Category: Airline

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Martina Migliarina (United Airlines Country Sales Manager) is delighted to announce United Airlines is increasing service to the USA in 2022. In addition to year-round Dublin – New York/Newark flights, United are bringing back seasonal service to Ireland offering customers choicer and easy one-stop connections from across the USA.

 

In 2022 United Airlines will:

• Resume seasonal service Dublin – Washington, D.C. on February 19
• Resume Dublin – Chicago and Shannon – New York/Newark – seasonal service in March
• Add a second year-round Dublin – New York/Newark frequency starting April 24

 

Stay tuned to Travelbiz for more great route news from United Airlines and a big warm welcome back to Aoife Greg (Leisure sales Manager United Airlines) from all the Travelbiz team.

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Tenet, Cruella, Friends: The Reunion, and live sport top the entertainment charts in the sky, and notable mention goes to The Young Offenders.

 

Sci-Fi action thriller Tenet and family favourite Cruella were among the most-watched movies at 40,000 feet in 2021, while Friends: The Reunion topped the TV charts, according to viewing trends released today by Emirates.l

 

The largest airline in the world offers more than 4,500 channels of entertainment on #ICE (Information Communication Entertainment), its multi award-winning inflight entertainment system where passengers can watch the latest movies and TV series, listen to music and podcasts, follow their flight’s progress and see views from the aircraft’s external cameras; watch live news and sport, and stay connected through Wi-Fi1.

 

Top movies in 2021 on ice

The most viewed movie on Emirates flights last year stars John David Washington and Robert Pattinson and features Michael Caine and Kenneth Branagh. Tenet follows a secret agent who learns to manipulate the flow of time to prevent an attack from the future that threatens to annihilate the present world.

 

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s action and comedy Bad Boys for Life and Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard with Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson and Salma Hayek were also among the top most-watched movies on a list that trended towards action, comedy and thriller movies.

 

World cinema is also very popular on ice and top picks in 2021 included French drama Who You Think I Am starring Juliette Binoche and the Oscar-winning film from Denmark Another Round.

 

Family favourites Cruella, Mulan, Luca and Soul

Across all cabin classes, family movies were also hugely popular and the top performing films in this genre in 2021 included Cruella, a big hit on board starring Emma Stone and Emma Thompson and Mulan, the story of a young Chinese maiden who disguises herself as a male warrior to save her father.

 

Animated films Luca and Soul also topped the popularity charts along with the new Wizarding World collection on ice, where adults and children alike enjoyed watching the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films.

 

There are more than 1,500 movies from multiple genres available in up to 45 languages for passengers in First, Business and Economy Class on ice.

 

The most popular TV in the sky

Emirates’ 2021 launch of TV series from HBO Max proved very popular with customers. Friends: The Reunion, which was exclusively on board Emirates in the region, was among the most watched TV programmes. Other top TV selections included the award-winning drama series, Mare of Easttown starring Kate Winslet, and The Flight Attendant, a comedy, drama, mystery and thriller all-in-one, starring Kaley Cuoco. The HBO Max content on ice continues to entertain passengers in 2022, with the addition of all three seasons of the hit series Succession

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Notable mention must also go to The Young Offenders, the hilarious coming-of-age comedy series about lovable Cork rogues, Conor and Jock as they navigate their awkward and trouble-fuelled teenage years and is particularly enjoyed by passengers on the Dublin – Dubai route. 

 

Unmissable live sports

For many sports fans, not being able to tune into their favourite sporting events and live games is unthinkable, but with Emirates, you never have to miss a minute of live action on the Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra channels.

 

Some of the top live sporting events that customers enjoyed live on board in 2021 were the UEFA Euro 2020, the rescheduled 2020 Summer Olympics, Wimbledon 2021, The British Open, NBA finals and many more.

 

Emirates offers four live channels of sports and international news channels including CNN, BBC World News, Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra.

 

2021 was another multi award-winning year for ice, where customers voted Emirates ‘Best Inflight Entertainment’ at the 2022 APEX Passenger Choice Awards®.  Emirates has won Skytrax World’s Best Inflight Entertainment accolade every year since 2005. Emirates continually updates its inflight content, adding hundreds of movies, TV shows, podcasts and music channels each month to its extensive entertainment library on ice.

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Finnair has unveiled a new look for its business and premium economy class cabins as part of a major €200 million investment. The renewal covers all A350 and A330 long-haul aircraft, with new cabins to be fitted over the next two years and, with renewed service concepts, will be available in the spring on selected long-haul routes to be announced at the sales start on 1 March 2022.

 

The new premium economy cabin is being installed in all long-haul aircraft for the first time.

 

Topi Manner (Chief Executive Finnair) said: “Our investment to enhance the long-haul customer experience demonstrates the continuing commitment of the whole Finnair team to deliver a premium experience in every cabin on our aircraft. The pandemic has had a dramatic impact on our industry, but it has not changed our ambition to offer a modern premium experience as we continue to be the first choice for travellers connecting Europe and Asia”.

 

Finnair is the launch customer for a brand-new concept in business class seats, developed with Collins Aerospace, maximising customer space and freedom of movement. The unique fixed shell lounge space enables a wide variety of sitting and sleeping positions.

 

Finnair’s Nordic design language and the warm, dark, comforting colour scheme throughout business class and premium economy follow the palette and design of the renewed non-Schengen lounges, unveiled at Helsinki Airport in 2019.

 

The main entrance for all cabin classes has a new entry area and a refreshment bar. Finnish design house Marimekko has designed a new collection of unique textiles, including a duvet and pillows for business class, as well as a neck pillow and woven blanket for premium economy.

 

Finnair has also invested in a refresh of its long-haul economy class, with new seats and larger in-flight entertainment screens with an updated user interface for its A330 aircraft and three A350s.

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Passengers heard a special message from Johnny Sexton and surprised with a special gift from Aer Lingus! Irish rugby fans on board last weekend’s Aer Lingus flight EI 2524 to Paris ahead of Ireland’s international rugby match against France in the Stade de France, were welcomed on board by Ireland’s Johnny Sexton.

 

A message was played on the aircraft from Sexton on route to Paris. The message thanked fans for their support and expressed how much it meant to the team to have Irish fans fly to Paris to cheer them on and provide some home advantage as they take on France in their second game of the championship.

 

To celebrate Irish Rugby fan’s first away game in two years, each person on board was gifted a ticket to the Autumn Nations Series in November on behalf of Aer Lingus. And while Sexton was unable to play due to injury, we wish him a speedy recovery.

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Blaithin and Bernadette (Air Canada) unveil ‘Turning Red’ themed aircraft celebrating Disney and Pixar’s all new film set in Toronto.

 

See Movie Trailer HERE.

 

Air Canada has unveiled an aircraft with a themed livery and other surprises for its customers in celebration of the highly anticipated release of Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red, an animated film that is set in Toronto and directed by Academy Award™ winner and Canadian Domee Shi.

 

“As Canada’s largest airline and the country’s flag carrier, our collaboration with Disney and Pixar for Turning Red, directed by award-winning Canadian filmmaker Domee Shi is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Canadian talent and bring the best of Canada to the world,” said Andy Shibata (Vice-President Brand Air Canada). “We wanted customers of all ages to be able to enjoy the special livery and be a part of the excitement around this very special Canadian moment”.

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Great news from Aer Lingus this week so we could not resist the temptation to feature some great Miami Launch memories as we welcome back Miami Direct with Aer Lingus.

 

Aer Lingus has announced that it will re-start its direct service from Dublin to Miami later this year. From 21st of October, customers will be able to travel direct to Miami with Aer Lingus operating two services per week until 28th of October and three per week from 29th October to connect families, friends, and businesses back to the Sunshine State.

 

Miami is the latest transatlantic route from Aer Lingus to resume and customers can book direct flights from Dublin from today. This weekly schedule of direct flights to Miami will fly on Friday and Sunday until the 28th of October with an additional flight on a Wednesday added from the 29th of October with fares starting from €199 each way as part of a return trip, including taxes and charges.

 

Aer Lingus is continuing to re-connect Ireland with the south east of the US with its direct Dublin to Orlando route resuming last November, and the addition of the Miami route adds a second connection to Florida, an important destination for recreational travel from Ireland.

 

Renowned for its beautiful beaches, art deco architecture and Cuban-inspired cuisine, the ‘Magic City’ of Miami is to be made available to Irish passengers as flights to the US continue to be reintroduced.

 

Aer Lingus provides 14 direct routes between North America and Ireland, including New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando, Washington, Seattle, and Philadelphia. The airline will be the only carrier offering direct flights between Ireland and West Coast USA, with daily flights to San Francisco recommencing on 25 February, daily flights to Los Angeles starting on 12 May and Seattle returning 5 times per week on 26 May. Flights to the USA from Shannon will start from 10th March, with 14 flights a week to New York and Boston.

 

As always, customers flying to North America with Aer Lingus will enjoy complimentary meals and drinks, endless hours of in-flight entertainment, and US Customs and Border pre-clearance at Dublin and Shannon airports.

 

Bill Byrne (Executive Vice President US Aer Lingus) said; “We are delighted to be building back our US connectivity this year and there’s no doubt that travel is back for 2022. We are so happy to be flying to the US again, and this week we are delighted to be continuing to connect families, friends and businesses to Florida”.

 

“Customers can look forward to our transatlantic in-flight food, drink, and entertainment services on board with top-class entertainment including the latest movie releases, TV boxsets, games and music. Along with Wi-fi and the PressReader app which offers passengers over 7,000 digital newspapers & magazines via their smart device”.

 

In order to make travel easier, Aer Lingus has partnered with VeriFLY. By downloading the VeriFLY app and uploading Covid-19 related documentation required for their destination, Aer Lingus customers can ensure that all of their Covid-19 related documentation is verified before travel.

 

Aer Lingus’ market-leading ‘Book with Confidence’ policy allows customers to change flights as many times as they like, should plans change, giving customers peace of mind when booking.

 

For more information and for bookings, visit aerlingus.com.

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Etihad Stopover Packages 2022

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a holiday in a holiday? Or a relaxing break after a long business trip? Abu Dhabi Stopover options allow guests to explore Abu Dhabi as part of their trip. Etihad offer a free stopover package for transit passengers including a complimentary hotel stay. See an overview of the products HERE.

 

Find out more now by taking our Etihad Academy course on our 2022 stopover programme. This course explains the stopover products we offer and is targeted at agents who book Holidays. Check it out HERE.

 

Super Seller Recharge!

Want to earn more from your bookings? SuperSeller is our incentive programme for front-line travel agents. The programme allows you to earn miles for eligible ticketed bookings you have created and redeem them for flights or items from the Rewards Shop or convert them to cash. Why not take our refresher course now and maximize your earning potential with this fantastic incentive HERE.

 

 

Al Ain – Abu Dhabi’s hidden paradise

Ever wanted to wander through beautiful palm trees? Al Ain Oasis is the place to do just that! With its still-operational traditional falaj (ancient irrigation system) and meandering pathways shaded beneath a thick canopy of over 147,000 date palms and other fruit trees, Al Ain Oasis is the perfect place to bring family or friends to see what agriculture in this region has looked like for millennia. Check out somewhere different for your next trip to Abu Dhabi HERE.

 

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Qatar airlines are delighted to announce that starting 1 Apr they will be increasing to 10 weekly departures and from 1 June increasing to double daily departures to Doha, offering more options and reliable connectivity via Hamad International Airport, the ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’.

 

Flight schedule (all times local)

From 1 Apr: QR20 Departures on Monday, Thursday and Sunday QR18 Operating a daily departure

 

From1 Jun: QR20 operating a daily departure; QR18 operating a daily departure Doha (DOH) to DUB (DUB) QR20 departs: 08:40 arrives: 17:50 DUB (DUB) to Doha (DOH) QR18 departs: 15:00 arrives: 00:10+1.

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Aer Lingus flights from Manchester to Barbados will return for take-off this coming winter, with the non-stop route recommencing from 2 November this year.

 

The resumption of the destination for this coming winter follows the successful route launch in October last year.  Flights are on sale now at aerlingus.com for travel from 2 November 2022 between Barbados and Manchester every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The route is operated by Airbus A330-300 aircraft, offering both a Business Class cabin with 30 fully lie-flat seats with 287 seats in Economy.

 

Flight EI031 will depart Manchester at 11:00am arriving in Barbados at 4:35pm local time. The returning EI030 flights from Barbados to Manchester will depart at 6:40pm local arriving into Manchester at 7:10am the following morning.

 

Reid Moo (Aer Lingus Chief Strategy & Planning Officer) said: “We are delighted to announce the return of our Barbados route from Manchester for winter 2022”.

 

“When we launched the route last year, there was strong interest in the new non-stop transatlantic service from the north of England to the sandy beaches of Barbados. Travel measures are relaxed further, and consumer confidence returns, we look forward to extending a warm Aer Lingus welcome to families and sun seekers to and from the Caribbean”.

 

Winter sunseekers unable to wait until November to fly to Barbados can do so now with Aer Lingus, with flights operating this season until 29 April 2022. Customers can also book the flights as part of a holiday package, thanks to the airline’s partnership with British Airways Holidays.

 

 

To make travel easier and more streamlined, Aer Lingus has partnered with VeriFLY, a secure and easily navigable travel pass app that enables customers to keep all their COVID-19 related documents in one place and fully verified before travel. Aer Lingus has also recently introduced a Travel Tool to remove the uncertainties of travel restrictions and entry requirements for all Aer Lingus destinations. Designed to retrieve up-to-date and real time travel information tailored to customers specific journey circumstances, including vaccination status, return travel and flight connection requirements.

 

For more details on latest fare offers on flights to Barbados visit aerlingus.com.

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The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) welcomes the announcement of Ryanair expanding their operations to host the largest flight schedule recorded out of Dublin Airport, with over 900 flights weekly this summer.

 

Pat Dawson (CEO ITAA) said, “Ryanair expanding their flight operations out of Dublin Airport is a great morale boost for the travel industry. The plan for an extensive increase in flights operating out of Ireland will not only provide encouragement for travellers to being travelling again, but will promote confidence across the entirety of the travel industry in Ireland”.

 

He continued, “Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, there has been some hesitancy concerning travel, especially on an international scale. I am confident that the development of this larger flight schedule will lead to a well needed assurance for the industry to return to pre- COVID days”.