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
Category Archives: Travel News
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
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 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
BREAKING .NEWS: WOW Air ahut-down, all flights cancelled. The low-cost carrier (LCC) offered famously low fares starting at $69 across the North Atlantic from their base on Iceland and started the fare wars with a growing fleet of planes including Airbus A330 for long-haul routes to the US and even India. After the failed take-over by Iceland Air, cutting routes … Continue reading
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 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
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 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
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is buying Six Senses Hotels, Resorts and Spas for $300 million. The luxury chain based in Thailand has 17 luxury resorts around the world, as well as high-end spas, and they have contracts to open 18 more and discussions for 50. IHG is planning to expand to 60 Six Senses resorts over the next 10 years. … Continue reading