n key figures due to attend spaa dinner
Key Scottish politicians and business leaders will be attending the 70th annual Scottish Passenger Agents Association Dinner in Glasgow on February 24. Minister of state Brian Wilson, Scottish Conservatives leader David McLetchie and Hugh Currie, chairman of the CBI in Scotland are among the guests. British Airways chief executive Bob Ayling and former SPAA president Roy Brabender will be the main speakers at the dinner.
n american airlines signs £43m sabre deal
AmericanAirlines has signed a £43m deal with its former global distribution system Sabre to upgrade its reservation technology. The carrier said the aim was to reduce waiting time on searches and bookings by 25%. An upgrading of American’s reservation systems is scheduled to take several years through Sabre. Meanwhile, Sabre reported a 43% increase in net profit to $332m in the year ending December 31. Turnover grew by 5.6% to more than $2.4bn. Sabre handled 441m travel reservation transactions in 1999, an overall increase of 7.4%.
n virgin and sia in talks over australia
Virgin Atlantic and Singapore Airlines are to discuss co-operation in the Australia market as they prepare to finalise their alliance. The Virgin Group is due to launch a low-cost domestic Australian carrier in June. Following the completion of the 49% sale of Virgin to SIA, expected by February, the Asian carrier is also expected to become involved in the Australian venture. A proposal, which may be discussed this week, will cover SIA feeding services onto ‘Virgin Australia’ from Singapore. Long-term plans for the airlines include Virgin codesharing to Australia with SIA.