routes2010

Cartagena, Colombia - 10 February 2013 to 12 February 2013

The 6th Routes Americas, the largest commercial aviation event for the entire Americas region will take place 10-12 February 2013 in Cartagena, Colombia. Hosted by Sociedad Aeroportuaria de la Costa S.A, and its partners; Cartagena de Indias, Pro Export Colombia and The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, Colombia.This annual networking event which is being held in association with ALTA brings together key players in the airline and airport industry from all the Americas.

Cartagena is the number one destination in Colombia and is located in Colombia’s Caribbean coast, Routes Americas is the only event that brings together key players in the airline and airport industry from the North, Central, South America and the Caribbean supported by Tourism Authorities (CVB's).

Senior decision makers attend Routes Americas to develop new routes to, from and within the Americas and are open to discussing new market opportunities, existing air services within the region and will devise strategies to maintain and improve them.

Routes Americas attracts the right people who can make decisions on air services within the entire region, it is the must attend event for all those interested in meeting with the industry's key players in one place at one time.

No other event can offer this, so register now to benefit from early booking incentives.

Budapest, Hungary - 12 May 2013 to 14 May 2013

In 2013 Routes Europe the region’s annual route development forum will be held in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary and hosted by Budapest Airport. With direct connections to most of the metropolitan areas in Europe it is a prime location for Airports, Airlines, Tourism Authorities, Policy Leaders and Aviation Stakeholders who are interested in flying to, from and within the region to meet, do business and plan for the future.

The competition for air services and the economic benefits they bring has never been greater and airports are presenting their market to airlines in ever more creative and innovative ways. With the touch economic climate in Europe the dialogue between airlines and airports is extremely important; the core focus will vary from route expansion to route development to future planning.

With more than 3,000 route development meetings taking place at the event Routes Europe offers an unrivalled platform for airlines and airports to do business face-to-face with the key decision makers and network planners in the industry.

We hope you will join us at Routes Europe 2013, the airline and airport networking forum for the region.

Kampala, Uganda - 7 July 2013 to 9 July 2013

The 8th Routes Africa will take place on 7-9 July 2013, Kampala, Uganda and is hosted by Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda and Entebbe International Airport.

Routes Africa is the key event for Airports, Airlines, Tourism Authorities, Policy Leaders, Keynote speakers and exhibitors to meet, do business and plan for the future.

The annual networking gathering brings together more than 250 key players in the airline and airport industry from across the African region and beyond for strategic networking on air service development.

Uganda, which is widely known as the Pearl of Africa, has a fast growing tourism sector with an annual growth rate of 21% on average, contributing 24% of the total foreign exchange earnings. Domestic tourism has grown by 50% over the past 10 years.

Uganda is an investment destination especially after the discovery of oil in Uganda. This has greatly boosted passenger volumes through Entebbe International Airport.

We look forward to seeing at Routes Africa, Kampala, Uganda.

AIR CANADA HOSTS STAR ALLIANCE CEOs FOR STRATEGY MEETING IN VANCOUVER

Friday June 8th 2012 - Air Canada

Air Canada hosted the chief executives of more than 20 Star Alliance member airlines today in Vancouver for the annual Star Alliance strategy meeting. The event marked the 15th anniversary of the world's first and most comprehensive airline alliance, founded by Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, THAI and United Airlines in 1997. The alliance now encompasses 25 of the world's leading airlines.

"We are pleased to host the chief executives of our Star Alliance partners in Vancouver for this annual forum to discuss the strategy for Star Alliance going forward," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.

"Star Alliance was founded on the principle of offering customers the reach of a global network beyond what any single carrier is able to do on its own, and rewarding our respective customers' loyalty by providing reciprocal privileges across the world's leading airlines. Working together to meet our customers' international travel needs has become our hallmark, one that we continue to build as we look for ways to simplify our customers' travel experience and earn their loyalty."

Mark Schwab, CEO of Star Alliance, said: "While modern technology has greatly improved global communications in the business world, the feedback we receive from our customers confirms our own belief that face-to-face meetings will never be replaced by 'virtual' ones. These regular meetings of our top executives ensure that our strategy continues to meet the changing needs of our customers, even as Star Alliance itself celebrates its 15th anniversary year."

Star Alliance members

Adria Airways

Aegean Airlines

Air Canada

Air China

Air New Zealand

ANA

Asiana Airlines

Austrian

Blue1

Brussels Airlines

Croatia Airlines

EGYPTAIR

Ethiopian Airlines

LOT Polish Airlines

Lufthansa

Scandinavian Airlines

Singapore Airlines

South African Airways

SWISS

TAM Airlines

TAP Portugal

Turkish Airlines

THAI

United

US Airways

Avianca-TACA, Copa Airlines, EVA Air and Shenzhen Airlines have been announced as future members.

NEWS RELEASE
March 1, 2012
Vancouver Island Airport recognized as one of the world’s top brands

The Comox Valley Airport has been named one of the world’s most effective rebrands in the eighth annual REBRAND 100® Global Awards. This award is the highest recognition for excellence in brand repositioning, and is the first and most-respected global program of its kind.

“Many projects had big ideas expressed elegantly through all methods of engagement—language, visuals, sound, etc.” said Shashi Caan, Founding Principal, The Collective US and UK and 2012 juror.

Each year, an international and multidisciplinary mix of industry experts convenes to jury this annual competition. They consider “before” and “after” representations of brand transformations with written summaries and supporting elements that showcase integration of social media and mobile engagement.

The Comox Valley Airport’s corporate rebrand was launched in July 2011 and embodies its world-class service and local charm, bringing to life the unique stories of travelers to the area. The brand which has received Merit level recognition as one of the top 100 global rebrands, now serves as a platform for all marketing and communications activities for the airport.

“A strong and well defined brand supports our new vision of developing and expanding our scheduled air services network and we are delighted that our model has been recognized internationally,” said CEO Shirley de Silva. “YQQ’s brand provides us with the powerful platform we need to effectively grow our business and this award represents our relentless pursuit to provide the highest level of service in all that we do. We are so proud that our efforts have resulted in a brand is globally competitive.”

A small consulting firm or brand had as much opportunity to be selected as did global organizations with exponentially greater budgets since the name and size of the brand strategists are hidden from jurors during their review process. Emphasis was on executed strategy that made an emotional connection and met the stated objectives and needs of the identified target audience and prospects.

“More than 60 participants were consulted as part of YQQ’s brand development process through in-depth interviews, focus groups and facilitated sessions,” explained Christianne Wile, Manager of Marketing and Public Communications. “We know there is a lot of pride and ownership felt for YQQ among the community and we felt it was important to reflect the key attributes that distinguish and link our airport to the Comox Valley.”

Wile says YQQ has now successfully incorporated its brand into all aspects of its operations from its strategic marketing campaign, signage, staff and volunteer uniforms, to the overall look and feel of the terminal building and the corporate materials used to conduct its business.

The 2012 REBRAND winners represented over 28 countries and 34 industries. They ranged from Dubai Airports, One Foundation from Global Ethics Ltd, Pfizer, National Music Centre of Canada, Merck Millipore, and Cisco. In addition to in-house teams, small agencies, and representatives of multinational corporations and non-profits, competing firms included Interbrand, SNK, Lippincott, Siegel+Gale, and Brandient.

About the Comox Valley Airport
The Comox Valley Airport is centrally located on the central east coast of Vancouver Island and serves a population base of nearly 320,000 residents. It is the second largest airport on Vancouver Island and processed 308,937 passengers in 2011. Offering friendly, personalized service and year-round direct flights to Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, YQQ also provides seasonal chartered flights for Vancouver Island residents direct from Comox to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. With the ability to access numerous domestic and international destinations through our airlines and their partners, YQQ is the best and most convenient entry point into central Vancouver Island.

About REBRAND™ and the REBRAND 100® Global Awards:
REBRAND™ is the world's leading resource for effective brand transformations. The REBRAND 100 Global Awards is the first and most respected recognition for repositioned brands. Featured in such media as The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, Bloomberg Businessweek, various magazines and books, the annual competition has entry deadlines in late September. The full 2012 winners showcase is at www.rebrand.com.