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PATA Annual Summit dates announced

PACIFIC ASIA TRAVEL ASSOCIATION (PATA) has announced new dates for the next PATA Annual Summit. Originally scheduled to take place live and in-person in March, the forum will now be held from October 25 to 27, 2022 in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE.

The event will be the first time that the not-for-profit travel trade association, the largest spanning Asia-Pacific, will host its Annual Summit in West Asia. Hosted by Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), the three-day event brings together international thought leaders, industry shapers and senior decision-makers who are invested in driving tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific.  The PATA association network consists of both public and private entities representing every facet of the travel ecosystem – government, tourism offices, hotels, airlines, MNCs, SMEs, universities, and other travel-related companies with interests in the Asia Pacific region,

Will be hosted in various locations across the Emirate, including the Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, The Ritz-Carlton Al Wadi Desert and Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Center.

 

CFM and Airbus to pioneer green tech  

CFM International (CFM), the 50/50 joint company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines, and Airbus have signed an agreement to collaborate on a hydrogen demonstration program that will take flight around the middle of this decade. The program objective is to ground and flight test a direct combustion engine fueled by hydrogen, in preparation for entry-into-service of a zero-emission aircraft by 2035.

“This is the most significant step undertaken at Airbus to usher in a new era of hydrogen-powered flight since the unveiling of our ZEROe concepts back in September 2020,” said Sabine Klauke, Airbus Chief Technical Officer. “By leveraging the expertise of American and European engine manufacturers to make progress on hydrogen combustion technology, this international partnership sends a clear message that our industry is committed to making zero-emission flight.”

 

Delta and Aeromexico launch touchless check-in

TRAVELLING on an itinerary that includes flights on both Aeromexico and Delta is getting easier thanks to seamless technology introduced by the two SkyTeam member airlines. Travellers can now check in digitally and get their boarding passes through either airline’s self-service channels, then go directly to security without needing to use a kiosk or see an agent, offering a faster, touchless airport experience.

More than 300,000 customers have already successfully used the service, paving the way for a wider rollout of the technology across more SkyTeam members in 2022.

“Now more than ever it is key to have a reliable digital ecosystem that helps us offer a smooth travel experience.  Thanks to our joint efforts with SkyTeam, we have enabled this new functionality that reaffirms the seamless travel journey between Aeromexico and Delta Air Lines, and soon with other alliance partners,” said Andres Castañeda, Aeromexico’s Executive Vice President, Digital and Customer Experience. "This work manifests all members’ commitment to offering a cutting-edge service for all our customers."

 

Flight Centre secures majority stake 

THE Flight Centre Travel Group (FLT) has increased its investment in travel technology business TPConnects Technologies (TPC). TPC is a Software as a Service (SaaS) business, which aims to shape the future of travel distribution and has been at the forefront of ongoing changes to traditional distribution models, from 22.5% to 70%.

TPC aggregates content from multiple sources including global distribution systems (GDSs), which airlines traditionally utilised to distribute air content, low-cost carriers (LCCs), emerging supplier-direct channels, specifically airlines’ New Distribution Capability (NDC) offerings; and other third party NDC aggregators

The business offers travel agents a range of solutions to access aggregated air content via the TPC Universal API (application programming interface), which can be directly integrated into any user interface, or via agency business-to-business (B2B) platforms such as the NDC marketplace portal.

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