Thursday, November 29, 2007

Qantas accused of bullying

QANTAS has been accused of bullying travel agents to back out of an $80 million class action that alleges the carrier - along with five other airlines - illegally shortchanged the ticket commissions paid to 1450 agents.

Law firm Slater & Gordon yesterday asked the Federal Court to stop Qantas from offering sweetened commercial deals to travel agents in return for withdrawing from the action.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Australia's Jetstar offers 5 cent domestic airfares

SYDNEY (Thomson Financial) - Low-cost Australian airline Jetstar said Wednesday it will offer flights for 5 Australian cents on some domestic routes as Singapore's Tiger Airways prepares to enter the Australian market.

Jetstar will offer 5,000 tickets for on seven domestic routes through its website for five hours from 7.00 pm (0800 GMT) Wednesday, spokesman Simon Westaway said.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Tourism hit by climate change fears

THE tourism industry wants to conquer the fears of Europeans that air travel - and therefore a flight to Australia - is a primary cause of global warming.

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources is commissioning a study into how Germans and Britons feel about climate change. The study will gauge their worries on the travel plans of two of the largest visitor groups to Australia.

A tender document describing the study notes concern that Britons have an "exaggerated understanding" of the greenhouse emissions contributed by aircraft.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Australia Ranks #1 Again for World's Top Country Brand

LONDON, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- With the kick-off of London's World Travel Market this week -- the premier global travel and tourism convention -- the big questions on the minds of tourism and hospitality professionals are: "What countries have the best reputations and which ones rank in the top 10 list of desired country brands when it comes to travel?" The answers might surprise you.

According to this year's Country Brand Index (CBI), Australia once again earned the coveted spot as the world's top country brand, with the United States ranking second and the United Kingdom ascending to third. Other countries making the top 10 included Japan, Canada, France and Greece. The CBI also identified Croatia, China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the top three "rising stars" -- those likely to become a major tourist destination in the next five years. Also making the list this year are Cuba, Iceland, and the Russian Federation.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Air deal boost for Australian destinations

Etihad Airways’ customers will gain greater access to destinations in Australia following the signing of a new air deal with Australian, Virgin Blue.

The agreement, which comes into effect immediately, will enable Etihad’s customers to travel seamlessly from Abu Dhabi to its flights to both Sydney and Brisbane and then connect on to 22 cities across Australia.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Ms Bostelman said the higher dollar would not change her long-held plan to visit Australia

TOURISTS visiting the south-west coast are feeling the pinch as the Australian dollar edges towards 96 US cents.

The Standard could find few American visitors at the Twelve Apostles yesterday but one couple confirmed the soaring Aussie dollar had affected their travel budget.

The dollar was at 92 US cents yesterday but was tipped to increase to 96 cents.

Outback Australia Travel