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www.nitravelnews.com
January 2023
Plan Your Big Apple Adventure as NYC Hotel Week Returns for 2023
“BELFAST TICKED
NI TRAVEL News’ Sarah Pickering caught up with Andrew Payne, CEO and Founder of Fly Atlantic, the newest airline to declare Belfast International as its soon to be base.
“I grew up with airlines,” said Andrew. “My dad worked for BA, the predecessors of British Airways. He was cockpit crew, so that was in my blood from day one really.”
Andrew himself is a qualified private pilot. From Continental (who then merged with United Airlines into a single airline) to Norwegian Air, there have been a few airlines who have tried to make transatlantic flights work from the Province. So, what makes Andrew think he is the right man for the job?
“I started at British Airways and then I disappeared to Hong Kong for a long time actually, 25 years, initially working for the government there on aviation policy and then subsequently working for Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong.
“In 2004 I came up with the idea for low cost airline for
Asia, which was sort of quite radical at that point.” This became the starting point for Andrew to delve
deeper into the aviation industry, working to start up airlines across Southeast Asia and Cyprus. “I was a strategic advisor to the board at WOW Air in Iceland which, of course, was one of the first airlines to look at transatlantic low cost.” He continued, “We had a falling out over strategic direction and agreed to part company on amiable terms, but my point with Wow Air was they were in the wrong base. The base was very high cost and I said they needed to look at bases like Belfast who diversify, but we couldn’t agree on that and so I resigned from the company and left in 2018 to go back to Cyprus.” At the beginning of 2020
Covid hit and Andrew found all projects put on hold. Soon, he found himself back on UK soil and planning his next big project.
“I was back in the UK and focused to think of new directions and new projects. It was at that time, in the middle of Covid, in lockdown, that I started to develop Fly Atlantic’s business plan. “The inspiration for it was WOW Air. I recognise that
the basic idea to have a low cost transatlantic airline with a hub was a great concept, but it was the execution of the concept which was perhaps flawed with WOW Air. I knew that we had to come up with a different approach, however execute the same type of concept.” But why Belfast? “To be honest we looked at Belfast when I was at WOW
as a base away from Iceland and I was impressed by the setup there. We looked at a lot of airports right the way across Europe but Belfast stood out,” Andrew explained. “We looked at, I suppose, 12 airports in total through
the UK and Ireland and we visited some of them, not all, but many of them. We certainly had contact with all of them.”
During this time, the company and different airports discussed costs, facilities and altitude towards the project and Belfast topped the list. “Belfast ticked all the boxes from a technical aspect,” he continued. “It was capable of supporting a year-round operation but more than that, there was a more hungry commercial outlook from the team at Belfast.” He explained how the decision knuckled down to three key factors, all of which Belfast possessed. “Firstly, the technical capabilities of the airport
and then their commitment to invest more money in the airport to develop facilities. Secondly, there’s the local political support, which has been strong across the whole political spectrum. Then certainly there’s the feeling on our part that Northern Ireland is very undeveloped in aviation terms. A great big catchment
area, no transatlantic air services on a regular, sustained basis... in many ways, its an under
RETURNING for its second year, NYC Hotel Week will run from 3 January through 12 February, 2023,
offering 23% savings off ”
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
BY SARAH PICKERING
Sarah@nitravelnews.com
promoted tourism destination because it has fantastic coastlines, scenery, huge potential for tourism but I think it barely scratches the surface at this point. I think we can generate quite a big inbound draw for tourists through Fly Atlantic as well. We are very positive about Belfast and Northern Ireland as a whole.” With Northern Ireland currently without transatlantic services, many opt to use the facilities at Dublin Airport, largely due to the pre-clearance option. With the political backing of the emergence of Fly Atlantic, will Fly Atlantic be introducing such a service to Belfast? “I think it would be great to have pre-clearance but
I don’t think it’s a critical element.” Andrew explained. “Pricing is key. Of course, with that is reliability; if you don’t have an airline that delivers on time, on schedule, and achieves year round reliability, I think you’re dead in the water before you start. The airport experience is another critical element. Pre-clearance is part of the airport experience and I think its going be very important factor for those passengers who are boarding in Belfast.” Pre-clearance allows those travelling direct from
Dublin to the USA to get pre-approval of their entry status before ever leaving Ireland. Andrew described pre-clearance as “a minority benefit but it would be a benefit we certainly have discussed with the government and the airport”.
“I don’t think its going be there on day one but I would like to see it there within a 5 year plan,” he said. With new airlines comes new expectations of what the onboard service will look like. Fly Atlantic has been described as a low cost budget airline so what will this look like for customers? Andrew highlighted how Fly Atlantic will use “pretty much
brand new aircraft”. “I know there’s tenancy to think of low cost airlines
of using tired, old equipment, but that’s less true today than it was 10 or 15 years ago but it’s still a perception”. Fly Atlantic have confirmed that the aircraft will
either be the Boeing Max or Airbus 321. Both aircraft are “cutting age, economically sound aircraft” and will provide customers with a comfortable feel for the transatlantic flight. “We are looking at the spilt of premium to standard economy in the aircraft, so people will have the option to upgrade to a premium cabin with the appropriate benefits attached. We are not selling it as equivalent to business class but it’s certainly going to be one on par, if not better than the premium economy on other airlines.”.
Customers can also expect wifi and 30 inch slim back seats onboard. The price is a pretty penny for those looking for the best of both worlds from this airline. “The actual basic fare will be extremely competitive
and will be as low as anything you would be flying across the Atlantic today,” Andrew said. Those travelling from the Republic of Ireland will
also not be forgotten, with a specific Fly Atlantic service shuttle to be introduced. “One thing we are keen to do is service all parts of Ireland so we will be looking at ways of using service transports collated with the flight schedule. Service transports carrying flight numbers and offering fly Atlantic product to pretty much all parts of the Island of Ireland, even where we don’t have actual flights connecting,” he added. We can’t wait until Fly Atlantic takes off!
standard room rates at more than 140 hotels across all five boroughs, with additional properties expected to join. New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYC & Company, New York City’s official destination marketing organisation and convention and visitors bureau, have launched NYC Hotel Week with the start of reservations available at
nycgo.com/hotelweek. Presented by preferred payment partner Mastercard,
NYC Hotel Week 2023 participating hotels include Hard Rock Hotel New York; Lotte New York Palace; The Beekman, A Thompson Hotel; The Hoxton, Williamsburg; The Langham, New York, Fifth Avenue; New York Marriott Marquis; The William Vale; Radio Hotel; The Opera House Hotel, The Rockaway Hotel; Hilton Garden Inn New York/ Staten Island and more. “I am thrilled to announce
the return of NYC Hotel Week, offering deals of a lifetime to an array of hotels across the City,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “NYC Hotel Week kicks off the start of NYC & Company’s NYC Winter Outing Program, combining NYC Restaurant Week, NYC Broadway Week, NYC Must-See Week, and NYC Hotel Week. Whether you want to catch one of our world-class attractions, dine at the finest restaurants or unwind at our luxurious hotels, New York City has it all right here in our backyard, across all five boroughs. Our city is open for reservations, so book yours today!” “NYC Hotel Week offers the best values
of the year for travellers looking to visit the five boroughs or for New Yorkers treating themselves to staycations,” said Fred Dixon, President and CEO of NYC & Company. “When combined with other offers in our broader NYC Winter Outing promotion—like NYC Restaurant Week, NYC Broadway Week and NYC Must-See Week—tremendous values are to be had on virtually every aspect of a visit to New York City in January and February, making the winter season incredibly attractive. Hotel reservations are available now, and we invite everyone to plan a visit or give the gift of a stay in NYC to a loved one this holiday season.”
TMB Reveals Top Long-Haul Travel Destinations for Irish in 2022
TROPICAL Medical Bureau (TMB), have revealed the most popular long-haul destinations that Irish people have travelled to in 2022. TMB has reported a rise in demand for travel vaccines this year, exceeding 2019 levels. •
• Vietnam •
India Brazil
Thailand Indonesia
• Peru • Cambodia • •
• Colombia • Mexico • Kenya This list indicates a sense of normalcy returning to
travel as TMB reports a huge rise in demand for travel vaccines, exceeding 2019 levels. The list displays parallels with TMB’s list of top-ranking long-haul destinations in 2019, which was also dominated by Southeast Asian destinations, with Thailand ranking first, followed by Vietnam, India, and Indonesia.
TMB CEO, Andrew Lewis said “We are delighted to have
seen demand for travel vaccines in 2022 reach and exceed pre-covid levels. Since the middle of this year, we have seen increasing demand with a large number of honeymooners, families and students and now we’re seeing the return of corporate travel. We expect a significant rebound in corporate travel in 2023.”
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