An article in The Herald Sun says that Qantas is sending its entire force of 20,000 customer service staff to charm school,as the flying kangaroo invests in multi-million dollar projects. The new $10 million training academy for staff and new recruits is one of two multi-million dollar ventures the airline has planned to coincide with next October’s delivery of its first A380 super jumbo. BusinessDaily learned that Qantas will also spend more than $20 million promoting the flying kangaroo brand in its biggest advertising campaign yet on foreign television. The commercials, produced by a leading Sydney agency M and C Saatchi, are expected to go to air within weeks. The aim of both is to convey a different image to potential travellers by way of a new product range, the first of which are the wider seats and improved legroom in a new premium economy class section. Lesley Grant, general manager Qantas customer services and products, said it was hoped up to 20,000 staff who deal directly with customers could be put through the academy in the first year. The first intake will be in November. “We are designing programs that reconnect our people with what the customer experience is,” Ms Grant said. At the centre, flight attendants will study separate course modules for each aircraft cabin section. Both long haul and domestic airline staff, as well as airport workers and call centre employes, can expect to spend time there. Qantas executive general manager John Borghetti said while airline staff will get their meet-and-greet and passenger handling skills polished, would-be passengers from Europe, the United States, Japan and other major markets in Asia will experience the ‘Australianess” of Qantas via the television commercials. The ads will showcase Qantas as a company, and will be markedly different from the award winning I call Australia home commercial series. Mr Borghetti would not discuss the theme of the campaign or series format, saying only that people sitting in and watching television in Europe would come to know the Qantas brand. All we can hope is that the programme includes flight attendants! Article courtesy of the Herald Sun

One of Vietnam’s most exclusive oceanfront resorts, The Nam Hai, Hoi An has launched a series of MICE packages for 2008 with a choice of two venues and four package options available

The Vietnam Meeting Package is priced at US$40 per delegate for a half-day or US$50 per delegate for a full-day. The packages for groups of at least five include an elegant meeting room with wireless internet plus morning coffee or tea and fresh-baked pastries, set lunch and afternoon coffee break.

An alternative full-day package, The Nam Hai Meeting Package, includes hire of an executive meeting room, morning coffee break including fresh “smoothies”, juices and bakery items, lunch at a choice or venues and afternoon coffee with juices, seasonal fruit and ice cream and is priced at US$70.

An exclusive ‘Villa Escape’ meeting package is also available at the 5-star resort on China Beach in Central Vietnam for meetings of elite senior executives. For important meetings of directors and senior executives, The Nam Hai’s ‘Villa Escape’ meeting package is priced at US$145 per delegate.

The package offers the ultimate in privacy, scenery and facilities in a villa surrounded by gardens, terraces and private courtyard with unparalleled ocean views - with guests attended by highly trained butlers.

For a minimum of 12 delegates and maximum of 24, the package features all top-of-the-range meeting equipment, morning and afternoon coffee breaks, free flow of soft drinks and mineral water, business lunch at The Nam Hai restaurant and onsite secretary / press office facilities.

Private breakout areas are also available, with coffee and tea breaks served on a private terrace overlooking the ocean.

The Nam Hai is renowned for its 5-star accommodation in an atmosphere of unsurpassed opulence. Signature features include a gourmet restaurant and beachside restaurant; tropical spa beside a lagoon; three beachfront swimming pools and an 18-hole golf course opening nearby in the future.

Just 10 minutes away is picturesque Hoi An, an ancient ‘Silk Route’ trading port with a rich multi-cultural history and nostalgic streetscapes.

The Nam Hai is managed by GHM, one of the world’s leading creators and operators of award-winning, distinctive luxury hotels and resorts, throughout Asia and the USA. The Nam Hai is GHM’s new Asian flagship property.

The resort is connected to the world via Danang’s international airport, just 30 minutes from the resort, offering direct flights from Singapore and Bangkok with future plans for direct flights from Hong Kong and other major Asian cities.

The five-star resort is a member of The Leading Small Hotels of the World.

Etihad Airways is enhancing the experience it offers its customers on the ground with the introduction of a new luxury chauffeur service for its premium customers travelling to and from Toronto’s Pearson International airport.

All first and business class customers travelling within a 50 kilometres radius of Toronto are eligible for Etihad Chauffeur, the complimentary luxury car service.

Geert Boven, Etihad Airways’ executive vice president sales and services, said, “We believe that the experience our customers have on the ground is just as important as the one they experience with us in the air. Travelling to and from the airport often can sometimes leave passengers feeling pressured, something the new chauffeur service totally eliminates.”

Etihad has chosen CAREY Canada, one of the country’s prominent chauffeured transportation companies, to provide the chauffeur service within the Toronto area.

Customers flying into Toronto from Abu Dhabi with Etihad Airways will be met by their chauffeur in the arrivals area and escorted to their limousine, ensuring little time is wasted at the airport.

Etihad flight EY140, departs Toronto at 10.10am every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning arriving in Abu Dhabi at 08.35am the following morning. The return flight, EY141 departs from Abu Dhabi International Airport on the same days at 01:55am, arriving into Toronto’s Pearsons International Airport at 08:10am. All timings are local.

Tokyo will become the fourth city in the world to receive Airbus A380 commercial flights, when Singapore Airlines starts services to the Japanese capital on 20 May 2008.

The inaugural A380 flight to Tokyo - SQ636 - will depart Singapore’s Changi Airport on Tuesday, 20 May 2008, at 0040hrs and arrive at Tokyo’s Narita Airport at 0830hrs (all times local), on a special schedule to coincide with the 30th anniversary celebrations of Narita Airport. The return flight, SQ637, will depart Narita at 1300hrs on Tuesday, 20 May 2008. The aircraft will touch down at Changi Airport on the same day at 1905hrs.

Thereafter, the Singapore Airlines A380 will commence regular scheduled services, operating SQ638 daily on the Singapore-Tokyo sector from 20 May 2008, and on SQ637 for the return leg from 21 May 2008.

Singapore Airlines is the first airline in the world to fly the A380: the world’s largest commercial aircraft. Tokyo is Singapore Airlines’ third A380 destination, following the commencement of the Singapore-Sydney service on 25 October 2007 and the Singapore-London service on 18 March 2008.

“We are proud to operate the inaugural A380 flight into Japan, the A380’s first Asian destination. The fact that Tokyo is the A380’s first Asian city highlights Singapore Airlines’ 40 years of dedicated service to the Japanese market,” said Mr. Huang Cheng Eng, Singapore Airlines’ Executive Vice President, Marketing and the Regions.

“We are sure that our Japanese customers will be delighted to try our extensive range of new cabin products and the state-of-the-art entertainment system on board the A380,” Mr Huang added.

Besides operating to Tokyo 20 times weekly, Singapore Airlines also flies daily to Nagoya, five times weekly to Fukuoka and 17 times weekly to Osaka.

Customers who hold ticketed bookings on flights to be operated by the A380 will be automatically accommodated on the new aircraft without any change required to their tickets. Customers holding bookings, but not yet ticketed, may need to check if there have been changes to their fares as a result of the aircraft change.

The Singapore Airlines A380 heralds a new era in air travel, with its cabin offerings providing unprecedented comfort, space and luxury. The aircraft is the quietest large passenger aircraft ever built, and delivers substantial fuel burn reductions per seat kilometre over the next largest aircraft. This means it becomes a cleaner, greener alternative for long-haul travel, while allowing for the addition of extra capacity to congested airports, like London.

The Singapore Airlines A380 seats 471 passengers in three classes - 12 in the ultra-luxurious Singapore Airlines Suites, 60 in Business Class, configured in a spacious 1-2-1 layout on the upper deck, and 399 in Economy Class. The airline currently has three A380s in service, a further 16 on firm order and options on six more.

See other recent news regarding: Airlines, Aviation, Hotels, Singapore Airlines, Japan, Tokyo, Singapore, Airbus, A380

Silversea Cruises, with its intimate ships (never more than 382 guests on board) and new collection of 13 Elegant Explorations for 2009, aims to offer travellers the ultimate opportunity to discover the world at a slower pace, allowing more time to savour new places and personally connect with the people and cultures they meet along the way.

Created exclusively for the traveller who has the time and passion to indulge in travel on a grand scale, this special collection features extended voyages of 24 to 92 days. These unique odysseys combine the luxury of sailing aboard the line’s elite, award-winning ships with expanded journeys to diverse regions of the world, combining visits to must-see traditional ports with exotic destinations that are off the beaten path - all on one cruise.

“Our Elegant Explorations are all-inclusive extended escapes perfectly suited to those guests who have the time to indulge their wanderlust at a leisurely pace, in unabashed luxury and comfort,” said Steve Odell, Silversea’s Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific. “You can explore the most desirable ports of the Mediterranean for 24 days, sail for 46 days around South America and the Caribbean or take a diverse 53-day voyage that spans from Tokyo to Barcelona. Throughout each unforgettable journey, you’ll enjoy superb accommodations coupled with Silversea’s famous personalised service and gracious hospitality.”

Highlighting the programme are generous savings incentives and onboard spending credits of US$500 per suite (based on double occupancy) for guests sailing 40 to 57 days and US$1,000 per suite for guests sailing 58 to 91 days. For the Grand Pacific Voyage, guests who sail the full 92 days will enjoy an onboard spending credit of US$2,000 per suite. Complimentary Business Class air upgrades are also available with the purchase of the optional Silver SKY Air Program on voyages of 50 or more consecutive days.

Grand Pacific Voyage

Of special note is the company’s first-ever Grand Pacific Voyage, a 92-day extended odyssey timed to coincide with prime regional seasons of the Pacific Ocean. Departing Los Angeles on March 7, 2009, Silver Shadow will follow the mild trade winds of spring as they dry the skies south of the equator, find northern Japan’s cherry blossoms in full bloom, and arrive in Alaska as the region awakens from its winter slumber with warmer, longer days. On this epic journey, guests will visit 45 ports, 15 countries and two hemispheres, enjoying overnight stays in Bora Bora, Sydney, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

In addition to the US $2,000 per suite onboard spending credit, other special amenities available to guests sailing the full voyage include complimentary hotel accommodations in Los Angeles on the eve of departure, plus transfer and baggage handling between airport, hotel and ship. Fares start at US$55,170 per person, based on double occupancy.

Following below are the six themed segments of Grand Pacific Voyage 2009:

Voyage 3907: “Enchanted Polynesia,” March 7 - 23, Los Angeles to Papeete, 16 days.
Voyage 3908: “Escape to Dreamland,” March 23 - April 11, Papeete to Sydney, 16 days.
Voyage 3909: “Adventures of the Imagination,” April 11 - 29, Sydney to Singapore, 18 days.
Voyage 3910: “Oriental Mystique,” April 29 - May15, Singapore to Tokyo, 16 days.
Voyage 3911: “Bridge Across Time,” May 15 - 28, Tokyo to Seward, 14 days.
Voyage 3912: “Of Mists and Majesty,” May 28 - June 7, Seward to Vancouver, 10 days.

Elegant Explorations for 2009

Silver Cloud departs February 5 on a 46-day voyage from Santiago to San Juan with calls in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Devil’s Island, Grenada, Barbados, Bequia, St. Lucia, Antigua and Virgin Gorda. Highlights include journeying through the Chilean fjords, Cape Horn and the Amazon’s Breves Narrows. Best-available fares start at US$22,567 per person.

Silver Whisper departs April 5 on a 53-day voyage from Tokyo to Barcelona with calls in Kagoshima, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Oman, Dubai, Egypt, Jordan, Greece, Malta, Italy, Monaco and France. Highlights include overnight stays in Ho Chi Minh City, Mumbai, Dubai, Safaga and Aqaba. Best-available fares start at US$25,792 per person.

Silver Wind departs July 28 on a 24-day voyage from Monte Carlo to Athens with calls in Italy, Spain, Corsica, Greece, Montenegro and Croatia. Highlights include a three-day, two-night stopover in Venice. Best-available fares start at US$17,985 per person.

Shortlist has been announced View Below

Winner announcement and lunch ceremony at Suntec Convention Center, March 18/Tue at EyeforTravel Travel Distribution Summit Asia.

Our Honoured judging panel include:

• Damien Pfirsch,Digital Strategy Director, Keen Media Co.,Ltd., Thailand
• Joe Buhler, Sr Destination Marketing Analyst, PhoCusWright and Principal, Buhler Works, USA
• Liz Craig, Principal, OneGlobe Network, France and USA
• Joe Nguyen, Director of eCommerce, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, Singapore

Expedia - http://www.expedia.com.au

First Class - http://www.firstclass.com.au

Asiativ - http://www.asiativ.com

Best Flights - http://bestflights.com.au

We are extremely excited to say that in only our 3rd year as Firstclass.com.au we were voted in the Top 10 ‘Best Travel Professionals’ in the prestigious Luxury Travel magazine Gold list. This is the fourth annual survey and the Gold List Awards are now firmly established as Australia’s Premier Luxury Travel Awards. This is a fantastic result for us and we would like to thank everyone who voted for us. This year we are determined to grab that number one spot and secure our place as the ‘Best Travel Professionals’.

We can’t achieve this without your help so we encourage you to send any feedback so we can ensure that we are providing the best possible service.

We are extremely proud and pleased to say that our Natalie has been recognised by the cruising industry as Australia’s Cruise Consultant for 2007. This is an amazing achievement and the perfect way to cap off an incredible year both for Natalie and Firstclass.com.au.

Natalie has played an integral part in the implementation of a quality cruising program and we see this area going from strength to strength.

Travel Industry Articles:

Travelmole click here
Travel Daily click here
ICCA newsletter click here
e-Travel Blackboard article click here
Cruise Weekly click here
The Bush Telegraph click here

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