Etihad Airways boosts services for young
families with introduction of Flying Nanny
The Etihad Airways’ Flying Nanny will interact and
engage with children on long haul flights.
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab
Emirates, has launched a dedicated in-flight child care assistance program
for families, led by the introduction of a new Flying Nanny on board long
haul flights.
Identified by a bright orange apron, the Flying Nanny provides a ‘helping
hand’ to families and unaccompanied minors. They will also introduce
children to the exciting collectable Etihad characters - Zoe the bee, Jamool
the camel, Kundai the lion, and Boo the panda - who accompany them on their
trip.
During the past two months, 300 Etihad Airways cabin crew members have
completed enhanced training for the role. A further 60 will be trained in
September and 500 Flying Nannies will be working on Etihad Airways long haul
flights by the end of 2013.
The course includes in-depth training, from the world renowned Norland
College, focusing on child psychology and sociology, enabling the Flying
Nannies to identify different types of behaviour and developmental stages
that children go through and how to appreciate the perspective and needs of
travelling families.
In addition, the course also covers many different creative ways the Flying
Nanny can entertain and engage with children during flights.
Aubrey Tiedt, Etihad Airways’ Vice President Guest Services said, “Flying
with a young family can be a daunting task, even for the most experienced
travellers, and the Flying Nanny role demonstrates our understanding of our
guests’ needs and our commitment to making the journey as relaxing and
comfortable as possible.”
During the flight, the Flying Nanny will use her specialist training,
supporting the needs of families and unaccompanied minors, as well as
supporting other cabin crew members when they interact with families.
Ms Tiedt added, “The Flying Nanny will liaise with parents and use their
experience and knowledge to make the travel experience easier. This includes
helping serve children’s meals early in the flight and offering activities
and challenges to help entertain and occupy younger guests.”
Claire Burgess, Norland College’s Early Years Consultant said, “Norland
College is delighted to be a key partner in developing and delivering the
Flying Nanny program with Etihad Airways as both organisations share a
mutual respect for children and families.”
Many of these activities derive from a special kit which contains straws,
stickers, cardboard and other items which the Flying Nanny uses to teach
simple arts and crafts such as creating special greeting cards for friends
and family.
The Flying Nanny will also frequently use in-flight service items such as
paper cups which can be made into hats and the Japanese art of origami to
fold paper into sculptures. All activities are designed so the Flying Nanny
can leave the children to produce and complete on their own.
One of the onboard highlights is set to be the creation of sock puppets
which use stickers from the Flying Nanny kit as eyes and the socks from the
guest’s travel pack.
In addition to the arts and crafts, the Flying Nannies can also teach
children simple magic tricks helping to keep them entertained while seated.
For older children, the Flying Nanny is equipped with simple quizzes and
challenges to keep them occupied as well as taking them on tours of the
galley during quieter moments of the flight.
Towards the end of the flight the Flying Nanny will help parents by
replenishing milk bottles, and offering items such as water, fruit and other
snacks especially if the family is transiting to another flight.
The Flying Nanny will also inform families transiting at Abu Dhabi about the
various baby changing and child facilities at the airport, as well as
advising them of the children’s play area in the premium lounges and at Gate
32 in Terminal 3.
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Centara Grand Phratamnak offers stunning aquariums for hotel guest enjoyment
Underwater World Fantasy Holiday by Tulip Group
Tulip Group’s stunning new hotel Centara Grand Phratamnak Resort
Pattaya, which is due to open in late October, has recruited a
professional aquarium specialist to take care of the giant marine life
features that will form such a distinctive part of the elegant hotel
lobby and reception area.
Two large aquariums, one themed as a predator tank with black tip
sharks, stingrays and groupers, the other as a coral reef with exotic
species such as angel fish and butterfly fish, will be illuminated with
special lighting to impart an underwater world ambience to the ground
floor areas.
Patricia Campos Salaberri, who is from Spain, studied aquaculture
production at the Instituto Gallego de Formacion en Acuicultura (IGAFA)
in Pontevedra. Ms. Salaberri holds a PADI advanced diving license and a
coastal skipper certificate.
Dominique Ronge, general manager of the five-star hotel, says that the
marine feature forms the focal point of the ground floor, and will
contain a great variety of species.
“We had already begun preparing these impressive glass tanks before Ms.
Salaberri arrived, working with professional suppliers, and they know
exactly what their ocean wildlife species need in order to thrive, we
are sure they are going to be of huge enjoyment to all of our guests”
said Dominique.
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After THAI incident, Suvarnabhumi Airport to get new runway
Heavy traffic at Suvarnabhumi Airport and Sunday’s incident with a disabled
Thai Airways International aircraft which closed a runway for three days
compels the Airports of Thailand (AoT) to build a new runway as soon as
possible.
Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt insisted that Suvarnabhumi Airport
needs a third runway to ease traffic congestion and to be prepared for
emergencies.
THAI flight TG679 from Guangzhou skidded off Suvarnabhumi Airport’s eastern
runway Sunday night, forcing its closure until Wednesday night, causing
delays to hundreds of flights.
Chadchart said the new runway would not be longer than 3,000 meters
following AoT’s recommendation that an environmental impact assessment (EIA)
would be compulsory if it is longer than 3,000 meters.
However, AoT should conduct an EIA in conjunction with the construction,
bearing in mind the possible impacts on people, he said.
Sita Divari, AoT board chairman, said AoT would strictly follow the
Transport Ministry policy and would conduct an EIA during the construction.
He said the third runway would be reserved for emergency use.
AoT directors discussed the matter Tuesday together with building a new
runway for Phuket Airport, he said.
Marisa Pongpattanapun, chairwoman of the Airline Operators Committee (AOC),
said the third runway is necessary to prevent landing and takeoff delays as
much as possible.
The transport minister has appointed a fact-finding committee to investigate
the THAI’s airbus A330-300 incident. It took 65 hours for the aircraft to be
moved from the runway to a hangar.
The committee was instructed to submit its report within two weeks in order
to find measures to effectively handle such an incident at all airports in
the future.
The committee must find out whether passengers were transferred from the
aircraft in accord with required procedures, whether the media crisis
management including covering the THAI logo after the accident was
appropriate, and whether the post-accident aviation management was correctly
done. (MCOT)
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THAI and Bangkok Airways co-host AAPA Emergency Response Conference 2013
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited
(THAI) and Bangkok Airways recently co-hosted the AAPA Emergency
Response Conference 2013, organized by the Association of Asia Pacific
Airlines (AAPA) 3-4 September 2013 at the Intercontinental Hotel,
Bangkok.
Dr. Sorajak Kasemsuvan (third from left), THAI President; Andrew Herdman
(fourth from right), AAPA Director General; Thavatvong Thanasumitra
(third from right), Bangkok Airways, Executive Vice President, Corporate
Planning and Member of the Board, were present at the opening ceremony
which was presided over by Teeraphong Rodprasert (fourth from left),
Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport.
Topics addressed at the conference included airline perspectives on
business continuity, how airport authorities integrate preparedness,
global perspectives on health pandemics in crisis management, forensic
issues in airline disasters, legal and security issues in crisis
management, experiences of care team members and crisis communications.
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