ACCESS TO ORBIT
Flight-only specialist Avro has started offering agents direct access to its electronic flight reservations system ORBIT via the Internet. Around 25 agents have access to ORBIT at present but Avro wants to link a further 20 and 100 agents via the Internet within the first year.
BASS APPOINTMENT
Bass Hotels and Resorts has appointed David Bland to the newly-created post of managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Bland was previously portfolio director at Bass Leisure Retail.
GOLD MEDAL GIVEAWAY
Gold Medal Travel Group has launched its biggest ever agency promotion giving away 1,300 British Airways tickets to mainland Europe. The Great Ghostly Giveaway enables agents to win tickets once they have booked a BA flight to mainland Europe using Gold Medal’s Farebank viewdata system.
CONFERENCE SAVED
A rush of bookings for Midconsort’s first overseas conference has saved the event from cancellation.
The conference takes place in Palma between October 28 and November 1. “We now have almost 100 agents which was our target number,” said chief executive Sue Foxall.
SIA BIDS FOR LICENCE
Singapore Airlines is pressing the Government to give it a licence to fly Heathrow-US services. The company claimed it was unfair that UK carriers fly beyond Singapore and yet SIA is not offered the same rights from Heathrow. If the airline is awarded a licence it is expected to serve Chicago and New York with Boeing 747s.