News in Brief: June 16 2009

From JAL, SACO, Ryanair and Travelport GDS

JAL cuts frequencies

Japanese Airlines (JAL) is to cut frequencies on flights from Tokyo Narita Airport to Seoul, South Korea and Delhi and from Osaka to Seoul and Shanghai.

The carrier said it would also maintain the already reduced frequency on flights from Tokyo to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei.

Weekly flights from Tokyo to Incheon will be cut from July 1 from 28 to 21 and to Delhi by four to three.

Flights from Osaka to Seoul and to Shanghai will both by cut from 21 to 14 a week.

Cuts on the services from Tokyo to Beijing (19 to 14), to Shanghai (28 to 21), Hong Kong (seven to three) and Taipei (28 to21) were all introduced in March.  

All the cuts will be in force until October when they will be reviewed again.

www.jal.com

SACO bookings rise 33%

Bookings for serviced apartments run by SACO have risen by 33% in the last financial year.

The company said it took 8,900 reservations in 2007-2008 and this had now increased to 11,900 for 2008-2009.

 It said the number of nights booked in the UK where it has 18 properties, also rose by 23% from 105,000 in 2007-2008 to 128,500 in 2008-2009.

 Jo Redman, SACO's sales and marketing director, said: "The concept of serviced apartments is relatively new but more and more people are realising the benefits of staying in an apartment rather than a hotel, particularly in the current market.

"They are ideal for leisure and business travellers, particularly as people are looking at more cost effective ways of doing things."

www.sacoapartments.co.uk

UK must scrap "tourist tax" - Ryanair

Ryanair, Europe's biggest low cost carrier, said Britain UK must scrap in £10 "tourist tax" to stop a "further collapse in UK tourism and related jobs next winter."

The airline blamed the Air Passenger Duty (APDAir Passenger Duty (UK only): An excise duty charged on the carriage of passengers flying on an aircraft with an authorised take off weight of more than ten tonnes or more than twenty seats. Due when the aircraft first takes off on the passenger’s flight and is payable by the aircraft operator) for a drop of 4.5m passengers at seven UK airports run by BAA in the first five months of 2009.

These include Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

 It said that if this drop off rate continued, the UK would lose 10m passengers, 10,000 airport jobs and £2.5m in a full year.  

www.ryanair.com   www.baa.com 

Europcar teams up with Travelport on e-vouchers

Car rental company Europcar has signed y up to use Galileo's paperless booking facility.

The GDS's e-voucher system is available to its agents in the EMEAEurope, Middle East and Africa region.

 Galileo, owned by Travelport GDS, has already signed deals to make the system available to other car rental companies including Avis, Hertz and Sixt.

 The e-Vouchers, similar to airline e-tickets, replace the traditional forms needed for car hire and end the need for customers to provide proof of payment or deposit.

www.travelport.com   www.europcar.com