Airline News January 2005.

Civil helicopter deliveries, which began rising in 2003 and registered further gains in 2004, will remain relatively flat during the next ten years, according to Forecast International's World Commercial Rotorcraft Market. Current shipments are receiving a major boost from the piston- powered Robinson Helicopter models, the two-seat R22 and the four-place R44. However, that annual output, which totaled fewer than 1,250 shipments in 2004, will fall off gradually through 2011 before rising to about 1,000 deliveries in 2013. Eurocopter is forecasted to maintain strong dominance of the turbine-powered helicopter segment, while Bell Helicopter's long-awaited strategic plans are finally coming into focus. The company is developing a Modular Affordable Product Line (MAPL) of light singles and twins spanning the five- to eight-seat-capacity range. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Aero Industry Development Corp. (AIDC) has proposed a linkup with Enstrom Helicopter, a development that could ultimately see the government of Taiwan taking a stake in the US company. http://www.forecast1.com

Jan 22, 2005

Busiest Airport battle, the world's that is, will not be resolved until early February when Atlanta, currently number one, and Chicago O'Hare publish their official figures likely to be 5% above last year's 79m and 68m respectively. In the meantime O'Hare has come in with an astonishing 992,471 aircraft movements in 2004, whilst Atlanta, Hartsfield-Jackson saw 962,460 flights. Whilst not officially published yet Heathrow is likely to have moved around 67m passengers through the present four terminals and 475,000 landings and take-offs. In terms of international flyers it is still well in the lead. http://www.airports.org

Jan 7, 2005

Christmas holidays anything but smooth for US air travelers. US airlines managed to get through the second half of the Christmas holiday travel period without any major disruptions, unlike the first half, which was plagued by severe problems at US Airways and Comair, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines.Operational breakdowns at both carriers created headaches for thousands of travelers and have prompted a formal investigation by the US Dept. of Transportation to understand "what happened, why it happened, and whether the carriers properly planned for the holiday travel period and responded appropriately to consumer needs in the aftermath."The problems began shortly before Christmas when a large snowstorm hit the US Midwest, forcing many airlines to delay or cancel a number of flights. While attempting to recover, US Airways was hit by a staffing shortage that resulted in more delays, cancellations and lost baggage, primarily at its Philadelphia hub, the scene of similar difficulties earlier in the year. The airline attributed the situation to what it described as a record number of flight attendants and baggage handlers calling in sick, but the affected workgroups said it was the result of poor planning by management and a lack of sufficient employee reserves.Trouble for US travelers continued on Christmas Day when Comair canceled its entire flight schedule after its crew scheduling system failed. The Delta Connection carrier normally operates around 1,160 daily flights to 119 cities and did not resume flying its full schedule until Dec. 29 2004.Heading into the New Year weekend, US Airways asked unscheduled employees to volunteer without compensation at its hub airports to smooth operations and try to win back customer goodwill.

Jan 5, 2005

Air Berlin

Air Berlin will begin a thrice-weekly service from Leipzig to London Stansted Feb. 4 2005.

Jan 4, 2005

Air Canada

Air Canada will introduce nonstop service to Beijing from Toronto, the first direct link between eastern Canada and mainland China. It will begin operating four nonstops a week beginning June 2. The airline expects this route to be as popular with U.S. and Latin American residents as its Toronto-Hong Kong service has been since it started in August. It also will be switching aircraft on the Vancouver-Shanghai route from 189-seat 767s to 282-seat A340s due to high demand, beginning June 1 2005. "China is the fastest growing aviation market in the world," said Montie Brewer, president and CEO.

Jan 18, 2005

Air Tahiti Nui 

Air Tahiti Nui has become a preferred supplier of Ensemble Travel. The airline will launch service to New York-Kennedy from Papeete, Tahiti, on July 4. Two of those three weekly flights will continue on to Sydney. "Tahiti is quickly becoming a more popular destination not only for honeymooners, but also for those travelers looking for an exotic, get- away-from-it-all experience," said Jack Mannix, president and CEO of Ensemble. The addition of the airline to Ensemble's list of preferreds also complements the land suppliers it has in the region.

Jan 19, 2005

AirAsia

AirAsia will commence service between Singapore and Jakarta through its sister airline AWAIR Jan. 19. AirAsia has a 49% stake in Jakarta-based AWAIR, which was re-launched in Dec. as a low-fare, no-frills carrier to serve domestic and international routes. It presently operates flights to Medan and Balikpapan from Jakarta and expects to receive its second 737-300 Friday. Besides Singapore, its first international destination, it will introduce two new domestic services Jan. 9--Bali with two daily flights and Surabaya with one.

Jan 6, 2005

AirBaltic

AirBaltic will launch thrice-weekly nonstop flights between Riga and Barcelona Girona March 24 2005.

Jan 5, 2005

Airbus

Airbus dubbed 2004 "another landmark year" in which it once more maintained its lead position over Boeing in terms of both orders and deliveries.Airbus delivered 320 aircraft, exceeding early-2004 expectations that deliveries "at best" would equal 2003's total of 305. Turnover from deliveries in 2004 was estimated at slightly more than eur20 billion ($26.56 billion). The deliveries comprised 233 A320 family aircraft, 12 A300-600Rs--all freighters, 25 A330-200s and 50 A330-300s and A340s of all types.Last week, Boeing announced that it delivered 285 aircraft consisting of 12 717s, 202 737NGs, 15 747s, 11 757s, nine 767s and 36 777s.In terms of orders, Airbus also maintained its lead with 370 new firm orders, up from 284 new firm gross orders in 2003. The 2004 total comprised 279 A320 family jets; two A310s/A300s, both believed to be freighters; 79 A330s/A340s and 10 A380s. During the year the company registered four cancellations, reducing its net order figure to 366. This compares with net orders for 272 jets received by Boeing, which increased its 2004 net order book by 14% over 2003."These results are very encouraging and confirm that the market is slowly recovering from the downturn of the first half of the decade," President and CEO Noel Forgeard said. He added that he expects deliveries to top 350-360 this year, which would best the 2001 record of 325 and surpass Boeing, which expects to deliver 320 aircraft in 2005. On the other hand, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer John Leahy predicts the level of orders will fall to 300-350 units owing to cyclicality of the market.Airbus also said it outperformed its prediction "of getting one additional customer per year for the A380 in the period prior to its delivery," with Etihad Airways placing an order for four (ATWOnline, July 21) and Thai Airways International signing up for six. At year end, firm orders for the A380 totaled 139 from 13 customers.Forgeard reiterated that other negotiations are ongoing. "I don't think we'll have too many difficulties in gaining at least two more new [A380] customers this year," he said. The A380 is being "revealed" officially next Tuesday.

Jan 13, 2005

Airbus, Boeing

Aircraft production and sales showed an upward trend during 2004 with Airbus now firmly established as the number one manufacturer delivering around 315 units. The combined Toulouse and Hamburg plants expect to top 350 in 2005. Boeing delivered 285 aircraft in 2004 and expects to reach 320 in 2005. The split in terms of aircraft types makes for interesting reading. Airbus produced 230 of its 320 series whilst Boeing turned out 202 'new generation' 737's. http://www.airbus.com http://www.boeing.com

Jan 7, 2005

AirTran Airways 

AirTran Airways said the Boeing Company's Jan. 14 2005 announcement to discontinue Boeing 717 aircraft production will have no negative financial impact or any effect on AirTran's growth plan. The questionable status of the 717 program was one factor in AirTran Airways' July 2003 decision to order 100 Boeing 737-700s. The airline currently has 79 Boeing 717s in its fleet, 70 of those owned by and leased from Boeing. An additional six 717s are scheduled for delivery to AirTran during 2005, but Boeing is committed to continue production and deliveries through 2006, and will provide long-term support for the aircraft.

Jan 13, 2005

AirTran Airways

AirTran Airways will launch four daily nonstop flights from Indianapolis to Atlanta May 4 using a 717 in a two-class configuration. The airline will begin daily nonstop service between Indianapolis and Orlando June 7 2005.

Jan 12, 2005

AirTran Airways

AirTran Airways announced Jan. 12 2005 that it had signed an agreement with Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida that allows AirTran customers to book Disney vacations by visiting the airline's Web site or calling its toll-free number. The agreement covers all of the airline's flights into Central Florida, where AirTran says its service has doubled since 2000. Upon booking a flight, customers are then offered a number of Disney options. Low-cost air has proliferated in Florida in recent years, and one Disney official, Director-Destination Sales Trisha Warne, praised the agreement as an important extension of the company's product. For more information, call 800-AIR-TRAN or visit http://www.airtran.com

Jan 11, 2005

AirTran Airways

AirTran Airways announced that the airline's pricing department checked the 713 markets in which AirTran Airways files fares and did not have to lower one fare after Delta Air Lines introduced its new "SimpliFares" yesterday.

Jan 6, 2005

AirTran Airways

AirTran Airways will begin one daily nonstop flight between Newport News-Williamsburg and Tampa Feb. 9 2005.

Jan 4, 2005

Alaska Airlines 

Alaska Airlines began selling meals on many of its flights to Mexico over the weekend. The program is in place on nonstop flights from Seattle and California to Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Loreto and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. The meal service, branded LSG Sky Chefs' Inflight Cafe, is offered in conjunction with the airline's caterer and is for main cabin passengers. Meals are priced at $5.

Jan 10, 2005

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines announced that it will begin offering meals for purchase on many of its Mexico flights beginning Jan. 9, 2005. Debuting on nonstop flights from Seattle and California to Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Loreto and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Mexico, the new program will give passengers who previously were offered snack and beverage service the opportunity to buy a freshly made meal for their flight.

Jan 6, 2005

Alitalia

Alitalia is bracing itself for intense probing by the European Commission, which is investigating details of the airline's E1.2bn restructuring plan. Subject to the investigation are the recapitalization of Alitalia's air transport business, AZ Fly, and the E220m takeover of its ground services, AZ Services, by public holding company Fintecna. Additionally, the EC will examine the Italian government's pledge to reduce its stake in Alitalia to a minority by July 2005. That pledge was a critical component of the EC's decision to grant Alitalia a E400m, state-guaranteed bailout loan it is slated to receive later this year. Meanwhile, low-fare carrier easyJet encouraged the EC investigation in order to guarantee that Alitalia does not receive any illegal state aid. The airline's competitors have also used the investigation to criticize the planned alliance between Alitalia and Air France. http://www.alitalia.com

Jan 22, 2005

Alitalia

Alitalia hardly did itself a favour with the traveling public last Friday when cabin staff staged what was termed a "snack strike" to protest against new working conditions at the Italian carrier. It could have been worse, the withdrawal of refreshments only taking place on European services between 1100 and 1500 local time but is an indication that things are far from rosy, a state carrier desperate to stay in business. The airline's union says it has made its point regarding grievances. http://www.alitalia.com

Jan 7, 2005

All Nippon

All Nippon Airways and Asiana filed for permission to begin code share flights between Central Japan International Airport in Nagoya and Seoul Incheon and between Nagoya and Sapporo Feb. 17. Twenty-one flights per week between Nagoya and Seoul will be covered, seven of which will be operated by ANA using 166-seat A320s and 14 by Asiana using 177-seat A321s and 260-seat 767-300s, along with seven flights per week between Nagoya and Sapporo operated by ANA. The airlines also asked to extend their current code share agreement, which includes service from Incheon to Tokyo Narita, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka and from Tokyo Haneda to Osaka and Fukuoka.

Jan 6, 2005

Aloha Airlines 

Aloha Airlines www.alohaairlines.com is increasing its focus on service between Orange County and Hawaii. The carrier currently offers three roundtrips a day-one each between John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, CA, and Honolulu; Kahului, Maui; and Kona on the Big Island. Effective April 3, Aloha will add a second flight each day to Honolulu, as well as a second daily flight to Kahului. It will launch a daily nonstop from San Diego to Honolulu in April; it currently offers a daily nonstop between San Diego and Kahului. It's dropping its Reno-Burbank service on Feb. 1 2005 and its Burbank-Honolulu and Burbank-Kahului service on April 3, and retaining a daily Reno-Orange County roundtrip and a daily Reno-San Diego roundtrip. Aloha also is ending its Vancouver-Honolulu flight on April 11 2005. Aloha says it will continue to take reservations through the last day of service and will accommodate travelers affected by the flight cessation.

Jan 25, 2005

America West Airlines 

America West Airlines unveiled a new brand campaign that clearly highlights the airline's unique position as the nation's premier low- fare carrier and the only airline to give consumers the ability to "Upgrade Their Low Fare Experience." The campaign will encourage consumers to join other savvy business and leisure travelers and "Get on Board" America West. "American consumers have always sought to 'beat the system' by doing business with companies they feel give them more value for their money. Nowhere is this more evident than in the airline industry where low-fare carriers have taken significant market share away from the more traditional airlines," explained Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing Scott Kirby. "But today, it's not enough to simply offer a low fare; customers want, expect, and deserve value in addition to a low fare. More and more air travelers are discovering that America West offers both, and this campaign will help spread the word about our full range of travel services and everyday low fares in a more consistent and meaningful way than ever before."

Jan 28, 2005

American Airlines 

American Airlines will begin selling snack boxes at $3 and a sandwich or wrap at $5 in the main cabin on select domestic routes longer than three hours and on transcontinental and Hawaii flights. The new program is part of AA's ongoing Turnaround Plan that stresses "Fly Smart: Give Customers What They Value" and is a direct result of collaboration among employees and feedback from customers and flight attendants.The new service will provide food options on about 500 daily non- transcontinental flights, approximately 300 more flights than currently offer food service. In addition, the new program will be offered in place of existing main cabin food service on approximately 120 transcontinental and 40 Hawaii flights. The move will help the carrier save $30 million annually, while still providing customers with the option to have food on board on more than 600 domestic flights.In September, American tested various food concepts. Survey results supported the idea of selling food in flight and contributed to the design of the new program, with more than half of passengers surveyed being "positive" or "very positive" about the opportunity to purchase meals on board. A large majority of passengers who purchased the $3 snack box said the snacks were a good value for the money. More than half of respondents who made the $5 snack box purchase believed it was a good value.

Jan 26, 2005

American Airlines

American Airlines broadly matched Delta's new fare structure, reducing the highest fares and lowering fares for last-minute travel in thousands of markets throughout the continental U.S. In most markets, the Saturday-night stay requirements have been eliminated. The new fares make it even easier to check fares and book flights through American's AA.com Web site. Here are highlights of American's new domestic fares, available throughout most of the continental United States: Highest Coach and First Class fares are lower Saturday-night stay requirements have been eliminated in most marketsThere are fewer fare levels in each marketRound-trip discount fares are available with a zero-, three-, seven-, or 14-day advance purchase; a one-night minimum stay may be required. The new fares apply to flights operated by American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection.

Jan 6, 2005

American Airlines

American Airlines matched the newly lowered and capped fares of Delta in thousands of markets, also eliminating Saturday-night stays in most domestic arenas. Delta earlier in the week slashed prices by up to half, and capped First Class fares at $599 and economy class fares at $499. Both airlines are giving 1,000 bonus frequent flyer miles to those who book tickets from the airlines' Web sites. American's new fares are also available on American Eagle and AmericanConnection.

Jan 5, 2005

American Airlines

American Airlines has instituted a flexible rebooking policy in anticipation of winter storms in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri and Kansas. Passengers traveling through these states may rebook without penalty. Passengers can delay or choose to go through another American hub, such as Dallas. Passengers may make changes until Friday, Jan. 7 2005.

Jan 4, 2005

American Eagle

American Eagle will begin flying daily from Dallas to Chihuahua, Mexico, on May 1 2005 with a 50-seat ERJ-145 regional jet. The city is one of the largest industrial areas in northern Mexico. American and American Eagle combined will be offering 280 flights a week from 13 Mexican cities once the Chihuahua service starts.

Jan 25, 2005

ATA Airlines 

ATA Airlines announced that it will reduce its schedule for 2005 from Chicago Midway to 65 daily flights from Feb. 2005. Under the new schedule, the airline will continue to serve most of the cities it currently operates to and increase flights to five major business destinations: Boston, New York LaGuardia, Newark, Minneapolis and Denver. "While we have reduced our Chicago Midway schedule somewhat, we will continue our friendly low-fare service to the majority of our most popular markets as we go forward in 2005," Senior VP-Marketing and Sales John Happ said. Until recently, Midway served as one of ATA's hubs. However, after entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, it decided to de-hub its operation there and recently sold six of its 14 gates to Southwest Airlines. The two carriers also agreed to enter into a codeshare agreement on several flights from Midway.

Jan 11, 2005

ATA Airlines

ATA Airlines announced it is adding new flights and boosting service to existing destinations from its hub at Indianapolis. It will launch four daily nonstop flights to Flint Feb. 4, five daily nonstops to Gary Feb. 1 and one daily flight each to Maui and San Juan April 3. On the same date it will expand service from one to two daily flights to Honolulu and from two to three daily flights to Dallas/Ft. Worth.

Jan 11, 2005

ATA Airlines

ATA Airlines says it is launching daily direct service beginning April 3 2005 between Indianapolis and Kahului, Maui. Effective that day, the Indianapolis-based carrier also is doubling its direct service between Indianapolis and Honolulu from one to two flights a day.

Jan 10, 2005

Atlantic Southeast

Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a Delta Connection carrier, will begin three daily nonstop flights between Atlanta and Tupelo June 1 2005 using CRJ200s.

Jan 10, 2005

Austrian Airlines 

Austrian Airlines Group will drop its route from the Slovakian capital of Bratislava to Paris later this month owing to disappointing loads. In Dec. it dropped its Bratislava-London services for the same reason. Both routes were started last May after Slovakia joined the EU. AAG plans to increase its Bratislava-Brussels services from six to 11 flights a week beginning next month.

Jan 6, 2005

Austrian Airlines

The independent traveler can experience Whirling Dervishes or the Viennese Waltz or the Bolshoi Ballet or "The Sound of Music" or the Romanian Rhapsody or the music of Budapest's native sons Bartok and Liszt or delicious Weiner Schnitzel or authentic Hungarian Goulash or visit to Prague's Old Town or delight in fresh-powder skiing in the Austrian Alps with one of these new Austrian Airlines winter sale fares for departures from New York/JFK and Washington, DC/Dulles for travel now until March, 16th 2005."Many independent travelers want the opportunity for a unique experience in addition to traveling to a unique destination. These fares offer both, with a minimum of restrictions," said Herbert Koschier, Austrian Airlines' General Manager - North America, who made the announcement today.Round-trip fares for departures from New York/JFK:Vienna, $379. Istanbul, $502. Moscow, $585. Bucharest, $ 478.Budapest, $376. Prague, $412. Salzburg, $ 412. Innsbruck, $ 412.Round-trip fares for departures from Washington, DC/Dulles:Vienna, $461. Istanbul, $488. Moscow, $549. Bucharest, $534.Budapest, $362. Prague $432. Salzburg, $495. Innsbruck, $495 .All fares are for round- trip, Economy Class, midweek travel (Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday). Taxes and fees are extra, ranging from $81 to $136, depending upon the destination. Tickets must be booked and purchased by January 20, 2005, and are valid for travel until March 16, 2005. These fares require a three (3) day advance purchase and are subject to availability. There is a minimum Saturday night stay over required and travel is limited to maximum 30 day stay. Consult your travel agent or call Austrian Airlines at [phone].

Jan 5, 2005

Awair

Awair, a discount airline based in Jakarta, is to launch services to Singapore on 19 January. Originally founded in 2000 the airline suspended services in March 2002, a recent 49% shareholding investment by AirAsia allowing flights to recommence in December to Medan and Balikpapan using a single Boeing 737-300. With the acquisition of a second Boeing services will also be introduced to Bali, and Surabaya. All flights depart from Jakarta. http://www.awairlines.com

Jan 7, 2005

Boeing

Boeing has finally designated its all new "Dreamliner" as the 787, with the 7E7 moniker now being quietly dropped. The news coincided with the announcement of an order from a consortium of six Chinese airlines for 60 787s, the first to each delivered in time for the Beijing Olympics. The total of 787 commitments now stands at 186. http://www.boeing.comThe Boeing Company gave Boeing Commercial Airplanes' newest airplane, the 7E7 Dreamliner, an official model designation number of 787. The airplane now will be known as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. "We used 7E7 to highlight the airplane's dramatic efficiency advantages," said Alan Mulally, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "All those advantages and more continue with this official model designation for the airplane ." Since the naming of the initial 707, all Boeing commercial jets have been named in succession based on the 7-7 formula: 717, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767 and 777 up to the latest Boeing commercial jet transport, the 787.The model designation comes at the same time the company announced orders from the Peoples' Republic of China for 60 of the airplanes. The airplanes would be delivered to six Chinese carriers -- Air China , China Eastern, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and Xiamen Airlines. "Incorporating the 8 at the time of the China order is also significant because in many Asian cultures the number 8 represents good luck and prosperity," said Mulally.Tradition at Boeing has been that airplanes in development are given a letter designation and at time of launch are given a number. The 757 started life as the 7N7, for instance. The 767 was the 7X7 and the 777 was the 767-X. For more information, please go to: http://www.boeing.com/commercial/7e7

Jan 28, 2005

Boeing

BOEING it to stop building its (McDonnell Douglas) 717 series aircraft at Long Beach, south of Los Angeles. The aircraft started life as the Douglas DC9 and first flew on 25 February 1965. The 717 was the last large rear-engined passenger aircraft in production, a line that can be traced from the Sud Aviation Caravelle and including the VC10, BAC 1-11 and Tristar, all with very quiet interiors and with much passenger appeal. The DC9 and its derivatives spawned 2,450 aircraft including 169 orders for the 717, some of which could now be lost. http://www.boeing.com

Jan 14, 2005

Bombardier

Bombardier has quickly confirmed that there is a fruitful future for turboprop aircraft manufacturers with the announcement that it has secured an order from QantasLink for seven Q400s with options on ten more. It is the largest single investment Qantas had ever made in its regional turboprop fleet. QantasLink currently operates 16 Dash 8-Q300s and 18 Dash 8-100s and 200s. The airline currently operates 2,000 flights each week, serving 49 destinations throughout Australia. http://www.aerospace.bombardier.com

Jan 14, 2005

British Airways 

British Airways has delivered a two-punch strike to the travel agent community. Not only does the airline plan to cease paying agent commissions, it also will block IATA agents doing less than US$95,000 / [pounds sterling]50,000 of business over a 12-month period, a move that will affect an estimated 377 agents by the end of January. The airline defended full- throated protests, arguing that it needed to limit its exposure after realizing thousands of pounds in agency failures. The non-ticketing agents will no longer be able to see BA fares on the GDS. Agents have an 18 February deadline to accept or reject the commission cut, which goes into effect in May. The move was quickly followed by Virgin Express, which will apply a 'zero commission' distribution policy effective 1 April 2005. All bookings made before that date (regardless the actual travel date) will still be eligible for 9% commission. http://www.ba.com

Jan 22, 2005

British Airways

British Airways has opened it first drive-through check-in for Club World passengers. Mind you, for the time being at least, you will have to go to Barbados to make use of it. There is a new exclusive check-in and lounge for first class passengers too. All Club World passengers have to do is drive to the conveniently located IAM Jet Centre, adjacent to the main Grantley Adams Airport terminal where formalities are done whilst sitting in the driver's or passenger's seat. Luggage is taken out by porters. There is then a short drive to the airport lounge inside the Grantley Adams Terminal. Smart passengers can even check-in on the Internet before leaving for the airport, which makes the process even quicker. BA currently operates nine weekly flights to Barbados from Gatwick and this year celebrates 50 years on the route. In a totally different part of the world BA is to stop its three times per week flights to Riyadh at the end of the winter season "due to commercial reasons" or as they say "not enough passengers". The four times weekly service to Jeddah continues. http://www.ba.com

Jan 14, 2005

British Airways

British Airways will suspend its flights between London Heathrow and both Jeddah and Riyadh from March 27 owing to reduced passenger demand. "The routes don't currently make a profitable contribution to our business and we are unable to sustain them while this remains the case," Director-Commercial Planning Robert Boyle said. He also said the decision to suspend flights between the UK and Saudi Arabia was "a difficult one to make as we have enjoyed a long history of flying between the two countries." BA has been flying to Saudi Arabia since the 1930s.

Jan 12, 2005

Centralwings

Poland[sup.1]s newest low cost, single-class airline will launch its inaugural flights to Gatwick from both Warsaw and Krakow. A budget division of LOT Polish Airlines (who supply both Boeing 737-400 aircraft and engineering support), Centralwings is also to serve Hanover, Cologne, Nuremburg, Barcelona and Gerona from its Polish hubs over the coming months. The airline aims to carry more than 800,000 passengers across its network by the end of 2005. Flights will start from US$8.50 / [pounds sterling]4.50 each way (excluding taxes and charges) and will be sold mainly via the Centralwings website, a call center and selected travel agents. http://www.centralwings.com

Jan 31, 2005

Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines is switching from Regional partner SkyWest to Colgan Air to operate routes currently served by turboprop aircraft out of its Houston hub. Colgan will service the routes with Saab 340s starting March 3 with a new flight between Houston and Del Rio, a spokesperson confirmed to this website. Colgan, which did not return calls seeking comment, gradually will take over the routes operated by SkyWest, which will return four of the nine Brasilias used on the routes to Continental. The remaining five will be placed on the market, SkyWest said. The Utah-based carrier will continue to fly 50 Brasilias for United and 14 for Delta. It also operates 125 50-seat CRJs and 16 70- seat CRJs for the two Majors. Colgan Air operates primarily on East Coast routes as US Airways Express. According to its website, it has a fleet of 13 Beech 1900s and 17 Saab 340s.

Jan 20, 2005

Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines will begin daily nonstop service from Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Queretaro, Mexico, March 17 2005. Continental Express will operate a 50-seat ERJ on the route.

Jan 11, 2005

Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines Regional affiliate Gulfstream International Airlines will launch four weekly flights between Ft. Lauderdale and Andros Island in the Bahamas Feb. 17 2005. On the same day it will begin daily nonstop service between Ft. Lauderdale and both Georgetown and Governors Harbour, Bahamas, and increase service linking Ft. Lauderdale with Marsh Harbour, North Eleuthera and Treasure Cay. Flights will use a combination of Beech 1900s and Brasilias.

Jan 10, 2005

Continental Airlines

Continental intends to begin flying to Queretaro, Mexico, March 17 2005 from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, pending government approval. This will be Continental's 30th Mexican destination. Queretaro is located in central Mexico, and is home to many companies in the automobile industry. Continental will use the 50-seat Embraer regional jet for the service.

Jan 9, 2005

Continental Airlines

Continental will increase flying from South Florida to the Bahamas on Feb. 17 2005 through its Continental Connection carrier Gulfstream International. It will inaugurate flights from Fort Lauderdale to Andros Town on Andros with four roundtrip flights per week. It also will offer daily service to both Georgetown and Governors Harbour. It also will increase its flights to Marsh Harbour, North Eleuthera and Treasure Cay. It will use both 19-seat and 30-seat aircraft.

Jan 5, 2005

Continental Airlines, Gulfstream International Airlines

Continental Airlines affiliate Gulfstream International Airlines will launch three daily nonstop flights between Tampa and Pensacola Jan. 17 2005 and between Tampa and Ft. Walton Beach Feb. 17. The flights will be operated with a combination of Beech 1900s and Brasilias.

Jan 11, 2005

Continental, Northwest

Continental, Northwest, United, and US Airways have all matched, to a limited extent; the greatly reduced fares introduced this week by Delta. American meanwhile matched in thousands of markets in a way much more similar to Delta. The other airlines are only cutting fares where they compete head-to-head with Delta. Travel Analytics of Cleveland is selling a report on the cost impact of the fare restructurings that costs most companies less than $7,500. More information is at www.travelanalytics.com

Jan 6, 2005

CSA Czech Airlines 

CSA Czech Airlines will start a four-times-weekly service from Prague to Sarajevo on March 28 and a thrice-weekly service to Skopje from May 17 2005.

Jan 4, 2005

CSA Czech Airlines

CSA Czech Airlines will start a four-times-weekly service from Prague to Sarajevo on March 28 and a thrice-weekly service to Skopje from May 17 2005.

Jan 4, 2005

Delta Air Lines

Customers flying Delta Air Lines can look forward to more flights and destinations under a massive schedule change. Beginning Jan. 31 2005, customers will notice changes in the cities Delta serves specifically designed to improve on-time departures, reduce airport congestion and create a better travel experience. In the largest single-day schedule redesign in aviation history, Delta is expanding service in its Atlanta, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City hubs. Delta's plan includes introducing an unprecedented schedule design that gives customers more than 1,000 flights daily out of the world's largest hub in Atlanta. These changes will meet customer demand for more frequent and reliable service, and continue to demonstrate Delta's industry-leading approach to transform air travel into a simple, customer-friendly experience.

Jan 31, 2005

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines passengers no longer will be guaranteed a seat on its Shuttle flights under the latest policy change announced by the struggling carrier as it revamps its fare structure and frequent flier programs. Under its current policy, customers on Delta Shuttle flights between Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston are guaranteed a seat on any flight. If the airline is unable to provide one within 30 minutes of the desired time, they are issued a free one-way Shuttle ticket. That "guaranteed seat" policy will be eliminated, effective Tuesday, "to more effectively allocate our planes across our network," the Atlanta-based company told frequent fliers in an e-mail sent Thursday. Arlington, Va.- based US Airways Group shuttle, which serves the same markets, does not offer any

Jan 27, 2005

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines this year will launch 15 daily nonstop flights between New York JFK and three West Coast business markets as part of a significant expansion announced for its low-fare operation Song. The new services are the latest developments in the ever-2005 changing competitive balance of transcontinental markets. Delta's Song by June 18 will operate seven daily roundtrip flights between JFK and Los Angeles International Airport. By early September, it will offer five daily roundtrips to San Francisco International Airport and three to Seattle- Tacoma International Airport. In all, Song's JFK services would double as it grows its fleet by 12 Boeing 757 aircraft. By Sept. 2, Song would field 48 planes and operate 176 daily flights.

Jan 26, 2005

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, which last month dodged a bankruptcy filing, reported staggering year-end losses that dwarf any prior hammering to the airline's bottom line. America[sup.1]s number three carrier lost US$2.2bn in the fourth quarter of 2004, and US$5.2bn for the full year. The report follows Delta's decision to cut unrestricted domestic fares by up to 50% beginning 5 January. The carrier is on target to cut 7,000 of its workforce and reduce pilot compensation. Continental Airlines, which also took a massive blow with a net loss of US$206m, blamed high taxes for the airline industry's financial woes. Continental complained that the government treats alcohol and tobacco better than the airline industry, noting an excess of $1bn in fees and taxes in 2004. American Airlines and Northwest Airlines, which lost more than $800m, cited high fuel prices as a reason for the poor results. AMR said it spent $477m more on fuel in the fourth quarter than it would have if 2003 price levels had remained flat. Meanwhile, Southwest, which hedged its fuel years ago, reported a profit. The carrier estimated it saved $174m on fuel as a result. http://www.delta.com

Jan 22, 2005

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines' plan to cut its most expensive fares and ax a Saturday- night stay-over rule for cheaper tickets could be a boon to business travelers. But some rivals balked at the idea and analysts warned the move could reduce the already struggling industry's revenues as much as $3 billion a year if every carrier followed suit.

Jan 6, 2005

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines faced a stark choice. It could watch low-cost carriers slowly eat its domestic business alive or it could opt for potentially life threatening surgery in the hope of securing a brighter future. It chose the operating table. But rather than more cost cutting which has become an inevitable part of doing business Delta is radically changing its fare structure. By cutting prices, scrapping requirements such as Saturday night stays, and pushing for more online bookings it is moving towards a low-cost carrier fare model. That had to happen one day. Unfortunately, Delta and its legacy carrier peers do not yet have the lean cost bases to go with it. Airlines Forecasts calculates that domestic unit costs for low-cost carriers remain over 35 per cent below those of legacy rivals. In addition, legacy operators remain saddled with underfunded pension liabilities and rickety balance sheets. Over time, Delta's fare simplification will have some cost benefits and should help win back customers. But the pain of reduced revenues will be felt first. If rivals respond aggressively, pressure on industry yields could increase without a commensurate rise in passenger numbers. Already under the pressure from high oil prices and overcapacity, the industry is not in a financial position to enter a fares war. The silver lining is that the pain might finally force some capacity out of the industry. The odds on struggling carriers such as US Airways failing to reach the end of the year have clearly shortened.

Jan 5, 2005

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines announced its new SimpliFares on Wednesday, a simplified fare structure that cuts fares in the 48 contiguous U.S. states by up to half, and leaves it with six economy and two first class fare buckets. The fares are for Delta and certain Delta Connection carriers. The airline has also eliminated Saturday night stay restrictions, and cut its change fee in half to $50. The changes do not apply to Song or the Delta Shuttle. Under the new fares, effective yesterday, no ticket will be higher than $499 one way in economy or $599 in First Class. Delta.com users can choose their price based on refundability. The new fares are part of a huge restructuring Delta announced in September that it will go through over the next two years. It will be adding leather seats, new cabin lighting and upgraded lavatories, to be 50 percent completed by the middle of this year. In a couple of weeks, it will be "simplifying our food," an official said. He would not elaborate.

Jan 4, 2005

Delta Air Lines, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport 

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport will pay Delta Air Lines Inc. $7 million for 24 gates that the troubled carrier is abandoning and will offer other airlines a year's free rent and up to $22 million in aid to take Delta's place.

Jan 6, 2005

Doha international airport 

Doha[sup.1]s new international airport is on its way. Last week marked a ground breaking ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani. Scheduled to open in 2009 the New Doha International Airport lies approximately four kilometres east of the existing facility and will serve as a hub for the country's national airline Qatar Airways. The cost has been estimated at US$2.5bn in the first phase and will be capable of handling 12m passengers a year, together with 750,000 tonnes of cargo. The final phase, expected to be completed in 2015 will handle up to 50m passengers and 2m tonnes of cargo a year. This is the first complete airport in the world to be designed and built specifically for the Airbus A380. It will be managed and operated by Qatar Airways, which takes delivery of the first of four A380s also in 2009. US construction giant Bechtel has been awarded the contract to build the airport, which will initially have a 26-gate passenger terminal complex, two runways, maintenance hangar, cargo centre and extensive shopping facilities. http://www.qatarairways.com

Jan 14, 2005

EasyJet

EasyJet has announced that EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg will be its next major airport base and has signed a long-term deal which will guarantee low fares to consumers for years to come. The move comes at a time when troubled Swiss is restructuring its flights, including those from Basel. During the coming summer season, easyJet will base three additional Airbus A319 aircraft at the airport and will also recruit flying crews locally. easyJet already operates from Basel to Berlin, Liverpool, Luton and Stansted. It expects that 1.5m passengers will use the airport in the coming 12 months. http://www.easyjet.com

Jan 22, 2005

EasyJet

EasyJet selected EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg as its next base and said it signed "a long-term deal which will guarantee low fares to consumers for years to come." During the upcoming summer season, the LCC will base three additional A319s at the airport and recruit flight crews locally. "EasyJet is already the largest airline at Geneva Airport and this deal will make us the largest airline at EuroAirport Basel- Mulhouse-Freiburg," CEO Ray Webster said in a dig at Swiss International Air Lines, which announced plans earlier this week to downsize its regional operation. EasyJet already operates from the Swiss airport to Berlin Schoenefeld, Liverpool, London Luton and London Stansted and expects that 1.5 million passengers will use the airport in the coming 12 months. It did not announce any new destinations but said it is in the process of negotiating a number of new routes from the airport and "is also inviting consumers to suggest where, within Europe, they would like to travel and why." Consumers can post their suggestions to a special e-mail address.

Jan 21, 2005

EasyJet

EasyJet is to further expand its Northern Ireland operations with routes to Berlin-Schonefeld and Rome-Ciampino. Last month the airline announced an additional aircraft to its Belfast base to enable three new routes to Geneva, Inverness and Palma (Majorca) which begin operations from July 1. That week will also see the latest destinations introduced. Belfast International Airport Ltd received assistance for the new easyJet Berlin and Rome routes from Invest NI subsidiary company Air Route Development (NI) Ltd, which was established by the Government to promote economic development in Northern Ireland through improved air access. The scheme also assisted the airport in the establishment of easyJet's new services to Geneva, Paris and Nice. The introduction of these new routes will increase the number of aircraft operating through Belfast International Airport to nine, with 84 daily services to a choice of 18 routes. With over 3m passengers travelling through the Belfast base in the last 12 months, it has become one of easyJet's fastest growing bases, and now accounts for 12% of easyJet's entire network. http://www.easyjet.com

Jan 14, 2005

EL AL

Israel, one of the first countries to spring into action following the tsunami on Boxing Day, has for the first time ever dispatched an EL AL 747 passenger aircraft to Indonesia as part of Jewish state's relief effort in the disaster area. Israeli government officials ordered that all aid be dispatched to all stricken countries, including those that it does not have diplomatic relations with. The help has mostly been well received but not in all cases. Israel, with a total population less than many of the cities on the periphery of the Indian Ocean and very experienced in rapid response emergencies was one of the quickest nations in organizing doctors and other healthcare personnel, medical supplies, tents, food, blankets, even baby nappies (diapers). http://www.elal.com

Jan 14, 2005

EL AL, Air Jamaica

EL AL and Air Jamaica are two airlines moving in opposite directions. The Israeli government has effectively privatized El Al by selling 40% to Knafaim-Arkia Holdings the owner of the successful private airline and aircraft leasing company Arkia. Knafaim is seeking to sell Arkia in order to comply with regulations of the antitrust authority. Under its new management the airline will be seeking an alignment with one of the major airline alliances. El Al currently has code-sharing agreements with American Airlines, Delta and Swiss. In the Caribbean the movement is in the opposite direction, Air Jamaica coming back into "temporary" government ownership following its majority shareholder decision to pull out of the airline. Jamaican government sources say the debt-laden carrier will be restructured and then sold. In the meantime unprofitable routes to Antigua will stop today and later on in the month flights to Manchester and London/Havana will also be dropped to save money. http://www.elal.co.il http://www.airjamaica.com

Jan 7, 2005

Embraer

Embraer's 170/190 family took to the skies recently at the company's Gaviao Peixoto test facility in Brazil. A 90-min. flying display featured the 170, which is in revenue service in Europe and the US, along with the 175, 190 and 195. The aircraft range in capacity from 70 to 108 seats. Thus far, Embraer has logged 325 firm orders with 383 options for 170s/190s. The 190 and 195 are undergoing certification tests.

Jan 6, 2005

Emirates

Emirates has launched thrice-weekly nonstop services to the Seychelles. The new route to Mahe, is by an Airbus A330-200 offering 54 seats in business class and 183 in economy. The Seychelles - the first new destination to join the Emirates network in 2005 - is the airline's 78th route. It also signals the carrier's arrival in the fifth of the Indian Ocean islands it serves, the others being Java (Indonesia), Maldives, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. Emirates says that the new service provides travelers from its five UK destinations with a convenient one-stop connection in less than three hours at its Dubai hub. http://www.emirates.com/uk

Jan 14, 2005

Emirates

Emirates began three weekly nonstop A330-200 flights from Dubai to Seychelles International Airport. The Airbus A330-200 aircraft which Emirates will use on this new route offers 54 seats in Business class and 183 in Economy, along with up to 15 tons of cargo. Operating every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, Emirates' new service will boost connections between the picturesque islands of the Indian Ocean and Dubai, one of the world's fastest-growing commercial hubs.

Jan 4, 2005

Emirates

Emirates began three weekly nonstop A330-200 flights from Dubai to Seychelles International Airport.

Jan 4, 2005

Emirates

Emirates will launch its thrice a week nonstop services to the Seychelles from January 2, 2005.The fast-growing, Dubai-based international airline also has announced the appointment of UAE national Mohammed Ahmed bin Ghannam as its Area Manager Seychelles. Prior to this assignment, Mr. bin Ghannam had held several management positions within the company including Area Manager Tanzania since 2003 and Area Manager Uganda for the two preceding years. "I am delighted and honored to have been given the opportunity of establishing Emirates' first ever presence in the Seychelles," said Mr. bin Ghannam. "I am also working enthusiastically with my Airport, Sales & Reservation teams towards ensuring that our operations are ready for the start of Emirates services in less than a week." Emirates' first flight EK 705 will depart Dubai at 02:10 and touch down at Seychelles International Airport on Mahe Island at 06:45. Return flight EK 706 will take off from the Seychelles at 08:00 on the same morning and arrive at Dubai International Airport at 12:30.The Airbus A330-200 aircraft which Emirates will use on this new route offers 54 seats in Business class and 183 in Economy, along with up to 15 tons of cargo. Operating every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, Emirates' new service will boost connections between the picturesque islands of the Indian Ocean and Dubai, one of the world's fastest-growing commercial hubs.Through Emirates SkyCargo, the new service is also poised to help the Seychelles' exporters of fresh and frozen seafood to send their products to Middle East markets and points beyond, and to support the local tourist industry's needs for perishables and high-end goods. Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates' Executive Vice President Commercial Operations Worldwide said, "Since September, when Emirates first announced its decision to start flying to the Seychelles, our teams have been getting ready to launch the new services. Emirates has selected airport and city center offices which are currently undergoing renovation and will be operational soon."He added, "Even before the start of services, Emirates has already rolled out a long-term campaign to promote travel to the Seychelles from throughout the Middle East, Europe and the Indian Subcontinent. The Seychelles will benefit from the increased inbound tourism and trade that we will help to develop, as well as from the Emirates direct investment in the country's economy."Emirates Holidays, the largest tour operator in the Middle East, has recently concluded a series of road shows dedicated to promoting the Seychelles in key Middle East cities including Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Bahrain, Doha, Damascus, Beirut and Kuwait, besides Dubai itself.At the road shows, which were held jointly with the Seychelles Tourism Marketing Authority, Emirates Holidays unveiled a new 36-page color brochure dedicated exclusively to the islands. Including all the main islands - Mahe, Praslin and La Dique - the Emirates Holidays Seychelles brochure offers well planned itineraries for leisure holiday makers, honeymooners and sports enthusiasts. Emirates Holidays will also promote the Seychelles through its network of 22 offices across the Middle East.

Jan 3, 2005

Eujet

Eujet, an Irish low-cost carrier, will launch a twice-weekly service between Budapest and Manston from March 28 2005 using F100s.

Jan 12, 2005

Euromanx

Euromanx commenced a three times week daily service last week linking London City Airport and the Isle of Man taking over from FlyBe who are not now an LCY operator. Flights have commenced initially using an ATR- 42, wet-leased from Air Atlantique of Coventry, UK, as EuroManx prepares to accept its first of two Avro RJ70s at the end of January. The Avro RJ will complement a Dornier 328Jet at the weekends. Frequency is expected to increase to four per day during the summer months. EuroManx will be handled by KLM at London City Airport. http://www.euromanx.com

Jan 14, 2005

First Choice Airways

First Choice Airways are to offer beauty treatments to long haul charter passengers this summer. The airline will trial "air therapists" on selected flights from May in its upgraded Star Class Premier cabin. Passengers flying to Cancun and Cozumel in Mexico will be able to buy a range of treatments for [pounds sterling]12.50 provided by trained beauty therapists in conjunction with skin care company Deralogica. Upper back and scalp massages, pressure point massaging, facial mapping and skin refreshers will be provided, with treatments available to book in advance. The airline is to fly Boeing 767s fortnightly to Cancun from Gatwick, Glasgow, Manchester and Nottingham East Midlands with Cozumel served every two weeks from Manchester. Passengers in the premium seats will be served with Champagne cocktails and fresh fruit before take off and have a choice of 12 films, nine hours of TV programs and 12 audio channels. http://www.firstchoiceairways.com

Jan 31, 2005

Flybe

Flybe has agreed to buy 20 Q400s from Canada's Bombardier over the next four years doubling its turboprop fleet as it prepares its European expansion. Flybe also said it had taken options for another 20 of the 70-seat Q400 planes and was still considering purchasing up to 12 larger jet aircraft from Airbus or Boeing. Flybe bills itself as Europe's third-largest low-cost carrier. The deal follows Flybe's order for 17 Bombardier Q400 aircraft in 2003 on top of the four it already owned. http://www.flybe.com

Jan 31, 2005

Germanwings

Germanwings, the low-cost subsidiary of Eurowings, announced a marketing and sales cooperation with new Polish LCC Centralwings, a LOT Polish Airlines subsidiary, as was expected. "This is a process and a first step for us to create a pan-European 'wings' concept," Germanwings MD Andreas Bierwirth told this website. "We have a similar look as Centralwings and we are building up our partnership by looking for synergies, like a joint purchase policy or by linking our websites together." Bierwirth added that more"'wings" solutions such as Austriawings or Italiawings could follow shortly, but buying a stake in Centralwings or any other new "wings-cooperation" is not on the agenda. Germanwings is expecting to increase net results for the current business year and anticipates turnover of more than eur300 million ($393.3 million) compared to eur245 million in 2003. It currently offers flights to Krakow and Warsaw from Cologne and Stuttgart. Centralwings will start service to Germany with flights from Warsaw to Hanover and Nurnberg and from Katowice to Cologne and Hanover using a fleet of five 737 Classics. Germanwings already cooperates with British LCC bmibaby.

Jan 12, 2005

Germanwings

Germanwings, the low-cost subsidiary of Eurowings, will announce a cooperation agreement with Centralwings, a new low-cost subsidiary of LOT Polish Airlines, today. Among destinations Germanwings is evaluating for launch this year are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Catania, Dubrovnik, Birmingham, Toulouse, Lyon and Leipzig.

Jan 10, 2005

GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes

GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes will launch two weekly flights from Navegantes to Buenos Aires with a stopover in Porto Alegre Jan. 8. The return flight will be nonstop.

Jan 6, 2005

Helios Airways

Helios Airways is slated to add two new flights from Heathrow to Larnaca this summer, taking direct service to Cyprus from 5 to 7 times a week. The service will run for the duration of the summer schedule (27 March - 29 October). The Heathrow services will operate every day with flights departing at 2235, arriving at 0505 and departing from Larnaca at 1825, arriving into Heathrow at 2130. All services from Heathrow offer an enhanced class known as Helios Plus which offers passengers priority check-in, use of the Executive airport lounge, separate and exclusive Helios Plus cabin on board the aircraft, an unoccupied center seat (guaranteed), complimentary champagne, and additional luggage allowance (30 kgs per person). Prices start from just [pounds sterling]119pp return (including taxes), valid up until 17 March. From 17 March prices start from [pounds sterling]161pp (including taxes). http://www.flyhelios.com

Jan 22, 2005

Hemus Air

Bulgaria's Hemus Air added a second BAe 146 to its fleet. It also began weekly service from Sofia to Cairo and twice-weekly service from Sofia to Cologne.

Jan 4, 2005

Iberia

Iberia is considering closing some routes this year because of what it is calling unfair aid given by some airports to budget airlines. The Spanish airline's chairman Fernando Conte said that Iberia was concerned about what he called "distortions" at the smaller Spanish airports, favored by discount carriers like easyJet and Ryanair. The move could affect all domestic routes to the northern regions of Galicia and Catalonia, as well as the southern region of Andalusia. The airline also reportedly said it plans to initiate discussions about selling its stake in Amadeus, of which it owns 18%. http://www.iberia.com

Jan 31, 2005

Independence Air

Independence Air will begin low-fare service to Florida's Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), February 1st 2005, with three daily nonstop roundtrips to/from its hub at Washington Dulles International Airport. The flights will be served by the airline's new Airbus A319 aircraft, featuring all-leather seating in a single- class configuration with comfortable legroom. West Palm Beach will become Independence Air's fourth Florida destination- joining Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville. New service to Fort Myers, FL will begin on February 17th 2005.

Jan 31, 2005

Independence Air

Independence Air announced a new fare sale designed as a special "thank you gift" to the over two-and-a-half million people who have flown with us so far, and as a way to invite everyone else to experience our unique FLYi service for the first time. Nonstop flights from Washington Dulles to Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, New York, Boston, Atlanta and all other Independence Air destinations from Washington Dulles are priced as low as $44 one way for travel completed by March 17th 2005. Connecting flights through Washington Dulles to/from any Independence Air destination for the same dates are on sale for as low as $64 one way.

Jan 26, 2005

Independence Air

Struggling Independence Air to cut 144 daily flights Independence Air is trimming its schedule from 560 to 416 daily flights as of Feb. 1 and will eliminate direct service to Florida from Charleston, Greenville- Spartanburg and Huntsville. The carrier, which markets itself as Flyi, has been reducing cities and frequencies quietly since Dec. after it reported a third-quarter loss of $82 million. Independence Air will chop the number of daily flights from Washington Dulles to Chicago O'Hare from 11 to six and will reduce flights to Pittsburgh from 10 to seven. However, it plans to increase its Airbus operations to Florida. "We are reducing our CRJ flying and continuing to grow our Airbus service," said DeLisi. There are four A319s in service with eight more expected by mid- 2005, he said. In Feb., the airline will launch three daily flights from Dulles to West Palm Beach and another three to Ft. Myers. Meanwhile, Independence Air and Amadeus signed a distribution agreement under which the airline's complete inventory will be available to Amadeus customers.

Jan 6, 2005

Independence Air

Independence Air has signed an agreement to display its flights in the Amadeus GDS. Peter von Moltke, Amadeus senior vice president of the Airline Business Group, said low-cost carriers are expanding their distribution reach these days with increased competition in the marketplace. The airline is now in all four of the major GDSs after initially starting operations from Washington-Dulles Airport without participating in the systems.

Jan 5, 2005

India

India has decided to open the main airport in disputed Kashmir to international flights. Officials hope the move will draw more tourists to the scenic Himalayan region, which is torn by a 15 year revolt that has killed thousands. The airport in the main Kashmiri city of Srinagar is being upgraded. It is still unclear which airlines will operate. Despite political unrest, roughly 360,000 people visited Kashmir last year, albeit mostly Indians, up from 191,000 in the previous year. Israelis and Chinese are the most popular ethnic groups to visit the region. http://www.airportsindia.org.in/aai/civil_enclaves/operational/srinagar. htm

Jan 31, 2005

Japan Airlines, Korean Air 

Japan Airlines and Korean Air will expand their code share agreement on flights between Japan and Korea. Beginning March 27, the carriers will launch two daily flights between Chubu International Airport in Nagoya and Pusan using 777s. Currently they operate individual flights between Nagoya and Pusan out of Komaki Airport but will switch their flights to Chubu on Feb. 17 when the new airport opens. As a result of the agreement, the number of weekly code share flights the two airlines operate will increase to 64 on four routes.

Jan 21, 2005

JetBlue Airways 

JetBlue is taking aim at low fare competitor Song and its parent company Delta Air Lines by slashing fares and adding new coast-to-coast service between California and New York, Washington, DC and Boston. JetBlue is adding a second daily roundtrip service from JFK to both Ontario and San Jose, a third daily roundtrip to San Diego, a sixth daily roundtrip to Oakland, and an eighth daily roundtrip to Long Beach. From Dulles, JetBlue is introducing new daily service to San Diego, adding a third daily roundtrip to Oakland, and a fourth daily roundtrip to Long Beach. The carrier will also operate new daily service from Logan to San Jose, and is adding a third daily roundtrip to both Oakland and Long Beach. The new service begins on 3 May, with the exception of the second daily JFK - San Jose and third daily JFK - San Diego service which begin 17 June. In addition, JetBlue is reducing its regular one-way fares for all new service, with prices ranging from $124 to $299. JetBlue is offering a "Take 5" sale fare between California and New York, Washington and Boston which starts from $85 each way. This sale fare requires a 5-day advance purchase, and must be purchased by 4 February. http://jetblue.com

Jan 22, 2005

JetBlue Airways

JetBlue Airways will launch daily nonstop service between Boston and both San Jose, Calif., and Las Vegas May 3 2005. It will add third daily nonstop flights from Boston to both Oakland and Long Beach on the same day.

Jan 10, 2005

Kingfisher

Kingfisher, India's second budget airline, will begin service in May, with initial service between New Delhi and Mumbai. The startup carrier will offer 20% cheaper fares than the main carriers, but will still be priced above its chief competitor, Air Deccan - India's inaugural low- fare airline, which started flying in 2003. Kingfisher has leased four A-320 midsize aircraft and plans to buy ten more. The company also signed an option to buy 20 more Airbus jetliners in the next five years. http://www.flykingfisher.com

Jan 22, 2005

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines reduced its fares on all flights from Amsterdam to 66 European destinations by as much as 40%. The airline said the price cuts are in response to "increasing competition in the European air travel market and a drop in average airfares."

Jan 4, 2005

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines reduced its fares on all flights from Amsterdam to 66 European destinations by as much as 40%. The airline said the price cuts are in response to "increasing competition in the European air travel market and a drop in average airfares."

Jan 4, 2005

Korean Air, Japan Airlines

Korean Air and Japan Airlines have decided to expand their code sharing relationship by operating flights between Korea's Busan International Airport and Japan's Nagoya International beginning March 27 2005. The two currently code share between Komatsu, Niigata, Sapporo and Seoul. Once the new code sharing begins, they will have 64 joint flights per week.

Jan 19, 2005

LAN Airlines 

LAN Airlines launched twice-weekly service from Santiago to Pucon, Chile.

Jan 4, 2005

LAN Airlines

LAN Airlines launched twice-weekly service from Santiago to Pucon, Chile.

Jan 4, 2005

Las Vegas

Las Vegas McCarran Airport has become a free wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) facility. Travelers with Wi-Fi-enabled computers and personal digital assistants now have high-speed connections from almost all public areas in the airport. The airport also will benefit by using the wireless technology to operate more efficiently and support internal business applications.

Jan 6, 2005

Lauda Air

Lauda Air canceled its weekly services from Zurich to Phuket and its Vienna-Yangoon-Phuket route after loads dropped following the tsunami disaster in southern Asia. Lauda also reduced weekly flights from Vienna to Male and Colombo from three to one. "Nevertheless, we expect for the year 2005 an increase of our passenger figures by 8% to 1.7 million," MD Thomas Suritsch told ATWOnline. The carrier will operate a mixed fleet of 11 737-800s and A320s as well as a single 767-300ER in the coming summer season. It hopes to restart the full schedule to these destinations in the 2005-06 winter season.

Jan 13, 2005

Lufthansa

Lufthansa has formed a code share alliance with TAP Air Portugal. The agreement, effective February 1 2005, will also include reciprocal acceptance of frequent flier miles. Lufthansa[sup.1]s frequent flier program is called Miles and More, and TAP Air Portugal's is called Navigator. TAP Air Portugal is slated to join the Star Alliance in spring of 2005. http://www.dlh.de

Jan 22, 2005

Lufthansa

Lufthansa is doubling capacity from Frankfurt to Sao Paulo and will operate two daily 747-400 services beginning Feb. 16 in response to what it sees as a permanent increase in demand. One 747 will continue to Buenos Aires and the other to Santiago. Simultaneously, LH will end its daily A340-600 Frankfurt-Buenos Aires-Santiago service. Rio de Janeiro, which had been served via Sao Paulo, will be dropped in favor of a codeshare with Varig on the latter's daily Frankfurt-Rio service.

Jan 5, 2005

Luxair, VLM 

Jet versus Turboprop passenger aircraft has been the cause of discussion between manufacturers and airlines since the types emerged in the late 1940s. Readers will be aware that both are powered by turbines. However the public's perception is that somehow aircraft with propellers are old fashioned. Tell that to Bombardier and ATR. In any event battle will be joined in February when Luxair put an Embraer 135 jet on the Luxembourg - London City route four times a day, replacing three times daily Fokker F50 propjet service. VLM, who also fly the route with the ubiquitous F50, have retaliated by upping their service to four times daily also. It is probably worth mentioning that London City Airport has another jet v turboprop route, Edinburgh, where BA (three times daily weekdays with an Avro RJ100) battles it out with Scot Airways (up to nine flights operating Dornier 328s). http://www.flyvlm.com http://www.luxair.lu

Jan 7, 2005

Mexicana Airlines

Mexicana Airlines received its seventh consecutive nomination as the "Best Airline in Mexico and Latin America" during the 11th Annual World Travel Awards in Barbados. This year over 1.8 million votes from travel and tourism professionals were registered.

Jan 13, 2005

Midwest Airlines 

Included in the fare sale is travel on Midwest Airlines and Midwest Connect. Midwest Airlines Signature Service features seating altered from standard coach to a roomier two-by-two configuration; Midwest Airlines Saver Service provides low-fare flights between Milwaukee and popular leisure destinations. Midwest Connect provides connections throughout the Midwest Airlines and Midwest Connect route system, and point-to-point service between select markets. Fares are valid Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays only. Travel is not permitted July 1-4. Travelers who book roundtrip flights on Midwest Airlines Web site will save an additional 3% off advertised sale fares when they use promo code JAN03. For reservations or more information, visit http://www.midwestairlines.com , call Midwest Airlines Reservations at 414-570-7000 (outside Milwaukee, 800-452-2022) or contact a travel consultant.

Jan 1, 2005

Midwest Airlines

Midwest Airlines is offering reduced fares for travel January 9 through May 31, 2005, and also for travel June 1 through September 30, 2005. Fares are available Sunday, January 2 through midnight Central time Thursday, January 6, 2005, and must be purchased at least 7 days in advance of departure.

Jan 1, 2005

Milwaukee, Wis.'s General Mitchell International Airport 

Milwaukee, Wis.'s General Mitchell International Airport has opened a $6.8 million passenger rail station that includes a 300-car parking lot. The new station will bring passengers to the airport on Amtrak, as well as serve as a connecting point to Amtrak's Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha service. That service set record passenger numbers in 2004. There is a free shuttle bus that connects the rail station, which is on the western edge of the airport, and the airport terminals.

Jan 31, 2005

Northwest Airlines

Northwest Airlines announced new seasonal nonstop service between its Detroit hub and Bermuda. The flights will operate on Saturdays between April 9 and Aug. 20, 2005. Northwest previously served Bermuda seasonally in 1994. The new flights will be operated with Airbus A320 aircraft, with 16 seats in first class and 132 seats in coach class. Flight 1978 will depart Detroit at 10:25 a.m., and arrive in Bermuda at 2:42 p.m. On the return, flight 1979 will depart Bermuda at 3:50 p.m., and arrive in Detroit at 5:57 p.m.

Jan 13, 2005

Northwest Airlines

Northwest Airlines will resume twice-daily nonstop service between Detroit and Charlottesville, Va., April 4. The flights will be operated with Northwest Airlink partner Mesaba Airlines' Saab 340s. NWA previously served Charlottesville from Aug. through Oct. 2001.

Jan 5, 2005

Northwest Airlines

Northwest Airlines, a Delta alliance partner, said Delta's new pricing policy will have an immediately and adverse affect on industry revenues. That statement prompted the Business Travel Coalition to say it believes that is anticompetitive statement, and will watch the airlines carefully over the next several days, and may ask the DOJ to investigate. The BTC believes Northwest may be signaling other airlines of its intent not to match any fares. Delta officials, when announcing the new fares, said this is not a sale, but a permanent change in the way Delta does business to survive in the future. Its move is similar to a simplified fare plan that America West has had great success with over the past several years.

Jan 4, 2005

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways has become the first carrier from the Middle East to fly to Yangon (Rangoon), one of the more inaccessible Asian capitals. The two class Airbus A319 four times weekly flights from Doha connects with most of the ex-UK services. In fact the Doha national airline has had a very busy few weeks opening up new routes to the Seychelles just before Christmas and to Johannesburg and Cape Town over the weekend just passed. http://qatarairways.com

Jan 14, 2005

Qatar Airways, ANA

Qatar Airways has inked a deal with ANA that will link their respective loyalty schemes. Under the agreement, members of Qatar Airways' Privilege Club and ANA Mileage Club can accrue and redeem mileage on each other's global networks. The partnership precedes Qatar Airways' inaugural foray into the Japanese market when it launches nonstop scheduled flights between Doha and Osaka on 31 March. The Osaka service, which will be operated with the new Airbus A330 in a three- class configuration, will be the Gulf carrier's first route launch of the summer 2005 season and its 11th destination in the Far East. Earlier this month, Qatar launched scheduled flights between Doha and Yangon, and last week added Johannesburg and Cape Town. http://www.qmiles.com http://www.anaskyweb.com

Jan 22, 2005

Ryan International, unShip1 Airlines

Ryan International Airlines d/b/a SunShip1 Airlines has begun selling tickets for flights to Cancun from Rockford, Ill. scheduled to start Feb. 17 and from Chicago-O'Hare on Feb. 18. It intends to begin service from Los Angeles to the Hawaiian Islands on March 18, and from San Francisco May 6. From now until Jan. 22 it will sell roundtrip tickets for $299 with a companion fare of only $49. Through a partnership with Funjet Vacations, the airline also will be offering packages that include hotel, snorkeling, sightseeing and dining. The airline is headed by former Apple Vacations executives Doreen Domek and Bob Kaufman. "The agent community now has a great way to feature and offer an aggressive vacation carrier to their clients and be compensated well for doing it," says Kaufman.

Jan 17, 2005

Ryanair

Ryanair added yet another new route this month, this time from Gatwick to Knock in Ireland's Co Mayo. Knock International Airport, voted Ireland's best regional airport 2004 by the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland, is located near Charlestown Co Mayo and is Ireland's fourth international airport. It is the fastest growing airport in the country and is the only international airport serving the EU-designated Border, Midland and Western region of Ireland and links the West and North West of Ireland with the UK and many European and intercontinental destinations. But that's not all that makes Knock so important. It is also home to the Marian Shrine, where Mary, St Joseph and St John the Evangelist allegedly appeared to 15 parishioners at the south gable of Knock Parish Church. One and a half million pilgrims visit the shrine annually, so Ryanair shouldn't have any trouble filling seats. It may however have problems staffing the new route. Employees of the low fare carrier have reportedly complained about low wages, bad working conditions and having to pay for their water during flights. Ryanair dismissed the reports, saying that it pays far better than its competitors, citing the average salary of a Ryanair employee is E50,582 per annum compared to the E41,000 salary paid by other airlines. http://www.ryanair.com

Jan 22, 2005

Ryanair

Ryanair has another new route from Stansted, this time to Santiago De Compostela which is just off the A9 in the far north east Galicia region of Spain (discovered using Mircosoft's Autoroute). To be introduced on Monday 11 April the service will be daily and with a flight time of just over two hours competes head on with a daily Iberia Heathrow service. Last week the airline inaugurated services from Luton to Rome's centrally located Ciampino airport and to Murcia and expects to this year move 1.6m passengers on 12 routes from what was its original UK base. http://www.ryanair.com

Jan 14, 2005

SkyEurope Airlines

Slovakian LCC SkyEurope will add Nice, Copenhagen and Manchester to its network this year.

Jan 6, 2005

Smartwings

Smartwings, a Czech low-cost airline, will start new services to Heraklion, Palma, Thessalonica and Larnca at the beginning of May 2005.

Jan 5, 2005

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines will offer code-share service, in partnership with ATA Airlines, beginning Feb. 4 between Southwest cities-via Chicago- Midway-and the following ATA cities: Boston, Denver, Southwest Florida, Honolulu, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, Newark, San Francisco International, Sarasota-Bradenton, St. Petersburg/Clearwater and Washington-Reagan. Flights can be booked through Southwest or ATA starting Sunday, Jan.16 2005

Jan 12, 2005

Southwest Airlines

Southwest set to challenge US Airways in Pittsburgh. US Airways Group's fight for survival just got a bit harder after Southwest Airlines yesterday announced plans to launch service in May to Pittsburgh International Airport, the bankrupt airline's third hub. "Pittsburgh is a great addition to our system--this is a great community, a great airport and a wonderful opportunity for Southwest," CEO Gary Kelly said. The airline will announce fares and flight schedules in the coming weeks. Southwest has a history of invading US Airways' markets. Last year it launched service to Philadelphia, one of the network carrier's largest hubs. In the early 1990s it drove US Airways out of California and then chased it out of Baltimore/Washington International Airport, now one of Southwest's largest bases. In response to the announcement, US Airways said: "Low-fare growth in Pittsburgh, just like others in the US, was not unexpected and further underscores the importance of us establishing a cost structure comparable to that of our low-cost competitors." The relationship between US Airways and Pittsburgh has been rocky since the airline entered Chapter 11 in Sept. 2004, its second bankruptcy filing in two years. During its reorganization, it threatened to shut down its Pittsburgh hub operation entirely if airport charges were not reduced. It later reached agreement with the airport regarding its gates there, but did cut service to 20 destinations. However, it remains the airport's largest tenant.

Jan 7, 2005

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines is further pressing its Pennsylvania assault on US Airways, with plans to begin flying to the bankrupt carrier's former Pittsburgh hub this spring. Analysts said the new flights, planned for May, could speed the demise of US Airways Group Inc., which remains the dominant carrier in Pittsburgh. The nation's seventh-largest airline, which has been crippled by fare wars with Southwest and other airlines, has said that if it can't reduce labor costs it could begin liquidating assets this month.

Jan 6, 2005

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines announced it will start service in Pittsburgh in May, and will announce its fares and flight schedules at a later date. Last May, Southwest began serving US Airways' stronghold at Philadelphia Airport from Providence, Chicago, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. Traffic on those routes immediately jumped by 51 percent and the average fare fell by 37 percent. "This announcement today is the result of a great deal of hard work, careful planning, creative enterprise, and an unwavering focus on this important vision" of bringing more competitive choices to Pittsburgh, said Glenn Mahone, chairman of the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

Jan 4, 2005

Swiss International

Swiss International, the beleaguered carrier, has devised a severe cost- cutting scheme that includes reducing its workforce by 800 to 1,000. The plan, to be carried out over the next 18 months, will downsize the Swiss fleet by a minimum of 13 regional aircraft and restructure key routes in Basel, Geneva and Zurich. Swiss International intends to expand its Zurich-based network through code share partners, and deploy larger equipment on certain routes in an effort to reduce its unit costs and compete with low-fare carriers. The airline also will transfer a large number of the routes currently operated from Basel to partner airlines in 2006. Swiss will analyze unsuccessful routes in Geneva, and transfer routes to code share partners where appropriate. Meanwhile, Swiss remains committed to the development of Europe Continental Airways (ECA), its French-based subsidiary. http://www.swiss.com

Jan 22, 2005

Swiss International

Swiss International, Switzerland's struggling national airline will cut up to 1,000 jobs and shrink its fleet by 15 percent as part of a second wave of restructuring aimed at saving $250 million a year and restoring the company's health. Swiss International Air Lines also said, during its Jan. 18 2004 press conference, it will downgrade its operations at airports in Geneva and Basel, with partner airlines taking over these flights, while the Swiss carrier focuses on its Zurich hub. In trading Tuesday, the airline's shares rose 4.3 percent to close at 9.80 Swiss francs ($8.28) in Zurich. The airline's shares initially jumped 12 percent when they began trading at noon Tuesday. The shares had been suspended Monday ahead of a company board meeting. The company, known as Swiss, has suffered massive financial problems since it was created out of the defunct Swissair in 2002. It also has felt the bite of high oil prices and competition from low-cost carriers in Europe.

Jan 18, 2005

Swiss International

Swiss International Air Lines has begun installing new lighter-weight Recaro seats in 11 A320s. The seats are expected to reduce the total weight of the aircraft by 1 ton while permitting an increase in capacity from 150 to 168.

Jan 10, 2005

TAP Air Portugal, Lufthansa

TAP Air Portugal and Lufthansa will begin an "extensive strategic cooperation" Feb. 1 2005 that includes code sharing and reciprocal frequent-flier benefits. Initially, the carriers will code share on all flights between Portugal and Germany. In addition, Lufthansa will place its code on TAP flights between Lisbon and Porto, Faro, Funchal and Dakar while TAP will code share on Lufthansa flights from Munich and Frankfurt to major European cities like Helsinki, Riga, Prague, Athens, Budapest and Zagreb. TAP also will place its code on some select Lufthansa flights to Asia after it receives the necessary government approvals.

Jan 21, 2005

Ted

Ted moving into Midway to challenge Southwest, other LCCs. United Airlines' low-fare subsidiary Ted yesterday announced plans to boost service in Chicago in April with new flights from Midway to Washington Dulles and Denver, setting itself up for a big battle with Southwest Airlines and several other low-cost carriers that have significant operations at Chicago Midway. The new flights also appear to throw Ted into direct competition with parent United, which operates flights from its Chicago O'Hare hub to Dulles and Denver. Initially the LCC will launch three daily flights on April 3 to Denver and two daily flights to Dulles. "As Chicago's thriving southwest side airport, Midway represents a unique opportunity for our popular Ted service to expand in the Chicago area, offering even more connectivity to customers across our hometown region," Ted and United Express VP Sean Donohue said. Southwest is currently Midway's largest tenant with 19 of the 43 gates there. It recently inked a deal to acquire six of ATA's 14 gates at the airport, which will boost its capacity there by 32%. AirTran Airways also operates several flights from Midway. Ted, which launched last year, operates an average of 208 daily flights from United's hubs in Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington and Chicago.

Jan 7, 2005

TransMeridian Airlines 

TransMeridian Airlines will launch two weekly flights from Lehigh Valley (Pa.) International Airport to Orlando Feb. 10. The service will increase to three weekly flights on March 7 2005.

Jan 11, 2005

United Airlines

United reports large Q4 loss. High fuel prices and competition from discount carriers caused United Airlines to report a large fourth- quarter loss. The bankrupt airline lost $664 million, nearly 40% more than last year's loss in the same period. United financial chief Jake Brace said the loss shows United needs cost reductions from its worker groups.

Jan 28, 2005

United Airlines

United Airlines has inaugurated a nonstop weekly flight from Chicago's O'Hare airport to St. Maarten's Princess Juliana Airport. The flight departs on Saturdays from Chicago at 8 a.m. and arrives in St. Maarten at 2:52 p.m. The return flight departs St. Maarten at 3:59 p.m. and arrives at Chicago at 7:40 p.m.

Jan 19, 2005

United Express

United Express announced Jan. 13 2005 that it plans to begin daily nonstop service between San Antonio and the airline's San Francisco and Los Angeles hubs. The company says the new San Antonio-San Francisco flight will be the only nonstop service between these two cities. The flights will be operated by United Express carrier SkyWest Airlines using two-class regional jets with six first-class seats, 28 "economy plus" seats and 32 economy seats. Both flights are now open for sale.

Jan 13, 2005

United Express

United Express on Feb. 15 2005 will launch two daily nonstop flights between San Francisco and Colorado Springs, two daily non stops between Los Angeles and Reno, two daily non stops between Chicago and Myrtle Beach and four daily non stops between Washington Dulles and Myrtle Beach. United Express carrier SkyWest Airlines will operate the San Francisco-Colorado Springs and Los Angeles-Reno flights using 50-seat regional jets, while Air Wisconsin will fly the Myrtle Beach routes also with 50-seat RJs.

Jan 4, 2005

United Express

United Express on Feb. 15 2005 will launch two daily nonstop flights between San Francisco and Colorado Springs, two daily nonstops between Los Angeles and Reno, two daily nonstops between Chicago and Myrtle Beach and four daily nonstops between Washington Dulles and Myrtle Beach. United Express carrier SkyWest Airlines will operate the San Francisco-Colorado Springs and Los Angeles-Reno flights using 50-seat regional jets, while Air Wisconsin will fly the Myrtle Beach routes also with 50-seat RJs.

Jan 4, 2005

US Airways

US Airways' Great Winter Sale, available for booking through Jan. 31 2005, offers up to 35 percent off on air/hotel vacations to the Caribbean, Latin America, Florida, Las Vegas and California. Trips include air, lodging, roundtrip transfers (except in Las Vegas), and hotel taxes and service charges. Sample three-night rates include a three-night offer at the Days Inn Lakeside West Universal in Orlando, from $279 per person; the Casa Del mar in Cozumel, from $479; the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, from $439; and the Grotto Bay Beach Resort in Bermuda, from $579. Call 800-455-0123.

Jan 24, 2005

US Airways

The Boyd Group believes small- and mid-sized communities would bear the brunt of the negative impact if US Airways goes out of business, an event it also says is far from certain. The Boyd Group recognizes that the airline has made progress in its restructuring efforts. One problem that will not be easily fixed, the study says, is access from smaller markets to Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Boyd also says the airline may see fewer buyers than it expects for what has historically been thought of as one of its most valuable assets-the US Airways Shuttle.

Jan 17, 2005

US Airways

US Airways has some good news at last which will be seen by the industry and travelers alike as something of a guarantee that the carrier will be around until June at least. A federal judge approved a deal that permits the Chapter 11 company access to government loans, an extension of a previous deal due to expire last Saturday. Also on the positive side the airline is to take delivery of three 72-seat Embraer 170 and three 70- seat Bombardier CRJ 700 regional jets by the end of January. http://www.usairways.com

Jan 14, 2005

USA3000 Airlines

USA3000 Airlines has started or plans to start several new seasonal services from Detroit, Chicago O'Hare, Newark, St. Louis, New York JFK, Milwaukee and Cleveland to destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean.

Jan 10, 2005

Varig, TAM

Varig, the Brazilian flagship carrier, and competitor Tam have agreed to end their code-sharing agreement. The two airlines, the first and second largest in Brazil, respectively, started a code-sharing agreement following a merger announcement in early 2003. Regulators instructed the airlines were to end the code share agreement after the merger plans stalled. The two airlines will have until 15 February to present a timetable for ending the code-sharing agreement. http://www.varig.com http://www.tamairlines.com

Jan 31, 2005

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic will increase its Heathrow - Shanghai services from five weekly to daily starting on 30 October 2005, and plans to start a daily Beijing service as soon as possible. These new services follow the Chinese government's decision to make the UK one of its Approved Destination Countries, which allows more Chinese tourists to visit the UK. Virgin currently flies five times a week between Heathrow and Shanghai's new Pudong Airport. http://www.dhs.gov/us-visit http://www.virgin-atlantic.com

Jan 31, 2005

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin boss Richard Branson said that high-paying passengers aboard Virgin Atlantic's Airbus "superjumbos" will be able to work out in the gym, get a makeover, gamble in a casino then head to the bar for some cocktails before easing onto a double bed. He made the announcement on Jan. 18 2004 as he attended the official debut of the new A380 at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, southern France. Some of the Boeing 747s in Virgin's existing fleet are equipped with double beds for first-class passengers and bars where travelers can stretch their legs while sipping a beer. But Branson vowed to extend the concept when Virgin takes delivery of its six A380s beginning in 2008. "We plan to have a gym area for our passengers to stretch and work out during the flight," Branson said. "We're going to introduce a beauty parlor, we plan to have a casino." The A380 can carry 555 passengers in a three-class cabin, one- third more passengers than a 747, with a lower operating cost per seat as well as much more cabin space left over for other amenities. Airlines with upscale business models are likely to equip the plane with fewer seats to leave more space for lavish facilities and first-class berths. At the other end of the scale, a budget carrier or charter operator serving busy holiday routes would be able to seat more than 800 passengers comfortably in a single coach-class configuration. Most of the airlines that have ordered the A380 so far are keeping mum about what features they plan to offer on board.

Jan 18, 2005

Copyright (c) 2005 Pyramid Media Group, Inc. / AirguideOnline.com. All rights reserved.