Qantas opens doors to brand new luxury first lounge in Singapore.

Qantas has officially opened its newest First Lounge today, a luxury space spread over 1,000 square metres at Singapore’s Changi Airport. The new First Lounge will operate in tandem alongside the airline’s existing International Business Lounge, providing capacity for 240 customers and a bespoke offering for Qantas’ First Class passengers and top tier frequent flyers. The new build was designed by Australian designer David Caon in collaboration with Kelvin Ho of architecture and design firm Akin Atelie and features a number of Singaporean influences across the look and feel of the lounge as well as the food and beverage offering. Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the opening of the new lounge is a reflection of the airline’s extensive premium investment in the region.Qantas Creative Director of Food, Beverage and Service Neil Perry said the dining experience is inspired by Singapore’s vibrant culinary culture. David Caon said, “We wanted customers to feel a sense of calming luxury as soon as they walk in to the First Lounge, so we combined some of the classic Qantas First Lounge design features, such as the prominent marble and oak seen in the Sydney First Lounge, and added an authentic Singaporean twist featuring plenty of greenery.”

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Fresh call for Edinburgh 'tourist tax' 2 December 2019 Share this with Facebook Share this with WhatsApp Share this with Messenger Share this with Twitter.

The Scottish government has been carrying out a public consultation on the use of a Transient Visitor Levy (TVL). The City of Edinburgh Council has said it would impose a £2 per night room charge fee if allowed. A TVL set at this level has the potential to raise £13.6m per annum in the city. Transform Scotland, a sustainable transport charity, said it believed the move would have the backing of Edinburgh residents. It carried out an online survey of 320 residents which found 78% of respondents believed a Transient Visitor Levy (TVL) would protect Edinburgh.Colin Howden, Director of Transform Scotland, said: "There is global concern about the impacts of tourism, from fuelling the growth in aviation emissions, to the impacts that large tourist volumes have on fragile historic environments and ecosystems.

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Fresh call for Edinburgh 'tourist tax'.

The Scottish government has been carrying out a public consultation on the use of a Transient Visitor Levy (TVL). The City of Edinburgh Council has said it would impose a £2 per night room charge fee if allowed. A TVL set at this level has the potential to raise £13.6m per annum in the city. Transform Scotland, a sustainable transport charity, said it believed the move would have the backing of Edinburgh residents. It carried out an online survey of 320 residents which found 78% of respondents believed a Transient Visitor Levy (TVL) would protect Edinburgh. They also thought it would manage tourism around the country. Respondents to the poll favoured using revenue to invest in the city's infrastructure, including improvements to streets and public transport.

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ISRO live tracks Indian Railways’ trains in a pilot project.

Earlier this year, IRCTC took another leap to improve railway infrastructure in the country by linking its locomotives to ISRO satellites. This move allowed ISRO to monitor and even live track Indian Railways trains. It also let ISRO record and update control charts for the trains and thus track their arrival as well as departure details.

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Qatar Airways Cargo Announces Massive Expansion in South America in 2020 with Four New Destinations.

Qatar Airways Cargo, one of the leading air cargo carriers is excited to announce major expansion of services in South America. Scheduled services to Campinas, Brazil (VCP), Santiago, Chile (SCL), Lima, Peru (LIM) and Bogotá, Colombia (BOG) will join the airline’s global freighter network on 16 January 2020 and will be serviced by a Boeing 777 freighter. The twice-weekly flights to Bogotá from Doha will operate via Luxembourg and Miami, while the service from Bogotá to Doha will operate via Liège, offering 200 tonnes on each leg. The twice-weekly flights to Campinas from Doha will operate via Luxembourg with the service from Campinas to Doha, operating via Santiago, Lima, Dallas and Luxembourg, also offering 200 tonnes on each leg. These new destinations will commence close on the heels of the recent arrival of the airline’s twenty-first brand new Boeing 777 freighter on 25 November 2019. The new freighter increased the airline’s freighter fleet to 28 aircraft. Qatar Airways Cargo also has an order for five additional Boeing 777 freighters, placed at the Paris Air Show 2019, with deliveries starting from April 2020 onwards. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Air cargo is a crucial element in the global transport system that supports international trade and the free flow of goods around the world. The addition of these four new routes in South America further reinforces our position as one of the world’s leading air cargo providers, operating one of the largest networks in the world with the youngest and most environmentally efficient fleet in the industry.” Qatar Airways Chief Officer Cargo, Mr. Guillaume Halleux, said, “We are very excited about our expansion in South America. The Americas are a very important market for us and there is a huge demand for South American fresh produce in Asia. With the introduction of our twice-weekly Boeing 777 freighter services, we offer exporters in South America a direct route for their cargo and a global network. Importers also stand to gain from the huge capacity to bring in their cargo to South America.” General cargo, pharmaceuticals, and perishables will form the majority of goods imported and exported to and from South America along with some movements of live animals and high-value items like telecommunication equipment, electronics and other valuable cargo. The award-winning cargo carrier has an extensive network in The Americas serving 18 freighter and 13 belly-hold cargo destinations in the region. The carrier recently completed a year of successful transpacific operations, now operating four-times weekly freighters direct from Asia to North America. Qatar Airways Cargo has made substantial investment in its operations at Doha hub and globally to ensure all cargo deliveries are processed efficiently and seamlessly. Special facilities and well-trained personnel ensure expert handling over a wide variety of product categories, such as express, livestock, valuables, perishables, oversized cargo and general cargo that require air freight carriage. Its portfolio of distinctive products currently includes QR Pharma for pharmaceuticals, QR Fresh for perishables, QR Live for live animals, QR Express for time-sensitive cargo, QR Mail for postal consignments globally and QR Charter offering cost-effective global charter solutions. Value-added services are also available to offer its customers fast confirmation and priority or guaranteed uplift to and from Qatar Airways Cargo’s online destinations.

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Typhoon Hits Philippines, Disrupting Travel, Work.

MANILA - A typhoon struck the Philippines on Tuesday bringing heavy rains and prompting preemptive halts in air travel, schools and government offices, with some 200,000 people evacuated after warnings of floods and landslides. The main airport in Manila would be closed for 12 hours from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. as a precaution, although air travel continued in unaffected areas of the country.

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