JULY - AUGUST 2017 Dear colleagues, It is our goal to always keep our clients updated on any news/changes in the travel industry. (Travel regulations changes that include: passport, visas, penalties etc.). Additionally, you can find useful information in our website for the latest developments concerning Mta7, the global marine travel alliance, where Aspida Travel is a founding member (www.mtaseven.com). Two More Airlines Have US Laptop Ban Lifted Royal Jordanian and Kuwait Airways have joined the list of carriers now allowing passengers to carry-on larger electronic devices onto flights to the United States. Royal Jordanian said the ban, dating back to March of this year, had been lifted on flights to the US from Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport. Royal Jordanian's chief executive Stefan Pichler said in a statement: “Enhanced security measures are now implemented to meet the requirements of the US Department of Homeland Security’s new security guidelines for all US bound flights.” Royal Jordanian operates 16 flights each week to three US cities - Chicago, New York and Detroit. Kuwait Airways said it had worked with the US DHS to ensure security checks at Kuwait International Airport met the department's requirements. The airline flies to New York from Kuwait. The airlines join Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, which have already been approved by US authorities. Saudi Arabian Airlines expects to have its ban lifted by July 19, and Royal Air Maroc says it expects its ban to be lifted on the same day. The US Department of Homeland Security issued a directive in March that applied to ten airports and nine airlines. Passengers flying to the US from those airports can only take mobile phones into the aircraft cabin. Larger devices such as laptops and tablets must be put in checked baggage. The British government later issued a similar order, banning larger electronic devices from aircraft cabins for flights to the UK from six Middle East and North African countries. Source : news.airwise.com QR-EGYPTIAN NATIONALS TO STATE OF QATAR UPDATE Please be informed that, with immediate effect, Egyptian Nationals holding valid Residence permit in any of GCC countries will not be accepted to State of QATAR Until Further Notice. Passengers holding Valid Residence Permit for Qatar can be accepted but will be reviewed and clearance will be on subject to approval from Immigration. Please find below further updates in details as received from Hamad International Airport Immigration Authorities: · Egyptian Nationals holding residence permit in KSA / UAE / BAH not to be accepted for Visa On Arrival in DOH Until Further Notice, but can be accepted for transiting DOH with a confirmed onward ticket and will remain in transit. · Egyptian Nationals holding Valid Residence Permit in Oman and Kuwait can be accepted for Visa On Arrival in DOH with Eligible profession for Visa On Arrival. · Egyptian Nationals holding Valid Residence Permit for State of Qatar OK to accept. · Egyptian Nationals holding visa will be re-viewed and clearance will be on subject to approval from Immigration. · NO Restriction for Egyptian Nationals transiting DOH provided passengers hold confirmed onward ticket. QR-JORDANIAN NATIONALS TO STATE OF QATAR UPDATE Please be informed that, according to the updated information received from Immigration Authorities in Qatar : · Jordanian nationals holding a Saudi, Emirati, or Bahraini residence permit cannot avail a Visa on Arrival (VOA) in Doha until further notice. · However, they can transit through Doha and must remain in the transit area. · Jordanian nationals holding an entry visa for Qatar can be accepted for travel. Alitalia to Resume Service between India and Italy Alitalia will return to India after a nine-year absence. On 30 October 2017, the Italian airline will inaugurate a new direct New Delhi-Rome flight, resuming service between India and Italy. New Delhi is Alitalia’s second new intercontinental destination of 2017, following Male, Maldives (from 31 October), and the extension of direct flights to Los Angeles, USA, for the upcoming winter season. The new daily New Delhi-Rome service will operate for the whole winter season until 24 March 2018. The decision to launch this new service was taken to meet the increasing demand for flights between the two countries: Italy, in fact, is the second European country, after Great Britain, for arrivals from India. Passengers will feel they’ve already arrived in Italy upon boarding Alitalia’s newly designed Airbus A330 operating the flight, equipped with exclusive Made in Italy amenities. Passengers arriving at Rome Fiumicino airport from New Delhi will benefit from easy connections to 39 cities in Italy, Europe, North Africa and the Americas served by Alitalia including cultural capitals (such as Florence, Pisa, Venice, Paris) and many more (such as four US destinations, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Miami, as well as Havana). Departures from New Delhi operate every day at 4.40 am, and arrive in Rome at 9.00 am local time. Guests arriving at Rome Fiumicino airport from New Delhi with connections to other cities will have a Transit Team to assist them and ensure they reach their next departure gate on time. Departures from Rome Fiumicino operate every day at 2.40 pm local time, and arrive in New Delhi at 2.40 am local time the next day. This schedule is ideal for Alitalia passengers to connect to many other cities across India, such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur and Bangalore thanks to special agreements between Alitalia and Jet Airways, as well as with other major Indian airlines. Source : aviationtribune.com China Southern Airlines – New Destinations Vientiane On 27 September 2017, China Southern will add Vientiane to their route network with 3 weekly flights from CAN to VTE. Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, a country in Southeast Asia that borders Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and China. China Southern already operates flights to all neighboring countries including Vietnam and Cambodia, so the addition of Vientiane makes different roundtrip in Indochina possible. It is easy to get to Vientiane, the heart of Laos, from Amsterdam even though the connecting time in Guangzhou is more than 8 hours. Passengers are entitled to a free transit hotel in Guangzhou or can make use of the 72 hours visa-free regulation and get a free travel package to explore the city. The passenger does not have to book this additional service in advance, there is always sufficient availability. Cairns Currently China Southern is flying to 7 destinations in Oceania, but by the end of 2017 this will change into 8. Cairns is the newest addition to the Canton Route and located in the northern part of Australia. From 13 December, China Southern will fly 3 times a week from CAN to CSN. Cairns, the gateway to Queensland’s tropical north, is known of the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest. Travel easily around Australia’s East Coast and combine beautiful Cairns with metropolitan Sydney and vibrant Melbourne. Gulfair’s Certificate of Appreciation for 2016 Aspida Travel received the Certificate of Appreciation by Gulf Air, for our valuable support and contribution to Gulf Air Athens for the year 2016. Many Airline Passengers Still Prefer Interacting With Employees Instead of Technology Airline passengers who use mobile phones or self-service kiosks to handle simple tasks at airports, such as checking in for flights or dropping off checked luggage, are happier than customers who prefer face-to-face interactions, according to a new survey from SITA, a company that provides technology solutions to carriers. Self-service options are almost always faster for travelers, and in some cases, passengers using mobile apps may access information easier than airport employees. An app, for example, might tell a passenger a flight is delayed before an agent knows it. And a good app allows passengers on delayed or canceled flights to rebook themselves quickly. Sometimes apps even offer more options than airport agent would. “Passengers are not just carrying their devices — they are happy to use them throughout the journey,” SITA said in its report. Amazingly, however, a significant number of passengers still rely on airline employees for help at airports, SITA’s survey found. Nearly half of passengers said they usually check-in face-to-face with airline employees in an airport lobby, with 28 percent using the Web, 15 percent preferring a kiosk, and 5 percent using a mobile phone app. Meanwhile, more than four in five customers still speak to an agent to check bags, even though many airlines have self-service bag drops. In its annual survey, SITA asked questions about air travel to more than 7,000 passengers flying full-service and low-cost airlines from 17 countries in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. To participate, a traveler had to fly at least once in the past three months. Over time, SITA predicts more customers will prefer self-service, not only for check-in and baggage tagging, but also for other elements, such boarding, and even postarrival baggage tracking. According to SITA, travelers have the devices they need to handle most tasks themselves, with 98 percent carrying at least one mobile device, and 70 percent carrying two. Then again, mobile may not be the future. SITA also expects more passengers will embrace biometrics so they can move even faster through airports and passport control. It found 57 percent of passengers would use a biometric token for their next flight, assuming it helped them move faster from the airport lobby to the gate. Still, SITA noted that about one third of passengers have privacy concerns about biometric technology, which includes facial scans, fingerprints and iris scans.