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A Message From Oscar Munoz and Scott Kirby

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United Airlines News Releases first on FIR:

CHICAGO, March 27, 2020 /FIR — Oscar Munoz, Chief Executive Officer, and J. Scott Kirby, President, today issued the following message to nearly 100,000 United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) employees:

To our United Family:

Today, Congress passed an emergency COVID-19 response bill that includes significant financial backing for the airline industry. This decisive, bipartisan action by our elected leaders in Washington, D.C. is good news for our country, our economy, our health care system, our industry, and importantly our family here at United Airlines.

The impact of COVID-19 on demand for air travel has been dramatic and unprecedented – far worse than even the aftermath of 9/11. This federal assistance buys us time to adapt to this new environment and assess how long it will take for our economy to begin to recover. But, what this means for you right now is that *United will not conduct involuntary furloughs or pay cuts in the U.S. before September 30th*.

Everyone had a role in this effort and, as you always do, you came through for us. While Oscar, Scott, our union leaders and our government affairs and regulatory teams worked around-the-clock, on behalf of all of you, to educate leaders in the federal government about the unique and dramatic impact the COVID-19 outbreak has had on United Airlines, our United Airlines family sprang into action.

Your participation in the last few days was critical. More than 30,000 of you sent more than 100,000 messages to your representatives in Congress and another 5,000 signed a petition for international employees and retirees. Our union leaders also activated their organizations to amplify the message for the good of our company. The speed at which everyone stepped up and acted was remarkable and shows that when we come together, we can accomplish incredible things for our company. Thank you for what you did to help in getting this legislation passed.

We also wanted to pause and thank you for performing at your best to take care of our customers and each other through all of this uncertainty. Our operations teams have literally been on the front lines of this crisis, working directly with our customers and helping them navigate the ever-changing series of schedule adjustments, government mandates and restrictions on places prohibiting travel.

Specifically, our pilots, flight attendants, airport agents, ramp service, technicians and catering teams are showing up at airports all across the country, every day, helping customers and one another, and looking for opportunities to do the right thing. But they’re not the only ones who continue to go the extra mile in these trying times – it should be no surprise that our contact center employees have been particularly tested, handling nearly one million calls in the last two weeks alone. Through it all, they are doing what they do best: being there for our customers and remaining upbeat and positive.

Across the board, we’ve never been prouder of this team and what we stand for but unfortunately our work is just beginning. As we look forward, the lessons of past disruptions like 9/11 tell us that we can’t pretend that we are out of the woods. Things are very different today than they were just four weeks ago.

The global economy has taken a big hit, and we don’t expect travel demand to snap back for some time. Our April schedule is already cut by more than 60% and we expect our load factors to fall into the teens or single digits even with 60% less capacity. We are currently planning to make even deeper cuts in May and June.

And, based on how doctors expect the virus to spread and how economists expect the global economy to react, we expect demand to remain suppressed for months after that, possibly into next year. We will continue to plan for the worst and hope for a faster recovery but no matter what happens, taking care of each of our people will remain our number one priority. That means being honest, fair and upfront with you: if the recovery is as slow as we fear, it means our airline and our workforce will have to be smaller than it is today.

Amid these questions about United’s future and this disruption to our daily routines, we feel it’s more important than ever to connect with you. Social distancing makes that challenging, of course, but our team has found a way for us to use technology to host a “virtual town hall” next Thursday, April 2nd, where we can talk more about these challenges and answer your questions. We’ll soon have more details on timing and how you can participate. We hope you will.

We remain in the business of serving people even when there are fewer people traveling. And even in this time of uncertainty, some things are constant: we still have the best airline professionals in the world; we still put our customers at the center of everything we do; we still operate in the best hubs; and we still have a deep-seated culture of caring for one another.

So when travel demand returns – and it will return – we will bounce back and be ready to accelerate towards our goal of becoming the best airline in the history of aviation.

Thank you for all you do.

Oscar and Scott

About United

United’s shared purpose is “Connecting People. Uniting the World.” We are more focused than ever on our commitment to customers through a series of innovations and improvements designed to help build a great experience: Every customer. Every flight. Every day. Together, United and United Express operate approximately 4,900 flights a day to 362 airports across six continents. In 2019, United and United Express operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 162 million customers. United is proud to have the world’s most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 791 mainline aircraft and the airline’s United Express partners operate 581 regional aircraft. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 195 countries via 26 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “UAL”.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain statements in this release are forward-looking and thus reflect the Company’s current expectations and beliefs with respect to certain current and future events and anticipated financial and operating performance. Such forward-looking statements are and will be subject to many risks and uncertainties relating to the Company’s operations and business environment that may cause actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Words such as “expects,” “will,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “indicates,” “remains,” “believes,” “estimates,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “goals,” “targets” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Additionally, forward-looking statements include statements that do not relate solely to historical facts, such as statements which identify uncertainties or trends, discuss the possible future effects of current known trends or uncertainties, or which indicate that the future effects of known trends or uncertainties cannot be predicted, guaranteed or assured. All forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to the Company on the date of this release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The Company’s actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements due to numerous factors including, without limitation, the following: the Company’s ability to execute its strategic operating plan, including its growth, revenue-generating and cost-control initiatives; general economic conditions (including interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, investment or credit market conditions, crude oil prices, costs of aircraft fuel and energy refining capacity in relevant markets); risks of doing business globally, including instability and political developments that may impact its operations in certain countries; demand for travel and the impact that global economic and political conditions have on customer travel patterns; the Company’s capacity decisions and the capacity decisions of its competitors; competitive pressures on pricing and on demand; changes in aircraft fuel prices; disruptions in the Company’s supply of aircraft fuel; the Company’s ability to cost-effectively hedge against increases in the price of aircraft fuel, if it decides to do so; the effects of any technology failures, cybersecurity or significant data breaches; disruptions to services provided by third-party service providers; potential reputational or other impact from adverse events involving the Company’s aircraft or operations, the aircraft or operations of its regional carriers or its code share partners or the aircraft or operations of another airline; the Company’s ability to attract and retain customers; the effects of any terrorist attacks, international hostilities or other security events, or the fear of such events; the mandatory grounding of aircraft in the Company’s fleet; disruptions to the Company’s regional network; the impact of regulatory, investigative and legal proceedings and legal compliance risks; the success of the Company’s investments in other airlines, including in other parts of the world; industry consolidation or changes in airline alliances; the ability of other air carriers with whom the Company has alliances or partnerships to provide the services contemplated by the respective arrangements with such carriers; costs associated with any modification or termination of the Company’s aircraft orders; disruptions in the availability of aircraft, parts or support from its suppliers; the Company’s ability to maintain satisfactory labor relations and the results of any collective bargaining agreement process with its union groups; any disruptions to operations due to any potential actions by the Company’s labor groups; labor costs; the existing outbreak of coronavirus and the outbreak of any other disease or similar public health threat that affects travel demand or travel behavior; the impact of any management changes; extended interruptions or disruptions in service at major airports where the Company operates; U.S. or foreign governmental legislation, regulation and other actions (including Open Skies agreements, environmental regulations and the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union); the seasonality of the airline industry; weather conditions; the costs and availability of aviation and other insurance; the costs and availability of financing; the Company’s ability to maintain adequate liquidity; the Company’s ability to comply with the terms of its various financing arrangements; the Company’s ability to realize the full value of its intangible assets and long-lived assets; any impact to the Company’s reputation or brand image and other risks and uncertainties set forth under Part I, Item 1A., “Risk Factors,” of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 as well as other risks and uncertainties set forth from time to time in the reports it files with the SEC.

SOURCE United Airlines

For further information: United Airlines Worldwide Media Relations, 872-825-8640, media.relations@united.com

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7 Eco-Friendly Saving Methods for Small Businesses

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Every small business needs to find ways to save money in order to reduce ongoing expenditure and increase profits. However, within the effort of saving money, a business could also be helping the environment by opting for greener technologies and processes along the way. Most money-saving methods do have a degree of eco-friendliness to them because, at a bare minimum, they’re reducing the financial waste of the business. Any form of waste or unnecessary resource usage will ultimately lead to an increase in the corporate carbon footprint one way or another. However, certain forms of frugality are better for the environment than others. More specifically, here are 7 of the most eco-friendly money saving methods that small businesses can take advantage of:

1. Upgrading to an Energy-Efficient HVAC System

Many company owners don’t even stop to think about what kind of HVAC system is installed in their office or place of business. However, if you have a large office or store, or multiple physical locations, you could save a substantial amount of money and reduce your company’s carbon footprint by installing new HVAC systems at all of your locations. This could represent a significant upfront expense, but one that would result in lower monthly bills or a reduced load on your solar panel system.

According to Semper Solaris, one of California’s top HVAC and solar companies, there’s been an increase in the number eco-conscious business owners who are insisting on only having the best heating and air conditioning units installed. In addition to HVAC maintenance and heating and air conditioning repair services, Semper Solaris is also a leading provider of solar panel systems and installations, which brings us to our next point. Of course, grid-powered HVAC systems that use excessive amounts of energy are directly causing harm to the environment by putting more of a burden on the grid.

2. Installing Solar Panels

Many small business owners are hesitant to invest in a solar panel system due to the upfront expense involved. However, with decent business credit, you can get approved for financing and turn the cost of the project into an affordable monthly expense. If your goal is to create a sustainable business with minimum overhead, you might as well just go ahead and commit to a solar setup instead of agreeing to the burden of paying an electricity bill and relying on grid power for your company’s entire existence.

When you consider the fact that companies can continue to consume power for many generations, establishing a free source of renewable energy is an obviously beneficial move that every entrepreneur should aspire to make. Plus, let’s not forget that you’ll be cutting your ties with non-renewable energy sectors that are badly polluting and damaging the environment.

3. Going “Paperless”

Long-time entrepreneurs who have been operating paper-based businesses for decades may be reluctant to migrate into a paperless workflow because they’re stuck in the their ways. Whether you are part of that demographic or not, there are really very few, if any, remaining use cases for paper in today’s world. The vast majority of modern businesses are managed in the cloud, which simply means that everything is done online nowadays.

Outside of the realm of developing art or drawing up contracts that require physical signatures, there’s really no reason to ever use paper as a consistent part of any corporate workflow. Keep a stack of paper and a printer/scanner combo on standby just in case, but try to use it as little as possible and don’t create systems that require the ongoing use of paper. For example, many companies have stopped giving customers paper receipts, opting to send digital receipts via email instead.

4. Using Smart Office Devices

Smart office devices are a lot like smart home devices in that they’re designed to facilitate optimal energy-efficiency and cost-effectiveness. For starters, you could get a smart desk, which is precisely adjustable via app controlled electronic movement. So, you can adjust the height to switch from sitting to a standing desk in various positions, which allows for better posture and productivity. 

Any smart office device that increases organization or workflow simplicity will have a net money-saving effect because they’ll be stopping you from wasting time, while also helping you make the most of your work hours. Other examples of smart office devices include smart thermostats, smart locks, and multi-device keyboards.

5. Buying Used Office Equipment

Buying brand new office equipment is always going to be more expensive than purchasing items from the local secondhand market. You can find great deals on social networking groups through sites like Facebook and classified ad sites like Craigslist. In many cases, you can even find free office furniture or appliances that are outdated but still very appealing and functional.

With this technique, you’ll not only be saving a great deal of money by sourcing your equipment used instead of new, you’ll also be keeping all of those used items from going to the landfills and creating extra pollution.

6. Opt for Fuel-Efficient or Electric Company Vehicles

If your business utilizes a fleet of company vehicles, it would be wise to choose models that get decent fuel mileage or, even better, those that don’t use fuel at all. Many newly established companies are avoiding the traditional van or truck-based approach and going with smaller electric or hybrid utility vehicles.

When you consider the accumulative effect that the transportation industry has on the environment, ensuring that your company isn’t taking part in this gas-guzzling greed will give you peace of mind while also keeping you from being taxed at the pump for every mile you drive. Companies like Tesla have established charging stations in major cities, so you don’t even have to pay to charge the vehicle. With that approach, you’ll be able to move around within your region at zero cost. 

7. Consolidate and Downsize Your Workforce and Equipment Collection

Having an excessive number of employees drive to your office, store, or other place of business and consume company resources while they’re there, is obviously a huge waste of money and an unnecessary burden on the environment. A company that has 100 employees can probably afford to do without 10 of them – that’s ten more people that don’t have to commute to work and use your office equipment. Speaking of which, powering an excessive number of devices or other types of equipment will only serve to increase your electricity bill unnecessarily.

You can use smart power strips to gauge and monitor the actual power usage of each computer, appliance, or any electronic device that can be plugged in. This will help you determine which devices you can afford to do without, and which ones you should unplug. Interestingly, some smart power strips will also let you enable and disable power to specific outlets on the strip via a mobile app.

Aren’t “Saving the Environment” and “Saving Money” Part of the Same Process?

If you think about the definition of money in the sense that it’s a form of currency used to hold value, and then you realize that our environment is literally our most valuable asset as a species, isn’t “saving the environment” the same thing as “saving money” and everything else that humans have worked to build?

Compass Edge wins 2019 CTW Chinese Tourists Welcoming Award in Innovation Category

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Since 2004, the CTW Chinese Tourist Welcome Award has been organised by COTRI China Outbound Tourism Research Institute. Evaluated by an international jury of experts including Ctrip, the award is recognised inside and outside China as the most important quality sign for the international Chinese outbound market. Compass Edge was presented with the award during ITB China on May 16th, 2019 in Shanghai, for providing innovative products for the growing Chinese Outbound Tourism market. Other awards recipients include Viking Cruises, Dubai Duty Free, Manchester Airport, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, etc.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Chinese tourists made 149.72 million outbound trips in 2018, up 14.7 percent over the previous year, more than half of these trips were outside Greater China regions. Chinese tourists will venture off the beaten path to visit new destinations. A recent report by China Luxury Advisors and Coresight Research saw a surge in independent travelers from 20.7% in 2017 to 26.8% in 2018. This trend will continue in 2019 and beyond.

Compass Edge was founded in 2008, originally just as a reseller of best-of-the-breed hotel online solutions. In 2014, Ms. Anita Chan was appointed CEO of Compass Edge. Recognising Chinese Outbound Tourism especially Free Independent Travel (FIT) is an important uprising trend yet China online market is so complex and fundamentally different from the West, Anita led the company to launch its own Go China Online Branding Solution in 2015 to help overseas hotels to establish a China-Visible strategy. In March 2018, Anita co-founded LN Hotel Alliance with Ling Nan Hospitality, China Southern Airline and GZL Travel Services, a first-of-its-kind Chinese centric loyalty program with 46Million+ loyalty members. Later in 2018, in addition to the digital agency business, Anita transformed Compass Edge to be a technology provider, developing B2B2C WeChat Mini Program solving pain points for both Chinese travelers and overseas tourism and hospitality partners. Compass Edge has successfully implemented over 120 China-Ready strategic projects.

COTRI congratulates Compass Edge for the Silver Award Innovation of the CTW Chinese Tourist Welcome Award 2019. “The award reflects the fact that Compass Edge has for a long time supported hotel companies around the world with innovative services to create satisfied customers and a healthy margin”, says Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt FRGS FRAS, founder and director of COTRI.

According to Anita, “while most overseas hospitality and tourism companies want a piece of Chinese outbound business, the China market is fundamentally different. It requires deep dive expertise, time and huge money resources to start. Before, it is always a “big boy game” and it is hard for smaller companies to have the same playing field. This pushes me to come up with creative and cost-effective programs like Go China branding solution and WeChat Mini Program to help smaller companies to have the chance to be in game for the China FIT market.” “All these efforts have paid off with the recipient of this CTW Silver Innovation Award,” Anita concluded.

About Compass Edge

Compass Edge is a company offering online solutions to independent hotels. It is a niche service provider offering cost-effective branding solutions for overseas hotels to establish an online presence for the booming Chinese FIT market. Its latest WeChat Mini Program offers solution to solve Chinese travelers pain points and capturing ancillary revenue for hospitality and tourism companies.

Simba, the happiest safari company from Tanzania joins African Tourism Board

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African Tourism Board today added Simba Safaris a family owned Safari and Tour company from Tanzania to its rapidly growing list of members. Simba Safaris is also a giant in travel and tourism at the same time and more than just a travel company.

Where Africa becomes one destination is the slogan of the African Tourism Board, and a Simba Safaris thought it was a perfect match to join.

The company states on its website www.simbasafaris.com/ Simba Foundation endeavors to improve the quality of life for the children in need. Through multiple services and projects, focusing particularly on children in extreme poverty, we are striving to reduce the illness, child mortality, provide educational opportunities and support community development.

We believe that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more; there is no higher religion that human service. To work for the common poor people is the greatest creed.

As our constant endeavor to give back to society, we are constantly looking for the like-minded people who are conscious of fulfilling their social responsibilities. We would like you to get involved in this noble cause.

Simba Safaris has operated luxury safaris for over forty years and is one of East Africa’s most experienced luxury safari operators.

The company has operated safaris throughout East Africa, offering an exceptional experience at unbeatable value. Safari is their priority and the operator spend considerable funds to make our equipment safe and reliable. The staff is the best-trained in the field. When it comes to safety Simba Safaris is not cutting corners.

SIMBA SAFARIS is a family owned and operated a company. The 3 brothers and their team of safari professionals have been operating luxury safaris for over 40 years. Our Offices in Tanzania and Kenya are managed by safari experts who average more than ten years experience with Simba Safaris and have first-hand knowledge about the areas in both the countries.

CEO Firoz Dharamshi has a message for his clients: “The reason you chose Simba Safaris is simple. Since our very first client in 1969 Simba Safaris has left no stone unturned in the delivery of unmatched customer experience for Luxury Tanzania Safaris. This fact has been underscored by the recent introduction of our luxury safaris division -“Simba Excellence.” This exciting new division was established to cater exclusively for a discerning clientele seeking only the very best Tanzania and Zanzibar has to offer.

With the establishment of Simba Excellence, Simba Safaris has taken an important step to consolidate its leadership position. Through Simba Excellence, we provide our clientele with the only most exclusive hotels, lodges & camps in Tanzania & Zanzibar.

Simba Excellence vehicles are not only the newest in the industry but include additional features and comfort our clients appreciate. While Simba Safari driver guides are considered some of the best in business, Simba Excellence Driver Guides are a cut above – “The best of the best”.

Simba Excellence represents the culmination of everything we have learned over the past 40 years as pioneers of the Tanzania Safari industry. We’re very pleased to be able our guests this level of service as well as the very best Tanzania & Zanzibar has to offer. My personal commitment to you is that your Simba Safari experience will exceed your expectation while providing excellent value for your money.

We look forward to welcoming you to Tanzania and assure of our of an exceptional safari experience. If there is anything we can do to make your adventure more special, please don’t hesitate to contact me personally. You can reach me at: firoz@simbasafaris.co.tz or call my office directly at +255 (27) 2549116-8.”

Juergen Steinmetz U.S. based chairman of the African Tourism Board Marketing Corporation, said: We’re looking forward working with Simba Safaris to reach out to new markets in the United States, Europe, India and beyond.

Founded in 2018, the African Tourism Board an association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from the African region.

Membership information is available on www.africantourismboard.com

MEDIA CONTACT:

TravelMarketingNetwork

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New York, NY 10021 USA

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marketing@travelmarketingnetwork.com   

Personalize and remove friction for customers, Gulf travel companies told

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Gulf-based travel and hospitality companies that use disruptive technologies to boost personalization and remove friction for customers are likely to become future market leaders, according to experts speaking at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019.

In a panel discussion titled ‘The Big Picture – Who Will Sell Travel Best in the Future?’, which took place on ATM’s Global Stage, representatives from Booking.com, Sabre Corporation, Google, Facebook and Emirates explored the potential benefits and pitfalls of technology implementation in the Gulf’s tourism sector.

While innovations such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and personalisation technology have the potential to boost efficiency across the industry, panellists emphasised that operators should always consider how new applications are likely to impact the customer experience.

Fouad Talaat, Regional Manager of Partner Services – MEA, Booking.com, said: “Some of us think we’re in an era of disruption but I think we’ve passed that already. I think we’re in an era of powerful customers.

“We think of ourselves as a customer-first AI company. This means that the application of any new technology is done to enhance the experience for our customers. We don’t experiment with emerging technologies for the sake of it. If an innovation doesn’t take friction away, we don’t invest in it.”

Airports and airlines increased investments in information technology (IT) from 5.6 per cent in 2017 to 7.5 per cent in 2018, accounting for an overall investment of USD 30 billion. By implementing IoT technology to optimise flight itineraries, the industry could save the same amount in fuel savings alone over the next 15 years, according to research conducted by Colliers on behalf of ATM 2019.

In addition to efficiency savings, panellists noted that the GCC’s tourism industry must identify areas in which disruptive technologies can be implemented to ensure a seamless customer experience.

Terry Kane, Head of Travel, Auto, Telco and Financial Services – Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, Facebook, said: “In travel today, there is still an enormous amount of friction at every step of the journey and mobile solutions can help to remove a lot of this. Expectations are constantly changing. The moment a company solves a friction-related problem, customers’ expectations are reset.

“For example, if I want the most personal experience possible, it’s probably going to be through WhatsApp or Facebook. We should be able to reserve flights, get our boarding passes and book accommodation through WhatsApp or Facebook directly […] These platforms should be your personal concierge for multiple things in life, and travel is certainly one of those areas.”

The comprehensive implementation of personalisation technology could also lead to significant benefits for the Middle East’s hotel industry, according to Colliers, increasing revenues by more than 10 per cent and reducing costs by more than 15 per cent.

Ben Vinod, Senior VP and Chief Scientist, Sabre Corporation, said: “We live in an AI, machine learning-driven landscape, so a key focus for our sector is intelligent retailing. Consumers want to see content that is relevant for them; they don’t want to see generic information. This is something that will change over the next couple of years.

“One example is that you don’t always have to show the lowest price on your website. You may want to show the best price based on the customer’s preferences. Segmentation is important because it allows you to deliver relevant content to a portion of the population. We also see a need for one-to-one personalisation. We want to be able to give you a tailored response that is meaningful to you – as a segment of one.”

Running until Wednesday, 1 May, ATM 2019 will see more than 2,500 exhibitors showcase their products and services at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). Viewed by industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) tourism sector, last year’s edition of ATM welcomed 39,000 people, representing the largest exhibition in the history of the show.

MEDIA CONTACT: NATHALIE VISELE, Director, Shamal Communications, Arjaan Office Tower, Dubai Media City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tel: +971 4 365 2711 | Mobile: +971 50 457 6525, E-mail: nathalie.visele@shamalcomms.com , Website: www.shamalcomms.com

Lufthansa makes dedicated staff look bad: The eTN Hero is Patricia Dzai of Swissport Johannesburg

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Lufthansa

“My personal hero today is Ms. Patricia Dzai. Patricia works for Swissport in Johannesburg, South Africa,” said eTN Publisher Juergen Steinmetz. Swissport is one of the largest aviation ground-handling agencies operating in countries around the world.

Major airlines hire Swissport to manage customer relations and logistics when it comes to baggage handling, including lost or misplaced items.

Lufthansa German Airlines’ ground handler in Johannesburg is Swissport. I recently traveled from Nice to Cape Town via Frankfurt and Johannesburg on Lufthansa German Airlines. I am a United Airlines Star Alliance Gold member and traveled on Lufthansa in Business class. Lufthansa is a member of Star Alliance.

When I arrived in Johannesburg, I heard my name called by Lufthansa’s lost baggage office handled by Swissport.

I was told my tube was still in Frankfurt, and they would put it on the next flight to Johannesburg. I explained it was of utmost importance to have the tube for an important trade show event, the World Travel Market in Cape Town, in the morning.

Patricia Dzai, the Swissport agent in Johannesburg, wanted to make sure this would be possible and sent an urgent message to Lufthansa in Frankfurt. The message said:

 

 

 

 

 

I was pleased to know my tube would go on LH 576 directly to Cape Town almost in time for the start of World Travel Market.

I went on to fly to Cape Town and received a text message in the evening saying my tube would be on the Lufthansa flight to Johannesburg, which was different from what Patricia had requested. Since it was late and the Swissport office in Johannesburg was closed, I was able to find a non-published phone number for Lufthansa baggage service in Frankfurt. Lufthansa, like most airlines, is hiding phone numbers to encourage passengers to communicate only by email.

I was told by Lufthansa Baggage Service in Frankfurt no such message to forward my tube to Cape Town was ever received by Swissport Johannesburg. The agent went on to say that passengers are often not told the truth by Swissport agents.

The Lufthansa agent in Frankfurt explained that his job was not to help me, since this was only handled in Johannesburg. I argued my tube is in Frankfurt and not Johannesburg, and the handling agent for Swissport in Johannesburg was closed.

The agent then said he was now doing a one-time exception for me and would reroute my tube on LH576 directly to Cape Town. He said there were 5 hours to get this done, still plenty of time according to him.

The next day I received another message telling me again the tube was on its way to Johannesburg instead of Cape Town.

I called Swissport in Johannesburg, and the news not could have been worse. They told me, apologizing, that my tube was still in Frankfurt for a second day, and they did not know why.

I again called the baggage-handling office in Frankfurt and was again told it’s all Swissport’s mistake for not telling them where to send it.

This time I was angry and called Swissport Johannesburg again. I asked Patricia why she was lying about this. I told her she never sent this request to Frankfurt, according to Lufthansa.

Ten minutes later, I received an email with a time-stamped screenshot from Patricia Dzai showing me exactly what was requested by her in the first place.

Patricia actually had gone out of her way originally to make sure I would be united with my tube on time and in Cape Town. I felt bad thinking she didn’t care and didn’t do anything, when in fact she did.

It shows that big companies like Lufthansa have a serious customer service issue. They hide behind a huge system and are trained to say it’s not their job and simply blame others for company shortcomings.

There was no way I could talk to anyone at Lufthansa about this, and my urgent email to them on the day I was trying to get the tube re-routed was just responded to 2 weeks after I was already back home in Hawaii. Lufthansa offered a 200 euro compensation.

No explanation was given and no apology for accusing Patricia Dzai and Swissport for not doing their job.

I finally received my tube on the last day after the trade show and took it back to the US unopened. When I changed planes in Frankfurt, I asked the agent working in the Senator Lounge to speak to a supervisor in baggage handling about this case and compensation. She told me I have to send an email, which I had already done days ago.

She gave me some chocolate and said they get customers’ complaints all the time and do their best to help and respond, but the back-up system by the airline is not there.

It’s all about a giant non-caring anonymous machine.

I extend my apologies to Patricia Dzai from Swissport, as I now understand she was also a victim of shortcomings created by Lufthansa German Airlines.

Patricia Dzai is the eTN Hero for today.

Travel News | eTurboNews

TSA: New airport security scanner poses “privacy risks” to passengers

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US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is demanding modifications of a new airport security system because it poses “privacy risks” to passengers by showing too much of them on display, a newly published document has revealed.

Following a demonstration, the Transportation Security Administration has requested changes to the contract because the scanner they received “has privacy risks associated with the Graphical User Interface,” says the document dated March 26 and made public by Quartz on Monday.

While the document provides no further details on the exact nature of the privacy risks, the TSA required the scanner’s manufacturer to add additional security features before it would consider using the device in a “live environment.”

Using another government database, Quartz identified the contractor – whose name is redacted in the document – as Virginia security firm ThruVision. The document refers to ThruVision’s TAC scanner, which the company describes as a “proven people-screening camera that sees any type of item.”

The device is supposed to be part of TSA’s “Future Lane Experience” (FLEx), an effort to speed up security checks that have become a major headache for passengers in many airports.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority partnered with the TSA last year to deploy ThruVision’s portable TS4 scanner, which the TSA claims to have vetted “extensively” prior to using it on LA commuters. It is unclear whether the TSA had similar concerns about the TS4 before the device was used in the field.

Revelations about the TSA concerns over the new scanner come after last week’s report by ProPublica that accused the agency’s current hardware of “discriminating” against African-Americans by misreading their hair, requiring a disproportionate number of pat-downs.

The ACLU slammed the TSA in 2009 for using scanning technology to conduct “virtual strip searches” that provided TSA employees with photos of passengers’ genitals, breasts and buttocks. More was revealed in 2010, when the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) published TSA documents which further detail the scanners’ invasiveness.

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MSC Cruises partners with Martha Stewart

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MSC Cruises – the Swiss-based world’s largest privately-owned cruise line – is partnering with internationally acclaimed home and lifestyle expert Martha Stewart on new, exclusive culinary and discovery experiences on board and ashore to make MSC Cruises’ guests vacation moments even more special and memorable. The partnership — themed Celebrate, Discover, Experience — includes specially curated shore excursions, celebration surprise gift packages, and onboard special holiday dinner menus and recipes.

“MSC Cruises is committed to developing enriching guest experiences and as such we partner with world-class experts in their field to create together something truly unique,” said Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises. “Martha Stewart’s philosophy and passion for discovery is a perfect match for MSC Cruises and we are excited to bring her innovation, style and expertise to life in this special partnership designed to help our guests create memorable vacation moments with friends and family.”

“I’ve always enjoyed introducing people to new experiences, and I’m thrilled to be working with MSC Cruises on a partnership that embodies the true celebratory nature of travel, exploration and discovery,” said Martha Stewart. “The excursions showcase some of my favorite activities and help MSC Cruises’ guests discover some of the authentic and hidden treasures of destinations throughout the Caribbean. The holiday dinner menus and surprise gift packages encompass what I believe celebrations should include: good food, good company and commemorating great adventures and inspiration wherever we are.”

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New culinary experiences launched in Victoria Falls

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Earlier this year Pure Africa Destination Management announced its latest restaurant management partnership with Afro-Chic destination venue Zambezi House Restaurant, which was voted as one of the ‘Most Beautiful Restaurants in the World’ by Condé Nast Traveller.

The team at Pure Africa have since then been busy with the reimagination of designing culinary journeys in Victoria Falls for the menu relaunch of Zambezi House, which has taken much of its inspiration from the meandering journey of the venue’s key feature, the Zambezi River.

Pure Africa recently appointed head chef Mike van Rooyen for the development of the latest tasting menu at Zambezi House, forming part of the greater Pure Africa culinary art initiatives aiming to raise the benchmark for food tourism in Victoria Falls.

Our passion is rooted in travel, innovation, design, culinary art and impact, which form our company’s philosophy in looking to awaken this new African spirit together with local talent, international culinary techniques served with the key ingredient, which is warm Zimbabwean hospitality.

“Seasonal ingredients and traditional dishes reimagined, prepared with local knowledge, global culinary techniques and eventually served with the key ingredient, which is warm Zimbabwean hospitality.”

Pure Africa has coincided the latest Zambezi House menu offering, launching in early May 2019 with full day culinary packages for those travellers looking to experience the local food scene in Victoria Falls;

Pure Africa Culinary Journeys in Victoria Falls:

Historic Tram & Bridge Tour + Zambezi House Dinne

What to expect:

A guided tram tour of Victoria Falls Bridge paired up with freshly baked gourmet sandwiches to start, followed by a craft gin pop-up bar and gourmet snack table overlooking the spray of the Falls from the Zambian border and ending off with a three-course dinner tasting menu to be enjoyed later that evening at Zambezi House Restaurant.

Culinary Features:

Artisanal Sandwiches, Pimm’s Train Station Bar, Craft Gin & Tonic Pop Up Bar, Gourmet Scenic Snacks and a three-course Zambezi House dinner experience.

Luxury Deck Sunset River Cruise + Zambezi  House Dinner

What to expect:

A sunset river cruise down the Zambezi paired up with a relaxing three-course dinner experience perched on the edge of the river.

Culinary Features:

Gourmet sunset tasting boards, craft selection of premium beverages onboard the sunset river cruise followed by a three-course Zambezi House tasting menu prepared by head chef Mike Viljoen.

For more information about Pure Africa Destination Management and their latest culinary journeys please email or visit the Pure Africa Destination Management website.

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Boeing scraps 2019 financial forecast, halts share buybacks in wake of 737 MAX disaster

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World’s biggest aerospace corporation was forced to pull its full financial forecast for the current year due to unresolved issues surrounding Boeing’s once best-selling 737 MAX aircraft.

Boeing also announced plans to pause share buybacks, citing “a challenging time for our customers, stakeholders and the company.”

“Across the company, we are focused on safety, returning the 737 MAX to service, and earning and re-earning the trust and confidence of customers, regulators and the flying public,” Boeing Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a statement.

The manufacturer had previously posted a report on the first-quarter earnings that managed to fall in line with analysts’ expectations, while its revenue was slightly less than projected. Boeing’s earning per share totaled the expected $3.16 from January through March, while the revenue amounted to $22.92 billion against $22.98 billion forecasted by London-based provider of financial markets data Refinitiv.

Boeing stressed that the previous guidance didn’t reflect the impact of two crashes of the company’s flagship planes, leading to the grounding of all 737 MAX 8 jets by global regulators, lawsuits from some air carriers and a decline in market value.

According to the producer, more than 135 test and production flights of updated software for the 737 MAX have been carried out so far.

Boeing’s bestseller crashed on March 10 not far from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa six minutes after takeoff on the way to Nairobi, Kenya. The tragedy, which killed 157 people, marked the second crash involving the same jet model in less than six months. In October, the same type of aircraft, operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air, crashed in the Java Sea shortly after takeoff, claiming the lives of 189 people.

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