ACSA have announced that five OR Tambo airport workers have recently been fired for luggage theft. The people who were fired were employed by various companies operating in the airport. The five were caught red-handed by the police after a recent security upgrade at the airport. Acsa is pulling out all the stops to combat luggage theft and incidents of luggage theft and tampering have dropped by one third over the past two years. Acsa spent about R7.2-million a year on luggage security measures and incidents of tampering had declined from 18 out of 1000 passengers who departed in January 2010, to 10.4 out of 1000, a year later.
Over 100 years ago Belfast created the Titanic, one of the most awe-inspiring man-made structures ever built. Through Titanic Belfast the city will celebrate its heritage in a manner befitting the scope of ingenuity, energy and ambition of the thousands who built the Titanic and made Belfast a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution. Over 100 years after the birth of the world’s most famous ship, Titanic Belfast has become a major new tourist attraction for Northern Ireland.
The Titanic Signature Building, now known as Titanic Belfast, will open on 31st March 2012 and will be a ‘must see’ visit in any tour of Belfast and Northern Ireland. It is located in the heart of Belfast, on the slipways where RMS Titanic was built. Inside this iconic building visitors will relive the entire Titanic story from her birth in Belfast to the fateful maiden voyage and her eventual discovery on the seabed.
Titanic Belfast extends over nine galleries, with multiple dimensions to the exhibition, drawing together special effects, dark rides, full-scale reconstructions and innovative interactive features to explore the Titanic story in a fresh and insightful way.
Visit: www.titanicbelfast.com
MSC Starlight Cruises will set new standards in local cruising with the introduction of luxury cruise ship MSC Opera for the 2012/13 summer season. She will join her popular sister ship MSC Sinfonia, which is already a familiar name in South African cruising, having cruised locally for the past three seasons. “The decision to send both MSC Opera and MSC Sinfonia to South Africa for the upcoming 2012/2013 season shows the level of commitment MSC Cruises has to the South African market. We will continue to invest in the destinations, and the development of port infrastructure to continuously improve the product and the guests’ overall experience,” said Allan Foggitt, head of Marketing for MSC Starlight Cruises South Africa.
Cruising is the fastest growing sector of the travel industry worldwide and South Africa is no exception, with phenomenal growth experienced over the past few years. The prime reason for this growth is the exceptional value offered by cruising, with all meals, accommodation and entertainment included in the price of the fare, plus the fact that children under 18 cruise and eat for free. This makes cruising not only a luxurious and exciting local holiday option, but also one of the most affordable.
The operation of both MSC Opera and MSC Sinfonia for the 2012/13 South African cruise season will enable an extra 135,000 passengers to experience Mediterranean style MSC hospitality over the course of the season. This will set a new record for local cruising, surpassing the previous record by nearly 25,000 passengers.
MSC OPERA
The 251 metre MSC Opera will arrive in Cape Town, South Africa for the first time ever on 19 November 2012 and will operate out of Durban from 22 November 2012 until early March 2013, taking over the popular Mozambique three and four night cruises from MSC Sinfonia.
MSC Opera is slightly larger than her sister ship and can accommodate over 1,700 guests. The ‘Lirica Class’ ship will bring a new elegance to local cruising and South African guests will enjoy the glamorous décor of the stately ship, with public areas enhanced by a sweeping marble reception area and magnificent open spaces with glass walls for the most spectacular ocean views.
MSC Opera hosts 856 cabins of which 172 are balcony cabins and 28 are balcony suites. The ship has four restaurants, eleven bars, two pools, and two whirlpools. The liner boasts the MSC Aurea Spa and Solarium, a disco, video games room, internet café, casino, team building facilities and a medical centre. The ship has a wonderful array of duty free shopping and caters for kids with the Buffalo Bill children’s play area. Additional facilities include the ‘Cotton Club’ bar and a stage on deck for outdoor entertainment.
MSC SINFONIA
The already popular MSC Sinfonia, which holds over 1,500 guests, will arrive in Cape Town on 28 November 2012 and operate out of Cape Town until mid-April 2013. MSC Sinfonia will replace the smaller MSC Melody which has operated the Cape for the past two seasons, allowing guests from the Cape region the opportunity to experience a totally new product from their own home port.
MSC Sinfonia will offer cruises to Mossel Bay, Hermanus, Walvis Bay, Luderitz, and, for the first time ever, an 11-night roundtrip cruise to Walvis Bay and St Helena, the remote unspoilt island where Napoleon was exiled and is buried. It is expected that the introduction of the MSC Sinfonia to the Cape will entice many more Gauteng residents to experience the different ports of call in the southern Atlantic and Indian Ocean waters.
MSC Sinfonia will also operate longer cruises from Durban to Madagascar, Mauritius and La Reunion, plus a number of coastal cruises between Durban and Cape Town, calling in at Port Elizabeth and East London.
MSC Sinfonia hosts 777 cabins, of which 132 are balcony suites. The ship also boasts four restaurants, 10 bars, two swimming pools and the luxurious MSC Aurea Spa. Guests can enjoy world class performances in the San Carlo Theatre and take advantage of the state-of-the-art fitness centre, golf simulator, casino, mini club, teen's club, disco, internet cade and luxury shopping. Additional facilities include a business and conference centre and medical centre.
Bookings for the new season are already open for both MSC Opera and MSC Sinfonia, with attractive offers for early bookings as well as special promotions for senior citizens and honeymooners.
The extensive facilities, onboard activities and entertainment on board both ships allow South African guests to tailor make their own experience in luxurious surroundings.
For more info Visit: www.msccruises.com or www.mscstarlightcruises.co.za
Avis Rent a Car has announced the launch of its Android reservations app, which enables customers to book their car rental through any Avis branch worldwide from their smartphone running the Android operating system. The Avis Android app will store the customer’s personal details securely from their first booking, which means confidential information only needs to be entered once. Reservations can also be viewed and cancelled from the app and a smart search function has been included, which displays nearby Avis branches with a map and full address. The app can be adapted for international travel and bookings.
Customers are able to search for the Avis Android app through the Android Market on their smartphones, or use the following link to download the app through their PC: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.avis.android.za
The iPhone app is already available to South African users for free through the Apple App Store. The South African based Avis Blackberry app is also available at no charge on the South Africa BlackBerry App World.
Edelweiss Air has published its long-haul Winter 2012/13 flight plan. Tampa, Florida, will also be offered once weekly through the winter 2012/13 season, as well as the flights to the Maldives, twice weekly direct and non-stop. All other Edelweiss Air flights will be operated as scheduled. Flights to Cape Town are operated on Monday and Friday, to Phuket on Wednesday and Saturday, to Mauritius, Kilimanjaro and Mombasa on Sunday, to Punta Cana on Thursday and to Varadero and Cancun on Wednesday. Flights to Colombo will no longer be offered during the Winter 2012/13 season.
Passengers travelling on Cathay Pacific who check-in using the airline’s Online Check-In facility can choose to receive a boarding pass directly on their mobile devices via email or SMS text message, enabling them to enjoy a completely paperless experience. The image, which will be accepted as a bona fide boarding pass at the airport, will include a lounge invitation, if applicable, and details of how to proceed at the airport.
At present, the Mobile Boarding Pass service is only available to passengers departing from Hong Kong and Auckland who are travelling point to point on Cathay Pacific flights. While the service is currently not available for passengers departing from Johannesburg, they would be able to use other self service functions available such as online check-in, and can either choose to use the Self-Print Boarding Pass option or proceed to designated Self Check-In Bag Drop counters at the airport to collect their boarding pass.
Steps for using the Mobile Boarding Pass service:
(1) Upon successful check-in at www.cathaypacific.com, press the “Confirm and Send” button under the Mobile Boarding Pass label and enter a mobile phone number or email address
(2) Click on the link provided in the SMS text message or email to retrieve the Mobile Boarding Pass
(3) Passengers with bags to check-in should go to the designated Self Check-In Bag Drop counters to drop off their bags at least 45 minutes before departure
(4) Proceed to the security checkpoint and Immigration with the Mobile Boarding Pass
(5) Passengers with no checked bags need to be at the boarding gate Service Desk at least 30 minutes prior to departure to ensure all documents are valid for travel
(6) Scan the Mobile Boarding Pass at the boarding gate
(7) Show the Mobile Boarding Pass to the flight attendants when boarding the aircraft
Cathay Pacific’s Mobile Boarding Pass service will be progressively introduced across the airline’s network. More details at www.cathaypacific.com/mobile_boarding_pass
Master Chef Nobu Matsuhisa is coming aboard Crystal Serenity this May to serve as in-person Executive Chef in Silk Road and the Sushi Bar, his specialty restaurants with ultra-luxe partner Crystal Cruises. The world-famous Japanese chef plans to give cooking instructions, personally prepare dishes, take pictures with guests, and sign autographs during a 12-day western European/Mediterranean voyage departing May 24.
Opportunities include:
•Nightly appearances and guest mingling in Silk Road and the Sushi Bar
•Special add-on “Omakase” dinner, with sake and sake champagne pairings chosen by Sake Master Fumio Hazu, the man behind Nobu’s exclusive “living” Hokosetsu sake, plus explanations of each course by both.
•Intimate hands-on cooking class in Crystal’s kitchen for 10-12 guests
•Cooking demonstration for all guests
•Autograph signings of “NOBU’S Vegetarian Cookbook” and “NOBU the Cookbook”
•Photo opportunities
•Sake tasting with Japanese hors d'oeuvres, hosted by Mr. Hazu
Nobu’s Japanese-Peruvian fusion has been served complimentary on board every Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity sailing since 2003 and 2008, respectively. Mr. Matsuhisa personally trains all chefs, designs all menus, and schedules in-person ship visits every year for ongoing refinement. Says Crystal’s Vice President Food and Beverage Operations, Toni Neumeister: “This visit, Nobu really wanted to have more personal interaction and time with the guests who have helped make his only ocean-going culinary venture such a success through the years.”
Chef Heinz Beck, of Rome’s three Michelin Star La Pergola, Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, and Master Sommelier Bob Bath are also scheduled to host tastings and demonstrations during the “Wine and Food”-themed cruise. A seven-course “Ultimate Vintage Room Dinner” prepared by Beck and Bath will feature impossible-to-purchase fine wines for approximately $1,000/person.
The “Bordeaux and Beyond” sailing departs from London/Dover for Bordeaux/Bassens (overnight), Lisbon, Gibraltar, Monte Carlo (overnight), Florence/Livorno, Porto Venere, and Rome/Civitavecchia. Until February 28, fares for the 12-day cruise start at $3,955/person, double occupancy, including $1,000/person in “Book Now” savings with additional savings via Crystal’s Family Memories and Bonus Share the Experience programs.
Extraordinary culinary experiences are a hallmark of every Crystal vacation. Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity’s extensive, innovative choices for gourmandizing include the ultra-luxury line’s coveted cheese and wine cellars, overseen by on-board, certified cheese and wine sommeliers (Court of Master Sommeliers-certified); fresh, chef-like cocktails served by certified mixologists; and gourmet dining options at every meal, whether in the Crystal Dining Room, at afternoon tea, or in Nobu Matsuhisa and Piero Selvaggio’s specialty restaurants.
For more information and Crystal reservations, contact a travel agent, call Cruises International on 011 327-0327 or visit www.cruises.co.za
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