Industry Blog (Robusta)

Take note: Australian visa applications

The Australian High Commission has advised that it has recently received an unusually high volume of applications. At present, the commission is doing its best to assess them, however, in order to assist the commission in finalising applications as quickly as possible, agents should take note of the following: What can agents do when lodging […]

SAA

SAA restricts duty-free LAGS

South African Airways has announced additional restrictions for passengers transiting on the way to the United States of America. The restrictions relate to carriage of Liquids, Aerosols and Gels (LAGS) purchased in duty-free areas of the airports by passengers in transit on flights originating from Johannesburg, Accra and Dakar. “In terms of the United States’ […]

Innovation

ASATA Innovation Summit leads conversation on industry hot topics

Innovation is not just about fixing problems, but it’s also about exploring the ideas that drive the conversations and debate that lead to the best solutions an industry needs to thrive. This was the sentiment expressed by the travel industry leaders who attended ASATA’s inaugural Innovation Summit on the 14 March 2019 at the Forum […]

SAQA

SA travel consultants can now apply for second official SAQA-approved designation through ASATA

South African travel consultants can now apply for the designation of Travel Advisor (TAdvsr) through the ASATA Professional Programme (APP). This is the second professional designation that ASATA can award through its APP programme. The first one is the Travel Practitioner (TPrac) designation. The APP involves a dual process and is open to any travel […]

SWISS

First refurbished SWISS A340 returns to revenue service

The first SWISS Airbus A340 with a totally refurbished interior in all three seating cabins recently took off from Zurich on its first revenue flight. Aircraft HB-JMH departed at 13:26 on flight LX 160 to Tokyo. HB-JMH is the first of SWISS’s five Airbus A340s to be given this nose-to-tail cabin refurbishment. The aircraft are […]

SAA

SAA increases West African connectivity

SAA has enhanced connectivity for its customers travelling to, from and beyond the West Africa region following the successful completion of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Africa World Airlines (AWA), the airline’s Ghanaian partners. The CEOs of SAA and AWA, Vuyani Jarana and John Quan, respectively, officially signed the MOU at the Ghana Ministry […]

Online visa application

UK online visa applications made easier

The United Kingdom’s Home Office is committed to improving the UK Visas and Immigration service, by making it more convenient, quicker and easier for customers to apply for a UK visa. This includes improvements to the online customer journey, the introduction of new technology and the digitisation of services. The UKVI is changing its service […]

Aviation Safety

IATA calls on industry to respond to security threats and passenger demand

IATA) called on industry and governments to work together more closely to keep aviation secure in the face of evolving security threats and the forecast doubling of passenger demand to reach 8.2 billion by 2037. “Flying is secure. But keeping it that way is not an easy task. Threats are evolving. The geopolitical landscape is […]

New mobile app

SAA Voyager launches new mobile app

South African Airways (SAA) Voyager has launched its own SAA Voyager Mobile Application. This means that the transactional experience for Voyager members is now in the palm of members’ hand with easy navigation whilst on the go. The current SAA Mobile App only displays a customer’s status and balance of miles, whereas the first release […]

Hahn Air

Hahn Air celebrates 20th Anniversary

The German scheduled and executive charter airline, Hahn Air, celebrates the 20th anniversary of its ticketing business which was launched in 1999. The leading provider of ticketing and distribution solutions for other airlines and travel agencies will honour this milestone in its company history throughout the year with various activities. This includes seven international travel […]

Airline Safety Performance

IATA Releases 2018 Airline Safety Performance

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for the 2018 safety performance of the commercial airline industry showing continuing safety improvements over the long term, but an increase in accidents compared to 2017. The all accident rate (measured in accidents per 1 million flights) was 1.35, which was the equivalent of one accident for […]

asata-logo

ASATA Clarifies Stance on Individual Membership for ITCs

Independent travel agents who are members of ASATA-affiliated consortia, do not automatically qualify as ASATA members. Rather, these travel agents need to apply to ASATA directly to become members of the association. According to Otto de Vries, CEO ASATA, there is some confusion surrounding ITCs and ASATA membership, with some under the impression that because […]