Lufthansa is boosting services from Edinburgh this summer with the introduction of a new service to Düsseldorf and the reinstatement of a second daily service to Frankfurt.

The new six times a week service (daily except Saturday) to Düsseldorf will start on 26th April offering up to 70 seats in a two class configuration. Meanwhile, Lufthansa has also confirmed the reintroduction of the teatime service from Edinburgh to Frankfurt. 

Announcing the boost to the Edinburgh services, Marianne Sammann, Lufthansa General Manager UK and Ireland, said “This reaffirms Lufthansa’s commitment to our customers in Scotland and our belief that the recent economic issues that have particularly affected business travel are starting to subside.  

“Lufthansa continues to offer a range of highly competitive fares for both business and leisure travellers. We will be offering one way fares to Düsseldorf from just £49 as well as highly competitive Business Class fares starting at £399 inclusive of all taxes and charges, a generous hold and hand baggage allowance and on board food and drink.

 

Stelios Haji-Ioannou continues to expand his super budget brand easyHotel into Berlin, Germany as the new Hotel opens. Situated in Hackescher Markt in the centre of Berlin, the hotel will open its doors with an opening offer starting from just €10 (euros) per night for a double room.

This latest addition to the easyHotel portfolio is a new build budget hotel and the 12th property to be opened by the brand. Located on Rosenthaler Strasse it offers 125 air conditioned bedrooms which are priced on the basis of the earlier you book, the less you pay and periods of high demand cost more than less popular periods.

Within walking distance of all the tourist attractions including: Hackescher Markt, Alexanderplatz and the Museums Island, with a tram stop and the Rosenthaler Platz subway station located right in front of the hotel allowing easy access to attractions around the city.

easyhotel.com

MSC Cruises has always offered value for money, with children up to the age of 18 cruising for free, when sharing a cabin with two adults, paying port taxes, flights and transfers only (where applicable).

Now MSC Cruises offer more, with the launch of its new all inclusive beverage package, available on all MSC ships, allowing passengers to enjoy free drinks on board, available from all restaurants, the self service buffet, bars and the cabin mini bar. 

To celebrate the launch of these packages, MSC Cruises is offering, for the month of March, these inclusive packages for free, with all balcony cabins booked this month on sister ships MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia (offer ends 31 March 2010). The packages include select wines by the bottle and by the glass, beer, cocktails, soft drinks, mini bar (excluding champagne), ice-cream and water (at restaurants and the buffet).

Prices start from £999 pp including fly/cruise and all inclusive drinks package (based on April and November 2010 departures on MSC Splendida and April and October 2010 sailings on MSC Fantasia). 

The itineraries included in the MSC March 2010 offer include:

MSC Splendida on all seven night Mediterranean cruises, departing from March to November 2010, sailing to France, Spain, Tunisia, Malta and Italy. 

MSC Fantasia on all seven night cruises, departing from March to October 2010 calling at ports in Italy, Tunisia, Balearic Islands, Spain and France.

www.msccruises.co.uk

Running to Wednesday 24 March, Malaysia Airlines is offering fares to Malaysia and other South East Asian destinations (Kota Kinabalu, Langkawi, Kuching, Bangkok, Phuket or Denpasar, Bali from just £499. This fare applies for travel to South East Asia from 1 October to 30 November 2010 and 15 – 31 January 2011.

Or book discounted flights to Australia and New Zealand, fly to Perth, Sydney or Auckland from just £629. This price applies for travel from 15 October to 30 November 2010.

Business class fares have also been slashed in the sale. Fly to Kuala Lumpur from just £2,100 and Penang, Kota Kinabalu Langkawi, Kuching and other South East Asian destinations from £2,200. Business class flights to Perth, Sydney or Auckland start from just £2,750. These fares apply for travel on selected dates between 5 April to 2010 and 31 December 2010.

www.malaysiaairlines.com.

From 28 March 2010 the Aegean Airlines schedule out of London Heathrow will change. The mid-day flight will be moved forward to 11.50am (from 12.45), arriving in Athens at 17.35.

New timings as of 28 March 2010:
London Heathrow – Athens  
1150 – 1735     
2035 – 0215 (+1)

Athens – London Heathrow
0850 – 1050
1720 – 1920   

All flights from and to London are operated by Aegean’s new A320/321 aircraft fleet the new mid-day departure allows passengers to connect to many of Aegean’s Greek destinations, including Crete, Corfu, Kefalonia, Mykonos and Santorini to name but a few.

Lead-in price to Athens starts at just £81 one way, inclusive all taxes and charges.

www.aegeanair.com

Continental Airlines has announced that beginning March 17, 2010, it will offer customers the option of purchasing, at check in, premium seat assignments for unreserved economy-class seats that feature extra legroom. OnePass Elite frequent flyer members and their traveling companions will be able to continue to assign themselves seats with extra legroom in economy class without charge.

“Our customers want more choices,” said Jim Compton, Continental’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer.  “Seats with additional legroom are higher-value seats, and we want to offer them to customers who recognize that value.”

Customers will be able to purchase these seats on-line or at the airport kiosk during the normal check-in period, beginning at 24 hours prior to departure of the first flight in an itinerary.  Pricing for the premium seats will vary depending on a number of factors, including the length of the flight and market.

www.continental.com.

Wednesday, 3 March 2010: Late on Tuesday (2 March) the Chilean aviation authorities opened Santiago International Airport (Arturo Merino Benitez - SCL) to a limited number of commercial flights.

TAM’s first flight out of Chile since Saturday’s earthquake left Santiago Airport for São Paulo, Brazil at 21.00 on Tuesday while at 01.00 on Wednesday a flight left São Paulo for the Chilean capital. TAM is currently using an Airbus A330 on the route with a capacity for 223 passengers, 67 seats more than the A320 normally used on the route.

Once TAM Airlines is given permission it will be putting on extra flights and larger aircraft - including Boeing 777s and 767s and the Airbus 330 - to clear the backlog in the shortest possible period of time for passengers wanting to fly to-and-from Santiago and Brazil.

All passengers affected by the airport closure in Santiago and holding TAM Airlines’ tickets (TAM 957 / PZ692) on flights JJ, PZ and JJ* (code share routes operated by LAN), may change their tickets for alternative dates of travel up to 30th March 2010 without incurring any penalties for refunds or revalidation, subject to availability in the cabin of the original reservation.

In the UK passengers effected by the change in TAM’s flights and schedules to Santiago can get more information by calling 020 8897 0005.

AirAsia today launches its “Big Sale” promotion offering flights from London to Malaysia and beyond. The booking period for this offer is 3rd -7th of March 2010, and the travel period is 1st November 2010 -13th of February 2011.

The deals start with a one way fare from London Stansted to Kuala Lumpur from only £189

The sale is part of a major Asia-wide promotion including all of AirAsia’s destinations from the airline’s nine hubs (Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Bangkok, Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya and Bandung).

Virgin Atlantic, has announced that it will be launching flights between Heathrow and Accra, the capital of Ghana, from 24 May 2010.  They plan to operate three services a week, subject to government approval, using an Airbus A340-300 aircraft with 240 seats onboard -34 Upper Class, 35 Premium Economy and 171 Economy. 

Steve Ridgway, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, commented: “We are delighted that we are able to launch services to this fast growing and vibrant capital city with its historic links to Britain, thriving economy and growing oil and gas industry.  Virgin Atlantic’s new services will bring much needed competition onto this route, breaking BA’s virtual monopoly. Nearly 200,000 people fly between London and Accra each year and our new services will give them more choice and better value for money.

Ghana is a beacon for economic success in West Africa, and with Africa showing greater economic resilience and growth than other global regions, we are thrilled that this will be our fifth route in Africa.  We look forward to offering the best possible service to travellers between Ghana, the UK and the United States.”

www.virginatlantic.com

Marking a pioneering milestone in the history of aviation, Oman Air became the first airline in the world to offer both mobile and broadband internet on board its flights. Offering in-flight connectivity is part of Oman Air’s ongoing drive to continuously enhance their customer travel experience and offer them innovative services commensurate with the latest technological developments.

Incorporating a cutting-edge most advanced technology that gives the instant convenience of connecting to the internet and mobile phone from their seat, barring the take off and landing time, passengers can use their mobile phones.
 
When using their mobile phones on board, the services will be of a roaming nature, as on a foreign network. Users must then dial the full international numbers. Onboard communications will be charged by the home mobile service provider at international roaming rates, as is the case when one uses their mobile phone abroad.

The rates for the mobile and Internet connectivity are fixed as follows: Passenger price plan for Internet on laptops (Wi-Fi), would be (pilot pricing) $29.95 for 26 MB per flight. Additional usage would be at $ 0.006 per KB, for the webmail (only body copy) would be at $ 9.95 and for the attachments it would be $.006 (per flight). For the Webchat the rate would be $ 4.95 for unlimited. (per flight)

JAL faced massive debts when it collapsed in January
Japan Airlines (JAL), which entered bankruptcy protection last month, has announced a massive increase in loses.

The airline said it lost 177.9bn yen ($1.99bn, £1.3bn) in the last nine months of 2009 - up from a loss of 1.9bn yen a year earlier.

JAL is continuing to operate flights while it undergoes major restructuring under court supervision.

Source: BBC - Read full story  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8538347.stm 

Iberia today posted its results in 2009, one of the most difficult years in the airline's history, when the world economic crisis and stiff competition led to a steep decline in operating income. After 13 consecutive profitable years, Iberia reported a net loss of 273 million euros in 2009.

Throughout the year Iberia adapted its supply of flight services to the changes in the different markets, cutting seat supply overall by 6 per cent, which brought an overall passenger load factor of 79.8 per cent, similar to that of 2008, and one of the highest achieved by any European network carrier last year.

As of December 31, 2009, the Iberia Group has net assets of 1,551 million euros, down 0.8 per cent for the year. The impact of the net loss of 273 million euros in 2009 was offset by better hedging operations valuation and the rise in value of British Airways shares. Iberia's available balance came to 1,974 million euros, 377 million less than a year earlier.

Continental Airlines has announced the expansion of its mobile boarding pass service to London’s Heathrow Airport, becoming the first carrier to offer paperless boarding passes on nonstop flights from the United Kingdom to the U.S.

The service allows customers to receive boarding passes electronically on their mobile phones or personal digital assistants (PDAs) and eliminates the need for paper boarding passes.

“We are pleased to add Heathrow to the growing list of airports we serve with mobile boarding passes,” said Martin Hand, Continental’s vice president of reservations and eCommerce. “Customers have told us this is the type of product improvement they want, and we will continue to expand the self-service technology to more of our domestic and international destinations.”

In addition to boarding passes, Continental provides access to enhanced flight information through mobile devices.  Customers may view onboard amenities and standby lists, as well as track the status of their flights.

US Airways is open to merging with another U.S. carrier, its chief financial officer told Reuters on Tuesday, adding that the domestic airline industry has too many major players.

Speaking at the Reuters Travel and Leisure Summit in New York, Derek Kerr said US Airways is not in merger talks with another carrier because "it takes two to tango."

US Airways, the fifth largest U.S. airline, is not interested in merging with a foreign airline, Kerr said, because that would not cut capacity in the domestic market.

"I don't think that will make a difference," he told Reuters. "Domestic is where there is too much fragmentation and there are too many airlines."

US Airways is no stranger to mergers: it was acquired by America West in 2005 and it tried, and failed, to buy Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) in 2007 through a hostile bid.

"It's five major carriers. It's too fragmented," Kerr told the Reuters Summit of the U.S. airline industry. "You have too many hubs, all chasing the same passengers trying to connect through the country. We believe that it needs to be consolidated."

The full text of the story is on Reuters.com at: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61M5OG20100223

Source: Reuters 

India’s airline, Kingfisher Airlines, is lining up to join oneworld® after signing a memorandum of understanding as its first step towards full membership of the airline alliance, subject to Indian regulatory approval.

The agreement was concluded at a meeting between Kingfisher Airlines’ Chairman Vijay Mallya and Chief Executives from oneworld’s 11 existing member airlines, which include some of the best and biggest names in the industry.

A target date for Kingfisher Airlines to join the alliance will be confirmed once this approval is gained. The process to bring any airline on board normally takes around 18 months to complete, so Kingfisher Airlines could be expected to start flying as part of oneworld during 2011.

Kingfisher Airlines’ addition to oneworld will link India’s most extensive domestic network with oneworld’s global network, as the only alliance with airlines based on every continent. It will add 58 cities to the oneworld map – all of them in India. This will expand oneworld’s network to 800 destinations in almost 150 countries, served by a combined fleet of 2,350 aircraft operating some 9,000 flights a day, carrying some 340 million passengers a year.

Kingfisher Airlines Chairman and Chief Executive Vijay Mallya said: “Kingfisher Airlines is proud to be lining up to join the world’s leading quality global airline alliance. Becoming part of oneworld would be one of our most significant steps so far - and is right in line with our vision to become one of the world’s top airlines. It will enable us to offer our guests a truly global network served by partners who include some of the best known and most admired airlines in the world, with frequent flyer benefits extended throughout this network. It will also strengthen us financially, through revenues from passengers transferring to our network from our oneworld partners and the cost reduction opportunities the alliance offers.”

The main shareholders of AEGEAN AIRLINES and OLYMPIC AIR have reached an agreement regarding the merger of their respective activities, resulting in the formation of a new company that will be listed on the Athens Exchange. OLYMPIC HANDLING and OLYMPIC ENGINEERING will become 100% subsidiaries of the new company.

The company that will be formed as a result from the merger will carry the name and logos of OLYMPIC AIR, following the necessary transition and adjustment period, during which the name and logos of AEGEAN will be used in parallel as well.

The agreement is subject to the approval of the European Competition Commission, which is the relevant competent authority given the size and particular terms of the transaction. Until then, the exact process mechanics and associated timetable will be articulated. According to the terms of the agreement, the main shareholder of AEGEAN (Vassilakis Group) and the sole shareholder of OLYMPIC AIR (Marfin Investment Group) will have an equal shareholding in the combined entity.

Commenting on the abovementioned agreement, the Chairman of Aegean Mr. Th. Vassilakis made the following statement: “Since the first day of Aegean’s operations, we have been pursuing our vision for innovative, high quality services, through significant investments. The relative size of our competitors within the European Union necessitates the joining of the two main Greek airlines, to achieve increased autonomy in serving the needs of our country’s tourism, increase route options for consumers, ensure the long-term development and viability of the two airlines and protect the levels of employment in the sector.”

Gulf Air, will launch Falcon Gold, a new premium cabin travel experience offering the very best elements of Gulf Air’s First Class for the price of a traditional Business Class fare.

Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Mr. Samer Majali said: “The launch of Falcon Gold forms part of our new strategic direction to create a consistent and enhanced travel experience across our entire wide and narrow body fleet.  More importantly, it heralds a new era in travel with Gulf Air.  In what is our 60th Anniversary year, we are creating an airline for the next 60 years and beyond - an airline that offers excellence in quality and service as well as excellent value.   With the introduction of Falcon Gold everyone wins.  Our traditional Business Class customers receive a superior, more consistent product and our esteemed First Class passengers continue to enjoy all the elements of the service to which they have become accustomed, at better value.”

Falcon Gold fares will be on a par with traditional Gulf Air Business Class fares with a simple choice of pricing options linked directly to the flexibility of the ticket.

 

Etihad Airways announced it would increase capacity by close to 60 per cent on its Manchester services from June, upgrading its current two-class A330-200 aircraft to a two-class B777-300.

Etihad currently operates seven return services per week between Manchester and Abu Dhabi, with onward connections to Etihad’s global network, including  destinations Sydney, Melbourne, Bangkok, Cape Town and Islamabad. The capacity increase will mean an additional 2,100 seats per week on the route.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad’s chief commercial officer, said: “Our services to Manchester have been performing very strongly, with load factors of close to 80 per cent in 2009. The business and investment ties between Manchester and Abu Dhabi have never been stronger and the introduction of the B777 furthers our commitment to this important route.

Etihad Airways has rescheduled flights to and from Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka to ensure better flight connections with Etihad destinations in Western Europe and North America.

Andaz San Diego has officially opened at the property formerly known as Ivy Hotel. Following the successful debuts of three other Andaz locations in London, West Hollywood and New York City, the Andaz San Diego is the second on the West Coast and fourth for the global brand.

“The concept behind Andaz was born out of the belief that today’s travellers are in search of hotels that offer warm and friendly service and have a unique design aesthetic,” said Rusty Middleton, general manager of Andaz San Diego. “We are excited to offer them that experience here in San Diego, one of the most appealing destinations in Southern California.” 

Located at 600 F Street in the heart of the historic Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego, Andaz San Diego embodies the brand’s hallmark, “personal style,” with a new, simplified check-in process. An Andaz “host” combines the roles of front office, concierge and bell attendant, and uses handheld technology to check guests into the hotel. 

The 159-room property featuring 13 deluxe suites and four specialty suites now offers “intuitive and fun” treats for guests. New complimentary amenities include a shot of espresso or glass of wine upon check-in, a mini-bar stocked with non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, wireless internet, unlimited local phone calls and home-away-from-home comforts to help guests enjoy a good night’s sleep.

Andaz San Diego will be a part of the Hyatt Gold Passport program, which recognizes Hyatt’s loyal guests with exclusive benefits. Guests of Andaz San Diego may register for the program in the hotel or online and all Hyatt Gold Passport members will earn points for stays at this new Hyatt property.

www.sandiego.andaz.hyatt.com

Kingfisher Airlines, has announced that it will commence flying on the London – New Delhi route from March 28, 2010. These flights will be daily non-stop flights from London Heathrow to New Delhi.
 
Tickets for travel on the inaugural flight and for subsequent flights are now available for sale to guests intending to travel to New Delhi from London and from New Delhi into London.

Kingfisher Airlines’ flight IT 002 will take off from London at 9.05 pm and arrive the next day at 10.20 am in New Delhi, local time. From New Delhi, flight IT 001 will take off at 1.20 pm and arrive at London Heathrow’s Terminal 4 at 6.10 pm, local time.

The flights on the London - New Delhi sector will be operated using a brand new Airbus A330-200, configured in two classes, Kingfisher First and Kingfisher Class, the spacious full-length wide-bodied twin aisle cabin of the A330-200 has gone to great lengths to make flying feel a more natural and pleasurable experience.

The Alitalia Group presented its three-year development plan for service at the Milan airports that calls for the consolidation of Alitalia’s premium service from Linate, a new intercontinental route from the Malpensa airport and the launch of a new business model for Air One flights, with important objectives of passenger growth and destinations within 2012.

From Malpensa, the Alitalia Group will offer a thoroughly renewed product, tailored both to the business and leisure passenger, according to a dual brand and customer hub model, with the possibility for the customer to create, within the same airport, the ideal combination of flights, fares and connections.
Alitalia Group’s new offering for the Milan basin will be operational starting 28 March, the first day of the summer season 2010 and the day of the inauguration of the new Smart Carrier Air One flights from the Malpensa hub to 14 destinations in Italy and the Mediterranean basin.

At the Malpensa airport, the Alitalia Group is the leader in intercontinental service, offering 9 direct flights, 5 of which operated directly and 4 operated in codesharing with its SkyTeam partners and Etihad.

With the summer season 2010, the new direct Alitalia Malpensa-Miami flight will be inaugurated, the only one that provides direct service between the two destinations.

For its intercontinental flights, Alitalia will station its two new Airbus A330 in Malpensa. Delivery of the planes is planned for June 2010. These two new aircraft will be the top of the line, also thanks to a completely remodeled Magnifica class cabin, with the latest generation fold-flat seats.
The offer is completed by 4 international destinations, 2 of which new - Palma and Ibiza – and 10 domestic destinations, 5 of which new - Brindisi, Lamezia Terme, Trapani, Olbia and Alghero. Lastly, service between Malpensa and Fiumicino will be increased.