Airguide Online articles from February 2008

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 India and Saudi Arabia signed an air services agreement that will more than double the number of available seats per week between the countries to 20,000 from 8,500. Saudi carriers now can fly to Bangalore, Lucknow and Calicut in addition to the five Indian cities ...

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Air New Zealand Air New Zealand will launch twice-weekly Auckland-Beijing on July 18 with a 777-200ER. Jan 31, 2008 Air New Zealand Air New Zealand gets award for service. An aviation publication has awarded Air New Zealand for ...

Airline News - Latin America / Caribbean.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Air France Air France unveiled the new cabin on its narrowbody fleet featuring "a host of aesthetic and practical new features." It will take delivery of seven Airbus A320 family aircraft featuring the new cabin through April. The first, an A321, went ...

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Air Jamaica Air Jamaica is offering a sale from the U.S. to Montego Bay, Jamaica, with fares valid for travel from Feb. 3 to April 30. The "Sand, Sea, and Sun", fares must be purchased by Feb. 5. Fares are valid to Montego Bay from the following cities: ...

Low Cost Airline News - Europe.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Average domestic fares fall in Q3. Travelers turning to discount carriers and searching for bargains online caused average airline fares to fall in the third quarter. The average fare was $328 in the third quarter, compared with $330 a year earlier. Jan 31, 2008 ...

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Airberlin Airberlin transported 1.9 million passengers in December, up 16.6% from the year-ago month. Load factor rose 3.2 points to 71.7% and unit revenue climbed 2.2% to 4.55 euro cents. Jan 31, 2008 Brussels Airlines Brussels ...

Low Cost Airline News - Latin America / Caribbean.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 GOL Linhas Aereas GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes's new route network was conceived in order to provide business customers with adequate schedules and frequency. The new network will connect the most important business and tourism centers, benefiting from ...

Low Cost Airline News - North America.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 AirTran Airways AirTran Airways announced an expansion of its Milwaukee service to feature new seasonal flights to Los Angeles (twice-daily from May 6), Seattle (daily from May 6), San Francisco (daily from May 6), Boston (twice-daily from May 21) and San ...

Airport News - Europe.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Innovative system uses magnetic field to track planes. European scientists have developed a system for locating aircraft at airports based on monitoring fluctuations in the earth's magnetic field. Scientists say the system relies on inexpensive sensors that monitor ...

Airport News - North America.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Mock disaster drill tests DHS defenses against hackers. DHS recently conducted a drill involving a series of mock disasters to test its defenses against hackers. The list of fictional catastrophes included the disruption of airport control towers in Philadelphia and ...

Travel Safety Update.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Some inspectors say they face pressure not to recommend large repairs. Some FAA inspectors say they walk a difficult line when reporting safety problems to carriers and the FAA. One inspector who recommended costly repairs for several commercial jetliners said he was ...

Travel Security Update.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Pilot union says cockpits need secondary barriers. A pilots union in Canada supports installing secondary gates in cockpits. The union says the gate would keep the cockpit secure when pilots leave to get food or take a break. Canadian authorities have not acted on ...

Destination News - Cruise.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Carlson Leisure Carlson Acquisition Affirms Confidence in Travel Agent Distribution Channel. In a stunning affirmation of the value of travel agents, Minneapolis-based Carlson agreed to the acquisition of its Carlson Leisure Group (CLG) led by Michael ...

Destination News - Destination, Rail, Road.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Paradise Resort Family favorites. Queensland and Fiji remain dear to the hearts of holidaying Australian families. The top 10 Australian resorts in a reader poll by Holidays With Kids were in Queensland, with Paradise Resort on the Gold Coast voted No.1 ...

Frequent Flyer & Loyalty Program News.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 American Airlines AAdvantage Award: double miles Expires: 3/15/2008 Reference Code: AEMIA Restrictions: Fly American Eagle between Miami and Sarasota, FL or Savannah, GA. Registration required. To register, visit http://www.aa.com/offers. Jan 28, 2008 ...

Destination News - Hotel, Resort & Spa.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Carlson Hotels Worldwide Gullaksen To Lead Regent Luxury Group. Carlson Hotels Worldwide has promoted Bjorn Gullaksen to president and CEO of The Regent Luxury Group. Gullaksen will retain his responsibilities as executive vice president of managed hotels ...

Travel News.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Economic uncertainty, oil prices prompt slower traffic growth. Soaring oil prices and slower economic growth will hurt airline profits and slow global traffic growth this year, according to an international group representing airlines. Passenger demand is expected to ...

Travel Health & Environment Watch.

Feb 04, 2008 ... Feb 4, 2008 Airbus, GTL, Rolls-Royce Gas-to-liquid fuel used in Airbus flight. GTL may be alternative energy source in future. Airbus tested gas-to-liquid fuels Friday on a superjumbo Airbus A380 in the first flight of a commercial aircraft using the potential ...

Travel Technology News.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 Emirates Airlines Emirates Airlines will operate daily Dubai-Cape Town flights beginning March 30 aboard an Airbus A330-200, switching to a Boeing 777-200 on Oct. 1. Feb 4, 2008 Etihad Airways Etihad Airways is giving away tickets ...

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 Air Deccan Air Deccan launched daily flights from Guwahati to Sichar and Aizawl aboard ATRs. Feb 4, 2008 China Eastern Airlines China Eastern, AVIC I hope to launch Happy Air. China Eastern Airlines and AVIC I unveiled terms of ...

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 Aegean Airlines Aegean Airlines will launch flights from Athens to London Stansted (twice-daily from May 15 aboard A321s), Tirana (daily from May 2 aboard RJ100s), Limnos (four-times-weekly from March 30, becoming daily May 1) and Kefalonia ...

Low Cost Airline News - Europe.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 US Dept. of Transportation: Operations falter in 2007. US Dept. of Transportation released its final Air Travel Consumer Report for 2007 and said that, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the 20 US carriers recording ontime performance reported a ...

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 Spanish LCCs reported a 57.4% increase in passengers last year, four times better than the market average, a research note (based on AENA data) released yesterday by Clickair revealed. But capacity is outpacing demand. Unused LCC capacity reached nearly 10 million ...

Low Cost Airline News - North America.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 AirTran Airways AirTran Holdings said Monday that its passenger traffic grew by more than 14.1 percent in January to the airline's highest-ever level for that month. AirTran Airways said traffic grew last month to 1.21 billion revenue passenger miles, a ...

Airport News - Asia / Pacific.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 Air China, Beijing Capital Airport Air China said it will move into Beijing Capital Airport's new Terminal 3 next month. The 1-million-sq.-m. project includes a 3,800-m. runway and will help the airport double passenger capacity by 2015. Feb 7, 2008 ...

Airport News - Europe.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 UK Dept. for Transport said the number of safety checks scheduled on foreign aircraft will more than double in the year April 1, 2008-March 31, 2009, to 600 from 250 in 2007-08 and rise to 1,000 in 2009-10. CAA ramp inspections of passenger and freighter aircraft ...

Airport News - North America.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 Battle between Registered Traveler vendors heats up. Steven Brill, pioneer of the Registered Traveler concept and CEO of Verified Identity Pass, is criticizing the No. 2 business in the market, Fast Lane Option, as being unqualified. Luke Thomas, executive vice ...

Travel Safety Update.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) underestimates cost of new ATC system, analysis says. An independent analysis has found the government has underestimated the amount of funding needed to establish and transition to a satellite-based air traffic control ...

Travel Security Update.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 Two undersea cables off Egypt, UAE, repaired. Services on two of three broken undersea cables providing Internet services to parts of the Middle East and Asia have been restored after both cables were repaired, an Indian-owned cable operator said on Sunday. Feb 10, ...

Destination News - Car Rental.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 Alamo Rent A Car Alamo Nears One Millionth Rental via Kiosk. Alamo Rent A Car is nearing its one millionth kiosk rental. The company reported that hundreds of thousands of kiosk rentals ahead of its competitors. After successful testing in Dallas, Las ...

Destination News - Cruise.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 Cruise Lines Offer Discounts for Wave Season. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) reported many of its member lines are offering special rates, onboard credits, deposit waivers and other incentives during the middle of the Wave Season. Here's a ...

Destination News - Destination, Rail, Road.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 Walt Disney World "American Idol" Coming to Walt Disney World. Here's a production not even Simon Cowell could scoff at. Come late 2008, Walt Disney World will offer an "American Idol" attraction at its Hollywood Studios theme park. Guests will get to ...

Frequent Flyer & Loyalty Program News.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 Airlines have been selling tickets via the Internet since the mid-1990s. They first began using the bonuses to entice customers to use their Web sites instead of online travel agencies such as Travelocity. Most travel in the U.S. is now purchased online, according ...

Destination News - Hotel, Resort & Spa.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 Almond Beach Village Barbados Almond Beach Village to Expand Spa, Upgrade Annual Super Bowl Party. During Almond Beach Village's annual Super Bowl extravaganza, known as Big Game Week, Chris Forbes, the Barbados resort's general manager, said that plans ...

Travel Health & Environment Watch.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 'Green' robot hits the waves. This seagoing glider, which uses thermal energy from the ocean to propel itself, is the first "green" robot to explore underseas, according to its creators, a team from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Webb Research, both based ...

Travel Technology News.

Feb 11, 2008 ... Feb 11, 2008 Knee brace could charge batteries. Brace yourself for the latest in battery-charging technology for gadgets. Researchers from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia have developed a device worn much like a knee brace that generates electricity from the natural ...

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Qatar Airways Qatar Airways will start a fourth daily non-stop flight between Doha and London Heathrow, taking the airline[sup.1]s capacity between Qatar and the UK to 42 weekly services. Beginning 30 March, the new late afternoon departure from Doha ...

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Bangkok Airways Is Bangkok Airways monopoly finally challenged? With Thai Airways opening on February 15th the Bangkok-Samui route, is Bangkok Airways monopoly finally challenged? Just on the surface. Bangkok Airways strategy remains the same: secure ...

Airline News - Latin America / Caribbean.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Bmi Bmi will use the 757s to introduce nonstop services from LHR to Almaty and Freetown beginning May 1. Both routes currently are served with a stop. In addition, the airline's new London LHR-Tel Aviv service, which it said is "selling beyond ...

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Air Jamaica Air Jamaica Suspends St. Lucia Service. Air Jamaica will suspend its service to St. Lucia as of April 1 due to the company's corporate restructuring, according to recently published reports. The service, which was three-times a week will be ...

Low Cost Airline News - Asia / Pacific.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Airlines will oppose proposed California passenger rights law. California lawmakers will consider a bill that would require airlines to provide passengers with water, snacks, fresh air and clean restrooms if their aircraft is delayed on the tarmac for more than ...

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 AirAsia X AirAsia X yesterday confirmed the sale of 10% stakes to Bahrain-based Manara Consortium and Japan's Orix Corp. for a combined MYR250 million ($77.2 million) cash consideration. Each investor will receive approximately 16.7 million newly issued ...

Low Cost Airline News - Europe.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 EasyJet, Paris Charles de Gaulle EasyJet opens CDG base. EasyJet has opened its 19th base at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) as part of a [euro]600m ($880m) drive to strengthen its position as the second largest airline in the country after Air France ....

Low Cost Airline News - Latin America / Caribbean.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Gol Linhas Aereas Gol Linhas Aereas of Brazil reported on Friday a fourth-quarter net profit of BRR76.96 million reais (USD$44 million), down 60 percent from the BRR193.39 million in the same period of 2006. For the whole of 2007, Gol reported net income ...

Low Cost Airline News - North America.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 AirTran Airways AirTran Airways CEO Robert Fornaro said last week that mergers are a good idea for struggling airlines that may need to reduce capacity but not for AirTran, which has been profitable consistently for nearly a decade and should benefit ...

Airport News - Africa / Middle East.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Emirates Airlines, Dubai Airport Emirates Airlines will partner with Dubai International, London Heathrow and Hong Kong International to trial RFID baggage handling technology. Emirates will tag approximately 500,000 bags with RFID chips during the ...

Airport News - Asia / Pacific.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Air New Zealand, Air National Air New Zealand said Friday that an attempted hijacking that morning aboard an Eagle Air Jetstream 32 operated by Air National was a "one-off" but "has naturally given us cause to conduct a thorough review of our safety and ...

Airport News - Europe.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 European Commission-funded airport noise research team showed that people living for at least five years near a busy airport and under a flight path have a greater risk of developing chronic high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, than those who live in ...

Airport News - North America.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 US House passes FAA funding extension through June 30. The US House of Representatives passed an extension of temporary FAA funding through June 30, including providing $2.76 billion in contract authority to restart the currently suspended Airport Improvement ...

Airport News.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Airport Noise Instantly Boosts Blood Pressure. Living near an airport isn't just irritating, it is also unhealthy, researchers said in a study that showed loud noise instantly boosts a sleeping person's blood pressure. The louder the noise, the higher a person's ...

Travel Safety Update.

Travel Security Update.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 European biometric plan remains years from implementation. A proposal released by the European Commission earlier this week would require all non-Europeans entering or leaving Europe to provide biometric identification. Implementation of the plan, which still needs ...

Destination News - Car Rental.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 UK congestion charge changes. Owners of gas guzzlers[sup.1] including sports cars and many 4x4s will have to pay a [pounds sterling]25 ($49) congestion charge every time they drive into central London from October. They will not be eligible for a resident[sup.1]s ...

Destination News - Cruise.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Class Lines Sued Over Fuel Surcharges. A class action suit has been filed against several cruise lines including Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. and Norwegian Cruise Line claiming the lines acted in cahoots to fix questionable fuel surcharges. The suit ...

Destination News - Destination, Rail, Road.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) applauded mayor Ken Livingstone's scheme, saying London[sup.1]s reputation as a pioneer of progressive transport will be further enhanced - [sup.3]This will send a strong signal that driving around in cars that do only 15 miles ...

Frequent Flyer & Loyalty Program News.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Booking award tickets becomes more difficult, travelers say. Critics complain that these days it is more difficult for travelers to book tickets using their frequent-flier miles. Some carriers are requiring more miles for free tickets and imposing sooner expiration ...

Destination News - Hotel, Resort & Spa.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Business travel trends. An evaluation by Best Western in conjunction with the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) of America, shows that complimentary internet access is the favorite amenity when considering mid-market hotels. More than half of respondents ...

Travel News.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Website Offers Auto Insurance to U.S. Travelers Heading to Mexico. Mexican auto insurance is now being offered by the website, TotalTravelInsurance.com, to U.S. drivers looking to cruise across the border. In a release issued by the site, the company stated ...

Travel Health & Environment Watch.

Travel Technology News.

Feb 18, 2008 ... Feb 18, 2008 Airports customize recorded messages. Some airports are customizing recorded messages as part of a plan to improve communications and break away from routine announcements. For example, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Sen. Edward ...

Feb 25, 2008 ... Feb 25, 2008 El Al Israel Airlines El Al To Increase Fares, Fuel Surcharges. El Al Israel Airlines said on Tuesday it was increasing fares by 3.5 percent due to the weak dollar and high oil prices. Israel's flag carrier said in a statement fuel surcharges would also ...

Feb 25, 2008 ... Feb 25, 2008 Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines increased its daily Delhi-Kuala Lumpur service to nine-times-weekly. Route is operated with A330-200s/-300s. Feb 21, 2008 Mandarin Airlines, UNI Airways Mandarin Airlines quit the Taipei-Taichung ...

Feb 25, 2008 ... Feb 25, 2008 U.S. travelers will pay more to fly to Europe. Soaring fuel prices have forced airlines to boost fares to Europe. One analysis found that the average fare paid through Jan. 31 for U.S.-Europe travel in April or May rose 6.9% from year-ago levels. Feb 19, 2008 ...