Aviation
Digital nomad downsides; AI counts SWISS passengers; Emojis influence Airbnb rentals
06/04/2023 by Ian Jarrett
The dark side of being a digital nomad. A study by Passport Photo Online has found – not surprisingly – that the life of a digital nomad isn’t all out lazy days around the pool and piña coladas at sunset. Seeking the views of 950 US digital nomads, Passport Photo Online discovered lonelin [...]
Top of the WiT 21: The meaning of travel tech, virtual reality vs travel, more ITB Berlin talk
24/03/2023 by WiT
Top Of The WiT is a grab of the trendiest news that happened this week in travel, tech and Asia - all condensed into a quick-and-easy nugget-sized podcast. In this episode, we continue our discussion of ITB Berlin with special guest Timothy O'Neil-Dunne (Principal, T2Impact). Tim goes over the me [...]
Google offering price guarantee and refunds on select flights
24/03/2023 by Mitra Sorrells
“Algorithms are confident that the price you find is the lowest available.” Google is offering a price guarantee on flights that gives consumers a refund if the airfare purchased drops before departure. The pilot program is available on select itineraries where the company says its “algor [...]
Australian domestic traffic at 88.8% pre-pandemic levels, APAC demand still strongest of all regions, reports IATA
22/03/2023 by WiT
Capacity in Asia-Pacific rose 167% and load factor surged to 83% It looks like the first month of the year fared very well for flight traffic around the world, as some countries inch closer to reaching pre-pandemic levels of traffic and tourism. This was backed by the International Air Transport As [...]
Top of the WiT 20: Thoughts on ITB Berlin 2023, discomfort zones, Bonza takes flight
17/03/2023 by WiT
Top Of The WiT is a grab of the trendiest news that happened this week in travel, tech and Asia - all condensed into a quick-and-easy nugget-sized podcast. In this episode, Siew Hoon and this week's guest, Tim Hughes, are back from ITB Berlin - jetlagged and buzzing with excitement about the retu [...]
Riyadh Air aims big; UAE’s high-speed rail; SITA’s air taxis; Klook takes top spot
17/03/2023 by Ian Jarrett
Riyadh Air revs up to ‘shape the future’ of global air travel Tony Douglas, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s new airline, Riyadh Air, has promised that “digital innovation and Saudi hospitality” will be key in establishing the carrier’s international credentials. The new airline, due to become [...]
Business travel leads the way in recovery in China
16/03/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Leisure travel wave should follow in early summer, projects McKinsey’s Saxon Other than VFR (visiting friends and relatives) and student travel, whose comeback was immediate, it is business travel that is leading the recovery in China, said Steve Saxon, who leads McKinsey’s Travel, Logistics & [...]
Chinese consumers booked 4.5x more flights in first 3 months of 2023, records Fliggy
14/03/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
Pre-sales of the company’s cruise tours along Nordic fjords and the Mediterranean each surpassed RMB1 million in a single day The resumption of ITB Berlin this year brought about a range of travel discussions from around the world, one of them being the reopening of China and the impact it might [...]
Despite high air fares, Sabre data indicates significant outbound travel rebound in China
13/03/2023 by WiT
WITH more than 166 million international trips booked by Chinese travelers in 2019, contributing over $245 billion to global tourism in the process, it is no wonder that the world has been watching, and waiting, for China to re-open its borders, after nearly three years of Covid-19 closure. Now t [...]
Behind Bonza’s app-only strategy and Flyadeal’s 100% digital approach at home
07/03/2023 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
From HK Express to Northern Pacific Airways, low-cost airlines plan their way forward THERE are some advantages to starting an airline after a pandemic and one of that is the ability to start with a blank slate, which is why Bonza, the new Australian domestic airline went fully mobile – which me [...]