NEW EASYJET DESTINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR 2014

New easyJet sunshine destinations from Edinburgh announced for 2014

Scottish passengers will have even more choice for their summer holidays next year after easyJet
announced the return of flights from Edinburgh to Crete and Turkey from spring 2014.

Scotland’s biggest airline will be operating twice weekly services to Bodrum in Turkey from 31 March
and Heraklion in Crete from 01 April. It is the first time since 2009 that passengers have been able to
fly direct from Edinburgh Airport to Heraklion and the first direct service to Bodrum since 2011.

John Watson, Chief Commercial Officer at Edinburgh Airport, said: “We’re delighted to be offering
Scottish passengers even more choice for their 2014 summer getaways with the announcement of
these two routes.

“It has been a great year for Edinburgh Airport and easyJet so far, with the airline launching six new
European services from Edinburgh in March and the airport experiencing its busiest summer on
record. We’re pleased we can add these destinations to our growing route network.”

Tickets are on sale now and are available from easyjet.com/holidays.

MTB 26/10/2013

AIRLINES NAME EDINBURGH AIRPORT AS THEIR FAVOURITE

Edinburgh Airport continues to shine as its named Airport of the Year 2013

Edinburgh Airport is celebrating after being named ‘Airport of the Year’ (over six million passengers)
at the recent Airport Operators Association Awards in London.

The award, voted by airlines, is the fifth high profile award for the airport this year after it was
named ‘Scottish Airport of the Year’ in June and ‘Best European Airport (5-10m passengers)’ at the
ACI EUROPE Best Airport Awards.

The award was accepted by Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive, who attended the ceremony with Colin
Murray, Head of Airside, and Sarah Gardiner, Head of Terminal Operations.

Gordon said: “This award is a tremendous validation for Edinburgh Airport. The fact that it is voted
for by airlines shows that our strategy is working. They’re at the core of all that we do.”

David Wilson, Chief Operating Officer, said: “We’ve worked hard with our airlines to better serve
their needs and make sure our service is world class.

“We’re delighted that our airlines have voted us Airport of the Year. Edinburgh Airport is all about
working together as a team to provide great customer service. We will continue to work hard to
ensure we remain the airport of choice for the millions of people that travel through.”

This is the fifth major award for Edinburgh Airport this year. The airport was named ‘Best in Britain’,
and one of the top three in Europe, for passenger satisfaction at the Airport Service Quality (ASQ)
Awards and ‘Best European Airport (5-10m passengers)’ at the ACI EUROPE Best Airport Awards.

Edinburgh Airport has just announced several new routes for 2014, including the first direct service
to Chicago which will launch in May 2014. In addition, the £25m terminal expansion will begin in
mid-October which will offer passengers a new state-of-the-art new security facility and retail space.

MTB 26/10/2013

WELL KNOWN SCOTTISH TRAVEL FACE HEADS FOR ROYAL CARIBBEAN IN TOP ROLE

Royal Caribbean International has appointed Stuart Leven as managing director for the UK, the latest move in the company’s corporate restructure. Stuart's name and face will be familiar to many in the Scottish travel community, having  previously worked for KLM, IHG, Thistle and Guoman, and Choice Hotels Europe.

The move, which will also see Dominic Paul expand his role to vice president international, will mean Paul will add Latin America, Asia Pacific and the Caribbean to his regions as well as Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The new UK structure will see Royal appoint separate teams for Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises and Royal Caribbean.

Jo Rzymowska will lead the Celebrity team and an executive is still to be named for Azamara.

“We are evolving our business to be in the best possible position for future growth,” explained Dominic Paul. Our new structure in the UK and Ireland, and the industry-leading management teams now taking shape, means that we can confidently deliver against the individual growth strategies of Royal Caribbean International, Azamara Club Cruises and Celebrity Cruises. We hope to be able to announce the new leadership role for Azamara Club Cruises very soon.”

MTB 18/1/2013

VIRGIN TRAINS WINS BUSINESS TRAVELLER AWARD

It was all glamour and applause this week as readers of Business Traveller magazine voted Virgin Trains Best UK Domestic Rail Operator for the seventh year running.

The award was collected by Virgin Trains’ National Sales Manager Anna Doran, at a ceremony held on Tuesday 15 October 2013 at The Royal Garden Hotel in London. Virgin Trains beat a strong field of rail companies.

Anna said: ”At Virgin Trains we understand the vital role the business traveller plays in our ongoing success. We work hard to provide a service which meets their needs and exceeds their expectations. We are therefore delighted to be voted best rail operator by the readers of Business Traveller magazine.”

Virgin Trains passenger satisfaction soared to 92% and remains the highest of any long distance franchise operator.

MTB 18/10/2013

AIR CANADA ROUGE INCREASES EDINBURGH-TORONTO SERVICE FOR SUMMER 2014

Air Canada rouge, Air Canada’s leisure carrier subsidiary, has announced it will increase its summer non-stop service from Edinburgh Airport to its Toronto hub, Toronto Pearson International Airport, from three to five weekly flights, beginning July 2014.

The summer 2014 schedule is set to start on 17 May with three services per week, increasing to five per week from July 2014. Air Canada rouge Edinburgh-Toronto flight, AC1905, will depart Edinburgh at 10:15 a.m. and arrive in Toronto at 12:45 p.m. local time the same day. The return flight, AC1904, will depart Toronto at 8:40 p.m. and arrive in Edinburgh at 8:30 a.m. the next day (all times local).

Robert Atkinson, Air Canada’s General Manager – Sales UK, Ireland and Northern Europe, said: “Following the success of the Air Canada rouge service this year, we are pleased to announce an increase in our Edinburgh service for summer 2014. Travellers from Scotland will not only have direct access to our Toronto hub, they will also benefit from onward connections to destinations across North America, the Carribean and Latin America.”

The Edinburgh to Toronto service will be operated with Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, featuring a two-cabin configuration with three customer comfort options including rouge, rouge Plus with preferred seating and additional legroom, and Premium rouge offering both additional space and enhanced services. By the summer 2014 season, the Air Canada rouge widebody fleet will have grown to consist of eight Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. All flights offer customers streamed wireless inflight entertainment to their personal electronic devices, standard 110 volt power plugs and USB ports, stylish and modern cabin interiors with innovative new seats, and the ability to earn and redeem Aeroplan miles.

Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: “After a highly successful summer 2013 season, we’re delighted that Air Canada rouge will not only return to Edinburgh next year but will also increase its summer service to Toronto. Having met with colleagues from Air Canada rouge while at the recent World Routes conference in Las Vegas, we’re delighted to continue our collaboration on this hugely popular route. We are now looking forward to offering Scottish passengers even more services to Canada and beyond next summer.“

MTB 12/10/2013

SCOTTISH AIRPORTS REPORT HEALTHY PASSENGER INCREASES FOR SEPTEMBER

Scotland's three major airports have all reported passenger growth for the month of September 2013.

Glasgow Airport reported another month of growth after 765,000 passengers travelled through its doors in September, representing an increase of 3.8% compared to the same period last year. The continued increase in passenger numbers follows the news the airport had enjoyed its busiest summer in five years. Domestic and international traffic grew by 5.5% and 2.6% respectively during September and a number of airlines including Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, easyJet and KLM all reported an increase in demand.

Edinburgh Airport has enjoyed its busiest September ever with more than 950,000 passengers  travelling through – an increase of 9.0% on 2012. The airport has also reported its strongest quarter ever, with over three million passengers arriving and departing in July, August and September. A total of 958,944 passengers made their way through Edinburgh Airport in September. Domestic numbers were up 8.5% from 2012 with 429,738 passengers and international also saw an increase of  9.3% with 529,206 people travelling through the airport.

Meanwhile, nearly 322,000 people used Aberdeen International Airport in the month of September, according to figures just released. Passenger statistics for the month have been published, and show a growth of 6.3% on the previous year. Fixed-wing flights grew by 9.7%, reflecting steady growth as well as an influx of passengers for Offshore Europe 2013. Helicopter numbers showed a further reduction of 13.3%.

MTB 12/10/2013

Flybe PART-FLOWN ITINERARY CHANGES NOW LIVE ONLINE

Flybe has advised that functionality enabling customers to make itinerary changes on flybe.com when their booking is partially flown is now live. This enhancement applies to bookings originally made online at flybe.com. Previously it was only possible to make an itinerary change online when the booking was wholly unflown.

It is not possible to amend GDS bookings online - any booking made via a GDS must still have itinerary changes processed via a GDS.

To make an itinerary change online,  the booking should be retrieved as normal via the 'Manage my booking' option from the homepage.

Enter:
1. Flybe Booking reference
2. Booker's forename
3. Booker's surname

NOTE: it is important to enter the booker's name in order to enable the 'Change flight' functionality.

Part-flown itinerary changes will not be possible under the following circumstances:

a) Where the original flights are subject to minimum stay restrictions (this currently affects Loganair flights only).

b) Where the booking has previously been affected by a schedule change, itinerary changed via the Flybe Call Centre, disrupted or where the passenger is already checked-in.

c) It will not be possible to change the return flight's departure point.

d) It will not be possible to amend the return flight's destination point to a different currency area (e.g. changing return destination from Belfast to Dublin).

Where these circumstances apply changes will need to be made via the Call Centre by calling 0871 700 2000. Queries should be directed to e-mail sales.support@flybe.com

A copy of this announcement is also available at www.flybe.com/trade

MTB 05/10/2013

MORE SERVICE ENHANCEMENTS FROM RSSC

Regent Seven Seas Cruises ha announced a number of product and service enhancements.

RSSC is set to expand its all-inclusive product offering to include FREE Wi-Fi . Beginning with Winter 2014-2015 sailings, Concierge-level and higher guests will receive up to 500 minutes of FREE Wi-Fi. This enhancement is a natural evolution for the brand, which delivers 'the travel industry's most all-inclusive product that includes flights, pre-cruise hotel, ground transfers and unlimited shore excursions to premium spirits and fine wines, and gratuities.' Coupled with RSSC's hallmark personalized service and spacious all-suite accommodations, the line says it 'endeavours to provide clients with a luxury cruise experience like no other.' 

RSSC is making a multi-million dollar investment to enhance its fleet's onboard Internet offering - a fleet-wide Internet upgrade that will ensure that clients have 'an exceptional experience whenever or wherever they connect on board.'

This major upgrade, which will be completed by 2013 year-end, includes:

• Doubling the satellite bandwidth to provide considerable improvements in both the quality and speed of clients' online experience

• Expanding the Wi-Fi signal's range, making Wi-Fi available throughout the entirety of the ships including all suites, public rooms and outdoor decks

• Replacing all onboard hardware such as the modems, routers and bandwidth compression equipment with advanced technology

The company is also making a change to its Seven Seas Society loyalty program. Seven Seas Society members receive a host of exclusive and valuable rewards and benefits including FREE UNLIMITED Internet, FREE phone time, priority dining and shore excursion reservations, laundry service, FREE private transfers and more.

For clients who are currently SILVER, GOLD, PLATINUM or TITANIUM Level members, they will continue to receive FREE UNLIMITED Internet in any suite category with no activation fees as they always have.

However, the FREE UNLIMITED Internet benefit will no longer be offered at the SILVER Level for new members who reach that level AFTER September 30, 2014. RSSC is hopeful that by providing one full year of advance notice of this change, it will give BRONZE clients an opportunity to reach the SILVER Level (requires 21 nights) and be eligible for the current FREE UNLIMITED Internet benefit. Members who qualify for GOLD, PLATINUM and TITANIUM Levels after September 30, 2014 will continue to receive FREE UNLIMITED Internet benefits. 

The upgrade to the fleet's onboard Internet capabilities combined with the change in the loyalty program will significantly enhance the Internet experience for ALL of guests, particularly on longer cruises, says RSSC.

MTB 05/10/2013