Countries that make clear promises to welcome vaccinated travelers are being rewarded by strong surges in flight bookingsGreece, and Iceland have announced that they will welcome vaccinated visitors this summer have seen inbound flight bookings pick up dramaticallyThe correlation between vaccination rates and outbound travel is strong
According to the latest industry analysis of the most recent fight booking data available, vaccinations appear to hold the key to reviving international travel.
Two destinations, Greece, and Iceland, which have announced that they will welcome vaccinated visitors this summer have seen inbound flight bookings pick up dramatically from the moment of their announcements.
Three origin markets, Israel, the US and the UK, where vaccination campaigns are particularly well advanced, have seen outbound flight bookings climb more steeply than elsewhere.
Greece, whose economy is highly dependent on tourism, has led the way in announcing a willingness to welcome visitors who have been vaccinated, passed a COVID-19 test or recovered from the disease.
That public position has been rewarded in flight bookings from major outbound markets such as the US and the UK. For example, it tops the list of most popular destinations for British travellers this summer; so much so that confirmed tickets for travel between July and September are currently 12% ahead of where they were at the equivalent moment in 2019.
Furthermore, analysis of the most resilient destinations in Europe this summer reveals that seven of the top ten cities are Greek, with the island of Mykonos leading the list, with summer bookings currently standing at 54.9% of what they were at the equivalent point, pre-pandemic.
It is followed by the Spanish island, Ibiza, where bookings are at 49.2%. The next eight destinations in order of resilience are Chania (GR) 48.9%, Thira (GR) 48.1%, Kerkyra (GR) 47.5%, Thessaloniki (GR) 43.7%, Palma de Mallorca (ES) 41.2%, Heraklion (GR) 36.6%, Athens (GR) 33.2% and Faro (PT) 32.8%.
Cebu Pacific (CEB), the Philippines’ largest carrier, increases flight frequency between Manila and key Asian destinations, including Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Dubai and Japan. The airline is on track with its efforts to gradually rebuild its international flight network. As border restrictions begin to ease, CEB has beefed up the frequency of its international flights to cater to increased demands for flights during the festive season. Flights between […]
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New service reinforces the warm relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Kazakhstan.New service will enable passengers flying to and from Almaty to enjoy seamless connectivity to over 140 destinations.The national carrier of the State of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 140 destinations.
Qatar Airways is pleased to announce that it will launch scheduled passenger services to Almaty, Kazakhstan starting from 19 November 2021. The new service will be operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 132 seats in Economy Class.
This service will enable passengers flying to and from Almaty, Kazakhstan to enjoy seamless connectivity to over 140 destinations, via the World’s Best Airport, Hamad International Airport in Doha, the State of Qatar.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are proud to bring our award-winning services to Kazakhstan, adding this unique destination to our growing network. This new service reinforces the warm relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Kazakhstan, and reaffirms our commitment to further developing trade and tourism between our two great countries.”
Kazakhstan is the economic powerhouse of the Central Asia region. It is an adventurer’s paradise, with landscapes varying from snow-capped mountains to expansive deserts, rocky canyons, coniferous forests, and untouched river deltas. Visitors can also admire historical landmarks including the bright-yellow towers of the famous Zenkov Cathedral in Almaty.
Flight Schedule to Almaty from 19 November 2021:
Friday and Monday (all times local)
Doha (DOH) to Almaty (ALA) QR 391 departs: 01:15 arrives: 08:35
Almaty (ALA) to Doha (DOH) QR 392 departs: 21:40 arrives: 23:55
The national carrier of the State of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 140 destinations. Qatar Airways also features flexible booking policies that offer unlimited changes in travel dates and destinations, and fee-free refunds for all tickets issued for travel completed by 31 May 2022.
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Container operations suspended at Shanghai port.All flights canceled at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport.Typhoon Chanthu is expected to hit Shanghai on Monday night.
In a statement issued today, Shanghai International Port Group announced that Shanghai’s container port has suspended container-related operations, as Typhoon Chanthu is expected to make landfall in the southern part of the city Monday night.
Ningbo Meidong Container Terminal Co. in neighboring Zhejiang province suspended some container operations from Friday, the company said on its wechat account yesterday.
Operations at major wharfs at the province’s Zhoushan port — home to some of China’s largest oil storage tanks and refineries — have been halted since Saturday afternoon.
The port shutdowns are likely to further delay shipments and damage global supply chains, which are already struggling to deal with record exports from China and the effects of local COVID-19 outbreaks.
Also, all flights will be canceled at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport after 11am Monday because of the weather, while all flights through the Hongqiao airport in the west of the city will also be scrapped after 3pm the same day, according to an announcement by the Shanghai Airport Authority Sunday night.
Shanghai government announced it will also shut all kindergartens and primary schools Monday afternoon and Tuesday, while some subway lines were suspended and parks and other outdoor tourist sites were shut Monday and Tuesday.
Zhejiang province upgraded its emergency response to Chanthu to the highest level on Sunday, closing schools as well as suspending air and rail services in several cities, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Authorities have also suspended some high-speed rail services in the Yangtze River Delta.
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COVID-19 has increased the race to deploy contactless processes, digital health passes and safely store customer dataMobile payments and online travel were in the top five themes mentioned in tourism company filings in 2020There is a lucrative opportunity and a growing need for a travel app that can encompass all elements of a trip into a one stop solution
The desire for a ‘seamless’ travel experience will have heightened during COVID-19 with travelers searching for an easy-to-use platform, where they can be inspired and informed of where they can travel safely. COVID-19 has increased the race to deploy contactless processes, digital health passes and safely store customer data. Therefore, companies should be looking to re-model travel apps to more effectively service and manage the post-pandemic traveler.
The desire for contactless technology is strong among consumers globally as apps that typically use contactless payment allows consumers to purchase at ease. This is influencing how tourism companies target their customers when it comes to booking a holiday. Industry analytics data shows that both mobile payments and online travel were in the top five themes mentioned in tourism company filings in 2020. Destination management organizations (DMOs) are looking to work towards more responsible tourism post-pandemic through better capacity management. All these areas suggest that travel apps are the way forward to benefit customer, company and destinations alike. Being proactive in developing an end-to-end service that inspires travel confidence, ensures safe travel and overall better management could prove highly lucrative and beneficial for all involved.
It now seems likely that some form of digital passport will be required to travel safely post-pandemic. There is a lucrative opportunity and a growing need for a travel app that can encompass all elements of a trip into a one stop solution, with omnichannel connectivity that covers everything from simplifying travel requirements to transactions. Anything that can help elevate the customer experience and inspire travel confidence should now be a key priority.
Contactless payment systems are key. A higher number of respondents (55%) in recent survey selected they would only pay for products/services using their cards or mobile phones rather than cash. The same survey also revealed 60% aim to ‘start or continue’ making banking transactions online in the ‘new normal’ following the COVID-19 period. Reasons behind this likely relate to general ease of use alongside health and hygiene. However, there are growing opportunities for app integration in tourism.
From a company perspective, apps provide opportunity to upsell any additional products and can lead to higher return on investment (ROI). With both mobile payments and online travel ranking highly on industry’s analytics database (theme mentions in 2020), this shows they are key areas of focus going forward. However, further developments need to be publicized and demonstrate the advantages of seamless app experiences to the end-user.
Other than displaying COVID-19 travel requirements, travel apps also offer overwhelming benefits for destinations. An app devised by a DMO for example could promote the experiences within a destination, while managing capacity at certain attractions/locations. Benefits can also be seen here for airports, whereby tourists can be redirected to different areas of the airport due to heavy footfall, ensuring social distancing measures are adhered to.
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Blaming it on the staff shortages caused by the lightning spread of the new COVID-19 Omicron strain, global airlines have canceled over 4,500 domestic and international flights worldwide during the peak Christmas weekend.
US airports accounted for more than a quarter of all flight cancelations, with United Airlines and Delta Air Lines being among the worst hit.
According to the latest global data, 2,380 flights were called and another 11,163 delayed globally worldwide on Christmas Eve. There were 2,388 cancelations and 2,579 delays as of the Christmas Day’ afternoon. Another 747 flights scheduled for Sunday have been canceled as well.
The majority of the cancelations came from five airlines, with China Eastern forced to call off more than 1,200 journeys over the weekend. Meanwhile, Air China, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Jet Blue, and Lion Air have reported large numbers of canceled flights.
There were 688 flights canceled across the US on Friday, and another 980 have been canceled so far over the peak travel weekend.
German carrier Lufthansa said on Friday that it was canceling 12 transatlantic flights over the holiday period due to a “massive rise” in pilots calling in sick, and despite arranging for a “large buffer” of additional staff for the period.
The last-minute travel chaos added to the frustration for passengers looking to celebrate with their families over the holidays after pandemic precautions severely impacted Christmas in 2020.
According to figures released by the American Automobile Association earlier this month, airlines were expected to see an 184% increase in traffic between December 23 and January 2 from 2020. The US Transportation Security Administration expected to screen nearly 30 million people between December 20 and January 3.
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US companies are coming up with COVID-29 vaccine plans.Delta Air Lines will impose $200 monthly surcharge on unvaccinated employees.Delta Air Lines’ plan led to a 150% rise in influencer conversations.
Several companies came up with vaccine mandate plans after the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in August 2021. Delta Air Lines, Inc (Delta Air Lines) also took strict measures to motivate employees by increasing healthcare premium of unvaccinated employees on their healthcare plan and meet the expected rise in travel demand. This led to a staggering 150% rise in influencer conversations around ‘vaccines’ on Delta Air Lines company influencer dashboard during the last 90 days (June-August), over the previous three months.
In August, a dramatic conversation spike among influencers around Delta Air Lines was noticed when the company announced to impose a US$200 monthly surcharge on employees who are not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Influencers saw this as the latest tactic to cajole workers into having a COVID-19 jab, as surging infection cases have clouded the outlook for airlines. Influencer sentiments were also positive on this measure as it is a necessary step to address the associated financial risks because the average hospital stay for the COVID-19 costs the airline US$50,000 per person.
In August, another rise in influencer conversation was noticed when the airlines company announced its partnership with French-Belgian high-speed train operator Thalys to provide rail connections between Amsterdam and the Belgian cities of Brussels and Antwerp.
Likewise, there was a sharp growth in influencer conversations in July, when the Atlanta-based airline reported its first quarterly profit since the start of COVID-19 pandemic, after breaking a five-quarter streak of losses. Rising domestic leisure travel and business travel demand along with federal government aid have supported Delta Air Lines to achieve a quarterly profit of US$652m in Q2 2021.
Delta Air Lines announced its remarkable plan in June to hire more than 1,000 pilots by summer of 2022, in anticipation of an increase in travel demand after recovery from the pandemic. This led to a surge in influencer conversations in June.
Job Analytics Database reveals that for most of the 2020, the company witnessed single-digit job postings. However, Delta Air Lines saw a surge in hiring activity in 2021. Listings increased from 101 jobs in January 2021 to 474 jobs in August 2021, with job postings seeing a 55% boost between Q2 2021 and Q3 2021.
Delta Air Lines is ramping up hires in 2021 to meet high demand for travel. Additionally, the company’s hiring includes a significant number of roles for seasonal ready reserves such as customer service agents, ticket/gate agents, cargo service agents indicated. Hiring for aircraft technicians and engineers have seen an uptick since June 2021. The company is also focusing to maximize cargo revenue and market share in Latin and EMEA region.