LONDON: British Airways’ new long haul ‘Basic’ fare is now on sale on flights from London to Austin, Boston, Delhi, Denver, Dubai, Hong Kong, Oakland, Philadelphia, Punta Cana and Singapore. The fares, which the airline is launching in conjunction with its transatlantic joint business partner airlines, American Airlines, Finnair and Iberia, will cost up to £60 less than the standard …

DUBAI: Emirates has refreshed its spirits offering across all classes with a range of premium brands. Spirits on board are served complimentary across all classes and routes and include a range of whiskeys, cognacs, gins, vodka and flavoured liqueurs amongst others. The new selection was made by an in-house team of experts who spent two years working directly with suppliers …

By Rafiq Vayani DUBAI/SHARJAH: In a significant deal that will boost the hospitality landscape of Sharjah, ARADA, a joint venture between KBW Investments and Basma Group, today signed a management agreement with Emaar Hospitality Group, the hospitality & leisure subsidiary of Emaar Properties PJSC, to launch three new hotels in Sharjah. The three hotels under Emaar Hospitality Group’s premium lifestyle …

SYDNEY: Global air services provider dnata has today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Qantas’ catering businesses. The agreement is subject to approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Qantas’ catering businesses include wholly-owned subsidiaries Q Catering Limited and Snap Fresh Pty Limited. Q Catering has centres in four Australian ports – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, …

By Rafiq Vayani DUBAI: Copthorne Hotel Dubai, the popular hotel in Deira, recently hosted a group of travel agents, tour operators and journalists from Vietnam visiting the UAE on a three-day familiarization trip. In collaboration with Rida International Tourism & Travel, a leading Destination Management Company in the Gulf, agents from Deks Air Vietnam Travel & Tours, Atoz Travel, Ido Trading …

DUBAI: Emirates has set a new record with over 1 million Wi-Fi connections made on board its flights in March alone. During the month, 1,037,016 Emirates customers connected to the internet during their flight. The connections were mainly made over mobile devices with over 94% of users connecting with a smartphone –twice as many connections were made on an iOS …

DUBAI: HotelsCombined.com, the world’s leading hotel price comparison platform today reveals that the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on 19 May 2018 at Windsor Castle has led to full-occupancy of the hotels in the area, with hotel rooms being booked at more than triple the average price as royal fans worldwide flock to be part of the historic …

By Rafiq Vayani DUBAI: Reed Travel Exhibitions, organiser of the annual Arabian Travel Market (ATM) showcase in Dubai, which will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 22-25 April 2018, has announced that it will host the first ATM Student Conference – Career in Travel – as part of its line-up of special focus events. The two-hour conference, …

MANAMA: On race day, at the 2018 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX, Gulf Air, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carrier, and title sponsor of the Bahrain Grand Prix had a standout, globally broadcast, moment as the airline’s first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner conducted a fly pass before the race showcasing not only the airline’s newest, state-of-the-art aircraft but also …

MUSCAT: Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, has appointed Paul Starrs as its Chief Commercial Officer effective from April 1st 2018. Bringing with him many years of professional experience in the aviation industry, Paul will mainly focus on developing a comprehensive and sustainable plan to improve Oman Air’s commercial operations. On behalf of Oman Air management …