oneworld® is offering a new version of its oneworld Explorer round-the-world fare – for travel solely in the southern hemisphere.

It follows the recent launch of services by LATAM Airlines between Brazil’s Sao Paulo and South Africa’s Johannesburg – making a circumnavigation of the globe south of the equator possible on oneworld member airlines for the first time.

Qantas links Johannesburg with Sydney and its extensive Australasian network. Both LATAM and Qantas link Sydney with Santiago, with an option of a stop in New Zealand – and then on to LATAM’s unmatched South American network.

oneworld Explorer’s new three-continent version is available for sale from select countries in the southern hemisphere – including Australia, Brazil, Chile, South Africa and New Zealand.

It includes flights on a South West Pacific–Africa-South America-South West Pacific routeing, flying in a westwards or eastwards direction – with flights included within each continent. oneworld is the only airline alliance with an Australia-based member airline, in Qantas.

Unlike other round-the-world fares, oneworld Explorer’s price is based on the number of continents you visit, not the distance you fly, making planning and pricing your journey much more simple and flexible.

Prices of this new three-continent version of oneworld Explorer (excluding taxes and other charges) start from, for travel starting in

• Australia and the South West Pacific – AUD 3,299 Economy, AUD 10,499 Business Class.
• South Africa – ZAR 21,560 Economy, ZAR 80,460 Business Class.
• South America, excluding Brazil – USD 3,200 Economy, USD 8,600 Business Class.
• Brazil – USD 3,300 Economy, USD 8,100 Business Class.

 

Lufthansa presents its most advanced long-haul aircraft to the public for the first time The first A350-900 will bear the name of the city of Nuremberg

The new A350-900 was presented to the public today in Munich with a spectacular light show and an official unveiling ceremony in the Lufthansa Technik Hangar. A media show with light projections served as a 10-minute “fireworks”. In the presence of 2,000 employees and guests, the world’s most advanced long-haul aircraft was then christened and named after city of Nuremberg. The Senior Mayor of Nuremberg, Dr. Ulrich Maly, took on the role of the aircraft’s ‘godfather’. There were also speeches from Carsten Spohr, CEO of the Lufthansa Group, and from the Bavarian Finance Minister, Dr Markus Söder, Dr Michael Kerkloh, CEO of Munich Airport and Thomas Enders, CEO of Airbus. „With the A350-900 we introduce our 2-liter fleet, a milestone in our fleet strategy as its entry into service marks a generational change on long-haul routes”, Carsten Spohr says in his address.

As of 10 February, Lufthansa will be stationing the first ten Airbus A350-900 aircraft in Munich. The first destinations will be Delhi and Boston. The aircraft will have room for 293 passengers – 48 in Business Class, 21 in Premium Economy and 224 in Economy Class. The A350-900 is the world’s most advanced and most environmentally friendly long-haul aircraft. It uses 25 percent less kerosene, produces 25 percent fewer emissions and is significantly quieter on take-off than comparable types of aircraft.

Note: © Photographer: Oliver Rösler

Lufthansa A350-900 – Worldwide debut for innovative lighting technology

24 lighting scenarios to fit with day and night-time biorhythms

Lufthansa will be the first airline worldwide to use a range of different settings for the on-board lighting of the A350-900 which are designed to fit with the day and night-time biorhythms of their passengers. Any passengers who have ever traveled across a number of time zones will know the problem – your body clock gets out of sync. With the introduction of Lufthansa’s new A350-900, it has now for the first time become possible to work with and fit with the biorhythms of the passengers by providing the right type of light at the right time. Lighting effects will also be used to emulate a pleasant restaurant atmosphere on board during mealtimes. “The well-being of our passengers is of particular importance to us. So it represents a real milestone for us that we can now achieve these improvements with this innovative lighting technology,” says Dr. Reinhold Huber, who is responsible for further development in the area of Customer Experience. Altogether, the new A350-900 LED technology can provide around 24 different lighting settings. Following on from the A350-900, Lufthansa will also be re-fitting its Boeing 747-800s with the new lighting system.

The use of a range of lighting settings is based on findings from research in the field of Chronobiology and on known effects of our day and night-time biorhythms. A large number of scientific findings provide the foundation for the technology, such as those by Prof. Christian Gunga of Charité and by Dr. Achim Leder. Warm light for relaxation is supplied during periods of rest, whereas cooler light provides stimulation for more active phases. Lufthansa has developed these various lighting moods in collaboration with lighting designers from Kardorff Ingenieure in Berlin – “Our focus is on passengers’ needs when it comes to selecting the type of light to be used. We are thus able to create a pleasant atmosphere which can significantly improve the passengers’ feeling of well-being,” explains Professor Volker from Kardorff.

As of 10 February, Lufthansa will be stationing the first ten Airbus A350-900 aircraft in Munich. The first destinations served will be Delhi and Boston. The aircraft will have space for 293 passengers – 48 in Business Class, 21 in Premium Economy and 224 in Economy Class. The A350-900 is now the world’s most advanced and most environmentally friendly long haul aircraft. It uses 25 percent less kerosene, produces 25 percent fewer emissions and is significantly quieter on take-off than comparable types of aircraft.

It is common knowledge to frequent flyers that when compared to the international premium cabin counterparts  the  US domestic Business and First class service is an unpleasant joke!    Domestic premium seats are commonly only a few inches larger than economy and have only a few inches of recline.   They are a far cry from lie flat international seats.           To avoid these seats,  one of my customers actually flies to Canada, using a short-haul flight,   then flies onto his final destination using an International long-haul flight.   This itinerary  ensures he enjoys all the benefits of  international premium cabin service and seating.!

Over  the last 18 months there has been a  glimmer of  light on the horizon as some airlines have introduced International quality service and seats   on domestic long-haul flights.    Today that light has grown a little brighter still  as Delta have announced a new lie-flat service between Los Angeles (LAX) and Washington (DCA).     Starting in April 2017,    Delta will operate this cross country route with lie-flat, ‘Delta-One’  service and seating.

The new route joins Delta’s existing domestic long-haul  ‘Delta One’  routes serving the New York (JFK) – Los Angeles (LAX) route  and New York (JFK) – San Francisco (SFO) route.

Happily,  Delta is not alone in providing real premium cabin’s on US domestic routes,   other routes/airlines include;

American Airlines (AA) offers transcontinental flights using the Airbus A321 on the  New York (JFK) – Los Angeles (LAX) route and the New York (JFK) – San Francisco (SFO) route.      These flights offer lie-flat seats in both First and Business class.

JetBlue’s (B6)  ‘Mint’  service offers lie-flat seats with built in massage and adjustable firmness settings.      Currently this service is available on the Boston (BOS) – San Francisco (SFO) route, New York (JFK) – Los Angeles (LAX) route  and  New York (JFK) – San Francisco (SFO) route.    There are plans to add additional airports,  such as  Seattle (SEA), Las Vegas (LAS), San Diego (SAN) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL)  in the near future.

United Airlines (UA) operate their ‘p.s. (Premium Service)’  cabin on the  Newark (EWR) – Los Angeles (LAX) route  and Newark (EWR) – San Francisco (SFO) route.        Departing Newark (EWR)  you may also fly First class to Honolulu (HNL),  not quite lie flat,  but an impressive  75in pitch  and  21in width seat.

Hawaiian Airlines (HA)  –    Hawaiian’s new luxury lie-flat service went on sale  just 10 days ago on Oct 3rd 2016.       Initially the routes for this new cabin include Honolulu (HNL) and Narita (NRT),  Sydney (SYD),  Brisbane (BNE) and Auckland (AKL).       Hawaiian promise that they will expand the lie-flat seats to their North America routes starting in 2017.     So finally there will be a Lie-flat seat when travelling to America’s pacific paradise!     We just need a little bit more patience for this route!

Virgin America (VX)    –  While these seats are not lie flat,  I feel  Virgin America deserves a mention  as the overall service stands out from the crowd.     In addition,   the VX route network is much more comprehensive than the normal NYC to Los Angeles (LAX) type route.   A full list of there route network can be found at https://www.virginamerica.com/cms/airport-destinations.

So a big thank you to all the airlines mentioned !

Links:

Delta Airlines (DL)
(http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/onboard-experience/delta-one.html)
American Airlines (AA)
(https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/experience/planes/airbus-a321-transcontinental.jsp)
United Airlines (UA)
(https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/premium-services.aspx)
JetBlue (B6)
(http://www.jetblue.com/flying-on-jetblue/mint/)
Hawaiian Airlines (HA)
(https://www.hawaiianairlines.com/premiumcabin)
Virgin America (VX)
(https://www.virginamerica.com/cms/fly-with-us)

Links: http://www.skyteam.com/en

AMSTERDAM, October 4th, 2016 – SkyTeam, the global airline alliance, has introduced an online, retroactive credit tool to make it easier for frequent flyers to keep their account balances up-to-date.  Already available across most of SkyTeam’s 20 members, the tool works in real-time to validate retroactive requests for eligible flights in a matter of clicks.

The new tool eliminates the need for manual processing of post-travel claims such as when a Frequent Flyer Program (FFP) number has not been entered into a reservation. Customers simply log into their FFP account, enter their flight details and the system validates the request in seconds.  Eligible flights are credited to their account automatically and retroactive requests can be made as little as one week after the date of travel – the shortest time frame in the industry.

“We are offering a fast, simple and seamless way to claim missing miles across the alliance for our more than 200 million frequent flyers,” said Michael Schutzbank, SkyTeam’s Director for Customer Loyalty.  “Uncredited flights can make a difference when it comes to a customer’s status level or being able to claim an award ticket, but this quick and easy solution ensures our frequent flyers benefit from every mile flown.”

“SkyTeam’s new retroactive credit tool is another example of how our alliance is leading the industry in customer-centric innovation,” said Perry Cantarutti, SkyTeam’s CEO and Managing Director. “Loyalty is a key focus for SkyTeam. We greatly value our frequent flyers and our ongoing investment in technology will continue to deliver value both for customers and our member airlines by enhancing every aspect of the travel experience.”

Offering aligned customer benefits alliance-wide is a priority for SkyTeam and the remaining airlines will be implementing the new tool over the coming months. SkyTeam was also the first airline alliance to deliver a consistent series of airport benefits across its network, when it launched SkyPriority in 2012.

 

Links:
Juneyao Air (http://www.juneyaoair.com/en/)
Star Alliance (http://www.staralliance.com/)

SHANGHAI, CHINA, OCTOBER 10, 2016 – At a ceremony held in Shanghai today, Star Alliance and Juneyao Airlines formally sealed a strategic partnership which will see the Shanghai based airline become a “Connecting Partner” of Star Alliance in 2017. Under the Alliance’s innovative partnership concept, the airline will soon start offering services such as through-checkin, as well as Lounge access and other Priority privileges to qualifying passengers travelling on connecting itineraries with Star Alliance member airlines.

“Juneyao Airlines is a terrific addition to our network proposition in China and particularly in the Shanghai market”, said Mark Schwab, CEO Star Alliance. “Thanks to Juneyao’s expanding reach, our passengers will enjoy a wide choice of flight connections through our future partner to numerous Chinese metropoles and several international destinations.”

Currently 17 Star Alliance member airlines are operating around 1,600 weekly services in and out of the two Shanghai airports, Pudong International and Hongqiao International, which are both served by Juneyao Airlines. With a fleet of 56 aircraft Juneyao Airlines provides more than 1,700 weekly flights to 69 destinations in eight countries and regions.

“Juneyao Airlines is proud to play its role in enlarging the Star Alliance network offer through Shanghai’s two airports. We look forward to welcoming connecting passengers from Star Alliance on our airline in the near future. We offer 53 additional routes which will complement Star Alliance’s existing services from Shanghai and will no doubt attract more connecting passengers to our two home hub airports”, said Wang Junjin, Chairman Juneyao Airlines.

“Since starting operations 10 years ago, Juneyao Airlines has earned a strong reputation in the Chinese market. Now it is ready for a further step on its successful growth path. From the beginning of our conversations we were impressed by the carrier’s professionalism and operational efficiencies”, adds Schwab.

The Connecting Partner Model is designed to allow airlines to connect to the Star Alliance network without having to become a full member. For customers this gives access to additional travel options beyond the current 1,300 airports served by the Alliance’s 28 member airlines. Connecting Partners are carefully selected and need to adhere to the high operating standards required by the Alliance.

Customers travelling on an itinerary which includes a transfer between a Star Alliance member airline and a Connecting Partner will be offered the standard Alliance benefits such as passenger and baggage through check-in. In addition, Star Alliance Gold status customers will enjoy a tailored set of privileges in line with the product offerings of the individual Connecting Partner.

Connecting Partners will enter into bilateral commercial agreements with selected Star Alliance member airlines, which may include Frequent Flyer Programme based privileges. “Juneyao Airlines was founded with the aim of offering a competitive and high quality product to both the business and leisure market. It targets customers at middle to high level and creates a relaxing, respectful and professional experience that is unique to Juneyao Airlines. As a full-service carrier, the new strategy of the airline is to become an excellent representative of a High-Value Carrier. I am very happy that this has not gone unnoticed in the industry and that Star Alliance has decided to partner with us. We are looking forward to providing Star Alliance Gold Card holders with a wide selection of privileges when they connect to our airline”, Wang Junjin added.

Work has now commenced to establish the necessary technology and commercial links which will allow Juneyao Airlines to begin serving Star Alliance connecting passengers some time during the second quarter 2017. As of then, the airline will be offering the following privileges to qualifying Star Alliance Gold Status passengers travelling on connecting itineraries:

• Lounge Access
• Fast Track Security
• Additional Baggage
• Priority Check-in
• Priority Boarding
• Priority Standby
• Priority Baggage Delivery

The 17 Star Alliance member airlines flying to Shanghai are: Air Canada, Air China*, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA*, Asiana*, Austrian, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air*, Lufthansa, SAS, Shenzhen Airlines#, Singapore Airlines, SWISS, THAI, Turkish Airlines and United. Together they offer around 830 weekly domestic flights and 760 international flights, serving 62 destinations (26 domestic and 36 international) in 19 countries.

Notes:
* = airlines flying to both Hongqiao and Pudong Airports
# = airline flying to Hongqiao Airport only
all other airlines flying to Pudong Airport only

Each month the  Air France / KLM group posts a number of ‘PROMO AWARDS‘ online on their website.    These awards offer substantial discounts on the normal mileage rates required  and are a great way to maximize your benefits from your mileage account. This month’s Business class savings range from 25% to 50% savings over the normal mileage price. Route Class Round Trip Mileage % Savings Europe – Montreal World Business Class 93750 25% Europe – Edmonton International World Business Class 93750 25% Europe – Cayenne Business Class 112500 25% Europe – Havana Business Class 112500 25% Europe – Punta Cana Business Class 112500 25% Europe – Pointe à Pitre Business Class 112500 25% Europe – Colombo World Business Class 75000 25% Europe – Wuhan Business Class 100000 50% Europe – Xiamen Business Class 100000 50% Europe – Hangzhou Business Class 100000 50% Europe – Amman Business Class 50000 50% Europe – Almaty Business Class 50000 50% Europe – Dammam World Business Class 75000 25% Europe – Kuwait World Business Class 75000 25% Europe – Doha World Business Class 75000 25%

 

What’s the catch?     Well like all great savings,  there is always conditions.       The
biggest condition are the dates :

Booking must be made between  :  1st/Aug/2016 –  31st/Aug/16
Travel must occur between  :   1st/Oct/2016 –  30th/Nov/2016

Guide to Point Transfers – Credit Cards to Airlines.

Transferring points from your Credit Card  loyalty program is a great way to top up your airline program balance, allowing you to accrue enough miles for your dream air travel plans.
However,  the list of participating airlines and transfer options is often changing and can include some surprises.

To aid,   we have compiled a reference guide for you.

It is worth remembering that once transferred, these points can be used to purchase flights on any Partner airlines that the chosen recipient airline may have. For example, transferring points to Delta, can be used to purchase a flight on Fiji Airways.

Airline	Alliance	Credit Card to Airline ratio.
		American Express	Chase	Citi
Aeromexico	SkyTeam	5 to 8
Air Canada	Star Alliance	1 to 1
Air France / KLM	SkyTeam	1 to 1		1 to 1
Alitalia	SkyTeam	1 to 1
All Nippon (ANA)	Star Alliance	1 to 1
British Airways	OneWorld	5 to 4	1 to 1
Cathay Pacific	OneWorld	1 to 1		1 to 1
Delta Air Lines	SkyTeam	1 to 1
El Al		50 to 1
Emirates		1 to 1
Etihad		1 to 1		1 to 1
Eva Air	Star Alliance			1 to 1
Garuda Indonesia	SkyTeam			1 to 1
Hawaiian Airlines		1 to 1
Iberia	OneWorld	5 to 4
Jet Blue		5 to 4
Korean Air	SkyTeam		1 to 1
Malaysia Airlines	OneWorld			1 to 1
Qantas	OneWorld			1 to 1
Qatar Airways	OneWorld			1 to 1
Singapore Airlines	Star Alliance	1 to 1	1 to 1	1 to 1
Southwest			1 to 1
Thai Airways	Star Alliance			1 to 1
United	Star Alliance		1 to 1
Virgin America		2 to 1		2 to 1
Virgin Atlantic			1 to 1	1 to 1

You may have dreamed about flying on Etihad–one of the world’s most luxurious airlines–but thought it was out of reach. Until now, the only way to book EY award seats was with EY Guest or AAdvantage points, which you could only earn by flying and could not transfer credit card points. Just last week, American Express announced a new partnership with Etihad Guest, which means you can now transfer your Amex points to your EY account! Don’t have one? Sign up today and plan your next trip on this 5-star airline.

See the article below for details and links to Etihad and American Express so you can take advantage of this fantastic program! Learn more

Even though AA has recently devaluated it’s mileage program, it has made a few positing changes. The airline has increased the number of miles earned on Qatar flights when traveling in Economy
and Business class.  And with Qatar adding new routes, it gives you a chance to earn and spend more miles on this top-rated airline. Learn more

Another great change AA has made is now you can fly to India and Maldives without having to cross the Atlantic. You can save stops and time by flying across the Pacific instead. Plus you can fly on Cathay Pacific, rated one of the best airlines in the world, under the new program. Learn More

If you missed the information on AA’s devaluation of it’s miles, you can get all the details here.