AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS
World Travel & Tourism Council | March 14, 2023
World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), a travel arrangement services company, has recently announced the Hotel Sustainability Basics (Basics) at ITB Berlin. Basics help tourist accommodation providers with their sustainability journey.
Basics is a set of globally accepted criteria that hotels should implement at least to generate a responsible and sustainable business in Travel & Tourism. The industry supports it and compiles all tourist accommodation providers, regardless of their size and location. A group of influential global hotel brands came together to demand it. It emphasizes a possible starting point over other sustainability initiatives. It will inspire accommodation providers worldwide to start their sustainability journeys and fulfill the fundamental standards of the sector.
It compromises 12 essential criteria and is available to all hotels. This endeavor aims to build a strong base for complex sustainability schemes and enhance sustainability across the industry. It got recognition from the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance as a starting point for the net positive industry. This alliance is the one that announced the latest version of the 'Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality.' WTTC has partnered with Green Key and SGS to design an online verification system to ensure the program's validity.
President & CEO of WTTC, Julia Simpson said, "We are incredibly proud to launch our Hotel Sustainability Basics and its verification scheme. The initiative is a response to the sector's need for a baseline for hotels and other tourist lodgings to introduce the exacting sustainability standards." She added, "Our research shows that most business owners are aware of their responsibility to the environment but need a step-by-step guide that is scientifically verifiable. It is a testament to the need for such a scheme that already thousands of hotel properties from around the world have committed to implement Basics, and from today can begin the verification process."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About World Travel & Tourism Council
Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is a non-profitable and non-government organization dedicated to travel and tourism, founded in 1990. It specializes in the authority on world travel & tourism, travel, tourism, research, economics, private sector, government policies, economic impact, Covid-19 recovery, sustainability, and crisis preparedness. It represents the travel & tourism private sector at a global level. It connects industry experts, CEOs of travel & tourism companies and organizations worldwide. Its focuses on Security & Travel Facilitation, Crisis Preparedness & Management, and Sustainable Growth in the travel field.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
Plusgrade | March 01, 2023
Plusgrade, an ancillary revenue solutions provider for the travel industry, announced its extensive partnership with AirAsia. This partnership would empower AirAsia customers to bid for upgrades and reservations for extra space and comfort.
The travel industry is in progress, starting with the relaxation of the travel restrictions for the Asia-Pacific region in early 2023. Ancillary services are an excellent option for enhancing customer experience and revenue generation. They would help airline, rail, and hotel companies with travel returns so that the returns could even exceed those before the pandemic. Travelers are more interested in a streamlined travel experience for innovation and comfort, improving their journey. The ancillary services like upgrades and extra space beside their seats for flight reservations would make travel more pleasant. More space gives them an area to stretch and relax, and the upgrades allow travelers to avail of premium products and services that are generally out of reach.
CEO of Plusgrade, Ken Harris, said, "We are thrilled to join forces with AirAsia to support them in driving meaningful ancillary revenue through incredible traveler experiences." He added, "We look forward to supporting AirAsia as they continue to innovate and develop new products and services for their customers, and to expanding our footprint in the thriving APAC region."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
Group Chief Commercial Officer of AirAsia, Ms. Karen Chan said, "This collaboration will enable us to offer more passengers the chance to access our premium products and services, such as our award-winning premium flatbeds or hot seats with extra legroom. We are confident that our guests will love this innovative and seamless way to enhance their travel experience."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About Plusgrade
Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Plusgrade, an IT consulting and services provider for the travel industry, offers solutions for ancillary revenue powerhouse, upsell, merchandising, and revenue upgrade platforms for the airline industry worldwide. It assists airline, hospitality, passenger rail, cruise, and financial services companies with revenue generation through excellent customer experience. Its ancillary revenue powerhouse generates massive revenue in a single new revenue opportunity in its platform for its partners. In addition, it enhances travel experiences for its partners' passengers and guests. Finally, its premium upgrade bidding accelerates return on unsold premium inventory for an engaging and effortless customer journey.
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AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS
OAG | February 09, 2023
On February 8, 2023, OAG, a leading provider of travel data and analysis in the world, informed that it is launching its new Flight Status Alerts, which offer a unique perspective on rapid flight changes.
OAG's Flight Info Platform currently offers a constant stream of flight schedule changes, while Flight Status Alerts integrate seamlessly into that system. As a result, OAG's clients, which include booking engines, travel and hospitality apps, airline apps, OTAs, metasearch, search engines, and flight tracking applications, may now benefit from the broadest possible coverage of flight information thanks to Flight Status Data and Flight Schedules.
This powerful combination provides a flight window into crucial scheduling and status data – from the minute a flight is scheduled to the moment luggage hits the baggage belt and everything in between – in a way that has never been done before, making it a first of its type.
This cutting-edge technology, powered by Microsoft's Azure Event Hub, enables OAG's Flight Info Platform to provide notifications with increased speed and scalability. It processes an average of forty updates per second and offers millions of real-time updates regarding various schedule changes and statuses.
Some advantages of the flying window include - enhanced scalability and adaptability, new and better traveler experiences, and more customer loyalty.
Phil Callow, CEO of OAG, expressed, "Data and insights are useless unless they can be seamlessly integrated with a business. Our platform solves this need by unlocking richer data to meet evolving travelers' experiences by giving our customers instant alerts across the entire flight lifecycle, from changes to flight numbers, departing and arrival times, carrier information and more."
"As the future of travel continues to evolve, the market requires quick and easy access to what's happening on the ground and in the air to plan, inform and drive better customer experiences and operational outcomes," he concluded.
(Source – Business Wire)
About OAG
OAG's data platform has driven aviation since 1929. Its travel data helps companies improve customer service and decision-making. Travel planning is better with its flight information network. Organizations can access data via the company's flexible platform. Its data helps companies increase income, expand operations, and improve client relations. It serves metasearch, IT startups, travel booking sites, international governments, global financial institutions, airlines, airports, and travel operators. UK-based OAG operates in the US, Singapore, Japan, China, and Lithuania.
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