BFT

The Lufthansa Group has reported more than a million passengers purchased its new Green Fares in the first 12 months of them being made available across its European network.

The figure equates to around three per cent of passengers who were able to book the fare type, which is currently available on Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, SWISS, Edelweiss, Discover Airlines and Air Dolomiti on flights within Europe as well as to Morocco , Algeria and Tunisia.

The airline group revealed Green Fares were selected for 11 per cent of Business Class bookings via its own portals and the routes where the fare type is most popular are Hamburg-Munich, Zurich-London and Frankfurt-Berlin. Since 7 September 2023, SWISS services between Zurich and Geneva have been exclusively sold as Green Fares.

“Demand continues to rise steadily in all booking classes, underlining the success of the more sustainable fare,” the group said in a statement.

The fares, which are also currently being piloted on select long-haul services to the US and Asia, include a price component for offsetting the carbon emissions associated with the passenger’s flight via a combination of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) purchases and contributions to “ high-quality” climate protection projects.

As reported by Reuters, Hilton revealed its acquisition of Graduate Hotels from Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners for USD 210 million on Thursday. This move marks Hilton’s first brand purchase in over two decades and comes amidst increasing pressures in the hotel industry, which have created opportunities for consolidation. Hilton sees significant potential in the Graduate brand, which primarily serves locations near major colleges and universities in the United States and the United Kingdom, estimating a global market of 400-500 hotels.

“University towns tend to have steady demand, from students, parents, and visiting academics, largely unconnected to the global economy,” commented Richard Clarke, an analyst at Bernstein. Despite the relatively modest size of Graduate Hotels, with only around 35 operating and pipeline properties, Hilton’s shares experienced a slight increase during premarket trading following the announcement.

CEO Chris Nassetta highlighted during Hilton’s fourth-quarter earnings call that the current challenges in the industry offer opportunities for modest acquisitions. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter, with Hilton projecting a fee contribution of approximately USD 16 million for the first full year of ownership.

BARRHEAD Travel, one of the UK’s leading travel agents, is expecting a surge in bookings this weekend as people rush to secure their much-anticipated summer holiday and make the most of the January deals.

With the festivals over, the cooler temperatures and shorter days have people thinking ahead to their summer breaks. The first Saturday of January – informally known as ‘Sunshine Saturday’ by the travel industry – is typically the most popular day of the year for travel bookings as people start planning their holidays.

The first weekend of the year is one of Barrhead Travel’s busiest booking periods and it is anticipating high demand over the weekend. Many people, particularly families, will be eager to snap up early booking discounts, for the most popular travel periods such as the school summer, Easter and October holidays.

Preparation for ‘Sunshine Saturday’ comes after Barrhead Travel, one of the UK’s leading travel agencies, celebrated its “best ever” trading year in 2023 as demand for travel continues to soar. The Glasgow-headquartered travel agency group celebrated 12 consecutive record-breaking months since last year, and year to date bookings for the group were up by 26 percent, compared with 2019 sales which, before 2023,

The rising cost of living doesn’t seem to have affected Islanders’ spending habits when it comes to escaping winter weather for the warmer climates of places like the Dominican Republic or Mexico.

With March Break and Easter weekend both on the horizon, PEI travel agencies say they’re as busy as ever booking trips.

The Travel Store owner Paulette Soloman said her clientele this year is a mix of seasoned travelers, and people looking for a post-pandemic getaway.

“We’ve got all kinds of people coming in still, even with March Break just a few weeks away, looking to book family or couples trips at that time,” she said. “Last year was really busy as well.

“We’ve grown a little bit in terms of our staffing, so we’ve settled in a little more and are welcoming new clients all the time.”

WATCH | Islanders gear up to travel over March break:

Islanders gear up to travel over March break

PEI’s rising cost of living doesn’t seem to be stopping Islanders from traveling. With March break just around the corner starting March 22, local travel agents tell CBC’s Laura Meader they’re busy booking getaways.

This year’s break on PEI runs from March 22