Carry On: News for business travellers

Qatar adds Belgrade, Warsaw, Chicago
Capitals in eastern Europe and Chicago are the latest destinations to join the growing Qatar Airways network from its base in Doha. Services to Belgrade, capital of Serbia, will start on November 20 with a thrice-weekly schedule via Ankara using a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft. Two weeks later, beginning December 5, Qatar will add the Polish capital of Warsaw with a four-times-a-week service, also using Airbus A320s. This comes with the announcement that daily flights to Chicago – the carrier’s fourth US gateway – will start from April 10 next year. This will use long-haul Boeing 777-300 Extended Range aircraft with an approximate flying time of 15 hours.

SIA overhauls cabins, entertainment
Singapore Airlines is overhauling its cabins, seats and in-flight entertainment. It has appointed two design firms – BMW Group subsidiary DesignworksUSA, and UK and Singapore-based James Park Associates – to develop the next generation of products and furnishings. These will be available on new aircraft from the second half of next year, starting with the Boeing 777-300ERs, and followed by the Airbus A-350s and Boeing 787s. Planes already in service may also be retrofitted with the new designs.

Cruise Week sails next month
The nation’s largest cruise promotion kicks off in September with dozens of lines offering deals. The International Cruise Council Australasia’s (ICCA) inaugural National Cruise Week will run from September 3-9. 2012. Deals offer savings of up to 4%, free cabin upgrades, onboard credit and 50% off partner fares. The offers from 30 cruise lines will be available only through ICCA member travel agents. New Zealand is one of the fastest growing cruise markets in the world with 56,479 New Zealanders taking a cruise holiday in 2011, up 32% on the previous year. Further information is at www.nationalcruiseweek.co.nz.

Cruising through Alaska
Cruiseabout has a Vancouver airport to pier transfer and a seven-night cruise on the Diamond Princess taking in Ketchikan (Canada); and then Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, College Fjord, Anchorage, Mt McKinley, Denali National Park and Fairbanks (Alaska). All main meals and entertainment onboard are inclusive. Also included the $1999 cost (per person, twin share basis) are $US75 onboard credit per stateroom, a three-night Denali Explorer tour, a natural history tour and hotel to Fairbanks airport transfer from.
For further details are at www.cruiseabout.co.nz.

Etihad goes daily to Brisbane
About 50,000 more passengers will travel to Queensland each year, with Etihad Airways announcing daily flights between Brisbane and Dubai via Singapore. The new flights will be introduced from February 1 next year. The current service is three flights a week.  Earlier this week, China Southern Airline announced it would start tri-weekly flights from Guangzhou to Brisbane via Cairns, following a similar announcement last month from China Eastern.

BA returns to Sri Lanka
British Airways is resuming its service to Sri Lanka, after 15 years of service suspension, on March 31, 2013. It will extend an existing three weekly flight from London-Gatwick to Male in the Maldives on to Colombo, although it does not have local traffic rights on Male-Colombo sector. BA last operated a London-Dubai -Colombo service twice a week until March 28, 1998. It also operated a Colombo service in the mid-1980s until May 21, 1988.