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Avinor, the Norwegian airport operator, has announced that it has signed a framework contract with Caverion for the installation and maintenance of access control and video surveillance at all of the Avinor-operated airports in Norway. Section Manager at Avinor, Kirsti Grottheim, said: “The safety of our travellers is Avinor’s highest priority, which is why we depend on a solid partner with high security expertise. Short response time, nationwide presence and a high number of security experts were crucial to Caverion being awarded the contract.“ The contract works to extend an original partnership that began in 2010, and represents a value of approximately €50 million. The new agreements span all 44 airports currently operated by Avinor – from Svalbard in the north to Kristiansand in the south – as well as the technical centre in Asker and the control centre in Røyken. Knut Gaaserud, Executive Vice President of Caverion Norway, said: “We are pleased with the trust Avinor continues ...

Avinor, the firm operating Norway’s 44 state-owned airports, is rolling out an end-to-end touchless travel programme to tackle the impact of COVID-19 and help restore traveller confidence ahead of Norway’s summer season. Passengers travelling from Norway’s airports will be able to check in, drop off bags, pass through security and board aircraft without interpersonal contact, or the need to touch physical machines. A passenger will check in for a flight remotely and then receive a boarding pass barcode on their smartphone, which also acts as a coupon to print the passenger’s bag tag. Upon arrival at the terminal, the passenger presents the barcode to a self-serve kiosk and the passenger’s baggage tag is automatically printed. The passenger can then attach the tag and deposit the bag into the baggage system with no support from agents required. Avinor’s in-house team have re-engineered the self-service bag-drop units with a new smart configuration of the existing barcode scanners an...

National Car Rental has announced it is extending its loyalty benefits by a full year, meaning that Emerald Club Program Free Days won't expire until December 31, 2021. The benefits were previously due to expire at the end of this year. With the move, the Missouri-based Enterprise Holdings subsidiary becomes the first in the industry to extend loyalty benefits by an entire year. "We are committed to standing with our customers, and especially our most loyal customers, to let them know we appreciate and support them, even when they are unable to travel with us," said Randal Narike, Executive Vice President, Global Mobility and Customer Experience at Enterprise Holdings, in a statement. "Extending Emerald Club Program Free Days a full year will provide them with more opportunity to use the rewards that they’ve earned. We hope that this allows them the flexibility to rent a vehicle down the road for that much-anticipated business or leisure trip when they are comfo...

The Mayor of New York City has asked residents to avoid traveling during the upcoming Thanksgiving and winter holiday seasons due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. According to FOX5NY.com, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday during a news conference at City Hall that New Yorkers should not travel out of state for the holidays. “I have to urge all New Yorkers: do not travel out of state for the holidays,” de Blasio said. “Do not travel to a state with a high infection rate. Do not travel to a country with a high infection rate.” De Blasio called for the federal government to get involved and require incoming air travelers are COVID-19 tested and have a negative result within 72 hours of entering the state. He also said testing at JFK and La Guardia airports needs to be expanded. “For those who do travel, recognize how important it is to get tested and recognize there is a very strict quarantine in New York State and if you go elsewhere you will have to observe a two-week quarantin...

Fresh data reported by Kayak suggests that domestic flights for the holiday season are priced around 16 percent cheaper across the U.S. than they were during the same period last year. But, the biggest price drops are on flights to Florida cities—such as Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Orlando—which are down by anywhere from 29 to 34 percent, year over year. Obviously, airlines want to get people flying again, given the catastrophic impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the industry, and the holiday season is typically the busiest of all. Despite cheaper airfare offers and the airlines’ added flexibility this year, Kayak’s data indicates that consumer interest in travel this winter is still drastically decreased. Domestic flight searches are down by 81 percent, and hotel searches are down 74 percent, compared with the same period in 2019. Still, since 2020 has been an unprecedented year in virtually all aspects, perhaps a year-over-year comparison isn’t as telling as a tr...

WHY IT RATES: The idyllic Mexican-Caribbean state of Yucatán is working diligently to restore its degree of air connectivity with the United States in time for the 2020 end-of-year holiday season. — Laurie Baratti, TravelPulse Associate Writer United Airlines will resume its Houston (HOU)-Mérida (MID) route as of December 1, with four weekly flights and a possible increase to daily flights on December 17 for the holiday season. This means about 166 available seats, with a possible 2,490 by the end of 2020. Currently, the route is confirmed until the first quarter of 2021, subject to changes that may arise derived from the COVID-19 contingency. The new route was announced November 5 by the State of Yucatán’s Minister of Tourism, Michelle Fridman Hirsch, at a press conference where she was joined by Óscar Carrillo Maldonado, administrator of Mérida’s Manuel Crescencio Rejón International Airport. This is the second route connecting the U.S. with the Mexican destination. American Air...

Like swallowing a bitter pill, Southwest Airlines acknowledged on Friday it might have to do something it staunchly and proudly has never done in its 49-year history. Lay off employees. Southwest has sent notices of potential furloughs to 42 parts inventory workers, after talks with one union group stalled over pay cuts the airline says it must have from all employees to offset $1 billion in overstaffing costs, according to Reuters News Service. “This is not the result we hoped to achieve,” Southwest Vice President of Labor Relations Russell McCrady said in an emailed statement to the news outlet. The Teamsters Union did not immediately comment. Unions represent about 83 percent of roughly 61,000 Southwest employees. At this point, Southwest says the only things that would prevent the layoffs from taking place in January would be an agreement with the union or an extension of the CARES Act payroll support program that all airlines have been desperately hoping for. Carriers acr...

Christopher Prelog has taken on the position of president, Windstar Cruises has reported. Prelog reports to the CEO of Windstar Cruises and the Xanterra Travel Collection, Andrew N. Todd. Prelog is a veteran of the hospitality world and actually started his career with Seabourn in the cruise industry, first as a waiter, then in on-board hotel operations and eventually as head of all ship operations before joining Windstar almost four years ago. In Austria, Prelog worked with Hilton Hotels before joining the cruise industry. He holds a degree in hotel management and accounting from Florida International University in Miami, as well as certificates from Harvard's Kennedy School, Cornell University, and Austria's Higher Tourism Institute. “Chris is the perfect person for this role,” stated Todd, “As Windstar’s Chief Operating Officer, he has led the $250 million dollar Star Plus investment in expanding and renovating our three all-suite yachts in addition to managing our ope...

A new marketing hub has been introduced by Tourism New Zealand that offers professionally built and personalized marketing tools to help travel advisers sell the destination. For New Zealand, now is a perfect time to highlight its tourism offerings. “According to our own audience insights, 60 percent of North American travelers already interested in vacationing in New Zealand want to take a trip within six months of the border opening,” said Michelle Rosenberg, Tourism New Zealand’s senior manager trade partnerships, North America. "Nearly 90 percent say they want to come in 12 months from now." The Hub features brand materials 100 percent Pure New Zealand. It offers specific marketing campaigns, including the current “Messages from New Zealand” initiative. Data on thematic travel experiences such as luxury, food and wine, nature, adventure, Maori culture, great outdoors, romance and relaxation, family and multi-generational travel and self-drive/RV holidays are also av...