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Etihad to Fly
Daily to
Abu Dhabi
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Etihad
Airways, the national airline of the
United Arab Emirates, will increase its
flights from its base in Abu Dhabi to
Manila service from four flights-a-week
to daily starting October 1.
The Manila flights, launched in February
2006, have been hugely successful with
customers from UAE’s large Filipino
community, as well as leisure travellers
visiting the Philippines on holiday.
“Demand regularly outstrips supply on
the Abu Dhabi to Manila service,
especially in the economy cabin which
averages 90 percent capacity, and
therefore it is vital for the airline
and our customers that we have been able
to achieve this increase in the number
of flights,” James Hogan, Etihad
Airways’ chief executive, said.
Etihad Airways will operate the new
daily flights in cooperation with
Philippine |
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Airlines (PAL) under a recently signed
code share agreement. This agreement
will enable Etihad’s customers to book
and travel seamlessly from Abu Dhabi to
Manila connecting on to other cities on
the Philippines Airlines’ network such
as Cebu and Davao.
The new daily Etihad schedule will
further increase travel convenience
between Manila and Abu Dhabi. “As well
as providing a key service for Filipinos
working in the Middle East, the new
daily flights will also have a
significant impact on global customers
visiting the Philippines on business,”
Hogan added.
Etihad operates a two-cabin Boeing
777-300ER on the Manila-Abu Dhabi route,
which is configured to carry 378
passengers, with 28 in Pearl Business
Class and 350 in Coral Economy Class. |
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Cathay
Pacific Adds Flights to North America
and Australia
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Cathay Pacific
recently announced that it is
strengthening its service on a
number of routes, with
additional flights to New York,
San Francisco, Melbourne,
Adelaide and Perth starting
October or November. More
flights to Vancouver are already
in operation. The extra flights
will provide passengers with
more choices and further cement
Hong Kong’s position as a
leading international aviation
hub.
Cathay Pacific chief executive
Tony Tyler said, “We are
delighted to be able to offer
more options for travel to some
of our most important markets,
made possible by the continued
expansion of our fleet. The
additional services to North
America and Australia will bring
more people to and through Hong
Kong, helping to reinforce the
city’s role as a leading
international aviation hub and
gateway to Mainland China. These
enhanced services coincide with
the imminent arrival of our new
fleet of Boeing 777-300ER
aircraft and rollout of our new
three-class long-haul product
that together will help to
redefine the long-haul
experience offered by the
airline.”
In North America, a second
non-stop flight to New York is
being added from November 15,
meaning the airline will operate
three flights a day to America’s
biggest business center
(including the CX 888/9 service
that flies via Vancouver).
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The two direct
flights to New York will be
operated using Cathay Pacific’s
soon to arrive fleet of Boeing
777-300ER ultra-long-haul
aircraft which all feature a
brand-new three-class in-flight
product.
The airline is also adding a
second daily service to and from
San Francisco starting October
18. The new CX870 flight will
depart from Hong Kong at 2:10pm,
supplementing the existing CX872
late afternoon departure, while
the return CX879 service from
San Francisco provides travelers
with more options when
connection through the Hong Kong
Hub.
Cathay Pacific further boosted
its North American services
recently by adding three
additional flights a week to and
from Vancouver. The extra
flights—every Tuesday, Thursday
and Saturday from Hong Kong—mean
the airline now operates a total
of 17 flights to the city every
week.
Services to and from Australia
are also being significantly
strengthened, with Melbourne
being turned into a three-times-
daily service from October 1.
The new CX163 service will
depart Hong Kong at 9:20am to
supplement the existing
early-evening and late night
flights. At the same time the
number of flights to Adelaide
will be increased from four a
week to daily, operating on a
triangular routing through
Melbourne, while one more flight
to Perth ever Sunday will make
it a five-times-a-week with
effect from October 28. |
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Hong
Kong Airlines
Seals Airbus Deal |
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Hong Kong Airlines has signed a firm
contract with Airbus for 30 A320 Family
aircraft, 20 A330s and one ACJ, firming
up an initial commitment announced at Le
Bourget Airshow in Paris in June. Engine
choices have yet to be finalized.
Since the company was established in 2001, Honk Kong Airlines has
grown rapidly and built an extensive
full service network serving Asian and
Chinese mainland destinations.
“Our decision to acquire these Airbus aircraft follows an
extensive evaluation period. These
Airbus aircraft are really the best
suited for our needs,” said Ren Wei
Dong, chairman of Hong Kong Airlines.
“This new fleet of 51 aircraft secures
the future growth of our operations and
will reinforce Hong Kong as a key
gateway in the region. It marks the
first step in what we expect will be a
long and fruitful co-operation between
Airbus and Hong Kong Airlines,” he
added. |
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"We are delighted to welcome Hong Kong
Airlines as a new Airbus customer. In
one of the most competitive markets in
the world, this young and dynamic
airline has quickly made its mark in
offering quality and reliable service to
previously un-served cities,” said
Airbus chief operating officer John
Leahy. “We are very pleased to have been
selected by Hong Kong Airlines to be
part of their future development and to
be able to contribute to realising their
ambitions.”
Firm orders for the A320 Family now stand at 5,350 aircraft ordered
by 189 customers making them the most
successful jetliner ever. Close to 1,200
A330/A340 Family aircraft have been
ordered by almost 90 customers. |
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HSBC Mabuhay
Miles Visa,
the Card for Travelers
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If
you’ve been bitten by the travel bug, HSBC’s Mabuhay Miles Visa was created
just for you. At an exclusive media
event at the Shangri-la Makati, HSBC’s
senior vice-president and head of
marketing Suresh Nanoo explained how the
HSBC Mabuhay Miles Visa offers the best
conversion rate of any credit card
mileage program, allowing cardholders to
get the most bonus points per mile for
your money. “Every PhP45 you charge to
your card earns you one bonus point per
mile,” said Nanoo. “Use your card to buy
groceries, gas up, shop, or even pay
your utility bills, and with every peso,
you’re one step closer to a free
vacation.” And, according to Nanoo,
gassing up at a Caltex station earns one
a three percent rebate in addition to
the bonus points/miles earned.
Now with FastFlights, HSBC Mabuhay Miles
Visa cardholders can charge to their
credit cards the additional bonus
points/miles they need for PhP1.25/mile.
Also, the bonus points/miles you pur |
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chase
with your HSBC Mabuhay Miles Visa earn
you more bonus points/miles.
From August 26 to November 30, all
FastFlights transactions are 50 percent
off. This means that when HSBC Mabuhay
Miles Visa cardholders buy additional
bonus points/miles (normally PhP1.25 for
each bonus point/mile), they get two
bonus points/miles for the price of one.
“HSBC Mabuhay Miles cardholders can even
double or triple their bonus
points/miles by patronizing HSBC’s
Triple Miles partner merchants,” Nanoo
added. HSBC Mabuhay Miles Gold
cardholders earn three bonus
points/miles and Mabuhay Miles Classic
cardholders earn two bonus points/miles
for every PhP45 spent at Triple Miles
partner establishments.
That means HSBC Mabuhay Miles Visa
cardholders can earn trips to places
like Camarines Sur, Cagayan de Oro,
Laoag, Bacolod, Hong Kong, Singapore or
any other local and international
destinations where PAL flies.
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Palawan
Takes the Spotlight in Europe’s Reality
TV Show
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French
Ambassador Gerard Chesnel,
Department of Tourism Assistant
Secretary Cynthia Carrion and
French Embassy Press Attaché
Carol Lucas try out one of the
challenges set up for the latest
season of Les Aventuriers de
Koh-Lanta, a European reality
adventure show shot entirely in
El Nido, Palawan.
Koh- Lanta Palawan is the
seventh installment of the
French version of the famous
Survivor series. The show is
aired weekly on a primetime spot
over TF1 Channel, the leading
broadcast station in Europe
which reaches over seven million
viewers in France, Belgium,
Switzerland and North Africa.
A balanced ecological system and
preserved natural resources are
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Palawan’s
main attraction. The province’s
lush forest cover, one of the
largest in the country, and the
diverse and colorful marine life
make an ideal background for an
adventure and nature photography
and video shoots. The Department
of Tourism lent support to the
show, knowing that the media
mileage of the show translates
to the same reach and exposure
of the country.
A total of 9,211 French
travelers visited the
Philippines between January and
June 2007. This figure reflects
a 23.5 percent increase in
tourist arrivals over the same
period last year. France
currently ranks as leading
source country in Western Europe
in terms of comparative growth
rate. |
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