Corporate Travel News: January 2023

Airlines/Airports.

China Southern and Air China boost flights to Australia 

Following the opening of China’s borders in early January 2023,  Air China plans to reconnect Sydney and Melbourne with its Beijing home base thrice weekly from February 2023. China Southern will also ramp up its daily services between Sydney, Melbourne and Guangzhou to 10 per week, effective 26 March 2023.

 

Air New Zealand free Frequent Flyer Points

Air New Zealand is boosting points for frequent flyers by offering a ‘top up’ of status points for members who still need to meet the year’s earning threshold. The airline is giving up to 270 status points as a once-off reward. Learn more.

 

New Zealand to introduce a new online declaration   

New Zealand will replace its paper Passenger Arrival Card with a new Traveller Declaration in June 2023. Streamlining airport procedures and other entry points is part of its commitment to improving passenger safety and security. 

 

Emirates expands Brisbane services 

Emirates continues to bring its Australian services back online, announcing an additional daily service to Brisbane from 01 June 2023. The Boeing 777-300ER service means the airline will offer nearly 12,000 seats per week to Brisbane, doubling its capacity from the daily 380 service it currently offers.

 

Brisbane lounge set to reopen 

Brisbane’s newest airport lounge, My Lounge, is set to open in February. Formerly the home of Virgin Australia’s lounge, the new pay-for-access lounge is open for passengers departing from the International Terminal with any airline.

 

British Airways upgrades Boeing 787

British Airways plans to fit its Boeing 787  aircraft with the airline’s highly acclaimed Club Suites to improve the business class experience. The airline is expected to start retrofitting existing models as early as 2023.

 

Qantas set to restart Hong Kong flights 

Qantas is locking in its return to Hong Kong, with flights from Sydney taking off at the end of January, followed by Melbourne in late March 2023. Sydney to Hong Kong flights QF127/QF128 will resume on 30 January 2023.

 

Cathay Pacific ramps up flights between Hong Kong and China

Cathay Pacific will resume 61 return flights from Hong Kong to 13 cities in mainland China from 14 January 2023. The carrier aims to operate more than 100 return flights between the city and destinations in China by March 2023.

 

Cathay Pacific reopens Singapore Lounge

Cathay Pacific will reopen its lounge at Changi T4 in February 2023. Members and eligible passengers can access the lounge 3 hours prior to departure.  

 

Tokyo Airport Garden set to open

Haneda Airport is introducing the Tokyo Airport Garden on 31 January 2023, featuring retail, dining and hotel precincts. The Garden is directly linked to Terminal 3, which sees daily arrivals from Qantas.

 

Hotels.

Hyatt Regency London Albert Embankment debuts

The Crowne Plaza London Albert Embankment has become the latest IHG property in the United Kingdom to switch to the Hyatt portfolio. The 142-room hotel offers 15,273 square feet of combined meeting space for various events, from business travel to group gatherings.

 

Accor refurbishes the Mercure Hotel in Cairns 

Accor‘s midscale brand Mercure returns to North Queensland with the opening of Mercure Cairns following a multi-million-dollar upgrade. The refurbishment is tailored to business travellers, featuring 75 spacious guestrooms, a pool deck and an Australian restaurant.

 

JW Marriot set to open Hotel Berlin  

The JW Marriot Hotel Berlin has opened, marking the luxury brand’s second property in Germany. The 505-room hotel features 48 event spaces spanning 6,290 square metres and 8 dining options on-site. 

 

InterContinental Sydney unveils Club Lounge 

InterContinental Sydney welcomed guests on December 28 2023, following the renovation of the guestrooms, public spaces, wellness areas, restaurants and bards. The lounge is on level 31 on the hotel’s rooftop, inviting guests to enjoy views of some of the city’s most iconic sites. 

 

Information on this page is sourced from third party sources. While effort is taken to verify the accuracy of this information, Corporate Travel Management (CTM) recommends that travellers seek independent advice and/or information from their CTM travel consultant, CTM travel tools, or direct from their chosen travel suppliers relating to the status of supplier services, schedules and booking conditions as information may change regularly.