RwandAir will become the first African airline to trial IATA Travel Pass to enable safe and seamless international travel. The airline will begin a three-week trial in April for customers travelling between Kigali and Nairobi in Kenya.

Developed as an initiative to restore traveller and government confidence towards the reopening of state borders, the IATA Travel Pass is an application that enables the ease of verification of a passenger’s compliance with COVID 19 testing and vaccine travel requirements through a secure digital platform.

The platform is designed to be incorporated into airlines’ own apps, so travellers can easily understand what they need before they fly.

While lauding the move, Yvonne Manzi Makolo, the Chief Executive for RwandAir, said that they are proud to be the first African airline to trial the IATA Travel Pass, an initiative that could reinforce the health and safety measures and protocols with the objective of restoring traveller confidence to fly once more.

“We are incredibly proud to be part of IATA’s Industry Advisory Panel, to ensure we guide the technology development in a way that covers the unique requirements of our passenger profile,” she said, adding that, IATA’s innovative solution simplifies and digitally transmits the information required by countries and governments around the world into our airline systems, in a secure and efficient manner.

“Travel Pass will make it easy for our customers to resume flying – and just as easy for RwandAir, and airlines around the world, to accept them,” she reiterated

Alexandre de Juniac, IATA Director General and CEO, said: “RwandAir is showing its industry leadership in Africa by becoming the first airline on the continent to trial IATA Travel Pass. RwandAir has long used IATA products as the most reliable source of information on entry requirements. This trial will build on that history of working in partnership and takes us a step further in the context of COVID-19. IATA Travel Pass will give governments the confidence to re-open their borders knowing that arriving passengers are in full compliance with any testing or vaccination requirements.”

The trial app has a range of features, including a registry of testing centres and labs at the departure and/or arrival location which can conduct COVID-19 tests in accordance with the type of test required for the journey.

RwandAir customers participating in the trial will create a ‘digital passport’ which verifies that their pre-travel COVID-19 test or vaccination meets the requirements of the destination they are travelling to.

They will also be able to safely and securely share their test and vaccination certificates with participating authorities and airlines around the world to ensure smooth and seamless travel.

The global travel retail platform, Travelport, on 24^th February 2021 launched a bold and distinct new visual identity, which has been created as part of the company’s first ever end-to-end rebrand.

Anyone who has considered making a trip and experienced having to put that trip on hold (or making a cancellation) can now see the possibility of rescheduling their plans. While the past year has been tough for the industry, hopes for return of travel have witnessed an upsurge in 2021. Which is why Travelport is ramping up a new brand that reflects its vision for the future and a symbol of its commitment to reinventing the future of travel.

This also saw Travelport launch their “Change is for the Brave” campaign, through which they promise to double down on their efforts to offer better travel experiences in the post pandemic world. While it’s understandable that people are wondering when travel will be possible again, Travelport is pointing out that the time is actually, upon us already!

However, in the light of certain changes to the travel experience, it is also understandable why experts have suggested that better travel experience is something that can be extremely helpful when navigating post-COVID-19 travel. There are bright spots on the horizon. We see a clear increase in bookings as growing consumer confidence releases pent-up demand for travel six or more months out.

“As we embark on our bold new journey, we are committed to improving the connection between buyers and sellers who share our passion for delivering exceptional travel experiences,” read a statement from Greg Webb, CEO for Travelport.

From advanced technology check-in options and suggested travel options to vaccine information, Travelport is considered to be at the forefront of modern post-COVID travel experience. 

“We have been investing in a ground-up rebuilding of our technology. In the coming months, we will introduce our next-generation platform designed to enable more content, better retailing and the best value in the marketplace, which we believe will have an immediate, positive impact on your business,” he added.

For those who have experienced the restrictions of a lockdown environment, any efforts towards changing how we travel in the future in a safe, reliable and convenient way, is a welcome news as travel begins its new resurgence. Travelport’s services will focus on the new-normal travel realities by leveraging technology to better travel experiences for the industry.

“We believe change is for the brave; and it is bravery – the courage to try new things, embrace creative solutions, and challenge convention – that will enable Travelport and its partners to overcome recent events, accelerate industry recovery, and build a better tomorrow,” said Webb.

We also said that they will not be satisfied by simply recovering from the last year instead, Travelport is building for a future in which together with its customers, they can exceed the expectations travellers had before they were interrupted.

The global restrictions imposed since March this year due to Covid-19 has brought international travel to a screeching halt. It has caused a 22% fall in international tourist arrivals during the first quarter of 2020 and could further decline by 60-80% over the whole year.

Travel will be back — inevitably. But the way we travel will undergo a dramatic transformation.

Although technology may have already changed how travelers plan, book, and embark on their journeys drastically over the past decade, at this juncture, data science and artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to play a major role in helping the industry resuming back to the new normal. Before the pandemic, AI and other forms of machine learning were just beginning to infiltrate the travel sector. Their biggest advantage is the ability to personalize experiences and streamline services based on customer data.

Singapore, for example, is hoping that AI — through local start-ups — can help the city-state’s tourism sector bring back visitors safely, as ongoing border restrictions and lower consumer appetite for international flights have changed travel as an industry.

So what could traveling look like in the wake of the pandemic?

Naturally, companies would explore solutions that allow travelers to maintain social distancing norms as much as possible.

Industry experts believe data science and AI technology will be a key tool in the revival of travel, with electronic passports and IDs, boarding passes, medical screening, and robot cleaners being deployed widely to limit physical contact between people and surfaces.

Source: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4101254.html

Today we talk to Candy Kasonkomona, Hahn Air’s Regional Vice President Agency Distribution for Southern, Eastern & Central West Africa. She shares with us the company’s innovative H1-Air and X1-Air products which provide travel agents around the world with greater choices of carriers to offer to their clients.

1. Please tell us more about the advantages of H1-Air and X1-Air

Travel agents can find additional carriers in their GDSs that would not be available without Hahn Air. More than 60 airlines are brought to all major GDSs under the H1 code. And almost 20 additional partners can be found in Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport under the X1 code. They can be issued on the reliable Hahn Air HR-169 tickets and all standard GDS processes apply. Of course, the free insolvency-protection Securtix is included, too.

• What kind of carriers do you offer under the H1 and X1 designators?

H1-Air and X1-Air support airlines of any size and business model. The portfolio includes small domestic airlines flying to safari destinations in Africa such as Safarilink, international low-cost airlines servicing major airports such as SpiceJet from India, domestic airlines such as Sky Express from Greece and regional network airlines flying international routes such as Air Tanzania.

Today, under the H1 and X1 designators travel agencies worldwide can find over 80 additional carriers in their GDSs.

• How can travel agents book H1-Air and X1-Air partners?

To book flights of our H1-Air and X1-Air partners, travel agents just have to follow the standard ticketing process of their GDS and can issue these airlines on Hahn Air’s insolvency-safe HR-169 tickets. It’s really easy – and best of all: it’s free. For further assistance, follow the steps in our learning video.

• What are more benefits of H1-Air and X1-Air?

Thanks to our large network of partners, travel agents can sell countless combinations of carriers, including those under the designators H1 and X1, on the HR-169 ticket.

Moreover, Hahn Air is the first ticketing provider to offer the complimentary insolvency protection Securtix^® that applies to each HR-169 ticket on which services of Hahn Air’s partners were issued. Securtix^® guarantees passengers a refund if a service is cancelled due to insolvency of the operating partner. Financial help is even available for stranded passengers and there is a special compensation for travel agents for handling a stranded passenger case.

Should travel agents have any ticketing enquiries they can depend on our Service Desk 24/7. The multilingual team can be reached at service@hahnair.com.

A video clip on Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ) has been doing the rounds. Ominously titled, ‘Fall of The Pride’, it has created a frisson of excitement in some and visceral fear in others. Tapping into the anger that is already palpable on account of a tanking economy, the creator of the clip has masterfully channeled it towards KQ as though the airline was a metonym for the entire country and all that is wrong with it.

Unfortunately, stoking emotions clouds the reasoning of many and precludes cogent discussion over the future of the airline. For instance, it cements systemic biases against industry outsiders in top management positions making them look like they do not belong. Yet evidence clearly shows that industry pundits do not always make the best managers. Titus Naikuni, in his early years at KQ, steered it to profitability. He was an outsider. On the other hand, Sebastian Mikosz, with vast experience in the aviation industry, sunk KQ into a deeper hole before his untimely and expensive departure. The Polish aviation consultants, so called “the turn-around experts” were not a good idea.

Then again, it is difficult to convince despondent Kenyans that, contrary to public sentiment, KQ procured its aircraft sans kickbacks to the politically correct people. No one wants to peruse the data in the public domain that reveals the special purpose vehicles (SPVs) used to purchase most of the airline fleet are in fact, owned by international financial institutions. It is easier to believe that these SPVs are run by shadowy politicians with the sole purpose of defrauding the airline. Nothing could be further from the truth!

It is standard practice in the aviation and maritime industries for fleet operators to take syndicated loans for large-scale purchases of equipment. Lenders then incorporate SPVs to reduce their risks as they would rather have an independent legal personality as a borrower, free from any financial distress that may be experienced by an airline company. The borrower (SPV) then enters into a finance lease with the airline until the loan is repaid thereafter which the title to the vessel is handed over to the airline.

Successive airlines like Turkish Airlines have used this option to increase their fleet. Through an SPV called Balthazar, owned by PNB Paribas, they recently bought five Airbus 321 NEO aircraft. KQ, in the 90s, purchased four Boeing 737-300 aircraft with the support of the Export Import Bank of America. The SPV then was Simba Finance Limited. The titles to these aircraft were transferred to KQ after the repayment of the loan. It follows therefore that there is nothing sinister about the acquisition of planes through SPVs like Samburu, Tsavo and Amboseli Limited. Ownership can be traced to international lenders of repute like JP Morgan, City Bank, Standard Chartered, Ned Bank, among others.

KQ has performed rather badly over the past few years due to errors of omission, commission and outright bad luck. Under the ambitious Project Mawingu, it expanded too fast and acquired a huge fleet without capacity. It also failed to anticipate aggression from Middle Eastern carriers. These rolled out a more superior product, taking a significant chunk of the African market that the airline had been reliant on. Among the factors beyond the control of KQ were the Douala crash, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the fire that burnt Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the airline’s hub, and the Westgate massacre.

At the moment, the airline is faced with an existential crisis and must make one of two decisions. One, is to nationalise the airline. This would entail the government buying back shares from others, giving it full control. It would then continue to subsidise the airline as its own asset with bigger objectives than profitability and dividends. The long view would be to use KQ as a strategic national asset, spurring exports like horticultural produce, driving up visitor numbers and facilitating the country as a conference destination. RwandaAir and Qatar Airlines have adopted this model.

The other decision is to wind up the airline. But while this would resolve the intractable demands of powerful unions and unyielding lessors, it would still cost the government Sh76 billion in repayment of debt secured by sovereign guarantees. Restarting afresh would present challenges of creating new routes, traffic, licences and co-bilateral service agreements. One hopes that a sense of proportionality will prevail, and the right decision made. KQ may be down for now but it is certainly not out.

-Khafafa is a public policy analyst Source: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/commentary/article/2001389111/kenya-airways-is-down-but-definitely-not-out

Lufthansa’s in-house flight academy has advised student pilots to consider other careers as the industry will not require them “for a very long time”.

The message was delivered in a 29 September webcast, Lufthansa Aviation Training has disclosed.

It tells Cirium: “All airlines worldwide will have no requirement for [new] pilots – with or without flight experiences – for a very long time.

“It is a matter of fairness for us to explain the industry outlook to our flight students very clearly so that they can think about alternatives at an early stage.”

LAT says that it advised students to “reorient themselves professionally”.

German pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit expects that Lufthansa will continue the training for only a “very small” percentage of students at the airline’s flight academy in Bremen, and complains that the others are being “pressurised” to make alternative career plans.

Students recruited to pursue a Lufthansa-specific multi-crew pilot licence – rather than a traditional, universal training programme toward an airline transport pilot licence – will be required to switch to “external” flight schools and accept a change to their programme, and will not be “entitled” to fly for Lufthansa later on, according to the union.

It says Lufthansa was able to select “the best” candidates for its own pilot-training programme based on the “radiance” of its brand and the job prospects within the group. Now, the union fears, student pilots completing their training outside LAT’s programme will have to undergo an assessment prior to potential future employment and carry the full financial burden of their training.

Lufthansa Group has hitherto pre-financed a majority of its pilot recruits’ training costs, which would be repaid over the course of several years in employment.

The union asserts that the prospect of candidates’ having to undergo recruitment assessment after training has never before existed at Lufthansa.

LAT says students affected by the cuts have a “fair offer to terminate the training contracts prematurely free of charge [and] are free to decide whether to accept the offer or receive further training”.

Operations at LAT’s flight schools are meanwhile on hold until “at least” year-end amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the company’s website indicates.

Bremen is one of several locations for LAT, an organisation the airline group established in 2016 to merge its training facilities in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the USA.

Established in 1956 – a year after Lufthansa’s post-war operations began – the Bremen flight academy is used to provide ground school training for group pilots before they transfer to the company’s US locations for part of their practical training.

The Bremen school has additionally trained transport pilots for the German air force since the 1960s, as well as other airlines’ staff.

Vereinigung Cockpit believes the school’s existence is under threat. In August, the union said that the German ministry of defence was considering termination of military training in Bremen and its potential transfer to LAT’s Rostock facility.

If income from military training were to be lost, “large” parts of school activities in Bremen would be in jeopardy, the union suggests.

Unlike the school in Bremen, the Rostock one is not covered by a collective labour agreement.

In 2018, LAT recruited 500 student pilots for the parent group, the training company’s website indicates. Full-time ab initio training takes around two years until a pilot is qualified to enter an airline cockpit.

Source: https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/no-new-pilots-needed-for-very-long-time-lufthansa-training-arm/140484.article

A scaled model of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ aircraft of the future just took flight for the first time in a milestone event for the Dutch flag carrier’s push for more efficient and environmentally responsible aircraft.

Engineers got their first look at what might one day by the new flagship of KLM’s fleet in late August when the futuristic-looking Flying-V demonstrator successfully took to the skies above Germany. The remote-controlled flight was the culmination of two-year’s work of engineers from KLM and the Delft University of Technology, also known as TU Delft.

The Flying-V differs from conventional aircraft as the fuselage and wings are merged to form one giant flying wing. New long-range aircraft from Airbus and Boeing focus on efficiency through the use of composites and fuel-efficient engines, but flying wing aircraft take efficiency to the next level with a radically new aerodynamically friendly fuselage design that enables longer ranges and better fuel performance.

Researchers say the design will reduce fuel consumption by 20% from today’s most advanced aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner, both of which are currently employed by Air France-KLM, parent company to the Dutch carrier and one of the largest airline groups in Europe.

KLM first announced its investment in designing the craft in conjunction with TU Delft in June 2019 at the International Air Transport Association’s annual general meeting in Seoul, South Korea.

A scaled model of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ Flying-V aircraft.

Airlines and aircraft manufacturers are looking beyond today’s conventional aircraft into the designs of the future with the flying wing design gaining traction. Industry trends call for smaller and more efficient aircraft in contrast to the golden age of aviation that demanded larger aircraft like the four-engine Boeing 747 that was once required for non-stop long-range travel .

KLM says the Flying-V would have the same wingspan as an Airbus A350 aircraft , which would allow it to utilize existing airport gates and taxiways, a problem Boeing engineers had to solve with the new folding wing-equipped 777X . And despite being able to carry roughly the same number of passengers, the Flying-V will be able to fly farther than the A350 with the same fuel load.

Passenger cabins would likely be split between the two legs of the V-shape fuselage design while turbofan engines powering the wing would rest on top of the fuselage instead of below the wing, a rare but proven design.

KLM and TU Delft engineers and researchers headed to an airbase in neighboring Germany for the first flight where the scaled model was manned by a drone pilot directing the aircraft via remote control.

“It’s been two years of intense stressful work to reach this moment,” Malcolm Brown, TU Delft’s chief engineer for the Flying-V testing program, said in a video of the event . “And then, to have it confirmed that it flies, all of that hard work, it was worth putting in all of the hours making sure everything’s correct and built properly, built accurately, and it pays off.”

Though not a full-size prototype, the scaled model proves that the aircraft is aerodynamically sound and can fly as designed. It’s now up to the two companies to build the full-size prototype that can hold passengers and people, an investment potentially calling for billions in research and development.

European aircraft manufacturing giant Airbus revealed its flying wing demonstrator in February at the Singapore Airshow 2020 , signaling its interest in the “blended wing” design type as a potential direction for its commercial aircraft lineup. Interior renderings show parallel passenger cabins that take advantage of the aircraft’s width to house additional passengers

The US military has its own flying wing, a stealth bomber known as the B-2 Spirit that’s been serving the Air Force since 1993, according to Military.com . Designed for speed, stealth, and range, the B-2 Spirit can fly up to 6,000 nautical miles, according to the US Air Force , without stopping thanks to its aerodynamically friendly design that commercial airlines hope to one day take advantage of, though flying passengers instead of munitions.

KLM hasn’t given a timeline as to when the Flying-V can be expected, but normal aircraft development can last around 10 years from the drawing board to certification.

Source: https://africa.businessinsider.com/transportation/a-prototype-of-klm-royal-dutch-airlines-futuristic-looking-flying-wing-aircraft-just/9xdw1vm

As the industry is building its way towards recovery, how can we address some of the negative impacts we have seen in recent years and rethink more sustainable ways to travel?

In 2018, the travel industry accounted for about 8% of the world’s carbon footprint, air traffic alone for 2%. The United Nations urged the travel sector to halve its combined carbon emissions by 2035. People’s footprint when traveling can also lead to a range of negative impacts, from over-crowded places to tension with local communities, who in general do not benefit as much from spending made locally. However, with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, travel has come to a near halt.

As the industry is building its way towards recovery, how can we address some of the negative impacts we have seen in recent years and rethink the way we travel to be more sustainable and responsible, thus having a positive environmental and social impact?

The new, sustainability-aware travelers

Travelers are increasingly concerned about the impact they could have even as traditional tourism and travel models are becoming increasingly unsustainable. To fully grasp this concept, travellers need to understand the A-Z of Sustainable tourism.

According to Booking.com’s 2018 Sustainable Traveler Report, travelers think they should act now to make sustainable travel choices. 68% would like the money they spend on holiday to go back to the local community, and 67% are willing to spend more to minimize the environmental impact of their travel. 

The same survey found that almost one third of travelers weren’t aware that hotel properties can use eco-labels, while a similar proportion think travel companies should offer more sustainable travel options. The lack of relevant, reliable and transparent information emerged as a key problem for these sustainability-aware travelers when they try to book vacations.

This year’s global pandemic has reinforced this mindset even more. A survey from Publicis Sapient performed in April 2020, found out that 58% of people are thinking even more about the environment and sustainability than before the crisis. 

However, it’s hard to make sure that traveler’s intentions match their actual behavior. An article from TNMT published in February 2020 relays that while 78% of air travelers said they would like to see sustainable options when booking flights, only 1% actually paid to offset the carbon impact of their trips. 

Amadeus is exploring ways to develop the sustainable travel landscape 

Over the past months, Amadeus has been interviewing environmental and social-conscious travelers to identify key pain points and needs. The first findings show that leisure travelers who have a high or medium sensitivity to environmental and social issues are influenced in their travel choices by issues such as pollution, conservation of biodiversity, landscapes and ecosystems as well as local purchasing.

In addition, thanks to an Amadeus survey run with participation from over 400 travelers from 4 different markets (UK, USA, France and Germany), Amadeus has evaluated the top criteria travelers want to see when booking travel products. The most important one is the willingness of the local population to welcome and host tourists. Indeed, if travelers feel welcome at their destination, they subsequently feel they have a positive impact on the local communities and ecosystems. Putting locals first seems to be the most common traveler definition of sustainable and responsible travel.

In this direction, Amadeus has interviewed some eco-friendly operators, who are specialized in sourcing travel products directly from locals, to define how to leverage this existing product catalog in our own ecosystem.

Another example of criteria that is being evaluated is flight carbon emissions. Guiding travelers to greener flights by giving them the option to compare emissions is one way to empower them to decrease their travel and tourism footprint. According to our first online test campaigns, it seems that travelers’ appetite for greener flights is real. Yet, further experiments need to be run before conclusions can be made. In parallel, some investigation is being done to see whether travel agents, airlines, hotels and other travel players would be interested in adding environmental and social impact features in their products.

There are already hundreds of sustainable and locally focused initiatives, startups and programs across the travel industry. In addition, some travel agents already offer tours that are eco-friendly and benefit local communities. By learning from them and working with like-minded partners and customers, Amadeus can leverage the knowledge across this sustainable travel ecosystem and complement it with recent findings.

Source: https://amadeus.com/en/insights/blog/how-can-we-make-travel-more-sustainable

By Gabrielle Sabatier;

Intrapreneur, Research Innovation and Ecosystem, Amadeus

With hygiene a top concern for consumers considering travel, Berlin-based travel technology company GIATA is now offering a self-assessment tool that hotels can use to evaluate their cleaning procedures against global standards. Those that meet the criteria can use a “staysafe” label in their descriptions on sales channels.

The app is a collaborative effort of GIATA, independent testing and certification provider Tuv Sud and digital hygiene management company Flowtify.

GIATA’s hotel clients can receive a custom self-assessment checklist based on their property’s hygiene-related services and facilities — such as whether they have a restaurant, a pool, etc.

Developed by Tuv Sud, the assessment includes relevant hotel industry hygiene criteria and requirements from the World Health Organization, the World Travel and Tourism Council and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Those that meet the criteria can display the “staysafe” label for 30 days, at which time the assessment must be redone. GIATA publishes the label through its 21,500 sales channels in 74 countries, including Kayak, Tripadvisor, TUI, Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport and more.

“When those making bookings see that hygiene is the top priority in this hotel, they will choose this accommodation rather than another hotel,” says Jana Friedel, business development for hotel products at GIATA.

“Hoteliers who regularly conduct and externally communicate these checks have a clear competitive edge.”

Source: https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/New-app-automates-hotel-hygiene-assessment-and-marketing