Kate

Turkish Airlines is now flying three times a week from Istanbul to Moroni, the capital of the Comoros Union. Moroni becomes the 304th destination served by Turkish Airlines. The Comoros, a tropical Indian Ocean island archipelago at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, has a population of 700,000. With the addition of Moroni to its network, Turkish Airlines now reaches 122...

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has launched voco, its new upscale hotel brand. It will focus primarily on conversion opportunities, working with high-quality individual and locally-branded hotels and leveraging IHG’s systems. This includes the group’s revenue management and technology capabilities, and IHG Rewards Club. Voco, inspired by the meaning ‘to invite’ or to ‘come together’ in Latin, will combine the informality and charm...

Air Namibia is gearing up to launch the Windhoek-Lagos-Accra route, commencing 29 June. This new route will provide a direct connection between Namibia and West Africa. The service will operate four times a week (Sunday, Monday, Wednesday & Friday from Windhoek). The routing will be Windhoek-Lagos-Accra, and the return will be Accra- Lagos-Windhoek. Air Namibia will service this new route...

Lufthansa has upgraded and expanded its in-flight entertainment programme on long-haul flights. Now passengers have a choice of around 180 films in all travel classes – an increase of around 30%. The "Hollywood Recent Hits" category allows travellers to choose from numerous successful Hollywood films from the past 12 to 24 months. There are also more than 270 TV productions to choose...

Corporate Traveller, a division of the Flight Centre Travel Group, has announced the expansion of its SmartSTAY and SmartDRIVE corporate travel programmes. Both initiatives reward business travellers with a number of exclusive benefits and value add-ons when booking with various properties and car hire companies within the TravelSmart range. A few of these perks include early check-in, free room upgrades and...

Airlink has announced the details of the flights that it has added to its network and schedule, due to the suspension of SA Express. Many SA Express customers have experienced itinerary disruption and Airlink has introduced additional flights to alleviate the inconvenience. Up to 46 additional flights daily have been introduced on various city pairs, such as between Johannesburg and Bloemfontein,...

Tintswalo Lodges will be opening two new properties in 2018. The Tintswalo brand will also be expanding into a Premier Collection and a Classic Collection. The launch of the new Tintswalo Classic Collection will see the opening of Tintswalo at Lapalala Wilderness in the Waterberg (South Africa’s Limpopo province) and Tintswalo at Boulders Manor, a private villa overlooking Boulders beach on...

Airports Company South Africa has launched a campaign calling for public comments and proposals by 6 June for the renaming of four national and international airports in South Africa. The airports are Cape Town International Airport, East London Airport, Port Elizabeth International Airport and Kimberley Airport. Their renaming is part of government’s Transformation of Heritage Landscape programme. Proposals and comments should...

South African low-cost carrier FlySafair has entered into a strategic partnership with the Flight Centre Travel Group, providing the group’s agents with greater access to the airline’s inventory. Through the mutually-beneficial partnership, Flight Centre agents can now pass the benefits of the airline product on to their clients.

BON Hotels has extended its South African footprint into KwaZulu-Natal, with the takeover of the 64 on Gordon Hotel. The 35–room boutique hotel, which is located in the Morningside suburb of Durban, is flying the BON Hotels flag as of today (1 June). The property is situated close to the hub of Florida Road - which has seen a recent revival...

Hilton Hotels & Resorts has a healthy African development pipeline of 52 hotels, and the group plans to enter 14 new countries over the next five years. So, there was much to discuss when editor Dylan Rogers sat down in Durban with Hilton’s President of Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Rudi Jagersbacher, Vice-President of Africa & Indian Ocean, Jan...

British Airways will begin f lying three times a week direct from London Heathrow's Terminal 5 to Durban, from 29 October, using the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The route expansion comes as BA rolls out a $6.1 billion, five-year customer investment plan, with a focus on excellence in the premium cabins. BA's Commercial Manager for Southern Africa, Sue Petrie, was...