ANA Announces New Star Wars™ Themed C-3PO™ ANA JET

Japan’s ANA airline announced that it will reveal a new Star Wars themed aircraft, adding to its fleet of three existing planes that have Star Wars characters as livery.

ANA will introduce the C-3PO™ ANA JET with the iconic C-3PO on its Boeing 777-200, as part of the previously announced STAR WARS™ Project, a five-year agreement with The Walt Disney Company (Japan) Ltd. The C-3PO design was unveiled to Star Wars fans at the Star Wars Celebration Europe event in London, and the aircraft plans to start flying on domestic routes in Japan from the end of March 2017.

ANA launched the Star Wars Project in April 2015 after signing a five-year contract for the Star Wars brand with The Walt Disney Company (Japan) Ltd. The partnership also means ANA is the first and only airline in the world to fly the special livery aircraft featuring Star Wars characters on the exterior of the actual aircraft.

Discover a Hidden Gem in The Philippines

Cebu Pacific s hosting a seat sale to provide Australian travellers with access to several island destinations within the Philippines. With one-way AUD$269 all-in fares available until 28 July 2016 (or while seats last), these sale fares are the perfect opportunity for sun-seeking, or adventure-loving travellers to escape the cold and explore the Philippines.

These low fares come as part of Cebu Pacific’s special seat sale, and are for flights between Sydney and some of the Philippines’ most sought after destinations including: Davao, Boracay, Cebu and Iloilo, via Manila.

The travel period for these fares is from 1 August to 30 November, 2016, or while seats last. These fares are inclusive of country taxes and fees, but are exclusive of travel products such as meals or baggage allowance.

Sabre partners with LATAM Airlines Group to streamline operations

Sabre Corporation has expanded its long-term technology agreement with LATAM Airlines Group, the leading airline group in Latin America, with the implementation of Sabre´s Flight Plan Manager and broadening the adoption of Software-as-a-Service solutions from the Sabre AirCentre operational suite.

Sabre´s AirCentre Flight Plan Manager, which provides fully-automated flight planning capabilities and significant productivity savings, will help the group unify flight operations and fuel policies across its domestic operations in seven countries – in Chile, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay – as well as its international network.

Star Alliance takes best alliance title at Skytrax world airline awards

Star Alliance, the way the Earth connects, has claimed the Best Airline Alliance title at the Skytrax World Airline Awards. The Alliance also received the Best Airline Alliance Lounge Award for its prestigious Los Angeles Lounge for the second year in row.

Receiving the award, Mark Schwab, CEO Star Alliance said: “I am accepting this award on behalf of more than 430,000 employees who deliver our customer promise to more than 640 million passengers each year. Regaining this accolade shows that investing into technology which facilitates the delivery of our Alliance customer benefits is paying off and that travellers are noticing a difference. Following the recent decision of our Chief Executive Board, we will invest further in modern systems and so continuously improve the Alliance travel experience.”

Emirates introduces the world’s first amenity kit in Economy class

Emirates has launched the world’s first interactive amenity kit in Economy Class providing a more comfortable travel experience. The stylish new amenity kits utilise augmented reality (AR) technology to unlock immersive content on mobile devices.

The kit bags come in six designs inspired by six regions in Emirates’ global network – Australasia, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Far East. The designs incorporate the colours and patterns of each of these regions and the Middle East design, in particular, features Arabic calligraphy by UAE-based artist, Tagelsir Hassan.

The kits include all the necessities for additional comfort on long-haul flights including an eye mask, earplugs, toothbrush and toothpaste, and socks – each tailored to the style of the kit bag. The multipurpose pouches are made of Neoprene material – a water resistant fabric – and is designed to be reused after the flight to store anything from devices to cosmetics or stationery.