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Contact UsExecutive Edge Tel: +613 9519 7777 |
Corporate Newsletter: Issue #17 Welcome to Edge Intelligence for November/December 2009Letter from the Editor New security regulations have officially begun for all passengers and flights to, from or within the United States. As of October 31st, airlines and agents are responsible for submitting mandatory secure flight data to the US government 72 hours prior to departure for all carriers entering US airspace. Your Executive Edge consultant will assist you with transmitting the necessary personal details - see Industry News for full details on the new regulations and information required. London is big in the news this month with the grand opening of Terminal 3 at Heathrow, Qantas’s new home in London for all services from Australia, Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong. (see Industry News) We feature The Berkeley as this issue’s business hotel pick - a city classic tailor-made for your next London conference or meeting in style. (see Business Hotel News) The Mayor of London has even just announced plans for the first large scale International Convention Centre in London. (see Events & Conferences) A recent survey shows that consumer confidence is on the rise and reflected in a projected increase in corporate travel by 2010. (see Edge Intelligence) Get back in the game by signing up through your Executive Edge consultant for Virgin Blue’s Accelerate program and start reaping the rewards today! Finally, to view the latest business specials deals in the marketplace today, simply click on the link to the left. As always, we are pleased to have you all as clients and we thank you for your loyalty. Kimberly Rosbe |
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INDUSTRY NEWS
BUSINESS HOTEL NEWS
EDGE INTELLIGENCE
EVENTS AND CONFERENCES
FLIGHT SPECIALSINDUSTRY NEWSHomeland Security instigates mandatory Secure Flight Program for all US flightsEffective October 31st, the US Department of Homeland Security will instigate new mandatory security measures for all passengers on all commercial flights operating to, from or within the United States. Previous screening requirements prior to October 31st necessitated that secure data be collected at departure. The new regulations give US authorities three days and more time to pre-screen passengers for security purposes. Now, all international airline carriers are responsible for collecting Secure Passenger Data and transmitting the data to the Transportation Security Administration in the US no later than 72 hours prior to departure. In the case of last minute business travel within 3 days of departure, the secure data must be collected by the airline or agent at the time of booking and transmitted to the TSA immediately. The information required is the following which must be full and accurate:
The introduction of the Secure Flight Program will utilise improved “watch list” matching to enhance the security of US domestic and international air travel. This means that Secure Flight Watch List will inhibit the printing of a boarding pass for an individual who is determined by the TSA to match an entry on the No Fly List. Travel agents must also ensure that the name provided when creating the booking matches the document being used to travel. New Qantas Terminal at London Heathrow unveiled After a major overhaul, complete transformation and a multimillion dollar makeover, Terminal 3 at London’s Heathrow Airport is ready to welcome its guests. And no expense has been spared in this red carpet event. Commencing on October 29th, Terminal 3 will be the new home for Qantas services to and from Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Australia as well as home to all Qantas’s other oneworld partner airlines. Passengers will be greeted with a sleek, modern decor at Terminal 3’s new entrance, refurbished arrivals hall and check-in area with separate First and Business check-in facilities. The lounges in Terminal 3 are a treat with new “galleries” lounges for British Air, Finnair, Iberia and Qantas. Other highlights in Terminal 3 include 53 retail outlets and restaurants. (Coach services remain in operation between Terminal 1, 2, 4 and 5 for connecting flights.) Twitters to follow for car rental deals and frequent flier advice Although some consider Twitter merely a narcissistic social networking fad that will soon pass, the wise traveler does not dismiss the electronic tool so quickly. In fact, if used cleverly, there are significant travel deals and benefits to take advantage of which are exclusively advertised on Twitter that can’t be found elsewhere. If you are able to determine the right organisations to follow with your Twitter updates, then you essentially have a personalised travel news feed to your mobile phone or computer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hotel and airfare discounts, travel expert advice, day passes to airline lounges, bonus frequent flier miles, just to name a few. It’s even useful in reverse. For example, you can lodge complaints with a hotel or airline on their own Twitter site - a powerful tool for the consumer when thousands of people become aware or your gripe immediately making the company more inclined to offer a quick resolution and appear golden in the eyes of the consumer voyeur. For car rentals in America, a renowned high rate area, Hertz has gotten in the Twitter game and its customers are securing great deals as a result. Follow @ConnectByHertz for useful tips on car rental, discounts and customer service. Two handy sites for navigating the frequent flier world are worth a mention. @garyleff and @globtrav both provide savvy frequent flier mileage and points advice, advertise mistake fares and assist with creative ways of redeeming miles for free trips. Not all sites are created equal; however. Wendy Perrin from Conde Nast Traveler recommends her favourite travel Twitter sites on her blog at www.perrinpost.com. Take a look and begin reaping the benefits of the technology age of travel. Virgin Blue attracts small and medium businesses with its new corporate air travel program Accelerate In an effort to obtain more corporate business and meet the needs of the small to medium business market, Virgin Blue has created a tailored corporate travel program called Accelerate. Launched on June 10th, Accelerate has been gaining a strong, loyal following due to its many benefits for the SME market including:
To be eligible for the Accelerate program, companies must have an annual base fare expenditure between $20k per annum up to a maximum of $300k per annum. This program reflects Virgin’s ongoing commitment to providing value-for-money in this challenging business environment through Accelerate’s real and quantifiable savings for the SME travel budget. Virgin Blue also boasts the following perks making flying for business easier and more convenient:
Bookings can be made directly through your preferred TMC, in our case Executive Edge Travel & Events. BUSINESS HOTEL NEWSFeatured Business Hotel: The BerkeleyThe Berkeley is considered one of the top London hotels for business travelers desiring a bit of home away from home - 5 star luxury in contemporary chic style. Superbly located a few seconds from Knightsbridge and Hyde Park, The Berkeley represents timeless elegance and refinement conveying a feeling of a grand country manor rather than a hotel. The rooms are beautifully furnished and the service is second to none boasting the enviable title of ‘best London hotel for service in 2008.’ There are two dining options which have garnered rave reviews - Petrus for evening fine dining and Boxwood Cafe which has the feel of a New York private club. Then there is the Blue Bar for evening cocktails that Madonna herself has said she adores. After a hard day of meetings unwind at the hotel’s health club and spa. The Berkeley Health Club is a true highlight which is fully equipped and even has a swimming pool with a retractable roof, a rarity in London. The hotel also features impeccable business facilities including a business centre and meeting/conference rooms to host a full range of corporate events. The facilities provide complimentary Wi-Fi, the latest in audio-visual technology and sophisticated stage sets, sounds systems and presentation equipment. Daily delegate rates start from 70 pounds. The Berkeley also offers a fine selection of individual rewards for group bookings - anything from an iPod shuffle to a MacBook Air to spa treatments to 1,200 pounds in shopping vouchers. Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7RL Website advises on best specific rooms for hotels worldwide Booking a great hotel does not necessarily guarantee a great room. TripKick, a website launched in May of 2008, solves this dilemma by providing travelers with the inside scoop on which specific hotel rooms to request by preparing individuals with all the little known facts about each hotel room so you can make an educated choice when selecting the perfect room. The information provided includes views, noise levels, size, and even the quality of the bathroom. It tells you which floors are best and which to avoid. It even tells you which rooms are too close to the elevator and noisy vending machines. Basically it’s a hotel room rating service. Simply choose your hotel via city, personality or features, then navigate through the 5 categories of information provided to select your ideal room. The website can be used before or after a reservation has been placed - the timing is irrelevant. But once you ascertain which specific room would suit your tastes, ask your travel agent to make the room request for the hotel’s booking system. Voila! Peace of mind. The website currently has hundreds of hotels listed in 27 cities but is adding a new city launching each month. www.tripkick.com EDGE INTELLIGENCELive Flight TrackingOriginally created for sophisticated aviation buffs in 2005, FlightAware has gained a huge following. FlightAware is a website which provides live flight data, airport information, weather maps, flight planning and navigation charts as well as aviation news and photos to over two million users a month. Basically, it uses flight arrival time aigorithms combined with responsive web-based interface to yield the most capable and useful flight tracking application in the world. What does this really mean? Simply plug in an airline and flight number and it will show you on a live, animated map exactly where the plane is and the weather surrounding it. You can even type in an airport code and see all the flights that are coming and going. All of this in real time. Truly amazing! The only negative is that the software is limited to the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and the United Kingdom. If you are tracking a flight that originated anywhere from outside that radius, FlightAware will only pick it up when it enters the designated zone. To learn more or track a flight go to www.flightaware.com Seatguru.com helps travelers choose best seat on airplanes The most important element of a flight experience beyond safety and service is unquestionably your seat. The better the seat, the better the flight. And as every traveler has witnessed first-hand, there are vast differences between planes and the seats within each plane. www.seatguru.com , the renowned airline-seat rating service, guides fliers to the best seats on airplanes. Their moto is “find the best seat before you fly.” The site has become the ultimate source for airplane seating and in-flight amenities with the most up-to-date information using independent research as well as user-submitted reviews . Featuring detailed seatmap graphics with color-coding to help identify superior and substandard seats, galley, lavatory, exit row and closet locations, as well as in-depth comments about seats with limited recline, reduced legroom and misaligned windows. Simply choose the airline from the left-hand column listed alphabetically, then select the type of plane and a color-coded clear map of the plane will appear. A little easy advice - choose a green seat, they are the best. Corporate travel survey shows rise by 2010 Consumer confidence is up. A recent independent online survey conducted by FCm Travel Solutions found 70 percent of business travelers were planning to increase their spend on corporate travel during the next 12 months. Only 26 percent of those surveyed admitted they intended to decrease the amount of money their company spends on business travel. Overall, most companies are indicating a positive outlook for business returning to normal by 2010 which will be reflected in an increase in their corporate travel spend for flights, meetings, incentives and conferences. Although there still exists some apprehension amongst small to medium size business owners, according to the survey, key economic indicators do show encouraging signs of recovery and clear evidence of a visible rebound in demand for hotel accommodation and airfare. The survey reported that most companies over the next 12 months will turn their attention to focusing on tighter policy control and developing a strategic direction from a travel management firm. Your Executive Edge consultant is happy to help your firm develop such a strategy. EVENTS AND CONFERENCESCarlson Hotels offers perks for small to medium-sized meetings at properties in Asia PacificCarlson Hotels Worldwide has launched a new campaign called ‘MeetingPERKS’ applicable to three of its brands in the Asia Pacific region - Regent, Radisson and Park Plaza. The program is designed to literally offer more perks for small and medium-sized meetings booked at its properties in Asia Pacific. The perks include the following:
The promotion is valid from November 1 through November 30, 2010 for bookings fulfilled by February 28, 2010. London’s First International Convention Centre debut At last London has committed to building an international convention centre. On October 1st, the Mayor of London announced a 165 million pound investment to initiate construction of the International Convention Centre of London, the official identity named ExCeL. Officials from Visit London, the GLA and the Mayor of London have all committed to attracting more large scale conference and events from overseas to London with ICC ExCeL representing the first purpose built large scale convention venue in the city. The launch symbolises a new era for business tourism in London as a global events and corporate destination, hopes the Mayor. The ICC also is the first Olympic venue to be completed two years ahead of schedule. ExCeL is set to open in May 2010. |
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