Airline News.

Edited by Aram Gesar, [e-mail] For more global news, data, analysis and features, please go to: http://www.AirGuideOnline.com/order_formsubs.htm Sep 18, 2006

Routes, the airlines and airports conference, opened in Dubai Sunday afternoon and Pakistan's second airline Shaheen Air is to introduce a four times weekly service from Robin Hood Doncaster Airport to Pakistan "later this year". The airline will use a two-class Boeing 767 for the operation, and also plans to continue the flight on to Toronto in 2007. Mohammed Jalil, operations director, Shaheen Air, explained that the airline, established in 1991, is profitable and has now only a small government holding. It currently flies to five domestic and six international destinations in The Gulf and carried 0.5m passengers in 2005. Neil Pakey, CEO of Doncaster owner Peel Airports, said that the [pounds sterling]120m project has been a great success with 840,000 passengers in the first year. http://www.shaheenair.com http://www.robinhoodairport.com Sep 17, 2006

Private Jet business is growing so fast it could double by 2011 to more than 5,000 aircraft in the US, the National Business Aviation Association has said. Companies in the US, where an estimated 70% of the business is located, are reporting a sharp rise in demand since the terrorist alert last month in London. NetJets controls about half of the estimated $2.6bn private jet market, according to the National Air Transportation Association, while Delta AirElite, a subsidiary of Delta Airlines, reported a 70% increase in interest in the two weeks after the London terrorist scare. http://www.nbaa.org Sep 17, 2006

Airlines carry more fliers, operate fewer flights. Airlines carried almost 1% more travelers in the first six months of 2006 than in the same period in 2005, according to Department of Transportation statistics. Meanwhile, airlines operated fewer domestic and overseas flights. An Air Transport Association spokesman notes airlines are providing more international capacity this year. Sep 15, 2006

Alternative fuel blends interest airlines. The Department of Defense is looking for sources of less expensive jet fuel. Next week, a B-52 will test a new blend of fuel that could replace the current formula. Commercial airlines in the U.S., which spent $33 billion on fuel last year, are interested in the DOD's effort. The Air Transport Association estimates that for every penny-per-gallon price increase, the industry must absorb another $195 million in costs. Sep 15, 2006

Business travelers favor sites listing total ticket price. More business travelers are booking their flights over the Internet, and they say the most important feature a travel site can offer is the ability to see the total price of a ticket at the time of purchase, according to an Accenture survey. Sep 15, 2006

Airline fares stay steady despite slow demand. Airlines are reducing the number of available seats rather than lowering fares in response to a drop in demand. Observers note that if one carrier lowers fares, others are likely to follow. Sep 12, 2006