Northstar

NEWS www.travelweeklyweb.com Qatar Airways partners Hertz DUBAI – Qatar Airways worldwide passengers will be able to book Hertz rental vehicles through a new booking platform at www. qatarairways.com, thanks to a new partnership between the two parties. The new agreement is the result of a three-year partnership which reinforces the existing relationship between Hertz, the world's most powerful car rental brand, and Qatar's national carrier, which links 113 international destinations from its base in Doha, using a fleet of 106 aircraft. Streamlining the travel process, passengers can now go to qatarairways.com to select and book car rentals from any of Hertz's 8,500 locations in 150 countries, making their choice from a wide range of makes and types in a global fl eet of more than 500,000 vehicles. Hertz rentals can be booked in either local or destination currency. For each Hertz car rental booking made through the airline's booking channels, members of the Qatar Airways loyalty programme, Privilege Club, will earn 500 Qmiles. General passengers and Privilege Club members will also benefit from exclusive year-round Hertz promotions when booking through the online channels. Michel Taride, President, Hertz International and Executive Vice President, Hertz Corporation (left) with Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker (centre). Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia partnership: Visit Australia Pass DARWIN – Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia have jointly introduced a "Visit Australia Airpass" that will allow for travel up to 10 domestic destinations on any given trip to the country. SIA and Silkair passengers will be able to purchase the pass for use on destinations across Virgin Australia's network – which covers a total of 29 Australian cities and itineraries across 61 domestic routes. Desinations like Broome, Darwin, Hamilton Island, Uluru and the Whitsundays are available on one ticket with terminal transfers and meals included. The new arrangement also includes reciprocal frequent flyer programme benefits and lounge access for eligible passengers. Singapore Airlines' executive vice-president Commercial, Mak Swee Wah said: "Combined with our global network and services to Australia's main capital cities, the Airpass is an easy and attractive way to tailor the perfect itinerary across British airport tax up LONDON – The British government has increased its airport tax by eight per cent on April 1, despite protests from the airline industry and the travelling public. It was the fourth increase in fi ve years, and though it is already one of the highest taxes on passengers, it is expected to be raised again, and will cover business jets as well. The biggest increase affects fl ights that are more than 6,000 miles (9656 km) from London. A business class passenger from Heathrow to Sydney will have the tax increased from US$271 to $294, and next year, it would be $300. For economy passengers, the new rate would be $147, up from $136, and will go to $150 next year. The tax is based both on the class of service and the distance from the UK. Those in premium class pay twice as much as economy passengers, and those on longer distances pay more. From April 2013, the air passenger duty (APD) will be extended to business jet passengers – at twice the rate paid by premium passengers on commercial fl ights. 6 | ■ TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA | 10 APRIL 2012 Australia." Virgin Australia Group Executive of Alliances, Network and Yield, Merren McArthur said: "We are very pleased to partner with Singapore Airlines to facilitate an Airpass that provides excellent value, ease of use and access to a range of exceptional destinations across Australia on the Virgin Australia network. The Airpass will support tourism in Australia by attracting guests from Singapore Airlines' extensive network throughout Asia and beyond." CWT Asia Pacifi c's appointment SINGAPORE – Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), a global leader specialised in business travel and meetings and events management has appointed Matthew Carracher (right), vice president, Traveller & Transaction Services (TTS) and Product Marketing, CWT Asia Pacifi c. Carracher, based in Melbourne will continue to lead Product Marketing in Asia Pacifi c, and will take on the added responsibility of leading TTS for the region. He will report to Berthold Trenkel, executive vice president Traveler & Transaction Services, and Kelly Kuhn, president, CWT Asia Pacifi c. Carracher, who has 18 years in the travel industry, has been with CWT since 1996 and has held various roles across TTS, Program Management, Products and Online Services. In his most recent role, he led the product marketing and project management teams, and he is an expert on advising companies on how to get maximum ROI from their online booking tools. He holds a post graduate in Internet and Web Computing. www.travelweeklyweb.com

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