The Boeing 767-300 service will operate seasonally over the peak demand period of June to October, but has the potential to operate year round if there’s sufficient demand.

Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe says Bali is already a popular destination for Kiwis and the non-stop service will now make it even more accessible.

“Our flight time of eight and a half hours is a significant improvement on the indirect services offered by competitors that can involve long layovers and a total journey time of at least 14 and sometimes more than 24 hours.”

“We’ll be offering our flexible and popular ‘Seats to Suit’ fare structure on the Bali route with great pricing and arrival and departure times to be announced closer to the on-sale date of 23 February,” Mr Fyfe says.

“Bali has a stable tropical climate and great value food and accommodation, making it a really affordable way for New Zealanders to enjoy a resort style holiday in Asia at a fraction of the price of other destinations.”

The inaugural flight will depart on Wednesday June 20, subject to government and regulatory approvals. The Boeing 767-300 has 24 Business Class and 204 Economy Class seats.

Bali is a great addition to Air New Zealand’s portfolio of island destinations which includes Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands, Samoa, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Vanuatu, Norfolk Island, Niue and Honolulu.

Air New Zealand last operated services between Auckland to Bali in the 1990s using a Boeing 767-200 aircraft.

Among this year’s fun festival facts:

• 30 million blooms blanket the park throughout the festival, which runs 75 colorful days.
• The festival’s front-entrance Fantasiatopiary scene comprises 28 topiaries – more than have been used in any front-entrance display.  The 28 include Sorcerer Mickey, three ostriches, two hippos, two alligators, two elephants, nine stars, a spiral and eight mushrooms.
• 22,615 plant plugs of 15 plant varieties make up the Fantasia front-entrance topiary.  They include reindeer moss for Sorcerer Mickey’s face and red begonias for his hat; creeping fig for Mickey, hippos and gators; Sweet Ayssum, and three shades ofLobelia simulate water spilling over a large topiary rock made up of Black Scallop Ajuga upon which the Sorcerer stands.
• 4,000 Blushing Bride air plants from Guatemala color the two hippos’ tutus and 300 Cotton Candy air plants from Peru feather the wings and tails of the three ostrich topiaries.  Smaller air plants are used as ostrich slippers.
• 1,250 feet of quarter-inch irrigation tubing is woven into the Fantasia front-entrance topiaries.
• Dozens of additional Disney character topiaries represent the largest collection of Disney character topiary in the world and include classic film stars like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Cinderella and Tinker Bell.
• At least 25 different plants, grasses and mosses of various colors, including pink and red begonias, dusty miller, palm fiber, palm seeds, ficus and lichen, are used to create and define features of additional festival topiaries.  More color has been added to the topiaries than in any previous topiary presentation.
• 1,000 native butterflies represent up to 10 species at the expansive Bambi’s Butterfly House. Among the garden’s two dozen nectar plants are Cape Royal plumbago, passion flower, coral honeysuckle, blazing star, butterfly bush, scarlet milkweed and canna lily.
• More than 500,000 plants, trees and shrubs are planted for the festival; 250,000 of those are annual blossoms installed for the festival.
• Festival plants include 60 different species of trees, 47 types of palms, and 48 varieties of bedding plants.
• 150 hands-on gardening demonstrations and seminars will be presented.
• Thirty “flower towers” of impatiens line Innoventions Plaza.
• 240 floating mini-gardens, each three feet in diameter, of multi-hued impatiens provide splashes of color on two ponds that border the walkway between Future World and World Showcase.
• 700 container gardens of flowers, herbs, plants and vegetables in clay pots, barrels and urns enhance the landscape throughout Epcot.
• 400 Walt Disney World horticulturistsare needed to install the festival landscape, topiaries and many exhibits; 100 Epcot horticulturists maintain topiaries and other festival displays.
• It takes more thanone full year and about 24,000 cast member hours to prepare for the annual festival.
• The festival’s weekend Flower Power concert series includes 11 artists and groups known for more than 100 Top 40 hits. This year’s musical hit-makers from the 1960s and ’70s include Jose Feliciano, Starship starring Mickey Thomas, The Guess Who, The Spinners, Chubby Checker & The Wildcats, Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie, Chuck Negron formerly of Three Dog Night (NEW!), The Orchestra starring former members of ELO (NEW!), Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone and Davy Jones.

Guest information for the 19thannual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is available at www.disneyworld.com/flower or at 407/W-DISNEY.

During the transition, it will be necessary for the airline to temporarily suspend certain customer facing technology.  This includes Cathay Pacific’s Web site, www.cathaypacific.com, and its mobile sites.

The airline’s flight schedule over the weekend, however, will be unaffected by the changeover.

Cathay Pacific Chief Operating Officer Ivan Chu said: “Our current system has served us well. However, just as we upgrade the products and services our customers can see and touch, we must also update our technology behind the scenes so that we can support the continued growth of our airline and the expanding expectations of our customers.”

The new Altéa reservation and inventory system is provided by Amadeus, the same reservations system used by the majority of oneworld alliance carriers.  Cathay Pacific is a founding member of oneworld.

Mr Chu continued: “Preparations for this change began several years back as it is quite a massive undertaking.  For example, as just one part of the process during the cutover, we will migrate more than 1 million passenger bookings between systems.  Unfortunately, as we modify the reservations system and more than 40 down line systems, we’re forced to temporarily suspend some of the conveniences that our customers appreciate and count on.  We appreciate their understanding and patience for these necessary measures.”

The Cathay Pacific Web site will be taken offline worldwide at approximately 3 pm Hong Kong time on Saturday, 11 February.  Functionality will be brought back online in stages throughout the day on Sunday, 12 February.  The majority of the site will be available by 8 pm on Sunday Hong Kong time.

Online check in and self-service kiosks at airports will also be unavailable throughout much of the weekend.  Additional information on which services will be unavailable along with potential alternatives is provided on the attached “appendix.”

Cathay Pacific will be unable to sell or modify Cathay Pacific tickets from approximately 3 pm Hong Kong time on Saturday, 11 February, until the system comes back online Sunday, 12 February.  Travel agents will be able to put new reservations on request, but those bookings will not be confirmed until the system resumes service.  Accordingly, passengers needing to buy or change tickets or make special requests for travel on 11 or 12 February are encouraged to do so prior to that weekend.

Cathay Pacific plans to operate its normal flight schedule on the 11 and 12 February as the upgrade does not impact aircraft systems.  As Cathay Pacific has always suggested, it will be necessary for passengers travelling on electronic tickets to bring a copy of their eTickets to the airport.  While no expanded queuing is expected, passengers may wish to arrive at the airport earlier than normal.

In the week following the transition, Cathay Pacific’s worldwide call centres may experience higher than normal call volumes.  Should that be the case, the airline will do all possible to minimise inconvenience and passengers’ patience is appreciated.

Leading up to the transition, passengers are encouraged to visit Cathay Pacific’s Web site at www.cathaypacific.com for more details.  During the cutover weekend, passengers may visit Cathay Pacific’s Facebook (www.facebook.com/cathaypacific) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/cathaypacific) pages for updated information including flight status.

To celebrate the arrival of Virgin Australia’s Breakations to Hamilton Island, iconic fashion designer Camilla Franks, has designed a limited edition sarong that is exclusive to the first 100^ Virgin Australia guests who purchase a Hamilton Island Breakation from Blue Holidays, including airfares and accommodation.

The beautifully designed sarong combines Camilla’s signature style of brilliant colours, unique graphic prints and signature Swarovski crystals making it the perfect accessory for the luxurious surroundings of Hamilton Island.

Virgin Australia Group Executive of Commercial Liz Savage said “After settling back into work, planning the next short break escape is on everyone’s mind and Breakations suit all, romantic long weekends, girls getaway, boys adventures, or a much needed mini family holiday.”

“Breakations to Hamilton Island are perfect for planning that short break, and with Blue Holidays offering a fully inclusive package, it’s so simple and easy to book,” said Ms Savage.

Hamilton Island offers an experience like no other, with glorious weather, azure waters, brilliant beaches, fine food and wines, and range of activities, making it the perfect destination for a short break escape. The Virgin Australia range of Breakations to Hamilton Island includes return airfares, 5 night’s accommodation, breakfast and more.

Blue Holidays, the holiday program of Virgin Australia has a range of Breakations on offer to Hamilton Island including:

Breakation with each other from $872pp*

• Return airfares to Hamilton Island
• 5 night’s accommodation at Reef View Hotel
• $100 credit to be used on tours/ activities
• Daily buffet breakfast
• Return transfers from Hamilton Island airport to the hotel
• Use of catamarans, snorkelling equipment and more.

To book a Hamilton Island Breakation through Blue Holidays, visit virginaustralia.com/breakations or call 13 15 16.

Breakations Facebook Application

Blue Holidays, the holiday program of Virgin Australia, have also launched a new app designed for

Breakations. The Facebook app allows you to send a personalised postcard to any Facebook friends you

would like to invite to join you on a Breakation holiday! To find out more visit facebook.com/virginaustralia or visit the link http://virg.co/breakation.

Downtown workers, residents and visitors can now enjoy even greater access to the Downtown Alliance’s growing free wireless network. Over the last several weeks the Downtown Alliance launched three more Wi-Fi service hubs in Lower Manhattan and upgraded all of its hotspots with higher bandwidth, new technology, and expanded coverage at each site.

In 2003, the Downtown Alliance pioneered the city’s most extensive free, public Wi-Fi initiative. Today, there are 15 hotspots – covering 715,000 square feet which is roughly the equivalent of 17 football fields.

The newest Wi-Fi access points are located at:

• Louise Nevelson Plaza at Liberty and William
• The Plaza at 59 Maiden Lane at Maiden and William
• Trinity Churchyard

“These new additions to our growing Wi-Fi network greatly expand the scope of the Downtown Alliance’s free Wi-Fi network,” said Elizabeth H. Berger, President of the Downtown Alliance. “With 15 Wi-Fi locations — and more on the horizon — Lower Manhattan’s 56,000 residents, 309,000 workers and nine million annual visitors now have more places to go online for free. The Downtown Alliance is excited to make Lower Manhattan the best place for free, accessible Wi-Fi in the city.”

The Downtown Alliance has significantly expanded one of its existing hotspots on Stone Street – growing to the size of nearly four football fields alone. Specifically, this expansion creates a 168,000 square foot wireless corridor that runs from the top of British Memorial Garden all the way down Stone Street and into the plaza area south of Stone Street and even covers some of Coenties Slip to Water Street, also extending to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Plaza Wi-Fi service across the street.

The existing Downtown Alliance hotspots are:

• Plaza at 7 World Trade Center
• Bowling Green Park
• British Memorial Garden
• Charlotte’s Place
• City Hall Park
• The Elevated Acre
• Peter Minuit Plaza
• South Street Seaport
• Stone Street
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza
• Whitehall-Water Street Plaza
• Winter Garden

Since the program’s inception, the number of connections to the network has risen dramatically. In 2010, connections skyrocketed by more than 96 percent over 2009 to over 100,000 connections. In 2011, the network averaged 638 connections a day, with more than 230,000 connections logged throughout the year and almost 9 terabytes of data transferred on our Wi-Fi network.

Downtown Alliance sponsored hot-spots are free for all users. Those using smartphones, laptops, and tablets with wireless capabilities can automatically connect to any of the Downtown Alliance’s wireless networks. When connecting this network, users must choose the network with “Downtown Alliance” in the title.

For more information on Downtown Alliance free wireless locations, visit http://www.downtownny.com/programs/free-public-wifi. To download the Downtown Alliance’s free events app, iPhone and iPad users can search “Downtown NY” in the app store.

The mission of the Alliance for Downtown New York is to provide service, advocacy, research and information to advance Lower Manhattan as a global model of a 21st century Central Business District for businesses, residents and visitors.

The contributions are especially significant because in FY2012 the federal government will match private sector contributions 2-1, which means these investments will yield $21 million in new funds for Brand USA’s growing marketing budget.

“We are incredibly proud and grateful that these three iconic brands have chosen to invest at such a significant level in Brand USA,” said CEO Jim Evans. “Recently President Obama called for a national travel and tourism strategy to attract more international visitors, and Brand USA is a major pillar of that. This is more than an investment in a marketing program – it is an investment in job creation and economic growth for hundreds of visitor destinations across America.”

The announcement follows dozens of financial commitments that have been received to date from other businesses, destinations and even individuals across the country.

“We are well on our way to reaching and exceeding our target of $100 million in FY12,” said Evans. “Brand USA already has great momentum, which will ensure a strong budget for the global marketing campaign we are preparing to launch in April.”

Announcing Marriott’s support of Brand USA, Chairman and CEO Bill Marriott said: “We are proud to make an investment in Brand USA because we know that the more people learn about America, the more they want to visit. And the more they travel here, the more cultural barriers between people fall and jobs are created that power this country’s economic engine. I’m thrilled to see this great initiative take shape and applaud President Obama’s leadership. Go Brand USA!”

“Disney has a long-standing history of supporting efforts to increase international tourism to the United States so we’re honored to continue our partnership with Brand USA to bring more international visitors to our shores,” added Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “The work being done by Brand USA will not only help bolster our economy and create jobs but also make our nation the destination of choice for millions of travelers around the globe.”

“America’s destinations are totally unique, and we have a history of welcoming all cultures,” stated David Kong, President and CEO of Best Western International. “Best Western is delighted to be part of Brand USA’s founding partnership to help enhance the United States’ appeal as a top destination for international visitors and to amplify our nation’s message of welcome to the world.”

The investments will be used to fund advertising, new media marketing, in-country representation, international trade show presence and other forms of marketing to international travelers. The funding also will be used to build sustaining programs such as sponsorship and cooperative marketing opportunities that will ensure a long-term source of revenue for Brand USA. After FY12, the private sector is required by law to fund at least 50 percent of the overall budget for the marketing entity.

airberlin received its green light to board oneworld after successfully completing a thorough review of its readiness conducted by British Airways, which is sponsoring its entry into the alliance, with the oneworld central team.

So from 20 March 2012, it will be offering oneworld’s full range of services – and substantially expand the alliance’s network in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, and throughout South and Central Europe.  It will add almost 70 destinations to the alliance’s map, extending oneworld’s global coverage to some 840 destinations in 150 countries, served by more than 9,000 departures a day operated by a combined fleet of some 2,500 aircraft, carrying nearly 300 million passengers a year, with annual revenues of almost US$ 100 billion.

Joining oneworld will strengthen airberlin’s competitiveness, enabling it to offer customers an unrivalled alliance global network served by partners including some of the best and biggest airlines in the world.

It will become part of oneworld three months before it moves into the new Brandenburg airport at its Berlin home, which will open on 3 June with an eventual capacity for 27 million passengers a year.  airberlin and its alliance partners will be co-located at Europe’s newest hub, sharing lounges and many other facilities, to offer customers there the smoothest of connections.

oneworld CEO Bruce Ashby said: “airberlin makes an ideal oneworld partner. It has an excellent reputation for customer service – right in line with oneworld’s focus on quality.  oneworld already features five of Europe’s best airlines.  Adding the continent’s sixth biggest carrier and the second largest airline based in the continent’s biggest economy will greatly enhance our coverage throughout this region and, with the other airlines joining us this year, position oneworld more strongly still as the alliance of choice, particularly for global business travellers.”

airberlin CEO Hartmut Mehdorn added: “Becoming a member of oneworld is one of the most significant departures so far for airberlin.  It will strengthen our competitive position considerably, enabling us to offer our customers a truly global network together with our partners who include some of the best and biggest airlines in the world, while enabling us also to tap into all the financial benefits that come from being part of a global alliance, through additional passenger feed and participation in various efficiency programmes.  We are very pleased and proud to be lining up to join what is clearly the world’s top quality airline grouping on 20 March.”

When airberlin joins oneworld on 20 March, members of its topbonus frequent flyer programme will be able to earn and redeem mileage awards on all oneworld partners – American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and almost 20 affiliated airlines.

Also from 20 March, the 120 million members of the established oneworld airlines’ frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem awards and tier status points and receive all other oneworld benefits on airberlin and NIKI.

airberlin’s network – serving more than 160 destinations in 40 countries – will be covered by oneworld’s full and extensive range of alliance fares and sales products from 1 April 2012.

Currently all oneworld’s active member airlines serve Germany, flying to a total of seven gateways in there.  airberlin will add another 18 destinations in its home country.

Its alliance implementation programme has represented one of the most extensive projects in its history, with working groups covering some 20 streams of activity.  Projects are nearing completion to bring its various internal processes and procedures into line with the alliance’s requirements, and extensive employee training and communications programmes are now underway at airberlin and the alliance’s existing members, to ensure they are ready to provide oneworld’s customer services and benefits across the expanded alliance from 20 March.

Since accepting an invitation to join the alliance in July 2010, airberlin has implemented code-sharing with seven established oneworld partners – American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Malév Hungarian Airlines, S7 and Royal Jordanian.

Entrants were asked to nominate the three things they love most about Australia in a bid to win a share of $5,500 of Sunlover Holidays travel vouchers. While beaches and barbeques were highly prevalent amongst the 1800+ answers received, a significant number of respondents also highlighted Australia’s cultural diversity, laid back lifestyle and freedom as things they valued.

According to Travelworld’s Marketing Manager, Rashelle Toms, the results reaffirmed that we see Australia as a great place to live and visit.

“One entry proudly summed it up: ‘we live where everyone wants to holiday’,” said Ms Toms.

“We tend to take the ‘beaches’, ‘barbeques’ and ‘mateship’ for granted, but to see people nominating ‘freedom of speech’, ‘multiculturalism’, ‘equality’ and how we ‘rally together’ showed we value some of the more inclusive aspects of our national identity.

“We’re also equally proud of our adaptability, our Aussie humour and slang, our accepting attitudes, and in our ability to pitch in to help others in times of need.”

Not surprisingly, travel responses featured heavily in the reasons why we love our country, with clean sand, coastline and bush all being nominated, as well as iconic destinations like the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, and the “big” tourist attractions.

These iconic attributes also highlight some of the reasons why our global neighbours love to visit and vacation amongst our natural attractions and people.

Australians also love our international identities, with Hugh Jackman, Keith Urban, Dame Edna and Jamie Durie getting a mention. Even Molly Meldrum and Julia Gillard made the list.

Voting is now open for the public to select their favourite answers amongst the daily winners of the Facebook competition. The grand prize winner will receive a further $2,000 worth of Sunlover Holidays vouchers, in addition to the $500 daily prizes.

Top Ten Reasons Why We Love Australia

Percentage of responses

1.    People, friendliness and mateship (13.1%)

2.    Australian beaches (11.8%)

3.    Landscape / scenery (10.1%)

4.    Food & wine, including BBQs (6.7%)

5.    Attitude / spirit (5.8%)

6.    Laid back lifestyle (5.4%)

7.    Freedom (4.3%)

8.    Diversity (3.6%)

9.    Humour / slang (2.7%)

10.  Culture / multiculturalism (1.8%)

From January to November last year, Garuda Indonesia transported 15.4 million passengers, an increase of 36.4 per cent compared to last year’s 11.32 million passengers, increasing the airline’s passenger yield – the return per seat – by 13 per cent.

Commenting on the airlines significant growth, Bagus Y. Siregar, Senior General Manager Australia/SWP Garuda Indonesia said: “We’re experiencing high demand on the Australia-Jakarta routes with outbound passenger numbers increasing nearly 12 per cent from 2010 to 150,587 passengers.

“In 2012 Garuda Indonesia will be making a more concerted effort to expand our international network with new destinations in and beyond Indonesia including services to Taipei and Haneda Tokyo, which will start in Q2*. These new services will provide our Australian passengers with a seamless connection via our hub in Jakarta and greater access to our Asian network.”

Leveraging the vigorous economic growth in the Asia Pacific region, Garuda Indonesia recently increased its frequencies on a number of international routes including Sydney-Denpasar, Denpasar-Seoul, Melbourne-Jakarta and Melbourne-Denpasar.

Garuda Indonesia’s network expansion is an integral part of the airlines ‘Quantum Leap’ strategy, which aims to boost the airline’s competitiveness significantly by 2015 and includes the revitalisation the entire fleet.

In 2012, Garuda Indonesia will welcome 11 new aircraft including four B737-800 Next Generations, two A330-200s and five Sub-100 seaters. By the end of the year, Garuda Indonesia will be operating a lot younger fleet with aircraft aged 5.7 on average, whereas in 2011 planes were averagely aged 6.4 years old.

Garuda Indonesia will continue to invest in fleet expansion as passenger demand to Asia continues to grow.

Already one of the world’s most romantic destinations, San Antonio is going all out for this year’s Valentine’s Week by transforming into the “City of Yellow Roses.” Roses mean romance, but in San Antonio it’s only natural that the color of romance be yellow, not red.

Visitors can experience the City of Yellow Roses February 10-19 in many ways:

• Three River Walk barges will charm visitors with floating serenades. Acoustic guitar, marimba and mariachi musicians will entertain with live music the weekends of February 10 and 17, as well as Valentine’s Day, February 14.
• In addition to the serenade barges, 10 other barges will be decked out in yellow roses, ribbons and more, to add even more color and romance to the River Walk during Valentine’s Week.
• Romance-themed hotel packages offer special getaways. A dozen are currently listed, with more being added every day. One hotel is even including 1,000 yellow rose petals in its package offering.
• A Valentine Value Card will offer other “City of Yellow Roses” specials. The card is available online. Visitors can also pick one up at hotel reception desks of downtown hotels, bed and breakfasts and resorts (next to a bouquet of yellow roses), as well as the San Antonio International Airport, the Visitor Information Center on Alamo Plaza, and at the Convention Center. Romantic offerings include everything from yellow roses at hotel turn-down service or presented at check-in, Yellow Rose drink specials, Yellow Rose cupcakes, spa specials, and more.
• San Antonio is also partnering with American Greetings as part of “City of Yellow Roses.” Starting February 10, there will be a themed romance card on Americangreetings.com that will carry the yellow rose and San Antonio romance messaging.

A dreamy mix of European-like canals, Spanish flair, Old West charm, and Texas big hearted warmth – there will be more romance than ever in San Antonio this Valentine’s Week.  At CityofYellowRoses.com, visitors can learn more about what makes San Antonio que romantica! Information includes 10 Great Romantic Spots in San Antonio, Tips from Locals, San Antonio After Dark, Food & Wine, Four-Day Romance Itinerary, and videos showcasing San Antonio as a romantic and relaxing destination.