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 The Ryanair low fares airline is striving to move towards a low baggage operation.
The Irish carrier is to charge passengers for checking in their baggage from March 16 to cut airport handling costs.
People with luggage will have to pay a fee of £2.50 per case - although bags carried by hand will continue to be free.
Ryanair will increase luggage limits to 30 kilos from 25 kilos - including the 10 kilo hand luggage allowance.
Bags booked in online will cost £2.50, while unbooked bags will cost £5 each.
Those flying only with hand luggage will be able to check in online and bypass the check-in queues.
Ryanair's justification is that airport and handling costs will be cut by more than 10%, leading to savings of around £20.6m.
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That is equivalent to 10% of its predicted net profits for the current financial year.
As a result, says the airline, it will reduce average ticket prices by 9%.
Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's Chief Executive said: "We have no doubt that this pioneering development for checked in bags is the way forward, as it will encourage and incentivise more passengers on short-haul journeys to travel with hand luggage only.
"Ryanair's higher carry-on limit of 10kgs and our new increased checked in allowance of 20kgs will largely eliminate excess baggage charges," he added.
"Our existing check-in and baggage handling personnel will now be able to accommodate significantly greater traffic numbers as we aim to double the size of the airline over the coming five years."
Air Wales is to start a weekly service from Jersey to Rennes.
The company says the new service should attract French visitors who are keen to spend a week or more in the island.
Andrew Hinder, commercial executive at Air Wales, said it would also suit islanders who wanted to spend some time in Brittany.
It will only run on Saturdays from March until October, with flights leaving Jersey at 1030 and returning to the island at 1400.
The flights, excluding taxes, are set to cost from £19.99 one way.
The airline already operates a year-round service from Jersey to Cardiff.
Air New Zealand said on Wednesday it would suspend its Christchurch-Los Angeles service during the off-peak season due to lack of passenger demand.
The airline said it would halt its twice weekly non-stop service between April and October but would maintain its daily services from Auckland.
Air NZ slimmed down to a no-frills domestic service in 2002, cut costs on its services to and from Australia, and is upgrading its long-haul fleet as part of a recovery from near-collapse in 2001.
The 82 percent government-owned company, hit by a sharp rise in fuel prices, announced last month that it would outsource its heavy maintenance engine work with the loss of 110 jobs.
The inaugural March 31 flight of Allegiant Air from Billings will tempt gamblers with $59 one-way fares, champagne, games, prizes and - who else? - Elvis himself as tour guide to Sin City.
Eleven days after America West stopped flying from Billings to Phoenix and Las Vegas, Allegiant Air stepped in with two nonstop flights per week to Las Vegas.
"Americans no longer have the luxury of two-week vacations anymore. They need to get to the fun and excitement fast," said Tyri Squyres, director of corporate communications for Allegiant.
She and Stacey Shea, who describes herself as a showgirl/artist who promotes Las Vegas, made the announcement Tuesday afternoon at Billings Logan International Airport. Shea, clad in sequins and a Las Vegas tiara, was dressed for the tropics or the casino stage. She lucked out with a 61-degree day in Billings and was able to venture outside without frostbite setting in.
Bruce Putnam, Billings director of aviation and transit, said he's been talking with Allegiant for a long time about coming to Billings.
"This is a significant enhancement for our community," he said.
Interim City Administrator Tina Volek said the flights open up another opportunity.
"The flights go both ways. We hope to create a tourism exchange," she said.
While business travelers may use these flights, the two-times-a-week schedule doesn't offer much flexibility.
Flights on a 150-seat MD-80 jet will leave Billings at 7:50 p.m. and arrive in Las Vegas at 8:55 p.m. on Fridays and Mondays.
Return flights leave Vegas at 4 p.m. local time arriving in Billings at 7:10 p.m. Fridays and Mondays.
The fares as low as $59 each way must be booked before Feb. 17 through the airlines Web site: www.allegiantair.com. Travel must be competed by the end of September.
There are black-out dates for the low fares in mid-April and the end of May. Some other charges not included are a $10.20 per leg security fee and a $5 per leg fee if you don't book on the Web site.
Reservations are ticketless, but nonrefundable and Allegiant charges for drinks and snacks. The tourist carrier also books vacation packages. Allegiant may not hire any Billings employees, but will work with other carriers to handle the travelers.
Chris Hall, co-owner of Chris Hall Travel Service in Billings, said she has seen Allegiant fares as low as $29 each way and as high as $159 each way. On average, the fares are half what other carriers charge for their package tours, she said.
"They've been going into Missoula and I was hoping once America West was leaving, they would say, 'Hey, let's move into Billings,' " Hall said.
Allegiant Air, founded in 1997 has 600 employees and flies 22 MD-80 series jets. The privately held company focuses on leisure travelers.
Allegiant now flies scheduled flights from 30 U.S. cities to Las Vegas and from 14 cities to Orlando, Fla. The airline also flies charter flights in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
JetBlue Airways will waive its change fees and any fare differences to allow customers with reservations for travel today, January 23, to or from Boston's Logan International Airport, to postpone their plans provided they rebook and travel on or before Thursday, January 26, 2006, to avoid the inclement weather in the area.
JetBlue Airways is a low-fare airline based in New York City that operates 370 flights daily to 34 destinations. JetBlue offers customers roomy leather seats with 36 channels of free DIRECTV programming, the most live television offered by any airline. On flights longer than two hours, the airline also features a selection of first-run movies and bonus features from FOX InFlight. Customers enjoy brand name snacks and beverages, including fine wines selected by JetBlue's "Low Fare Sommelier," Joshua Wesson, founder of Best Cellars. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way and an overnight stay is never required.
About 150 Scandinavian Airlines pilots went on strike Monday to protest planned job cuts, forcing the company to cancel nearly all European flights in and out of the Danish capital.
The wildcat strike, which started at 8 a.m. local time Monday, grounded most of the carrier's flights to European destinations until midnight, airline spokeswoman Anne Bove Nielsen said. A few flights within Europe and Scandinavian Airlines' overseas flights were not affected.
Bove Nielsen could not give an exact figure for the number of canceled flights.
Representatives of the company and the pilots met Monday, but Bove Nielsen refused to give details of the talks.
She could not say whether Copenhagen flights would be able to resume Tuesday, saying "with a wildcat strike it is hard to predict the future."
The strike came after three days of bad weather with strong winds and snow that forced the airline to cancel more than 400 flights out of Copenhagen.
"Right now we haven't had time to sit down and find out how it has cost us," said Jens Langergaard, another SAS spokesman.
In Norway, a spokesman for SAS Braathens, which is owned by the SAS group, said an unusually high number of the airline's pilots called in sick on Monday.
"We cannot rule out that there is a connection between the situation in Copenhagen, where a number of pilots have started an illegal action," SAS Braathens spokesman Knut Loevstuhagen told Norwegian news agency NTB. He said between 30 and 40 flights would be affected.
American Airlines is to resume direct flights between New Orleans and New York's LaGuardia Airport on 3 February.
The airline said it will operate the route with one roundtrip flight each day and that it will be the only carrier flying direct between New Orleans and close-in LaGuardia Airport.
In addition, American Airlines will resume mainline direct jet service between New Orleans and St Louis on 3 April, replacing one of two daily flights currently being operated by the airline's regional partner, AmericanConnection.
Service to both New York and St Louis will be operated with MD-80 aircraft.
The Italian airline Alitalia said it could cancel up to 250 flights the next day because staff were refusing to obey union calls to put off a planned strike.
Unions had earlier Sunday suspended a disruptive strike ahead of a meeting with the government to try to resolve their dispute over working conditions.
"We want a credible work plan and we're waiting for the government to intervene in the current management of Alitalia," said union leader Mauro Rossi.
The strike that began Thursday grounded more than 200 flights, according to unions protesting what they say are worsening working conditions, imposed by management in an effort to cut costs as part of its reorganization plan.
But employees appeared reluctant Sunday to heed their unions' call.
"Because of the extension of illegal union initiatives, 121 flights have been cancelled Sunday across the whole network," Alitalia said in a statement.
"As a consequence of these acts many delays are predicted for the day of Monday as well as cancellations which could reach the figure of 250 across the network."
"There is a danger that we will not get back to normal Monday and Tuesday because there is a lot of exasperation, a lot of anger and we are in a risky situation," said Guglielmo Epifani, national secretary of the chief CGIL union.
"Staff are worried about the future of the business and their jobs."
The strikers and their unions face heavy penalties as their action is considered illegal, since they did not give the required 10 days notice.
A reorganization plan for Alitalia launched in late 2004 called for cutting 3,700 jobs and a split between ground operations and transport activities. The company last year took further measures, including mortgaging aircraft.
In November, Alitalia increased its capital by one billion euros (1.2 billion dollars), allowing the Italian state's stake in the national air carrier to fall below 50 percent.
Flights between Hong Kong and Tokyo were resumed from Sunday evening after half-day suspension due to heavy snow in Japan.
The delayed flights were resumed and some of the canceled ones reopened, a Hong Kong Airport Authority official told Xinhua in a telephone interview.
Altogether 16 flights between Hong Kong and Tokyo were delayed and three canceled on Sunday, when heavy snow accumulated on the runways of the Narita Airport in Tokyo.
Three flights, one from Tokyo and two leaving Hong Kong, have either arrived or took off till 8:00 pm in the evening.
However, eight flights from and five to Tokyo are still being delayed, with one from and two to Japan are canceled, according to the Hong Kong airport authority.
More than 1,000 passengers stranded at the Hong Kong airport have checked in local hotels, waiting for their flights to be reopened, reported local radio station RTHK.
The airport authority asked passengers to follow up weather situations in their destination cities and check with their airlines before going to the airport.
A UK airline has warned staff not to wear Christian jewellery or take bibles on board flights to Saudi Arabia to "respect the customs" of the Islamic country.
Under the HR policy of BMI, flight attendants on planes to Saudi Arabia are advised against wearing crucifixes or St. Christopher medals so they do not cause offence to Muslim passengers.
A number of staff are said to have complained about the ban, with reports suggesting some are considering taking BMI to employment tribunal claiming religious discrimination.
BMI, the only UK airline that flies to Saudi Arabia from the UK, said it was following guidelines on Islamic law from the Home Office.
"There are certain sensitivities in operating in a county like Saudi Arabia," said BMI spokesman Phil Shepherd. "We worked closely with the Foreign Office in finding the best way to manage it and as far as we are aware there is not a major problem."
Shepherd, who denied reports that up to 40 staff had complained, said the rules were part of its "obligation" to Saudi traditions and that any staff who did not wish to adhere to the guidelines could transfer to short-haul routes without any difference in salary.
"The channels are there for staff to discuss any concerns they have with their managers," Shepherd said.
TAIPEI/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Hundreds of Taiwanese arrived in China on Friday to celebrate the Lunar New Year festival, the only time of the year when diplomatic rivals Taipei and Beijing permit non-stop flights across the Taiwan Strait.
The packed plane, belonging to Taiwan's China Airlines, arrived in grey, wet Shanghai at just after 10:30 a.m. for the biggest holiday in the Chinese-speaking world.
It left on the return trip to Taipei two hours later.
This year's charter flights have been expanded to allow any Taiwanese to fly, whereas last year's charters were restricted to China-based Taiwan business people and their families.
The non-stop charters that run until Feb. 7 are the closest thing to direct flights across the Taiwan Strait. The planes technically must fly through Hong Kong or Macau air space, because permanent air links have been banned since Taiwan and China split at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.
China considers self-ruled Taiwan part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, but business ties are booming.
"There should be direct flights between friendly countries anywhere in the world," said a Taiwanese businessmen surnamed Hsu.
"A trip that should only take one hour and now takes six, that's something no one in the world can understand," he said.
"I really wish there could be more flights to Taiwan. It's too much trouble changing flights in Macau every time," said businessman Vic Fang, waiting at Shanghai to return home to southern Taiwan.
"I would go home much more often if there were direct flights," added Tonny Shen, 37, who works in the real estate business.
Taiwan and China first arranged the holiday flights during last year's Lunar New Year holiday, a time for far-flung families to gather in the biggest migration of humanity on Earth.
Turning the once-a-year agreement into a regular service looks a long way off, however, with Taipei and Beijing failing to tackle their political differences and reach a compromise.
"Under these kinds of circumstances, we realise that in the next couple of years, we do not expect anything major to come out between Taiwan and China," said Taiwan's top policymaker for China, Joseph Wu.
CAUTION
Frustrated by Beijing's refusal to deal with his government, independence-leaning Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian signalled a tougher stance this year towards China, the island's biggest export and investment destination.
Chen told an economic delegation from South Korea on Thursday that Taiwan should be careful about opening the "three links" of direct transport, commerce and communication across the strait.
"Due to Taiwan's national security and biggest national interest, we should be more cautious about cross-strait three links," the president said.
However, Wu said the charter flights could create a more conciliatory environment and Taiwan might approach China after the Lunar New Year "to see if the Chinese position has changed".
Six airlines from each side will operate 72 flights between four Chinese cities and two Taiwan cities from Jan. 20 to Feb. 13. There are about 300,000 Taiwanese living in Shanghai alone.
The new Year of the Dog starts on Jan. 29.
Dutch air carrier KLM has decided to stop flying to Georgia due to low profitability, a Georgian official said Friday.
"We have received notification from a company official," said Georgy Mzhavanadze, head of the civil aviation department at the Georgian Ministry of Economic Development. "KLM analyzed the results of its business in Georgia in 2005 and decided that they did not meet the estimates calculated two years ago."
KLM, Royal Dutch Airlines, was founded on October 7, 1919 and is the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name.
The company started operating in Georgia in 2003 and currently has three regular flights on the Amsterdam-Tbilisi-Amsterdam route. The final KLM flight to Georgia is scheduled for March 23, 2006.
LOW fare airline Flybe have launched a new channel hopping route from Southampton to Cherbourg from May 2006.
The route will run three days a week through the summer with fares starting at £21.99 for a 40-minute one-way trip.
Flybe have also added routes from Southampton to Angers and Avignon for summer 2006. The new routes bring the total number of French regional airports served by Flybe from Southampton up to 11.
New 2006 routes to Spain and Portugal from Southampton include Faro and Palma de Mallorca. Seats to Cherbourg are now available on www.flybe.com.
Attractions within reach of Cherbourg include the Bayeaux Tapestry, child-friendly beaches on the Cherbourg peninsula, St Michael's Mount and Gold and Omaha beaches where the D-Day landings took place.
Other French Flybe destinations from Southampton include Bordeaux, Brest, La Rochelle, Rennes and Bergerac.
Tourist Minister Avraham Hirchson has given approval to the Israeli airline Isra-Air to begin regularly scheduled flights to New York.
El Al, Israel’s largest airline, in an effort to avoid competition and maintain its higher fare prices, has been lobbying the government to prevent regular Isra-Air service to New York.
The addition of regular service by Isra-Air on the Tel Aviv – New York route is expected to cause air fares to drop by 10%.
Lufthansa wants to accelerate its growth in China this year, chief executive Wolfgang Mayrhuber told Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper.
In the future, the airline expects 52 direct flights to Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, Mayrhuber told the newspaper.
In 2005, the newspaper said, the airline offered 43 connections between Germany and China.
The number of China passengers should increase by about a quarter this year, up from an increase of 18 percent in 2005.
Emirates has opened bookings for its upcoming Dubai-Trivandrum flights, it was announced yesterday.
From February 1, 2006, the airline will operate eight flights per week between Dubai and the capital city of Kerala. Bookings for the flights can be made through the Emirates Travel Hub in Deira and Shaikh Zayed Road or through preferred travel agents. Customers can also contact Emirates Reservations and Enquiry or book online through www.emirates.com.
Members of Skywards, the frequent flyer programme of Emirates and SriLankan Airlines, can fly to Trivandrum for up to 50 per cent less Miles between February 1 and March 31, 2006. Bookings for this special Skywards offer were opened yesterday.
Emirates Senior Vice-President Commercial Operations West Asia and Indian Ocean, Nabil Sultan said: “Emirates is very excited to be launching services to Trivandrum. Majority of Kerala's non-resident Indians, estimated to be approximately 1.5 million reside in the Middle East. Government statistics further reveal that 41 per cent of NRIs visit India each year. The new Emirates services will greatly benefit them by providing timely, efficient and reliable air links between 13 Middle East cities and the state of Kerala, via the airline's hub in Dubai.
Airbus A330-200 and Boeing 777-200 are the aircraft to be used on the route. In-flight food and beverage will be in keeping with the current highly rated Emirates on-board product. A personal video system with touch-control and personal satellite telephone is fitted on each passenger seat, regardless of class.
In addition to the airline’s mainstream entertainment system, a video library is also available for First and Business class passengers.
Tickets for the first flights from New Kitakyushu Airport, which opens on March 16, went on sale on Monday, with travelers looking forward to an increased number of daily flights into the area.
The new airline Star Flyer will be based at the airport, carrying passengers to Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Planes in the Japan Airlines group will also fly between New Kitakyushu Airport and Haneda, Nagoya, and Naha.
A total of 14 return flights between New Kitakyushu Airport and Haneda Airport will be operated daily when the new airport opens. This number will gradually be increased to 17 a day.
Bookings for the first flights from the airport began at 9:30 a.m. on Monday by phone and over the Internet. Many people showed an interest in the first Star Flyer flight. The airline is scheduled to begin operations on March 16. The first flights to and from the new airport, departing from Haneda Airport at 6:05 a.m. and leaving Kitakyushu at 7 a.m., were reportedly booked out in five minutes.
New Kitakyushu Airport was built on reclaimed land off the coast of Kitakyushu and Kanda, Fukuoka Prefecture. Its runway runs from north to south. Because of its location it has cleared noise restrictions, and is able to handle arrivals and departures 21 hours a day. Star Flyer will operate flights departing from the airport at 5:30 a.m. (from March 23) and arriving as late as 1:15 a.m.
Ryanair, Europes largest low fares airline today (10th Jan 2006) welcomed BA Connect as just the latest British Airways rip-off.
Ryanair has checked BA Connect / CitiExpress fares and found:
BA Connects fares range from 25 to 110 pounds which make them 5 times higher than Ryanairs fares.
BA Connect applies fuel surcharges
BA Connect is using British Airways oldest, smallest and slowest aircraft
BA Connect will offer BAs awful punctuality
Peter Sherrard, Ryanairs Head of Communications said:
BA Connect is just the latest BA rip off. As Willie Walsh, himself says, Our current performance is unacceptable.
Passengers will continue to choose Ryanair because they can travel for a fraction of the price charged by BA Connect to more destinations on younger aircraft and no fuel surcharges guaranteed.
By JENNIFER HELDT POWELL
American Airlines is feeding a growing hunger for travel to Asia with a new flight from Boston to Shanghai - through Chicago. The airline plans to start flying to China April 2, after finally having won approval from regulators on boths sides of the world.
"We've seen extraordinary growth in China in recent years," said Jim Carter, managing director of American's Eastern sales division. "We do business with a number of companies in Boston that do business in China. So, from that perspective, it really helps to provide a total portfolio."
Logan officials are also working on a deal with Hainan Airlines to provide a direct flight from Boston to China as interest in the country grows locally. The carrier hopes to start cargo service this summer and passenger service by the end of the year.
Expanded air service is key to opening the market for both tourism and other industries, said Patrick Moscaritolo, head of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
Source: Boston Herald
Alaska Airlines announced it has canceled 28 flights scheduled to operate this afternoon through Saturday morning as a result of the Mt. Augustine volcano eruption. The airline has canceled flights as a safety precaution related to the possibility of volcanic ash existing at altitude.
Starting at 3 p.m. Alaska time today, the airline will not operate scheduled flights between Anchorage, Alaska, and the following cities: Chicago; Juneau and Kodiak, Alaska; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle. In addition, the airline will not operate scheduled flights between Fairbanks and Seattle.
Alaska Airlines expects to resume these flights sometime after 8:30 a.m. Alaska time on Saturday. The airline is monitoring the volcano on a continuous basis and may make additional changes to its flight schedule.
"We recognize these cancellations will significantly impact passengers intending to travel to or from Alaska," said Bill MacKay, Alaska's senior vice president for Alaska. "These decisions are guided by our commitment to safety. We are making every effort to accommodate passengers whose flight schedules have been disrupted."
Travelers are advised to check the status of flights at alaskaair.com or 1-800-ALASKAAIR. Specific information about making changes to flight itineraries due to these cancellations is available at alaskaair.com.
Alaska Airlines and sister carrier, Horizon Air, together serve 88 cities through an expansive network throughout Alaska, the Lower 48, Canada and Mexico. For reservations visit alaskaair.com.
British Airways is to take on the budget airlines and trigger a European air fares war by slashing one-way tickets to as little as 25.
The airline's new boss, Willie Walsh, is due to announce details of a BA 'no-frills' service today, including its name.
It will be centred on Manchester and Birmingham, effectively replacing its lossmaking Citiexpress services.
British Airways is to take on the budget airlines and trigger a European air fares war by slashing one-way tickets to as little as 25.
The airline's new boss, Willie Walsh, is due to announce details of a BA 'no-frills' service today, including its name.
It will be centred on Manchester and Birmingham, effectively replacing its lossmaking Citiexpress services.
Victorian Tourism Minister John Pandazopoulos says an expansion to Jetstar's services at Avalon airport will boost Victoria's tourism industry.
Jetstar has announced it will run extra flights from Sydney and Adelaide to Avalon from March.
Mr Pandazopoulos says the expansion confirms Avalon as a major regional airport.
"It's really a boost for all of Victoria," he said.
"We have two airports in Melbourne now, one servicing low-cost carriers in the domestic market and the other one, Melbourne Airport, our international airport, and the full range of services.
"But Avalon is a great success story."
Mr Pandazopoulos says about one-third of visitors arriving at Avalon "are tourist travellers going to Geelong and the Great Ocean Road".
Bay of Plenty travellers may soon have a more direct route to Australia, with the approval of a runway extension for Rotorua Airport.
The 150m extension to the runway's northern end will enable operations by the new A320 aircraft, which require relatively short runways, allowing the airport to become the first to operate international flights in the Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Taupo areas.
Rotorua Regional Airport Company plans to build the $2.7 million extension by June after it was approved by the local council last month, and construct a further 487m extension to the runway's southern end this year or early 2007.
That would allow A320s to fly at full capacity, as well as flights by larger aircraft. A320s are used by Air New Zealand, Freedom Air and Jetstar on other transtasman routes are now limited to 70 per cent capacity, or about 110 passengers.
Airport company chairman Neil Oppatt said the first international flights to Rotorua would be transtasman charters.
"We're heavily focused on Australian short-term destination visitors who want three, four or five-day holidays," he said.
A report last year said coastal Bay of Plenty was the ninth-busiest among the 24 New Zealand regions in terms of guest nights and 14th-highest on the number of visitors.
But Rotorua still missed out on many visitors - and some of the lucrative conference market - as Australian travellers had to fly through Hamilton or Auckland. It was hoped regular transtasman flights would be in place by 2010, with 10-14 flights a week, he said.
About $16 million has already been spent on a terminal upgrade, new aprons for aircraft to park, a taxiway and security fencing. Additional security, biosecurity and customs facilities are planned.
Hamilton International Airport, which bills itself as the "closest international airport to the steaming geysers and boiling mud of Rotorua, Lake Taupo and all its attractions, [and] Tauranga and Mt Maunganui", is undeterred by the news.
Waikato Regional Airport Ltd said it did not view Rotorua's plans as a threat and would press ahead with an aggressive expansion plan already underway at Hamilton.
"We're looking after our business and our business is to provide international facilities for our catchment area, which includes Bay of Plenty," said chief executive Hugh McCarroll.
He said the two airports would not necessarily be in competition because Hamilton focused on New Zealand-originated flights.
Between 20 and 30 per cent of passengers came from the Bay of Plenty.
The first international flights from Hamilton were in 1994. They were charter flights operated by the short-lived Kiwi International, which folded in September 1996.
Freedom Air began flying from Hamilton in 1995 and now has regular services to four Australian cities.
A $15.3 million terminal upgrade for Hamilton began in November last year and is scheduled for completion in mid-2007.
Runway extension
* Rotorua's runway will be extended this year, and again next year.
* Transtasman charter flights are expected to begin by Christmas.
* Regular services are expected by 2010, with 10-14 flights a week.
Now is the time to bag a cheap flight to Australia. Many of the airlines and travel agents have special deals in January and you should get in quick even if you're not intending to travel until the end of the year. This is particularly true in 2006 - England defend the Ashes in Australia from November to January, which will heap added demand onto what is already the peak season. The best fares of all will be for departures between April (especially after Easter, April 16) and June, which is autumn down under.
To meet the increasing demand for international travel to Australia and beyond on the busiest travel day of the week, Qantas Airways has announced that it will add extra non-stop flights between Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia, on Fridays beginning March 31, 2006.
"Since so many travelers make Fridays their most popular getaway days, Qantas is giving passengers another chance to jump start their travel," said Wally R. Mariani, senior executive vice president for Qantas Airways, The Americas and Pacific. "This increased schedule also provides U.S. travelers with an opportunity to experience more than 50 domestic cities in Australia, as well as convenient onward connections to Bali and Jakarta, Indonesia; Mumbai, India; and Johannesburg, South Africa," he added.
QF Flight 150, departing Los Angeles at 11:55 p.m., arrives in Sydney at 9:30 a.m., plus two. Effective with Daylight Savings Time, the flight arrives in Sydney at 7:30 a.m., plus two. Adding more than 1,200 seats monthly to the existing schedule, these Friday night flights offer travelers greater frequency and choice between these two extraordinary cities.
Qantas Airways is a global air carrier with more than 200 aircraft offering service to 140 destinations in 40 countries. Founded in 1920, Qantas Airways in 2004 celebrated 50 years of continuous flying between North America and Australia with more non-stop flights to Australia and New Zealand than any other carrier and provides convenient connections from New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco (effective March 29, 2006) and Honolulu to Indonesia, India and South Africa via the Sydney hub. Named Airline of the Year 2004 by Air Transport World magazine, Qantas Airways has long been recognized for its continued focus on excellence in the air as well as on the ground. Qantas' Skybed received the prestigious Chicago Athenaeum Museum 2004 Good Design Award for its sleeper seat, which has just been introduced in the North American market.
The Big Apple dances the samba: Delta continues Latin America expansion with first service from New York to South America; New non-stop flights between JFK and So Paulo, Brazil, begin June 1
NEW YORK - Adding ever more global opportunities for customers via its hub at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Delta Air Lines is set to begin its first-ever non-stop service between the Big Apple and South America.
Punctuality figures for holidaymakers at Birmingham International Airport beat the national average last summer, latest figures have revealed.
But across the country airline passengers endured the worst summer delays for four years.
A total of 66 per cent of charter flights were on time at leading UK airports in July-September 2005, compared with 69 per cent in the same period of 2004, the Civil Aviation Authority said.
But Birmingham's charter services had 74 per cent of flights operating on time or less than 15 minutes late during the period.
The average national charter flight delay was 31 minutes, compared with 26 minutes in summer 2004.
Saudi Arabian Airlines will operate 230 flights from different parts of the Kingdom, including 124 flights from Riyadh to carry domestic pilgrims. "We'll operate a Haj flight every half an hour with aircraft having 280 to 444 seats," an airline statement said. Saudia said there was a 22 percent increase in the number of domestic Haj flights compared to last year.
THE Dublin Airport Authority has welcomed the announcement of an increase in Ryanair's route network and passenger traffic at Dublin Airport.
Ryanair are to base up to five new aircraft in Dublin and will enhance the existing range of scheduled routes available to passengers.
This move follows the recent launch by Gulf Air of the first east- bound intercontinental, scheduled service to Bahrain and the announcement by Aer Lingus of a new service to Dubai from next spring.
It also underlines the importance of delivering the airport's planned new terminal, pier and airfield capacity as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
DOHA: Indian Airlines will not curtail or discontinue its current daily flights between Doha, Cochin and Calicut, after the budget carrier Air India Express commences operations between Kerala and the Qatari capital, Vinod Kumar, Manager, Indian Airlines, said here yesterday.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Vinod said IC operations between Doha and the two Kerala cities was expected to continue as usual. “Initially, there may be some loss of passengers as people might travel on the budget carrier out of curiosity. The demand for seats to these two destinations is quite high and the difference in air fares between IC and AI Express is not as wide," he added.
AI Express is expected to offer seven weekly flights between Doha and various cities in Kerala. When launched, the budget carrier will offer fares that are between 25 and 15 per cent lower than conventional, full-service carriers but with restrictions on free baggage allowance and cancellations.
Several Indian expatriates from Kerala had feared IC would stop offering flights between Doha and destinations in their home state once AI Express commenced operations. They said several Keralites prefer to fly IC due to its flight schedules in both directions. AI Express will also offer two weekly flights to New Delhi and three to Mumbai.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is mounting 102 extra flights on its international and domestic networks between Jan 24 and Feb 5 to cater for the increased demand for seats during the Chinese New Year festive season.
With the extra flights, there will be an additional 18,368 seats offered to customers, says a statement from its Media Relations and Corporate Communications Department here.
The extra flights will be operated using the F50 and all jet aircraft types in the airline's fleet which includes the B737-400, A330-300, B777-200 and B747-400.
"As at today, the booked load factor on Malaysia Airlines demand flights is very encouraging. In addition to catering towards the extra demand from domestic and international passengers, these flights are mounted to also enable Malaysians to visit friends and relatives during the festive season," the statement adds.
Customers are encouraged to call MAS toll-free number 1-300-88-3000 for reservations and enquiries.
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The Ryanair low fares airline is striving to move towards a low baggage operation.