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| I am
thrilled to be one of the exclusive providers of
this exciting new initiative
"Travelkey". (see immediately below)
This is a wonderful solution to use American
Express Membership Reward points most effectively.
Basically they are converted to cash for all
travel. Say goodbye to having to stay at inappropriate
hotels and no availability on aircraft. If the
points are redeemed for company travel, we have
estimated that Travelkey will yield a 50% saving
on service fees. Our affiliation with Travelscene
American Express has yielded this exclusive
arrangement to us and we are very proud to be able
to offer this to you, as one of the many value
added benefits of dealing with Travelogic. |
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Travelogic Update
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Are
you drowning in unused rewards? |
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It is always frustrating to
keep an eye on the expiry date of every reward-points
statement before those hard-earned points deflate to a fat
zero.
American
Express Cardmembers can now redeem Membership Rewards®
points for everything from travel to tax to travel
insurance with Travelogic.
Australia’s
leading independent travel agency network, Travelscene
American Express, and American Express have unveiled
TravelKey which allows immediate redemption of
Membership Rewards points for travel bookings at point
of sale.
Points
can be used to pay for any travel booking, either fully
or partially, including for land, cruise, packages,
cars, taxes, travel insurance and service fees.
Points can also be used for the best available
fare with any airline.
There are no black-out periods, and the points
can be used for anyone and across any airline at any
time.
“TravelKey
is an innovation which will allows Travelogic, as a
Travelscene American Express travel agent, to provide a
service which is not offered by our competitors.”
TravelKey
is complementary to existing Frequent Flyer programs
that can remain with the individual travellers.
“TravelKey
applies across any airline without restrictions, has no
black-out periods, allows for child and infant
discounts, one-way redemptions and points and pay
options. The
points can be used for anyone and there is no expiry
date.”
Unlock
the key to travel and call us now on 02 9230 7500 through TravelKey with Travelogic
TravelKey
is available to Cardmembers enrolled in either the
Choices or Ascent Membership Rewards program. It is
designed to complement the existing Frequent Flyer
programs which are only available to Cardmembers
enrolled in Ascent. 12,000 Membership Reward points are
equivalent to $100. |
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Executive
Team addition to Travelogic
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Travelogic moves into a new
phase with the appointment of Ric Pattaro as our Head of
Operations .
His
role is to set the strategic path that will take the
organisation on a journey that will achieve company goals and
objectives. Ric
has completed a degree at Macquarie Graduate School of
Management covering all aspects of Business management and has
spent most of his travel career with large Travel Management
companies.
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British
Airways CitiExpress to be renamed BA Connect |
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British
Airways’ regional subsidiary, British Airways
CitiExpress, is to embark on a major drive to improve
profitability and compete more aggressively in the UK regions.
The regional airline, to be renamed BA Connect, will bring
significant benefits to regional air travellers by offering
more choice and even lower fares with prices slashed by more
than 40 per cent. BA Connect will offer:
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A single class cabin on all aircraft.
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High-quality, buy on board, hot and cold catering.
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Year-round, changeable, one-way fares from as little as £25,
including taxes, fees and charges.
·
A new offering for business and frequent flyers called ‘BA
Connect Plus’.
The
major shake up will see restricted and non-changeable tickets
disappear. All tickets will be changeable, no matter how
little they cost*. British Airways’ Club Europe brand will
no longer feature on the regional services to Continental
Europe.
There
will be two ticket types:
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‘BA Connect’ - a non-restricted and changeable ticket*.
Two million seats will be available, year- round, at the
lowest prices. Travellers will also accumulate BA Miles on
every fare.
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‘BA Connect Plus’ – a non-restricted and changeable
ticket with airport lounge access and instant seat selection
at the time of booking included in the price. Prices will
start from £110 one-way, including taxes, fees and charges.
This fare level also allows travellers to earn Executive Club
frequent flyer points and BA Miles.
All
customers will be eligible for membership of British Airways’
Executive Club, as well as having access to on-line check-in,
on-line boarding pass printing, self-service check-in and a
valet bag service.
BA
Connect will take to the air on March 26, 2006 and bookings
will be made through the airline’s ba.com website from
February 1 as well as through travel agents and the airline’s
telephone reservations centres.
source
= btbtravel |
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| Air
Canada to fly SYD-LAX |
| The
hotly contested Pacific route is set to see a new
entrant, with Air Canada announcing it plans to start
daily flights Sydney to Los Angeles and onwards to
Toronto in eastern Canada.
A new
US-Canada aviation deal signed late last year and coming
into effect this September allows "fifth
freedom" rights, meaning Air Canada can carry passengers
between Canada and Australia, the US and Australia as
well as Canada and the US.
Bringing
more competition to the route will be welcomed by
business clients. More....
source
= Travel Daily |
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Low
Cost Carriers in Asia
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In a recent study conducted by
American Express they concluded that low cost carriers (LCCs)
have made solid inroads into Asia and are here to stay. There
are currently over 20 LCCs in Asia today with rapid growth
expected to continue. Australia has the most mature LCC market
in the region with China and India two countries warranting a
domestic LCC market place.
Governments recognise that
LCCs can act as a catalyst for economic growth, for example Singapore
has granted Jetstar Asia rights to India, Vietnam, and China.
LCCs for Corporates
The pressure for modern
travel managers is how to balance the value network carriers
and LCCs bring to their organisation.
Are LCC fares cheaper? More
often than not. It is not necessarily that the face value of
the ticket is lower, but rather that the proportion of
discounted inventory offered on LCCs is far greater. But are
they the right fit for your organisation?
The challenge for corporate
travel managers is to accurately assess if a LCC fits their
corporate travel needs. There are many factors to consider
beyond just how much money can be saved.
Traveller education is the
key in how to address concerns raised by them that a network
carrier may be more expensive than a LCC. Once they understand
your travel programme, consider the value beyond hard dollar
saves, they will better
appreciate and adhere to your corporate policies.
More...
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| Hotel
News
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Woolloomooloo changes to "Blue"
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| It’s
always been known that simple is the best. And perhaps the
name “BLUE” with no fancy suggestions also highlights
the distinctive service and warm hospitality offered by
the newly opened BLUE in Woolloomooloo Bay, Sydney.
The Indian Hotels Company
Limited (IHCL), which owns and operates Taj Hotels Resorts
and Palaces’, has launched its latest $36 million
acquisition BLUE on 1 February.
BLUE's General
Manager, Mr. Michael Shannon, said BLUE is a fitting
name for a hotel situated not just on but in Sydney
Harbour.
“We are delighted to
make our debut in Australia with this wonderful hotel,
located in the up-market business district of Sydney. This
acquisition is consistent with our strategic initiatives
to pursue rapid growth in key international destinations.
The entry of Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces into
Australia is significant as it represents one of the
fastest growing markets of international arrivals into
India,”, IHCL’s Managing Director & CEO, Mr.
Raymond Bickson said.
Situated at The Finger Wharf at Woolloomooloo, BLUE is a
boutique hotel with 100 rooms, and it offers guests with
the facilities and reliability of a top-end business
hotel.
BLUE was voted amongst the ‘Top 3 Best Hotels for
location in Australasia & South Pacific’ in the Condé
Nast Traveler Gold List 2006.
source
= e-travel blackboard
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| Leisure & Events
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For
details on more specials look here |
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Hot Holiday
Deals
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Travelogic
Leisure website
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The
Best in Business Travel Announced
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The highly anticipated
Business Traveller Awards showcase what the magazine's readers
believe are the highest standards of excellence and cover all
sectors of the global business travel industry. This year
featured 39 coveted awards in categories from "Airline
with the Best Frequent Flyer Program" and "Economy
Hotel Chain Best for Business Travel" to "Credit
Card with the Best Rewards Program" and "Best Mobile
Phone Service Provider in the World."
A sampling of Business
Traveller’s readers from the continental U.S. voted for
their favourite travel destinations, airlines, hotels and
other travel companies around the world. Voting started in
August of this year and ended in September. During this
two-month period, a sampling of Business Traveller’s 60,000
subscribers voted from a 39-question survey.
Among the 39 elite winners
are Singapore Airlines, which was named "Best Overall
Airline" for the 17th year in a row, and United Airlines
won for "Best Airline for North American Travel".
Readers loved the new USD$19,250 Hastens beds found in some of
the luxury suites at the Peninsula Chicago and named it
"Best Individual Hotel for Business Travel". Denver
International Airport impressively took away the award for
"Best Airport in North America". More...
source:
Business Traveller
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The multi-media campaign to
choose the New 7 Wonders of the World is in its final stage.
This is the
biggest-ever global vote. Millions of people have already
voted for their choice of "Wonder". Numerous
milestones have already been reached on a journey across the
internet, television and the world's media. This journey will
climax on the 1st of January 2007, when the world will
discover which are the New 7 Wonders of the World.
A Panel of
Experts, chaired by the former head of UNESCO, Prof. Dr.
Federico Mayor, has short-listed those nominations with the
most votes received by the end of 2005. The top
77 choices have been narrowed down to just 21 finalists,
which are the focus for the final year of voting.
On New
Year's Day 2007 the world will learn which of the Earth's
treasures will stand in history alongside the Ancient 7
Wonders of the World. More...
source = 7 Wonders |
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| New iPod City Guides |
| The MP3 revolution
continues, with the latest innovation being downloadable
guides which can be used by travellers to get around
town using portable music players.
Users visiting podcityguides.com
can get customised guides to "the coolest clubs,
hippest hotels, trendiest restaurants, top attractions
and hottest events in more than 300 cities around the
globe.
source = Travel
Daily |
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| A
RULE that required babies in the UK to maintain a
‘neutral’ expression for their passport photos has
been dropped after thousands of photos were rejected. In
the space of three months last year over 15,000
applications for children’s passports were turned down
after their expressions were considered ‘irregular’.
One baby’s photo was rejected as her mouth was open,
while parents of another 11 week old were told their
daughter’s face was ‘too shiny’ and that she
should try using makeup. |
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The
Editor, Travelogic, Level 11, 15 Castlereagh Street, SYDNEY NSW 2000 Tel:+61 2
9230 7500
To
"sign off" from receiving Smart Travel Update: mailto: travelogic@travelogic.com.au
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| Travelogic is a Partner of GlobalStar
Travel Management |
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| Travelogic is a member of Travelscene
American Express |
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Partner
of GlobalStar
Travel
Management
(r)
A
worldwide joint-venture partnership of leading travel companies
leveraging
the buying
power from
sales in excess of 5 billion dollars. GlobalStar
partners deliver worldwide, culturally sensitive travel management
solutions with a distinct commitment to high standards in service
excellence, true
global price sourcing and integrated information
systems.
More information: www.globalstartravel.net |
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