MICE
Airbnb takes on meetings & events
HOUSE-SHARING PROVIDER AIRBNB is expanding its activities to the meetings & events sector by offering accommodation alternatives for conferences. The platform has developed Airbnb for Events, a website plug- in tool that event organisers can use to display homes listed near the venue on an interactive map. The tool was tested in Australia and New Zealand, with the initial pilot at the Adelaide Fringe festival. Planners can apply online with details of their event. The Airbnb system matches their criteria and automatically creates a personalised landing page for the event with a link that organisers can embed in their event website.
FORUM
HRS sets date for next Corporate Lodging Forum
HOTEL SOLUTIONS PROVIDER HRS has announced its Corporate Lodging Forum will take place on 7 June at the Soho Hotel in London.
HRS says the unique exchange
platform brings corporate ecosystem stakeholders together and its conference will help delegates better meet challenges related to business travel. “Business travel involves the procurement department and stakeholders from finance, IT, human resources, safety and communications – plus, of course, the business traveller,” HRS said. “As the travel buyer, you therefore find yourself in the centre playing the role of a conductor. The task at hand: to manage the wants, needs and goals of the entire stakeholder network and roll out an optimal procurement strategy. A challenge to say the least.” Buyers go free – use code BBT when registering at corporate-
travel-forum.com/en-GB/uk
18 BBT May/June 2018
IN CONVERSATION Q&A: Paul Simmons, Cobalt Aero
Paul Simmons is Cobalt Aero’s commercial director, a role he took up in June 2017. He has spent 12 years in the airline industry, including roles at Easyjet, Flybe and Malaysia Airlines
not touch Cyprus. With this service we are declaring our ambition to be more than a “regional airline”.
Paul Simmons
What prompted you to launch flights on the Heathrow- Larnaca route and compete with existing operators? Because there is only one direct competitor on this route. We aim to compete by offering an actual business class seat in a 2-2 configuration, rather than a 30-inch economy seat with the middle seat free, as others do. In our view, business means business; not a moveable curtain. In economy, we are focused on value, but also great service and a wide choice of food options. We have started to build up a good following since our launch in July 2016 and, in due course, we aim to introduce a frequent flyer offering. This will be useful especially to ex-pats and UK-originating passengers who have second homes in Cyprus. We also see opportunities to tap into long-haul passengers arriving into Heathrow with our 1720 hours departure slot from Terminal 3.
You are also adding Athens-Gatwick as a route – is Athens going to become another hub for Cobalt? It is too early to describe Athens as a “hub”. Gatwick is our third route from the Greek capital, after Paphos and Larnaca, and both are popular, high-density routes. But Athens-Gatwick is Cobalt’s first route that does
What are your main selling points for business travellers – how do you differentiate your product from your competitors?
Our business class is differentiated on both product and service. On product, we offer a bespoke business class seat with a 40-inch pitch in a 2-2 configuration. On service, as well as the usual priority check-in, fast-track security, lounge access, priority boarding call and priority baggage delivery, we offer a dine on-demand service. Our business cabins have 12 seats, so we can provide greater focus on a guests’ needs.
What are your plans for rolling out the new business class cabin?
Our business class is still a relatively new development. We introduced it in November 2017 with Gatwick and Moscow services, and have since rolled it out on our flights to Paris, Athens, Abu Dhabi, Beirut and Heathrow. More will follow over time. As we look to explore interline opportunities with legacy carriers, hand-in-hand with network growth, a two-class offering is important.
Do you offer negotiated deals on airfares to corporate clients? If not, is it something you would consider? We are starting to work with the corporate market, including offering corporate rates. It is a “work in progress” as we move towards a more traditional
distribution model. This means, among other things, enabling GDS distribution – now with Sabre and, shortly, Amadeus and payments via BSP. As we build up frequencies to key European cities – for example, our Paris route is doing well, as is Manchester, and now with newly launched daily flights to London – we see opportunities to explore the conference and incentive market. Cyprus is well located for conference organisers, at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia.
Will you be adding more UK routes? Our network plans for 2019 are in development. We clearly have more opportunities looking south and east from Cyprus, as well as some under-served markets in western Europe. For the UK, we are flying 19 rotations a week this summer into four airports (Gatwick 8; Heathrow 7; Stansted 2; Manchester 2). This is a significant increase on 2017. Finally, we are determined to significantly improve connectivity through Cyprus, establishing Larnaca as a hub airport. This is proving popular for markets such as Tel Aviv, Beirut and Abu Dhabi.
What other destinations are you looking at for potential expansion? We are evaluating long-haul services, particularly to China, India, South Africa and the US. We expect to carry around one million passengers on our European network this year. We carried 750,000 passengers in 2017, four times the number in our first year.
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
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