Travel News July/August 2022


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“We are now seeing travel return post-Covid with an increased demand, where passengers want to fly from their local airport. We are in continuous discussions with airline partners to increase our route network and increase our capacity. “We are fortunate with our single-level Airport Terminal building, passengers can rest assured of a convenient and stress-free airport experience at all times, with an expected journey from the carpark to the departure gates of less than 15 minutes, even during peak seasons.”


“Passengers that travel via City of Derry Airport


can also benefit from the cheapest earlybird carparking on the island of Ireland, and the most cost-effective Airport Lounge in the UK, priced at just £12.50pp,” he continued. “We would like to thank our local catchment area for ‘Choosing CoDA’ and for their wonderful support, and we very much look forward to welcoming everyone for take-off this summer,” Frazer added.


It’s full steam ahead for many cruise lines as full fleets


return to operation for companies such as MSC, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Azamara. The majority of cruise companies are either operating


a full-fleet or 80% of their fleet. Numerous cruise companies have plans for new ships or new itineraries for 2023/2024. Aaron Fletcher, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Business Development Manager for Ireland commented on how post-pandemic bookings are looking for NCL. “We are recovering quite well, we have seen a high appetite in people travelling again. All of our ships are back in the water,” he said. Fletcher continued, “we are receiving a really high percentage of customer feedback, so satisfaction is there. The food onboard, the entertainment and the overall guest experience is absolutely fantastic, back to the way it was pre-covid.” For Royal Caribbean, Jennifer Callister, Head of


Ireland for Royal Caribbean International highlighted how bookings are in the late market. Discussing that customers are booking within three or four weeks of travel. “We’re so excited with the bookings coming in right now, we’re seeing great demand out there. Very much in the late market, so people booking within three or four weeks of travel. We’re very confident in the Northern Ireland Market, so much so that we have put on a Belfast charter. 98 seater BA charter, that


starts on the 3rd of July. We can already see a lot of late bookings coming in. So recovery is on the way, and back to business as normal.” For many cruise lines, it seems to be smooth sailing


when discussing new ships and itineraries, with David Sanderson outlining how the future looks for Oceania Cruises. “It’s very positive for us, because we have clients who book ahead all of the time. So we are now on sale up until the end of 2024. We have seen really positive results, guests are booking quicker, they are booking longer cruises and they are booking different destinations. We have a new ship coming in next year, called Vista. She is coming next April. So the future is looking bright.” Also seeing a rise in bookings are the hotels and accommodation offerings that reside in many of traveller’s much loved destinations. Hotels across the globe have seen a refreshing burst of bookings as holiday-makers seek a sanctuary to rest their head after an afternoon of exploration or a day soaking up the sun.


Interestingly, since the pandemic hotels and accommodation offerings have noticed a significant rise in customers booking upgraded rooms or accommodation offerings. This is a trend noticed from a range of hotel groups. With customers opting to spend a little more for added amenities, better views, or luxurious extras. Aristos Diomedous, General Manager of Constantinou Bros Hotels emphasised the desire for upgrade amenities, stating; “we are experiencing a very strong, late-bookings in high quality. In April, we ran out of superior suites, supreme suites. This shows that customers want to travel and ensure they have good holidays. Along with more guarantee for their travel.” A new pattern of earlier bookings is also evident with hotel groups noticing families already booking for 2023. Pam Bryans from Spring Hotels reiterating this earlier booking pattern, commenting that “there has been an earlier booking pattern, we can see now that people are booking earlier for October, for next Easter, along with December and January. A lot of bookings are coming in.” As hotel bookings increase in line with the traveller’s


demand to head off on their holidays. Scott Harmon from H10 Hotels emphasised how, “Travel has certainly come back sooner than anticipated. For


us, we have seen a sustained period where we are


achieving numbers that we were achieving before the pandemic. So that tells me that Travel has returned and is exactly where it needs to be.”


Lounge. during


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China Reduce Quarantine Period For Oversea Arrivals


IN a recent announcement, China have cut the quarantine period by half. With visitors only required to complete one week of regulated quarantine instead of two weeks. For overseas arrivals, the quarantine period is now


seven days in a managed facility closely followed by completing three days of independent isolation. This reduction has seen a boost in visitors seeking to


head to China. As airlines such as Air China and China Eastern Airlines’ witnessing a quick surge in response to the news.


Prior to this change, arrivals into China were required


to quarantine for two weeks in a managed facility before completing another week of independent isolation.


UPDATES 3


Etihad Airways Back Home At Heathrow Terminal Four


TIHAD Airways celebrated its first flight from London Heathrow’s Terminal 4 on 22 June with premium guests enjoying the refurbished Etihad


Following its temporary move to other terminals the


pandemic, departing passengers were


greeted with cakes and flags as they checked in at Etihad’s true home at Terminal 4. The Etihad Lounge also reopened to First and Business travellers, as well as Etihad Guest Platinum and Gold members. The Etihad Lounge has been refurbished with a bright new look including new furniture and layout design to improve guest flow and capacity. New lounge dressings and accessories have been inspired by the capital of Abu Dhabi and Etihad’s aircraft cabin interiors. In the Lounge, there is a special à la carte menu for


all premium guests which has been curated by Etihad’s own chefs. This is complimented by a self-service buffet available to all guests. The Etihad Lounge has separate areas for relaxing and dining, as well as a children’s playroom and prayer rooms. The Lounge is open from 06.00hrs to 21.30hrs. Etihad has also recently confirmed that from July to September 2022 it is increasing its current four daily flights from London Heathrow to five daily flights. To ensure a smooth and seamless journey, Etihad


is asking all passengers to check in online, arrive at the airport early – the Etihad check-in desks will be open 3.5 hours before departure – and also check whether they need to get Verified to Fly at etihad.com/ destinationguide.


Stamps Away: Spanish Airports Grant British Holidaymakers Access To Border eGates


In a bid to reduce queues at Spanish Border Control, selected Spanish airports have authorised British holidaymakers to use the Automated Border Control eGates. This change is applicable at a range of Spanish Airports, Following Brexit, travellers arriving with a British passport were required to use the manual non-EU lanes to arrive and depart from Spain. The news of this change, which comes just ahead of


2022’s busy summer season, has been welcomed. However, the Foreign Office have issued a statement, warning British holidaymakers to ensure that “On arrival or departure, check you are eligible to use the e-gates and that you are in the right queue.” With further warning to ensure that their passport has been been through Border Control, as “if there is no record of entry a person could be accused of overstaying and face possible penalties.”


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