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•  European Union transport ministers have signed a second Open Skies deal with the United States at a meeting in Luxemburg. The move is designed to reduce barriers to the foreign ownership of airlines, and could be worth over €12 billion to the European economy.

Airlines

•  The North Atlantic  joint venture set up by the Air France-KLM Group and Delta Air Lines is being joined by Alitalia with Rome as a core hub.  Launched in April 2009, the multi-party agreement created a single, co- ordinated network for passengers who could gain maximum flexibility in their journey between Europe and the United States . At present, 250 daily transatlantic flights are operated by the  SkyTeam  members representing 26 % of the traffic and a turn over of around 10 billions dollars.

• All Economy Class passengers on   Air India   have from now to pay an additional 10,3 % tax on all domestic AND INTERNATIONAL flights.

•   Finnair , heavily promoting its connections to the Far East from Helsinki and northern Europe, is to add  Singapore  to its list of destinations from spring next year. The airline points out that Singapore is an ideal hub for connecting to its oneworld partners and their services to Australia and Southeast Asia . Finnair will operate the Singapore service with Airbus A340 aircraft. The new route will be opened on 30 May 2011

•   Iberia is focusing on Central American destinations   from the United Kingdom , with Madrid as the jumping off point as an alternative to Miami .  On 1 October Iberia,  the Spanish airline, will make  San Salvador  its fourth direct Central American destination, while flights between Madrid and Panama City, which are now combined with those to Guatemala, will become non-stop, saving passengers connecting from London more than three hours' flight time.   

•  With effect from the start of the new winter schedule on 31 October 2010,  KLM Royal Dutch Airlines  will launch scheduled service between Amsterdam  and  Kigali  International Airport in Rwanda . Kigali will then become KLM's 64th intercontinental destination. Five flights a week will be offered to Kigali with an intermediate stopover in Entebbe .  The flights will be  by Airbus A330-200 . 

•   Lufthansa  is to introduce on 3 November a five times a week flight to  Pointe Noire, the principal port in the Republic of the Congo (pending regulatory approval).  Operated by a Boeing 737-800 from PrivatAir , flights to the Congolese city include a stopover in Libreville ( Gabon ).  

• Qatar   Airways   will add six new European and Asian routes to its services, including thrice weekly flights to Nice via Milan from November 24 and five flights a week to   Brussels   from January 31.

Hotels

•  Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced that  Four Points  by Sheraton Bangkok, Sukhumvit 15 — Thailand 's first Four Points by Sheraton hotel — located just off of Sukhumvit Road amid a central hub for some of  Bangkok's  most exciting shopping and nightlife is scheduled to open in October 2010 .

•   Egypt   is now home to the new   Kempinski   boutique hotel ion   Cairo   . Set in the heart of the ancient capital, in the elite district of Garden City overlooking the banks of the river Nile, Kempinski Nile boasts 137 rooms and 54 suites with private balconies and sparkling views over the mighty Nile .

•   A new   Hilton   is now occupying the former headquarters of Royal Dutch Telecom in the embassies' district in   Den Haag , the official capital of the Netherlands . The hotel features 195 rooms, a French restaurant and 10 meeting rooms with a maximum capacity of 400 delegates. It is the fifth property under the Hilton brand in the Netherlands .

•   Gatwick Airport has a new  Premier Inn  situated in Fleming Way in the Crawley Business Quarter.  The new build property offers 204 rooms and is the sixth Whitbread/Premier Inn in the  Gatwick  conurbation.  

•  The  Signature Hotels and Resorts  brand has been launched; this new first class hotel chain from the Middle East features its first luxury hotels in Jeddah  and  Madinah  , Saudi Arabia .Managed by The Hospitality Industry Solutions it has an aggressive expansion plan to its 5 star hotel portfolio in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia .  Long term property goals include Dubai and Qatar .

•   Following an extensive renovation, the Royal Suite at  Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London , with the landscape of Hyde Park as its back garden, re-opens in July 2010.

•  Closed in December 2007 for a restoration that encompasses the entire building from the dramatic entrance and the American Bar to the Savoy Grill and to every one of the 268 guestrooms, Fairmont Hotels has set 10 October as the long-awaited reopening date for  The Savoy , arguably  London 's most iconic hotel.  Reservations will be taken from 10 August. 

•   Created in 1998, Accor's Suitehotel brand has become part of the Novotel family, with a new brand name,  Suite Novotel .    The 30sqm suites feature separate living areas and extensive inclusions such as complimentary Suite Box with free internet, unlimited films and music on demand and free local phone calls. There is also a 24-hour bar and catering, with ready-made meals, desserts and drinks from up market supplier. There are currently 26 Suite Novotel hotels, including a recent opening in  Luxembourg  , with big expansion plans for the future.

• After London , Hollywood , San Diego and New York Wall Street, the   Andaz   Fifth Avenue ,   New York   , is the fifth property of the Hyatt group in the world. Situated 485 Fifth Avenue , in front of the city's public library, the hotel features 184 rooms, including 36 suites, six of them offering a terrace with a view on the Library.

•   The new   Intercontinental New York Times Square,   44 th   Street West,   will open its doors at the end of July, featuring 607 rooms on its 36 floors, offering 32   square meters   OF   space with windows consisting   OF   glass panels from top to bottom. The hotel also features its own meeting facilities with 10 rooms of a total of 930 sqm , including a ballroom of 400.

•   InterContinental Hotels Group announces the opening of the Holiday  Inn Express Wall Street New York  , serving both business and leisure travelers visiting New York City 's financial district. Located at 124-126 Water St. at the corner of Water Street and Wall Street, the new Holiday Inn Express Wall Street New York is just two blocks from the New York Stock Exchange and three blocks from the Federal Reserve Bank.

•   Best Western  International is introducing its newest hotel in Japan - the Best Western Hotel Fino   Osaka   Shinsaibashi .  Opening on 1 July 2010, it's the 12th property to have joined the chain's expanding presence in the country.

•  IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan, the joint venture between InterContinental Hotels Group and All Nippon Airways, announced the opening of  ANA Holiday Inn   Sendai,  the first co-branded hotel between Holiday Inn and ANA Hotels . This co-brand brings together the elements of the new Holiday Inn brand with the reputation for service excellence established by ANA Hotels.

•   Ritz Carlton  has opened its second  Shanghai  hotel in Pudong a sister property to the Ritz-Carlton Portman, in the central Jing An District. The 285-room property occupies the top 18 floors of the Shanghai ifc South Tower .

•   The first IHG's   Indigo   hotel in Asia-Pacific region is to open in September in   Shanghai   . A second one is due to open in Bangkok in 2012.

•   The  Fullerton Bay  hotel, part of The Fullerton Heritage waterfront strip that runs down Collyer Quay, has opened on July 8.   The new-build hotel in Singapore's  central business district offers 100 rooms, five individually-themed suites and a Presidential Suite, as well as three signature culinary offerings. 

Have a nice day!