The new Royal Jordanian Crown Class lounge at Queen Alia International Airport has opened. The lounge represents a qualitative leap toward improving air and ground services; through inaugurating it, RJ, the oneworld carrier, brings its development projects in line with the government's plan to develop the air transport industry and modernize QAIA, the main gateway for Jordan visitors.

The lounge to be used by RJ and oneworld frequent flyers is designed to accommodate 340 passengers; it comprises a meeting room, a business centre equipped with the latest computers to enable passengers to use internet communication and email services. It also has a library, an isolated room for relaxing, hotel-like bedrooms, showers, play and entertainment areas for children and adults. Additionally, there are areas for praying. The passengers can also buy what they need from the duty free shop from the comfort of the lounge.

www.rj.com

9/8/2008 7:30:28 AM UTC     

Lufthansa has expanded the services it offers to customers flying to Brazil by launching code share flights in partnership with the Brazilian carrier TAM.

Lufthansa and TAM passengers can book any of the flights operated jointly by either carrier between Frankfurt or Munich and São Paulo. Customers have a choice of 21 code share flights per week between Germany and Brazil.

In addition, both carriers will offer connecting flights to their respective domestic destinations on a code share basis.

www.lufthansa.com

8/22/2008 8:03:51 AM UTC     

Facial recognition scanners are being tested at Manchester Airport as part of government efforts to improve security and reduce congestion. The system, which works by scanning passengers' faces and comparing them to the photographs digitally stored on their biometric passports, could be installed in airports across the country if the trials are successful.

8/20/2008 7:41:25 AM UTC     

Shannon Airport will be the re-fuelling stop for British Airways’ planned business-class only flights from London City to New York.

During the stop at the west Ireland airport, customers will benefit from a special arrangement that will allow them to complete USA arrivals checks, meaning they will by-pass the normal arrivals checks when they land in New York and speed straight through the airport.

The airline announced in January plans to launch twice-daily business class flights between London City and New York. It is expected the new service will launch in autumn 2009.

Eastbound flights will be non-stop.

Flights will be operated by Airbus 318 aircraft, the largest aircraft that can take-off and land at London City airport. The service – the only long haul flights to and from London City - will offer a one-cabin business class product with 32 seats. Customers will enjoy a specially designed personal onboard service that will include a flat bed and a dining service similar to that of British Airways’ Club World business class.

On the ground, customers will be able to arrive at the airport up to 15 minutes before departure. This combined with the ability to by-pass the usual arrivals checks in New York makes it the most convenient way for people travelling between the heart of the City of London and New York City.

Robert Boyle, British Airways commercial director, said: “Our planned business-class only service will be the most convenient way to travel between London and New York for those people based in or travelling to the heart of London. Many city workers will be able to get from desk to aircraft in as little as 30 minutes. This combined with Shannon airport’s ability to complete USA arrival checks during the planned refuelling stop will ensure customers can make the most of their time and travel desk to desk in the quickest time possible.

“Combined with our 10 flights per day service between Heathrow and New York and our new daily service from Gatwick, it means that British Airways customers will have the biggest choice of flights between the world’s two biggest business capitals.”

www.ba.com

8/20/2008 7:37:48 AM UTC     

For the 3rd time in 10 years, Singapore Airlines has been named World's Best Airline, winning the 2008 Airline of the Year title in the latest Skytrax World Airline Awards.

According to Skytrax, over 15 million eligible survey interviews were completed during the 11 month survey period. From Seoul to Sao Paulo, Copenhagen to Cape Town, the scale and breadth of the 2008 survey strengthens Skytrax's reputation as one of the world's largest passenger surveys.

Singapore Airlines also collected the award for Best Business Class in a very competitive section of the survey.

Cathay Pacific took 2nd place overall in the 2008 Awards (up from 3rd in 2007), and picked up the award for World's best First Class thanks to its new onboard 1st Class product and service concept.

Qantas ranked 3rd worldwide (5th in 2007) and won the award for the Best First Class Lounge - achieved in a period where the airline has seen competition ramped up both in its domestic and regional market.

Asiana Airlines was one of the biggest improvers across the 2008 results, ranked 5th worldwide (up from 12th in 2007), as well as taking the sought-after World's Best Cabin Staff Award and also collecting the Award for Best Economy Class.

Qatar Airways is another 5-Star airline achieving a top-10 ranking (placed 7th worldwide), and collecting the award for Best Airline and Best Cabin Staff for the Middle East region, as well as the Best Business Class Catering category.

Air New Zealand ranked 8th worldwide (7th in 2007), and also collects the 2008 Award for Best Airline Transpacific, ahead of Qantas in that category.

Emirates maintained the same ranking as last year, placed 9th worldwide. The Dubai-based airline picked up the award for Best Airline Inflight Entertainment for the 4th year in succession,  ahead of Singapore Airlines in 2nd. 

A new entrant to the world's Top-10 airlines is Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airways, securing 10th position in the 2008 Awards.

A repeat win was achieved by Virgin Atlantic in being named winner of the Best Business Class Lounge Award, having secured the title in 2007 for their Clubhouse facility at London Heathrow Airport.

Cathay Pacific won the Best First Class Onboard Catering Award.

In the year that Austrian Airlines celebrates it's 50th anniversary, the airline has another honour to mark the achievement, winning the award for Best Business Class Onboard Catering for the second year running. Qantas was named winner of the Best Economy Class Onboard Catering Award, based on their longer haul, international operations.

8/18/2008 8:05:02 AM UTC     

Turkish Airlines will fly from Birmingham International Airport to Istanbul from December 15, 2008 using a Boeing 737-800.

The Turkish flag carrier, which is a member of Star Alliance, will operate five flights a week (no Wed or Sat) to Istanbul with a flying time of four hours.

Prices start from £180.00 return.

www.thy.com

8/18/2008 7:49:00 AM UTC     

Air France will operate a new timetable from London City Airport from September 8, 2008.

Edinburgh will have 20 per cent more seats with the introduction of two more Avro RJ85 jets, which will replace the smaller Dornier 328 turbo-prop aircraft. The Dornier will fly on one of the seven daily flights only. Geneva will get a fifth flight added to the existing route from September 15. 

To Paris’s Orly airport Air France flights will be reduced from six to five times a day.  Strasbourg will also be reduced – from three to two flights a day, to allow for the increased Geneva and Edinburgh routes. 

Other routes Air France says it will suspend flights to Zurich with the last service set to run on September 7. Air France says this service is being cut so that it can “optimise other routes on its network.” Both British Airways and Swiss currently ply the route from City.

Smaller changes to the timetable will also be made from September 8 on the routes to Paris CDG, Dublin, Geneva and Nice.

Air France flies to 10 destinations from London City Airport. These are: Dublin, Dundee, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, Geneva, Nice, Paris Orly, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Strasbourg and Zurich. The airline also flies from Heathrow.

www.airfrance.co.uk

8/18/2008 7:43:03 AM UTC     

Finished your book, ran out of sweets and bored of your mate’s chit-chat? Well, fear not because Iceland Express has broken new ground by becoming the first budget airline to launch an in-flight entertainment system that will keep both adults and children amused for the entire journey.

The Bluebox lite unit or “Airplay” allows customers to watch movies, TV shows, listen to music and play computer games while in the air.  Plugging in USB headsets, travellers aboard the London Stansted to Reykjavik flight can watch their favourite show or sing along to their favourite band using the handheld device.

www.icelandexpress.com

8/14/2008 3:59:20 PM UTC     

For the second year running, Virgin Atlantic has won the Best Business Class Lounge Award in the SkyTrax World Airline Awards 2008, for its flagship Clubhouse at Heathrow Airport.

The World Airline Awards are based on the annual World Airline Survey by Skytrax and are recognised around the world. The awards are renowned for being the only truly global independent passenger survey of airline standards. Virgin Atlantic beat off BA’s new T5 lounge, Cathay Pacific’s Hong Kong Business Class lounge and Qatar Airways’ Business Class lounge to win the prestigious award.

www.virginatlantic.com

8/14/2008 7:58:30 AM UTC     

Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, home of EL AL Israel Airlines, has been voted number one airport in the Middle East in a customer satisfaction survey.

The World Airport Survey is conducted by UK-based aviation research organisation, Skytrax, with more than 8.2 million questionnaires completed by passengers across the world, during the 10 month survey period.

Passenger interviews include a detailed appraisal for more than 40 categories of product and service quality from check-in to departure, from arrivals to baggage collection - including terminal cleanliness, staff efficiency, staff courtesy, terminal signage, security processing, immigration and customers, walking distances, as well as features like shopping, dining options, internet services.

www.airlinequality.com

8/4/2008 2:59:20 AM UTC     

Continental Airlines has announced that its lie-flat seat for the BusinessFirst cabin on its Boeing 777 trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific routes are due to appear in the winter of 2009.

www.continentalairlines.com

8/2/2008 7:30:56 AM UTC     

The majority of UK airline passengers are more opposed to the idea of mobile phones on aircrafts than other nationalities, as revealed in a survey of 4,000 travellers conducted by TripAdvisor. 84% of British people believe use of mobiles on planes should be banned, compared to 74% of the rest of the world.

Pundits suggest the statistics may influence airlines planning to introduce the use of mobile phones in-flight, such as Ryanair, Air France, SAS & Emirates.

www.tripadvisor.com

8/2/2008 7:09:13 AM UTC     

Hong Kong Express Airways has launched a new four times a week direct service to Seoul, Korea. Earlier this year the airline also launched new routes to Japan and daily services to Shanghai and Beijing.

Hong Kong Express will continue to expand with the launch of more new routes, including Manila, Philippines and Osaka, Tokyo in September.

www.hongkongexpress.com

8/2/2008 7:00:22 AM UTC     

Japan Airlines are now offering twice-daily code share flights operated by British Airways (BA) between Manchester and London Heathrow.

The expanded code share agreement adds Manchester to JAL's Japan- Europe network by providing smooth connections from the UK city onto daily services operated by the airline between London - Tokyo (Narita) and London - Osaka (Kansai).

www.jal.com

6/9/2008 11:29:40 AM UTC     

Emirates Airline will receive the first of its 58 Airbus A380 superjumbo aircraft on order, from Airbus’ Hamburg facility on 28th July 2008.

Emirates’ A380 interiors and onboard product, which has been kept under wraps thus far, will also be revealed for the first time during the delivery ceremony in Hamburg.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group said, “The A380, with its large capacity and excellent operating economics, will be one of the pillars of Emirates' future growth. We've been working very closely with Airbus since the A380 programme’s inception back in 2000, and all through the ups and downs from the drawing board to production, we have remained unshakable in our belief that this is the aircraft for the next chapter of aviation.

“Despite the high oil prices, for us, demand remains strong and the A380’s combination of range, capacity and fuel efficiency will help Emirates to continue achieving our growth targets. We very much look forward to receiving our first A380 aircraft next month.”

www.emirates.com

6/9/2008 7:44:12 AM UTC     

The fast growing Russian airline, KD avia, is celebrating the first anniversary of its inaugural flight into the UK by announcing the opening on a new route to the city of Yekaterinburg, which is a major stop on the world famous Trans-Siberian Railway.

KD avia's first flight to the UK touched down at London Gatwick Airport on 16th June 2007 and the airline now operates a daily scheduled service to its hub at Kaliningrad with easy onward connections to 12 cities in Russia.

KD avia's UK Sales Manager, Loreta Durell, Said: "Yekaterinburg is a major extra destination - particularly for tourists with its numerous museums, art galleries and famous theatres. However it is perhaps most famous as the place where the family of Nicholas II were executed in 1918. It is also Russia's fifth largest city and has many business links to the UK."  

www.kdavia.co.uk

6/9/2008 5:44:49 AM UTC     

Members of US Airways' frequent-flyer program, Dividend Miles, now have more ways to earn miles as the airline teams up with Accor, one of Europe's leading hotel companies, to offer miles, including a special limited-time triple-miles offer, on stays at any of Accor's premium hotel brands: Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel and Mercure, with more than 1,300 locations around the world.

The new partnership lets Dividend Miles members earn 500 miles per stay at Sofitel and Pullman hotels and 250 miles per stay at Novotel and Mercure hotels.

As a special introductory offer, Dividend Miles members can, until August 31, 2008, earn:

- Double bonus miles on stays of two nights or more at Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel and Mercure properties
- Triple bonus miles on stays of three nights or more at Sofitel and Pullman properties.

"Our new partnership with Accor Hospitality complements our service to 20 favourite destinations in Europe," said Travis Christ, Vice President, Sales and Marketing for US Airways. "We're pleased to give our frequent flyers yet another way to earn miles to use toward award travel to more than 950 destinations worldwide."

www.usairways.co.uk

6/9/2008 4:53:57 AM UTC     

The new SkyTeam Round-The-World fares start from just £1500.00, plus taxes, for an Economy Class ticket to up to five destinations, with additional options for Economy, Business or First Class travel to a maximum of 15 destinations.

The new SkyTeam Round-The-World fares offer travel with up to 14 airlines to over 840 destinations in 162 countries, giving travellers a vast range of options to choose from.

SkyTeam’s full member airlines are Aeroflot, AeroMexico, Air France, KLM, Alitalia, China Southern, Continental Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines. There are also three associate partners - Air Europa, Copa Airlines and Kenya Airways. 

www.skyteam.com

6/9/2008 4:07:50 AM UTC     

Flights from Southampton International Airport to Angers Loire in France by UK regional airline, Eastern Airways, have increased to coincide with the world famous Le Mans 24 hour motor race.

The independent carrier has introduce a Friday service prior to the start of Le Mans (14-15 June), which is located 46 miles from Angers Loire Airport.  Friday services will continue to operate over the summer season, taking the number of flights to four a week.

Eastern Airways first started flights between Southampton and Angers Loire in November 2007 and its service also appeals to industry sectors including truck manufacturing, IT, technology and liqueurs.

www.easternairways.com

6/9/2008 4:05:44 AM UTC     

bmi is testing an innovative new paperless boarding system, allowing customers checking in online for bmi flights to have their boarding pass delivered electronically to their mobile phone or PDA (personal digital assistant).

The new paper-free system will deliver a two-dimensional barcode boarding pass to mobile phones with picture messaging (MMS) capabilities. The service is part of bmi’s commitment to reducing time spent at the airport and will assist in maintaining its position as one of the UK’s most punctual airlines.

Peter Spencer, managing director of bmi, said, “bmi’s new paperless boarding system is a significant step forward and will offer customers the opportunity to bypass check-in processes at the airport. Customers who check in online can have a boarding pass delivered straight to their mobile phone allowing them to proceed straight to security or to bmi’s fast bag drop stations if they have luggage to check-in.”

bmi’s new mobile check-in service will initially be launched on services from London Heathrow to Edinburgh and Manchester (one way) and from Belfast City to London Heathrow (return), with plans to roll the system out to more destinations on the airline’s network soon after.

www.flybmi.com

6/1/2008 4:16:46 PM UTC     

Etihad Airways has opened a new dedicated business class lounge at its Abu Dhabi airport home base which offers the airline’s business class customers a wealth of state-of-the-art relaxation and entertainment facilities in addition to around-the-clock dining.

The new Terminal 1 business class lounge follows the opening in January of a separate new lounge dedicated to first class customers and is part of a major overhaul of Etihad’s premium customer experience at Abu Dhabi airport.

The new business class lounge includes a Wi-Fi area, library, relaxation zone, well-being spa, hi-tech electronic games room, smoker’s lounge and gallery showcasing work by local Arab artists.

www.etihadairways.com

5/26/2008 5:53:57 AM UTC     

Emirates Airline has launched Business Rewards, an innovative new rewards programme tailor-made for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UAE that will be rolled out in other markets soon.

An online-based programme, Business Rewards offers SMEs the opportunity to benefit from employee flights. Each time a registered employee books their Emirates flight through Business Rewards, the business earns Business Rewards Miles while the individual traveller continues to earn their Miles from Skywards, Emirates’ frequent flyer programme. The company can then redeem accumulated Business Rewards Miles against future flights.

Keith Longstaff, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide said, “Business Rewards is a result of months of research and planning, to understand what our SME customers want in a reward programme, and how we can transact and add value to them in an online environment. We believe the SME community in the UAE will embrace Business Rewards, and we look forward to introducing the programme to other markets in the coming months.”

In addition to reward miles, Emirates’ Business Rewards programme also provides a convenient online portal for administrators in SMEs to manage employee travel on Emirates Airline. The company must register with Business Rewards in the country where it is located, but it can accumulate Miles for travel undertaken by employees at all their branches into one central account.

www.emirates.com

5/26/2008 5:38:09 AM UTC     

Singapore Airlines is to add an additional A380 service on the Singapore-London route on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays bringing the number of Singapore Airlines A380 flights between the two cities to 11 times.

The new service between will take effect from 16 July 2008. However, there will be a temporary break when the aircraft will be deployed to Beijing for a week, to cater for increased demand in the lead-up to the start of the Olympic Games.

www.singaporeair.com

5/26/2008 5:23:21 AM UTC     

Flybe, Europe’s largest regional low cost airline, today announces it has implemented a further three new Interline e-ticket partnerships, namely with Korean Air, US Airways and Singapore Airlines.

Unique in the low cost environment, today’s news brings the total of Flybe's Interline e-ticket partners to 11, now including an impressive list of names that also includes American Airlines, British Airways, bmi, Brussels Airlines, Emirates, Northwest, TAP and Virgin Atlantic.

Stephen Hobday, Flybe’s Head of Sales, says: “Our continued pursuit and implementation of interline e-ticket projects endorses Flybe’s commitment to increasing our interline partnerships.  It also enables our travel trade partners to issue more tickets to an even greater number of destination options and demonstrates our determination to expanding and strengthening our connecting route network.”
 
Flying from more UK airports that any other airline – and with a core network of 170 domestic and regional European routes - Flybe offers frequent, affordable and convenient regional connections into London Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham from Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.

This, enabled by its new Interline e-ticket partnerships, offers Flybe’s business and leisure passengers increased choice to an even wider range of worldwide destinations. This has been further enhanced by the airline’s growth into European city airports over the past 12 months, attracting new partners to the Flybe interline portfolio and offering additional connections through Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Amsterdam and Milan.

www.flybe.com

5/18/2008 6:07:27 AM UTC     

Ryanair announced the launch of Ryanairvillas.com, which will give property owners the chance to advertise holiday rentals on Europe’s largest travel site. In partnership with Web Reservations International, Ryanairvillas.com will afford property owners the chance to create and publish their own advertisements, including photos, maps and property descriptions, while providing the necessary online tools to manage booking enquiries.

Ryanair’s Sinead Finn said: “Ryanairvillas.com gives property owners an unrivalled advertising opportunity on Europe’s largest travel website. Property owners now have the chance to promote holiday rentals to Ryanair’s 60 million passengers, while Ryanairvillas’ simple design will enable owners to manage advertising content and booking enquiries at the click of a mouse.

www.ryanair.com

5/18/2008 6:06:04 AM UTC     

Flying from Dubai has just become even simpler for Emirates passengers following the introduction of a new facility at Dubai International Airport.

Emirates passengers can now print their official boarding pass at home or office and if carrying only hand luggage can now bypass check-in and proceed directly through passport control and security to their boarding gate.

Passengers with check-in baggage may also use the facility in conjunction with the "Quick Bag drop" counters.

The eBP was developed by Emirates Airport Services, and has been launched in collaboration with Dubai Police, Immigration and Security.

www.emirates.com

5/18/2008 5:55:21 AM UTC     

Zoom Airlines are to begin new direct flights from London Gatwick to San Diego in June. Zoom will be operating the only direct non-stop air service between Europe and San Diego with twice weekly flights departing on Mondays and Fridays. The service commences on June 20th.

www.flyzoom.com

5/18/2008 5:50:49 AM UTC     

American Airlines is now offering double AAdvantage miles for passengers who purchase qualifying First Class, Business Class or Economy Class fares for travel between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and London’s Stansted and Heathrow airports.

The offer applies to trips booked and comleted before June 30, 2008.

To participate in this offer, register prior to travel using promotion code NYL08 on American Airline's website.

www.americanairlines.co.uk

5/18/2008 5:46:43 AM UTC     

El Al who is celebrating its 60th anniversary in September has announced the launch of its newly upgraded website www.elal.co.uk, including an express online check-in service for London Heathrow.

One of the most important changes has seen the introduction of a simpler and more flexible and user-friendly booking system, designed to enhance the customer online booking experience. Previously, passengers were only able to see the prices for the flights on their selected dates but in a significant change, the site will now also allow passengers to see prices for preceding and following days all on one simple screen.

The upgrade will be of particular benefit to leisure travellers with flexible dates, as it will now be much quicker and simpler to find the best fares in a single, rather than multiple, search.

In the second big change, London Heathrow airport has become the first airport outside Israel to offer El Al passengers an express online check-in service. The new service will enable passengers to check-in online between three and 24 hours prior to departure, pre-select their seats, print their boarding passes and then proceed straight to the bag drop-off or departure gate security on arrival at the airport.

The new web facility will provide a further huge benefit to passengers using the twice-daily London Heathrow-Tel Aviv service by enabling them to reduce their overall travel time. The move is expected to be particularly welcomed by frequent business travellers using the route but also popular with leisure guests looking to reduce airport waiting times.

www.elal.co.uk

5/18/2008 5:43:23 AM UTC     

EL AL, Israel’s national airline, has announced that it has signed an agreement for the purchase of four new, state-of-the-art 777-200 extended range aircraft from Boeing for approximately $540 million. Three of the new aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in 2012 and the fourth in early 2013. The new planes reflect the airline’s continued plans of progress and growth, as well as devotion to passenger comfort and the desire to accommodate the increased demand of travel to Israel.

The four aircraft will be equipped with Rolls Royce engines and configured with 279 seats. They will also include the latest technology, the most comfortable, spacious seats and the most up-to-date in-flight personal entertainment and business applications for every passenger. EL AL has the option to purchase four new 777-300 model aircraft, instead of the four new 777-200 model.