HOLIDAY EXTRAS ENTERTAINS AGENTS AT THE BRITS

The Partnerships Team from Holiday Extras recently treated their Airparks Grand Slam winners to a night full of celebrity and success at The BRIT Awards 2013in the O2 in London.

Stars waved from their seats as the event got under way, and even Simon Cowell got in on the action... One Direction, Olly Murs, Paloma Faith, Rita Ora, JLS, Little Mix and Rizzle kicks were some of the stars to be seen from the front row seats.

The group were captured by the visuals on stage as Muse performed a philharmonic set with nearly a full orchestra; Robbie was a showman in his own right - completely owning the stage, and Emeli Sande was, according to the group,  "simply stunning" as she finished the show, walking away with two Damien Hirst designed awards..

The winners were overwhelmed with how slick the whole evening was - from the dining experience to the after show party where there was themed fun ahead including tarot card readers, freak shows, dodgems, an actual size merry-go-round, and a live DJ with a private set by Jocelyn Brown. Dancing was on a specially commissioned dance floor by Damien Hirst with his famous dots, the "Recovery Sweet" indulged guests with chocolate fountains, jelly beans, candy floss and a quick game of human size Operation!

MTB 24/02/2013

AIR MALTA ANNOUNCES FLIGHTS FROM GLASGOW

Air Malta announces charter flights from Glasgow Airport ...

Air Malta will operate weekly charter flights from Glasgow Airport to the Mediterranean island nation this summer.

To meet demand, the Maltese flag carrier will serve the country’s only airport – which is situated near the capital Valletta – every Tuesday between May and October.

The flights provide Scottish holidaymakers with the opportunity to sample one of Europe’s warmest climates.

Malta is also a popular tourist destination with numerous resorts, activities and historical sites, including nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of these is the Megalithic Temples which are some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world.

Philip Saunders, Air Malta’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Our strategy is to become the market leader for flights to Malta and our summer charter operation from Glasgow Airport allows us to cater for Scottish holidaymakers during the busiest months.”

Francois Bourienne, Glasgow Airport’s Commercial Director, said: “The arrival of Malta’s flag carrier at Glasgow Airport this summer is yet another welcome boost as we look to add new routes and capacity to meet demand from Scottish holidaymakers.”

Air Malta offers a 20kg checked-in baggage allowance and a 10kg hand baggage allowance for each passenger.

The Glasgow flights are on sale now and available to book at www.airmalta.com.

MTB 24/02/2013

RSSC SUMMER-AUTUMN 2014 CRUISES ON SALE

RSSC's (Regent Seven Seas Cruises) 2014 Summer & Autumn sailings are NOW open to book.

All new itineraries from April to November 2014 together with fares, are published online - with new ports of call and RSSC's 'ALL included' promise.

The cruise line is publishing a new-style 2014 Cruise Atlas, including all sailings from January through to November 2014 and will be printed early March.
 
'ALL included' features :

FREE RETURN FLIGHTS
FREE UNLIMITED EXCURSIONS
FREE 1 NIGHT PRE-CRUISE STAY*
ALL INCLUSIVE ON BOARD including 24 HOUR ROOM SERVICE

PRIVATE BUTLER SERVICE**

* FREE pre-cruise hotel stay applies for Concierge suites and above on new 2014 Summer & Autumn cruises.

** Private Butler Service in Penthouse suites and above.

Further terms and conditions apply - please see www.rssc.com

MTB 16/02/2013
 
 

THOMAS COOK CHANGES VIEWDATA PROCESSES

Thomas Cook has issued the following update on Viewdata processes :

"You may remember we contacted you in October advising of some planned changes to the way that our products are booked through Viewdata.

Up until now any agent booking Thomas Cook products using viewdata would connect to us through Virgin Media.  This access may have been provided to you by another travel technology company and you may not have been aware that this was the case.  (You may know this as Istel or Fastrack).

In future, our bookings will be made across the Vertical Systems network and the Virgin route will no longer be available. The changes required for this are happening throughout February.

If you book using technology provided by one of the companies listed below, the changes should all be done for you and there is nothing to worry about.  If not, please ensure you contact Vertical Systems as soon as possible and they will assist you in making arrangements so that you can continue to book the Thomas Cook product.

You can contact Vertical Systems either by email at sales@verticalsystems.co.uk or by phone on 0800 983 0000 and Matt or Katie will be happy to assist.

We are asking the below technology companies to route their viewdata traffic through the Vertical network to Thomas Cook:

Intuitive
Comtec
Equinus
i-data
Dolphin Dynamics
Travel Affinity
Source-IT
Codegen
Multicom
Traveltek
Micros

Please check with your technology provider to make sure that they are routing their viewdata through the Vertical network.  If you have any problems or if you have no technology supplier, Vertical will be able to provide you with a simple internet based access to viewdata that you can use for free.

If you have any issues that you would like to discuss or any questions please do not hesitate in contacting myself or the team at Vertical Systems.

In the vast majority of cases this should make no difference to you and these changes should be seamless.  However we would like to ensure that nobody gets missed so thank you for taking the time to read this communication. More communications will follow over the coming the weeks as changes are made.

For more information, contact Emma Ward, Thomas Cook IT Project Co-ordinator at
emma.ward@thomascook.com

MTB 15/02/2013

NEW DFDS SEAWAYS OFFERS - AMSTERDAM

Mini & City Cruise Special Offers to Amsterdam from Newcastle

Selected Dates: January – March 2013

Book by 28th February’13!!

DFDS Seaways invite agents to browse their selection of top deals to "start planning your perfect ferry trip today."

2 for 1 Mini Cruise Break to Amsterdam
2 for 1: Price based on 2 sharing from £79 for two people
2 night mini cruise to Amsterdam based on an inside cabin.
Available on selected departures January – March 2013

Save 25% on Valentine’s Mini Cruise to Amsterdam from Newcastle
Price based on 2 sharing from £99 per person
2 night Valentine’s mini cruise to Amsterdam, 13th, 14th & 15th February, book by 10th February 2013 to avoid disappointment!

2 for 1 St. Patrick’s Day Mini Cruise to Amsterdam
Price based on 2 sharing from £99 for two people – 15th March 2013
St. Patrick's day mini cruise to Amsterdam - book by 28th February 2013 for this deal

2 for 1 Mini Cruise to Haarlem from Newcastle
Price based on 2 sharing from £99 for two – selected dates February – March 2013
2 night mini cruise to Haarlem from Newcastle.
30% Off 2 Night Mini Cruise to Holland Flower Festival
Price based on 2 sharing from £79 per person

3 Night City Cruise Break to Amsterdam
30% off: Price based on 2 sharing from £69 per person
3+ night hotel break for a double room in the Poet hotel to Amsterdam. Selected departures January – March 2013

Book at www.dfds.co.uk/agent
User Name: ABTA Number
Password: only known by the branch or ring us on 0871 522 9977

REMEMBER TO ALSO ENTER YOUR BOOKING NUMBER INTO OUR “RIHANNA” INCENTIVE TO SEE HER AT THE FABULOUS STADIUM OF LIGHT IN NEWCASTLE ON THE 7TH JUNE – ALL DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING URL ON OUR AGENT WEBSITE – GOOD LUCK!
http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/PublishingImages/rihanna-claim-form1.pdf

Disclaimer: Prices are subject to availability. Credit card & telephone booking fees apply. Terms & Conditions apply. Offers can be withdrawn at any time.

MTB 10/02/2013

NCL ANNOUNCE NEXT WEBINAR

The next in NCL's series of Agent Webinars will take place on Wednesday, February 27 from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST.

The invitation is to "join Norwegian Cruise Line's Executive Vice President, Global Sales & Passenger Services, Andy Stuart and Senior Vice President, Sales, America, Camille Olivere for our next webinar - dedicated to family cruising with Norwegian. We encourage you to complete our NCL U Family Elective prior to the webinar.

While on the webinar, you'll have two chances to win a cruise for 2 on Norwegian Breakaway's inaugural sailing on May 10!"

MTB 10/02/2013

NEW FLIGHTS TO POLAND FROM GLASGOW

Wizz Air has announced the move of its two Scottish routes to Gdańsk and Warsaw to Glasgow Airport from 1st March 2013. The carrier, which began operating its low-fare services between Scotland and Poland in 2006, will now offer twice-weekly flights to the Polish capital and the Baltic Sea city of Gdańsk. Glasgow Airport are thrilled to welcome Wizz Air on board and to add Poland to the long list of destinations from Glasgow Airport.

                   Season  Days  Departs GLA  Fares from
 
WARSAW  March   Mon & Fri  21:10hrs  £23.99*
                    April+   Tue & Sat  13:30 hrs  £23.99*

GDAŃSK   March  Thu & Sun  20:35hrs  £23.99*
                    April+  Mon & Fri  20:45hrs  £23.99*

* One way price including taxes and maximum booking fee

MTB 02/02/2013

FLYBE TO FLY YEAR ROUND - GLASGOW >< SHANNON

Leading regional airline expands route network with choice of three flights a week to Irish airport

Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, has today announced its latest brand new route from Glasgow Airport that will offer a thrice weekly service on Wednesday, Friday and Sundays to Shannon, Ireland from May 1st . Seats are available for booking now at www.flybe.com from £36.99 (€46) one way including taxes and charges.

GDS Neutral Availability Display dates –

Galileo -         Tuesday 5th February 2013

Amadeus -       Saturday 2nd February 2013

Worldspan -     Tuesday 5th February 2013

Sabre - Wednesday 3rd February 2013

The brand new year round service is expected to be particularly popular with leisure travellers wishing to visit Ireland this year to take part in the country’s ‘Year of Welcome’, The Gathering. Shannon has long-standing cultural affinities with Glasgow and the business sector is also expected to welcome this important link from Scotland to the Irish city, home to a large cluster of North American investment and to the subsidiary offices of many global market leaders.

FLIGHT SCHEDULE
Glasgow (GLA) to Shannon (SNN) from 1st May 2013
Wednesday/Friday
Dep GLA 1050   arr SNN 1215            Dep SNN 1240 arr GLA 1405
Sun
Dep GLA 1455   arr SNN 1620             Dep SNN 1645 arr GLA 1810

MTB 02/02/2013