CARRY ON: News for business travellers

Cosmos adds Cuba tour
Cosmos has launched its first Cuba tour with an eight-day holiday priced from $1051 per person twin share. The new Rhythms of Cuba tour includes four nights in Havana with visits to a cigar factory and rum museum. Two nights are spent in the port city of Cienfuegos and an overnight stay in the Unesco World Heritage site of Vinales Valley, known for its underground rivers and pin-cushion shaped scenery. Tours include breakfast and dinner daily, sightseeing and accommodation with departures from April to December, 2012.

Daily Shanghai service coming
Air China, one of China’s big three international airlines, will provide Kiwi travellers with their final hop to Beijing via Shanghai. Air New Zealand is dropping its twice-weekly direct service to Beijing on June 30, while adding a fifth weekly flight to Shanghai from July 4. It hopes to offer a daily service within 12 months. The Beijing flights will be code-shared as Air China is also a Star Alliance member and offers convenient connections between Beijing and Shanghai, Air NZ says. It also says it has appointed the first ever head of Asia operations, Sandeep Bahl, who is based in Shanghai.

Dunedin fares rise
Air New Zealand says it may drop some jet services to Dunedin if higher airport charges are passed on to passengers and result in less traffic. Dunedin’s 78% hike in aircraft charges works out to fare increases of $4 to or from Auckland and $3 to on Christchurch and Wellington services. Air New Zealand offers mainly Boeing 737s and smaller ATRs, with the latter likely to pick up removal of any jet services. Air New Zealand has also criticised increased airport charges at Wellington, say these will also add to travel costs.

Uniworld offers Italian river cruises
New Zealanders holidaying in Italy will be soon be able to cruise the Po River and the Venice Lagoon when Uniworld Boutique River Cruises becomes the first major river cruise line to operate in the region from April 2013. The cruises include all onboard meals and drinks along with excursions, entertainment and complimentary transfers. Uniworld’s cruise-only Venice and the Po River option of eight days is priced from $4105 per person twin share, while the 13-day Splendours of Italy trip starts as $7730 per person twin share. This combines a seven-night river cruise along the Po River and the Venice Lagoon with a two-night land stay in Florence and three nights in Rome.

Dragonair boosts Asian cities
Dragonair will launch the first direct non-stop services between Hong Kong and two popular Asian tourist destinations, Jeju in South Korea and Chiang Mai in Thailand. The Jeju service will begin from May 1 with three flights a week, while Chiang Mai will be a seasonal scheduled service with four flights a week operating from July 1 to the end of September. Dragonair also announced the resumption of scheduled services to Taichung, Taiwan. All services will be use A320 aircraft. Dragonair will have a total of 38 destinations by July, including 19 cities in China.