VISAS
Qatar eases visa requirements with new waiver system
for the citizens of 80 countries, including the UK.
The move comes as the Gulf state continues to suffer from an embargo imposed by some of its neighbours, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Under the new plans, citizens of these 80 countries will be able to visit Qatar without having to apply or pay for a visa. Instead, multi-entry waivers will be issued for free at the port of entry as long as the traveller has a passport with at least six months’ validity remaining and an onward or return ticket. UK nationals will be entitled to spend up to 30 days in Qatar under the new system during a single visit or multiple trips. The waiver can also be extended for a further 30 days.
AIRLINES
Primera Air to launch flights to the US from Stansted and Birmingham
is to start operating nonstop flights from Stansted and Birmingham to the US next year.
Primera has announced that it will open a base at Stansted and start daily year- round flights to New York’s Newark airport in April 2018, followed by a route to Boston Logan airport in May 2018. The flights will be the first scheduled services from Stansted to the US in nine years. Primera will use new
AIRLINES
Alitalia commissioner wants ‘full sale’ of airline
are hoping they can achieve a “full sale” of the Italian airline.
Reports suggest that up to ten parties have submitted non- binding bids to buy all or parts of Alitalia – so far only Ryanair has publicly admitted it is one of the bidders. Willie Walsh, CEO of British Airways’ parent company IAG, said IAG was not one of the bidders for Alitalia. Alitalia went into administration in May but its flights have continued thanks to temporary funding by the Italian government. Binding offers must be made by bidders by October 2.
Airbus A321neo aircraft on the Stansted routes with economy and premium cabins.
Primera is also to open a base at Birmingham airport offering daily flights to Newark and four per week to Boston from next May and June respectively – United has decided to cancel its route from Birmingham to Newark from October this year. Primera Air will also operate transatlantic flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle from next year.
CONFERENCES Q&A: ACTE conference preview
BBT talks to executive director Greeley Koch about the ACTE Global Summit in London on October 11-13
Greeley Koch
How will buyer members’ key concerns be addressed at the London conference? Travel buyers currently face two major challenges: the evolving needs and expectations of their travellers, and the need to make significant near-term changes in response to broader industry issues. On the first front, we’ve conducted studies that indicate today’s business traveller is seeking flexibility and quality of life more than ever. The second concern is one of nimbleness. The industry is undergoing rapid change: the approval of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Brexit are weighing on our European members. While these challenges are daunting, they also offer travel managers the opportunity to take a growing leadership role within their organisations, effectively demonstrating the value they bring in terms of savings and traveller service. The ACTE London conference will explore how technology can help travel managers seize this opportunity.
What highlights should we keep an eye out for?
The conference will leverage our ‘Spokes’ approach, taking a deep dive into
each of the seven facets of business travel: fly, sleep, ground, pay, collaborate, support and booking. This helps each session focus on a single issue, and offer actionable insights to attendees. We’re also adopting some new formats to this end, including: • Our Hot Topics and GDPR data sessions will use a ‘lagerhuis’ format, in which attendees physically change where they sit or stand to indicate their perspective on these issues.
• Our Leveraging Data session will blend experts and attendees in the audience, using pre-planned topics and questions to guide a moderated conversation.
• We will also be hosting a ‘hackathon’, with a programmer building a smart contract in real time.
What can we expect to learn at the conference about ACTE’s research projects? We’ll debut the next instalment in our Modern Business Traveller research, underwritten by American Express GBT, on how travel managers can influence traveller behaviour. We’ll also look at:
• The ancillary services travellers are requesting and how travel managers are working with airlines to deliver them
• Simplification of travel programmes, sponsored by HRS
• New developments in sourcing accommodation, sponsored by BCD Travel.
More information at
acte.org
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