Business Travel Guru

Singapore Airlines took delivery of its fourth A380, the world’s largest passenger plane, at 0930hrs on 26 April 2008 at the Airbus Delivery Centre in Toulouse, France.

 

Emirates Airlines this month unveiled its new Emirates Lounge at Brisbane International Airport, the lounge features a 360 degree view and is the first airline lounge in Australia capable of boarding passengers directly onto their aircraft, including the upper deck of an Airbus A380.

Dale W Griffith said: ‘In May 2003, Emirates made a US$13 million commitment to develop superior quality lounges around the world in an effort to provide passengers with luxurious sanctuaries whilst travelling. In 2004, Brisbane became the first Emirates destination outside of our hub in Dubai to have a dedicated airport lounge and it set the benchmark for all Emirates Lounges across our network.
 
“Five years on, we now have 18 Emirates Lounges across our network and are delighted by the overwhelmingly positive feedback from our customers that make these lounges worth our continuous investments. The new Emirates Lounge, the second in Brisbane, continues to embody the airline’s dedication to innovation and superior service.”
 
More than double the size of the previous one in Brisbane, the new Emirates Lounge can seat 172 guests - 106 in the lounge area, 56 in the dining, and 10 in the business centre - and is located adjacent to Gate 75 on the new northern concourse of Brisbane International Airport’s redevelopment.
 
Desley Boyle said: “The lounge is another important investment by Emirates in Brisbane and Queensland and is a cornerstone of the airport re-development. It will provide the international level of comfort and service expected by business travellers from across the world.”
 
Koen Rooijmans, CEO of Brisbane Airport Corporation said: “Emirates has been one of the fastest growing international airlines to serve Brisbane and has quickly established itself as a part of the fabric of south-east Queensland. They have helped raise the standard of international air travel, and helped create new and exciting tourism markets for Queensland that have enabled us to improve the services offered to passengers at our airport.”
 
Upon first stepping into the new Emirates Lounge, passengers will appreciate the airline’s distinct attention to detail, from the Italian marble finishes to the rich timber joinery.
 
The amenities in the lounge include recently-introduced massage chairs, comfortable leather armchairs sourced from Scotland, flat screen televisions, designer bathrooms with shower facilities, and a well-equipped business centre.
 
Customers will be able to enjoy an extensive menu of complimentary hot and cold gourmet dishes in a choice of formal or informal seating. A complimentary full bar service, including champagne, is offered to guests who can relax while enjoying the unparalleled views of the airport and the surrounding area. Emirates' trademark attentive service from dedicated lounge staff completes the facility.
 
The Brisbane lounge facilities are available to both First and Business Class passengers as well as Gold members of Skywards, Emirates’ frequent flyer program.
 
Besides Brisbane, the airline offers the Emirates Lounge in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Auckland, Bangkok, Dubai (three lounges), Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Munich, New York JFK, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Singapore, with more due to open in 2008.

Qantas Frequent Flyer Sell Off- It seems that Qantas is again looking at selling off at least part of its Qantas Frequent Flyer program. In addition to looking at the part sell off of their Frequent Flyer program the Qantas Board is today also looking making more changes to their program, including allowing Frequent Flyers to use points to purchase any seat on any flight for a premium.

The Qantas’s frequent flyer program is its most profitable side business, generating more than 60% of its external revenue, and has a value of at least $2 Billion according to JP Morgan.

If this planned sell off and program change does in fact go ahead I see a mixed bag, for frequent flyers, This is great news for those with millions of frequent flyer points, the hard core frequent flyer who never is able to their points when they want to or need to, they will finally be able to use their points like hard currency. But the value of their points will degrade, that being said to be able to use your points when you want to purchase any seat on any flight is real value, what’s the point of having millions of points if you cannot use them.

For those that don’t fly often, the sell off is also a mixed bag, hopefully Qantas will set aside the same number of seat allocations for Frequent Flyers as they currently do, who knows they may set aside more if their frequent flyer program has more value.

In reality the ability for frequent flyers with millions of points, “purchase with points” any seat, should not put much additional pressure on seat availability because if this type flyer wants to fly they would get seat anyway with hard cash or points. So a similar number of seats should be released leading up to the flight.

United Airlines have just started a competition where its Premier Mileage Plus members can win a share of 50 Million Mileage Plus miles. All contestants need to do is team up with friends, family members and co-workers, the top 50 teams with the largest number of accumulated miles will win 1 million miles.

Members may compete in teams of four during 2008 by earning more miles than last year, and the top 50 teams will split 50 million Mileage Plus miles, with each team receiving one million miles -- 250,000 miles per person.

“We are always looking to give our members diverse ways to accrue and redeem Mileage Plus miles, and this unique competition will be fun and rewarding for our most loyal customers,” says Robert Sahadevan, United Airlines vice president – Mileage Plus. “Whether they flew a hundred or a hundred thousand miles last year, our premier members will have a chance to compete for the biggest reward we will give this year.”

Through the United Elite Team Contest, premier members will try to earn more Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) in 2008 than 2007. Each team will consist of four Mileage Plus members, and the team’s total 2008 EQM will be compared to the previous year.

The top 50 teams at the end of the year with the greatest increase will each win the following reward, to be shared evenly among the four team members, all of whom must have premier status with United:  one million miles, 50,000 EQM, 50 Elite Qualifying Segments (EQS), eight confirmed regional upgrades, and eight United Red Carpet Club® one-time passes.  U.S. members who were enrolled in Mileage Plus prior to Jan. 1, 2007 can register for the contest through Sept. 7, 2008 at united.com/2008choice, and full terms and conditions are below.

This last month has seen further expansion of both Star Alliance and oneworld, with Turkish Airlines officially joining Star Alliance and Mexicana announcing it would join the oneworld airline alliance from 2009 after a 12-18 month joining process.

More on Turkish Airlines joining Star Alliance

“At a ceremony held in Istanbul overnight, Turkish Airlines was welcomed as the 20th Star Alliance member airline. With an additional 31 destinations – mainly in Turkey, Central Asia and the Middle East, customers now have more choice than ever before when travelling on the Star Alliance network. Overall, the world’s most experienced aviation alliance now offers customers the choice of 18,000 daily flights serving 965 airports in 162 countries.”  

Star Alliance Customer Benefits now available on Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines is now offering the wide-ranging customer benefits of Star Alliance. These include among others: 

• through check-in on journeys involving more than one Star Alliance member carrier from the originating airport; 
• full frequent flyer reciprocity: All Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles members can now collect and redeem miles on all other Star Alliance member carriers; 
• Star Alliance Gold status for Miles & Smiles Elite and Elite Plus: These customers can now access alliance-wide benefits which include access to more than 790 lounges world-wide, extra-baggage allowance, priority baggage delivery, dedicated check-in counters and priority waitlist (reservation) and airport stand-by; 
• Star Alliance Silver Status for Miles & Smiles Classic Plus:-These customers are now entitled to priority waitlist (reservation) and airport stand-by; 
• Turkish Airlines will sell the 11 different Star Alliance Fare Products, which include among others the popular Round the World Fare, and North American and European Airpasses;
• Turkish Airlines will also participate in Star Alliance’s Corporate Plus and Conventions Plus products.

Mexicana's addition to oneworld comes after a year which has seen the alliance complete its biggest yet expansion drive, with 11 airlines joining in 2007 - Japan Airlines, Malév Hungarian Airlines and Royal Jordanian as full members and, as affiliates, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador, Dragonair and five other carriers in the Japan Airlines group.

"As a member of oneworld, we will be able to offer our customers more choice and convenience, a much more extensive global network, more opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer rewards, more lounges, more customer service support and better value - services and benefits beyond the reach of any individual airline or bilateral partnership. For Mexicana and our employees, this will strengthen our position in an increasingly competitive marketplace." 

How will these larger Airline Alliances affect future business travel?

Larger airline alliances are a bit of a mixed bag, there are the obvious benefits of alignment and co-operation of frequent flyer and lounge programs, along with the alignment of flight schedules. The downside to this is possible less competition and increased price control by member airlines. I for one look forward to larger alliances that will give me more flexibility for the earning and burning of miles, but hope increased prices are kept under control.

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) – The European Union on Monday opened the way for air travelers to use mobile phones to talk, text or send e-mails on planes throughout Europe's airspace.

With the approval by EU regulators, airlines will be able to launch onboard mobile services later this year, officials said.

Viviane Reding, the EU's telecommunications commissioner, warned phone operators not to set rates for the service too high and urged airlines to protect passengers from excessive phone use.

"In-flight mobile phone services can be a very interesting new service especially for those business travellers who need to be ready to communicate wherever they are," Reding said. "However, if consumers receive shock phone bills, the service will not take off."

The European Commission, the EU's executive body, said it will keep a close eye to ensure pricing is transparent.

Several airlines, including Air France, have already launched a trial of in-flight mobile phone services on some European routes. British Midland Airways, Portugal's TAP and low-cost airline Ryanair are also planning to offer services later this year.

Germany's Lufthansa, however, said Monday it does not want to introduce the service.

Surveys had shown that a large majority of customers were against it, Lufthansa spokesman Jan Baerwalde said.

"People don't want to be disturbed," Baerwalde said. Lufthansa will, however, look at providing fast Internet Access on its planes, a service it already offered from 2004 until the end of 2006. The airline is currently looking for a new service partner to reintroduce the service.

The regulation sets a common standard by which passengers can safely use their mobile phones during flights and airlines will only need to get one license to launch their services across the entire 27-nation bloc.

Most services that are being rolled out this year are being provided by OnAir, a unit of plane maker Airbus. Their services allow in-air Telephone Calls above 9,800 feet.

United Airlines and Aer Lingus have signed an agreement to offer codeshare flights, which would expand the international destinations and frequent flyer benefits offered to customers of both carriers.
 

The proposed agreement would result in more flight options for customers traveling between the United States and Ireland. The carriers also plan to give customers of United's Mileage Plus® and Aer Lingus’ Gold Circle Club programs the opportunity to redeem miles to travel to new destinations and to accrue frequent flyer miles on select flights.

United CEO Glenn Tilton and Aer Lingus CEO Dermot Mannion signed the agreement in Chicago.
 

"We are pleased to partner with a carrier that expands our own network across the U.S. and shares our commitment to excellent service," says Dermot Mannion, Aer Lingus CEO. “We believe that this agreement will strengthen our position in the US market as we capitalize on the scale and the strength of the United Airlines network.”
 

The agreement between the two carriers is pending government approval and is expected to begin around November 1 2008.
 

"Chicago and Ireland have a rich history, and our relationship with Aer Lingus will give our customers more non-stop destinations across the Atlantic," says Michael Whitaker, United's senior vice president – Alliances, International and Regulatory Affairs. "Partnering with the national carrier of Ireland gives customers convenient, comfortable service to the Emerald Isle and supports our strategy of international growth."
 

JetStar StarClass Flight Review Ho Chi Minh City to Sydney: On a recent trip from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to Sydney I had another opportunity to fly Jetstar StarClass, and thought it would be a great opportunity to write about the experience.

Firstly what Jetstar StarClass is not, a full Business Class service, I would compare StarClass with a premium economy service, but with some business class benefits that I will mention later.

On arrival at Saigon’s new international terminal at Tan Son Nhat airport, I checked in via the dedicated StarClass counter collected my boarding pass (seat 3a) and business class lounge pass, then headed thru customs and up to the Daisy business class lounge.

On entering the daisy lounge I was met with one of the best business class lounges I had ever been in, the lounge was far from crowded, the mood was quiet and relaxed, and the food and drink was above what you would find in a Qantas Club/Business Class lounge. Food included high quality Vietnamese and Western dishes, being a Vietnamese food connaisseur I tried some Banh Cuon (flat rolled rice noodles with Vietnamese mints and Vietnamese ham) first. The self-service bar consisted of various beers, including the local 333 (Ba Ba Ba) and Heineken, a wide range of spirits and liquor’s including Scotch, Burbon and Hennessey VSOP was available, all this along with your regular juices, and soft drinks.   

Eventually it was boarding time, and I headed to my gate then into the aircraft and seat 3a. From boarding the flight I found the cabin staff to be very friendly and helpful, assisting a couple with a toddler, a passenger with a coat and other with an awkward shaped piece of Vietnamese art work.

The business cabin and seat was well maintained, with everything from a reasonably wide reclinable (38 inch seat pitch) seat, with reading light, laptop power outlet and personal video on demand units with noise cancelling headphones.

So how was the food service? It was quite good, and began with a choice of champagne or orange juice prior to take off then followed by dinner that consisted of a tasty hot sate chicken and rice dish with salad, dinner roll, wine after dinner chocolate, with beverages including beer, wine, spirits, soft drink or juice. After this desert was served, and a little later the cabin lights were dimmed and I settled in to watch the rest of the movie I started watching earlier in the night, throughout the night I was offered water and alcohol, finally three hours before arriving in Sydney breakfast was served, which consisted of a breakfast roll with egg, bacon and cheese with tea coffee or juice.

All in all the flight was great, the only complaint I have was with the Personal Video on Demand unit when pausing my move for dinner the unit switched off so I had to restart the VOD unit and movie then forward to where I was up to. If Jetstar could change anything they should include an in-seat Video on Demand unit that does not switch off when paused for a short period of time.

Full marks go to the cabin staff for making it an enjoyable journey.

The great thing about the trip is that StarClass flights earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points & status credits at the Qantas Business class rate

Jetstar StarClass offers passengers the following:

•  Dedicated check-in counter
• Priority baggage tag
• 32Kg checked baggage limit
• 2 pieces of carry-on luggage
• Full complimentary meal and drink service including alcohol
• Use of Qantas Club lounge within Australia and some partner lounges
• 36 Inch Seat Pitch
• In seat Laptop Power outlet
• Personal Video on Demand Unit with noise cancelling headphones
• Earn Qantas business class frequent flyer points and status credits
• Priority Boarding
• Complimentary travel kit including blanket, ear plugs, socks, pillow

So if you plan to fly Jetstar and are looking for a little more room service and comfort, Jetstar StarClass gets the Business Travel Guru’s thumbs up, for great service and quality at a reasonable price.

In less than 6 months Qantas is due to receive and start flights with their new Airbus A380, and as has happened with Singapore Airlines, it is set to revolutionise the airline, adding Qantas to a select group of airlines that will initially operate the A380.  For passengers flying on a Qantas A380 they should be treated to an onboard experience like no other, for Qantas the sales and marketing opportunities will be enormous.

As yet the exact delivery date and first commercial flight of the Qantas A380 is unknown, Qantas have stated their first aircraft will service the Melbourne to Los Angeles route and flights will begin in August 2008.

First pictures of the Qantas A380

The first pictuers below are of a 1/4 painted Qantas Airbus A380, on and after her first flight. The pictures are courtesy of JetPhotos.net (clicking on the photo will take you to the original full size photo on JetPhotos.net)

Cabin Configuration

All Qantas Airbus A380 aircraft will be configured with 4 cabin classes with First Suite, Business, Premium Economy, and Economy class, the Qantas A380 is expected to seat 450 passengers, with 14 in the First suite, 72 in Business, 32 in premium economy and 332 in economy, along with a business class lounge area. 

Qantas A380 First Suite Class will include the following features:

• 14 individual suites featuring electronically adjustable seat with programmable positions and fully adjustable multi-zone massage function
• Seat converts into a fully flat, extra long and wide bed with foam mattress, exclusive sheepskin overlay and fitted cotton sheeting
• Electronically deployed 17" LCD widescreen video monitor 
• Touch screen control unit featuring personal flight map and operating all electronic functions including electronically adjustable privacy screens
• Leather guest seat and large dining table designed to accommodate two
• Variety of personal stowage options including dresser unit
• High quality finishes including Edelman leather and solid wood 
• Noise cancelling headset port, PC power, USB and RJ45 ports
• Electronically controlled dual layer window shades 
• Main deck cabin with mood lighting and enhanced cabin soundproofing 
• Designer amenities, soft furnishings and tableware - female amenity kits designed by Collette Dinnigan and filled with products from Payot Paris. Male amenity kits by Akira Isogawa and filled with products from Payot Paris. Luxury cotton pyjamas, slippers and eyeshades by Akira Isogawa. Crockery, cutlery and glassware designed by Marc Newson and manufactured by Noritake, Alessi and Visy.

Qantas A380 Business Class will include the following cabin interior features:

• Enhanced Skybed electronically adjustable, sleeper seat, which at the touch of a button converts to extra longer, fully flat bed with pre-programmed seating positions, adjustable lumbar support, and improved massage function 
• Illuminated seat controller operating all seat functions, electronically deployed privacy divider and fully adjustable in-arm video monitor
• Variety of personal stowage options including dedicated spaces for laptops, headset, shoes, reading material, water bottle, and coat hook
• Multiple reading lights, noise cancelling headset port, PC power, RJ45 and USB port
• Lounge area featuring self-service refreshment bar, large sofa, seatbelts for inflight use, selection of reading material, large entertainment screen with laptop connection for presentations and feature display cabinet
• Upper deck cabin with mood lighting, seating configured in two-two-two layout
• Luxury amenities, soft furnishings and tableware - collectable male and female amenity kits designed by Marc Newson and filled with products from Australian skincare range Ultraceuticals. Soft cotton pyjamas and eyeshades by Morrissey. Crockery, cutlery and glassware designed by Marc Newson and manufactured by Noritake, Alessi and Visy.

Qantas A380 Premium Economy Class will boast the following features:

• Ergonomic, Recaro-manufactured seat with adjustable headrest, and integrated leg rest with fold out footrest 
• Large, in-arm, touch screen video monitor
• Wide centre console with fixed cocktail table and in-arm dining table 
•  Noise cancelling headset port, PC power, USB and RJ45 ports
• Literature pocket and waterbottle holder 
•  Seating configured in two-three-two layout 
• Upper deck cabin with mood lighting
• Self-service bar
• Crockery, cutlery and glassware designed by Marc Newson and manufactured by Noritake, Alessi and Visy.

Qantas A380 Economy Class Cabin will include the following interior features:

• Ergonomic, Recaro-manufactured seat with unique carbon fibre seat back, articulating seat base, flexible front edge 
•  Enhanced shin and knee clearance with unique net foot rest  Widescreen seatback personal video monitor 
•  Concealed in arm entertainment controller, PC power, RJ45 and USB ports 
•  Literature pocket and waterbottle holder
• Seating configured in three-four-three layout 
• Four self-service bars
• Main deck cabin with mood lighting
• Tableware designed by Marc Newson

In-flight Entertainment System When flying in a Qantas Airbus A380 passengers in all classes can expect the following in-flight entertainment options:

• 100 on Demand movies
• 500 Audio CDs
• 30 PC Style Games
• Selection of Audio Books, Language Tutorials, Destination Information, Business Education and radio Channels.
• Advanced graphic user interface to allow passengers to navigate thru entertainment options
• Wireless connectivity, In-seat laptop power, USB & RJ45 Ports to allowing customers to surf the internet or send and receive emails directly from their seat or personal laptop

In all Qantas have ordered 20 Airbus A380 aircraft, below is the latest aircraft registration details for the first 9 of these aircraft.