Virgin Atlantic will launch three new codeshare partnerships this year, the carrier announced Monday.
The first partnership is with Saudia, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia. The first phase of the partnership is live and allows Virgin Atlantic customers traveling on flights from the U.S. to purchase onward connections through London Heathrow and Manchester airports onto Saudia’s services to Jeddah and Riyadh. The opportunities to earn Virgin Points and Tier Points, along with Virgin Points redemption, have been in place since March 2023, with online redemption launched last month, according to Virgin Atlantic. Saudia’s AlFursan loyalty members can earn and redeem points on Virgin Atlantic flights.
Saudia is a SkyTeam member, the airline alliance Virgin Atlantic joined in March 2023.
The second partnership is with SAS, which will become a SkyTeam member on Sept. 1. Virgin Atlantic and SAS are working “on a new commercial partnership with the best access to and from Scandinavian key hubs,” according to the U.K.-based carrier. The routes are still to be finalized, but the codeshares will begin once SAS formally joins SkyTeam. Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club loyalty program members will receive instant earning and redemption opportunities on Sept. 1, and SAS Eurobonus members will be able to earn and redeem their points on Virgin Atlantic.
The third partnership is with El Al. Virgin Atlantic beginning June 10 will place its code on El Al flights between Heathrow and Tel Aviv. El Al will place its code on Virgin Atlantic Heathrow-Tel Aviv flights when they restart Sept. 5. The resumed flights will operate daily with Airbus A330 aircraft, offering connections through Heathrow to 14 U.S. destinations on 33 daily flights operated by Virgin Atlantic and partner Delta Air Lines. The El Al operated flights will be able to connect to 11 U.S. destinations on 23 daily flights, according to Virgin Atlantic.
The partnership also will offer reciprocal earning and redemption opportunities, as well as premium customer recognition and tier benefits for eligible members of Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club and El Al’s Matmid loyalty programs, according to Virgin Atlantic.
Fiji Airways will become the 15th full member of Oneworld, the airline alliance announced Monday at the International Air Transport Association conference in Dubai. The carrier has been a Oneworld Connect partner for about five years, and the transition to full membership will be complete within the next 12 months, according to Oneworld.
Fiji Link, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fiji Airways, will become an affiliate airline of Oneworld, according to the alliance. Fiji Airways serves 26 destinations in 15 countries and territories, including Oneworld hubs in Sydney, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Tokyo.
As a full Oneworld member, Fiji Airways will provide Oneworld Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby customers with full Oneworld benefits, including earning and redeeming miles, earning status points, priority check-in and boarding, and lounge access. The carrier’s top-tier customers will be able to gain access to all Oneworld priority benefits, including access to nearly 700 business and first-class lounges globally, as well as the alliance’s newly opened branded lounges in Amsterdam and Seoul.
Oneworld currently includes 13 airline members, with Oman Air set to become its 14th full member later this year.
April air traffic growth once again was led by increasing international demand, according to the latest International Air Transport Association report.
April international demand, as measured in revenue passenger kilometers, was up 15.8 percent year over year, with capacity as measured in available seat kilometers up 14.8 percent. Domestic demand for the month increased 4 percent versus April 2023, while domestic capacity was up 2.1 percent.
Total global air demand for the month was up 11 percent compared with April 2023, with capacity up 9.6 percent. The April load factor was 82.4 percent, up 1 percentage point year over year. All regions reported high single-digit or double-digit total demand increases, except for North America, which was up 4.2 percent year over year. It also had the second-highest load factor at 83 percent—following Europe at 83.8 percent— but that was down 2.7 percentage points from April 2023.
“Passenger demand has been growing for 36 consecutive months,” IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement. “As we enter the peak northern summer travel season, there is every reason to feel optimistic for a strong summer with airlines offering a wide range of travel options.”
[Report continues below chart.]
The international load factor was up 0.7 percentage points to 82.2 percent, a two-year high, according to IATA. Asia-Pacific again reported the largest gains in demand and capacity at 32.1 percent and 29.3 percent year over year, respectively. Demand increased by double-digit percentages compared with April 2023 for all other regions except North America, where it increased 6.5 percent. Capacity also showed double-digit increases in nearly all regions, with the Middle East barely missing that mark with a 9.9 percent gain. Further, international routes from Europe have surpassed pre-Covid levels to all regions except Africa, according to IATA.
Domestically, demand gains were in the low- to mid-single digits, with capacity the same, save for declines in China and Japan. The latter reported just 0.1 percent demand growth year over year, but that was due to the “end of the fiscal year and the start of the school spring holiday,” according to IATA. “Overall, Japan’s [demand] trend remains positive.”
Leading multi-platform developer and provider of online and mobile games in the UK with titles available in more than 100,000 gaming machines in the UK, Germany, and Italy, Blueprint Gaming has once again proven its branded game heritage through a new slot release.
The Flintstones is the studio’s latest game inspired by the iconic Hanna-Barbera classic cartoon which it pays tribute to.
Last April, the studio strengthened its foothold in the UK and Spain via a DAZN Bet agreement.
The Flintstones Metrics Overview
Reels: 5
Rows: 3
Paylines: 10
RTP: 95%
Max win: 10,000x
Bet: £0.10 – £10.00
Volatility:Medium-High
Release date: May 29, 2024
Join the Prehistoric Fun in Bedrock
Players eager to try out the slot based on the globally recognizable major IP will come across Blueprint’s popular Cash Collect feature and a selection of lucrative cash rewards and reel modifiers up for grabs.
The iconic Fred and Wilma Flinstone and their neighbors Barney and Betty Rubble are the main game characters leading the way on the 5×3 grid showcasing colorful Bedrock.
Players need to focus on following the Fred collect symbols along a trail for an opportunity to unlock a Super Bonus.
When the Fred collect symbol is seen landing on the fifth reel, players collect all money symbols showing on the first, second, third, and fourth reels for instant cash prizes and free spins.
Completing the trail in the base game will engage the Super Free Spins symbol on the fourth reel.
Players who land at least two of the scatter symbols with a Fred and Barney theme along with a Super Free Spins scatter symbol activate the Super Spins Bonus that brings players five free spins.
The Super Spins Bonus feature comes to an end when all five Fred collect symbols have been activated.
The slot also introduces spontaneous Yabba Dabba Doo! reel modifiers.
These can be randomly triggered on any spin, awarding Bonus Boosts that add extra scatters to the reels, or Dino Wilds, with popping wilds that boost the game’s win potential.
Blueprint Gaming’s director of marketing and relationships, Jo Purvis, explained the new release that has once again proven their ability to turn cinema and TV classics into entertaining slots “promises players a plethora of wins through engaging features and stimulating gameplay.”
Purvis added that similarly to the rest of their movies and series-themed slots, The Flintstones’ “artwork pays tribute to the cartoon’s iconic characters” while adding an extra dimension to the overall experience.
Earlier in the month, the studio that launched King Kong Cash Go Bananas Jackpot King one year ago, announced the return of its popular folklore series with a new slot called Luck O’ The Irish Gold Spins Trail Blazer.
Opinion by Carolina Galvani, Monique Mikhail (washington dc)
Inter Press Service
WASHINGTON DC, May 29 (IPS) – Last week, the World Bank Group released a new report that highlights the urgent need to drastically reduce GHG emissions to address the climate crisis and calls on countries to act. However, while the World Bank’s acknowledgment of the damaging climate impacts of industrial agriculture is a crucial step forward, it’s simply not enough.
To address the climate emergency, the World Bank must walk the talk and take action on its own portfolio – which currently has billions invested in livestock production – by halting all financing for the global expansion of factory farming.
First, the climate consequences of industrial livestock are staggering. As the World Bank’s report points out, the global agrifood system accounts for approximately one-third of all global greenhouse gas emissions, and industrial livestock production accounts for the lion’s share of these.
Research has shown that livestock production alone will consume nearly half of the world’s 1.5°C emissions budget by 2030 and a staggering 80% by 2050. The World Bank’s report aptly states that “the system that feeds us is also feeding the planet’s climate crisis.”
The World Bank cannot effectively tackle the climate crisis without a significant shift in lending away from high-polluting industrial livestock and toward a more sustainable food system.
Second, the World Bank’s continued financing for industrial livestock starkly contradicts its own commitments, spanning from the Paris Agreement targets to the Sustainable Development Goals to the Bank’s biodiversity policies, and even its own mission statement.
The World Bank itself says that “the world cannot achieve the Paris Agreement targets without achieving net zero emissions in the agrifood system.” Yet, the Bank continues to finance the expansion of industrial livestock – putting the Bank’s financing at odds with its commitment to align its strategies, activities, and investments with the climate goals of the Paris Agreement.
The Bank’s financial support for industrial livestock goes against other obligations as well, including the Bank’s commitment to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A 2019 report from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development highlights the adverse human health and environmental impacts of industrial agriculture, including livestock and feed production, and the ways in which it undermines several SDGs, including poverty eradication (1), zero hunger (2), good health (3), clean water (6), decent work (8), responsible consumption and production (12), and climate action (13).
Adding to this, despite the World Bank’s claim that it is “putting nature at the core of development efforts”, the Bank is continuing to undermine biodiversity by supporting the expansion of industrial livestock production when this sector, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), is the primary threat to over 85% of the 28,000 species at risk of extinction.
Beyond global commitments, financing industrial livestock is also at odds with the World Bank’s own mission statement. World Bank President Ajay Banga took the reins at the World Bank a year ago with a mandate to help countries mitigate the climate crisis.
As part of that mandate, the World Bank updated its mission statement, stating it will work “to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet.” To achieve this mission, the World Bank must reassess its investments and immediately cease financing the expansion of industrial livestock.
Finally, like all development institutions, the World Bank has limited resources and must carefully choose the best projects to achieve its overall mission. In practice, this means that every dollar spent on industrial livestock is a dollar not invested in what the World Bank itself has acknowledged is the necessary just transition to a sustainable agrifood system. The Bank must redirect its support toward transitioning to a just and sustainable global food system.
As the Bank rightly points out in its recent report, “he world has avoided confronting agrifood system emissions for as long as it could because of the scope and complexity of the task…now is the time to put agriculture and food at the top of the mitigation agenda. If not, the world will be unable to ensure a livable planet for future generations.”
It’s past time for the Bank to heed its own warning.
The World Bank must immediately cease its support for industrial livestock — a primary driver of climate change, biodiversity loss, public health crises, and food insecurity — and direct the Bank’s resources and considerable influence toward reforming and reshaping agriculture and food systems.
Our future on a livable planet depends on it.
Carolina Galvani is the executive director of Sinergia Animal, an international animal protection organization working in the Global South to end the worst practices of industrial animal agriculture. Monique Mikhail is the Agriculture and Climate Finance Campaigns Director at Friends of the Earth U.S. Sinergia Animal and Friends of the Earth are members of the Stop Financing Factory Farming coalition.
Serko reported 19 percent year-over-year growth in online bookings for its 2024 fiscal year, and the travel technology company said it is on track to be cash-positive this year.
Online bookings for Serko’s fiscal year, which ended March 31, totaled 4.9 million, compared with 4.1 million in the 2023 fiscal year. That includes 13 percent growth year over year in online bookings in the Australasia region to 3.9 million total bookings, where business travel volumes were “higher than expected” in the first half of the year, Serko said. One of Australia’s largest corporate travel accounts, global mining group Rio Tinto, went live on Serko’s Zeno tool in the first half of the year via American Express Global Business Travel, according to Serko chief executive and cofounder Darrin Grafton.
Serko also reported year-over-year growth of 65 percent in completed room nights for Booking.com for Business, for which Serko is the technology partner. Room nights totaled 2.5 million in the 2024 fiscal year, compared with 1.5 million the prior fiscal year. Active customers on the platform increased 10 percent to 172,000, and revenue per completed room night was up 4 percent, according to Serko.
Serko last month announced a five-year renewal of its partnership with Booking.com. “We are now focused on executing the plans with Booking.com to deliver further growth through customer acquisition and activation and expansion of the product offering,” Grafton said in a video message released along with the earnings announcement.
Serko reported revenue of NZ$68.8 million (US$42.3 million), up 48 percent year over year, as operating expenses declined 8 percent. Its net loss for the fiscal year was NZ$15.9 million (US$9.8 million), an improvement of 48 percent. Serko’s monthly cash burn improved 78 percent to NZ$0.6 million (US$370,000) with higher-revenue limited-cost growth, and Serko expects it will be cashflow-positive this year.
“Our balance sheet is in a strong position,” according to Grafton. “We have NZ$80.6 million [US$49.5 million] of cash on hand as of the end of the financial year, zero debt and our underlying monthly cash burn has dropped significantly.”
PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY — Savvas Learning Company, a next-generation K-12 learning solutions leader, is excited to announce that Outlier by Savvas, its online dual-enrollment course offerings, has been named to TIME World’s Top EdTech Companies 2024 list. Outlier by Savvas ranked #73 on this new global ranking of the 250 top edtech companies by TIME in partnership with Statista, a statistics and market research company.
Savvas recently acquired Outlier, an edtech startup that has created a portfolio of online, asynchronous dual enrollment courses — with real transferable college credit opportunities from a top 50 university — that enable high school students to earn dual credit while never having to leave their school building. Offering a diverse catalog of award-winning college courses with cinematic lectures from top-rated instructors, Outlier by Savvas provides high school students multiple pathways to college and career.
“We are thrilled that Outlier has been recognized on TIME’s list of the World’s Top EdTech Companies 2024,” said Bethlam Forsa, CEO of Savvas Learning Company. “Just as remote work is commonplace today, school district leaders are adopting online learning to bring college courses to the high school environment. Outlier by Savvas meets this need by offering high-quality online dual enrollment courses that broaden students’ academic horizons from the convenience of their high school classroom.”
Research shows that dual-enrollment programs can increase both high school graduation and college enrollment rates. Online dual-enrollment courses can expose students to a wider range of subjects that may not be offered by their high school or community college, allowing them to discover where their passions lie and providing a jumpstart on college or a future career. Taking college courses in high school helps students “try on” the college experience in a safe and familiar learning environment.
Another key benefit of earning high school and college credits simultaneously through dual enrollment courses is reducing the cost of college tuition.
“Getting transferable college credit at no cost to the student in high school can substantially reduce the burden of paying for college for many families,” Forsa said. “As student loan debt skyrockets and the cost of college tuition rises, the need to increase access to dual enrollment opportunities for high school students is greater than ever.”
The World’s Top EdTech Companies 2024 list recognizes companies that focus on developing and providing educational technologies, products, or services. In support of the research, data was gathered from company applications, annual reports, media monitoring, and other public sources. The ranking is based on the research and analysis of companies across two focus areas: financial strength and industry impact. Companies with the highest scores demonstrating extraordinary impact on the edtech industry along with strong financial performance were named to the list.
ABOUT SAVVAS LEARNING COMPANY
At Savvas, we believe learning should inspire. By combining new ideas, new ways of thinking, and new ways of interacting, we design engaging, next-generation K-12 learning solutions that give all students the best opportunity to succeed. Our award-winning, high-quality instructional materials span every grade level and discipline, from evidence-based, standards-aligned core curricula to supplemental and intervention programs to state-of-the art assessment tools — all designed to meet the needs of every learner. Savvas products are used by millions of students and educators in more than 90 percent of the 13,000+ public school districts across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, as well as globally in more than 125 countries. To learn more, visit Savvas Learning Company. Savvas Learning Company’s products are also available for sale in Canada through its subsidiary, Rubicon.
eSchool Media staff cover education technology in all its aspects–from legislation and litigation, to best practices, to lessons learned and new products. First published in March of 1998 as a monthly print and digital newspaper, eSchool Media provides the news and information necessary to help K-20 decision-makers successfully use technology and innovation to transform schools and colleges and achieve their educational goals.
Emirates and Avianca beginning June 4 will launch a new codeshare agreement for select routes, Emirates announced Wednesday.
Codeshare flights include Avianca’s service between Madrid and each Bogotá, Medellin and Cali in Colombia; Barcelona and Bogotá; and London Heathrow and Bogotá for Emirates customers flying to or from those European cities via Emirates’ network.
Avianca will place its code on routes operated by Emirates between Dubai and each Barcelona, Madrid and London Heathrow, according to Emirates.
Customers of both airlines will have “seamless connectivity,” booking of itineraries on both airlines on a single ticket and a single baggage policy checked through to their final destination, according to Emirates.
Members of Finnair’s Finnair Plus loyalty program and British Airways Executive Club program beginning May 22 can link their accounts and transfer Avios currency between accounts, Finnair announced Tuesday. The move is the “next step” of Finnair adopting Avios as its loyalty currency as of March 9, following a partnership with IAG loyalty, according to the airline.
Opinion by Achim Steiner, Carlos Manuel Rodriguez (united nations)
Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, May 22 (IPS) – Small island developing states (SIDS) are scattered across the globe, dotting the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, the west and east coasts of Africa and the Indian Ocean.
These low-lying highly indebted countries are on the frontlines of climate change and natural resource scarcity, already facing the extremes of sea level rise, unpredictable weather events, and environmental degradation that millions more will face tomorrow.
Yet they also are pioneers, innovating and demonstrating what is possible in a shift to a nature-positive future. Emerging technologies and solutions are re-setting economic and societal priorities to value and optimize natural resources and setting forth a path of thriving resilience.
In three decades of working together supporting small islands states, these are the three critical success factors we see emerging from these trailblazing island states as the world looks to transition to a nature-positive future.
One: Nature sits at the heart of this effort.
Nature is the most effective solution to our interconnected planetary crisis and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. It can unlock new and quickly felt benefits of sustainable development.
Ecosystem services underpin key economic sectors in all vulnerable small island states, from fisheries to agriculture to tourism, but these same sectors have historically imposed serious environmental costs. Transitioning these sectors from ‘highly damaging’ to ‘sustainable’, in ways that are investable and profitable while benefiting communities, sits at the heart of our work together.
The new Blue and Green Islands Programme, for example, mainstreams the central role of nature and scales nature-based solutions to address environmental degradation across three target sectors—urban, food, and tourism—for nature-positive shifts in fifteen island states.
Small islands are especially well positioned to benefit from nature-positive economies, counting among them some of the most diverse and unique ecosystems in the world. For them, a nature-positive economy is important not just to stabilize the security of their natural resources and ensure resilient and thriving futures; it assures their role as irreplaceable hosts to many of the world’s migratory and endemic species that make up our global planetary safety net.
Two: Successful solutions touch all aspects of life and livelihoods.
Tackling sea level rise isn’t separate from restoring protective coastal ecosystems, which isn’t separate from rapidly expanding new opportunities in sustainable tourism and sustainable fishing. These expanding opportunities drive sustainable development, bringing jobs, economic prosperity, and resilience.
‘Whole of island’ approaches are now tackling the conservation of land, water, and ocean resources as interconnected issues. These approaches are championing decarbonization and sustainable livelihoods, increasing access to sustainable energy, increasing the ability of communities to adapt to unpredictable or extreme weather, creating jobs, improving opportunities and wellbeing, and achieving sustainable development goals.
The logic of integrated approaches is clear: our lives are deeply interconnected with our environment and our opportunities the world over. The challenge is adapting and shifting systemic norms that are out of step and out of date for the collective future we want. Whole of island issues demands ‘whole-of-society’ inclusion and coordination, across ministries and sectors, building on locally owned and existing structures and initiatives, and seeking private sector engagement and community empowerment at every level.
Today, all our projects undertaken with island states promote integration and inclusion and are designed to ensure that multiple challenges can be addressed at scale and pace simultaneously.
Successful projects demonstrate the disproportionate importance of innovation to turn our most urgent challenges into opportunities for sustainable development. Representing nearly 20% of the world’s exclusive economic zones, many of these islands are incubating new and investable nature-based solutions that can be scaled up to support successful transitions to nature-positive economic sectors and centres of excellence, both in the islands themselves and to the benefit of countries beyond.
For example, with UNDP and GEF support, Seychelles issued the world’s first ‘blue bond’; Cuba mainstreamed nature into policies and practices to reverse degradation of the Sabana-Camagüey ecosystem driven by agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and tourism; and the GEF’s Small Grants Programme supported local communities to ban single-use plastics in the Maldives.
New initiatives with innovative partners such as the Global Fund for Coral Reefs also seek to attract and de-risk private sector investment into local businesses to protect and restore important coral reef ecosystems. These initiatives offer opportunities for integration that are now inspiring similar examples across other islands.
Nothing without partnerships.
A broad and inclusive coalition of government, private sector, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and other partners is critical to further accelerate nature-positive transformation and increase impact.
New partnerships with the private sector to identify and deploy new business models and instruments to support nature-positive outcomes are also a major part of this effort.
Small Island Developing States have in front of them an opportunity to scale and replicate their successes and make outsized contributions to the implementation of environmental conventions including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (The Biodiversity Plan), the Paris Agreement and the UNCCD Strategic Framework, as well as progress towards their sustainable development goals.
In responding to the most pressing development needs of small island states, the nature-positive economic transitions that are emerging, sector by sector, taking an integrated, innovative and community-informed approach, offer answers to development challenges with applications far beyond their precarious and precious coastlines.
Achim Steiner is Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Carlos Manuel Rodriguez is CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility (GEF)
Hilton plans to open in London its first European property under the flag of its new midscale “premium economy” brand Spark, the hotel company announced.
The 125-room Spark by Hilton London Romford is set to open in May, according to Hilton, and marks the brand’s entry into Europe. The hotel, a conversion, formerly was an Accor Ibis Styles property.
Hilton opened its first Spark in 2023 in Mystic, Conn., and since has grown its footprint to “more than 30 operating hotels with more than 175 under development,” according to the company, including several in Canada. Hilton senior vice president of development for Europe, the Middle East and Africa Patrick Fitzgibbon in a statement cited “many more opportunities on the horizon” for the brand.
Sports and gaming digital media company XLMedia has published its audited results for FY 2023, outlining significant declines across the board.
Key highlights included revenue of $50.3 million, down 29% year-on-year. For comparison, the company’s revenue for FY 2022 stood at $70.9 million. The decline in revenue resulted in a 26% decrease in gross profit to $26.6 million (previously $36 million).
Additionally, the FY 2022 operating profit of $6.2 million turned into an operating loss of $300,000 in FY 2023.
Adjusted EBITDA, on the other hand, plummeted 36% to $12.1 million, down from $18.9 million in 2022. Adjusted EBITDA margin for FY 2023, meanwhile, stood at 24%, reflecting a decrease of 3% from the prior year period.
XLMedia also reported a statutory loss of a whopping $45.5 million for the period, offsetting a statutory profit of $3.4 million in 2022.
Whereas the company recorded basic earnings per share of $0.009, it now recorded a loss per share of $0.173.
XLMedia’s business in Europe remained somewhat stable. The Europe (Gaming) segment reported a decline of 8%, offsetting an increase of 9% in Europe (Sport). Overall, the company’s revenue in Europe experienced a decline of 2%.
The company’s business in North America, however, experienced significant setbacks as the North America (Sport) and North America (Gaming) segments declined by 42% and 54% respectively. Despite an overall decline of 42%, proceeds from the region still represented 55% of the group’s revenues.
After divesting certain assets, XLMedia now expects FY 2024 adjusted EBITDA of approximately $5 million.
Other Key Highlights
Not everything is grim for XLMedia as the media giant continues to steadily expand its presence in the highly lucrative US market. The company is now operating in 21 states and counting.
In 2023, XLMedia also supported PENN Entertainment’s re-entry with the launch of ESPN BET in Q4. The company also re-platformed its Europe Sports websites alongside investing in Europe Gaming websites, delivering 9% YOY growth in Europe Sports.
In 2023, the company proceeded to streamline its business, cutting non-core activities and delivering cost savings of over $8 million.
David King, XLMedia’s chief executive officer, commented on the results, saying that the company will focus on driving organic revenues in North America while continuing to expand its footprint in preparation for market expansion.
Marcus Rich, the company’s chairman, added that the company is delighted to have realized value for shareholders. He added that XLMedia anticipates an initial return to capital shareholders from sale proceeds in Q4 2024.
Business travel demand has had “gradual, consistent growth” in the first quarter as pricing remains elevated across several categories, according to FCM Consulting’s Global Quarterly Trend Report, released Thursday.
The report, based on FCM’s corporate booking data in the first quarter, showed global economy airfares in January were up $45, or 11 percent, compared with pre-pandemic levels in January 2019, and business class tickets were up $224, or 12 percent, over the same period. In North America, that increase was 15 percent for economy fares and 9 percent from business class fares.
Even as fares remain comparatively high, there are signs of moderation. Compared with January 2021, for example, global economy ticket prices were down 16 percent, according to FCM.
Year-over-year comparisons for airfares were not provided in the report.
In lodging, rate performance was mixed across global regions in the first quarter, FCM reported. The $244 average room rate in North America for the quarter was the highest of global regions reported, and the rate was up $5 year over year. Rates in Latin America increased $12 year over year to $140 during the quarter, and rates in Asia were up $2 to $174.
Rates in the rest of the regions were down year over year in the quarter, including a $17 drop to $197 in the Middle East and Africa, a $10 drop to $169 in Europe and a $9 drop to $154 in Australia and New Zealand.
Car rental rates on a global level, meanwhile, were down $22 year over year to an average daily rate of $51. Suppliers are cutting rates to stimulate demand, according to FCM.
The report noted booking volume in the first volume was “steady,” and “we’re looking forward to seeing the business travel momentum carry through into the rest of the year,” Ashley Gutermuth, Head of FCM Consulting for the Americas, said in a statement. “Given the increased demand and positive economic outlook, it’s been an encouraging sign to see companies start to increase their corporate travel budgets and further embrace the return to the air.”
FCM highlighted slight changes in traveler behavior over the past year in the report. Advanced booking has increased by 1.5 days year over year to 23.3 days in the first quarter. Average rip length also has increased by 0.3 days to 4.4 days, according to the report.
American Express Global Business Travel has extended its private channel agreement with British Airways, which enables clients to access the carrier’s content without its global distribution system surcharge, the TMC announced. The agreement applies to bookings made on any GDS and bookings in the Amex GBT marketplace, which is “important to customers” as “[New Distribution Capability] and modern retailing capabilities evolve,” according to Amex GBT chief revenue officer Rajiv Ahluwalia. The length of the agreement extension was not disclosed in the announcement.
Beaverton, OR –CTL, a global cloud computing solution leader for education and enterprise, announced today it is now certified by B LabTM as a Certified B CorporationTM for its commitment to sustainability for its workers, community, customers, and the environment.
“While CTL is known for its series of technological innovations on ChromeOS devices, today we’re taking our innovation strategy to the next step. As a ChromeOS computer manufacturer, we’re leading the way to put sustainability at the core of our business and achieve this prestigious worldwide designation. We’re thrilled to call ourselves a B CorpTM, and we look forward to continuing our drive for sustainable cloud computing innovation in the years to come,” said Erik Stromquist, CEO of CTL.
B Corp Certification means that a company has been verified as meeting B Lab’s high standards for social and environmental impact, that it has made a legal commitment to stakeholder governance, and that it is demonstrating accountability and transparency by disclosing this record of performance in a public B Corp profile.
CTL earned B Corp Certification in response to its continued commitmentto social impact and sustainability, with programs including:
The redesign of laptop products to increase the amount of recycled material to 30% in PX Series products in 2023
Carbon offset activities that planted 4,004 carbon-capture mangrove trees in Kenya that will remove 2,722,720 pounds of carbon emissions over the trees’ lifetimes
B Lab is transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. A leader in economic systems change, our global network creates standards, policies, tools, and programs for business, and we certify companies—known as B Corps—who are leading the way. To date, our community includes more than 700,000 workers in over 7,800 B Corps across 92 countries and 161 industries, and more than 200,000 companies manage their impact with the B Impact Assessment and the SDG Action Manager.
About CTL
CTL is a global computing solutions manufacturer empowering success at school and in the workplace with award-winning technology products and industry-leading services. For 35+ years, customers in more than 55 countries have relied on CTL’s award-winning offerings of Chromebooks, Chromeboxes, laptop and desktop PCs, monitors, high-end servers, and video collaboration tools. CTL serves as a computing configuration partner to deliver customized solutions with comprehensive lifecycle services and support from purchase through recycling. CTL’s expertise has earned designations as a Google Education Premier Partner, a Google Cloud Partner, and an Intel Technology Platinum Partner. In 2024, CTL was officially certified as a B Corp™ for its commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. For further information and to purchase products, visit ctl.net.
eSchool Media staff cover education technology in all its aspects–from legislation and litigation, to best practices, to lessons learned and new products. First published in March of 1998 as a monthly print and digital newspaper, eSchool Media provides the news and information necessary to help K-20 decision-makers successfully use technology and innovation to transform schools and colleges and achieve their educational goals.
Earlier this month, AGS (PlayAGS), the leading company offering a range of gaming experiences powering the gambling industry across the globe, confirmed it entered into a definitive agreement for an acquisition by affiliates of Brightstar Capital Partners (Brightstar). Brightstar offered a price of $12.50 per share, representing a 40% premium on AGS’ closing stock price as of May 8, 2024.
The deal, which is expected to take AGS private, is estimated at a whopping $1.1 billion. While the proposed acquisition received unanimous approval of the Board of Directors at AGS, not everyone agreed with the proposal. This is precisely the case of an activist investor with an approximately 1.5% share in PlayAGS stock, Emmett Investment Management LP.
On Tuesday this week, Emmett sent a letter to stockholders of the company, urging them to vote against the proposed acquisition by Brightstar that would take AGS private. In its letter, the company, which is known as an investment manager for small and mid-cap equities in markets across the globe, said it believes that the proposed bid was significantly below the value of AGS.
Emmett wrote that it wanted to share its concerns about the offer for AGS to go private with other stakeholders. The company wrote that it doesn’t believe that the proposed transaction that would take the company private would be in the best interest of the stockholders. As noted, Emmett confirmed its intention to vote against the proposed business transaction.
“We feel compelled to share with you our concerns about AGS’s recently announced take-private transaction with Brightstar Capital Partners. We do not believe the take-private transaction is in the best interest of stockholders, and we intend to vote against the transaction,“
reads a letter sent by Emmett Investment Management LP
The Shareholder Shares Multiple Concerns with the Takeover Bid
Releasing arguments against the transaction, Emmett wrote that the bid was announced hours before AGS released its first quarter results which highlighted transformative changes for the company. The stockholder explained that AGS reported organic adjusted EBITDA growth of 21%, which was “far outpacing the industry.”
It also argued about the “approximate” price of the transaction, which was estimated as $1.1 billion, when in reality based on the bid per share was valued at $1.06 billion. “An enterprise value of $1.1 billion, by contrast, would translate to an AGS share price of $13.40,” wrote Emmett.
Moreover, the stockholder deemed the bid from Brightstar unattractive for another reason, namely, that it doesn’t address the benefit for AGS which can potentially come following the merger of IGT and Everi. This strategic business combination was highlighted in the company’s March Investor Presentation with AGS confirming it expects to gain market share in light of the high-profile merger. “Under Brightstar’s proposed deal, stockholders will be deprived of this significant upside,” wrote Emmett.
Finally, Emmett wrote that it is not against offers that may take AGS private but rather opposes a bid that doesn’t recognize the company’s potential.
Delegates say the survival of humanity is interlinked with the sustainable use of ocean and marine biodiversity resources. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS
by Joyce Chimbi (nairobi)
Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, May 15 (IPS) – The oceans are as fascinating as they are mysterious. Home to the largest animals to ever live on Earth and billions of the tiniest, the top 100 meters of the open oceans host the majority of sea life, such as fish, turtles, and marine mammals. But there is another world far below the surface. In the belly of the ocean, there are seamounts—underwater mountains that rise 1,000 meters or more from the seafloor.
It is within this context that negotiations on critical science, technical skills, and technology deepened on the second day of the 26th session of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Putting ocean action on the global agenda is a top priority to ensure conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity. Emphasizing an urgent need for further work on ecologically or biologically significant marine areas.
“The survival of humanity is interlinked with the sustainable use of ocean and marine biodiversity resources. We rely on the ocean for food, relaxation, and inspiration. But now the ocean is under threat, and that threat is being passed on to our lives on land. We have to invest time, money, and every resource possible to save our oceans and, by doing so, save ourselves. Our biggest revenue comes from fisheries, and now we have to worry about rising sea level as we are a low-lying island,” Eleala Avanitele from the Forest Peoples Program in Tuvalu told IPS.
Scientists warn that Tuvalu, the fourth-smallest country in the world, is sinking due to its vulnerability to rising sea levels, as the nation comprises nine low-lying coral atolls and islands. Across the globe, the world is in a crisis as oceans provide 50 percent of all oxygen on Earth and 50 to 80 percent of all life on Earth. This life is now at stake.
Thus far, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, also known as the Biodiversity Plan, has been front and centre during ongoing negotiations, as it is a strategic plan for the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a global agreement that covers all aspects of biological diversity and is considered a framework for governments and the whole of society.
Harrison Ajebe Nnoko Ngaaje from Ajemalebu Self Help (Ajesh) in Cameroon told IPS that his organization is a CSO registered in Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, and the USA to create synergies and collaboration within and beyond the continent for the restoration, protection, and sustainable management of key biodiversity areas.
“Conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity is very critical to Cameroon due to its vast and unique ecosystem and biodiversity. Limbe Beach, for instance, has shiny black sandy beaches made of lava sand from the Mt. Cameroon eruptions, an active volcano in the south-west region of Cameroon. We have mangroves under serious threat of degradation. Ajesh is strongly focused on marine protected area management and the conservation of marine aquatic ecosystems.”
More than half of all marine species could be in danger of extinction by 2100. Nearly 60 percent of the world’s marine ecosystems have been altered or handled unsustainably. Marine, coastal, and island biodiversity were discussed within the context of the Biodiversity Plan. Target 3 of the Plan aims to ensure and enable that by 2030 at least 30 percent of terrestrial and inland water areas, and of marine and coastal areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, are effectively conserved and managed.
The main goal of the SBSTTA discussions was to find and fix areas that need more attention under the Convention in order to help carry out the Biodiversity Plan for marine, coastal, and island biodiversity.
Despite the Conference of the Parties adopting the program of work on marine and coastal biological diversity at its fourth meeting in 1998 and the program of work on island biodiversity in 2006, the world is significantly behind schedule when it comes to the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity. Nevertheless, CBD continues to prioritize and facilitate cooperation and collaboration with relevant global and regional organizations and initiatives with regard to marine and coastal biodiversity.
“It is very important that civil society, youths, and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) are part of the SBSTTA process, observing and being allowed the opportunity to make remarks. Parties make decisions but these actors also implement and are at the forefront of facing the consequences of biodiversity loss,” Ngaaje says.
Onyango Adhiambo, a youth delegate from academia and research under the International University Network on Cultural and Biological Diversity, supported Ngaaje’s remarks.
“Young people will need to understand the science, technical skills, and technology at play in saving our planet, for soon we will need to step in and step up. The future, which is now at stake, belongs to us, and when called upon to intervene on what the parties agree to, we must do so efficiently, effectively, and sustainably to save natural resources for future generations,” Adhiambo said.
Highlights from the session included a recognition of the importance of science for decision-making and that there are many areas of the programmes of work on marine and coastal biodiversity and on island biodiversity that have not been fully implemented and for which enhanced capacity-building and development, in particular for least developed countries and small island developing states, are needed.
The 2022 Biodiversity Plan says that we can get back on track by creating “ecologically representative, well-connected, and fairly governed systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, recognizing indigenous and traditional territories, where applicable, and integrating them into larger landscapes, seascapes, and the ocean, while ensuring that any sustainable use, where appropriate in such areas, is fully consistent with conservation outcomes, recognizing and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, including over their traditional territories.”
Equally important is the agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, which was adopted on June 19, 2023.
Collaboration in ocean conservation beyond national boundaries was strongly encouraged on issues such as marine genetic resources, including the fair and equitable sharing of benefits; measures such as area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; environmental impact assessments; and capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology.
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. (NEWS10) — A small business in the Berkshires was the victim of the growing cyber-crime known as social engineering. The business lost a significant amount of money that cannot be recouped.
“We can’t function without the fabric and without the money we can’t buy the fabric,” said Molly De St Andre.
Aurelien and Molly De St Andre own a children’s clothing store and they told NEWS10 the pandemic put supply chain issues in the spotlight which made them search far and wide for fabric. Online communication struck most of the trouble during this time.
“I was corresponding with my rep as I always do, and we have a good relationship. I did not realize that over time another person had hacked into their system and was posing as my rep,” said De St Andre.
She tells NEWS10 after several conversations she was given an official invoice, totaling nearly $40,000, from the person she thought was her rep. “The invoice that we took to the bank had fraudulent details on it and it went straight to the scammer. And we didn’t even know that for a month and a half,” said De St Andre.
They thought they were covered by insurance. “He told us we’re covered for cyber-crimes; we’re looking into this tiny clause in our insurance that basically made it impossible, it made them unwilling to cover this,” said De St Andre.
But help came from another source. On Railroad Street in Great Barrington the small businesses are coming together to support one of their own. “We’re watching out for each other and truly the expression of the rising tide lifts all boats, if one of us goes down, it only hurts our town in general,” said Mary Daire, owner Daire Bottle Shop and Provisions.
The business owner says she wants to let as many other business owners, as she can, know what to look out for . “Honestly you know, like if this could happen to us and we are so careful, this literally could happen to anyone,” said De St Andre.
One of those businesses helping De St Andre learned a few things as well when it comes to safe business practices. “We talked with our insurance agent to get more robust cyber insurance. We didn’t even realize that was something that would affect a small business such as ours. We’re not even doing sales over the internet but the sophistication level of these scams these days you can never be too safe,” said Alex Cosgrove, Co-founder Greenhouse Yoga.
The 2023 FBI internet crime report says cyber-crime victims’ losses exceed $12.5 billion, a 22% increase from 2022.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help offset the costs of the scam.
Overall corporate bookings for International Airlines Group carriers are making a “slow recovery,” CEO Luis Gallego said on an earnings call Friday of the group, which includes British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling. “We had a good January and February in BA and Iberia, but we had a more negative mark mainly due to the timing of Easter.”
Still, at BA, first-quarter corporate volume increased around 5 percent year over year to 70 percent compared with 2019, Gallego said. BA corporate revenue was at about 72 percent of 2019 levels, IAG CFO Nicholas Cadbury added.
For transatlantic demand on BA—which is stronger from the U.K. point of sale than from the North Atlantic side—”on corporate, we have seen an expansion in the market in the first quarter on the North Atlantic of about 7 percent, and we see that continuing as we look into the second quarter,” British Airways chairman and CEO Sean Doyle said. “I think that business recovery is also very encouraging.”
Gallego added that the company has seen a “very strong recovery versus last year to our network in India,” and an increase in business traffic in the broader region “as we are recovering the network to Asia.” IAG increased its capacity to the Asia-Pacific region during the quarter by 43.4 percent year over year.
Corporate volume at Iberia was at about 85 percent of 2019 levels. “That is linked also to the number of people coming back to work that is different in Spain than in [the] U.K.,” Gallego said.
IAG Q1 Metrics
IAG reported first-quarter passenger revenue of more than €5.6 billion ($6.1 billion), up 11.7 percent year over year. Total revenue was more than €6.4 billion, up 9.2 percent year over year. The company had an operating profit of €68 million, up from €9 million a year prior, but a loss before taxes of €87 million, compared with a €121 million loss reported in Q1 2023.
Capacity for the group increased 7 percent year over year for the quarter, with Iberia’s growing 15.4 percent, mostly driven by the increase in the number of Airbus A350-900 aircraft in service flying to North and South America, according to IAG. The North Atlantic region accounts for about 28.7 percent of the group’s capacity, with Europe representing 23.6 percent and Latin America and the Caribbean at 21.6 percent.
IAG projects overall capacity in 2024 to increase 7 percent compared with 2023.
A view of the Earth and a satellite as seen from outer space. Credit: NASA via UN News
by Thalif Deen (united nations)
Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, May 07 (IPS) – When the 15-member UN Security Council failed last month to adopt its first-ever resolution on outer space—co-sponsored by the US and Japan—the Russian veto led to speculation whether this was a precursor for a future nuclear arms race in the skies above.
The vetoed resolution was expected to “affirm the obligation of all States parties to fully comply with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, including not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction, install such weapons on celestial bodies or station such weapons in outer space in any other manner.”
Randy Rydell, Executive Advisor, Mayors for Peace, and a former Senior Political Affairs Officer at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), told IPS that the Security Council’s record on disarmament issues has long suffered from the same plague that has also tormented the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva: namely the veto and the CD’s “consensus rule.”
Sadly, this vote on the outer space resolution should surprise no one, he said.
The world is facing a crisis of the “rule of law” in disarmament. Key treaties have failed to achieve universal membership, failed to be negotiated, failed to enter into force, failed to be fully incorporated into domestic laws and policies of the parties, and failed to be fully implemented, while other treaties have actually lost parties, he pointed out.
While the Outer Space Treaty will remain in force despite this unfortunate vote, Rydell argued, the specters of the existing nuclear arms race proliferating one day into space, along with unbridled competition to deploy non-nuclear space weapons, have profound implications not just for the future of disarmament but also for the peace and security of our fragile planet.
“The Charter’s norms against the threat of use of force and the obligation to resolve disputes peacefully remain the most potentially effective antidotes to the contagion unfolding before us, coupled with new steps not just “toward” but “in” disarmament”.
“I hope the General Assembly’s Summit of the Future in September will succeed in reviving a new global commitment to precisely these priorities,” declared Rydell
By a vote of 13 in favor to 1 against (Russian Federation) and 1 abstention (China), the Council rejected the draft resolution, owing to the negative vote cast by a permanent member.
Jackie Cabasso, Executive Director, Western States Legal Foundation, told IPS it is impossible, amidst the current geopolitical rivalries and fog of propaganda, to evaluate the ramifications of the Security Council’s failure to adopt this resolution—though it does underscore the dysfunction in the Security Council created by the P-5’s veto power.
“Russia and China have long been proponents of negotiations for a comprehensive treaty on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space, and in 2008 and 2014 submitted draft treaty texts to the moribund Conference on Disarmament,” she said.
The United States, under both the Bush and Obama administrations, rejected those drafts out of hand, said Cabasso, whose California-based WSLF is a non-profit public interest organization that seeks to abolish nuclear weapons as an essential step in securing a more just and environmentally sustainable world.
A week after its April 24 veto, Russia submitted a new draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council that goes farther than the U.S.-Japan proposal, calling not only for efforts to stop weapons from being deployed in outer space “for all time,” but for preventing “the threat or use of force in outer space.”
The resolution reportedly states this should include bans on deploying weapons “from space against Earth, and from Earth against objects in outer space.” By definition, this would include anti-satellite weapons.
With new nuclear arms races underway here on earth, with the erosion and dismantling of the Cold War nuclear arms control architecture, and with the dangers of wars among nuclear armed states growing to perhaps an all-time high, it certainly remains true, as recognized by the UN General Assembly in 1981, that “the extension of the arms race into outer space a real possibility.”
“We are in a global emergency and every effort must be made to lower the temperature and create openings for diplomatic dialogue among the nuclear-armed states. To this end, the U.S. and its allies should call Russia’s bluff (if that’s what they think it is) and welcome its proposed new resolution in the Security Council,” declared Cabasso.
Speaking after the vote, the representative of the United States said that this is not the first time the Russian Federation has undermined the global non-proliferation regime, according to a report in UN News. “It has defended—and even enabled—dangerous proliferators.”
Moreover, with its abstention, the US said, China showed that it would rather “defend Russia as its junior partner” than safeguard the global non-proliferation regime, she added.
“There should be no doubt that placing a nuclear weapon into orbit would be unprecedented, unacceptable, and deeply dangerous.”
The US said Japan had gone to great lengths to forge consensus, with 65 cross-regional co-sponsors who joined in support.
Japan’s representative said he deeply regretted the Russian Federation’s decision to use the veto to break the adoption of “this historic draft resolution.”
Notwithstanding the support of 65 countries that co-sponsored the document, one permanent member decided to “silence the critical message we wanted to send to the world,” he stressed, noting that the draft resolution would have been a practical contribution to the promotion of peaceful use and the exploration of outer space.
The representative of the Russian Federation, noting that the Council is again involved in “a dirty spectacle prepared by the US and Japan, said, “This is a cynical ploy. We are being tricked.”
Recalling that the ban on placing weapons of mass destruction in outer space is already enshrined in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, he said that Washington, D.C., Japan, and their allies are “cherry-picking” weapons of mass destruction out of all other weapons, trying to “camouflage their lack of interest” in outer space being free from any kinds of weapons.
The addition to the operative paragraph, proposed by the Russian Federation and China, does not delete from the draft resolution a call not to develop weapons of mass destruction and not to place them in outer space, he emphasized.
Meanwhile, outlining the treaty’s history, Cabasso said that in Article IV of the Outer Space Treaty, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1967, States Parties agreed “not to place in orbit around the earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction, install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space in any other manner.”
Yet, according to the UN Yearbook, by 1981, member states had expressed concern in the General Assembly that “rapid advances in science and technology had made the extension of the arms race into outer space a real possibility, and that new kinds of weapons were still being developed despite the existence of international agreements.”
In his May 1 testimony to the House Armed Services subcommittee, John Plumb, the first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, claimed that “Russia is developing and—if we are unable to convince them otherwise—to ultimately fly a nuclear weapon in space which will be an indiscriminate weapon” that would not distinguish among military, civilian, or commercial satellites.
In February, President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space. It is troubling, therefore, that on April 24, Russia vetoed the first-ever Security Council resolution on an arms race in outer space, said Cabasso.
The resolution, introduced by the United States and Japan, would have affirmed the obligation of all States Parties to fully comply with the Outer Space Treaty, including its provisions to not deploy nuclear or any other kind of weapon of mass destruction in space. China abstained.
Before the resolution was put to a vote, Russia and China had proposed an amendment that would have broadened the call on all countries—beyond banning nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons—to “prevent for all time the placement of weapons in outer space and the threat of use of force in outer space.” The amendment was defeated, she said.
Note: This article is brought to you by IPS Noram, in collaboration with INPS Japan and Soka Gakkai International, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.
