There’s plenty of big news in this week’s aviation wrap – almost as big as the breakfast burrito Travel Weekly’s editor scoffed down this morn.

Singapore Airlines partners with Tourism Western Australia, signs MOU with Malaysia Airlines

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Tourism Western Australia (TWA) yesterday signed a cooperative marketing agreement to jointly promote tourism to Western Australia.

Under the $5 million three-year agreement, SIA and TWA will jointly fund marketing campaigns to promote travel to Western Australia in 10 key international markets by way of SIA’s services to Perth.

SIA has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) to boost cooperative ties.

Under the terms of the MOU, the two airline groups will explore a wide-ranging strategic partnership to build on their existing codeshare agreement that covers flights between Singapore and Malaysia.

Enhanced ties could include a significant expansion of codeshare flights beyond Singapore-Malaysia routes, as well as enhancements on the frequent flyer programme front.

Other potential co-operation could involve cargo as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul services. All these are subject to obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals.

A formal agreement is intended to be finalised in the coming months and will also include SIA subsidiaries SilkAir and Scoot, as well as Firefly, the sister airline of MAB.

Melbourne Airport announces review of runway proposal

Melbourne Airport has announced its third runway will be subject to a period of further technical consultation with government, airlines and regulatory bodies following a detailed review of the proposed east-west alignment.

The consultation will extend through the second half of 2019.

LATAM Airlines commemorates Pride Month with ‘Tags are for baggage, not for people’ campaign

To highlight the end of Pride Month, LATAM Airlines performed an intervention on its baggage tags, changing them into a “declaration of principles” with the tagline: Tags are for the baggage, not for people.

This action invited passengers to #FlyWithoutPrejudices while finding multicoloured tags in their baggage in a move to promote respect for diversity.

LATAM Airlines Group’s #FlyWithoutPrejudices campaign was shown in America, Europe and Oceania and its aim is the commitment to diversity and mutual respect in all kinds of human relations.

Virgin Australia Magazine releases first issue with Hardie Grant Media

Virgin Australia Magazine has released its first issue for July, which will be available on Virgin Australia flights, marking a refreshed look and content strategy led by new publisher Hardie Grant Media.

The NT’s Kakadu is the cover story, followed by an interview with Darwin-born actress Miranda Tapsell, heralding the magazine’s focus on celebrating the very best of Australia – whether it be destinations or local guides.

The editorial team includes Editor-at-large Georgia Rickard, Editor Krysia Bonkowski and Art Director Dan Morley, who bring with them a wealth of experience within the travel and lifestyle industries.

Along with a fresh new look for the magazine, the revised direction also boasts environmental credibility with a fuel saving to the business delivered by the reduced number of pages.

Amadeus expands partnership with Etihad, announces travel application on Salesforce AppExchange

Amadeus and Etihad Airways have announced an extension of their longstanding partnership for distribution services across channels. The partnership falls under the renewed 10-year agreement facilitated by the Arab Air Carriers Association (AACO), announced in December 2017.

The agreement will enable the airline to drive profitability with more opportunities for revenue generation, higher passenger volumes, and enhanced efficiencies across channels, as well as meet the airline group’s long-term distribution objectives with unparalleled technological capabilities.

Amadeus will work alongside Etihad Airways to explore how the airline can further develop and maximise the potential of Amadeus’ global travel agency network, including enhanced merchandising and retailing capabilities.

Amadeus has also announced a new service optimiser application on Salesforce AppExchange, empowering airlines to connect with their customers, partners and employees in entirely new ways.

The application will integrate and extend the capabilities of both Salesforce and Amadeus platforms, enabling airlines to maximise their combined value by sharing insights and data in order to have one complete view of the traveller.

It will also give airlines a clear view of cross-channel customer interactions, allowing airlines to personalise the traveller experience end-to-end.

The AppExchange application will tackle the pain point of flight disruptions, enabling airlines to provide personalised recovery from delays and cancellations, empowering agents to evaluate passengers’ situations, allowing fast rebooking and a differentiated service.

Vietnam Airlines unlocks new perspectives into customer experience insights with Qualtrics

Qualtrics has announced Vietnam Airlines is using Qualtrics CustomerXM as part of the company’s efforts to create a more robust and tailored customer experience for its 22 million annual passengers.

With Qualtrics CustomerXM – a comprehensive experience management platform– Vietnam Airlines is able to capture and respond to customer feedback in real time.

The national carrier of Vietnam has also increased the volume of customer engagement captured and research scope.