dance and aerial acrobatics

called Blue Planet, which will also run in the Amber Theatre; OceanAria, a signature aquatic production in the ship’s open-air AquaTheatre, fusing highdive thrills with dramatic aerial choreography; an ice show extravaganza planned for the ship’s ice-skating rink, Studio B; spectacular and colourful parades in the Royal Promenade; and everything else in between, from jazz performances to comedy.

Silversea launches land extensions ULTRA-luxury Silversea Cruises is introducing 10 new optional land extensions to complement its collection of Northern Europe and Mediterranean voyages this spring, summer and fall.

Silversea’s destination experts have designed a new collection of multiple-day, pre- and post-cruise Silver Shore Land Adventures. From the natural wonders of Thingvellir National Park, a Unesco World

k

Boo

Heritage Site in Iceland, to the cultural heritage and monuments of Perugia, to the artistic treasures of Bilbao’s landmark Guggenheim Museum, these carefully planned tours showcase some of the world’s most remarkable destinations.

With free round-trip air travel available on many voyages, travellers can use their air travel savings to spend an extra few nights enjoying an in-depth, leisurely exploration.

Starlight Cruises is offering three great specials. The Prima Special: Book and pay in full on selected cruises six months prior to the departure date and save 30%. Only applicable two adults sharing a cabin; two children under 18 sharing with two adults it! topaytheonlyfirstport charges. Partner Special: Partner pays half price. Buy 2 Get 2 Free: Book and pay for two adults and invite two friends to join you in your four-berth cabin. The two additional passengers pay only port charges and insurance. Specials are valid on selected cruises only.

Uniworld Boutique River cruising – inspiring, intimate, and all inclusive An average of 134 guests with a staff ratio of one staff member to every three guests Over 98% satisfaction rates All meals onboard Complimentary beverages Captivating shore excursions, many exclusive to Uniworld All transfers on arrival and departure days And much more

Portugal, Spain & the Douro River Valley

Cruise Europe’s most unspoiled UNESCO World Heritage river valley through Portugal and Spain

11 days from R19 925* Available June, July & Oct

Rhine and Main Holiday Markets

Visit picturesque villages and historically important cities on this special holiday cruise

10 days from R26 525* Available Nov & Dec

Legendary Rhine & Moselle

Cruise through five amazing countries along the legendary Rhine and vineyard-rich Moselle rivers.

13 days from R26 525* Available Jul, Oct & Nov

For more information call us on 011 280 8400 www.uniworld.co.za

Conditions: Prices are per person sharing, cruise only (entry level cabin) and include the R2500 limited offer savings.

Prices exclude port charges and are valid on selected cruises.

Valid for travel until 31 Dec ‘10. Book and pay in full before 31 May ‘10.

Brochure discounts may be combined with this offer. Standard terms & conditions apply. E&OE.

MSC Cruises recently launched its Black Card, the newest membership level for MSC Club’s loyalty programme.

MSC’s Black Card membership benefits include: 20% discount on cruise bookings (early booking rates), 20% discount on shore excursions, preferential disembarkation for shore excursions, complimentary bottle of champagne with strawberries and chocolate in the stateroom, complimentary bath robe and slippers (adult only), 20% discount on MSC Logo Shop items, dinner with the Captain (based upon availability), 20% discount on photography purchases on board, and preferential

disembarkation.

To qualify for these membership benefits, MSC Cruises guests must have accrued at least 100 loyalty points since 2006.

These benefits are in addition to those already offered to MSC Gold Card Club members, ranging from a free welcome cocktail to complimentary casino chips, a regularly replenished basket of fresh fruit in the stateroom, a complimentary full thermal suite, including sauna and Turkish bath, and 30% Internet usage discount.

Other MSC Club levels are Classic (1-21 points), Silver (22-42), and Gold (43-99).

Points are earned for every night spent on board an MSC Cruises ship.

Celebrity launches Eclipse CELEBRITY Cruise lines officially launched its newest Solstice Class ship, Celebrity Eclipse, on April 26, but first performed a repatriation mission.

The Eclipse was to be on a two-day promotional cruise but instead transported approximately 2 200 vacationers from Bilbao, Spain, to Southampton, England, who had been stranded by the travel disruption caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland.

Celebrity Eclipse departed Southampton April 26 on a three-night Paris (Le Havre) cruise. She returned to Southampton to embark on the ship’s official maiden voyage, departing April 29 with a four-night cruise to Cork (Cobh), Ireland, followed by a series of Mediterranean and Russian and Scandinavian cruises throughout the summer.

Celebrity Eclipse will offer Caribbean sailings from the Port of Miami, Florida.

Caribbean themes with MSC Poesia MSC Poesia returns to the Caribbean for her second season with a line-up of five baseball and Big Band theme cruises during the 2010-2011 Caribbean season. MSC Poesia will sail a round trip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The features of the theme cruises are: ● Baseball Greats: Guests will gain insight into the world of Major League Baseball as seen through the eyes of some of the greats of the game. The Baseball Greats theme cruise includes free interactive guest/player activities.

Players will also host clinics and there will be a free autograph session at the end of the cruise. ● Big Band: The 15-piece Les DeMerle Big Band features vocalist, Bonnie Eisele.

The Les DeMerle Big Band will have guests singing along to the sounds of Ellington, Basie, James and Miller, plus the biggest Broadway hits, rock ‘n’ roll classics, hot Latin grooves and showstoppers from the ‘40s through today.

In addition to their performances, the band will present a Big Band Jazz Concert and conduct a lecture on the Big Band Era.

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12 n Wednesday June 2 2010

QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

Azamara launches new amenities AZAMARA Club Cruises has added many new inclusive features for your clients to indulge in: ● Bottled water, soda, speciality coffees and teas offered throughout the voyage in public venues and staterooms ● Azamara’s preferred vintage red and white wine of the day served at lunch and dinner ● Housekeeping, dining and bar gratuities ● Shuttle service to/from port communities, where available ● Destination-influenced entertainment and enrichment programmes ● English butler for Club Suite guests ● Self-service laundry ● Concierge service

River cruises

The Rhine in Flames

on Europe’s most beautiful waterways from Amsterdam to the Black Sea

AMADEUS CLASS

RHINE · MAIN · DANUBE

For a taste of the medieval world, suggest next year’s The Rhine in Flames event where passengers will be treated to a firework display in the Middle Rhine Valley amidst medieval castles and towns. This international event, being held next May (2011) will comprise five firework displays held on the same evening on the 26km stretch of river between Bonn and Linz.

Austria Connection is offering three classical Rhine cruises next year, including this spectacular event, on board Lueftner Cruises’ newest ship, the Amadeus Elegant.

The schedule for 2011 is already available and early booking bonuses from €150 (R1 475) to €300 (R2 948) are being offered for bookings and deposits made before December 31.

www.austriaconnection.co.za Tel. 011 476 3967 austria.co@mweb.co.za

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RCI focuses on entertainment PASSENGERS travelling on board Royal Caribbean International’s ships might be in for a few surprises.

The company’s newest ship, Allure of the Seas, will now add 3-D movie screens, retail stores and new dining options to its list of features when it launches in December.

The ship’s sister vessels, Oasis of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, will also boast 3-D technology by early next year.

Meanwhile, passengers on board Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas will also be able to enjoy the same perks as

Put the mAGIC into your client’s next holiday

those travelling on Oasis of the Seas. These include new dining, entertainment, children’s programming and various other enhancements.

Allure of the Seas is set to entice vacationers with distinct features and experiences with 3-D movie screens, trendy retail stores and new dining offerings.

Don’t miss the Cruise Academy!

Course includes: • Why sell a cruise? How to sell a cruise?

• Who is your target market?

• Misconceptions about cruising.

• Matching clients to the right brand.

Crystal highlights eco-tourism CRYSTAL Cruises’ guests on Mediterranean voyages will now be able to explore Unesco-declared national parks, the fragile ecosystems of a Spanish nature reserve and various wildlife habitats with Crystal Eco-Adventures.

Several options ashore highlight southern Europe’s environmental treasures and natural wonders on dozens of Crystal Serenity voyages from May through October.

Among the eco-adventures are: ● Horseback Riding at Montseny National Park – (Barcelona, Spain); ● L’Albufera Nature Reserve – (Valencia, Spain); and ● Krka National Park – (Trogir, Croatia).

In addition to these protected environmental attractions, many European Crystal Adventures ashore allow guests to explore the natural beauty of the destinations in a variety of ways, from mountain biking in Greece to paragliding in Spain and scuba diving off the coast of Turkey.

Silversea Med shore tours

MSC goes soccer mad

FOUR ultra-luxury Silversea ships, including the new Silver Spirit, will sail throughout the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Black seas from now through October.

There are over 50 diverse itineraries of seven to 12 days visiting more than 60 ports, and there are dozens of optional shore excursions to showcase the culinary traditions of this fascinating region.

The new Mediterranean culinary tours being offered include: Cooking with the Countess (Venice); Gourmet Experience in the Chianti Area (Livorno); Truffle Lunch Experience in Istria Countryside (Pula); Porto Azzurro and Wine Tasting (Portoferraio, Elba Island): Korcula’s Sweets Cooking Class (Korcula); and Greek Cooking Lesson (Corfu).

IN a recent agreement with IMG Media, from June 11 MSC Cruises will broadcast all the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer games on board the 11 vessels in its fleet. IMG Media Limited represents FIFA for the exploitation of the in-ship rights worldwide.

The soccer games will be broadcast in the public areas including the bars and sports bars on board. Dedicated areas will be decorated with pennants, balloons and the teams’ colours. Guests will also be able to participate in activities such as sports-related trivia challenges.

Special drinks representing each country will be served at the bars and hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and beer will be available at the restaurants.

QUICK READ FOR bUSIESt pEOplE

Cruises International’s 2010 Cruise Academy starts in July.

Courses to be held in: ∙ Pretoria – 20 July ∙ Boksburg – 22 July ∙ Northcliff – 27 July ∙ Rosebank – 29 July ∙ Durban – 21 July ∙ Cape Town – TBC

Educationals will be offered to these agents in order for them to experience the product first hand.

For more information, please refer to TravelInfo or contact Debbie Georghiou on debbie@cruises.co.za Tel: 011 327 0327 (ext 214) or Fax: 0865302307 TNW3998SD

Wednesday June 2 2010 n 13

‘Basque’ in the glory of

Biarritz

Natalia thomsoN

I

F you think of Biarritz as a place only to enjoy the glorious south of France summer, think again.

Swelling with Basque pride and located on the coast just an hour and a half’s drive south of Bordeaux, Biarritz has recognised that it would need to attract conferences, congresses and other events to keep the town alive 365 days a year.

And alive it certainly is. Even on a cold February day, the town is bustling with delegates attending a games week.

The town was made popular

by Napoleon III and his Empress Eugenie who built a summer residence there to enjoy the healing properties of sea bathing. Today it stands proudly as the Hotel du Palais with 123 rooms and 30 suites, including a magnificent Royal Suite.

By the middle of the 19th century sea bathing in Biarritz was recognised as a treatment for general aches and pains. Sea bathing in warm waters, mud and seaweed baths, toning showers, seawater steam baths and water physiotherapy are supposed to invigorate and cleanse those who flock to Biarritz, the capital of thalassotherapy. The town has both the Thalassa seawater therapy institute and Thalmar, both offering treatments.

Although Biarritz is now very much a party town, it was initially

a charming fishing harbour. The Basque people enjoy deep-rooted traditions and a lively language, Euzkara, said to be one of the oldest languages in Europe.

Basque country spans seven provinces in both France and Spain.

There are only three million Basques, and some 300 000 of them are from France. Of these, only 27% still speak the language.

Unique traditions like pelota, a game not unlike squash but played with four players and lacrosselike baskets instead of rackets; colourful markets where travellers can buy piperade, a Basque form of ratatouille, sheep’s milk cheeses, smoked hams and Espelette chillis; bring a little Spanish flair to this corner of France.

For those wanting a break from the rich cultural experiences, there are no fewer than 10 golf courses within a 15km radius, the oldest of which – Golf du Phare – is said to be one of the oldest courses in Europe, created in 1888.

Biarritz is also a renowned surfing hotspot. Large Beach attracts surfers from all over the world and hosts the annual Roxy Jam surfing event in July.

Biarritz is an obvious choice for large congresses, events and incentives with over 2 300 hotel rooms and three congress centres: The Bellevue Centre, The Gare du Midi and The Municipal Casino.

A new exhibition centre, Halle Iraty, houses exhibitions, trade shows and concerts.

Hotel du Palais, a destination in itself

Charming St Jean de Luz Y ’d be hard pressed to YOU find a town as captivatingly charming as St Jean de Luz, the gateway to Spain.

Many of the existing buildings date from the 17th century although more than 200 houses were swallowed up by disastrous storms in 1749. Visitors can still see Granga Baita, the residence of Napoleon I in 1808 before becoming the headquarters of his enemy, Wellington, in 1813.

Maison Esquerrenea, also known as the old police station, is the

oldest house in town and the only survivor of a fire started by the Spanish in 1558. The House of Louis XIV, so called to mark the king’s stay before his marriage, still stands as does Saint Jean Baptiste church where he married the Infanta Maria Teresa.

In St Jean Baptiste church, galleries line the walls and only men are allowed to sit there, while the women remain on the ground floor to look after the crypts in which their ancestors are buried. True to tradition, the Basque people still honour this

culture and remain seated separately in church.

St Jean de Luz is the perfect base from which to explore the surrounding Basque villages with their white houses and red, blue and green roofs.

The Basque people have their own traditions, celebrations and cuisine and music drives many of their festivals.

The town has a fishing village atmosphere, with colourful boats and red and blue trimmed 18th century buildings and the snow-capped Pyrénées as a backdrop.

gask | 0976 | TNW | one

Its opulent French décor and impressive size make Hotel du Palais one of the most renowned landmarks in Biarritz.

The property offers 27sqm Classique rooms furnished in ‘Second Empire’ style and 35sqm Prestige rooms overlooking the Palais gardens, Cour d’Honneur or directly on to the Atlantic Ocean. The rooms on the fifth floor are designed in a cruise liner theme, complete with wooden wall panels and porthole windows.

The larger suites comprise two or even three bedrooms connected by a living room and can be as large as 65sqm, and are named for the famous people who once stayed in them.

Free wireless access, cable Internet access, air-conditioning, an LCD flat screen with interactive television, daily maid service, comfy bathrobes, 24-hour room service and mini-bar are among the facilities on offer.

But perhaps most impressive is the huge on-site Imperial Spa spanning five floors complete with its own bar as well as a hair salon, indoor pool, treatment area and fitness centre with Pilates facilities.

Although there are set packages available for guests who want to completely detox and re-emerge a picture of health, tailor-made packages can also be put together.

St Jean de Luz is the perfect base from which to explore nearby Basque villages

TNW3993SD

14 n Wednesday June 2 2010

QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS

jobs

CoMMUNITYNEWs

Births, deaths, marriages, promotions – we want to know! Please fax or e-mail TNW's Jeanette Phillips, at jeanettep@nowmedia.co.za or (011) 327 4094.

our website is updated daily! visit www.specialized.co.za

Community news

AVIATION DIVISION: Airline BSP Officers – Jhb N/ Suburbs Join international carrier providing accurate BSP records for the region; ensuring revenues are accounted for and correct allocations match the reporting period. Relevant experience within the airline industry is essential.

n George Novis, md of TIC, has announced his resignation from the company after nearly 16 years, effective June 30. George has, however, accepted a request to remain a director of the company and to assist whenever needed.

Airline Sales Executive MUST have previous AIRLINE SALES experience. This is non-negotiable.

If you have this experience you are sought after! Please submit your CV asap.

Galileo honours top agents

For all aviation opportunities email CV to joyce@sgroup.co.za We apologise for not being able to respond to every applicant. Should you not hear from us within 10 days please consider your application unsuccessful, however we will keep your details on file for alternative opportunities.

Galileo recently recognised its top agents for non-air bookings. From left: third runner up, Irene Escorcio from Rennies Cape Town Corporate; second runner up, Azelda Joubert from Amex Transnet; the winner, Chabi Motau from Rennies Online; and first runner up, Lisa Garrett, from Travel With Flair the company’s corporate brand, Corporate Traveller.

Based at the head office in Johannesburg, Andrew will oversee marketing, product, business development, customer relationship and account management and the day-to-day running of the Corporate Traveller brand.

Andrew has 14 years of travel experience, which includes time spent at the New Zealand division of Flight Centre. He started at Flight Centre in 2000 as a business development manager for the corporate division before

leaving to pursue a career in wholesale with the World Leisure Holidays group. He returned to Flight Centre in January 2005 to run the wholesale, ticketing and contracting divisions. In 2008 Andrew became product general manager. n Erica Saunders, Maropeng’s marketing manager, has been promoted to the position of gm. Erica will continue to oversee all the marketing initiatives and will play a more strategic role in the company.

n Leopard Lodge in Kafue National Park, Zambia, which has recently changed ownership and has undergone a refurbishment, has appointed Dylan Brandt and Lisa Thomas to manage the lodge on a day-to-day basis. dylan and Lisa were previously employed at a concession in the Kruger National Park, where dylan was head ranger.

Lisa is also an experienced field guide and joins the lodge with food, beverage and administration skills.

To advertise on this page contact Yolanda on 011 214 7330 or email yolandak@nowmedia.co.za

FINANCIAL MANAGER/ISANDO

Highly negotiable pacakage offered by Market Leader for your SAlES B.Comm/equivalent and ability to lead ExECUTIVE/ department of 45 people!

JOHANNESBURG

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT Exceptional opening for qualified Accounts professional. In-depth GL/ Accounting knowledge, ability to supervise staff and great communication skills required.

MANAGER Fares your forte? Management experience, sound International Fares knowledge and ability to train staff highly rewarded.

GROUPS EXPERT Combine your in-depth International destinations know-how with sound groups exposure to grow divine Out-bound Groups Division.

INTERMEDIATE CONSULTANT Impress with Amadeus skills, ticketing skills and itinerary planning skills.

SENIOR CONSULTANT Corporate experience needed – plus leisure spin-off – to join great team in high profile In-house.

Excellent package offered to focused, NATIONAL SALES MANAGER/ results driven individual!!

NORTHERN SUBURBS

NORTHERN SUBURBS FINANCIAl CONTROllER Person strong in Marketing invited to join Opportunity to move to an Island leading Wholesaler! for 2 year Contract!!

SENIOR CONSULTANT/BOKSBURG SENIOR CONSUlTANT/BOKSBURG Join well established, friendly company and work Wonderful opportunity to work closer closer to home! to home!!

Please Take Note of Our New Telephone No.: 011 704 4909

CONTACT WENDY/KIM TEl: 011Contact 465 8221 FAx: 086 538 5889 Wendy/Kim E-MAIl: wtp@icon.co.za (011) 704 4909 or e-mail: wtp@icon.co.za

TNW3962SD

lee botti & associates Tel: Tracey (011) 803 6606 rivonia@nowjobs.co.za

THIS WEEK’S HoT JoBS! JoHANNESBURG

JoHANNESBURG

FINANCIAL MANAGER – SEYCHELLES

NEW BUSINESS EXECUTIVE - NoRTH

Phenomenal opp to work in the Islands! Assume full financial resp for high profile operator. 2 year contract & successful candidate would have a B.Comm Degree coupled with a proven track record in handling all aspects of finance on a management level. Enjoy excellent benefits & earn Euros!

JoHANNESBURG ACCoUNTANT – NoRTH

Tel: Wayne (021) 418 1084 capetown@nowjobs.co.za

Tel: Jill (031) 201 8330 durban@nowjobs.co.za See our website for a further selection of exciting vacancies! www.leebotti.co.za

2010

QUICK READ FOR bUSIESt pEOplE

Intermediate Cons – Hyde Park area Handle 90% corporate travel. Be part of well recognised travel consortium, providing excellent service standards. Amadeus is ideal, but top caliber applicants with Galileo will be considered. Tina Leisure Consultant – Rosebank area Highly regarded travel company with excellent reputation!

Candidates must have minimum 1 year’s leisure travel experience and be well traveled so that they can share their experiences with clients.

Excellent earning potential. Tina Consultants living in Boksburg to Springs area …

Excellent and different opportunities are available for consultants with 3 to 10+ years consulting experience.

Corporate or leisure or Groups – the choice is yours! Contact Tina for details.

dURBAN

Inbound Incentives Cons – N/ Suburbs Jhb Will handle the function from start to finish, working for well established operator. Previous incentives and inbound experience is essential.

The company is prepared to reward this expertise with an attractive salary. Kati

SALES! SALES!

The position you have been patiently waiting for! Leading retail travel agency seeks experienced person with a proven record in calling on corporate clientele. Customer focused individual to develop new business, promote various products, and support during tender processes.

Package neg R15,000 + commission.

CApE ToWN

CApE ToWN

opERATIoNS MANAGER – CBd

Financial Controller – Jhb N/ Suburbs R20 000. Extensive knowledge of Quicktrav and previous TMC working experience required. Fulfill all finance functions including month end packs, debtors, creditors, cash book, GL and recons. BSP knowledge advantageous. Kati

Prominent airline requires your successful track record in securing new corporate accounts. If you love the thrill of closing that deal and have previous travel sales experience, our client would love to meet you.

Competitive offer & great perks. Affirmative Action

Excellent opportunity for the career focused individual with a B.Com Degree coupled with at least 5 years experience and strong General Ledger exposure. Enjoy varied role with renowned company and dynamic team environment.

To R22 000 ctc.

Established Inbound Operator with solid presence in Europe welcoming Nordic markets to Southern Africa. Your previous 5 years inbound experience in leading a small team to achieve profit secures you this exciting position. Reporting directly to the GM. R15 000

Sales Manager – Based Gauteng Global company. Take responsibility for Africa and Middle East with the objective of maximising sales for existing operations as well as sourcing new partners and revenue streams. Relevant experience within a travel agency or an airline is required. R25000. Kati.

Corporate Cons – Woodmead R8000/R15000. Take responsibility for a large corporate account handling predominantly domestic and regional bookings, with some straight forward international bookings. Amadeus essential. Tina

Hands on position with total responsibility for FINANCIAl Key Account Managers and Business CONTROllER/MElROSE ARCH Development Managers!

Good knowledge of Quiktrav essential - reporting to Financial Manager!!

BRAND MANAGER/

Call NadiNe (011) 803 0056 or e-mail equitycon@mweb.co.za for these and many others! TNW1997

Fares Manager – Jhb N/Suburbs R20000/R25000 negotiable.

Manage staff with the focus on fare audits and quality control. Extensive international fares experience & knowledge is essential. Proficiency on Amadeus is critical! Trainer capabilities are also important. A retail travel or airline background is required. Kati

Assistant to Director – Jhb N/ Suburbs R8000 to R15000 depending on exp. The director deals with clients directly and then delegates the file for processing of all transactions.

Previous consulting skills and Amadeus essential. Must be prepared to work in an assistant role with no direct client interaction.

Not suitable for candidates who enjoy ownership of their work. Kati

Personnel with the personal touch

eQUiTY QU QUiTY CONNeCTiONS cc

TRAVEL DIVISION

oUTBoUNd INCENTIVES MANAGER – CBd

Riveting DMC requires your previous solid exp in handling everything from A-Z in Incentives. You’ll have previously travelled overseas with groups, not be a clock watcher & love the buzz of making clients dreams come true! Ability to do some number crunching ensuring profitability is always maintained. R18 000 neg

Wholesale Consultants – Jhb N/ Suburbs Opportunities available for experienced Wholesale Consultants. Kati

Office Hrs (011) 884-9113 Website: www.specialized.co.za e-mail: kati@sgroup.co.za or tina@sgroup.co.za

TNW0714

n Flight Centre South Africa has appointed Andrew Stark as gm for

Airline PA – Jhb E/Suburbs Assist the GM with the sales & marketing plans; generate MIS and Sales Reports, as well as handling various administrative duties. An airline background is essential.

TNW2048 TNW2048

n Three Cities has appointed Mike Lambert ceo (right), to take over from Russell Stevens who will remain actively involved as chairman of the group for the foreseeable future. Mike was recruited in 2004 by then ceo, Russell, as coo of uShaka Marine Park and Waterworld (Three Cities had won the contract to complete and manage the development).

SpecialiZed Travel perSonnel

Wednesday June 2 2010 n 15

TNW NEWS

Agents upbeat about BA despite strike Jeanette PhilliPs

Cheers! to the Caribbean Thompsons Holidays has added two new products to its Americas portfolio – the Sandals and Beaches resorts in the Caribbean. Sandals, an adults-only resort, is aimed at romantic couples while Beaches is for the whole family.

“Sandals is something different that will appeal to honeymooners and couples and Beaches is great for the family, offering good value for money and a great add-on to cruising and Disney holidays, which complements our USA business,” says pr manager, John Ridler. Thompsons is currently offering 30% to 35% off the brochure price (dependent on room type). Soaking up the Caribbean sun are, from left, Rochelle Stainbank (product development) and Candice Harvey (VIP consultant) Photo: Tijana Huysamen

No way, BA! Have you lost confidence in British Airways in light of the recent wave of strikes? n Yes 74% n No 15% n I am not sure where I stand on this 11%

“After the volanic ash issue, I don’t understand how they can afford a strike. With BA, when something significant happens it’s impossible to try and get help with a booking. Thank goodness I have no BA bookings for next week. It is too frustrating to deal with.”

Lindi De Winnaar, Heritage Travel

Industry responds

With the most recent wave of strikes set to continue until June 9, airlines, including Virgin Atlantic and Emirates, have introduced stricter ticketing rules for the expected increase in demand for seats.

In order to release any

unwanted space and accommodate the maximum number of passengers affected by the strike, Virgin Atlantic introduced a 24-hour ticketing time limit on all bookings for travel through to June 14.

Bookings for Virgin that remain unticketed when the time limit expires, will be cancelled. Also, bookings containing duplicate sectors, held within the same booking on flights for travel until June 14 will see duplicate sectors cancelled and only one of the sectors will remain confirmed.

Emirates followed suit by introducing an immediate ticket time limit valid until June 9 for journeys to and from the United Kingdom.

The rule applies to all new bookings, all fare types and all classes. Non-compliance will result in reservations being cancelled. n

Changes to US visas announced natalia thomson

“I am a big BA supporter and really do feel sorry for them as I’m quite sure it’s a ‘union’ thing...but I feel more sorry for my clients who are being so badly inconvenienced. This is not fun.”

Gill Speechly, eTravel, Cape Town

US TOUrIST visa fees will increase from June 4 to $140 (r1 103) to cover “rising” processing costs of non-immigrant visas.

The current $131 (currently r1 032 for South African visa applicants), says the US Department of State, no longer covers the actual cost of processing nonimmigrant visas.

A tiered structure with separate fees for different non-immigrant visa categories will now also apply to cover the higher unit costs for processing certain categories of nonimmigrant visas that are more complicated than most other categories of those visas.

Under the new schedule of fees, applicants for all visas that are not petition-based, including B1/B2 tourist and

business visitor visas and all student and exchange visitor (F, M and J) visas, will pay a fee of $140.

This excludes the current r70 charged as courier fees for delivery of passport and visas, a mandatory service at the Johannesburg and Cape Town consulates.

Applicants for petitionbased visas will pay an application fee of $150 (r1 172).

The categories are: ● H visa for temporary workers and trainees ● L visa for intracompany transferees ● O visa for aliens with extraordinary ability ● P visa for athletes, artists and entertainers ● Q visa for international cultural exchange visitors ● r visa for religious occupations.

This comes as the paper arrival/departure form

(form I-94W) for authorised travellers from nations participating in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) will also be eliminated by the end of the year for those with an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) arriving in the US at all airports.

ESTA is mandatory for all nationals of VWP countries prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the United States.

The elimination of the paper I-94W form enables travellers to provide basic biographical, travel and eligibility information automatically through ESTA prior to departure for the United States.

ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel and, once approved, will be valid for two years or until the applicant’s passport expires. n

EURO RSCG 4460/E

gask | 0976 | TNW | poll

D

ESPITE 74% of agents voting in the TNW poll (see below) that they had lost confidence in British Airways in light of the most recent wave of strikes, some agents do still support the airline.

Elizabeth Dorling from Club Travel Ontdekkers, says she has not lost confidence in the airline but rather feels increasing anger towards the Unite union.

“Typical union with a terrible attitude of ‘let’s hit them while they are down’. BA cabin staff are some of the best paid and now when there is a recession and loss of revenue over the volcanic ash cloud, they want to lash out at the airline.

“They all have good jobs and nice privileges. They should be thankful as many people in the UK do not have

jobs. Come on guys, stand up for the airline that has kept you employed.”

Says another agent, who wished to remain anonymous: “BA has been phenomenal in sorting out passengers. They constantly communicate with emails and updates and it is this after-sales service that will keep me recommending and booking them. I am still booking them for future bookings for the end of July onwards when the strike should be over and my clients seem to have the same confidence in them.”

Quiet, spacious and comfortable, the

with

Daily flights from Johannesburg to Paris.

www.airfrance.co.za

TNW3919SD

16 n Wednesday June 2 2010

QUICK READ FOR DECISION-MAKERS