Air Arabia launches Sharjah-Baghdad flights

Sharjah, Feb 13 : Air Arabia, a low-cost airline based in Sharjah in the UAE, has announced the launch of non-stop services to Baghdad, its 83rd destination worldwide.

The inaugural flight will take off March 10.

The low-cost airline will start three weekly services between Sharjah and Baghdad, which will be increased to five weekly services.

Virgin America Named Official Domestic Airline of SF Pride Parade's ... - MarketWatch (press release)

SAN FRANCISCO, June 22, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Virgin America, San Francisco's hometown airline, today announces its partnership with SF Pride, the nation's largest LGBT event, for the fifth year in a row. As the "Official Domestic Airline of SF Pride," Virgin America will once again partner with the local LGBT Pride Celebration Committee for the world-famous, one-of-a-kind SF Pride Parade and Celebration - complete with a contingent of hundreds of Virgin America teammates celebrating the long tradition of inclusiveness in San Francisco on the airline's "The World is Your Runway" themed float. In addition, Singer and San Francisco native Aubrey O'Day - formerly of Danity Kane and most recently, Celebrity Apprentice, will take to the 'runway' to help Virgin America teammates celebrate atop the airline's float in the annual parade. The float will also include a live DJ with music spun by local San Francisco DJ, Fifty Pound Note.

SF Pride Parade-goers will also be able to join in the fun by striking a pose in a Virgin America aircraft window cut-out for snapshots that will be featured on Virgin America's SF Pride photo album on Facebook. The airline is also inviting its followers around the country to tweet the airline a photo of their interpretation of Virgin America's "The World is Your Runway" theme using the hashtag #VXPride.

"We've worked with SF Pride ever since our launch and this event is always one of the most popular with our teammates," said Luanne Calvert, Vice President of Marketing at Virgin America. "As San Francisco's hometown airline, we couldn't be more proud to continue to be part of the incredible tradition and celebration that is SF Pride."

As the Official Domestic Airline of SF Pride, Virgin America has welcomed onboard those traveling to San Francisco from all over the country to take part in the festivities. Virgin America offers hip moodlit cabins and touch-screen personal entertainment systems (with 700 hours of entertainment content, on-demand food and beverage ordering, shopping and more). With WiFi on every flight, parade-goers can update their Facebook status or tweet about their journey on Virgin America - and even chat up fellow Pride-Paraders on their flight at 35,000 feet, via the airline's seat-to-seat chat system .

"SF Pride is the celebration of the best that is within us - the diversity and depth of the LGBT community," said Brendan Behan, Executive Director of the LGBT Pride Celebration Committee "We are excited to welcome back Virgin America as our official domestic airline sponsor. Virgin America's commitment to make flying good again goes hand in hand with their partnership with the world-class event that is San Francisco Pride."

This year marks the 42nd Anniversary of SF Pride, which will be held this weekend.

Since its launch in August 2007, Virgin America has created 2600 new jobs and grown to serve multiple destinations across North America. The airline has a fleet of 52 A320 Family Airbus aircraft - with 60 additional aircraft slated for delivery from 2013-2019. Virgin America flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C. (Dulles), Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Cabos, Cancun, Chicago, Puerto Vallarta, Palm Springs, Philadelphia, Portland and Washington Reagan National (as of August 14, 2012). Known for friendly service, beautifully designed cabins and inventive amenities, like touch-screen entertainment at every seat, Virgin America has swept the major reader-based travel awards since its launch, including "Best Domestic Airline" in Conde Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards and Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards.

About Virgin America: Headquartered in California, Virgin America offers guests attractive fares and a host of innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel. Virgin America was named "Best Domestic Airline" in the Conde Nast Traveler 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 'Readers' Choice' Awards and "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure's 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 'World's Best' Awards. The airline's base of operations is SFO's sleek and sustainable Terminal 2. The airline's new aircraft offer interactive in-flight entertainment systems and power outlets near every seat. Virgin America was the first airline to offer Gogo(TM) InFlight Internet on every flight and hosts the largest in-flight entertainment library in the U.S. skies, via the touch-screen Red(TM) platform. For more, visit: www.virginamerica.com

SOURCE Virgin America

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

View the original article here

United Airlines expects its first Dreamliner this year - NewsOK.com

CHICAGO — United Airlines reportedly expects to take delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplane in September.

United, which will be the first North American airline to receive the long-awaited and highly anticipated plane, has long said it expects to take delivery in the second half of 2012. A spokeswoman on Friday repeated that statement.

However, a Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper blog on Friday cited internal communications at United specifying September as the anticipated delivery month. United and Boeing are both headquartered in Chicago.

The Dreamliner, the first of which was delivered last fall to Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways, is a twin-aisle plane that offers the best fuel economy and range for a craft its size and offers passengers greater comfort while flying. The plane is also well known for incurring lengthy production delays. Boeing delivered its first 787 about three years late because of design and construction problems.

United, the most dominant airline at Chicago O’Hare and in the region, has said in the past that it would “likely” use a 787 on routes through Chicago, possibly as soon as the fourth quarter of this year. However, it hasn’t announced a flight schedule for the aircraft.

LOT Polish Airlines was the first airline to officially announce that it will offer a Chicago O’Hare flight aboard a 787. LOT will begin service in January 2013 between Chicago and Warsaw, Poland.

Distributed by MCT Information Services

View the original article here

Global Executive Appointments @ Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways has restructured its global sales division and made several new key appointments across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Jean-Marc Crescent has been appointed as Vice President, Global Account Sales, while Joost den Hartog will take up the post of Vice President of Europe based in Berlin, where Etihad Airways will locate its new regional and German offices.

Adam Phillips, who is currently General Manager of France, has also been promoted to Vice President - Asia Pacific North and the Indian subcontinent.

All three senior executives will report directly to Daniel Barranger, Etihad Airways' Vice President Global Sales.

In other staff developments, Robert Chad will move from General Manager Abu Dhabi to become General Manager France, reporting to Joost den Hartog, while Joseph Chamoun has been appointed as the new General Manager Abu Dhabi Sales, reporting to Hareb Al Muhairy, Vice President UAE, after four years as General Manager Lebanon.

The airline has also announced Judith Crompton, Head of Global Account Sales, will return to Australia after two successful years in the position. Ms Crompton has been overseeing the airline's multinational accounts worldwide from London whilst managing a team of 12 sales specialists across Etihad Airways' fast-growing network.

We are moving into an important phase of our growth as a truly global airline and these new appointments will be critically important to building on the tremendous success that has been achieved so far, said Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Commercial Officer. Along with our continued investment in product, service and network development, we are confident that this highly experienced team will drive the implementation of our sales and distribution strategies to even greater heights in the coming years.

Hotel Prices in London Drop Slightly Ahead of Olympic Games

With just over a month to go until the world's top athletes descend upon London to compete for gold, the latest figures from Hotels.com show that travellers planning to visit London to watch the games, but who have yet to book accommodation, are better placed to find value for money, than they were two months ago.

 Hotels.com has reported that the average price of a London hotel room during the Olympics has risen by approximately 93% year-on-year to HK$2,525 per night. However, historical data from Hotels.com shows that the average price has actually decreased by about HK$138 a night, when May is compared to March this year.

Jessica Chuang, Senior Marketing Manager, Hotels.com Greater China, said, It's inevitable that prices rise in host cities during major sporting events. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Hotels.com saw hotel prices in Cape Town rise 71% compared to the corresponding period in 2009 ... In London, hotel prices have come down as there are still good deals and availability during the Olympic period. That's not to say prices will continue to drop further so travellers are advised to book now if they see a good deal and not to wait for bargains at such a busy time of year.

The online hotel booking website found that rates on accommodation vary greatly depending on how close the hotel is to the Olympic action.

The most popular nights for hotel bookings are for the Opening Ceremony on 27 July, and the first day of the athletics on 3 August.

On the night of the Opening Ceremony, travellers can get a four-star hotel in Central London for around HK$1,813. In West London, travellers can stay in a three-star hotel for around HK$1,288 per night and there still seems to be plenty of budget accommodation available.

Interestingly, search figures from Hotels.com shows demand for hotel rooms reflects the top of the medal table from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Searches are up a whopping 300% in China and 206% in Russia, first and third on the 2008 podium of best-performing countries. Searches are up 92% in the US, which ranked second on the 2008 medal table. Searches among Hong Kong travellers are up by 54% too.

Multiple Maintenance Approvals for Hongkong Jet

Civil aviation authorities for Mainland China, Macau and Canada have accepted Hongkong Jet as an approved aircraft maintenance organization.

The company has also been awarded 145 maintenance approval by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands.

The recognition of aircraft maintenance standards from the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department (HKCAD), General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), Civil Aviation Authority of Macau (AACM) and Transport Canada, enables Hongkong Jet to extend its maintenance services to Mainland-China-registered aircraft, Macau-registered aircraft and Canada-registered aircraft.

Meanwhile, Hongkong Jet's Cayman 145 maintenance approval is recognition of being a qualified maintenance organization approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands after thorough inspection of maintenance capabilities and safety management systems, allowing the organization to provide maintenance services to Cayman-registered aircraft.

?I am very pleased that we have achieved the recognition of various civil aviation authorities so soon after receiving our HKAR-145, said Chris Buchholz, CEO of Hongkong Jet. This further highlights that Hongkong Jet's world-class standards and five-star service have been internationally recognized. Being able to provide maintenance service for aircraft under various registrations in parallel with being able to operate aircraft registered in different countries, truly consolidate Hongkong Jet?s special advantage in the region. With the strong growth in business aviation in Mainland China and customers' increasing level of sophistication, more and more customers on the Mainland are requesting maintenance services of international standards and as they travel to Hong Kong and beyond. Our dedicated 24/7 AOG GO Team (Aircraft-On-Ground GO Team) is ready to provide maintenance services whenever and whenever it is needed

Qatar Airways to Launch Mozambique Flights

Qatar Airways will expand its African operations on 31 October 2012 with scheduled flights to Mozambique.

Thrice-weekly flights will operate from Doha to Mozambique?s capital city of Maputo via Johannesburg, becoming the 20th African destination served by the airline.

The Maputo service will be operated by the airline?s flagship long-haul Boeing 777 aircraft.

This truly is the year of an African adventure for Qatar Airways with the introduction of four new routes on this Continent of diverse landscapes, diverse peoples, diverse cultures and diverse natural attractions, said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker. Mozambique is a great example of a market that we believe has great potential linking up with key feeder markets in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world.

The former Portuguese colony in southern Africa is Qatar Airways fourth new route across the diverse African continent to be launched during 2012.

Bordering the Indian Ocean, Mozambique has an economy based on natural resources, largely agriculture. Chemical manufacturing, aluminium and petroleum production are significant growth sectors, attracting investment from around the world. Maputo is a city steeped in colonial architecture reflecting its strong Portuguese heritage.

Tiger Airways Launches Promotion

Tiger Airways has launched a promotion that offers travellers up to 50% off its fares.

 Fares to 15 popular destinations across Asia, including Bangkok, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Phuket and Manila are now on sale until 25 June 2012.

It's a double celebration for us. We want to showcase the best of Asia to mark the annual Great Singapore Sale that is now a permanent feature on everyone's calendar. We have also been performing consistently well in our flight punctuality, and we want to celebrate this with all our customers, with this incredible offer,? said Tiger Airways Singapore's Managing Director, Stewart Adams.

The travel period for the promotional fares varies with the route. Terms and conditions apply.

World's Largest Holiday Inn Hotel Launches Promotion

The world's largest Holiday Inn hotel, the Holiday Inn Macau Cotai Central at the Sands Cotai Central integrated resort, has launched a very special promotion with accommodation for two in a King Superior Room starting from HK$488 for stays until 12 July 2012 inclusive.

The Holiday Inn Macau Cotai Central has 1,224 guestrooms and suites, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and offering all the latest facilities, amenities and services that travellers today demand.

 The ample Pool Deck and fully-equipped Health Club are among a host of services and facilities readily available to guests, with convenient access to Sands Cotai Central?s luxurious and relaxing spas.

Holiday Inn Macau Cotai Central provides fast, convenient and complimentary shuttle bus service to all major points of entry into Macau and is just a short trip to major attractions in the territory, including UNESCO heritage sites.

Wyndham Signs Four New Ramada Hotels in China

Wyndham has signed franchise agreements for four new hotels in China under the company's Ramada brand.

The properties will join Wyndham Hotel Group?s 46 Ramada hotels already in operation in the country.

The 293-room Ramada Plaza Chengdu West, set to include 24 suites, is located at Xingfu Town, Dujiangyan, Chengdu City, which is part of a large scale commerical complex and a major tourism attraction in China. Featuring a fitness center, gift shop, eight meeting rooms as well as three restaurants offering varied dining options, the property is owned by Dujiangyan Bailun Investment Co., Ltd. The hotel is due to open in 2013.

The 289-room Ramada Huizhou South, set to include 39 suites, is located near the world-class Dayawan Petrochemicals Industrial Park and is approximately an hour drive from the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport and a two-hour drive from the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Due to open in 2013, the hotel, owned by Huizhou City Hongye Investment & Development Co., Ltd., will feature an outdoor pool, sauna, a gift shop, a ballroom and also six meeting rooms totaling 2,000 square meters of meeting space.

The 179-room Ramada Kunming North with 24 suites will be situated as part of a mega-sized real estate development area totaling 428 hectares, including a horse racing club, two 18-hole golf courses, a conference center, luxurious residences, shopping and entertainment facilities as well as a natural wetland park. Owned by Kunming Shining Star (International) Club Co., Ltd. the hotel will feature an indoor swimming pool, fitness center and gift shop as well as a grand ballroom, five meeting rooms and six boardrooms totalling to over 1,000 square meters of meeting space. The hotel, due to open by 2013, is approximately an hour drive from Kunming city center and an hour drive from the Kunming Wujiaba International Airport.

The 150-room Ramada Hotel Pingtan, set to include 42 suites, will be situated in Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone, which acts as a free port to attract investors from Taiwan and other countries. Located approximately 65km in distance from the Fuzhou Changle International Airport, the hotel will feature a fitness center, a gift shop and four meeting rooms totaling 500 square meters of meeting space. Owned by Fujian Pingtan Wandefu Property Development Co., Ltd., the hotel is due to open in 2013.

As China remains an important market for us, we continue to look for growth opportunities in new cities and provinces, said Frank Trampert, managing director for Wyndham Hotel Group in Asia Pacific. We are thrilled to announce the signing of these new properties with four different, esteemed and respected Mainland developers. We are confident that our collaborations will not only help cement the Ramada brand?s position in China but strengthen the greater Wyndham Hotel Group portfolio in the region.

South African Airways starting non-stop flights to Beijing, China

South African Airways will start flying non-stop to Beijing, China, for the first time in the history of the airline, from January next year.

The inaugural flight is scheduled to leave Johannesburg, South Africa, on Tuesday 31 January 2012, and is set to arrive in Beijing, China on Wednesday 1 February 2012.

These flights are now available for sale at great fares through SAA’s reservations department, the flysaa.com website and the travel agency community.

“SAA is most pleased to introduce non-stop flights to Beijing, China. This new route is in line with SAA’s strategy to expand its network to Asia, the fastest growing market in the world,” says SAA’s CEO Siza Mzimela.

China and South Africa established a comprehensive strategic partnership in August last year. The countries subsequently entered into bilateral agreements for cooperation on infrastructure construction, transportation, water resources utilisation, housing, health and education. The introduction of non-stop flights between the two destinations promises to facilitate business and leisure travel between the two countries.

“Introducing direct flights between China and South Africa will promote tourism and trade, not only to South Africa, but also to all the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and other African countries. South Africa and neighbouring destinations such as Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe are already popular destinations for Chinese tourists.

“Similarly, for South Africans and other African countries, the flight will open up China as a new tourist destination and create a bridge between South America and China, connecting three very important BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries and promoting trade amongst these countries,” says Mzimela.

Beijing Capital International Airport (BJS) is the main international airport serving Beijing, China and one of the busiest airports in the world. It is located 32 kilometer northeast of Beijing’s city center, owned and operated by the Beijing Capital International Airport Company Limited, a state-controlled company. There are three terminals at the airport and SAA will operate in and out of terminal three, which is also the designated terminal for Star Alliance partners.

SAA will operate the route non-stop three times a week with its A340-600 long haul aircraft. 

Business Class on these aircraft offers theaward winning lie-flat seat which reclines to a complete bed and has various seating position settings. Each business class seat is equipped with a privacy screen, a personal reading lamp and leg-rest, footrest, telephone and entertainment handset. All seats are also fitted with a personal television. The seats in economy class on SAA’s long haul aircraft offer a very comfortable pitch of between 33 and 34 inches for increased flying comfort.

Flying time between Johannesburg and Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China takes almost 15 hours. Beijing is one of the most populous cities in the world and the country’s political, cultural and educational centre and the headquarters of most of China’s largest state-owned companies. 

Renaming of Mana Airport at Raipur in Chhattisgarh as "Swami Vivekanand Airport, Raipur

The Union Cabinet today approved the renaming of the Mana Airport at Raipur as "Swami Vivekanand Airport, Raipur". This will fulfill the long pending demand of people of Chhattisgarh as well as the State Government of Chhattisgarh.

The Raipur Airport belongs to Airports Authority of India (AAI) and is suitable for operation of A-320 type of aircraft (VFR/IFR operations). Presently M/s Air India, Jet Airways/ Jetlite and Kingfisher are operating and approx. 85 domestic flights per week to/from Raipur Airport are operating.

Swami Vivekanand, one of the most renowned spiritual leaders, spent major part of his life in Raipur. Hence it will be apt to rename Mana Airport at Raipur in Chhattisgarh as "Swami Vivekanand Airport, Raipur`" paying homage to the spiritual leader.

Lowcost Cebu Pacific Airlines launces long haul flights

Budget airline Cebu Pacific will introduce direct long-haul flights from Manila to countries where many Filipinos live and work, starting the third quarter of 2013, president and CEO Lance Gokongwei said in a briefing Tuesday.

More than 11 million Filipinos live and work in the Middle East, Australia Europe and US. Eleven-hour flights are considered long haul.

“After sixteen years in the airline industry, we are going long-haul,” said Gokongwei. “We're confident we will succeed in serving millions of Filipinos living and working overseas.”

Cebu Pacific will lease eight new Airbus 330-300, Gokongwei said. It carries up to 400 passengers, allowing the airline to sell the cheapest seats in the business at a 35 percent discount, Gokongwei added.

“This aircraft is very well-suited to the kind of network we want to build and the routes we want to launch,” he said.

Since the airplanes are on lease, Gokongwei noted the airline's biggest cost is in developing and marketing routes.

“These will be direct flights offered at a lower cost. The aircraft works best from point to point, and flying direct is more convenient and cheaper,” he said.

Cebu Pacific has no long-haul routes yet.

“Any flight within 11 hours to areas where there many Filipinos, we will go to these destinations,” Gokongwei said, notably the US, Europe and Middle East.

More than half of Filipinos deployed in these regions take multiple stops and connecting flights because no home carrier can fly them there non-stop, according to the young tycoon.

He cited Saudi Arabia, saying only 165,000 passengers flew direct non-stop from Manila in 2010 even though 293,000 Filipinos work in the Kingdom.

“With our long haul operations, we will provide more affordable, direct flight options to Filipinos overseas,” he said.

New Office of protector of Emigrants opens in Jaipur

The Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Mr. Vayalar Ravi inaugurated the protector of Emigrants office (POE) in Jaipur today. Shri Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister, Rajasthan was also present on the occasion. Addressing the Media persons, Mr. Vayalar Ravi said that this is the 9th office of the protector of Emigrants in the county. He said that a large number of people from Rajasthan go abroad for jobs, particularly in the Middle East. Statistics reveal that during the last three years more than one lakh fifty thousand workers of Rajasthan sought emigration clearance for going abroad.

He said that the new POE office is housed in the Common Facility Centre (CFC) of RIICO at the Sitapura Industrial Area in Jaipur. The State Government has taken the initiative and provided premises for the office. Mr Ravi said that POE offices set up under the Emigration Act of 1983; provide assistance to emigrants going abroad for work. These offices grant emigration clearance to different categories of workers going to 17 designated countries. In this work, the POE offices also get assistance from the Indian Missions abroad. The opening of the new office at Jaipur will ensure that prospective emigrants from Rajasthan will not have to travel to Delhi for seeking emigration clearance. Now on, registered recruiting Agents of Rajasthan shall be filing their online applications for Emigration Clearance on www.poeonline.gov.in at POE office of Jaipur.

Shri Rajendra Pareek, the State Ministers of Industry & NRI, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Energy and Information and Public Relation, Mr. Mahesh Joshi, MP, Mr. Parvez Diwan, Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and Mr. S. Ahmad, Chief Secretary Rajasthan Government were also present on this occasion.

Earlier, Mr. Ravi and the Chief Minister Mr. Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas Exibition at Bilra Auditorium. Around 110 stalls of the State Governments, Public Sector Institutions, NGOs and Private Sector have been established

LAX: American Airlines changes Terminal 4 to self-service check-in

American Airlines has changed its Terminal 4 lobby at LAX from old-fashioned ticket counters to self-service kiosks, which, it says, is designed to streamline check-in and bag drop.

AA agents are out in front rather than behind the counter. These agents can show passengers who aren’t familiar with kiosks how to use them. The 36 machines in T4 West Lobby can check in both international and domestic passengers.

Instead of taking bags over to Transportation Security Administration screening, passengers check them in at the self-service machines.

American now has two resolution centers on each side of the west lobby to assist customers with any issues regarding checking-in.

The old bag drop machines, along with Ticketing/Group Check-in and Qantas check-in have been relocated to other parts of the lobby to make it more convenient for travelers to head from the kiosk to departures.

American claims to be the first airline to dedicate an entire lobby to self-service kiosks.

Source: Los Angeles times

Emirates Dublin Route upgrades Aircraft to handle high demand

After three weeks of the airline launching the first direct route from Dublin to Dubai, Emirates said the route has already become one of the airline's most successful route launches.

The new passenger service has load factors exceeding 90% for many flights leading the airline to deploy a larger aircraft on the route from July.

The daily Dubai-Dublin service is currently operated with a 237-seat Airbus A330-200, arranged in a three class configuration.

Emirates' senior vice president Salem Obaidalla said normally, this would provide enough capacity for the first two to three years of a new route operation. However he said Dublin "is exceeding our expectations much faster than was predicted and we need more seats to satisfy demand.".

From July onwards, the replacement Boeing 777-300ER will be deployed providing a total of 360 seats, an increase in capacity of 52%.

The Boeing offers 310 seats in economy class, 42 in business and eight first-class private suites.

Mr Obaidalla said: "A bigger aircraft means more good news for the Irish economy. We can bring extra visitors to the country and carry additional cargo. The A330-200 can carry up to 15 tonnes of cargo in the belly hold - this figure rises to 25 tonnes with the introduction of the 777."

United Airlines Announces New Routes from its Hubs

United Continental Holdings, Inc., today announced plans to launch year-round and seasonal service on several new routes to begin in the summer of 2012. 

"We continue to capitalize on the combined resources of United and Continental to create a network that gives our customers more flights to the places they want to go," said James Starnes, United's director of domestic planning. "The flexibility of our fleet allows us to put the right aircraft in the right markets to serve new communities and to add additional flights to communities we already serve." 

Daily Service between Washington/Dulles and Honolulu 

United will begin daily year-round service between Washington/Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Honolulu (HNL) on June 7, 2012, the only nonstop service between the two points. The flights will operate using Boeing 767-400 aircraft. 

United, the largest carrier between the mainland U.S. and Hawaii, connects the Aloha State with eight mainland cities, as well as Tokyo, Guam and Majuro, offering nonstop service in 23 city pairs. 

From its Dulles hub, United also offers more domestic and international service from the nation's capital than any other airline. 

New Summer Seasonal Flights from Denver, Houston and San Francisco

The airline will also add seasonal service to several popular summer travel destinations. 

Alaska: New daily service between Denver (DEN) and Fairbanks, Alaska (FAI), will operate from June 7, 2012 through Aug. 27, 2012, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Fairbanks offers access to Denali National Park, one of Alaska's most visited destinations. The flights complement United's existing Alaska service to Anchorage from hubs in Denver, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco, as well as Seattle. 

South Dakota: United Express will offer daily seasonal service between Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Rapid City, S.D. (RAP), gateway to the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore and the Badlands National Park, from June 7, 2012, to Aug. 27, 2012. ExpressJet will operate the flights using Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft. United currently serves Rapid City from its Denver and Chicago hubs. 

Wyoming: The airline will also add summer-season flights between its Houston and San Francisco (SFO) hubs and Jackson Hole, Wyo. (JAC), which attracts millions of summer visitors to nearby Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons. The Houston flights will operate twice-weekly from June 8, 2012, through Aug. 27, 2012, using Boeing 757 aircraft. The San Francisco flights will operate daily from July 1, 2012, through Aug. 27, 2012, as United Express, with Bombardier CR7 aircraft flown by SkyWest Airlines. These flights are in addition to United's existing service to Jackson Hole from hubs in Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles. 

With these new route additions, United will remain within the previously announced capacity guidance.

Since the October 2010 merger of United and Continental, the larger combined fleet has given the company flexibility to better meet market demand. United has added new routes from its hubs to international destinations such as Lagos, Nigeria; Guadalajara, Mexico; Montreal, Canada; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Shanghai, China, and Stuttgart, Germany, along with new intra-Asia routes between the Tokyo hub and Hong Kong and between the Guam hub and Okinawa, Japan. 

The merger also enabled the company to add a number of new domestic routes by using a mix of mainline and regional aircraft from both carriers more efficiently. 

In addition, previously announced new service between New York/Newark and Buenos Aires, and between Washington/Dulles and Manchester, U.K. and Washington/Dulles and Dublin, Ireland, will begin this spring. 

About United Continental Holdings, Inc.United Continental Holdings, Inc. is the holding company for both United Airlines and Continental Airlines. Together with United Express, Continental Express and Continental Connection, these airlines operate an average of 5,656 flights a day to 376 airports on six continents from their hubs in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark Liberty, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. United and Continental are members of Star Alliance, which offers more than 21,000 daily flights to 1,290 airports in 189 countries. United and Continental's more than 80,000 employees reside in every U.S. state and in many countries around the world. For more information about United Continental Holdings, Inc., go to UnitedContinentalHoldings.com. For more information about the airlines, see united.com and continental.com or follow United on Twitter and Facebook. 

SOURCE United Continental Holdings, Inc.

Airline alliances and the Rule of Three

In the business world, three is an iconic number. The USA has three major automobile makers. In fast food you have McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy's. There are even three leading peanut butter brands (Peter Pan, Jif and Skippy). In an open market, three major competitors often emerge. And so it is in the travel industry. For many years, three large U.S. network airlines dominated the skies. And in turn those mega-carriers — American, Delta and United — created three global alliances — oneworld, SkyTeam and the Star Alliance respectively. It is also no accident that the three largest European airlines — British Airways, Air France/KLM and Lufthansa — have each joined a different alliance.

Since 1997, when United Airlines, Lufthansa and a few other airlines formed the Star Alliance, the race commenced to enroll the most airlines and offer the most destinations and routes worldwide. Today more than 40 of the world's largest airlines are alliance members (see chart below). The three alliances carry approximately 60% of airline traffic globally.

Airline alliances have greatly changed the way we travel. In this first of a two-part series I will address the airline alliances from a consumer perspective. In a subsequent column I will go behind the scenes at an airline alliance to see how it works and what the alliances are doing to make international travel a more seamless experience.

The alliances began as a way for airlines to expand their international networks. For many years protectionist rules in most countries restricted the number of foreign airlines or flights from operating to, within or beyond a country to a third country destination. For example, U.S. airlines cannot ferry passengers between cities in Canada and cannot fly passengers from a Canadian airport to Europe. These rules were written to protect national airlines and their employees.

Although some protectionist rules have eased over the years, international growth is still limited. In most cases, U.S. airlines still cannot fly between foreign countries and therefore cannot compete with foreign airlines that can fly passengers from U.S. gateways to that foreign airline's home country and then on to hundreds of additional destinations.

The airlines soon realized they could overcome this handicap with the help of alliance partners, according to Mark Haneke of InterVISTAS, a travel industry consulting firm. Haneke worked on alliances at Lufthansa, American Airlines and other major airlines when the alliances were formed.

Airline alliances allow U.S. airlines to route transoceanic traffic to a partner airline's hub and beyond using that partner airline for the connecting segment. So now you can travel from almost anywhere in the U.S. to almost anywhere in Europe without forfeiting miles in your preferred program, for example, by flying American Airlines to London connecting to British Airways, United Airlines to Frankfurt connecting to Lufthansa, or Northwest to Amsterdam connecting to KLM .

Staying in a single network has been a boon for frequent fliers. "The alliances allow business travelers to move throughout the world with greater ease," Haneke says. When it works correctly, "code sharing" (see related article) allows alliance partners to seamlessly share the passenger. In most cases, alliances also allow passengers to accrue and consolidate frequent flier miles and redeem awards on their alliance partners. For example United Airlines had no award seats available for an upcoming trip to Asia but offered me seats on Star Alliance partners ANA, Asiana, Singapore or THAI airlines.

Alliances also offer corporations a single contract for global access. But the alliances also create issues. When two competing airlines become partners in the same alliance, it often means a reduction in service and diminished competition on shared routes.

Even with 40+ allied airlines there are still major geographic gaps. Coverage in North America and Europe is good, but the alliances have very limited operations in India and South America. South African Airways is a member of the Star Alliance and Kenya Airways will be joining SkyTeam later this year, but no other African airlines are alliance members.

In China, where air travel is growing rapidly, the four largest Chinese airlines are in the process of joining the alliances. China Eastern Airlines will most likely go to oneworld, China Southern Airlines to SkyTeam, and Air China and Shanghai Airlines to the Star Alliance.

Not all airlines see alliance membership as a necessity, but competitive pressures are a strong motivation. "ANA was a domestic carrier originally and wanted to compete with Japan Airlines," says Eva Traunmueller from ANA's alliances department. "The best strategy was to join a global alliance," she says. Now that ANA is a Star Alliance member, their cross-country rival and long time holdout Japan Airlines is joining oneworld.

Royal Jordanian Airlines will be the first carrier in the Middle East to join an alliance when it enters oneworld this year. "We're a small airline in a small country," says Samer Majali, president and chief executive officer. "By linking with oneworld partners we're extending our network without incurring the costs of doing so," Majali told me. Perhaps Royal Jordanian will trigger a competitive response causing other carriers in the region to join an alliance.

Low cost carriers (LCCs) have generally resisted the alliance lure. Haneke believes that alliance membership could complicate their business model. Ireland's Aer Lingus and Brazil's Varig are actually leaving their alliances this year. With discounter Ryanair in Ireland, Aer Lingus is restructuring to pursue a low fare, point-to-point strategy that is not compatible with the connecting passenger alliance model.

Airline mergers could also wreak havoc on the alliances. America West Airlines gained access to the Star Alliance when they acquired US Airways, but some recently contemplated airline combinations, such as Continental-United, Delta-United or Delta-US Airways, would cross alliance boundaries and could have a major impact on the composition of those alliances if any of those pairings come to fruition.

The recently announced open skies deal between the U.S. and the European Union could also affect the alliances. Open skies could obliterate any remaining protectionist rules making alliances superfluous. But don't expect major changes, at least in the short term. With so much invested already, any changes will be very slow and even without flight restrictions, it's far less expensive to sell tickets on someone else's airplane than to operate your own.

Alliance Name	oneworld	SkyTeam	Star
Number of members (projected by end of 2007)	11	13	23
Number of flights/day	9,190	14,615	16,000
Number of destinations served	692	728	855
Number of countries served	142	149	155
Annual passengers (millions)	320	373	413
Members	American Airlines British Airways Cathy Pacific China Eastern Airlines* Finnair Iberia Japan Airlines* Lan Malev* Qantas Royal Jordanian*	Aeroflot AeroMexico Air Europa* Air France/KLM Alitalia China Southern Airlines* Continental Airlines Copa Airlines* Czech Airlines Delta Airlines Kenya Airlines* Korean Air Northwest Airlines	Adria Air Canada Air China* Air New Zealand ANA Asiana Austrian Blue 1 BMI Croatia Airlines Lot Polish Airlines Lufthansa SAS Scandinavian Airlines Shanghai Airlines* Singapore Airlines South African Airways Spannair SWISS TAP Portugal THAI Turkish Airlines* United Airlines US Airways

*airlines expected to join that alliance

Source:USA Today

Bangalore-Mysore track doubling work to be complted by 2013

Speaking to media here, he said the project had registered significant progress and the stretch between Bangalore and Mandya would have double track by the end of the 2012. However, doubling of the tracks on the stretch between Mandya and Mysore would be completed by 2013.

"We are focusing on completing the major bridge works and once they are ready the railway tracks would also be laid," he added.

The Minister was here to participate in the 69th birthday celebrations of Sri Balagangadharnath Swamiji of Adi Chunchunagiri Math.

He said the State Government should expedite the land acquisition process and hand it over to the railways at the earliest for the speedy completion of the important project.

The railways require nearly 30 acres of land and the revenue department had been sounded off to take up the issue on a priority basis. Alongside the track doubling work, the railways has also taken up electrification of the entire stretch between the two cities and the work is expected to be completed concurrently.

The project has been taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 530 crore on a cost sharing basis with the State Government contributing one-third of the amount and the Railways pitching in with the remaining one-third of the cost.

Referring to delay of the project to compelte by this year end he said the railways hit a road block in Mandya district where land acquisition process is slow while the 18th century armory belonging to the era of Tipu Sultan lays along the track alignment and hence warrants shifting. (UNI)

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Air India's new offer for web-based customers

Under the 'Get Lucky Offer', valid till March 31, every 100th ticket will win a return complimentary ticket on the domestic network of Air India, an Air India release here said.

Winners will be informed through the online Booking Confirmation page while booking an Air India Flight as well as individually by e-mail. A list of the winners would be posted on Air India website daily by 1200 hrs on the following day. The weekend winners will be notified on Monday.

Passengers can look up the list by clicking on List of winners of the 100th free ticket contest on the homepage of Air India website- www.airindia.in, the release said.

The e-mail authority for the complimentary ticket would be valid for a period of one month after the completion of at least one coupon of the originally booked international journey, the ticket on which the lucky winner is declared.

If the originally booked travel was domestic, the entire journey must be completed, it said, adding the complimentary ticket can be obtained from any Air India booking office on production of e-mail, ID proof and all boarding cards of his previous journey, based on which the ticket was granted.

The Basic Fare and Airline Fuel Charge will be absorbed by Air India and all applicable taxes will be borne by the passenger on the complimentary ticket valid for six months from the date of issue and can be availed for any direct flight on the airline's domestic (within India) network.

Hopping or connecting flights, however, would not be permitted.

The award ticket will be non-transferable and non re-routable, it said. (UNI)

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