Small to medium-sized enterprises stand to gain more benefits from Bmi's relaunched Company Rewards loyalty scheme. An updated and improved version of the former Company Returns programme, it is designed to make travel budgets go further with enhanced rewards, enabling users to redeem points at any time online. Uniquely, members can choose to redeem points in the form of an e-voucher (to exchange for flights, either as full or as part payment), cash or charity donation. Bmi claims that none of its competitors offers this choice. Developed by the carrier's newly appointed business development executive, Graham Cook, the programme has taken into consideration the constraints of other reward schemes and the needs of SMEs to give a fully flexible and generous scheme. New members can register following a quick and simple process online. Once enrolled, they have immediate access to their own personalised account with an up-to-date points statement and regular updates. By booking flights on any Bmi route and within any fare bracket, members can start earning points immediately. They can be redeemed online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Furthermore, companies spending over £50,000 a year travelling with bmi will receive a 4% annual cash bonus. At the end of last year, Bmi launched 17 new business and leisure routes from London Heathrow, adds Cologne this month, and Tel Aviv and Dammam in March.
Free stopovers
Thai Airways International is offering two nights' complimentary accommodation and free airport transfers for passengers flying from Dubai to destinations beyond Bangkok. Valid for round-trip tickets booked before the end of March, the deal applies to those travelling to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong, China and Australia. Accommodation is in a 4-star Bangkok hotel, with breakfast included, plus transfers to and from the airport. The price of the ticket depends on the final destination and date of travel. The Dubai-Bangkok route is currently served by the Airbus A330-300s with 42 Royal Silk Business Class and 263 Royal Economy Class seats. Thai operates two flights daily from Dubai to Bangkok with onward connections to domestic and international flights from its home base at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Avis airport offer
Avis currently has a special UK airport offer available for those who need to rent a car for a minimum of five days.
Valid until March 14, rates are from £17 a day for a small economy car, from £30 for a large automatic, and from £34 a day for a Mercedes or similar. There is a minimum one-day advance booking requirement, and the offer applies to rentals for up to 27 days. It is available at selected UK airports. In Germany, there is a special weekly saver rate – from £134 – which is valid until the end of June. And in a separate initiative, Avis is promising renters in the UK that they can go through the pick-up process in just three minutes or less – failure to do so will result in the payment of £20 by way of compensation. To participate in what the company is calling its “Three Minute Promise”, renters are required to join the Avis Preferred programme, registration for which is free and can be arranged online. Business Class sale
Austrian Airlines is offering special Business Class deals for travellers flying from London Heathrow. Round-trip fares to Western Europe are from £542, to Eastern Europe from £594, Middle East from £987, India from £1,298, China from £1,526 and Japan from £1,997. For China and Japan, bookings and outbound travel have to be before the end of March; elsewhere, the booking deadline is April 30, with outbound travel completed by the end of June. Fares quoted are inclusive of taxes and charges.
Cut-price fares from Qatar Qatar Airways is offering cut-price fares from the UK to the Middle East and beyond for bookings made before March 20. Selected flights from London Heathrow and Gatwick as well as Manchester to 14 destinations, including Muscat, Delhi and Mumbai, are available from as little as £220 return, plus taxes and charges. The offer is valid for travel between February 25-March 14; March 25-March 31 and April 21–June 30 on a number of routes across the Middle East and India. Spring sale fares include a return Economy flight from Manchester to Kuwait from £366.50, including taxes and charges, while a return Economy flight from London to Ahmedabad is available from £401.50, inclusive. Qatar Airways offers three flights a day from London Heathrow to Doha as well as a daily service from London Gatwick and Manchester. The airline’s ever –expanding route network now covers 81 worldwide destinations across Africa, Asia, India, the Indian Ocean and the Middle East. From March 30, Qatar Airways will increase its capacity from London Heathrow with an extra daily flight.
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