Airline News April 2005.

Service deteriorates at all but four major airlines, report says. Just four of the 14 major U.S. airlines improved their service in 2003 and 2004, according to a private study based on government records. The report attributed lower levels of service to understaffing; many airlines have cut jobs to lower their expenses. AirTran Airways, Atlantic Southeast, JetBlue and United improved service last year. Others had worse on-time performance, more complaints about service and more lost bags, the report said. Apr 4, 2005

Toast, that is fresh toast, is now available in first class on Cathay Pacific, Air France and Emirates, at least, following some innovations by Aerolux, the galley equipment specialist. Using the classic Dualit model the Blackpool (Lancashire) based company have reengineered the popular unit to satisfy the UK CAA and also airline cabin staff who will actually use the unit. The toaster has special stainless steel side-guards, simple controls, overheat protection and built-in safety features to comply with power supply regulations which apply to the new generation of aircraft. http://www.dualit.com http://www.aerolux.co.uk Apr 22, 2005

Air Namibia is to operate nonstop flights between Gatwick and Windhoek from July 3 2005, very much opening up Namibia for UK holiday makers. The airline already flies between Frankfurt and using a two class McDonnell Douglas MD-11 with a flight time of 9.5 hours. A similar aircraft will be used for the London operation which will be replaced by an Airbus A340-300 in 2006. http://www.airnamibia.com.na Apr 22, 2005

Air Sahara, one of India's burgeoning domestic and regional airlines, now has representation in the UK. The long established Crawley-based Aviareps organization will be looking after the airline's interests in the UK plus France, Italy, Benelux, Austria, Czech Republic and Poland. Currently Air Sahara features 24 destinations within India plus Colombo providing more than 120 daily flights. The airline operates Boeing 737 series on its major trunk routes and the Bombardier CRJ 200 for regional service. The airline will add a Delhi to Singapore service on 11 May and Chennai - Kuala Lumpur flights from 14 May. http://www.airsahara.net http://www.aviareps.com Apr 18, 2005

Air Southwest, the successor to Brymon/British Airways based at Plymouth (and essentially using the same routes and aircraft), has now introduced services through its Bristol hub linking Newquay (Cornwall) to Dublin, Leeds Bradford and Manchester. The airline already has a successful Plymouth - Bristol - Manchester operation, the introduction of a fourth Dash 8-Q300 enabling the new Dublin and Leeds Bradford destinations to be added to the route network. Air Southwest, not to be confused with the somewhat larger US carrier of a similar name, is now 18 months old and owned by the Sutton Harbour Group, listed on the Stock Exchange alternative market. http://www.airsouthwest.com Apr 18, 2005

U.S. may take aircraft subsidy case to WTO. A U.S. official warned the EU that he is willing to bring the dispute about aircraft subsidies to the World Trade Organization, Dow Jones Newswires reports. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said the EU has reneged on promises of ending government loans, which the U.S. believes amounts to subsides. Officials in Washington said they are willing to talk beyond next Monday's deadline if the EU abides by principles decided in January. Apr 5, 2005

America West, US Airways may consider code-share if merger plans collapse. If America West and US Airways do not merge, they could at least form a beneficial code-sharing agreement, analysts say. High costs and labor unions make airline mergers difficult to complete. However, code-sharing agreements allow airlines to sell each other's seats and are considered an easier way for airlines to grow. Apr 25, 2005

American Airlines[sup.1] regional affiliates have announced a range of new routes from its gateway airports. Miami gains Embraer ERJ-140 regional jet services to Charlotte, Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Richmond, with Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville and Norfolk following from June 9. At Chicago O'Hare, AA is opening services to Colorado Springs and Jacksonville twice daily and Nassau and Pensacola daily, also from June 9. From Dallas/Fort Worth, AA is adding daily non-stops to Evansville (Indiana), Green Bay (Wisconsin) and Toledo (Ohio), from the same day, with new, and seasonal summer services to Traverse City (Michigan), with flights taking off to Fort Walton Beach (Florida) four times daily with the ERJ-145 from July 2. From New York, it will fly from JFK to Toronto from July 2 and Cleveland, while from LaGuardia it will serve Grand Rapids daily from June 9. http://www.aa.com Apr 30, 2005

American Airlines lifts fares, blames surging oil prices. American Airlines lifted round-trip domestic fares by $10 to counteract the soaring price of fuel, the Associated Press reports. It also increased fares on routes to Canada. Airlines have increased fares several times since the start of the year. Usually a fare increase needs all airlines to match for it to stick. Apr 29, 2005

Arkefly is the latest airline name to try and remember. Dutch offspring of the European holiday giant TUI AG and unlikely to be seen in the UK. Akefly has been created from the ashes of troubled Netherlands airline Exel, and will begin flying on April 21 operating four of Excel's Boeing 767-300 aircraft, mostly on long haul routes. The airline is expected to carry about half of TUI's Dutch passengers as well as operating for other travel companies. http://www.tui.com http://www.arkefly.nl Apr 18, 2005

Australia is to amend its Trade Practices Act in relation to component pricing in a number of industries including travel. In a move that is seen as a quick confirmation of its support for the legislation, Qantas is to go to all-inclusive pricing for its airfare and package holiday advertising from Wednesday, May 11. The airline currently provides a breakdown of costs in its advertising, providing the base airfare with taxes and charges listed separately. Qantas, QantasLink, Australian Airlines and Jetstar will all use the new advertising style. And not to be outdone, Virgin Blue has quickly followed suit pointing out that it had in the past operated an 'all inclusive' policy, only dropping it when competitors failed to use the same guidelines. http://www.qantas.com.auhttp://www.virginblue.com.au Apr 30, 2005

Birmingham Airport experienced a drop in passenger numbers for March, somewhat surprising considering the BAA figures in the story above. The airport handled 658,269 passengers, a slight fall of 1.2% in total but down 2.9% in scheduled. Europe seems to have suffered the most, which might be due to competition from the rapidly expanding Thomson operation at Coventry, less than 30 miles away. Growth was achieved on transatlantic routes which experienced a 34.1% rise, on domestic services which grew by 6.7%, and on flights to Asia which increased 4.9%. European routes which saw a rise in traffic over the month were, Prague (+127.8%), Larnaca (+93.7%), Milan (+71.5%), Bratislava (+19.7%), Edinburgh (+18.8%), Amsterdam (+18%), Munich (+9.5%) and Zurich (+7.7%). http://www.bhx.co.uk Apr 15, 2005

Bmi has confirmed Monday May 16 as the start-up of its four times weekly service to Mumbai (Bombay), the airline one of the beneficiaries of a new air service agreement between the British and Indian governments. A three class Airbus A300 will be used for the flights offering unique onboard chefs in business class. The airline plans to use the A330 on a new Riyadh service on the days it is not operating to Mumbai. British Airways has dropped Riyadh. Our photo shows an A330 at Chicago to where the airline offers a daily service from Manchester. http://www.flybmi.com Apr 18, 2005

Boeing becomes tougher competitor against Airbus: Competition between the world's top two jetmakers is heating up, the Chicago Tribune reports. For the past two years, Airbus has booked more orders than Boeing. But Airbus sales chief John Leahy is finding Boeing's 787 and its aggressive sales efforts have created a competitive challenge. Recently Korean Air booked an important order with Boeing, and sources say Northwest Airlines is close to making a similar decision. Apr 18, 2005

Boeing sales chief says he will not book money-losing deals. Boeing will not lose money on contracts simply to boost its market share, Scott Carson, head of Boeing's commercial sales, said. Carson was named to the commercial sales position in December and is charged with selling the 787 jetliner. He also said Boeing expects to book more orders for jetliners in 2005 than European rival Airbus. Apr 5, 2005

FAA proposes rule requiring insulation changes on 800 Boeing jets. The Federal Aviation Administration proposed a rule that would require airlines to replace insulation on about 800 Boeing jets. The FAA is concerned the insulation may lose its resistance to fire as it ages. However, it does not believe the insulation is an imminent threat to safety. Apr 4, 2005

Disabled passengers might in the future benefit from a revolutionary new chair being tested on British Airways flights from Manchester. The Amazon chair has been developed as a joint venture between OCS Ltd, who provide all wheelchair 'meet and assist' services at the airport and the manufacturer AAT (GB) Ltd. Together they approached British Airways for permission to try out the chair on its fleet of small single aisle aircraft at Manchester. Because of its size and flexibility, the Amazon chair is particularly suited for regional type aircraft and enables disabled passengers to be lifted up the aircraft steps and wheeled down the aisle. With its lightweight design there is less risk of strain or injury to both passengers and operators.http://www.alber.co.uk Apr 30, 2005

Hassi Messaoud in Algeria is British Airways latest destination. A center for oil and gas production the city lies close to the Tunisian border, 350 miles south of Algiers. Starting June 7 2005 there will be two Gatwick flights each week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, operated by Boeing 737 aircraft. The airline also flies to the Algerian capital five times weekly. Hassi Messaoud is the sixth new BA route out of Gatwick this summer the others being Bucharest (Romania), Salonika (Greece), Sofia (Bulgaria), Split (Croatia) and Vilnius (Lithuania). http://www.ba.com Apr 11, 2005

British Airways has terminated its franchise agreement with Air Kenya Aviation Ltd, trading as Regional Air. The announcement follows the Kenyan based airline's decision last week to temporarily suspend its operation. The airline, based at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Airport, operated three Boeing 737-200s on short haul East African routes. http://www.ba.com Apr 18, 2005

India is in the news again with British Airways the first airline to unveil its plans for the subcontinent following the speedy further expansion of what was a recent upgrading of the bilateral between the London and Delhi. Under the new arrangement UK airlines can operate 42 flights each week from Heathrow to Mumbai (left) and the Indian capital from October 2005. This will rise to 49 flights per week from March 2006 and 56 flights per week from October 2006. From October 2005, UK airlines can operate seven flights per week from the UK to Bangalore and to Chennai. This will rise to 14 per week to both cities from March 2006. BMI, a major beneficiary of the arrangements, which allow the airline to introduce long haul from Heathrow, initially four times weekly service to Mumbai from May 5. Expect Sir Michael Bishop to announce further expansion at that time. http://www.ba.com http:/www.flybmi.com Apr 22, 2005

GB Airways, disguised as BA, will start direct flights to Sharm El Sheik (three times a week) and Hurghada (twice weekly) on the Egyptian Red Sea Riviera from 22 October 2005. The services will be operated by a two class Airbus A320 series aircraft. British Airways themselves already fly from Heathrow to Cairo and another franchise partner, BMED, to Alexandria, also from LHR. http://www.gbairways.comhttp://www.ba.com Apr 30, 2005

British Railways and their actual routings have been something of a mystery since the demise of BR. Look around and whilst there are plenty of timetables and maps of the individual railway companies there is nothing covering the whole country (although to be fair Virgin Rail did have a one off attempt). Even the excellent Transport Direct web site does not offer this information. It has taken an individual, one Barry S. Doe, public transport consultant, to actually produce a free offering. It's all on his web site. http://www.barrydoe.plus.com/railmap.pdf http://www.barrydoe.co.uk Apr 11, 2005

Club 328, the Southampton Airport based executive jet operation, has a chief operating officer, Mike Farge. He takes over from Warren Seymour who has moved to the Isle of Man to concentrate on activities at regional air services provider EuroManx. Mike joined the Club 328 Group in July 2004. He started in the aviation business nearly 40 years ago with Westland. He has held senior managerial/director positions with blue chip companies BAE Systems; FLS Aerospace and Meggitt plc. Club 328 has its own AOC and operates BAE HS-125s, Cessna Citation V and Dornier 328Jet aircraft, providing on-demand business and leisure flights, plus regular business flights. Headquartered at Southampton Airport, it has other bases in the Isle of Man, Paris, Geneva and Nice. http://www.club328.com Apr 8, 2005

Lagos, Nigeria is not to be joined to New York, at least not by Continental Airlines in the immediate future. The Houston carrier has withdrawn plans announced last December to introduce what would be the only scheduled nonstop transatlantic service to Nigeria. The airline says it was unable to complete all the necessary authorization. As Continental now plans to introduce a Newark - Delhi service in October, one can assume a reallocation of the aircraft. http://www.continental.com Apr 18, 2005

CSA Czech has increased flights between the UK and Prague to 96 a week. Prior to launching its summer schedule last weekend, CSA offered 83 flights a week between seven UK airports and Prague. The regional airports have benefited most from the increased frequencies with Birmingham flights going from 10 to 13 flights per week, Manchester from 13 to 17, Edinburgh from six to 10 and Glasgow from seven to 10. Flights with CSA out of Heathrow (20 per week), Gatwick and Stansted (both 13 per week) to Prague will stay the same for the summer. http://www.csa.cz Apr 4, 2005

Cyprus Airways has confirmed that a buyer for Greek subsidiary Hellas Jet has not been found, setting in motion the process for its closure in May. The airline, majority owned by the Cyprus government, created Hellas Air in 2003 as a fallback due to its frustrations over a possible acquisition of Olympic. With the exception of the short Olympic period it has not met expectations and clearly the airline, with its own financial problems, could not sustain continued losses. Also on the Greek front bids for Olympic were due in last week with Athens-based Aegean thought to be a front-runner. http://www.cyprusairways.com Apr 18, 2005

Delta Air Lines customers can now find even more flights to California! Whether it's a round of golf at Pebble Beach or a different green in the beautiful San Joaquin Valley, Delta has more ways for customers to enjoy the land of golden opportunities. This summer, Delta Connection carrier SkyWest will begin the only nonstop jet service from Salt Lake City to Bakersfield and Monterey, Calif., with two flights daily to and from each city. Beginning today customers can make reservations for these new flights online at delta.com. With these newest nonstop destinations, Delta is building on its already strong service between Salt Lake City and California. Delta and the Delta Connection carriers now offer 71 daily round-trip flights between Salt Lake City and 14 California communities. Apr 19, 2005

Moscow[sup.1]s Sheremetyevo airport is to gain a second nonstop service from the United States when Delta Air Lines introduces a daily flight to Atlanta starting June 1. Delta is the only US carrier that flies to Russia, where it has operated since 1991, and currently serving Moscow nonstop daily from New York JFK. The new flight, recently approved by the US Department of Transportation and the Russian government, will operate using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, carrying up to 204 passengers in a two class configuration, and featuring Delta's award-winning BusinessElite service. http://www.delta.com Apr 18, 2005

From Pensacola to Palm Beach to Key West to Kissimmee, Delta Air Lines has become as analogous to Florida travel as sunshine and orange groves are to Florida's economy. This summer, Delta Connection carriers Chautauqua Airlines and Comair will further expand customers' travel options to, from and throughout Florida with new daily nonstop service. Additionally, Comair will add a fourth daily roundtrip flight between Orlando and Nassau, the Bahamas, effective June 1. Customers can make reservations for these new flights beginning today at delta.com. Apr 14, 2005

Whether hitting the famous beaches at Copacabana or Ipanema, ascending the rocky spire of Corcovado, or soaking in the Dionysian spirit of Carnaval, customers will have access to more of Brazil's charms with Delta Air Lines' new daily service from Atlanta to Rio de Janeiro, beginning Oct. 1. Delta plans to serve Rio daily from Atlanta with Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, carrying 204 passengers in a two-class configuration that includes Delta's award-winning BusinessElite service. Apr 13, 2005

Delta now has a nonstop, twice-weekly service from Atlanta to St. Croix, utilizing Boeing 737-800 planes. The new year-round Saturday and Wednesday flights depart Atlanta at 9:55 AM, arriving on St. Croix at 2:35 PM. The return flight departs St. Croix at 3:25 PM, arriving in Atlanta at 6:38 PM. In partnership with participating St. Croix hotels, Delta Vacations offers packages that include free nights, food and beverage credits and additional value-added options. Call 800-221-1212 or visit www.delta.com. Apr 7, 2005

Bristol Airport is to gain three new easyJet routes, to Inverness, Murcia, not far from Spain's Mediterranean coast and Pisa in northern Italy. All commence Thursday July 7. This summer easyJet will base eight aircraft at Bristol offering 22 destinations and 66 daily flights. The Inverness route opens up the Scottish Highlands and far north from the south west of England. easyJet also serves the airport from both Luton and Gatwick. http://www.easyjet.com Apr 8, 2005

Emirates Airline is celebrating the launch of its new daily flights to Seoul with a special offer of complimentary hotel stays for First and Business Class passengers traveling to the South Korean capital. Emirates launched service to New York's JFK on June 1, 2004, and will expand its global network to 79 destinations in 56 countries, when it starts daily nonstop flights between its Dubai hub and Seoul on May 1. From then until July 31, Emirates' First Class passengers flying to Seoul will be eligible for three complimentary nights in a Deluxe Room at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Seoul, while Business Class passengers can enjoy two free nights. A buffet breakfast is also included. Located in Kangnam, Seoul's thriving commercial and residential district, the Ritz-Carlton is minutes from the World Trade Center, department stores, designer boutiques, the Olympic Stadium, and Itaewon - Korea's famed shopping paradise. Emirates operates 7 return flights per week from the US to Dubai, with daily onward flights from Dubai to Seoul. Apr 19, 2005

In-flight catering innovations never seem to stand still. EVA Air has come up with an enhancement that is not only more cost effective for the airline to offer but is most attractive for passengers too. The Taiwan-based airline is enhancing its food service by offering all passengers the opportunity of ordering in-flight meals in advance, starting April 1 2005. Between 14 days and up to 24 hours before scheduled departures, passengers can click on the EVA Air web site and choose from among the main course selections on menus for the corresponding flights, including multiple meals for long-haul travel such as London - Bangkok - Taipei. EVA is making its online preselection process more delicious by posting mouthwatering pictures with descriptions of the tasty entree choices. Passengers outbound from Taiwan will have a wider selection of menu choices. But airport handling restrictions prevent EVA from offering this service for destinations like Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Paris, Auckland and Japan. It is rather like viewing an illustrated menu in a foreign resort. http://www.evaair.com Apr 11, 2005

Finnair to increase charter fares. Finnair informed tour operators that it will implement a 4.7% fare increase on leisure flights from June 1. The hike is in accordance with contract terms and conditions and is a result of high fuel costs, which have risen more than 35% from last September's levels to which the contract is tied, the airline said in a statement. Apr 20, 2005

Flybe has nearly doubled flights from Birmingham International to Spain and Portugal. The carrier is basing two Boeing 737-300 aircraft at Birmingham allowing an expansion to its summer schedule. Flights launched include services from Birmingham to Alicante, Almeria, Bergerac, Brest, Faro, La Rochelle, Malaga, Murcia and Palma. The carrier now operates from 17 UK airports including Exeter, Southampton, Belfast City, Birmingham and the Channel Islands. http://www.flybe.com Apr 4, 2005

Zurich is to be linked to Luton airport after the Swiss airline Helvetic Airways, announced last week that it is to move its current Gatwick operation to the North London airport. Helvetic, which made its first flight in November 2003, now serves 19 destinations in 8 countries operating Fokker 100 jets. The budget airline will initially offer a single daily flight from May 15. http://www.helvetic.com Apr 18, 2005

Iberia has introduced what is believed to be, the first daily newspaper produced by any airline worldwide. 'IB Universal' will be offered free to all passengers flying on its services every weekday, along with the regular publicly available newspapers and the airline's established monthly in-flight magazine. Its 24 pages cover the daily news with features on sport, lifestyle, education, health, science, the environment and leisure. But British readers don't get too carried away - it's only available on domestic flights and in Spanish!http://www.iberia.com Apr 30, 2005

Iraq has a new carrier, Ishtar Airlines, founded by a group of former Iraqi Airways pilots. Operating a Boeing 737-200 leased from Dolphin Aviation, a UAE-based company, the airline made its first flight on April 1 and initially is operating on a Thursday and Sunday from Dubai to Baghdad, and on a Saturday from Dubai to Arbil (Hawler) 200 miles further north in the Kurdish region. To date load factors have been in the 80% region. The airline plans to operate into Basra out of Dubai from June when that city's airport is expected to open for commercial operations. An MD 83 is also being used for executive operations. Eden Travel is the exclusive agent in the UK. http://www.ishtarairlines.com Apr 11, 2005

Jet Airways, rapidly expanding private Indian airline with ambitions to fly to London, has introduced services from Mumbai to Singapore. Jet Airways will initially offer a daily two class service using Boeing 737 equipment. Changi is the airline's third international destination and comes after route introductions to Colombo and Kathmandu. The airline currently has 42 aircraft and serves some 40 cities in India. http://www.jetairways.com Apr 18, 2005

Now five years old, JetBlue plans expansion with new aircraft. Five years after launching service, JetBlue has become a favorite among business travelers. In a Q-and-A with USA Today, chief executive Dave Neeleman said he expects the airline to grow quickly once it takes delivery of 100 new Embraer jets on order. The airline now flies mainly from coast to coast or from Northeastern cities to Florida, but will consider flying to the Southwest and Midwest. Apr 6, 2005

Kenya Airways is to introduce a twice-weekly operation from Nairobi to Maputo this August which will connect up with the airline's overnight services from Heathrow and Amsterdam. The services will be operated by the airline's Boeing 737s providing 16 Premier World (business class) and 100 economy class seats and will offer the most direct service from Europe to the Mozambique capital. Other new routes this summer include Bamako, Dakar, Freetown, Istanbul and Shanghai. Kenya Airways operates a single Boeing 777-200ER, with a further two due for delivery shortly. http://www.kenya-airways.com Apr 22, 2005

Lufthansa has added Dusseldorf to its London City Airport schedules with a twice-daily weekday service. Other German cities flown from LCY include Bremen (DLT), Frankfurt (both BA and Lufthansa) and Munich (Cirrus Airlines). Readers should note that there are several airports calling themselves Dusseldorf. LH flies to Dusseldorf Rhein Ruhr Airport from both LCY and LHR. http://www.lufthansa.com Apr 22, 2005

Malev is set to wait another two years before it is privatised after Hungary's second attempt in less than six months to sell the loss-making national airline failed as the three bidders all offered too little for the carrier. As the bids were considered too low, the privatization agency APV is expected to declare the tender unsuccessful and attempt to sell Malev through direct negotiations with potential investors. Malev's recently appointed chairman, Peter Honig, said he would prefer the bid to fail and would like up to two years to reorganise Malev before another attempt to sell. http://www.malev.hu Apr 4, 2005

Ryanair ends inflight entertainment program test. Ryanair announced yesterday that it will not move forward with plans to offer its passengers digEplayer portable inflight entertainment units after a five-month trial on five Stansted-based aircraft failed to develop sufficient interest among customers. According to the Associated Press, the carrier said an initial lack of availability of non-English-language programs on the handheld players was also a factor in the decision. Ryanair launched the trial in November and was hoping to boost ancillary revenue through the program. It was charging [pounds sterling]5 ($9.50) per flight for use of the units. Apr 20, 2005

Scot Airways, the tiny Stagecoach Plc owned airline (the former Suckling), is taking on British Airways in a big way. Already in head to head competition on the London City - Edinburgh route, Dornier 328 turboprop v AVRO RJ, the Cambridge based carrier is to introduce a BAe 146 on its 0750 departure from Edinburgh. The aircraft will, initially at least, sit all day at LCY before departing 1715. Flight time is 85 minutes. The airline is adding an additional Dornier 328 return service giving a total of ten flights each way Monday to Friday with reduced weekend operations. BA has also upped its flights and now has five departures each day during the week.http://www.scotairways.com Apr 30, 2005

Standsted could have at last a new transatlantic carrier by August. Following now long forgotten American Airlines and Continental Airways decisions to drop their services into the Essex airport (all be it for different reasons) US registered SkyLink Airways, still a paper airline, is recruiting staff for a start-up during the summer. A two class Boeing 767 operation is initially envisaged with Washington-Baltimore as the base airport in the United States. In its application to the Department of Transport Skylink has named Aruba, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Taiwan as potential destinations. http://www.skylinkairways.com Apr 22, 2005

SkyTeam Steering Committee announced that passengers traveling via the alliance's Round the World (RTW) and Europe Pass products will have greater options, in terms of schedules and destinations, with the addition of Continental's, KLM's and Northwest's route networks. Effective April 15, RTW customers can select flight options from any of the nine member airlines, while Europe Pass customers have their choice of routes operated by the alliance's four European carriers. For RTW passengers, the new options provide greater access to destinations in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as key cities in Africa. In Europe, passengers with a trans-Atlantic or inter-continental ticket can now extend their trip with discounted fares to destinations such as Belfast, Northern Ireland and Berne, Switzerland under the Europe Pass product. Apr 13, 2005

Song, the Delta low-cost operation, has survived a strategic review and will expand with 12 more jets this year. Song president Joanne Smith said the airline's operating costs are lower than the Delta's mainline costs. Last year the airline lost money, but Smith said the airline is on a "very short track and timeline" to post profits. http://www.flysong.com Apr 4, 2005

Southwest hedges aggressively to protect against high fuel prices. Discounter Southwest Airlines has hedged its jet fuel consumption through 2009, a move that helps protect it from soaring fuel prices, the Dallas Morning News reports. Meanwhile, other airlines are posting large losses because of soaring fuel costs. On Thursday, oil was $54.11 a barrel on the spot market; Southwest has hedges in place for $26 a barrel for about 85% of the fuel it needs. Apr 8, 2005

Southwest Airlines will open its new D concourse at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix on Tuesday. The new facility will feature eight new gates, a six-lane security checkpoint and new concessions. Southwest will continue to operate an additional 16 gates in the C Concourse for a total of 24 total gates at Sky Harbor. The airline will no longer use the B concourse. Southwest said the new facilities will allow it to expand, and also to further expand its code-share agreement with ATA. Apr 7, 2005

Swiss International is optimizing various key aspects of its product in order to make travel even more enjoyable for customers. The new user concept at Zurich Airport is the starting point, with faster, smoother and more comfortable procedures for travelers now in place. In the same spirit, Swiss International has also upgraded the seating on its Airbus A320 fleet and earlier this year launched an exclusive business-class-only service between Zurich and New York that is closely tailored to the needs of business travelers. The latest initiative sees the introduction on May 25 of a complimentary foodservice in economy class on flights within Europe. Passengers in Swiss Economy will soon be able to enjoy a warm "pain au chocolate" on a morning flight to Berlin or savor a warm "calzone" (pastry turnover) as a snack on a midday flight to Copenhagen. A selection of warm or cold snacks and drinks, varying according to the time of day and length of the flight, will be available. Apr 28, 2005

Free food and drinks in Swiss International Economy on European flights. In-flight food and drinks will again be included in the Swiss Economy ticket price on Swiss International 's European services from May 25. The complimentary foodservice is a key element in Swiss International Air Lines' current product enhancement initiative. Nestl? will be Swiss International 's foodservice partner for the new Swiss Economy in-flight product on the carrier's European services. Swiss International will be reintroducing free food and drinks in Swiss Economy class on all its European flights on May 25. The carrier will thus again offer customer-friendly complimentary in-flight foodservice to all its passengers on all its services systemwide. Travelers will be offered a selection of hot or cold snacks and drinks, depending on the time of day and the length of the flight. Apr 21, 2005

Take Air Lines has begun an operation from the French island of Martinique in the southern Caribbean. Two Dornier 228 and one Caravan 208 are currently employed with a pair of Embraer 120 due to be added by July 2005. The airline operates under a franchise agreement with Air Caraibes whose Airbus A330 serves both Martinique and Guadeloupe from Europe. The airline flies out of Fort de France to Trinidad, Ste Lucie, Dominica, Barbados and Grenada with Haiti and Caracas added for July. http://www.takeairlines.com Apr 11, 2005

Bangkok is to be linked nonstop from New York for the first time. From May 1, daily except Monday, Thai International will operate a 16-hour plus service using a three class 215-seat Airbus A340-500. The indicated strength of the route is shown by Thai offering 60 seats in Royal Silk (business) with near flat 170-degree seats, 42 seats in premium economy, and only 113 seats in the basic economy configuration. The airline also operates a four times weekly service across the Pacific from Bangkok to Los Angeles via Kansai, this time with a Boeing 747. http://www.thaiairways.com Apr 22, 2005

Virgin Atlantic has signed an agreement with BAA to renew and expand the carrier's facilities at Heathrow's T3. It will allow the airline to carry nearly twice as many passengers through the building. The new works will be designed by Foster and Partners and will be completed in phases from 2007 to 2021. The first phase will be ready for the arrival of Virgin's first Airbus A380 in 2008. The carrier says Upper Class passengers will be welcomed at a new dedicated Drive Thru area, while the new facilities will be so compact that passengers will only have to walk as little as 200m from check-in to the gate. http://www.virgin-atlantic.com Apr 4, 2005

Milan is to have a change of airports for Virgin Express passengers. From June 1 2005, the Belgian based budget carrier will discontinue flights on the routes Brussels - Milan (Linate) and Amsterdam - Milan (Linate) then reintroduce the same schedules to Orio al Serio, about 30 miles east from the city center of Milan. Virgin Express says that it has been trying for years to obtain take off and landing slots at Linate which would allow for daily return traffic, without success. Recently the airline was offered these convenient slots at Milan - Orio al Serio. It is now going twice daily. http://www.virgin-express.com Apr 30, 2005

Wizz Air, which only made its first flight on May 19 2004, has carried its one millionth passenger. Luton, the airline's first route from Katowice (Poland), was also the destination for this milestone. Luton - Katowice happens to be the airline's busiest service with 400,000 passengers to date. Wizz Air currently operates on 24 routes to 15 airports. It has a fleet of six 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. Our photo shows passenger 1,000,000 Ewa Sowinska, 21 years of age from Katowice, who won a year's free unlimited travel for two people on the airlines entire network. http://wizzair.com Apr 22, 2005