Suzanne Reynolds of Cassidy Travel, winner of two tickets to Washington DC (second right), with United team members Aoife Gregg, Massimo Larini and Yvonne Muldoon

The occasion was the imminent launch of the Dublin – Washington DC service early in June and an opportunity to thank the trade for their support – and to look to ongoing co-operation with the introduction of new routes in the future.

A lucky ‘draw’ for two return tickets from Dublin to Washington DC was won by Suzanne Reynolds of Cassidy Travel.

Karine Aytan, Paul Kearney, Sharon Lyons, Kyla Croasdell, and Thierry Hengst, all from Travelport

Helen Fyffe of Lufthansa (centre) with Lynn Morgans and Rob Moloney of Carlson Wagonlit Travel

Eamon Flanagan of Air Canada (centre) with Wendy McCartney and Rachel McAnaspie of American Holidays

Kevin Power, Servisair; Pat Reede and Barry Jackson, United; Shane Gillen, Magician; and Wayne Gough, Servisair

Niamh Doherty, Lisa Mallen and Jennifer O’Neill, all from Tour America

Brian Hughes of United with Elissa Booth and Donna McGann of Eimer Hannon Travel

Yvonne Muldoon and Aoife Gregg of United

Brona McNamara, Rachel McAnaspie and Kirstin Skinner of American Holidays with Ciara Corcoran, Sunway

Yvonne Muldoon of United welcomes her guests

Yesterday, Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH announced that Dr Manfred Körtgen, managing director of operations and construction since September 2008, would “leave the company following discussions about the reasons for postponing the opening date” and that the contract with project management company pg bbi will be terminated.

The opening has been postponed because completion of the safety systems, and their subsequent structural approval, could no longer be accomplished by the planned opening date. The fully automated fire safety systems will now be in place by December 2012, followed by three months of testing.

Not surprisingly, Air Berlin, which will use the airport as its new base, is not happy. “This is completely unacceptable and will result in irreparable damage to the image of Berlin as an airport hub,” said the airline’s Chief Executive, Hartmut Mehdorn.

Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport is being built at an original cost of €2.5 billion, but it is not known how much this long delay will cost. The airport will have an initial capacity of 27 million passengers annually, with longer-term plans to handle 45 million. The existing Berlin airports at Tegel and Schoenefeld will close when the new airport finally opens.

Measles is one of the most infectious viruses for humans. More than 6,000 cases have been reported in Ukraine this year, including 162 over the last 24 hours. The epidemic is expected to accelerate in the run-up to the start of the matches in June, according to the Stockholm-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

According to the Ukrainian Minister of Health, 93 sanitary and quarantine stations have been established in collaboration with the corresponding Polish authorities, as well as sharing of information concerning fans commuting between the two countries during the tournament. In addition, teams of epidemiologists will be stationed at the stadium used during the tournament.

Aer Arann Regional Interim Chief Executive Sean Brogan said: “We are delighted to add the Birmingham-Knock route to our network and to be operating into Ireland West Airport Knock. In addition to our services to Dublin, Cork and Shannon, this will be the fourth Aer Lingus Regional service available from Birmingham since our partnership with Aer Lingus began in 2010.”

Managing Director of Ireland West Airport Knock Joe Gilmore added: “We are pleased to welcome Aer Lingus Regional to the airport. Our Birmingham service has long been one of our most established routes and I am sure the uninterrupted continuation of the service will come as welcome news to the thousands of UK visitors who use this service regularly, as well as the Irish people travelling to the Birmingham region for business and leisure purposes. Furthermore, we are delighted to be adding a new carrier, Aer Lingus Regional, to our airline network and we wish them every success on the new service.”

Flights from Ireland West Airport Knock to Birmingham start from €29.99 one way, including taxes and charges (but excluding Ireland West Airport Knock’s €10 Development Fee charged on departure to adults and children aged 12 years and older), and go on sale today.

“Discover the Other You” targets European, American, Canadian and Australian travelers primarily using online media that efficiently reaches prospective customers both in timing and segmentation. An online contest that offers an all-inclusive 7 day trip to Thailand for two is the heart of the social media campaign and will be supported with online advertising and public relations. The campaign is projected to attract 4 million views.

In addition, Thai Airways International is supporting the campaign with direct marketing to Royal Orchid Plus members residing in the targeted markets and other countries with large program membership bases. A wide range of special hotel rates and travel related packages, are available for these frequent travelers at a dedicated website www.discovertheotheryou.com.

The “Discover the Other You” campaign will heighten awareness of Thailand as one of the world’s top destinations for creative tourism.

The new programme provides agents with a comprehensive range of hassle-free holiday options taking in some of the most exciting destinations in Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean including Italy, Spain, Portugal, The Alps and Central Europe, Morocco, Greece, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Israel.

Sharon Jordan, Manager, said: “There is something truly special about travelling throughout this part of the world in autumn, winter or spring. Each season has a distinct atmosphere ranging from the snow-covered Christmas markets to the tranquil beauty, and rich colours of autumn. In addition to the benefit of experiencing seasonal specialities, access to sights and highlights is much better without the summertime crowds and the savings on offer are incredible.”

This year, Insight Vacations’ 2012/13 Winter Europe is up to 35% less expensive than summer tours and many of their itineraries are also priced lower than 2011/12 autumn, winter and spring prices.

Each itinerary includes airport transfers, luxury transport throughout in coaches with business class legroom, premium hotels in desirable locations, exceptional sightseeing and priority admissions, celebration and highlight dinners, hotel/dining tips and baggage handling, smaller group sizes, and more personalised service.

There are Early Payment Discounts of up to 7.5% off the tour price. In addition, those who have travelled with Insight Vacations previously can take a further 5% off with Insight’s Frequent Traveller Discount.

The 20^th anniversary party at Disneyland Paris is in full swing with a new night-time spectacular – Disney Dreams!; a colourful daily parade – Disney Magic on Parade! and a permanent new ‘backstage’ encounter – Meet Mickey Mouse.

Family stopover packages start from €99 per adult per night. Price is based on 2 adults + 2 children under 12 staying for four nights in Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne and 5-day park tickets, for arrivals on selected dates up to 7^th November 2012. This price excludes flights and transfers, offers are subject to availability, terms a and conditions apply.

Carol Anne O’Neill, who has 11 years’ previous experience working for Falcon, has been appointed to the position of General Manager, which will see her responsible for the day-to-day running of the Falcon and Thomson tour operations in Ireland, including production selection, planning, trading, aviation and e-commerce, as well as managing Falcon’s call centre based in Belfast.

Carol Anne has 25 years’ experience in both the retail and tour operator sectors and has held previous senior management positions in Falcon, XL Leisure Group and Wings Abroad with roles covering sales, marketing and operational functions.

“I am absolutely delighted to be appointed as Falcon Holidays and Thomson’s General Manager in Ireland,” said Carol Anne. “I’ve been working as part of Falcon’s senior management team over the past number of years and I am very much looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead.

“Falcon Holidays has been one of the biggest names in the Irish holiday industry for well over 20 years and recently introduced the Thomson brand to the Irish market, so I am very proud to be taking on such an important role and will be working closely with the whole team to ensure the continued success.

“We have something for all holidaymakers including a growing product range that now offers our increasingly popular holiday villages, splash resorts, all inclusive holidays, kids clubs and holidays for adults, and I look forward to developing our portfolio further.”

Helen Caron, Falcon Holidays and Thomson Director of Ireland, added: “We are delighted to appoint Carol Anne as the new General Manager for Ireland. Her outstanding experience and knowledge of the trade will ensure that the two brands continue to provide Irish holidaymakers with a top quality product.”

The DSD campaign highlights the advantages of pre-booking excursions with a company acting as a principal, offering full public liability insurance if something goes wrong. The campaign features spoof character Dirk selling tickets with the tag line: ‘Love theme parks? I’ll take you for a ride’.

DSD founder Olly Brendon said: “We wanted to get across in a fun way that it’s better to pre-purchase attractions and tours as opposed to buying them in resort. It reassures agents that as soon as their customer has booked, we accept responsibility.”

Olly believes that the company is one of the few in the add-ons sector to offer this protection. The company aims to roll out technology that prompts agents to sell excursions during the booking process.