Manila’s NAIA Airport Expansion plans progressing

Manila’s NAIA airport is one of the most congested in Asia. It’s operating well beyond its design capacity of 30 million passengers, having served 45 million passengers in 2018! This is showing in crowded terminals and never-ending delays. Proposals for expansion have been discussed for years and it looks like there is finally some progress! … Continue reading

Cebu Pacific Airlines cancels 116 flights in May to improve operations

Cebu Pacific Airlines is cancelling 116 domestic flights between May 1-10, reflecting 58 round-trip flights mostly from its Manila hub. According to local paper “Inquirer” this is part of the “ongoing effort to improve on time performance and reduce inconvenience” for the low-cost carrier’s passengers. While this might cause inconvenience for passengers affected, I think it’s actually a step into … Continue reading

Move – a better seat coming to airline economy class?

Airbus and design agency Layer have presented the innovative “Move” economy seat for airlines, offering smart textiles to adjust to the individual needs of economy passengers, promising more comfort at the back of the plane. After years of shrinking legroom, reduced seat padding and recline and elimination of food and drinks, this is the first good news for economy travelers … Continue reading

Jet Airways India ceases operations, what passengers can do now…

Jet Airways has ceased all operations, leaving thousands of travelers stranded around the world. Jet Airways was in negotiations with lenders to rescue the struggling airline, but wasn’t able to get financing to continue operations and had to shut down. While those negotiations are continuing, the likelihood of rescue is getting smaller by the day, as airports re-assign valuable landing … Continue reading

Manila’s NAIA Airport Terminal 2 Renovation

Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) long had a reputation for being one of the worst. After the new’ish international terminal 3 opened and the old international terminal 1 received some renovation work, it’s now Philippine Airline’s terminal 2 turn to get updated. While this is not the major expansion PAL announced previously, it’s a long overdue update that should … Continue reading

Accor launches two new lifestyle brands – Tribe & The House of Originals

Accor has been busy buying other hotel brands and launching their own – but there is no sign of slowing down: They just announced the launch of the midscale, design oriented brand “Tribe” and the soft collection of lifestyle luxury hotels, called “House of Originals” in cooperation with sbe, known for their experience in lifestyle properties. These two come on … Continue reading

New Istanbul Airport finally opening April 6, 2019?

The new Istanbul Airport opened on schedule on October 29, 2018 with great fanfare – but few flights! Since President Erdogan cut the ribbon, only a handful of domestic flights have been flying to test the new airport, while thousands of workers scramble to complete it! The opening has been delayed multiple times, but it looks like the opening is finally happening: … Continue reading

Best Western buys upscale and luxury World Hotels

Best Western is known for it’s US road side motels and economy and mid-scale hotels worldwide, but they have been trying to go upscale. Now, they have acquired the WorldHotels, a chain of 300 upscale and luxury hotels, based in Frannkfurt, Germany. While the focus of WorldHotels has been Europe, they have a number of high-end resort properties around the … Continue reading