News
XXXXXXXX CONFERENCES CAPA AVIATION SUMMIT
Senior aviation executives from around the world gathered at the Grand Hotel Huis Ter Duin in Amsterdam for the CAPA World Aviation Summit. Paul Revel reports
AIRLINE BOSSES discussed the significance of the Chinese market, with IAG chief executive Willie Walsh describing UK visa restrictions for Chinese visitors as “madness”. He said: “I find it strange the UK government is highlighting China as a priority for trade and development, yet they make it so difficult for Chinese people to do business with the UK.”
Emirates president Tim Clark welcomed the massive investment in infrastructure in China, with 80 new airports due for completion by 2015. But he called on the Chinese government to “open its doors” and allow more access to foreign carriers because it would help Chinese carriers with reciprocal access. Walsh said IAG was talking to Chinese carriers, including Spring Airlines (see Hotlist, p54), about possible bilateral relationships.
ALLIANCES
Alliance bosses claimed their organisations have a strong future and are generating financial benefits for their members. Star Alliance CEO
Mark Schwab (see Interview, p38) said cost savings included consolidated fuel buying at certain airports around the world. He said the 22 members sharing Heathrow’s new T2 when it opens in June meant there were opportunities for cost efficiencies. But Aeroflot director Georgio Callegari said joining an alliance has “not delivered the cost benefits that we were promised.” He said the Russian airline had gained some benefits, but added: “The synergies that come from strong bilateral relationships provide true value.” The panel was asked if “immunised joint ventures” – large airline joint ventures (JVs) that are protected from anti-trust lawsuits – undermined and threatened traditional alliances. Skyteam CEO Michael Wisbrun said it was natural for airlines to cluster around relevant revenues and synergies. “Our role is facilitating the bottom line of JVs, it’s part of us being that platform for transformation,” he said. Ciro Camargo is head of alliances at Brazilian no-frills
XXXXXXX
Grand Hotel Huis Ter Duin
carrier Gol, which is not an alliance member but has a codeshare agreement with Delta. He said for an airline with “scarce resources”, being able to “focus those resources on a single partner has proved very beneficial”.
RICH CONTENT Travelport showcased the latest enhancements to its flight shopping platform at the summit. The technology firm demonstrated its ‘rich content and branding’ product, which is being piloted with Delta and Air New Zealand. Travelport said this tool allows the airlines
to control how their content is displayed to travel agents. Travelport vice-president
Fergal Kelly said the airlines can upload what they want to the merchandising portal, at various levels of granularity. For example: a fare class traditionally displayed as a single letter (eg F or J) can be displayed – if required – with pictures of seat and cabin, seat pitch and size measurements, cabin services and amenities. The agent can choose and alter the level of detail displayed (see Guest Column, p118).
www.buyingbusinesstravel.com
CARLSON WAGONLIT EXCHANGE
‘FLAT IS THE NEW UP’ FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL Rob Gill reports from CWT's client conference at the Waldorf Hilton in London
18 1 Event moderator Steph McGovern
CARLSON WAGONLIT TRAVEL’S Nigel Turner, director of programme management and business development, said that corporate air bookings, as measured by data from the GTMC, had recovered during the last five years. “Air is probably the best indicator of activity – there was a big dip in the final quarter of 2008 when the recession started and then it gradually started to
come back,” said Turner at the CWT Exchange conference in London for the TMC’s clients. “An encouraging aspect is
that if you look at Q3 of 2013 compared to Q3 of 2008, then it’s almost flat. This is a good job as flat is the new up in most organisations. We also looked at hotels and rail, which have both been bumping along the bottom and slightly increasing.” Turner added that there was
a “mixed picture” for business travel across the globe. “We know about the problems in the Mediterranean countries,” he said. “America has been looking very strong but a lot of military and government business is starting to be cut back.” Event moderator Steph
McGovern, who is BBC Breakfast’s business reporter, agreed that the UK recovery was “pretty flat, but things are getting better”.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128