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Regal Princess to arrive two weeks early

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Regal Princess to arrive two weeks early

By Tom Stieghorst
Princess Cruises said the Regal Princess, a ship under construction, will arrive 13 days ahead of schedule, enabling the line to add two cruises.

Regal Princess’ first cruise had been scheduled for June 2, but Princess has bumped that up to May 20.

The new maiden voyage will be a seven-day cruise from Venice to Athens with stops in the Greek islands of Corfu and Mykonos and an overnight call in Istanbul.

A second cruise will depart May 27 from Athens and spend six days calling on Kusadasi, Turkey; Santorini and Katakolon, Greece; and Dubrovnik, Croatia, on its way to Venice.

Passengers previously booked on the June 2 maiden voyage have until Nov. 15 to decide whether they want to take the new cruise instead of, or in addition to, their existing reservation.

Regal Princess will carry 3,650 passengers and is a sister ship to Royal Princess, which debuted earlier this year.

Senior Officers Announced for Regal Princess

Princess Cruises has announced that Captain Ed Perrin will be at the helm of its next new ship, Regal Princess, leading a senior officer team with more than 100 years of seagoing experience among them. The senior four-stripe team will also include Relief Captain Dino Sagani, Relief Captain John Foster, Chief Engineer Rosario Segreto, Hotel General Manager Dirk Brand, and Staff Captain Aldo Traverso.

Following in the wake of sister ship Royal Princess, Regal Princess launches in June 2014 for a season of Mediterranean cruising. The ship will offer the same dramatic features that have already made headlines on Royal Princess, including a soaring atrium, the dramatic over-water SeaWalk, the new Princess Live! television studio, a special Chef’s Table Lumiere, and balconies on all outside staterooms.

“It takes a talented team to bring out a new vessel of this caliber,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “These skilled officers bring considerable seagoing and management skills to the new ship’s maiden season.”

Captain Ed Perrin – Captain Edward Perrin has been in command of numerous Princess ships since 2006, beginning with the former Tahitian Princess sailing in French Polynesia. Captain Perrin attended the College of Maritime Studies in Southampton and worked aboard several types of cargo ships before setting off aboard cruise ships. He then joined Princess in 1996. A native of Dorset on the South West Coast of England, Captain Perrin grew up watching the cargo ships and ocean liners sail from local ports, which sparked his growing desire to work at sea.

Relief CaptCaptain Ed Perrin will lead the senior officer team aboard the new Regal Princessain Dino Sagani – Captain Dino Sagani commanded a variety of Princess vessels, including Sea Princess, Dawn Princess, Sapphire Princess, Diamond Princess, and most recently as relief captain on Royal Princess. Sagani was born in Trieste on the North East Adriatic coast of Italy. Following the family tradition, he studied at the Nautical College in Trieste, which is one of the oldest Nautical Schools in Europe. On completion of his studies, he joined the Italian Navy, serving on a minesweeper during the first Gulf War. After the Navy, he joined Princess Cruises in 1995, where he quickly climbed the ranks and was promoted to captain in 2007.

Relief Captain John Foster – Captain John Foster has most recently commanded Sea Princess and Grand Princess. Foster started his seagoing career as an officer cadet with Esso tankers at the age of 16. After completing his cadetship, he joined his first Princess ship – the original Royal Princess. He was also assigned to the new build projects of Dawn Princess, Grand Princess and Island Princess. Foster was born in the maritime city of Liverpool, on the banks of the river Mersey, on the North West coast of England, where he still resides.

Chief Engineer Rosario Segreto – Chief Engineer Rosario Segreto has held this position for Princess Cruises since 1999 and is now one of the most senior chief engineers in the Princess fleet. In 2010, he was asked to participate in the design and development of the new class of ships, Royal Princess and Regal Princess, and has spent the past several years working extensively with the shipbuilding team. Segreto is from the small town of Villamassargia on the island of Sardinia, Italy, and graduated from the Nautical School in Cagliari, Sardinia in 1980. He began his career at sea as a cadet engineer on tanker and cargo ships. He joined Princess Cruises in 1988.

Hotel General Manager Dirk Brand – Hotel General Manager Dirk Brand will oversee all hotel functions aboard Regal Princess, a position he has held aboard a variety of Princess ships, including most recently Royal Princess and Ruby Princess during the ships’ inaugurals. He has also worked aboard the ships of sister company Cunard. Brand was born in Berlin, Germany and grew up in Munich. After completing his education and apprenticeship in hotel management, he served with the Air Force in Sardinia, Italy. Fluent in three languages, Brand began his career at sea in 1998 as a senior assistant food and beverage director during the inaugural season of Grand Princess. He currently resides in Spain.

Staff Captain Aldo Traverso – Head of the deck department and second in command to the captain, Staff Captain Aldo Traverso joined Princess in 1998 aboard the original Regal Princess. A native of Genova, Italy, Traverso graduated from that city’s Nautical Institute, after which he served in the Navy – first at the Naval Academy in Livorno and then on board a Navy vessel. His Princess career began as an able seaman fireman, after which he rose swiftly through the ranks to his current position. Today, Traverso resides in the Piemonte region of Italy.

Regal Princess, will debut on June 2, 2014 with a seven-day inaugural voyage from Venice to Barcelona. The ship will then sail on a 10-day Mediterranean & Aegean cruise, followed by a season of Princess’ signature Grand Mediterranean cruises, with two itinerary choices.

EasyJet posts 60% increase in profits

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EasyJet posts 60% increase in profits

Nov 15, 2011 08:17AM GMT

EasyJet has delivered a 60% rise in full year pre-tax profits to £248 million and is returning £195 million to shareholders.

The budget carrier, under pressure from founder and major shareholder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou over dividend payments, said it was making “tangible returns” to shareholders despite a £100 million hike in fuel costs.

Overall capacity rose by 11.5% due to network expansions from Gatwick and in France and Switzerland. Passenger numbers rose 11.8% to 54.5 million and load factor improved by 0.3 percentage points to 87.3%.

Total revenue grew by 16.1% to £3,452 million resulting in growth of 4.1% in revenue per seat to £55.27. Ancillary revenue rose by 12.9% to £11.52 per seat following “decisive management action” in the second quarter of the year.

Passengers originating outside of the UK now account for 56%, an increase of 3 percentage points compared with 2010.  Those flying on business increased by almost one million to 9.5 million

Underlying cost per seat fell by 1.3% for the full year with strong performances in ground handling, maintenance and disruption-related costs, the carrier said.

Chief executive Carolyn McCall said: “Despite the headwinds of higher fuel costs and a weak and uncertain economic outlook, our focus on customers, robust operational performance, the strength of EasyJet’s network combined with cost control and capital discipline means that EasyJet is well placed to succeed.”

The airline took a swipe at government for reversing its election promise to turn Air Passenger Duty in to a per plane tax.

“Instead it is proposing to lower the tax on long-haul flights and increase it on short-haul flights,” EasyJet said. “Evidence shows this is both economically and environmentally damaging.

“Aviation’s entry into the European Union Emissions Trading System means that there is no longer any environmental case for taxes on aviation.”

The airline also voiced concern over “monopoly infrastructure” airport and airspace providers across Europe which continue to impose higher charges despite the uncertain economic climate.

“Monopoly airports need to become more efficient, with infrastructure and associated charges built around the needs of passengers on point-to-point carriers such as easyJet. This will bring wider economic benefits by promoting tourism and trade,” EasyJet said.

Looking forward, the carrier said: “The macro-economic environment remains challenging for all airlines as weak consumer confidence across Europe slows the rate at which higher fuel prices and increased taxation can be passed onto passengers.

“Against this backdrop EasyJet is taking a cautious approach to capacity deployment.  As a result, capacity in the first half of the year is planned to be flat (adjusting for disruption in the first part of the prior year), with growth of around 4% for the full year.

“With around 45% of winter seats now sold, in line with the prior year, first half passenger revenue per seat is expected to grow by mid-single digits with planned improvement in yields, bag charges and other ancillary revenues.

“Cost per seat excluding fuel and currency impact is expected to grow by 2% to 3% for the full year and by 4% in the first half of the year, assuming normal levels of disruption, driven by price increases at regulated airports and investments in new revenue streams.

“At current fuel and exchange rates easyJet’s fuel bill is anticipated to increase by £220 million in full year 2012 compared to full year 2011.

“Despite the headwinds of higher fuel costs and a weak and uncertain economic outlook, our focus on customers, robust operational performance, the strength of EasyJet’s network combined with cost control and capital discipline means that EasyJet is well placed to succeed.”

One in three Brits did not holiday in 2011

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WTM: One in three Brits did not holiday in 2011, study finds

Nov 07, 2011 14:46PM GMT

WTM: One in three Brits did not holiday in 2011, study finds

Holidays are now seen as a discretionary spend rather than a necessity, according to the World Travel Market 2011 Industry Report (pdf).

The report, which  polled more than 1,000 UK holidaymakers, showed that over a third (38%) did not have a holiday this year. A holiday was counted as seven nights in the UK or overseas.

In order to find 1,000 holidaymakers who had been on holiday, the report actually had to survey 1,611 consumers. Of those that did holiday in 2011, almost six out of ten (59%) only took one.

The low figure was blamed on the impact of the recession on household budgets, and the increase in Air Passenger Duty.

More than a quarter, 26%, said the increase in costs of travelling due to taxes was a major issue. Just over a third, 31%, said they will travel less often. For 5%, 2011 was the first year they did not travel abroad because of the increase in the cost of holidaying due to taxes.

WTM chairman Fiona Jeffery admitted the findings that consumers no longer viewed holidays as “sacrosanct” was a concern.

“For the first time the report indicates people are beginning to cut back on having a holiday and that is a concerning sign,” she said.

But the report highlighted opportunities for the industry, such as the London 2012 Olympics and potential of the emerging BRIC nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The report, which also polled the views of more than 1,000 senior industry executives and WTM exhibitors, showed more than eight in ten executives believed major sporting events would have a positive impact to London and the UK.

However, UK hoilaymakers remained uninterested in the games with only 8% saying they would incorporate the London Olympics into their holiday.