Up in the air . . .

LATAM Airlines, Latin America’s leading airline, has announced that it will commence a non-stop service to Munich (Germany) from São Paulo on 25 June 2019 with tickets now on sale. LATAM will operate four weekly flights using Boeing 767 aircraft with capacity for 191 passengers in Economy and 30 in Premium Business.

The Bavarian capital will become LATAM’s second destination in Germany after Frankfurt and its ninth European city. Located north of the Alps, Munich is a leading centre for business, art, education, sports and tourism. Home to leading multinational companies, an internationally renowned football team and the annual Oktoberfest beer festival, it attracts both tourists and business travellers from around the world.

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VFS Global wins new contract

VFS Global has been awarded the Regional Contract to provide Germany visa services in the Asia Pacific region, as per this new contract, VFS Global will operate Germany Visa Application Centres in 36 new locations across 14 countries.

VFS Global is expected to start operations in the new Visa Application Centres during the first quarter of 2019. The People’s Republic of China alone will see the addition of centres in 15 cities*, further strengthening access to Germany’s visa services across the country.

In addition to these facilities, VFS Global will also offer a Mobile Biometric Service in 24 locations throughout the region. The Mobile Biometric Service enables applicants to submit their documents and biometric information from a location of their choice, e.g. from their home or office, eliminating the need to visit a Visa Application Centre.


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Up in the air . . .

IN August 2018, Frankfurt Airport (FRA) welcomed some 6.8 million passengers an increase of 8.1 percent year-on-year. Since the beginning of 2018, FRA has achieved growth of 8.7 percent, with European routes continuing to drive passenger traffic.

Lima Airport (LIM) in Peru saw traffic increase by 6.6 percent to about 2.1 million passengers.

Bulgaria's Twin Star airports of Varna (VAR) and Burgas (BOJ) registered combined growth of 5.8 percent to nearly 1.4 million passengers.

Traffic at Antalya Airport (AYT) on the Turkish Riviera surged by 14.7 percent to about 4.9 million passengers.

Ljubljana Airport (LJU) in Slovenia recorded an increase of 3.1 percent to 202,423 passengers.

Fraport's two Brazilian airports in Fortaleza (FOR) and Porto Alegre (POA) reported combined traffic growth of 4.6 percent to about 1.2 million passengers.

The Group's 14 Greek airports achieved overall positive growth of 6.6 percent to some 5.4 million passengers in August 2018.


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Food on the go for Brits

A study conducted by Le Boat into the eating habits of holidaying Europeans has revealed that Brits lag behind their French and German counterparts when it comes to experimenting with foreign cuisine.

The survey of 1,000 adults from each of France, Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) found less than half of UK travellers (47%) cited food and drink as very being a very important element of their trip compared to nearly two-thirds (62%) of Germans and half of French (50%).

When it comes to the first dish of the day, it seems half of Brits prefer to stick to a savoury start to the day while the French have the sweetest tooth of all at the breakfast table. Nearly four-fifths (79%) of French travellers ensure their morning meal includes some sweet elements, such as pastries, yoghurt or fruit, whereas only two thirds of Germans (64%) and 50% of Britons would do the same.

According to the poll, the British tendency to grab and go at work may be a hard habit to break on holiday. When asked how long they would be likely to spend enjoying lunch, those from the UK are three times as likely to spend less than 15 minutes having lunch while away and four times as likely not to eat anything at all compared to their French and German peers.


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Lufthansa offers six new destinations from Frankfurt and Munich

IF you want to escape the foul weather in autumn and winter, you can now book additional and attractive winter destinations with Lufthansa. Because Europe’s leading airline is expanding its offers from Frankfurt and Munich to include six new tourist destinations. 

Lufthansa now flies from Frankfurt and Munich to Eilat (Ovda), the attractive holiday resort on the Red Sea in the south of Israel. 

Starting this winter, Lufthansa will fly to Agadir (Morocco) located on the southern Atlantic coast of Morocco, in the foothills of the Anti-Atlas mountains. The capital of the province of Agadir Ida-Ou Tanane is a popular holiday destination featuring golf courses and endless beaches. 

Trieste (Italy), the capital of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia in the north-east of Italy, is considered one of the literary capitals of Europe, and its many ethnic and religious groups have earned it the moniker of ‘early New York’. 

From winter 2018, Lufthansa once again offers flights to Thessaloniki (Greece) from Frankfurt. The town is the ideal starting point for hikes and explorations of the north of Greece, and it is the transit airport for onward travel to Chalkidiki in the south east. 

Edinburgh (United Kingdom) is the new European destination from Munich. From December 2018, Lufthansa will fly to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh not only has an interesting old town, it is also the perfect starting point for visiting the Highlands. 

Munich is also the starting point for another new destination, Tromsø (Norway). The city is an important cultural centre north of the Arctic Circle and is regarded as an ideal starting point for experiencing the Northern Lights.
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Can I help you?

FOLLOWING the successful Chinese Shopping Assistant Project in Terminal 2 and the excellent results of the pilot project for Arabian guests in 2017, Munich Airport is ready to offer the “Arabic Shopping Assistant Service” again this summer from July 16 until September 2, 2018. 

For the first time this special service will also be available to Japanese passengers. Japanese passengers in Terminal 2 can request the help of a personal shopping assistant. The assistants, who are native speakers, will be available daily from 1:00 PM to 8:30 PM to help overcome the cultural and language barriers between passengers and sales staff. This service, which is free of charge for passengers, is intended to create a pleasant and convenient shopping experience. 

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Düsseldorf impresses as a weekend getaway destination

THE wealthy city of Düsseldorf is a great mix of business, fashion, arts and nightlife, a strong draw for both business and leisure travellers. Renowned for its party atmosphere, Düsseldorf’s cobblestoned Altstadt (Old Town) area boasts more than 300 bars and clubs, with each bar counter supposedly connecting to the one next door – earning it the nickname of ‘the longest bar in the world.’

bmi is now offering flights to Germany’s party city, #Düsseldorf, this spring from just £86 one way.

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On the runway . . .

THE launch of a daily service between Frankfurt and Glasgow which was announced by Lufthansa has been welcomed by VisitScotland.

Lufthansa already flies from Munich to Glasgow five times per week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the new route from Frankfurt further underlines the airlines commitment to the Scottish market.



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Up in the air . . .

IN the 2018/19 winter flight schedule, Lufthansa will be offering the connections from Frankfurt to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) as two separate flights. 

Until now, the only connection from Frankfurt to Addis Ababa involved a time-consuming stop-over in Jeddah. 

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Rise in Baltic Cruises

GOOD opportunities for local port cities are up for grabs as a cruise shipping boom sweeps the Baltic. Both Rostock and Kiel are already profiting from it. Between them they are expecting 1.3 million #cruise ship visitors during this year’s season – an increase of 12.5% over last year.

The 2018 cruise shipping season on the Warnow River begins on April 8th with the arrival of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ “Boudicca”. This year a total 205 visits by 43 different cruise ships are expected. On the 2018 timetable are 39 visits by very big passenger ships which are more than 300 m long.

In the port of Kiel the 2018 season starts on April 6th and lasts until the end of October. A total of 166 calls by 32 different cruise ships have been registered. The numerical highlight of the year will come on August 11th when five cruise ships will be in the port at the same time. Although Kiel is predominantly a start and end port for cruises, it also expects 23 visits this year by ships on running cruises, whose international passengers will visit Kiel and the surrounding region as well Hamburg and Lübeck. One particular draw is the Kieler Woche sailing regatta, which will take place June 16th-24th. Twelve ocean-going and three inland river cruise ships will be in port to attend that event.

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ITB Berlin honours exhibitors

THE Creta Maris Beach Resort participated in ΙΤΒ Berlin 2018, one of the largest and well-known fairs worldwide, that took place from Wednesday, 07 March to Sunday, 11 March 2018 in Berlin. Among the 150 exhibitors, the resort had the honor to be awarded as "Top Hotel Partner 2017" by the German travel agency Schauinsland!

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Robot to guide passengers in Munich Airport

SHE is 120 centimeters tall, with sparkling, round eyes and a pleasant voice, “Josie Pepper” the robot will be answering questions for passengers in Terminal 2. Whether they need directions to their gate or want to stop at a certain restaurant or shop – #JosiePepper will look them in the eyes and give them a prompt answer.

With the rollout of Josie Pepper, Munich Airport and Lufthansa are breaking new ground: It is the first-ever test of a humanoid #robot equipped with artificial intelligence at a German airport. For the next few weeks, Josie Pepper will welcome travelers to the non-public area of Terminal 2, which is jointly operated by Munich Airport and Lufthansa. In her initial deployment, Josie Pepper, who speaks English, will await passengers at the top of the ramp leading to the shuttle connecting the main terminal to the satellite building. This test phase will be used to show whether Josie Pepper is accepted by passengers.

Pepper was developed by the French company SoftBank Robotics. The lady robot was given the name “Josie” by the staff of Munich Airport and Lufthansa when she arrived at the airport.

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Up in the air . . .

EASYJET, Europe's leading airline, today celebrated its inaugural flight from Tegel Airport in #Berlin and its first ever domestic flight in Germany. Flight EZY5569 to Munich took off at 10:30 local time, following a festive opening ceremony at the airport. Customers travelling on the flight all received a commemorative #easyJet Berlin teddy bear as a gift prior to departure.

easyJet has already announced 19 new routes from Tegel airport, including four domestic routes, connecting the capital to Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich and Stuttgart up to eight times per day.

Flights to 15 international destinations, including flights up to 5 times a day to key cities like Vienna and Zurich, as well as regular connections to popular leisure destinations like Mallorca and Catania will take off in the coming months.


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A relaxed start to your journey

LUFTHANSA passengers will now be able to start their journey feeling more relaxed: From now on, they will benefit from an automatic check-in procedure for all flights within Germany and to destinations in Europe. 

The boarding pass for flights booked up to 24 hours before departure will then be sent automatically to the passenger 23 hours before departure – with no need for any manual check-in. This saves time and makes travel preparations easier. 

In order to use this new service, the Lufthansa customers only have to deposit their personal details in their Miles & More account or Lufthansa iD profile.

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Green is the colour of Berlin

BERLIN is a green experience beyond the city limits . There are also green highlights to be found in the five municipalities that are conveniently connected to the city, such as Schlosspark, Stadtkirche and Orangerie in Altlandsberg, the Schlosspark and Gutshof in Fredersdorf, the Lenné Park in Hoppegarten or the Architectural Trail and the Museum Park in Rüdersdorf. 

The "Peter Joseph Lenné - Gardens, Parks, Cityscapes" app shows you the way to the most beautiful gardens, parks and cityscapes of Peter Joseph Lenné in your area. At the heart of this app is the multimedia tour of Schlosspark Glienicke. A comprehensive portrait of Peter Joseph Lenné (1789-1866), an overview of the most important gardens, parks and urban landscapes in Germany as well as a timeline are also included.

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On the runway . . .

LAST year, Lufthansa and Munich Airport welcomed over 30 million passengers to Terminal 2. To be more precise, 30.6 million passengers used the terminal for their travel needs in 2017, an increase of 10.6 percent compared to the previous year.

Munich’s airport was already named Europe’s first “5-Star Airport” by London-based ratings agency Skytrax in 2015. In December 2017, Lufthansa joined them as the only European 5-star airline when they received the highest level of quality certification in international aviation from Skytrax. 

Another world best: Terminal 2, along with the Terminal 2 Satellite, which are operated jointly by the two companies, received a special award in March 2017: They were voted World’s Best Airport Terminal at the Skytrax World Airport Awards.

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Up in the air . . .

MALAYSIA Airports and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia) have announced that Condor Airlines, from Germany, will be commencing its Frankfurt-Kuala Lumpur route during the Northern Winter in 2018. 

Condor Airlines’ decision to fly to Kuala Lumpur will facilitate European tourists to visit Malaysia. Malaysia Airports and Tourism Malaysia are keen to jointly promote the Frankfurt – Kuala Lumpur route with Condor Airlines and to ensure the sustainability of this new service. Condor Airlines currently operates 62 destinations out of a few cities in Germany including Frankfurt and Munich.

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New Adina Apartment Hotels to open in Leipzig, Hamburg and Munich

TOGA Hospitality (now TFE Hotels) opened its first hotel in #Germany in 2007 at the famous Berlin Wall crossing point Checkpoint Charlie in the Mitte district, known as Berlin’s beating heart. 

The group created a new niche for high quality apartment hotels and today the brand is flourishing there, working towards opening its tenth hotel in Germany, which is set to open in Munich in 2019. 

The Adina Apartment Hotel Leipzig opens in November 2017 in the city’s historic city centre and beside the medieval market square. Adina Apartment Hotel Hamburg Speicherstadt opens in February 2018 in the centre of Germany’s second largest city, between the famous redeveloped warehouse district ‘Speicherstadt’ and the main shopping district.  

 

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Fun-filled destinations

THE World’s Most Fun-filled #Destinations explored a range of metrics from the number of amusement parks to the number of bars and restaurants, whilst taking into consideration the square km of these destinations. The Top 5 countries that should be on your bucket list include: 

The Netherlands – While also the number one for culture, the Netherlands boasts a huge array of museums and concert halls. 

Cyprus – With 188 national attractions, 31 casinos and 32 museums, Cyprus was not overlooked in terms of its flow of culture and entertainment. 

Belgium – Despite its small size, Belgium ranks third with 295 national attractions, 50 museums and 45 amusement, animal and water parks. 

United Kingdom – From concert halls and art galleries to Michelin Star restaurants and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, there’s a lot of culture to explore across the UK. 

Germany– With the second highest number of Amusement, Animal and Water Parks, Germany has plenty of fun to throw yourself into.

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Berlin has a starring role

THE new series "Babylon Berlin", with an initial run of 16 episodes, is adapted from Volker Kutscher's best-selling mystery novels and is set in the 1920s, an era of massive social upheaval and rampant inflation in #Germany. Young Cologne police chief Gereon Rath is transferred to #Berlin and uncovers an extortion ring. The series was shot on location in Berlin. Locations used include Alexanderplatz and the former Delphi silent cinema in Weißensee.

Visitors looking for Babylon and the 1920s in Berlin can learn about the series and immerse themselves in the life of Germany's capital and largest city in the 1920s. The visitBerlin.de/Babylon-Berlin website features numerous tips for all those who want to explore the Weimar-era city: tours, architectural highlights such as Berlin's Modernist housing estates and the Bauhaus Archive, 1920s-themed events such as Bohème Sauvage, swing dancing at Clärchens Ballhaus, and the Berlin Burlesque Festival in November.

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