Avis Car Rental announced its 10th anniversary in the People’s Republic of China

PARSIPPANY, N.J., 2013-03-08 — /travelprnews.com/ — Avis Car Rental today announced its 10th anniversary in the People’s Republic of China. Established in 2003 as a joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, one of the largest car manufacturers in China, Avis China was the first joint venture car rental company in the country. Today, China is… Read the full news article

Sarah Linley joins the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau as the new Associate Director Destination Services

2013-03-08 — /travelprnews.com/ —  Sarah Linley, CMP, CTA, joins the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau (SACVB) as the new Associate Director Destination Services. She will assist in managing the Destination Service Team, provide support to high-profile meetings and events and serve as liaison to other City Departments and hospitality partners. Sarah has a Bachelor’s… Read the full news article

Marc By Marc Jacobs standalone shop at Copenhagen Airport

2013-03-08 — /travelprnews.com/ — Today (March 7), when the doors to the new Marc By Marc Jacobs shop open at Copenhagen Airport, Denmark will be surpassing its European neighbours in more than one way: Not only will the new shop be the first of its kind at a European airport; it will make Denmark the country… Read the full news article

U.S. Travel Association: Travel Continues to Lead Export Growth

Accounts for 23 Percent Rise in U.S. Exports Washington, D.C., 2013-03-08 — /travelprnews.com/ — David Huether, senior vice president of research and economics at the U.S. Travel Association, provides analysis on today’s Commerce Department announcement that the U.S. trade deficit widened in January. “The travel industry generated a trade surplus of $4.6 billion in January, which was up… Read the full news article

RYANAIR’S BARGAIN THURSDAY!

FLY LONDON TO MAASTRICHT FROM JUST £9   100,000 seats on over 1,000 European routes in Apr from only £9 2013-03-08 — /travelprnews.com/ — Ryanair, Europe’s only ultra-low cost carrier (ULCC), announced that from midnight (24:00hrs) tonight (Thur 7 Mar), passengers can fly from London Stansted to Maastricht from just £9 in April as part of its weekly… Read the full news article

Airports assessed by passengers – Helsinki Airport performs better than before

2013-03-08 — /travelprnews.com/ — Helsinki Airport, maintained by Finavia, performed better than year ago in the Airport Service Quality survey, which measures air passenger satisfaction. The total grade of Helsinki Airport in 2012 was 4.02, whereas in 2011 it was 3.92. The scale is from 1 to 5 (excellent). According to the results, Helsinki Airport has… Read the full news article

Finavia is campaigning for smooth security checks

2013-03-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — This year, Finavia, responsible for airport and air navigation services in Finland, will highlight security check matters to an even greater extent to make airport security check lines as smooth as possible. “Security checks are a compulsory part of modern air travel. We are continuously working to ensure convenient security checks for… Read the full news article

FUN BEGINS AT TORONTO PEARSON THIS MARCH BREAK

Toronto, 2013-03-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — Passengers are planning and packing and getting ready to kick off their March Break here at the airport. This year Toronto Pearson is expecting 101,000 guests on March 7 and 107,000 on March 8 These will be the two busiest days of the March Break season.  On a typical day, Toronto Pearson… Read the full news article

SAS increases cooperation with SYKES

2013-03-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — SAS has agreed a contract with SYKES to significantly extend cooperation and to transfer further elements of Customer Contact Center (CCC) operations to Sykes. Some parts of SAS support for corporate customers and agents will continue to be managed internally. SAS and SYKES have been working together since 2010, when SYKES took… Read the full news article

British Airways marks 10 years at London City Airport

2013-03-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — British Airways marks 10 years at London City Airport in March with a year-long party for customers, colleagues and charity. The celebrations begin on March 27 with a birthday party at the Museum of London Docklands, hosted by football legend Gary Lineker and Willie Walsh, CEO of International Airlines Group (IAG), parent… Read the full news article

AIR FRANCE CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WITH THE WORLD’S BIGGEST FEMALE CREW

2013-03-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — To celebrate International Women’s Day, Air France is forming the biggest ever all-female crew, with 2 pilots and 22 stewardesses on board flight AF054 to Washington, operated by the Airbus A380. Air France has celebrated International Women’s Day for several years. For the first time, in 2013, it is celebrating the event… Read the full news article

PATA: 2012 Was a Record Year for Asia/Pacific Tourism

BANGKOK, 2013-03-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — Asia and the Pacific continued as a hot spot for international tourism in 2012, attracting what is expected to be in excess of 350 million international visitor arrivals, expanding its collective inbound count by more than 5% and generating more than 18 million additional foreign visits, year-on-year. This is according to… Read the full news article

Rate Remains Key Driver of Growth for Hotels in 2013

NEW YORK, 2013-03-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — While demand for hotel rooms continues to see moderate growth across all segments , average daily rate (ADR) continues to be the main driver of growth for hotels in 2013, according to data from the February 2013 TravelClick North American Hospitality Review (NAHR). “Based on TravelClick data, while committed occupancy… Read the full news article

LATAM Airlines Group chooses oneworld as its global alliance

Brazil’s TAM to leave Star for oneworld in early 2014 LAN Colombia to join oneworld too, building on LAN group’s 13-year membership of alliance Business as usual for customers meantime, with seamless transition promised Latin America’s top airline group strengthens oneworld’s status as global first choice alliance 2013-03-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — LATAM Airlines Group today confirmed its selection of oneworld® as… Read the full news article

RYANAIR’S BIGGEST EVER ST PATRICK’S DAY SCHEDULE

Over 580 Dublin Flights & 100,000 Pax This St Patrick’s Festival 2013-03-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — Ryanair, Europe’s only ultra-low cost carrier (ULCC), today (7 Mar) announced its biggest-ever St Patrick’s Day schedule, with over 580 flights to/from Dublin over St Patrick’s weekend, bringing visitors to/from some 70 European destinations. As Ireland’s (and Europe’s) biggest airline, Ryanair… Read the full news article

Pupils celebrate new eco-garden thanks to a grant from Heathrow Community Fund

2013-03-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — Bedfont Primary School in Hounslow today celebrated the official opening of its eco-garden, allowing pupils at the school to learn first-hand about biodiversity and develop their understanding of the natural environment. The garden was built thanks to a £20,000 grant from the Heathrow Community Fund. The grant has allowed an area of… Read the full news article

Lufthansa extends First Class fare offers – 40 per cent lower on average

New First Saver Plus fare is about 40 per cent lower on average 2013-03-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — Lufthansa is extending its fares for First Class flights and in future will also offer its top travel class at a more affordable price. The new fare provides a welcome alternative to the traditional, fully flexible fare and is… Read the full news article

The free online access provided by Finavia at Helsinki Airport increases in popularity every year

2013-03-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — “The number of users in the wireless network has increased massively in the last 12 months. In January 2013, the number of users was 168% higher than in January 2012,” says Ville Haapasaari, Airport Director. Compared to the figures in January 2009, the increase is even more extensive: the user volume is now… Read the full news article

Automated boarding pass scanners introduced in Copenhagen Airport

2013-03-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — It will be easier and faster to get to the security screening area when Copenhagen Airport introduces automated boarding pass scanners. The goal is to increase passenger satisfaction as well as capacity. In future, passengers at Copenhagen Airport will go trough a so-called e-gate before entering the security screening area; manual boarding… Read the full news article

Norwegian reports positive traffic results in February

2013-03-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — Norwegian (NAS) today reported February’s traffic results. The company continued its passenger growth in February. The company carried 1,254,643 passengers, an increase of 9 percent compared to February last year. Due to last year’s leap year, this February had one less travel day. The same number of travel days this year would… Read the full news article

Jet Airways introduces a range of initiatives to celebrate ‘International Women’s Day’

Honours 3 NGOs with unique In-Flight collection drive 2013-03-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — In keeping with its tradition of celebrating International Women’s day and as part of its JetViva initiative, Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, is set to honour the efforts of non-profit organizations, aimed at the welfare of the girl child and women in society…. Read the full news article

The new Austrian Website is online

New design and revised launch page Direct entry to the most important travel-related functions such as Booking, Flight search and Web Check-in Perfectly adjusted to use on all end devices, from PC to laptop to tablet 2013-03-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — From today onwards, the Austrian Website www.austrian.com appears in an entirely new look. “This is a fundamental rework… Read the full news article

HYATT PLACE AUSTIN DOWNTOWN CELEBRATES OFFICIAL OPENING

296-room Hyatt Place hotel located in the heart of downtown Austin Austin, TX, 2013-03-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) and White Lodging Services today announce the opening of Hyatt Place Austin Downtown, just steps from the Austin Convention Center and the city’s famous Sixth Street. “With thousands of music, film and digital enthusiasts arriving… Read the full news article

Palm Springs, California – Desert Living Home Spring Show Comes to Convention Center

Eco-Friendly Products, How-to Seminars and Home Improvement Tips Palm Springs, Calif. 2013-03-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — With spring cleaning season just around the corner, residents and visitors can work on their home projects and shop at the semi-annual Desert Living Home Show scheduled Friday, March 8 through Sunday, March 10 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The… Read the full news article

CHRISTCHURCH AIRPORT RECORDS HALF-YEAR PROFIT

2013-03-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — CIAL Chief Executive Jim Boult says though the net profit after tax is 7.5 per cent down on the previous half year, earnings before interest costs, tax depreciation and amortisation (“EBITDA”) – the company’s key operational financial performance measure – at $33.1m, was 5.2% ahead of the same period last year. Total… Read the full news article

Vida wines available at the SkyCourt and the Heinemann Duty Free

2013-03-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — Budapest Airport, the Heinemann Duty Free and the Vida Family Wine Estate from the Szekszárd wine region in Hungary have embarked on a special wine promotion this spring. Vida wines are available for tasting and for purchase at the SkyCourt and the Heinemann Duty Free shop located in the transit area at… Read the full news article

AIR FRANCE 2013 SUMMER SCHEDULE: STABLE CAPACITY

2013-03-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — In continuing the 2012-13 winter schedule, Air France-KLM has opted for strict control of its capacity*, which will undergo only moderate growth in the 2013 summer season (March 31-October 26). In comparison with summer 2012, long-haul capacity will be raised by 2.4% and medium-haul capacity will be reduced by 2.1%. THE AIR… Read the full news article

Early booking urged by Virgin Trains to guarantee a seat for Easter travel

2013-03-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — Route improvement works by our colleagues at Network Rail mean alterations to many Virgin Trains services over the Easter weekend.  Trains will be busy and journey times longer than usual. People intending to travel should book early and reserve a seat. Improvements will be made at a number of locations. A large… Read the full news article

Lufthansa expands 2013 summer schedule with new attractive holiday destinations

16 new connections / 5 new destinations / Business Class retrofit speeded up 2013-03-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — Lufthansa is continuing to expand its services to popular leisure travel destinations. The new summer timetable includes five new attractive holiday destinations: Mahón, Jerez de la Frontera, Cardiff, Glasgow and Varna. In the long-haul segment, Lufthansa is launching a… Read the full news article

Hilton Lake Taupo Becomes Home of Zimbabwean Sculpture Made By 2.5 Billion-Year Old Stones

Hilton Lake Taupo Exhibits The Singular Most Collected Form Of African Art, Also In the Collections Of The Museum Of Modern Art In New York TAUPO, New Zealand, 2013-03-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — Fifteen pieces of valuable and rare Zimbabwean sculptures have found their home at Hilton Lake Taupo. Made from stones such as butterjade, cobalt, opalstone, verdite… Read the full news article