Cebu Pacific Acquires Air Swift for Approximately €28 million

 

Cebu Air, Inc, operating as Cebu Pacific, Philippine low cost - airline founded in 1988 member of Value Alliance and headquartered at Pasay in Metro Manila, the Asia's first low - cost airline offering scheduled flights with domestic and international destinations has acquired Airswift Transport Inc for a sum of approximately €28 million.

Airswift formerly ITI Air is a boutique, regional airline founded in 2002 operates a private airport in El Nido Airport and serves the operational base for the airline as well as of its affiliated company El Nido Resort.

Airswwift was previously owned by Ayala Corporation founded in 1834 by Domingo Roxas and Antonio de Ayala, an important Philippine holding company based in Makati - Manila, a group operates in different areas such as banking, electronics, information technology, real estate, renewable energy, telecommunications and water distribution.

As reported by travelmole.com, famous travel industry portal Airswift which operates flights to El Nido, Palawan from Manila and Clark from Cebu, Boracay, Coron and Bohol will temporarily continue to operate its flights with the previous schedule even after the integration into Cebu Pacific which currently boast 35 national and 26 international destinations.

Link - https://www.ttgitalia.com/compagnie-aeree/la-low-cost-filippina-cebu-pacific-acquisisce-airswift-II21380679

Lufthansa & Ryanair | Petition to Germany to Abolish the Aviation Tax

 

Deutsche Lufthansa AG, simply known as Lufthansa, German flag carrier founded in Berlin in 1953, a member of Star Alliance with its main hub in Frankfurt am Main Airport, ranking second in Europe by passengers carried as well as largest in Europe and fourth largest in the world by revenue has criticised Germany for its excessive government taxes which make the country unattractive for aviation.

The criticism expressed by the German airline was joined by Ryanair, the Irish ultra - low - cost carrier group headquartered in Swords - Dublin which attributed the slow recovery of German air traffic to the high costs of access with reference to the taxes applied on air traffic and various rights regarding security, air traffic control and airport charges.

It was predicted that the passenger capacity of airlines in Germany will only reach reach 87% of the levels from 2019 to 2024, compared to 102% in Europe on a combined basis.

This figure reveals that Germany is currently the only one of the five largest markets on the European continent that will not exceed capacity levels from 2019 or 2024.

Lufthansa and Ryanair jointly welcomed Sweden's decision to abolish the aviation tax and urged Germany to follow the example of the Scandinavian country.

Link - https://www.expreso.info/noticias/transporte/102828_lufthansa_y_ryanair_piden_alemania_la_abolicion_del_impuesto_la_aviacion

LATAM Pass | Best Airline Loyalty Program in America

For the second year in a row, the LATAM Pass frequent flyer program was recognized at the FTA, Frequent Traveler Award as the Airline loyalty program of the year among 300 programs and, for the first time it was recognized with the Best earning and redemption ability  thus winning in two different categories.

FTAs are the only awards that recognize loyalty in travel in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific region where those who vote are frequent flyers of the different airlines themselves.

LATAM group, the largest airline conglomerate in Latin America with a presence in the domestic markets of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador ahd Peru that sets the gold standard for connectivity, boasting an extensive network spanning over 117 destinations including both passengers and cargo operations providew LATAM Pass, frequent flyer program which has the main purpose to foster customer loyalty by offering a diverse range of benefits and incentives for those flying with LATAM Airlines and engaging with the LATAM Pass partner ecosystem.

With a global membership exceeding 48 million, the program spans multiple countries in Latin America and is the seventh largest loyalty program in the world recognizing the loyalty of its customers for over 43 years.

Among the recent innovations from 2023 LATAM Pass offers more benefits such as the possibility to combine miles and money when exchanging airline tickets, allowing millions of m to an exchange of tickets and also the expansion of preferential contact center coverage for all Elite members such as Gold, Gold Plus, Platinum, Black and Black Signature among others.

LATAM Pass CEO Cristián Ortiz commented that more than three million customers from 186 countries voted in this year's edition and these awards demonstrate the value that program members see and motivate them to continue improving and expanding the benefits to more people to offer them the best flight experience and new alternatives to redeem their miles.  so that members can interact on a daily basis with the LATAM Pass ecosystem.

Link - https://www.expreso.info/index.php/noticias/transporte/102912_latam_pass_el_mejor_programa_de_fidelizacion_de_aerolineas_en_america

Riyadh Air & Sabre Corporation | Strategic Agreement to Optimize Offers

 

Riyadh Air, the second flag carrier of Saudi Arabia founded in 2023 and headquartered in the capital of the Kingdom with its main hub at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and  Sabre Corporation, travel technology company, the largest global distribution system provider for air bookings based in Southlake - Texas - U.S, have signed a strategic agreement that provides for the use of Sabre Mosaic offer optimization technology powered by Sabre AI.

This partnership is essentially based on Google's artificial intelligence and machine learning which means a step forward in the aviation sector using the progress of avadvanced technology.

Nowadays, technology supports and improves the development of offers thanks to an accurate customer segmentation and an intelligent package, allowing the airline to unlock advantages and values through functional and effective ability to optimize offers.

The Senior Vice President of Global Airline Sales and Account Management at Sabre Travel Solutions Darren Rickey commented that Riyadh Air's innovative approach with its vision of being a digital airline aligns perfectly with Sabre Corporation's commitment to driving the transformation of airline retail.

Linked to all that Riyadh Air will implement Air Price IQ, Ancillary IQ, Bundle IQ and Upgrade IQ in its platform to optimally generate and manage dynamic offers.

The Arab air carrier will also use SabreMosaic Continuous Revenue Optimizer for true continuous pricing, becoming the first airline to operate without traditional fares and booking classes developed through the direct channel.

Link - https://www.ttgitalia.com/compagnie-aeree/ottimizzazione-delle-tariffe-riyadh-air-sigla-l-accordo-con-sabre-BF21420753

Hilton Hotels & Resorts | Expansion in Austria with Two Spark Brand Hotels

Hilton Hotels & Resorts, renowned global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship of American multinational hospitality company Hilton founded in 1919 by Conrad Nicholson Hilton, headquartered in McLean - Virginia - U.S., expands its influence in Europe with two hotels in Austria, concretely in Vienna with the Spark brand, a group's premium economy brand.

The Spark brand stands out in functional accommodation, equipped with complete services, on a budget - friendly geared towards guests looking for a reliable, comfortable, clean and affordable stay.

The two hotels that will be relaunched in the coming months belong to Verkehrsbuero Hospitality, a company headquartered in the Austrian Capital Wien with brands in the hotel, MICE, camping and hostel sectors that have so far operated under the Bassena brand launched in 2020 a brand characterised by young, urban, with a focus on city hotel business and casual feel.

The first hotel is Spark by Hilton Vienna Donnaustadt which provides 198 rooms, located less than a kilometres from shopping at the Westfield Donau Zentrum, approximately 3.0 kilometres from Danube Tower and Donauinsel – Trainingspark, 5.0 kilometres from Prater Amusement Park and Vienna International Airport is a 36 - minute drive.

The second accommodation is the Spark by Hilton Vienna Messe Prater featuring 243 rooms located near public transportation Prater Amusement Park and Prater Recreational Area. Shopping at Wien Mitte, The Mall and Ernst Happel Stadium are 3.0 kilometres away while Vienna International Airport is within 40 minutes.

The Spark brand opened its first facility in September 2023 in the United States of America, specifically in Mystic, a village and census – designated place in Groton and Stonington in the state of Connecticut just eight months after the presentation of the new concept and nowadays there are already more than 50 Sparks open, with another 275 on the way.

Link - https://www.ttgitalia.com/hotel/hilton-accelera-lo-sviluppo-del-marchio-spark-due-new-entry-in-austria-BF21421606

Stademos Hotels LTD | Essence of Med Luxury Style as Hotspot in Cyprus

 Stademos Hotels LTD, private hospitality company established in 1989, headquartred in Limassol - Cyprus, armed with a steadfast vision to develop and operate world-class hotels consolidates and proclaims itself as emblem and hotspot of Med luxury style in the hospitality sector linked to the evolution of Mediterranean Aesthetics which is associated with the philosophy of the ancient Greeks who associated the idea of beauty with the concepts of grace, measure, balance and above all harmony and proportion.

The model of beauty par excellence is represented with divinities, gods and goddesses and Stademos Hotels LTD inspired by the classical Hellenic art that made the cult of beauty a hotspot creates the direct link of its hotels with the land of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, fertility identified by the Romans as Venus which according to some versions of the myth was born from Uranus and the foam of the sea off the coast of Cythera also known as Kythira, a Greek island lying opposite the south - eastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula or in another version daughter of Zeus and Dione.

Aphrodite's main cult centres were in Athens, Corinth, Cythera and Cyprus where Stademos Hotels LTD operates and launches with identity, personality and essence a new concept of hospitality that is based on the links and combinations between iconic architecture of classical matrix, typically classical mythological suggestions and personal care, concepts that are enjoying great success not only on the European continent but also on the Central Asian market.

The Hotspot of the group's luxury style Med next to the motto "We create memories and we reward them" is visible in the group's hotels such as the five-star Amara Hotel, the latest addition to the Stademos collection situated on the southeast coast of Limassol, near the iconic, ancient ruins of the Kingdom of Amathus,an ultra lxury sanctuary featuring 207 artfully, comfortable rooms and suites with stunning views on the Mediterranean Sea.

The other five - star of the collection is the Hotel Elysium, located on the westside of Paphos centrally located in the town's archeological hearland, developed with a striking architecture with Byzantine, Medieval and Venetian influences providing 250 superb, fully equipped rooms, a world - class Spa and a wide range of lavish facilities to make any experience absolutely memorable.

The third accommodation is the four – stars Hotel Mediterranean Beach providing 292 very comfortable rooms and suites situated along the city's southeast coastal promenade close to the famous archeological site of Amathus in Limassol offering a wide range of facilities among them a vast selection of BABOR treatments at the Aquum Health Spa, five restaurants and three bars.

The Chief Operating Officer Luciano Sozzo and the Development Manager Omiros Omirou stated that the absence of the Tourism Board in Italy has led the group to shape the product offer in close symbiosis with the peculiarities of the territory of Cyprus, promoting an experience of communion inspired by the koinonia of the ancient Greek world that in today's times has no equal in the Mediterranean basin.

Link - https://www.ttgitalia.com/hotel/a-cipro-il-med-luxury-style-di-stademos-hotel-group-NG21417468

Destinazione Napoli | New Brand To Promote and Enhance Naples Image as Major Destination

Naples, the regional capital of Campania, the third largest city of Italy after Rome and Milan that rises in the centre of the stunning gulf of the same name dominated by the imposing Vesuvius volcano and bordered to east by the stunning Sorrento Peninsula with Punta Campanella to the west by the Campi Flegrei with Monte di Procida,  A city with a rich historical and cultural heritage, it has a new brand called "Destinazione Napoli" created to promote and enhance its image and the areas located outside its metropolitan borders.

This brand, which debuted at TTG Travel Experience 2024 held in Rimini, was created with the aim of offering visitors a representative image of the complexity and cultural richness of the city, with the newly formed Destination Management Organization to outline strategies to strengthen tourism at the incoming level, with the purpose to consolidate Naples' position on foreign markets, with also the new tourist brand visually represented by a permanent installation located in the square Piazza Municipio.

The municipality of Naples has equipped itself with a strategic tool such as Destination Management Organization for the design, implementation and management of typical services for the city as well as in a strategic and integrated perspectives with protagonists the marketing, promotion, digitalization and development actions of products necessary for the promotion and the enhancement of the tourist destination.

To end all that, a framework agreement was born through the RTI composed by CoopCulture, organization operating in the cultural sector in Italy that offers innovative solutions for the needs of the constantly evolving sector, contributing to the economy based on actions that create development of the territories and social cohesion, and SL&A, organization focuses on hospitality issues, tourism, environment, businesses and local economies.

The Project Leader of the Destination Management Organization Stefano Landi said that this initiative allows Naples to equip itself with an organization that moves according to world standards. 

The Councilor for Tourism and Productive Activities of the Municipality of Naples Teresa Armato commented that a fixed installation has been created in the city conceived and designed to go around the world through the experiences of tourists who take a selfie for social media. The brand's logo depicts some of the main symbols of true Neapolitannessas well as images of the metro stations.

Link - https://www.ttgitalia.com/ultime-notizie/nasce-destinazione-napoli-nuovo-brand-per-promuovere-la-citta-AG21363470