Travel Weekly editor in chief Arnie Weissmann joined an OceanGate Expeditions mission to the Titanic wreck in May, a month before its submersible, the Titan, disappeared on a similar itinerary. Read Part 1 and Part 2 of his experience.

Wind, swells and fog — sometimes present, sometimes predicted — were the stated reasons dive days were canceled on my trip with OceanGate in May. But when I was onboard the support ship the Polar Prince and hoping to go down in the submersible Titan to see the Titanic, I sometimes wondered whether the submersible’s readiness was also an unspoken, but important, consideration.

Protocols for dives were linked to a number of factors which, if they reached a certain threshold, automatically triggered a cancellation. Among them were conditions that were considered noncritical factors, such as wind more than 10 knots, a team member who was new to staff, or a celebrity or member of media on the dive as a mission specialist. (Mission specialist is OceanGate’s name for a nonstaff guest like me).

That last one gave me pause. If the decision were one factor shy of the no-go limit but someone other than me, a journalist, were coming aboard, would they go forward with a dive that would otherwise be canceled solely because a reporter was present?

But generally speaking, I was impressed by what appeared to be a risk-averse operation. “Everyone needs to keep their head on a swivel and their eyes wide open,” Stockton Rush, OceanGate’s CEO and designer and pilot of the Titan submersible, had said at a morning briefing.

Wearing personal protective equipment — bright orange jackets, water-activated life vests, steel toe boots and helmets — was the rule. Each morning, a long to-do checklist was shared with everyone, including mission specialists. I found it both reassuring and, sometimes, nerve-wracking to have a front row seat to watch how the sausage is made.

But each daunting-sounding task was balanced by a sense that care was being taken. When Rush was giving out assignments at the briefings, if a repair was complex, he would tell the people working on it to “do a stopski” for five minutes when they were done. That meant that,  before they left the task, they should pause for five minutes and think about everything they did, make sure it was done correctly and confirm that they weren’t missing anything.

Badly wanting to go on a dive, I didn’t always see why some factors were considered problematic. Initially, I was puzzled why surface conditions, a seven-foot swell, for instance,  might be a reason to cancel a dive. Afterall, didn’t the dive take place under the surface?

“The size of the swells matters,” Rush said, and he told me why: To get to the sub, a boarding platform is lowered over the side of the Polar Prince. Mission specialists step from that platform onto an inflatable dinghy for the ride to the launch and recovery platform that holds the Titan submersible. When seas are high, that step is the most dangerous part of the entire process, he said: the sea could suddenly drop the dinghy seven feet in an instant, just as you’re walking onto it. 

A problem with Titan’s platform

On the fourth day of the mission, when the seas were most active and fog was the thickest, a near-disaster for the sub and platform occurred: At the end of the rope that linked the stern of the ship to the platform, we saw that the front of the platform and the sub were underwater.

It wasn’t clear why. A fishing buoy had been seen nearby just prior to the problem. It was hypothesized that a line from it had gotten tangled in the platform and tipped the front down, and the part of the platform that should have held air had become flooded.

And it was unclear how it could be raised. Rush huddled with his crew, and a large, red, inflated buoy was attached to the tow line connecting the ship with the platform. The hope was that the buoy would slide down the tow rope to the platform and provide lift to the front.

Rush and two other divers got in a dinghy and came to the stern of the ship where two large, yellow floatation bags were tossed down to them to add more lift.

However, the front of the platform was so far under water that the buoy could not be forced under it and only the edges of the flotation bags could provide minimal lift.

The divers went under the platform and got the water out and the air back in, and it was once again level. The entire process took more than half the day.

When I asked how much jeopardy the sub was in, Rush joked, “So a sub is under water. Why is that a problem?”

No fishing line was discovered in the platform, though it may have done its damage and then untangled itself, Rush added.

What could go wrong?

I asked if anything concerned him about what could go wrong with the dive itself. He answered, “Ghost nets.”

There’s a lot of commercial fishing gear that gets loose, like the fishing buoy, and adds to the manmade items moving around the oceans. If an untended net should by chance be positioned above the submersible as it rises, it could keep it submerged, and there’s not much the sub could do to free itself.

Wreck expert Paul-Henri “P.H.” Nargeolet, who was also onboard, told me he wasn’t worried about what would happen if the structure of the Titan itself were damaged when at the bottom of the ocean. “Under that pressure, you’d be dead before you knew there was a problem.” He said it with a smile.

I asked why he kept returning to the wreck; his next dive would be his 38th. “Each time is totally different,” he answered. “You always see things you’ve never seen before.”

On day six of the mission, the dive window finally closed for good and the Polar Prince headed back towards St. John’s, Newfoundland. I was disappointed, and Rush said we could stop in a protected bay along the way, and he’d take me and the other mission specialists down on a test dive to a depth of about 300 feet.

But I didn’t even get that consolation dive — the sub was being worked on that entire day. I did end up boarding a dinghy to go out to the platform to see the inside of the Titan for myself.

Just as I was leaving the Polar Prince for the sub’s platform, the seas rose about six feet, and I was grateful for the lesson on how to time the swells to step safely off the ship and onto the dinghy.

Going inside the Titan

When I got to the platform, the side panels of the sub were up, and three crew members and the researcher were all busy working on different parts of the vessel. The researcher paused to show me how water samples are collected.

Waiting inside the sub itself was Rush, sitting cross-legged on the seating platform. He had a laptop beside him and showed how the pilot, with a gaming controller, would move the sub from side-to-side or up-and-down. He pointed out the toilet in front of the porthole and a screen in the aft that relayed images from the camera mounted outside the sub.

There really wasn’t much to see in the sub, and the tour didn’t take long. Rush and I took some selfies, someone offered to take a photo of me from the outside with my face in the viewing porthole, and I got off the platform and returned to the ship.

Why would you dive to see Titanic?

Between the wind, waves, fog, platform issues (the platform and sub tipped on another day, though not as precariously and was righted more quickly), the knowledge that the sub was made from carbon fiber that could not be certified to be used on aircraft and with endless checklist items that needed to be tended, you might wonder why I was still willing to go on a dive if it were offered.

Reading that paragraph, I wonder myself. But the answer, in the moment, was the presence of P.H. Nargeolet. I felt that if such an experienced wreck diver and explorer, who had seen and understood so much more than I did, was comfortable going down in the Titan, then I could be, too.

On the first evening in St. John’s, just after I met P.H. and we sat down for a drink together, I asked him why he was going. Rush, he said, “asked me to come dive to see the Titanic. I never find it a problem to say yes to that.”

When I reconnected with Hamish Harding, who was also on the missing submersible, at the Explorers Club global conference on the Azores island of Terceira last week, he already knew I had been on the mission and hadn’t made a dive.

He asked me for my impressions of the operation.

I told him candidly. He raised his eyebrows. I said that I thought many of the problems with my nondive may have arisen because this was the first season that the Titan was being towed behind its support ship rather than being kept on its deck. I said I thought the sub and platform were being tossed around pretty roughly on a daily basis.

But, a seasoned explorer, Harding didn’t seem overly concerned. When I last saw him — exactly one week ago — he told me he’d be leaving the conference early the next morning to fly to St. John’s to board the Polar Prince.

As I began writing this series, it was thought that the life support systems for Harding, Rush, Nargeolet and two other mission specialists were running critically low, but there was still some hope. I was still hoping for a miracle. The history of exploration has many examples of people who were thought to have perished but survived. (If you haven’t read “Endurance,” the incredible story of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, by Alfred Lansing, put it at the top of your list.) It was my hope that the story of OceanGate and the Titan would add another, similar chapter in the long history of exploration.

But as I finish this, search and rescue robots discovered a piece of the Titan on the ocean floor, indicating a catastrophic implosion and the loss of five lives, including three dedicated explorers I had come to know.

Read Part 1 and Part 2 of Arnie Weissmann’s experiences with OceanGate Expeditions in May.

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) has announced the signing of its first Hilton Garden Inn in Islamabad. Set to open in 2027, Hilton Garden Inn Islamabad was signed with multinational real estate development company Premier Choice and will bring Hilton’s award-winning Hilton Garden Inn brand to Orchard Boulevard in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) – Phase 1, the newest commercial hub of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Hilton Garden Inn Islamabad will be centrally located adjacent to the gates of the DHA. Developed by Premier Choice, the project is situated at the centre of Premier Choice’s flagship development, Orchard Boulevard – a 4 million+ square foot mixed-use hub created to attract wide-ranging local, regional and international investment across a range of key growth sectors in the city.

Conveniently located in immediate proximity to the Grand Orchard Mall, and close to Islamabad’s government and diplomatic area, Rawalpindi’s industrial centre, and key roads and accessways of the city, the hotel will feature breath-taking valley views, panoramic vistas from the hotel’s upper levels, and industry leading facilities.

Carlos Khneisser, vice president, development, Middle East & Africa, Hilton, said, “It’s with great pleasure that we announce the debut of Hilton Garden Inn in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad. Located in the DHA development, close to major medical institutions as well as government and diplomatic facilities, this hotel will prove popular with business travellers exploring local opportunities, as well as families looking for value-led stay options. With seven additional hotels in Hilton’s pipeline across Pakistan, including two under our Hilton Garden Inn brand, we are looking forward to expanding our presence as we prepare for our first opening in 2025.”

The 115-guest room Hilton Garden Inn Islamabad will feature a fitness centre, pool, a lobby café, an all-day dining restaurant, a rooftop café, and meeting room. The surrounding neighbourhood of DHA is also close to several natural beauty spots such as Ayub National Park and Soan River, as well as family-friendly entertainment and leisure options, such as Joyland Rawalpindi and Box Park at Bahria Food Street.

Amran Zia, CEO, Premier Choice, said, “Islamabad is developing at a rapid pace, and with new investment boosting economic activity, we wanted to continue our company’s vision of creating true value for the local community. This project in particular has a further appeal to both tourists and business travellers who are keen to discover what Pakistan has to offer. Identifying a brand for our second hospitality venture and 23^rd project overall was not easy, however, we believe that with Hilton’s support, the new Hilton Garden Inn will be a very popular choice for visitors, and we look forward to delighting guests with our world-class service and amenities.”

Hilton announced new hotels in Pakistan in 2021 with the signing of DoubleTree by Hilton properties in Islamabad and Nathiagali. The company’s growing pipeline includes properties across its globally recognised brands – Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn.

Hilton Garden Inn Islamabad
Orchard Road
Islamabad, Pakistan

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are shaking up inflight connectivity. Since launching SpaceX’s Starlink service in aviation, JSX has been wowing passengers with blazing fast Internet on board its ERJs. OneWeb’s LEO constellation, meanwhile, is readying to support IFC in 2024, with Intelsat, Hughes and Panasonic Avionics set to serve as distribution partners in the commercial sector. Demos of OneWeb’s service, including at the recent Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), have yielded impressive results.

So how does the quality of experience (QoE) of LEO satellite-powered inflight connectivity compare with GEO-supported IFC? NetForecast, which measures and assesses the real end-to-end Internet user experience, including on board aircraft, decided to find out. With its QMap app installed on the mobile devices of airline crew members, NetForecast employees, and other interested parties, the Charlottesville, Virginia-based company captured end-to-end latency, packet loss, DNS lookup time, and effective bandwidth data on a total 155 flights, calculating QoE scores for each flight as well as for six user application categories using a zero-to-one scale.

“We’ve now reached critical mass to be able to share our LEO versus GEO quality of experience performance data,” NetForecast president Rebecca Wetzel told RGN at AIX. “This is a passenger experience comparison between the LEO flights, of which we had 62, and 93 GEO flights. The GEO flights are all different airlines and different service providers. It’s a mélange. The LEOs, well… [there’s only one active provider at present.]

“So, we calculated Apdex* (Application Performance Index) scores for LEO versus GEO and we level set our calculations so we could compare the services to each other. When we compare GEOs to each other, we set performance thresholds to reflect baseline values based on what GEO can deliver.”

If an airline offered only GEO-based IFC, but had multiple different service providers, the scoring would compare the services equally. “We level set to compare apples to apples,” explained Wetzel. “In the case of our GEO versus LEO comparison, we averaged the scores for all of the GEO flights together and all of the LEO flights.”

The results put the average flight QoE for GEO in a “fair” category whereas LEO had an average in the B+ “good” range.

Observing the “huge gap” in performance of 0.11, NetForecast director of business development Mary Rogozinski told RGN: “So, in our testing, at some airlines you’re seeing GEOs down at the bottom end. There are flights out there that are very poor.” [Note: Beyond entering a flight number and starting the app, there is no interaction by the crew or employees.]

NetForecast set Apdex thresholds differently depending on what kind of application is being used, identifying six application categories: Interactive, Message, Cloud Service, File Transfer, Streaming, and Social Media.

“Each of the categories has a different set of requirements from the network in order to deliver a good quality of experience to the user. And so, we compared the different application categories with the GEOs and with the LEOs,” said Wetzel. “And as you can see, depending on what you’re trying to do, if you’re doing messaging, it’s not such a big difference. But if you’re doing something interactive or streaming, then there’s a big difference in the scores.”

The LEOs outperformed the GEOs for every application category, which is perhaps not surprising.

“But there’s more to talk about,” said Wetzel. “I asked our data analysts for a view into the underlying data. It’s most important to look at the differences between GEO and LEO, and the two most important areas of difference are latency and service interruption time. You can see that, for the LEOs, the average latency was down around 170 milliseconds, and for the GEOs, it was up around 775 milliseconds. So, the GEO latency is about 4 1/2 times higher than the latency of the LEO flights.”

“Then there are the service interruptions,” she continued. “This is really interesting because service interruption time is very, very, very important since it just stops you in your tracks. For latency, some applications choke but others can keep going; it may just take longer. You don’t see service interruptions very often on the ground, but we found that when we started to look at the passenger experience, there are a lot of service interruptions, especially with geosynchronous services.

“We have seen differences among service providers, but on average GEO flights experienced 10.33 percent of flight time in service interruptions, while LEO flights averaged only 1.20 percent of flight time in service interruptions. GEO flights spent on average 8.6 times more flight time in service interruptions than the LEO flights we measured.”

On GEO IFC-fitted aircraft that have been recently upgraded (such as with new modem technology), there were fewer service interruptions. “I think there are so many older legacy systems out there that are much more susceptible to these interruptions. And as they all go through their different upgrades, I expect that their QoE scores will improve,” said Rogozinski.

Appreciating that the GEO average is based on a ‘stew’ of IFC service providers versus just a single active provider in LEO, i.e. SpaceX, and that JSX’s ERJ flights, which are largely in CONUS, are shorter than many GEO IFC-fitted aircraft (JSX presently has a three-hour flight time limit) … NetForecast’s initial assessment of the LEO versus GEO quality of experience nonetheless offers some compelling food for thought.

*Apdex is an industry standard method to report users’ satisfaction with the response time of an application given an appropriate set of measurement samples. Users are satisfied with performance below a preset threshold T and tolerating performance above T. Frustrating experience occurs above a second threshold F. Sum the number of samples in each performance range where the satisfied count gets full credit, tolerate count gets half credit and the frustrating count gets no credit. Then divide by the total number of samples to yield the zero-to-one Apdex score.

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United Airlines’ mobile app now automatically presents flyers with rebooking options when their flight is delayed or canceled. 

The app also generates meal, ground transportation and hotel vouchers for eligible customers. 

United, which had been beta-testing the functionality since late last year, said that 50% of its customers already look to the app or to United.com to self-serve during disruptions.

With the new feature, rebooking options and vouchers will automatically populate on the app’s home screen for customers who have a flight that is canceled or delayed by more than 60 minutes, as long as the customer had loaded that flight into the app. Otherwise, flyers can take advantage of the new capability by entering their flight details during the disruption into the app or on United.com.

Those using the feature can see if they’ve been rebooked and have the option of looking at other flight options. They can also view their vouchers and connect virtually to a United customer service agent.

Son Bunyola Hotel and Villas – Sir Richard Branson’s newest luxury hotel in the beautiful Tramuntana Mountains of Mallorca has officially opened and is already set to become the latest new home for those seeking luxury on the island.

It is no secret that Sir Richard Branson has long had a love affair with Mallorca, having previously created one of the island’s most famed hotels, before purchasing Son Bunyola with a determination to share one of the most outstanding and unrivalled locations across the whole of Mallorca – and bring back to life an incredible 16 th century finca.

More than 20 years in the making, Son Bunyola Hotel has officially opened, joining its three showcase villas on the estate. Not just as Mallorca’s newest luxury hotel, but as a monumental part of Mallorcan history that has been meticulously restored, and is steeped in heritage on an incredible 1300-acre estate bursting with almond and olive groves, vines and citrus fruit trees; as well as three stunning miles of Mediterranean coastline

Boasting 26 rooms and suites, all perfectly styled by local interior designer Rialto Living who have brought a slice of Mallorcan charm with the collection’s renowned home from home character, Son Bunyola Hotel has been elegantly designed by local architect Gras and encompasses the main finca and the Tafona; along with several annexe buildings. The Tafona – where the historic olive press was previously located – is home to two stunning showcase suites with terraces and the hotel also boasts two unique Tower Suites with panoramic mountain and sea views – one of which was once a Medieval defence tower dating back to the 13 th century.

There are two restaurants at the hotel – a Mediterranean restaurant, a tapas restaurant and several outdoor dining terraces – all led by newly appointed and renowned Executive Chef, Samuel G. Galdón. A comprehensive wellness programme complementing the hotel’s natural surrounds boasts outdoor yoga sessions within the estate, historical walks around the highly protected UNESCO World Heritage Site; along with two treatment rooms and an impressive 28-metre swimming pool with sweeping views across the famous Foradada and surrounding countryside. Even the addition of Aqua bikes and new Pickle Ball lines to add to the estate’s tennis court will form part of the abundance of activities on offer across the estate.

The finca, now – Son Bunyola Hotel – dates back to the 1500’s and has been meticulously restored during the development project, proudly retaining all original features to seamlessly blend new design with historical elements to celebrate and bring into view the rich history of the building. Intricate details are showcased at every corner of the new hotel from the original floor tiles and staircase; to the historic oil press and original altar, which now takes centre stage in the hotel’s Sa Terrassa restaurant.

Although the oldest part of the building dates back to the 13 th century, the land is thought to have been inhabited for thousands of years, with stone towers scattered across the estate going back to the Bronze age (1,300 BC) and Iron Age (850 BC) – making it the perfect location for hiking and biking, with dedicated estate bikes and trail maps that encompass the estate’s rich history.

Guests can now book to be among the first to experience the new luxury hotel with rates starting from 600 Euros per room per night on a bed and breakfast basis. For more information and to book a stay at Mallorca’s brand-new Son Bunyola Hotel, visit www.sonbunyola.virgin.com, where you can also sign up for the latest news and developments.

Hotel website

Son Bunyola Hotel & Villas
Ctra. C, 710
Banyalbufar, 07191
Spain

+34 871 62 06 02

ThinKom Solutions says it’s in the home stretch to receiving linefit offerability for its ThinAir Ka2517 VICTS antenna as buyer furnished equipment (BFE) at Boeing, and separately as supplier furnished equipment (SFE) at Airbus under the European airframer’s HBCplus high-bandwidth inflight connectivity programme as part of the Safran Passenger Innovations (SPI) terminal.

The Hawthorne, California-based company anticipates that the Ka2517 mechanically-steered phased array VICTS antenna will be added to Boeing’s BFE catalogue in roughly the third quarter of this year, and to the SFE catalogue at Airbus in the fourth quarter.

Boeing BFE

Its BFE linefit work with Boeing is, intriguingly, a direct approach. “In the linefit for Boeing, that’s with us. We’re paying the bills on that,” ThinKom CTO Bill Milroy told Runway Girl Network at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg.

Consequently, whilst the agnostic kit will initially support Global Xpress Ka-band connectivity from Inmarsat (now Viasat) — facilitating high-speed Internet on the likes of Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787s — it doesn’t have to be just a Viasat/Inmarsat inflight connectivity solution, noted Milroy. “It could be other people.”

“Other people” now include Hughes Network Systems, which is offering Ka2517 as part of its new Hughes Jupiter In-Flight Ka-band GEO-now (MEO/LEO later) solution — and which also revealed to RGN it is using Ka2517 in its new Hughes Jupiter Fusion hybrid Ka/Ku multi-band, multi-orbit terminal (with Hughes’ electronically steerable antenna supporting OneWeb Ku service).

In short, industry stakeholders that adopt Ka2517 as their antenna hardware of choice, or indeed for specific applications, will be able to benefit when the antenna is part of Boeing’s BFE catalogue.

Admitting that ThinKom is “spending a lot of our own money” in obtaining linefit offerability at Boeing, Milroy noted that “it then allows you to amortize, if you will, your costs over more of a potential user base. So, it makes it a larger addressable market, and larger addressable markets are obviously a good thing.”

In short, it’s worth the big investment.

Airbus SFE

Airbus’ supplier-furnished HBCplus programme for the Ka-band frequency enables airlines to select as their managed service provider (MSP) either Inmarsat GX (now Viasat GX) or SES multi-orbit GEO/MEO service. (For Ku-band transmissions, Airbus has named Intelsat and Panasonic Avionics as MSPs under MOUs announced at this year’s AIX, and SPI as the terminal provider but with an ESA instead of VICTS.)

Under HBCplus, Airbus provides the broadband connectivity kit — and related services — as linefit SFE meaning that Airbus will not only factory-fit the hardware to A320, A330 and A350 twinjets, but will have overall responsibility to airline customers.

Announcing the programme last year, the European airframer selected SPI as the terminal provider and hardware integrator, using ThinKom’s Ka2517 for the Ka-band. And airlines are now lining up as customers.

“So, I think it’s just about what the customers [want]; some folks [adopting HBCplus] are big players. Emirates would probably be the best example,” said Milroy after Emirates was formally confirmed as the launch customer for HBCplus at AIX, followed late in the show by Ethiopian]

“Big players really love the HBCplus idea. We love having them as a launch customer for that. But I don’t think all the airlines [will go in that direction]. And the retrofit market isn’t going away, and in fact, the retrofit market … affectionately the rip and replace market, that’s a real thing.”

Boeing, said Milroy, has not yet shown signs that it’s moving into anything like a “Boeing Plus” supplier-furnished offering yet.

To be clear, dear reader, we are specifically talking about the Ka2517, not ThinKom’s Ku-band satellite-supported Ku3030, which was white labeled by Gogo, now Intelsat, as 2Ku, and for which Intelsat separately works with Boeing on linefit (it is linefit on the 737 MAX).

“[A]nd of course they [Intelsat] have lots and lots of STCs. They have STCs on almost everything,” said Milroy. “We don’t own the STCs, Intelsat does [for 2Ku]. It wasn’t always the case, but we can sell the Ku3030 … but probably what we are going to end up doing is more of a Ku2525.” Ku2525 is the smaller, new Ku VICTS + Ku ESA product which ThinKom had hoped would be adopted for the Ku-band side of Airbus’ HBCplus…and is, among other things, an answer to the problem of OneWeb not wanting to play with VICTS….and of course the ESA could be provided by Hughes or indeed others.

ThinKom will also focus on the ThinAir Plus mix-and-match approach, as seen on its stand at AIX with Ka2517 and Hughes’ ESA tucked alongside it (but with the capability of slapping other ESAs there as well.) “Now you’re multi-band …multi-beam, we’re just trying to be whatever folks want to be.” It also positions ThinKom to be able to support different satellite services,” said Milroy.

“We already are O3b compatible. We’ll be mPOWER compatible. We’ve already been public with Telesat, when Telesat comes online, we will be [able to support] Telesat. We are engaged with Kuiper. So, talk is cheap and so … I always try to discriminate between what we’re doing like now and what we could do in the future and I want to be distinct on that.”

When ThinKom secures direct linefit offerability at Boeing for the Ka2517, will that grease the skids with Boeing for the hybrid ThinAir Plus mix-and-match VICTS/ESA approach, RGN asked?

“So this approach on the Ka side, in other words the Ka2517 plus the….ESA, that will probably be available late next year, in terms of first STC with that capability,” answered Milroy.

RJ take-up for the smaller Ka1717

Separately, on the regional jet front, ThinKom offers its smaller Ka1717 package, representing a partnership with CarlisleIT (incidentally, for RJs, Hughes said it will use Ka1717 for its Hughes Jupiter In-Flight GEO-now focused solution for North America).

A big airline announcement involving Ka1717 is in the offing.

Milory revealed that ThinKom has large Ka1717 work packages in the works. “We’re ramping up so we’ll be doing 50 shipsets a month by second quarter next year. Now we’ll be STC’d on a particular regional jet by the end of this year, so within the next three to six months, and we’ll be STC’d on several other RJ types early next year. So we’re building stuff.”

He added: “I think people will be impressed with it when they hear. It will be an airline that everyone knows.”

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Q: Our agency hosts a number of independent contractors (ICs). We do not offer the most favorable commission split to our ICs because, unlike most hosts, we offer a large number of support services. Lately, some of our veteran ICs who do not need much support have switched to other hosts and have tried to have their bookings transferred to the new hosts. Can we prohibit such transfers? What if the IC gets the client to cancel and rebook without a “transfer”? Is there anything we can do to stop it?

A: The terms of your IC agreement should cover these situations. Otherwise, transfers become a free-for-all in which either party tries to keep or move the bookings, as the case may be.

Assuming that your agreement is silent on the subject, here is my advice: Legally, the agency that procured the sale is entitled to the compensation for the sale. The sale is considered made when the deposit is taken, so you are legally entitled to the commission on the sale, even after a transfer.

So if you suffer a really major loss that justifies incurring substantial legal fees, you could probably successfully sue your former IC and the new host for your share of the commissions. However, I recognize that in the vast majority of cases, the amount in controversy will not be enough to justify a lawsuit, so you probably need to try to negotiate an equitable settlement.

You could offer to cooperate in the transfer if the ex-IC and the new host jointly agree to remit to you what would have been your share of the commission once the new host receives the commission. Conversely, if you receive the commission after the transfer, you would send the IC what would have been their share.

In most cases, after the transfer, the supplier is going to send the commission to the new host, notwithstanding the fact that you are legally entitled to it. The beauty of the agreement I describe is that your agency will probably be the net beneficiary, as supplier payments to the new host will probably exceed what you could collect.

You can also provide that each host will provide the other with a monthly accounting of what has been collected. A cooperative agreement will probably cut down on cancel-and-rebook activity.

Ideally, a well-drafted IC agreement should already provide these cooperative terms, and then you would need the new host to ratify the terms. If your agreement doesn’t, you can try to amend it to avoid potential acrimony.

Instead of such an agreement, ICs sometimes try to rely on clauses stating that clients solicited and secured by the IC are the property of the IC. Similarly, there may be a clause stating that the old host agrees not to solicit the IC’s clients. Neither of these clauses addresses the transfer situation, as the issue is not whose client it is but rather to whom the particular booking belongs. 

Tucked away on the exclusive Glyfada seafront, along the Athenian Riviera, One&Only’s highly anticipated debut resort in Greece is set to welcome guests from October 2023. A captivating coastal hideaway, One&Only Aesthesis celebrates the effortless sophistication of a bygone era, revealing a world of untold nostalgia and mid-century glamour.

Overlooking the sapphire waters of the Saronic Gulf, One&Only Aesthesis is set within a protected 21-hectare beach and forest reserve. Framed by fragrant lavender fields and postcard-perfect coastal views, the resort evokes the feeling of a private island, just a short drive from the ancient wonders of the Greek capital.

“One&Only consistently sets a precedent for delivering exceptional one-off resorts and unrivalled ultra-luxury experiences in every destination we enter. We are delighted to begin our Greek odyssey with One&Only Aesthesis – a new beach resort in the heart of one of the world’s most fabled cities.” says Philippe Zuber, Chief Executive Officer, Kerzner International. “As we continue our expansion across Europe, our debut in Greece will strengthen our brand positioning, bringing One&Only to the cradle of European civilisation. Inspired by the cultural heritage and culinary riches of Athens, One&Only Aesthesis is a celebration of life, energy, authenticity, glamour and charisma, providing an idyllic base from which to explore the rest of the country.”

To spearhead the opening, One&Only has appointed Yann Gillet as General Manager. Having held leadership roles worldwide, Yann brings over 20 years of international hospitality experience. “I am excited to be leading the opening of One&Only Aesthesis in Glyfada,” says Yann. “The resort is driving the revival of this legendary beachfront setting, which for many Greeks will transcend time and transport them to the paradise of their youth. Guests can anticipate a resort experience that is inspired by the vibrant cosmopolitan buzz of the ’60s and ’70s, at the height of the Hollywood Grecian era.”

Nostalgic Coastal Glamour

One&Only Aesthesis embodies the glamour of the Aegean with a collection of breathtaking rooms, bungalows, villas, and an exclusive community of One&Only Private Homes, all designed to frame the stunning beauty of the Grecian coastline. Bathed in sunlight, the architecture pays homage to mid-century design with high ceilings, woven leather details, muted tones, and natural accents.

Offering the unparalleled peace and seclusion of an island-style retreat, the resort’s 95 stylish bungalows, 18 residences and two iconic villas come with private pools, sunny gardens filled with fragrant Greek flora, and atmospheric outdoor showers and fireplaces. One&Only’s signature Villa One is the epitome of indoor-outdoor living and celebrates all of the brand’s hallmarks. Spread over 1,400sqm, it features a statement swimming pool, unfettered views from every angle, and an expansive deck that stretches right to the water’s edge. This stunning split-level two-bedroom villa offers a remarkable sense of space and seclusion imbued with the resort’s modern comfort and nostalgic tones. For larger groups and multi-generational stays, Villa One can be connected to Villa Nostos, the resort’s second villa, to create a sensational four-bedroom retreat. A Two-Bedroom Epos Residence can also be adjoined to create a one-of-a-kind six-bedroom sanctuary for the ultimate friends or family getaway.

Fostering opportunities for creating new and shared experiences among the community are the 14 One&Only Private Homes. In tune with the coastal setting, each Private Home embodies a unique haven of style, juxtaposing ancient myth with modern lifestyle. Owners of One&Only Private Homes will enjoy complimentary access and use of One&Only Aesthesis resort facilities along with a plethora of global network privileges.

Grecian Flavours

Known as a culinary innovator and leader, One&Only Aesthesis will add to Kerzner’s global repertoire of Michelin-starred and celebrity chefs with Ettore Botrini and Paco Morales. Rejoicing food at heart, the resort pays homage to the thousands of years of Greek culture and cuisine, using ingredients grown locally for a soulful Mediterranean essence.

Ora, Greek for ‘time’, is the all-day dining restaurant with Chef Ettore Botrini at the helm. His playful and creative menu focuses on fresh Mediterranean flavours and a sense of place that connects nature, traditions and al-fresco living. Adding a touch of Andalucian-Mediterranean cuisine, El Bar de Paco Morales will be a pop-up dining venue with a buzzing ambience inspired by the chef’s home city of Cordoba.

Centred around an impressive olive tree, Alelia bar will offer signature olive cocktails infused with fresh herbs from the resort’s garden. Homegrown concept Thimisi is inspired by two of the most iconic personalities of the Athenian golden era – Maria Callas and Jackie O’. Facing west, the outdoor sunset bar comes alive in the evening and captures the vibrant spirit of the glamorous Riviera lifestyle with reimagined classic cocktails and sundowner music sessions. Minima, a beach and pool bar, will be the place to unwind and escape on the water’s edge.

Aegean Adventures

Celebrating its prized location between city and sea, One&Only Aesthesis offers curated experiences designed to reveal the natural and cultural wonders of Athens, from discovering World Heritage sites to sailing, hiking and soaking in the region’s famed hot springs.

The resort will feature holistic wellness facilities with an indulgent spa and the Club One fitness hub, home to a fully equipped gym, tennis courts and Padel. The KidsOnly Club will delight younger travellers with nature-based activities and educational programmes that inspire learning and play in the garden, tree house, music room, and amphitheatre. A destination to see and be seen, the adults-only Beach Club will capture the convivial spirit of the Riviera with stylish cabanas, live music, and sun-soaked dining.

Situated in Glyfada, the resort is a short, 30-minute drive from Athens city centre and from Athens International Airport. One&Only Aesthesis will begin welcoming guests from October 2023. For reservations or more information, please visit oneandonlyresorts.com/aesthesis.

Hotel website

One&Only Aesthesis
Leof. Poseidonos
Glifada, 166 74
Greece

+971 4 426 1099

RECARO Aircraft Seating (RECARO) has unveiled its newest seating solution to increase cabin efficiency on Airbus aircraft. The first-of-its-kind overwing exit seat, the X-Tend Seat, allows for an increased pax count while maintaining the 13-inch EASA & FAA requirement for passageway. 

The X-Tend Seat targets short and mid-range economy cabin configurations for narrowbody Airbus aircraft. With an easy-to-use extended seat bottom, the X-Tend Seat offers passengers a premium seating experience while simultaneously increasing passenger efficiency throughout the cabin.

“The X-Tend Seat is an exciting addition to our competencies, as RECARO is committed to providing our customers with a valuable and innovative portfolio of seating solutions,” said Dr. Mark Hiller, CEO of RECARO Aircraft Seating and RECARO Holding. “This design collaboration with Airbus is unlike anything currently seen on the market and has been an important step in our partnership.”

With the X-Tend Seat, passenger capacity of an A320 will increase from 190 to 194 pax. This innovation optimizes cabin space and aligns with sustainability goals of airlines as it can efficiently reduce the number of flights an aircraft takes without sacrificing comfort for passengers.

About RECARO Aircraft Seating

RECARO Aircraft Seating is a global supplier of premium aircraft seats for airlines and OEMs. The market leader in economy class seating is known for product innovation, award-winning customer service and “driving comfort in the sky.” As RECARO expands its global footprint and invests double digit in R&D, the family-owned company remains committed to reliability, efficiency, sustainable practices and supporting employee growth. Headquartered in Schwaebisch Hall, Germany, RECARO employs 2,300 people worldwide across its sites in China, Poland, South Africa and the United States, earned 403 million euros in revenue in 2022.

About RECARO Group

The RECARO Group comprises the independently operating divisions RECARO Aircraft Seating in Schwaebisch Hall, Germany, RECARO Gaming located in Stuttgart, Germany, and Growag located in Grodzisk Wielkopolski, Poland. The Group’s consolidated sales amounted to nearly 425 million euros in 2022. Currently the Group employs more than 2,500 employees worldwide.

All images credited to RECARO Aircraft Seating

ONBOARD THE CARNIVAL VENEZIA — It was rare to hear people on the Carnival Venezia say “ciao” or “arrivederci,” but the newest ship in the Carnival Cruise Line family is awash in Italian ambience.

As its name suggests, the Venezia takes its inspiration from Venice, and the three-level atrium, fashioned after the Piazza San Marco, is grand, with white marble columns topped with gold trim, one holding a replica of the Lion of Venice sculpture. There’s a faux canal with a gondola floating under a bridge in the Canal Grande Restaurant.

Crushed red velvet seats give the theater the atmosphere of an opera house, and Italian cocktails are everywhere, including Negronis and a frozen drink layered with the colors of the Italian flag. 

The ship is based in New York and caters to Carnival’s U.S. market. But despite being a Vista-class build, it was designed with a very different market in mind. It was originally built for Costa Cruises to serve the Asian market, until the pandemic hit.

With the Asia cruise market slow to reopen and Carnival in need of additional capacity after shedding some of its older, less efficient ships, Carnival Corp. took the step of transferring the Costa Venezia and its sister, the 2021-built Costa Firenze, to Carnival. 

The Carnival-branded vessel with a Costa-yellow smokestack is the first ship with the slogan “Carnival Fun, Italian Style” across its hull, and Carnival Cruise Line is testing out the concept on American audiences. 

The Venezia will homeport in New York until October 2024, when it repositions to Port Canaveral.

How Venezia differs from other ships

I sailed on the Venezia’s inaugural, four-day revenue sailing from New York. Longtime Carnival guests told me this ship was more elegant, elevated and detailed than the line’s other vessels. 

While guests liked the design touches, at least one said the ship felt tighter with smaller spaces. “Cozy” is how Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, described it. 

Carnival tailored the ship to American cruisers by replacing retail spaces with restaurants and bars, among other changes, but the intimate layout remained.

“This ship and the sister will feel more elegant and more elevated than our ships, which were designed bigger [with] wide-open spaces — everybody wants to be in the center of the action,” Duffy said. “This ship is designed more for, ‘I’m happy to watch the people in the center of the action from over here.’ So, I think that’ll be a change.”

The waterpark is smaller on the Venezia, Duffy said, and it lacks a Sky Ride, although it includes a ropes course and courts for pickleball, bocce and basketball. The pool areas are smaller, as Asian cruisers are generally less interested in sunbathing than Americans are, and so lounge chairs are also spread across the port and starboard sides.

Food and drink

The Venezia introduces several new experiences to Carnival, including Il Viaggio specialty restaurant, which serves dishes from across Italy, including ziti from Liguria and a grilled octopus and artichoke appetizer from Sicily. The most eye-popping dish was a chicken parmigiana pizza delivered to a table behind us, with long strings of melty cheese that refused to let go of the pie. 

Italian-influenced food was woven throughout most dining experiences on the ship, including the casual poolside eats. For instance, the menu of Guy’s Burger Joint included two Italian-style burgers — think fixings like mozzarella, pepperoni, diced tomato, balsamic vinegar and fresh basil. 

The Amari Bar, the ship’s version of the Alchemy Bar, had a menu of Italian-inspired cocktails, like a margarita made with tequila, blood orange juice, amaretto and lime juice. Our server said it had been our sailing’s most popular drink. 

Despite guests’ comments that the ship is elegant and elevated, the Venezia is not the start of a push into a more premium space in the market, said Adolfo Perez, vice president of global sales and trade marketing.

“You can have upscale experiences on the ships, but in no way are we trying to move into the premium market,” he said. “We know who we are, and we want to be who we are.” 

The Firenze, inspired by Florence, is expected to begin operations next May from Long Beach, Calif. But Duffy was noncommittal on whether Carnival might adopt additional ships from other lines. 

“That’s the benefit, right? These assets are mobile,” she said. “Leaning into this concept of ‘Fun, Italian style,’ we’ll see where it goes.

“I never say never anymore.”