Download Newsflash – JANUARY
HAPPY NEW YEAR
MAY 2018 BE A HAPPY, BLESSED & SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR ALL.
Visas on Arrivals for all Africans
Newly inaugurated Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced that all Africans visiting Kenya can receive visas on arrival,countries that previously required visas include Cape Verde, Comores, Egypt, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Rwanda, and Uganda. Kenya now joins the other African countries that have recently relaxed passport regulations to work together to ease intra-African travel. South African passport holders do not require visas to enter Kenya.
Qantas Opens New Lounge at Heathrow
Qantas has opened the Qantas London Lounge in Terminal 3 at Heathrow. Facilities include: Seating for 230 customers, Cocktail bar, Gin bar, Six shower suites, WiFi, work stations and work spaces. The lounge is open daily from 08h00-20h30 for Qantas first and business class passengers and Qantas Platinum One, Platinum and Gold frequent flyers. It is also open to eligible oneworld Emerald and Sapphire customers, Emirates Skywards Platinum and Gold customers, and Qantas Club members as well as their guests.
New Road to Reduce Travel Time
Maputo will be a mere 90-minute drive away from KwaZulu-Natal thanks to a new road connecting South Africa and Mozambique. The new road will directly link Kosi Bay in KwaZulu-Natal to Maputo in Mozambique. Currently travel between Kosi Bay and Maputo takes about six hours. In addition to creating quick and easy travel between the countries the new route will also include the largest suspension bridge in Africa.
Malaria Warning Issued
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases has released an advisory on increased malaria risk in three South African provinces. The NCID announced that there is an extended seasonal risk of malaria, with an increase in number of cases of severe malaria, specifically in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and northern KwaZulu-Natal, including the Kruger National Park. There has been more mosquito breeding likely due to climate change and heavier rainfall in the region.
Yellow Fever for Tanzania
The Tanzanian High Commission in Pretoria is advising that all travelers get a yellow fever injection prior to traveling to Tanzania, excluding Zanzibar despite Tanzania not being a yellow fever declared country at pre-sent. The High Commission said that they are advising this as previous travelers have informed them that they have been asked by immigration officials to present proof of yellow fever vaccination upon arrival.
Airlines to Ban Smart Luggage
US airlines have moved to ban some smart luggage due to fire safety concerns over lithium batteries according to Both American Airlines and Delta will bring in new rules from the 15th of January forbidding the carriage of smart luggage unless the lithium batteries which are used to power them are removed before check-in. Lithium batteries are used to power GPS signals to locate bags during a journey and have USB ports for charging other devices. American Airlines will allow the bags as carry-on luggage only but Delta says it will only allow those with removable batteries whether in the cabin or baggage hold.
Lafthansa Group Makes Changes to Miles
The Lufthansa Group airlines are to change the way passengers earn miles on the Miles & More frequent flyer and reward programme from March 2018. Passengers will earn miles based on the cost of a ticket plus any additional fees as well as individual frequent flyer status rather than being rewarded according to the booking class and route length of a flight. The new system applies to Lufthansa Group airlines Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings. Flights on other Miles & More partner airlines will also qualify for the new system so long as tickets have been issued by an LH Group airline.
New Kruger Shuttle Service
The new Ashtons Kruger Shuttle Hazyview service started operations linking Johannesburg with Nelspruit, White River, Hazyview, Protea Hotel Kruger Gate, and Skukuza Rest Camp.
PLEASE CHECK GRAYSTON TRAVELS WEBSITE FOR HOLIDAY SPECIALS.
PLEASE NOTE:
All prices quoted are subject to change without prior notice, due to airfare increases and / or currency fluctuations and subject to availability.
