Marriott Hotel launch Marriott Resort Momi Bay
Marriott Hotels celebrates the opening of its first hotel in Fiji, as Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay welcomes guests to an unspoiled corner of this South Pacific island paradise.
“We are delighted to announce the opening of the first property under the Marriott Hotels brand in Fiji,” said Silvano Dressino, General Manager of Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay. “The resort is located in a beautiful, untouched area of Fiji, making it the ideal spot for families and friends to explore.”
Nestled on the secluded beaches of Momi Bay on the western coast of Viti Levu, Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay is an exotic destination defined by its idyllic natural surroundings. “We want our guests to experience aesthetically pleasing spaces that help foster their inventive nature,” said Matthew Carroll, Vice President, Marriott Hotels. “Marriott Hotels has consistently pushed to create experiences that inspire our guests’ creativity, and where else is more inspirational than an overwater villa in Fiji.”
New Singapore Airlines code-share with Air France/KLM
Singapore Airlines and regional subsidiary SilkAir have signed a memorandum of understanding with Air France-KLM to codeshare on each other’s flights with effect from April 27, 2017.
Under the agreement, which is subject to regulatory approvals, Singapore Airlines will add its ‘SQ’ designator code to Air France-operated flights beyond Paris to ten destinations – Aberdeen, Bordeaux, Edinburgh, Lisbon, Lyon, Madrid, Marseille, Newcastle, Nice and Toulouse.
Air France will in turn add its ‘AF’ designator code to Singapore Airlines-operated flights beyond Singapore to Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, as well as on SilkAir-operated flights to Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia, and Phuket in Thailand.
737 MAX 9 completes first flight
The Boeing 737 MAX 9 has completed its first flight in the skies above Puget Sound.
The 737 MAX program achieved the milestone on schedule, beginning a comprehensive flight-test program leading to certification and delivery.
“The MAX 9’s first flight is another milestone that continues the program’s strong track record of progress,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes president, Kevin McAllister.
“The MAX family of airplanes offers more value than any competitor and its strong market acceptance is reflected in over 3,700 airplanes on order from 86 customers around the world.”
Virgin Australia will be receiving the Boeing 737 MAX 8 series between 2019-2021 and will be the first Australian airline to fly the next generation aircraft.
Qantas teams up with Aussie artists for amenity kits
Qantas has commissioned some of Australia’s leading artists, photographers and digital influencers to feature their work on the airline’s international Business class amenity kits.
With artworks named Fairy Bread, 7000 Ironbarks and Maaate, the initiative called ‘Qantas Curates’ has seen the airline work with professional Australian contemporary art curators to select artworks from 16 Australians specialising in a variety of different styles including pop culture, photography, fine art, abstract landscape, Indigenous art and textile design.
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From 1 May the new range of amenity kits (eight types for men and eight for women) will be offered to Business class customers on international flights, with two designs launching every few months.
Wi-Fi switched on for Qantas
Still on Qantas … the carrier has switched on inflight Wi-Fi for customers travelling on board its internet-capable Boeing 737-800, offering fast, free connectivity on Australian domestic flights.
Following months of performance testing with global broadband services provider ViaSat and the NBN Sky Muster™ satellite service, Wi-Fi will now operate in beta mode on a single Boeing 737 aircraft (registration VH-XZB) so customers can test it out for themselves on selected flights while Qantas continues to fine-tune the system.
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Testing is expected to be complete by mid-year, and from there installation of the technology is expected to begin on Qantas’ domestic fleet of Airbus 330s and Boeing 737s. The roll-out across 80 aircraft will be completed at the end of 2018.
Party-time coming to the west
Polish your dancing shoes, pack your glad rags and head to Dunsborough, Busselton and Margaret River in WA’s South West for the June long weekend (2-5 June) and the biggest Jazz by the Bay festival to date.
With more than 40 events across 20 locations and 200+ musicians descending on the Margaret River Region for 4 days, the joint will be jumping.
In 2017 there are new venues on board, international and interstate acts, returning favourites, and some of the State’s best jazz, soul and funk talent.
You can find the full schedule at http://www.jazzbythebay.com.au/view/program.
This year’s highlights include:
- Buena Vista Social Club Young Guns with Adam Hall and the Velvet Playboys (Piano Box Jazz Bar, Old Broadwater Farm
- Vintage Hollywood Jazz – Cathrine Summers and her 6-piece ensemble delighting guests with a cheeky up-tempo night of vintage classics at Chandeliers on Abbey. Cathrine will also be performing at Ramada Resort Dunsborough with her trio
- The Steve McQueens – a neo-vintage soul-funk band from Singapore with a gorgeous sound, Clancy’s Fish Pub Red Room
Virgin Australia celebrates with a tipple
Virgin Australia has been named as ‘Best for Onboard Beverages’ at the Onboard Hospitality Awards 2017, held in Hamburg this week.
The airline received the global award for The Duo, a customised wine developed in partnership with Barossa Valley winery St Hallett and Fine Wine Partners specifically for consumption at high altitude and to complement ‘The Business’ menu designed by Virgin Australia resident chef Luke Mangan.
RELATED STORY: Virgin Australia announce flights to Hong Kong
The judges, George Banks and Nikos Loukas, said: “A specially-blended wine from an historic wine producing region, this wine had a great taste on the palate with a balance of strength and elegance. It also brings an interesting back story and links to the onboard wine service.”
American Airlines bring Dreamliner to Australia
What can Sydney-Los Angeles flyers expect on board the new American Airlines Boeing Dreamliner 787?
US-bound travel from Australia just got a big boost, with the announcement by American Airlines that it will begin flying its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner between Sydney and Los Angeles, as well introduce its new Premium Economy class on the route.
Replacing the current B777-300ER aircraft, the enhanced service will commence on 8 November 2017, and will also feature American’s Main Cabin Extra and its latest Business Class suite. AA’s newest aircraft type, which was rolled out late last year, boasts electronically dimmable windows, larger overheads, reduced noise levels, and improved altitude and humidity levels.
American Airlines Australia and NZ general manager Simon Dodd said that with the service, AA would become the first US carrier to bring a Premium Economy cabin down under.
Princess Cruises bring its biggest ship Downunder
Ann Sherry, Executive Chairman of Carnival Australia, announced Majestic Princess will make her way down under for her inaugural visit to Australia in September 2018.
Princess Cruises latest new-build ship, Majestic Princess, will be based in Sydney from September 2018 to March 2019. Carrying 3560 guests, the 143,000-tonne Majestic Princess, which debuted on a cruise in Italy last week, will be the largest Princess ship ever to sail in Australian waters.
Whilst based down under, Majestic Princess will sail on 16 cruises to destinations including Fiji, New Zealand and Tasmania, as well as two Asia voyages between Shanghai and Sydney, and Sydney and Hong Kong.
Ready for your next holiday?