August Figures Up For Hawaiian

The sunny Hawaiian Airlines released their August figures this week and they show modest growth for the airline that's now in its 88th year of operation.

During the month the airline saw loads increase from 84.4% percent last August to  86.2% percent this year, passengers transported increased by 2.8% percent. Revenues also saw a very modest increase of approximately 1% percent. However, the year to date figures seems to indicate a bigger increase in revenue and loads 5.4% percent and 2.2% percent respectively. 

The OAG recently proclaimed Hawaiian as the world's most punctual airline and has beaten all other US airlines in on-time performance for the last 13 years as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

Now in its 88th year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawai'i's biggest and longest-serving airline. Hawaiian offers non-stop service to Hawai'i from more US cities than any other airline. The airline also operates even longer haul international flights to destinations such as Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and Tahiti. 

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New A320neo For Sichuan Airlines

Sichuan Airlines, the largest all-Airbus-fleet airline in China, has taken delivery of its first A320neo earlier this week.

According to Airbus, Sichuan Airlines will operate the brand new aircraft on its domestic and international routes. The new jet is powered by Pratt and Whitney Pure Power engines and sports the incredibly effective 'Sharklets' the vertical wingtip extensions, which greatly aid fuel consumption of the aircraft.

In 1995, Sichuan Airlines became the first carrier to fly the A320, a fly-by-wire aircraft, on the Chinese mainland.  Since then the airline has steadily increased its fleet which now boasts 126 Airbus aircraft, including 116 A320s and 10 A330s.

The new A320neo aircraft features a comfortable two-class cabin configuration, featuring 8 seats in business and 150 economy class seats.

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Houston to Sydney new service from United

United Airlines announced on Thursday that it will introduce a new non-stop flight between its Houston main hub to the New South Wales Australian city of Sydney.

The new flight will be the only nonstop service to Australia from Houston and offers customers from Houston as well as from hundreds of cities across the U.S. the opportunity to conveniently travel to Sydney. The service is due to start on 18th January next year and will be a daily operation. The flight is scheduled to depart Houston at 8pm and arrive in Sydney the following morning at 6.30am. On the return, the flight departs 11.50am and gets into Houston around 10.35am the same day.

 Read more about the second longest flight on United's schedule.

Shooting at Miami Airport

 Police said they were investigating an officer-involved shooting Thursday night at the Miami airport that shut down a terminal as people looked to leave Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma.

Police said in a statement that they were responding, but no other details were immediately available.

Airport officials said in a tweet that the situation involved a single suspect and is under control. Concourse J was temporarily closed, airport spokesman Greg Chin said.

Polish Expansion For Wizz

Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, has released news of its continued expansion in Poland from its Wroclaw base.

The airline will base a second Airbus A320 aircraft at Copernicus Airport and the airline will introduce another four new routes to Basel in Switzerland, Gothenburg in Sweden, Kutaisi in Georgia and Porto in Portugal,  The low-cost carrier will also increase frequencies on four other popular services adding a total of 16 incremental flights to its schedule.  From 2018 the airline is going to be offering 800,000 seats on its Wroclaw routes, a 60% growth year over year.

The new aircraft, which represents a further investment of $100 million* by the airline in Poland, will join Wroclaw fleet on 30 March 2018. Expanding its operations, Wizz Air creates 36 additional direct jobs and will have a team of over 70 dedicated crew based at Wroclaw Airport.

Read more about the new routes and developments.

Delta Airlines New Year Round Indianapolis - Paris Route

Delta, in cooperation with joint venture partner Air France KLM, will bring nonstop trans-Atlantic service from Indianapolis to its European hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle beginning May 24, 2018.

"Indiana and the Indianapolis metropolitan area has long been an important part of our route network and we are honored that Delta will be the first U.S. carrier to take Indiana nonstop to Europe," said Bob Cortelyou, Delta's Senior Vice President – Network Planning.

Delta is Indianapolis' leading global airline with service to 13 destinations and 37 peak-day departures and the only airline to offer a premium lounge, the Delta Sky Club. With the new service to Paris, customers from across the Hoosier State will have convenient, one-stop connections at Paris-Charles de Gaulle to more than one hundred destinations in Europe, Africa, Middle East and India.

"This new service is a great example of the strength of our trans-Atlantic joint venture and we look forward to providing a new economic link between the state of Indiana and Europe," said Dwight James, Delta's Senior Vice President – Trans-Atlantic.

Samoa - A New Destination For Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia confirmed last week that it will introduce flights to Samoa starting on 13th November.

The deal ensures there will ensure there is no disruption in services between Australia and Samoa when the Virgin Samoa joint venture services end on 12tn November.  Virgin Australia will operate five return services per week from Auckland to Apia, up to two return services per week from Sydney to Apia, and up to two services per week from Brisbane to Apia. The services are still subject to relevant regulatory approvals. 

Shameful Price Hikes By Airlines Because Of Hurricane Irma

A number of US airlines are putting profits ahead of evacuating people in the path of the strongest hurricane in recorded history.  

As hurricane Irma bears down on Cuba and Florida some US airlines are hiking air fares by hundreds of dollars, putting profits ahead of people's lives.  Delta put fares up from $547 to $3200, American Airlines raised fares from $190 to £734 and even higher.   

As traffic clogged up roads in Key West, people wanting to leave Miami were quoted extortionate prices, such as more than $6,000 (£4,590) for a one-way trip from Miami to Atlanta with United. 

Another person looking to book flights found four flights at prices of more than $6,000 from Miami to Denver, also with United.

Read more The Telegraph 

Increased Hong Kong Schedule For Virgin Australia

The antipodean aeronautical purveyor Virgin Australia has announced it will increase its schedule to Hong Kong from 12th November 2017.

The popular carrier is making the service a daily operation from the 12th,  its flight VA87 will depart Melbourne late morning/midday each day. The return flight VA86 will depart Hong Kong each evening and arrive in Melbourne the next morning. Tickets for the new schedule are already on sale. 

Acting Group Executive of Virgin Australia Airlines Rob Sharp said: “Hong Kong is a very important part of our strategy for Asia. We’re thrilled to be able to offer travellers a daily schedule of flights to Hong Kong. Whether you’re travelling for business, on holiday or visiting family and friends, it’s fantastic to have the choice of flights every day of the week.

Aeroflot Stewardess Wins Court Battle

A major step forward for female equality and rights in Russia took place in Moscow on Wednesday when a court ruled in favor of a flight stewardess who claimed Aeroflot, Russia’s leading national airline stopped using her on long-haul international flights because she'd put on some weight.

The Moscow City Court overturned a previous ruling by a district court that had rejected Yevgeniya Magurina’s claim that the airline had sidelined her as part of its campaign to make cabin crews more physically attractive and younger.

Yevgeniya Magurina, whose 42, submitted pay slips showing that she had stopped receiving bonus pay, which comprised roughly 20 percent of her income, after she asked for a larger-sized uniform. She also says she no longer was assigned the role of senior steward after asking for a bigger uniform.

Vienna to Basel New Route for SkyWork

European carrier SkyWork Airlines launched a new route on Monday from its Vienna base to Basel. "In addition to Bern, SkyWork Airlines now serves a second destination from Vienna. Thanks to its contemporary architecture and multifaceted culture, Basel, Switzerland’s third largest city, is especially popular for city breaks", says Julian Jäger, Member of the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG. "The additional destination confirms our good cooperation with the airline and the importance of flight connections between Austria and Switzerland. On balance, Vienna Airport now offers five destinations and 152 weekly flight connections to Switzerland" he adds.

Austrian Airlines Introduce Premium Economy

Austrian Airlines is introducing its new Premium Economy travel class for flights starting on March 6, 2018.  Of course, the centrepiece for the new Premium Economy service is the new seat which aims at providing passengers with even more comfort on their journey compared to regular Economy Class seats.

The first of the airlines  Boeing 767 aircraft started being fitted out yesterday and the airlines plan to have all eleven long-haul aircraft gradually be refitted by March next year.  Austrian Airlines twelth long -haul aircraft arrives in the spring and will also feature the new premium economy seats.

“The new Premium Economy Class is an important milestone in our strategy aimed at linking the issue of individualization with quality. The customer can individually choose the travel class according to her or his needs, whether the preference is to fly in a price conscious manner in Economy Class, treat oneself to a little more service and comfort in Premium Economy or luxury travel in Business Class”, says Austrian Airlines CCO Andreas Otto. In particular, the new Premium Economy Class is designed to appeal to passengers who want to afford more service and a higher level of comfort on flights to their holiday destinations as well as price-conscious companies whose employees should travel in comfort on business trips. 

Read more about the new service.

United Order More A350's

United Airlines has increased the number of Airbus A350 XWB aircraft it will incorporate into its fleet by 10.  The American carrier had an order for 35 of the technologically advanced aircraft and are expanding that to 45 aircraft, the manufacturer advised today.

The airlines' previous order was for 35 A350-1000 which has been expanded to 45 A350-900 widebody aircraft which will replace older, less efficient aircraft as well for the airlines' future growth strategy. 

The A350-900 is the cornerstone member of the A350XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) family, which is shaping the future of air travel. The aircraft typically seats 325 passengers in a standard three-class configuration and features state-of-the-art comfort and amenities, offering an exclusive flight experience to passengers on board with the new Airspace by Airbus cabin. The A350-900’s unique combination of payload and true long-range range capabilities makes it an ideal aircraft for United Airlines’ international route system. These aircraft will be the first Airbus widebodies to join United’s global fleet.

Thomas Cook Take Pilots To Court And Lose

Thomas Cook Airlines are so keen to work with the British Airline Pilots Association regarding the forthcoming strike and fractured relationship with staff, they took them to court.  

The expanding airline sought an injunction to prevent the unhappy pilots from taking the action scheduled for Friday. However, London’s High Court on this afternoon refused to block the industrial action.

A judge refused Thomas Cook’s request for an injunction to stop the strike,  “BALPA has always been confident in (last month‘s) decisive ballot result and was disappointed that Thomas Cook decided to challenge it legally rather than spending time and effort bringing an acceptable offer to the table,” Brian Strutton, BALPA General Secretary, said in a statement.

“However, we robustly defended our right to strike and the judge rejected Thomas Cook’s arguments about the wording of the ballot paper.”

Changes to Thomas Cook UK Airlines departure times on 8th September

Due to the strike action called by the pilots' union BALPA on the 8th from 0301 to 1500, Thomas Cook has rearranged and amended their schedule for affected flights.

The airline has not made any cancellations and has managed to reschedule or amend flight times for all flights and advise that even if the strike is cancelled the revised departure times below will not change.

Airlines For Europe Blame Air Traffic Control For Delays

Airlines for Europe are in combative mode and have issued a joint letter to all the European Air Navigation Service providers (ANSPs). In the letter the CEOs of A4E member airlines express their concerns regarding the disruption caused by air traffic control restrictions this summer, resulting in significant inconvenience for many European travellers. A4E calls on all EU ANSPs to take remedial action to address this both in the short and longer term.

Airlines for Europe is the largest airline association in Europe, it was launched, in January 2016 as a campaigning and lobbying club to force Governments and service providers to do what the member airlines want. The association is based in Brussels and its members include Aegean, airBaltic, Air France KLM, Cargolux, easyJet, Finnair, Icelandair, International Airlines Group (IAG), Jet2.com, Lufthansa Group, Norwegian, Ryanair, TAP Portugal, Travel Service and Volotea. Together these airlines carry more than 550 million passengers each year on over 2,700 aeroplanes. 

Ryanair changes cabin baggage policy

Photo Ryanair at Stanstead 

The budget airline Ryanair is changing its baggage policies following too many people taking two bags into the cabin.  The changes will take place from 1st November and from that date, passengers will only be allowed to take one item of hand luggage into the aircraft cabin unless they have purchased priority boarding or Plus, Flexi Plus & Family Plus fares.

The airline is introducing it as part of a programme they call  “Always Getting Better” although its unclear what is getting better, customer service and satisfaction or the airlines bottom line?

They have increased check-in bag sizes which they believe will encourage more customers to check in bags and reduce the number of customers with 2 bags at the boarding gates. This was because too many people were apparently trying to save money and turning up at the gate with two cabin bags. Once again the airline blames passengers claiming that customers abiding by the rules allowing two cabin bags, were causing aircraft delays, so they've now stopped that possibility, because, oh hang on a second, passengers can still turn up at the gate with two bags,  but one - the bigger of the two - has to go in the hold. So really it's adding to the work load of the airport staff, causing more confusion for passengers, but it's supposed to be quicker?  

Read more about the policy details.

Delta's Strong Performance in August

Delta released details of its operating performance for August 2017 yesterday.  The company carried 17.6 million passengers across our broad global network in the month.

Monthly highlights include:

Passenger numbers rise and the global expansion continues for Norwegian

Photo Norwegian

The budget long-haul airline, Norwegian has yet again hit the three million passenger mark. In August, the exciting low-cost carrier carried almost 3.3 million passengers, an increase of 14 percent compared to the same month the previous year. The strongest growth is on Norwegian’s long-haul routes and in the Spanish market. The load factor increased to 91 percent in August. 

Norwegian carried 3,279,525 passengers in August, an increase of 407,603 passengers -14 percent compared to last year. The total traffic growth (RPK) increased by 26 percent this month, driven by a 24 per cent capacity growth (ASK). The load factor increased by 1.4 percentage points to 91.1 percent. 

“We are very pleased that an increasing number of passengers choose Norwegian for their travels and are grateful both to new passengers and those who keep returning. We’re experiencing a high demand for tickets in our established markets in Scandinavia, but the strongest growth is on Norwegian’s long-haul routes and in Spain. Continuing our global expansion is important – both in terms of strengthening our competitiveness and creating more jobs and economic value in the markets we operate,” said CEO Bjørn Kjos of Norwegian.

London to Cairns New Route For China Southern Airlines

China Southern Airlines have announced they will be operating a new route between London's Heathrow Airport and Cairns in Australia, routed through Guangzhou.  The new route starts on 13th December 2017 and will serves as an additional connection from the UK's capital and the warmer climbs of Australia as well as the mysterious magical China. 

Flights depart Heathrow for Guangzhou twice daily, and connections to Cairns will be departing Guangzhou three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

It's good news for both British and  Australian travellers as it opens up another flight route option between the two countries. Fares between London and Cairns start at a low competitive fare of £578 return. 

For China Southern Airlines, Cairns is just another Australian destination the airline flies to, they have services to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. 

"Opening up Far North Queensland to British travellers not only gives them the opportunity to explore the vast country further but also makes getting from the North to the South of Australia even more accessible" explains Nick Newman, commercial manager of China Southern Airlines, UK & Ireland."

"We already operate flights to the core four destinations along the East Coast, so by adding Cairns to our portfolio, we can give passengers scope to discover the entire East side without having to track back across covered ground."

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Bird Strike For JAL

A Japan Airlines aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing just minutes after take off from Tokyo due to a flame out following a bird strike to one of it engines on  Tuesday.

The incident took place just seconds after take off at 11am local time on Tuesday, images of the event clearly show flames puffing out the engine of the aircraft in a spluttering or coughing manner.  The heavy Boeing 777 aircraft was carrying  248 people at the time and was bound for New York when the event occurred. It then circled for an hour to burn off and discard fuel to bring it to a permitted landing weight so it could safely return to Tokyo's Haneda International Airport.

 Local authorities and JAL have confirmed they would be investigated the incident and inspecting the engine, however, early indications are that a bird was injected into the engine causing a small fire.  "It seems that a bird got sucked into the left engine when taking off," a JAL spokesman told media.AFP news agency.

According to Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism official, a grass field near one of the runways caught fire for a brief period after the JAL plane departed, but it was put out immediately.

New route for Wizz Air - Budapest to Berlin

Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, announced a new route from Budapest to Berlin-Schoenefeld, today. 

The new service is due to start 13th March and will be a daily flight using their existing fleet of modern aircraft. One way fares on the new service will start at less than £10, including hand luggage.

The announcement today follows the start of 11 new Budapest routes in 2017. The airline will launch three more Budapest services this year connecting the Hungarian capital with Bordeaux, Agadir and Frankfurt, while flights to Stavanger and Basel will commence in spring 2018. Together with Berlin, starting from 2017 Wizz Air is adding a total of 17 exciting destinations to its Budapest network, which now consists of 67 low-fare routes.

Scoots Indian Plans

The low-cost Singapore Airlines offshoot will soon commence direct flights to Europe from India and they expect to offer flights as low as £150.

Bharath Mahadevan, head of Scoot in India told local media about the plans, "Since we have fifth freedom, we can operate direct flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata to destinations like Copenhagen, Vienna, Cairo and Manche"

"A return trip to Europe would cost around Rs 26,000," Mahadevan said, current fares with other airlines are around £539 or around R45,000. 

Kenya and Oman codeshare deal

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman has agreed to a new codeshare deal with Kenya Airways covering services between its hub at Muscat and the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

The new arrangement will offer seamless connectivity to Kenya Airways customers in accessing Muscat directly from Nairobi. Oman Air inaugurated flights to Nairobi during March this year and is pleased with the way the route is developing. 

Kenya Airways will apply is KQ codeshare numbers on the Oman flights operating on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays between Nairobi and Muscat.  CEO Paul Gregorowitsch said: "Through this partnership, Oman Air extends its exemplary services to guests of Kenya Airways. Trade between Kenya and Oman has been growing steadily over the years and this latest agreement is a natural progression, following the launch of our new flight from Muscat to Nairobi in March this year."

Hong Kong Express Wide-body Ambitions

The low-cost Hong Kong based airline, Hong Kong Express Airways - known as HK express, has admitted it has wide-body aircraft ambitions in order to make the best use of the limited slots at Hong Kong and to expand its rosta of destinations served.

 The chief executive officer of Hong Kong Express Airways, the sister company of Hong Kong Airlines and part-owned by massive Chinese HNA Group, spoke to the media today, Tuesday regarding his plans for the airlines' development. 

“I think we will certainly progress to wide-bodies,” Andrew Cowen said, “One solution to the slots constraints is to perhaps do fewer frequencies but with widebodies. Obviously widebodies would also allow us to go further afield.”

Get out of Schiphol if you go to Lelystad says KLM boss

Budget carriers should get out of Amsterdam's Schiphol airport if they go to the new Lelystad airport which is scheduled to open in 2019 according to KLM boss Pieter Elbers

Speaking to local media the KLM president said that he thinks budget airlines should be made to give up some slots at Schiphol if they plan to start routes from the new airport.  He believes that the rapid influx of low-cost carriers and charter flights at Schiphol is threatening the airport’s prime position as a major European air transport hub because they are taking up slots which KLM could use to expand its global network.

In the worst case scenario, claims Elbers, big international firms could leave the Netherlands or simply not coming to the country in the first place if the global network is not kept up to scratch, he said. ‘The first flight to Bangalore adds more than the umpteenth to Barcelona,’ he said.

EasyJet Flight Delayed Due To Scorpion

There are many reasons for flights to be delayed, bad weather, air traffic control strikes, aircraft malfunctions are perhaps the three most common causes. Of course, delays can be caused by other things as well, but not usually because of a passenger that has a real sting in the tail.  However, that's what has happened today with an Easyjet flight that is facing an overnight delay because the aircraft needs to be fumigated after a scorpion was spotted on board. 

The flight was scheduled to leave Paris this afternoon and head for Glasgow, however, the schedule had to change after a passenger said that she had spotted a scorpion running inside the aircraft, up and down the seats. 

Air Berlin Cancels Flights & Lauda Still Interested In Buying Niki

Air Berlin has cancelled a number of flights today due to 'operational' reasons and looks set to make some more late notice alterations to its timetable next week.

These fresh cancellations come on the back of the recent announcement that the airline was ending its services between Berlin and Abu Dhabi from mid-September. In a statement from Etihad said: “We have been advised that airberlin is cancelling its operations between Berlin and Abu Dhabi starting on September 15 to October 31, 2017. We are now re-booking our customers onto alternative Etihad flights from that date."

“In addition, due to market uncertainty, we have taken the decision to re-book our customers due to fly with airberlin, from November 1 onwards, onto alternative flights.”

There has been much speculation in the media that Air Berlin may be about to confirm further cancellations to its long-haul routes including those to the USA. 

Read more to find out what Niki Lauda thinks and whom the likely bidders are.

Changes Ahead For Sri Lankan Airlines

It's been announced that SriLankan Airlines is to undergo and thorough review into its operations after a specially conducted review was submitted to the Prime Ministers office.

The comprehensive review details how to restructure the airline, reduce costs and halt the haemorrhaging of losses that have afflicted the airline in recent years. The document also details plans and methods of keeping the airline flying whilst a new international partner is sought to assist or partially take over the airline. 

Woman hit by propeller at Newark

Photo from rls media

An investigation is underway into an accident that occurred on the ramp at Newark airport that saw a female employee being struck on the head by a moving propeller.

The woman was treated at the scene and then transferred to  University Hospital where she is reported to be in critical but stable condition with serious head injuries.

According to local media, the 54-year-old woman worked for Prime Flight as a cleaner and was struck by a CommutAir aircraft. 

Exactly what happened and how the employee came to be struck remain unclear at this stage, however, an investigation is underway.

Hong Kong Airlines Get First A350 Plus New Routes

Hong Kong Airlines have taken delivery of the first of 21 Airbus A350-900 aircraft the airline has on order. The expanding carrier has configured the A350-900 with a comfortable three-class layout, 33 in business class, 108 in premium economy and 193 in economy class, making a total load of 334 seats.

Read more to find out more about Hong Kong Airlines.

Ethiopian Airlines Poised To Buy Arik Air

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's largest airline is poised to take over the troubled Nigerian airline Arik Air, causing much consternation on the continent. 

Arik Air, Nigeria's biggest carrier, has since February, been operated by Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, thanks to a prolonged crisis that saw many services canceled, staff going without wages and huge soaring debt. 

Ethiopian Airlines confirmed its bid for its Nigerian rival, “We have outlined our terms and conditions to the Nigerian government and we are waiting to see if they agree. We are capable and desirous of handling the airline.” The airlines managing director of international services Esayas WoldeMariam told the media.  "We are bidding with other airlines, if we agree on the negotiations, we are ready to go and take over the management," he said.

No blankets or ear phones for Aer Lingus transatlantic passengers

Aer Lingus, The Irish airline now part of IAG will remove in-flight comfort items such as blankets and earphones from its cheapest ticket purchasers travelling across the Atlantic from or via Dublin.

As the airline, upon instruction from Willy Walsh, cuts costs and moves to a more streamlined and budget 'conscious' airline, passengers who opt for the cheapest “Saver“ tickets will also find they lose some of the basics of air travel to North American destinations.  They won't automatically get blankets, earphones, checked luggage and the ability to pre-book a seat.  The only bags they will be allowed to take with be a cabin bag of no more than 10kgs.

The airline claims the changes are because of the intense competition between an emergence of low-cost carriers across the Atlantic, such as Norwegian and Thomas Cook. According to a spokesperson the reduction in service is “Designed to meet the diverse needs of today’s traveller, Saver is here to offer more choice and flexibility.”

Qatar to add flight to Kathmandu

Qatar Airways are adding an additional daily flight on its Doha-Kathmandu route from today, 1st September, due to increased high demand during Nepal’s festival season, providing its passengers even more flexibility when travelling to the nation.

The additional flight is operated by an Airbus A320, leaving Doha at 01.25 and arriving in Kathmandu at 08.55.  Qatar Airways chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are delighted to add an additional frequency to Kathmandu, in anticipation of increased demand for passengers travelling to Nepal for the festival season.

“This additional daily flight will allow our passengers even more opportunity to experience Kathmandu, a captivating city that draws travellers from all over the globe.”

(photos from www.welcomenepal.com)

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Qantas and Emirates are extending their partnership

The Australian super airline Qantas and the Dubai based mega carrier Emirates have agreed to extend their expansive partnership for another five years.

The two airlines are making changes to reflect customer demand, new aircraft technology and each airline’s respective network strengths.  These changes will deliver additional benefits to the eight million passengers who have travelled more than 65 billion kilometres on the combined network since 2013, increasing customer choice, as well as frequent flyer's the chance to earn and redeem miles. 

The adjustments announced yesterday will also deliver a financial boost to both airlines, with Qantas annual net benefit estimated at more than $80 million.

Meeting in Sydney to finalise the extension, both airlines agreed the first five years of the partnership had lived up to the promise of serving their customers better, together. Changes to the joint network are designed to reinforce this for the next five years.

Eurowings Want 600 More Air Staff

Eurowings are embarking on a massive recruitment drive for a further 600 air staff due to continued rapid expansion. 

The airline is looking to employ an additional 200 pilots for its A320 fleet and is also looking for 400 cabin crew - including prursers and number ones!

All positions are permanent are needed for the carriers continual planned growth and according to the airline, they made need a further 200+ cabin crew from 2018.  

Flight attendants already with Eurowings on contracts that run out at the end of the year have already been offered positions or prospects with the carrier or elsewhere within the Lufthansa group. 

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Cathay Pacific A350 Heading for Copenhagen

The highly respected Cathay Pacific is in the process of massively expanding its European route network, already announcing new direct services to Dublin and Brussels. However that expansion doesn't stop there, for the Hong Kong based airline has also announced a new direct route, using one of its state of the art Airbus A350 aircraft to the Danish capital of Copenhagen.


The airline said it will be operating a pioneering non-stop route to the city, further strengthening the airline’s network and providing new trade and tourism opportunities between Asia and Europe.

Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Officer Rupert Hogg said that the announced services will meet customer demand for non-stop travel, while at the same time providing Europe-based passengers with more convenient access to key destinations in Asia and Southwest Pacific through the airline’s home in Hong Kong.

Copenhagen is considered to be Scandinavia’s capital of cool by many and is a beautiful thriving eco-friendly metropolis with a small-town feel. The breathtakingly beautiful harbour is a must-see for any tourist or visitor and the perfect place to sit and 'people-watch' over the rim of a beer glass!. The lifelong home of fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen, Copenhagen has been named the world’s most liveable city on numerous occasions. The popularity of this charming city has risen dramatically over the last few years, thanks in part to being featured in European hit TV series like Borgen, The Killing and The Bridge. Denmark’s cultural centre will be served by a three-times weekly seasonal service between 2 May and 12 October 2018.

Read on to learn more and see the schedule. 

New Brussels Route For Cathay Pacific

Despite increased competition, Cathay Pacific continues to grow and expand its route network from its home base of Hong Kong.   The airline announced it will be operating a pioneering non-stop route to Brussels, further strengthening the airline’s network and providing new trade and tourism opportunities between Asia and Europe.

Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Officer Rupert Hogg said that the announced services will meet customer demand for non-stop travel, while at the same time providing Europe-based passengers with more convenient access to key destinations in Asia and Southwest Pacific through the airline’s home in Hong Kong.

Read on to learn more and see the schedule. 

New Moscow Route for Wizz Air

Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, today announced a new route from its Debrecen base to Moscow. The newest WIZZ route will commence on 18 December and will be operated with two weekly flights, on Mondays and Fridays. Seats are already on sale with fares starting from as low as €29 

Wizz Air’s first commercial flight took off from Debrecen Airport in 2012 and since then, the airline has constantly expanded its Debrecen network, which now consists of seven low-fare routes to seven countries. In 2015 WIZZ based one of its new Airbus A320 aircraft at the airport investing $100m** in the region. In the past 12 months, WIZZ carried 275,000 passengers on its low-fare Debrecen routes, which represents a 12% growth year over year. Wizz Air’s operations this year support over 200*** local jobs stimulating aviation, transportation, hospitality, and tourism industries in the region.

Premium Transfer's For BA's Club World Passengers At Heathrow

British Airways is introducing a new service called Premium Transfer Drive at Heathrow to ensure its premium customers who are at risk of missing their connection are able to catch their onward flight.

The new scheme applies to those travelling on a UK domestic flight and are then connecting to either a short-haul flight in Club Europe, a long-haul service in Club World.

The new service also applies to First Class passengers and those who are Silver or Gold Executive Club members.

British Airways promises their team at Heathrow will track these customers, and where there’s a risk they will miss their onward connection, will provide an ‘airside’ private car transfer between one flight and the next.

The ground staff will communicate with the inbound aircraft so the cabin crew can inform the customer that a car will be waiting to transfer them, thereby alleviating any stress or worry.

New Gatwick Routes For British Airways

Photo Gatwick Airport

London Gatwick Airport will see another two transatlantic routes added to its international destinations from next year after British Airways announced it will be adding services to Toronto and Las Vegas from the Sussex airport.

From 1st May the British carrier will be operating three flights a week to the Canadian city of Toronto, a Las Vegas service will be returning to the airport also with three flights a week, starting from 27th March. 

The new flight to Toronto will be British Airways’ first flight to Canada from Gatwick, it follows the recent introduction of new long-haul routes to Oakland and Fort Lauderdale in America.

Las Vegas is already a popular destination for the airline from its Heathrow home, however, such is the great demand for the neon capital that the airline will now offer a service from Gatwick as wel

The additional two destinations takes the number of new routes introduced at Gatwick in 2017 to six and the total number of routes flying from Gatwick to 71, 24 of them long-haul and 47 short-haul.

New Direct Service To Sao Paulo From Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline in Africa, has announced a new direct service to Sao Paulo from its Addis Ababa base. 

The airline currently flies in-directly to the Brazilian city via Lome, Togo, and will introduce the new direct service from 16th September.

The direct service will be flown on one of the carriers new 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Flight Number	Frequency	Departure	Departure  Time	Arrival	Arrival Time	Fleet
ET  0506	Mon, Wed, Thu, Sat	Addis Ababa	9:30	Sao Paulo	16:15	ET  788
ET  0507	Tue,  Thu, Fri, Sun	Sao Paulo	1:35	Addis Ababa	20:00	ET  788

Weekly flight frequency in local time

Ethiopian Airlines CEO,  Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, said; “We are delighted to offer our customers a faster and reliable connectivity between Africa, Middle East, Asia and Brazil with one of the shortest total Travel Time, operated with our state of the art fleet, Boeing 787. "

New London City Route For Powdair

Powdair have announced that London City Airport will be its third London area airport it will operate to.

The ski specialist airline will operate a double daily flight between Sion and London City Airport and will assure a convenient route directly into the Swiss Alps for workers and residents based in central London. The airline already operates flights from London Stansted and London Southend. 

“We always had our sights set on London City Airport knowing that the concentration of winter sports enthusiasts in that area looking for a convenient way to reach the Alps was something we couldn’t ignore." Zoë Ombler, head of commercial for Powdair said. 

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New Dublin Service For Cathay Pacific on A350

The Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific has announced that it will operate a new direct service to Dublin, operating four times per week from next June.

This new year-round service will be Dublin Airport’s first ever direct route to the Asia-Pacific region and is being welcomed as a major milestone for the delightful Irish airport and the entire Irish economy.

“We are thrilled to welcome Cathay Pacific to Dublin Airport and to Ireland,” said Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison. “Dublin Airport is competing for routes like this with other major European airports, so winning this new business is hugely positive news for Ireland, for foreign direct investment, for Irish exporters, and for inbound tourism,” he added.