On Tuesdays, we get excited about two things: the Airline Wrap, and the taco Tuesdays special at our local. And one of them we get to share with you! We’ll never share our tacos, sorry.

Qatar executive unveils its first state-of-the-art Gulfstream G500 Jet on the opening day of Farnborough International Airshow

Qatar Executive, the private jet charter division of Qatar Airways Group, proudly unveiled its brand-new executive jet, the Gulfstream G500, on the opening day of Farnborough International Airshow.

The G500 jet will be one of the fastest and most technologically advanced aircraft in the Qatar Executive fleet when it enters service later this year. The G500 cabin will also set new industry benchmarks as one of the quietest in the industry, as well as having the best cabin altitude pressure, allowing for unparalleled passenger comfort.

The all-new G500 aircraft will officially join Qatar Executive’s fleet by the end of this year, and will mark the beginning of an agreement that was initiated in October 2014, between Qatar Airways and Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.

Emirates receives IATA 753 compliance certification for baggage operations in its Dubai hub

Emirates has been awarded IATA 753 compliance certification for its baggage operation in its home base of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The certification underlines the carrier’s capabilities to diligently track bags that flow through its Dubai hub for departing, arriving and connecting customers.

IATA Resolution 753 requires airlines to track bags at four specific points in the baggage journey to ensure that at any time the status of each bag is known, facilitating a more pro-active customer approach to managing baggage challenges.

To achieve certification Emirates developed an integrated Baggage Management System (BMS) in-house called Wasla to provide full control of its worldwide baggage operations. Wasla receives baggage scanning information from across the airline’s network and provides Emirates’ airport teams with information on the status of each bag on board.

Air Tahiti Nui adds helicopters to its Air Fleet

Air Tahiti Nui has added a fleet of four helicopters to its air operations in Tahiti to fill a void for private transfers, high end experiences and scenic flights.

A joint venture between Air Tahiti Nui and HBG – the French-Swiss leader in helicopter air transport – Tahiti Nui Helicopters was formed after the only Polynesian company offering a civil helicopter service closed last year, paving the way for a new operator to take to the skies in Tahiti’s Society Islands. With the arrival of the final two choppers this month, the operation is now in full swing.

Tahiti Nui Helicopters offers the choice of three panoramic flights from Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, ranging from 10 minutes to 45 minutes, and including an aerial journey into the volcanic heart of Tahiti, a breathtaking flight over the luminescent lagoons fringing Moorea and spectacular sightseeing above Bora Bora’s blue lagoon, with one trip also hovering over the heart-shaped island of Tupai.

The new helicopter service also packages up private inter-island transfers or something more bespoke such as a lift to the golf course, a spot of heli-skydiving or a leg up to get a bird’s-eye view of the sunset with a champagne in hand.

Garuda Indonesia awarded “World’s Best Cabin Crew” for fifth consecutive year

Indonesia’s national flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia was yesterday awarded World’s Best Cabin Crew for the fifth consecutive year by Skytrax, an independent London-based flight service rating agency. The award has been retained by Garuda Indonesia since 2014 making it the first global airline to hold this recognition continuously while maintaining it’s ranking for 2018 in the top 10 World’s Best Airlines list.

The World’s Best Cabin Crew 2018 award was presented by CEO of Skytrax Edward Plaisted to CEO and President of Garuda Indonesia, Pahala N. Mansury at Langham Hotel, London, on Tuesday (17/6) coinciding with the biggest event airshow in the world; Farnborough Airshow 2018.

The recognition of Garuda Indonesia as World’s Best Cabin Crew 2018 is based on the assessment through a Customer Satisfaction Survey conducted by Skytrax globally involving more than 18 million passengers. The annual survey is conducted on more than 245 international airlines and measures 41 major aspects related to products and services provided by airlines.

Etihad Airways innovates upgrade programme to a dynamic live auction

Etihad Airways has enhanced its upgrade offering to a dynamic live auction which will make it easier for customers to secure a premium seat in a higher cabin class.

Customers will be able to take part in a bidding system where real-time notifications of their bid will be displayed on their screen, allowing two or more individual bids at the same time. Regular email and SMS updates will also be sent to notify them if they have been outbid.

Customers will receive an email invitation to bid for a one-cabin upgrade seven days prior to their flight or they can visit etihad.com to join directly. The auction will take place from 24 to six hours before their flight’s departure. Once the auction closes, the successful winner will be notified immediately.

Bidding guests are encouraged to still check-in online up to 48 hours prior to departure as the optimised system will still process their upgrade. If an upgrade offer is accepted, a new boarding pass will automatically be available on the Etihad Airways Mobile App or one will be provided at check-in.

Qatar Airways steals the limelight on the opening day of Farnborough International Airshow 2018

Qatar Airways was the centre of attention on the first day of the Farnborough InternationalAirshow 2018, displaying six of its most advanced aircraft, including the Airbus A350-1000 and the Boeing 777-300ER, both of which feature the airline’s award-winning Business Class seat, Qsuite. The airline also displayed for the first time its Boeing 747-8 Cargo Freighter, as well as Air Italy’s second Boeing 737 MAX 8 in striking new livery, Qatar Executive’s Gulfstream G500 jet and the JetSuiteX Embraer 135 jet.

Day one of the airshow kicked off with the award-winning airline committing to purchase five new CAE 7000XR Series full-flight simulators and two CAE 500XR Series flight training devices for the Boeing 777X and the 737 MAX from the global leader in training CAE. The contract signing ceremony between H.E. Mr. Al Baker and Mr. Nick Leontidis, CAE Group President, Civil Aviation Training Solutions, is a testament to the airline’s commitment to innovation and safety.

On the same day, a purchase agreement signing ceremony between Boeing and Qatar Airways, finalising the airline’s order for five 777 Freighters, also took place. The deal, valued at $1.7 billion at current list prices, was announced as a commitment in April. H.E. Mr. Al Baker and Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Kevin McAllister signed the agreement at the Boeing chalet where a crowd of media and VIP guests gathered to watch this milestone moment in the history of Qatar Airways, which has seen its cargo division grow to become the second largest international air freight carrierin the world.

Renowned Hawai‘i street artist completes first mural commissioned by Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines has furthered its commitment to supporting local artists by commissioningthe company’s first large-scale mural painted by renowned Hawai‘i street artist Kamea Hadar. The muralcreated during last month’s 2018 POW! WOW! festival in Long Beach – the latest Southern California city to enter Hawaiian’s route network – tells a story of sustainability and the importance of protecting natural resources.

The mural is approximately 25 feet wide by 60 feet tall, and is located on the Jean Machine building at the intersection of Fourth Street and The Promenade North. When painting the piece at the weeklong art festival, Hadar drew inspiration from the flow of water and the role it plays in giving life. It features two female dancers and celebrates Hawai‘i’s ahupua‘a – an ancient land division extending from mountains to the sea – with its use of mossy-green to ocean-blue gradients, native vines and tropical flora such as the yellow hibiscus, Hawai‘i’s state flower.

Hadar’s POW! WOW! Long Beach mural sponsored by Hawaiian Airlines is the first artwork to be unveiled in a series of upcoming commissioned pieces called “Mālama ‘Āina” (to care for Mother Earth).

Star Alliance again voted Best Alliance at Skytrax World Airline Awards

Star Alliance has claimed the Best Airline Alliance title at the Skytrax World Airline Awards for the third year running, with the Alliance’s prestigious Los Angeles Lounge retaining the Best Airline Alliance Lounge Award for the fourth year in a row.

The base of its digital transformation is the Star Alliance Digital Services Platform (DSP), which was launched earlier this year. It is the first step to an overall enhancement of digital and mobile services offered to customers travelling across the network. The DSP can connect digital services of one member airline or third-party and make it available to all members, enabling them to build it into their own customer-facing digital applications. The longer-term aim is to allow customers to use any member airline’s website or mobile application to obtain all the information they need for travel on several Star Alliance member airlines.

Through DSP, United Airlines currently offers advance seat reservations on Singapore Airlines flights and Lufthansa provides baggage tracking information on journeys which include flights on other Star Alliance airlines. Additional features will be made available across the Alliance progressively.

The World Airline Awards were introduced in 1999 to provide a customer satisfaction study that was truly global. Travellers across the world vote in the largest airline passenger satisfaction survey to decide the award winners.

Qatar Airways congratulates France on their win of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

Qatar Airways, an Official FIFA Partner and the Official Airline of FIFA, congratulates France on the outstanding win of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, following a month of football excitement in Russia. The tournament was watched by more than two billion spectators around the world, with more than 250 million views on Qatar Airways’ social media channels.

Qatar Airways proudly supported the matches as they unfolded and now preparesto look ahead to the thrilling prospect of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russiawas a thrilling competition, bringing people together through the shared love of football and sports and Qatar Airways took its celebration to the skies prior to the tournament’s semi-final and final match by flying a hand-painted Boeing 777 aircraft in FIFA livery to Moscow.

The bespoke aircraft was hand-painted in Ireland and showcases just one example of how the World’s Best Airline has committed itself to this important partnership, one of the biggest sporting sponsorships in the world, alongside dedicated fan-zones showcasing true Qatari hospitality.