Welcome to Omega World Travel s first edition of the Monthly Travel News

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1 Welcome to Omega World Travel s first edition of the Monthly Travel News Monthly Travel News April Key features this month are: Omega World Travel website Meetings, Groups and Events at Omega World Travel Emirates introduces fuel surcharge Air Passenger Duty (APD) rise confirmed for 2012 & 2013 New era for Heathrow Express Iberia flights are moving to London Heathrow Terminal 5 Lufthansa unveils fully-flat business class seats Virgin Atlantic implement credit card fees from 10 th April Flybe to establish Manchester network hub Olympic & Paralympic Games 2012 Hilton opens Doubletree London Victoria Virgin unveils new JFK Clubhouse Easyjet to charge for pre-allocated seats Check out our recently re-launched UK website, were you ll find important travel industry news and updates, along with exciting new developments, here at the wonderful world of Omega!

Meetings, Groups and Events Organising a meeting can be a difficult and strenuous task for those who are responsible for sourcing venues, negotiating rates and responding to changes in delegate

2 Meetings, Groups and Events Organising a meeting can be a difficult and strenuous task for those who are responsible for sourcing venues, negotiating rates and responding to changes in delegate requirements as well as making travel arrangements. It can be time consuming and may lead to high costs for companies arranging important meetings and conferences. With Omega s Meetings and Incentives team, your search is at an end. Here in our UK headquarters we have a dedicated Groups and Events department, which provides logistical and organisational arrangements for conferences, meetings, incentives, group travel and corporate hospitality in the UK or overseas. We would be very happy to quote on any requirements for event management and creative services including set production, multimedia, video production and web casting. events@omegaworld.co.uk Telephone: Deborah Garrett & Kay Islin Facsimile:

3 Emirates introduces fuel surcharge Emirates is introducing a fuel surcharge for all tickets due to the recent increase in oil prices. The move means that the Dubai-based carrier will add an extra charge of 40 per return economy ticket and 178 for first and business class passengers travelling from the UK to Dubai. An Emirates spokesman said: Due to the current volatility of oil prices, Emirates is introducing a fuel surcharge, for all tickets issued on or after March 1, 2012, to reflect the substantial recent increases in our fuel costs. Emirates added that the introduction of the surcharge would give it the ability to decrease prices quickly, where appropriate. The airline said the surcharge would be reviewed on an ongoing basis. Air Passenger Duty (APD) rise to go ahead as planned Chancellor George Osborne has refused to bow to pressure from the travel industry to scrap next month s increase in Air Passenger Duty and there will be a further rise in Airlines, airports and business travel agents have united in calling for the 8% rise in APD from 1 st April to be scrapped. APD was not addressed during the Chancellor s budget speech, but the Treasury has confirmed the 8% rise will go ahead and there will be a further "inflationary" rise in APD from April 2013.

New era for Heathrow Express Prior to the introduction of revitalised trains in April, Heathrow Express has unveiled the result of a 16m investment well in advance of the London Olympics where it

4 New era for Heathrow Express Prior to the introduction of revitalised trains in April, Heathrow Express has unveiled the result of a 16m investment well in advance of the London Olympics where it will play a vital role in transporting competitors, the Olympic family, and visitors to and from central London. Now in its 15th year it has carried 60m passengers since its launch. Stepping into a 'New Era' which will see a new brand, corporate colours, staff uniforms and a refurbished higher specification rolling stock. The project, which has taken three years from commission to roll out, was borne from extensive customer focus group and staff research. Heathrow Express was launched in 1998 and carries an average of 16,000 passengers a day, between Heathrow and Paddington. It is the fastest rail link from central London to the airport, taking just 15 minutes to and from Heathrow Terminals 1 & 3, 25 minutes to Terminal 4 and 21 minutes to Terminal 5. The new train launch is due 26 April. Iberia flights are moving to London Heathrow Terminal 5 From the 25 th March, all Iberia operated flights at London Heathrow moved to Terminal 5 from Terminal 3, thus allowing Iberia customers to enjoy the extensive facilities and quicker, easier connections from to and from most British Airways flights. Flights from Terminal 5 will now have BA flight numbers but will continue to be operated by Iberia, with Iberia s Business and Economy products on board. All check-in and handling will be carried out by British Airways and customers should check in with British Airways at Terminal 5. Iberia flights from Madrid will be unaffected by the changes.

Lufthansa unveils new fully-flat business class seat Lufthansa has unveiled its new fully-flat business class seat, which will debut on the carrier s B747-800 aircraft. The seat features a 1.

5 Lufthansa unveils new fully-flat business class seat Lufthansa has unveiled its new fully-flat business class seat, which will debut on the carrier s B aircraft. The seat features a 1.98-metre bed, and depending on the aircraft onto which it is fitted it can be configured in either V (where two neighbouring seats are angled towards one another along a central axis so that at head and shoulder level the seats are further apart than in the foot area), or H (where, seats are positioned parallel to one another but angled slightly towards the outer cabin wall). Lufthansa said that the "V" configuration, which will feature on its B aircraft, "enabled Lufthansa to fulfil one of the main wishes expressed by customers to sit or lie facing the direction of travel and also allowed the carrier to virtually double the distance between the two neighbouring seats at shoulder level Features include a 15-inch TV screen (up from the current 10.4 inches), with the IFE available to passengers immediately after boarding, additional storage compartments, and ergonomically optimised, continuous seat-adjustment mechanism when converting the seat into a bed and when making individual adjustments to the seat position. Lufthansa says it has invested 3 billion in overhauling its inflight products, with a total of 1,349 passengers and crew evaluating the new business class seat during test flights between Frankfurt and New York back in 2010.

6 Virgin Atlantic implements credit card fees from 10 th April From 10 Virgin Atlantic will be introducing a GBP4.50 fee for any Economy class booking issued where the form of payment is a credit or charge card. This fee applies when a ticket is issued with a credit card using the Virgin Atlantic merchant ID. Travel wholly in the Premium Economy and Upper Class cabins will not attract the charge. The card fee will not be shown in the total ticket value, and instead will appear on the itinerary receipt of the e-ticket as an OB fee. This is IATA and GDS standard. Debit card payments are exempt. The charge applies to prime ticket issue only and not to any subsequent reissue or revalidation. The payment fee is non-refundable Flybe to establish Manchester network hub The regional carrier is to set up a hub at Manchester airport, allowing the creation of 86 new point-to-point connections through the airport, including Norwich to Aberdeen and Exeter to Inverness. The airline says it has worked with Manchester to reduce connecting times on services to as little as 35 minutes. Flybe will provide the new services in conjunction with franchise partner Loganair, which operates flights from Norwich. New connections include Aberdeen to the Isle of Man and Norwich, Belfast to Norwich, Exeter to Inverness, the Isle of Man and Norwich, Inverness to the Isle of Man and Norwich, and the Isle of Man to Norwich.

2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games Olympic Games 27 Jul 12 Aug 2012 Paralympic Games 29 Aug 9 Sep 2012 Here we are, stepping into Spring, with the anticipation and excitement of what the Summer has to

It goes without saying that airports, roads and public transport are going to be much busier than usual, both ahead of and during the games.

7 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games Olympic Games 27 Jul 12 Aug 2012 Paralympic Games 29 Aug 9 Sep 2012 Here we are, stepping into Spring, with the anticipation and excitement of what the Summer has to hold with two major events the Queen s Jubilee celebrations and of course, the Olympic Games. All jolly good fun, but have you considered your business travel needs ahead of the festivities? It goes without saying that airports, roads and public transport are going to be much busier than usual, both ahead of and during the games. Travel industry news towards the end of last year warned that hotel rates were tripling, with more rises expected, however we are aware from careful monitoring, that rooms are still out there and not all at such alarming costs. It s not too late to book travel during the games, however we would recommend that you don t delay. Please contact your dedicated travel team to make reservations. Hilton opens Doubletree London Victoria Hilton Worldwide has opened its fifth Doubletree hotel in London, with the rebranding of the 225-room former Hesperia London Victoria. The Doubletree by Hilton London Victoria is situated on Bridge Place, opposite one of the side entrances to London Victoria train station, with overground services to the south of England, and underground connections via the Victoria, District and Circle lines. The hotel offers eight meeting rooms, a business centre, newly-designed restaurant, and a lounge and bar with free WiFi.

Virgin unveils new JFK Clubhouse Virgin has officially opened its new airside Clubhouse at Pier A within New York JFK's Terminal 4, replacing its previous landside offering.

enclosed by a curving wall of stainless steel rods and walnut fins, and a red ball sofa in the entertainment zone.

8 Virgin unveils new JFK Clubhouse Virgin has officially opened its new airside Clubhouse at Pier A within New York JFK's Terminal 4, replacing its previous landside offering. The 930sqm facility features an Understatedly Uptown, Unmistakably New York theme, with cascading, shimmering golden ceilings of lighting, and soft, decadent textures, a cloud-shaped cocktail bar enclosed by a curving wall of stainless steel rods and walnut fins, and a red ball sofa in the entertainment zone. Facilities include; informal dining in the lounge; a la carte brasserie; internet bar and spa. Virgin is also due to unveil an enhanced Upper Class seat this spring, which will debut on the carrier s London-New York route. The carrier has also launched a new Upper Class meal service, with new features including champagne coupe glasses, Graze menus and cake stands. EasyJet to charge for pre-allocated seats EasyJet will start charging passengers for the privilege of reserving specific seats for the first time, but the airline insists the move is to take the stress out of boarding rather than to raise more money. The airline will charge 8 to reserve seats in rows two to eight, 12 for seats with extra legroom and 3 for all the others. The carrier will trial pre-allocated seating on several routes next month.

The way we run our business The marketplace

The way we run our business The marketplace 42 / British Airways 2008/09 Annual Report and Accounts The marketplace Later this year we will introduce a new First cabin and the new aircraft we have on order will allow us to introduce further innovations