Search Results for747
EVA to retire Boeing 747s in August
EVA Air's Boeing 747-400 aircraft EVA Air's last Boeing 747 aircraft will be retired in August. The 372-seat, three-class aircraft is the largest passenger jet in EVA's fleet, but these aging jets are gradually being replaced by newer, more fuel-efficient models. EVA’s last remaining 747 will take off for the final time on 21 August 2017, on the route between Taipei's Taoyuan International Airport and Hong Kong, marking a major milestone in the airline’s fleet renewal process. These four-engined aircraft have been gradually removed from service in recent months and years, and replaced by EVA's expanding fleet of twin-engined 777-300ERs and Airbus A330-300s. The airline also has outstanding orders for 24 787 Dreamliner aircraft, including 20 787-10s - the largest version of the new fuel-efficient jet. Several other Asian airlines have retired their 747s in recent years, including Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Japan Airlines. Boeing has produced a new, more fuel-efficient version of the 747, but it has not proven popular with passenger airlines.
EVA Air to retire Boeing 747s this year
EVA Air's Boeing 747-400 aircraft EVA Air is accelerating the retirement of its Boeing 747 fleet, bringing forward the scheduled date of the final flight from October to August 2017. The Taiwanese carrier currently operates three 747-400 aircraft, which are still the largest in its fleet with a total of 372 seats in three classes. But these are being gradually replaced by new long-haul jets, including the Boeing 777-300ER. As a result, EVA's final 747 flight will operate between Taipei and Shanghai on 20 August. EVA's long-haul fleet renewal programme will continue in the coming years when it starts taking delivery of its new fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Like many current and former 747 operators, EVA has decided against buying the new version of the aircraft, the 747-8 Intercontinental.
37 dead as Boeing 747 crashes in Kyrgyzstan
The aircraft was operated by ACT Airlines, a Turkish cargo carrier A large cargo plane crashed in Kyrgyzstan on Monday morning, killing at least 37 people. The incident occurred when the Boeing 747 aircraft, operated by Turkey's ACT Airlines, crashed while landing at Manas airport, 25km north of the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. The flight had taken off from Hong Kong. The wide-body jet left the end of the runway and crashed into houses in a village located next to the airport. At least 15 buildings are reported to have been destroyed. In a statement, ACT Airlines said the aircraft had crashed for "an unknown reason", but freezing fog was reported at the airport at the time of the incident. Boeing said it was ready send a technical team to Kyrgyzstan, if requested by the investigating authorities.
Photo Glimpses: PATA Annual Summit 2025
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) held the PATA Annual Summit 2025 (PAS 2025) from 21-23 April at the CVK Park Bosphorus Hotel in İstanbul, Türkiye. We bring you glimpses from the same.
LW Design Group’s Raffles Shenzhen shines as a marvel of architecture and design
Revolutionary luxury hospitality design firm LW Design Group presents the breathtaking interiors of the impressive Raffles Shenzhen. Located on top of the 80-story One Shenzhen Bay tower, this project exemplifies LW’s dedication to creating distinctive environments that blend cultural authenticity with contemporary sophistication. With panoramic views of the Pearl River Delta, Raffles Shenzhen redefines urban opulence, offering guests an unparalleled experience of elegance and comfort. Group founder and chief executive Jesper Godsk said: "We wanted the design to complement the views, not compete with them. Our vision was to craft interiors that reflect the cultural richness of Shenzhen while embracing the spectacular surroundings." As such, the hotel features 168 meticulously designed guest rooms and suites, including a grand 465-square-meter Presidential Suite. The LW Dubai team approached the project with a focus on integrating the region's natural beauty into the design, ensuring the vistas became an intrinsic element of the guest experience. According to Godsk: “Our vision for Raffles Shenzhen was to create a sanctuary that combines the comforts of home with the luxuries of a five-star hotel. By drawing inspiration from the surrounding beauty, cultural heritage, and modern lifestyle of Shenzhen, we were able to craft a space that resonates with both warmth and grandeur.” An exquisite mix of luxury and functionality From the moment guests arrive, they are transported to a world of understated elegance. The Sky Lobby on the 34th floor welcomes visitors with double-height ceilings, expansive windows, and a rich material palette of warm timber, marble, and metal accents. The design creates a harmonious balance between opulence and comfort, evoking a sense of home while showcasing the grandeur of the Pearl River Delta. The banqueting floor exemplifies LW’s meticulous attention to detail, as it features recessed high ceilings with concealed lighting provide a flexible and sophisticated ambiance for events, from intimate meetings to grand celebrations in the ballroom. A thoughtful mix of materials creates texture and warmth, while subtle design elements pay homage to contemporary Chinese aesthetics. The ultimate urban sanctuary The guest rooms and suites are masterpieces of design, offering a serene retreat high above Shenzhen. Neutral tones are paired with nature-inspired accents, while silk-screen wall panels and curated artifacts add depth and character to the spaces. The Presidential Suite, the pinnacle of luxury, features warm amber hues, plush fabrics, and rich metallic finishes that create an atmosphere of refined elegance. A refined take on relaxation and wellness The Raffles Spa, located on the 33rd floor, is a crowning achievement of the project. LW reimagined the spa as a luxurious sanctuary, blending opulence with a homely atmosphere. Divided into zones for relaxation and activity, the spa's design transitions from darker, calming tones to lighter, energizing palettes. Bronze accents, herringbone-patterned oak floors, and soft residential touches, such as cushions and candles in lucky shades of green, create a tranquil and immersive environment. The epitome of fine dining Raffles Shenzhen also offers a variety of dining spaces, each uniquely designed to enhance the culinary experience. On the ground floor, a cake shop mimics the elegance of a bespoke jewelry store, complete with amethyst-inspired lighting and glass display cases. The all-day dining restaurant on the 34th floor combines modern Chinese design with luxurious details, including black lacquered doors, duck egg blue shagreen insets, and patterned marble floors. Guests can enjoy their meals seated on plush sofas along expansive windows, with light bronze screens creating semi-private dining spaces. The Japanese signature restaurant is a celebration of contemporary minimalism, featuring dark marble finishes, rose-gold accents, and a cherry blossom motif. Inspired by Japanese autumnal maple leaves, the rust velvet seating and floor-to-ceiling sake displays create an intimate, authentic dining experience.
Lufthansa Redefines Premium Travel with Allegris First Class
Lufthansa is elevating the luxury travel experience with its new Allegris First Class cabin, now bookable for flights starting 30 March 2025. As part of its ongoing premium upgrade, Allegris First Class represents a bold reimagining of comfort and exclusivity for travellers on select routes from Munich to destinations such as San Francisco, Chicago, San Diego, Shanghai, and Bengaluru. A New Standard of Comfort The Allegris First Class suites set an unmatched standard in privacy and luxury: Individual Suites: Ceiling-high walls with lockable doors, wide seats with temperature controls, personal wardrobes, and a 43-inch screen paired with wireless over-ear headphones. Suite Plus: Designed for couples or single passengers, this double cabin features wide seats that transform into a double bed, delivering a flying private room experience. Each suite is thoughtfully crafted to ensure travellers can create their own “feel-good” atmosphere with personal lighting and spacious amenities, redefining the concept of exclusivity in air travel. Expanding the Premium Experience The Allegris First Class cabin is part of a comprehensive Lufthansa premium offensive. Renovated First Class check-in areas and a redesigned lounge at Munich Airport further enhance the passenger experience. Onboard, the Allegris cabin is available across Economy, Premium Economy, and Business Class, debuting on routes to New York-Newark in April, and Charlotte from August. In addition to new cabin designs, Lufthansa is retrofitting its existing fleet, including the Boeing 747-8, ensuring passengers across the fleet benefit from elevated travel experiences. Innovations for All Travellers Lufthansa is committed to bringing sustainable improvements to all passengers. Starting this summer: Unlimited free messaging: Guests on intercontinental flights can stay connected via apps, sending messages and photos from their devices, regardless of travel class. Enhanced onboard services: Under the “Future Onboard Experience,” travellers will enjoy upgraded culinary offerings, new tableware, refined amenity kits, and redesigned onboard service elements—all launching in time for Lufthansa’s 100th birthday celebrations next year. Business Class Upgrades and Loyalty Perks Business Class passengers can enjoy a revamped catering concept on short and medium-haul flights, offering expanded menu options. Frequent flyers will benefit from redesigned lounges, including the recently completed renovations in Newark and London Heathrow, with plans to renovate 30 more lounges this year. Embracing Technology Travellers departing Frankfurt can take advantage of innovative baggage collection services, including the ability to locate their luggage using Apple AirTag technology. Whether flying First Class, Business Class, or Economy, Lufthansa is redefining the travel experience with innovation, comfort, and exclusivity. Ready to experience the Allegris cabin? Visit Lufthansa.com.
AirAsia Philippines forward bookings for April/May hit 500K
With the vacation season coming up in the Philippines, AirAsia Philippines reports that it has received more than 500,000 forward bookings for April and May. In the same statement released on Monday, 31st March, the low-cost airline also announced that Boracay was the top destination among the domestic routes booked by passengers. The airline also noted a significant increase in demand for Cebu, Iloilo, Palawan, and Tagbilaran. In terms of global routes, the most popular bookings were for Taiwan and Japan. Seats up for grabs With the Holy Week and summer holidays coming up, AirAsia Philippines also announced a seat sale which kicked off on the 31st and will run until Sunday, 6th April. Fares can go as low as PHP 44 each on over 400,000 seats and may be booked for trips flying between 31st March and 30th September 2025. According to airline spokesperson Steve Dailisan: "Coupled with a lower fuel surcharge cost for the month of April, there’s no stopping from making that memorable trip, affordable and within reach.”
Emirates discloses seven more destinations to be served with A350
Emirates has revealed the next seven cities to be served by its A350, as more newly delivered aircraft featuring the airline’s latest cabin innovations enter scheduled service. With the latest tranche of planned Emirates A350 deployments, the airline is expanding the list of its short to medium haul destinations served in the Middle East/GCC and Europe. For the first time, the Emirates A350 will make its debut in Africa and Southeast Asia. Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline said: “Our strategic A350 expansion across diverse geographies in the Middle East/GCC, Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia leverages the aircraft’s operational flexibility and efficiency, while offering more customers expanded premium travel options and the opportunity to experience our latest generation interiors like Business Class and Premium Economy along with plenty of thoughtful touches throughout every cabin, now available in more cities than ever before.” He added: “The introduction of this aircraft and layering it on existing route schedules also enables Emirates to maintain a compelling competitive position as the airline of choice for discerning travellers looking for a unique slate of connectivity options and elevated onboard experiences they can't have with any other carrier.” The airline's latest A350 fleet additions will start scheduled operations to the following destinations: Emirates will operate the A350 six times weekly (all days except for Tuesday) to Tunis on EK 747/748 from 1 June.* Amman’s EK 905/906 will be served daily by the Emirates A350 from 1 June.* Emirates’ A350 featuring the latest cabins will land in Istanbul for the first time to commence daily operations on EK 117/118 from 1 July.* The Emirates A350’s first debut to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on its Dammam services will start on 1 July on flights EK 827/828.* The Emirates A350’s first foray into Southeast Asia will begin 1 August on the daily EK364/365 to Ho Chi Minh City.* Emirates will operate its A350 to Baghdad three times weekly (Monday, Wednesday and Sunday) on EK 941/942 from 3 August.* The Emirates A350 will debut in Oslo for the first time from 1 September on its daily EK 159/160.* Emirates will announce more A350 destinations, including long-haul routes, in the coming months as new aircraft join its fleet. In addition to the newly added cities, Emirates will layer on more A350 services to Bahrain and Kuwait. Bahrain will become a nearly all-A350 operation with the addition of the third daily EK 835/836 flight from 1 June. Kuwait will be served by a second A350 flight on the daily EK 857/858 from 1 October. In addition, Bologna will receive its first A350 on 1 June, one month ahead of its latest announced deployment date. Emirates flights to the seven A350 destinations go on sale today and can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, Emirates Retail Stores, or via travel agents. The Emirates A350 features three spacious cabin classes, accommodating 312 passengers in 32 next-generation Business Class lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and a mini-bar for quick snacks, 21 Premium Economy seats and 259 generously pitched Economy Class seats. The latest onboard products reflect the airline’s commitment to delivering a premium passenger experience along with elevated comfort across every cabin class. In addition to Emirates’ signature next-generation products and award-winning service, customers can also look forward to cutting-edge tech touches like wireless charging in Business Class, electric window blinds with the Emirates Ghaf tree motif when closed in premium classes, new touchscreen call bell buttons on ice inflight entertainment screens, digital inflight menus on ice screens, 60-watt USB C charging in every seat, with the ability to pair two Bluetooth connections for personal headphones. The airline’s next-generation version of the ice inflight entertainment system offers cinematic displays and with stunning 4K and 4K HDR set on ultra-responsive touchscreens for seamless navigation, and much more.
Rainforest Wild Asia, Singapore’s fifth wildlife park opens to the public
Image 1 (above): Minister for Sustainability and the Environment and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, Grace Fu (centre), Mandai Wildlife Group Chairman, Piyush Gupta, Singapore Tourism Board’s Chief Executive, Melissa Ow, Mandai Wildlife Group, Group CEO, Mike Barclay, Mandai Wildlife Group Deputy Chair Chong Siak Ching, Temasek International’s Head, Enterprise Development Group and Deputy Head, Singapore Market, Yeoh Keat Chuan, Mandai Wildlife Group’s President, Development, Michael Chin and, sponsor AIA Singapore, who is represented by Chief Executive Officer, AIA Singapore, Wong Sze Keed. The group is joined by Fei Yue Community Services’ seniors, and Team Singapore athletes. Photo credit: Mandai Wildlife Group Rainforest Wild Asia is open to the public! Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, Grace Fu officiated the launch of Singapore’s fifth wildlife park, welcoming the first park-goers before embarking on a rainforest adventure. Mike Barclay, Group CEO, Mandai Wildlife Group, said: “Rainforest Wild Asia captures the essence of a rainforest adventure, inviting you to fully engage with nature and discover wildlife in unexpected corners. The multi-layered experience encourages park-goers to explore a Southeast Asian rainforest up in the tree canopy, on the forest floor and below the ground in a network of cave chambers. Visitors can choose between universally designed walkways, more challenging forest treks, or an array of guided adventures. “The opening of Rainforest Wild Asia marks an exciting milestone in the wider transformation of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve to become a world-leading nature and wildlife destination. We look forward to welcoming about 900,000 guests during the first year of operations.” Minister Fu congratulated Mandai Wildlife Group on the inaugural birth of a Philippine spotted deer, a new-to-Singapore species featured in Rainforest Wild Asia, and one of the world’s rarest deer found in the wild on the Visayan Islands of the Philippines. The species is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and the birth highlights the important role human care can play in the conservation and survival of threatened species. Parkgoers will get to see the doe and her fawn in the Canopy zone of the park. A range of add-on Adventure+ and Black Adventure activities operated by Forest Adventure are designed to elevate the thrill of discovering the rainforest park. Adventure+ offers two distinct activities including Canopy Jump where guests step off a 13- or 20-metre platform for a simulated free fall and AIA Vitality Bounce, an open-sky bouncing play area which features various bounce zones at least three metres above ground. For the bolder in spirit, Black Adventure offers two guided, three-hour harnessed tours that take participants to areas that are otherwise inaccessible. On the Wild Apex Adventure, guests will climb across the Karst and Canopy habitats, safely moving along the via ferrata path on metal rungs, ladders, and suspended bridges. With some luck, they may spot the rare François' langurs scaling the vertical rock formations. The Wild Cavern Adventure takes participants on a simulated cave expedition, from abseiling in the dark to squeezing through tight spaces, navigating boulder fields, and exploring narrow tunnels. Rainforest Wild Asia opens daily from 9am to 6pm, with the last admission at 5pm. Visitors can make their way in via Mandai Wildlife West, which is a public space offering a range of dining options and playgrounds. Single-park admission is at the full price of $43 for adults, $31 for children (aged 3 to 12 years old) and $20 for local senior citizens. Local residents can enjoy a special admission rate of $33 for adults, $21 for children (aged 3 to 12 years old) to Rainforest Wild Asia from now to 31 March 2025. Sign up for WildPass, a free digital membership, to enjoy benefits from discounts on online admission ticket purchases, retail and F&B outlets or purchase a Friends of Rainforest Wild Asia or Friends of Mandai membership for unlimited annual visits to Rainforest Wild Asia or all of Singapore’s wildlife parks. Annual fees start from S$130.
IWTA Awards 2024 cont.
Photos from the Inspiring Women in Travel Awards 2024, held at Intercontinental Bangkok
Inspiring Women in Travel Awards 2024
Photos from the Inspiring Women in Travel Awards 2024, held at Intercontinental Bangkok
Photos from Travel Daily’s Inspiring Women in Travel (Asia) 2023 Awards
Check out the photos from our amazing event
January 2023: Pattaya – GEMS Mining Pool Villa & Resort
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December 2022: Phuket – Angsana Laguna Phuket XANA Beach club
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Maximum Occupancy 2022: Sheraton Grand Sydney, 5-6 April 2022
Maximum Occupancy is Australia’s premier hotel and accommodation industry conference, designed for and by the hotel industry's leaders. Suited for all types of hotel and accommodation providers and sizes, it will feature over 35+ leading industry experts and speakers from around Australia and the globe. This is THE event for any hotelier that wants to achieve maximum occupancy month after month.
How does a night of luxury including breakfast for 2 sound??
In conjunction with Westin Grande Sukhumvit, TD is giving you the opportunity to experience a night of luxury just by answering this one simple question