Life in the travel industry can sometimes feel like a bit of a treadmill at the moment – but for those taking part in the Rebel Sport 24-Hour Challenge for Cure Kids last night going nowhere fast was all for a good cause.

Team Qantas included a number of the airline’s employees and travel agency partners, including Flight Centre, helloworld, House of Travel, First Travel Group, Global Travel Network and Corporate Travel Management.

The treadmill and bike relay challenge was held at Eden Park. When the Memo visited late yesterday afternoon, over $7,000 had been raised with more donations coming in. Donations can be made HERE.

• Trudi Markham, FC Ponsonby and... Trudi Markham, FC Ponsonby and...
• Flynn Cox, Flight Centre Botany Flynn Cox, Flight Centre Botany
• Aloma Butler, Qantas Aloma Butler, Qantas
• Alex O'Connor, Qantas Alex O'Connor, Qantas
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Qantas recently took nine agents from New Zealand to its headquarters in Sydney to the Best of North America Day.

The airline hosted a total of around 200 agents from across Australia and New Zealand on a day where they were fully immersed in all things Qantas and North America.

Qantas trade partners are set to benefit from an extension to the airline’s lower pricing initiative when booking fares through Qantas’ next-generation distribution platform.

Qantas has named Alexandra O’Connor as its new regional manager for New Zealand and Pacific Islands, based in Auckland.

O’Connor will steer the commercial, financial and operational performance for Qantas in its markets across New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, including Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. 

Ex Air New Zealander Cam Wallace will join Qantas as CEO of Qantas International and Freight from 1 July 2023. This will include growing Qantas International’s capacity to 100% of pre-Covid levels and beyond, as well as guiding preparations for Project Sunrise through to the first flight in late 2025.

The announcement was made yesterday as part of changes to the carrier’s group management committee.

Qantas will recommence flights to New York with a new service from Australia via Auckland from 14 June next year (subject to regulatory approval).

Qantas has confirmed an order for 12 Airbus A350-1000s to enable non-stop flights to Australia from any other city including New York and London from late 2025.

These direct flights that will cut up to four hours off total travel time compared with one-stop options today.

Qantas and Jetstar have adjusted flying levels to better match travel demand in light of the growth in Covid-19 cases in Australia.

The Qantas Group now expects domestic capacity for the third quarter of FY22 to be at around 70% of pre-Covid levels, down from the 102% that had been planned.

The aviation sector’s road to recovery is not likely to be dialled back as nations and states begin to make it clear they are prepared to live with Covid-19 and reconnect, says Alan Joyce, CEO of Qantas.

Speaking at Flight Centre Corporate’s virtual event, Illuminate, yesterday Joyce outlined immediate and post Christmas plans for the airline.

‘We are in a different space than we were six months ago. Our largest (most populated) states are opening up, while still having protections.’

A soft adventure operator in Surfers Paradise says bookings starting to come in from New Zealand will be a real fillip for the Queensland tourism mecca.

Kate Forrester, who co-owns Gold Coast Watersports with husband Kyle Porter, says that though things started slowly, once the bubble opened, 10 bookings come through from New Zealandin one night for the family run business.

Forrester says that while many Kiwis who visit the area are catching up with friends and family they look for activities while they are there. The majority of bookings from New Zealand this week were for para sailing but jet skiing up
from the company’s site past Marina Mirage is also on many to do lists.