It’s cleaner, more fuel-efficient and it’s coming to London. The environmentally friendly Bombardier Q400 enters service with Luxair on its key four times a day business route from London City to Luxembourg on September 17 offering both economy and business class cabins.

The Q400 consumes 25 per cent less fuel per passenger than a jet and with 72 seats, compared with 37 on the Embraer 135 it replaces, Luxair is able to offer a more flexible and attractive fare structure. It is nearly as fast as the E135, has 40% shorter climbing time, which means less turbulence leading to greater passenger comfort. It is also quieter and produces less carbon emissions.

www.luxair.lu

9/7/2007 2:28:19 PM UTC     

Air Bagan, a private airline from Myanmar, has launched a scheduled service between Yangon and Singapore’s Changi Airport. They will operate 14 weekly flights using Airbus A310-200 aircraft.

Air Bagan joins two other airlines at Changi Airport in offering passenger flights to Yangon. SilkAir operates 28 weekly flights between the two cities, while Jetstar Asia Airways operates six weekly flights. With Air Bagan onboard, there will now be 48 weekly scheduled flights between Singapore and Yangon.

www.airbagan.com

9/7/2007 1:53:01 PM UTC     

Football Fanatics at the Internet booking site Alternative Airlines, have developed a special web booking facility to allow football fans to find the cheapest and most convenient way of flying to the forthcoming European Champions Group Matches.

The web site now features a special section that details which airports are closest to the each of the stadiums and includes a unique booking display, which allow fans to choose from both scheduled and low cost airline flights.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Rangers and Celtic are all through to the Group stage of the competition and the first round of matches takes place on the 18th and 19th of September.

Managing Director John Pope said: " We noticed that as soon as the draw was announced flights on many direct routings suddenly became full or jumped up in price, so we have deliberately pulled together the widest possible of alternative airlines and in-direct routings to allow fans to take advantage of the many different ways to get to each match."

www.alternativeairlines.com

9/7/2007 10:53:53 AM UTC     

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels is gearing up for the October opening of the five-star Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok. Located in one of Bangkok city's prime central areas on Asoke Road, the hotel is within easy access to the business district, financial institutions and is adjacent to the subway and skytrain stations near the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.

Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok features a sail-like glass façade with an atrium and concept floors. Designed for business and leisure travellers the hotel combines a blend of cutting-edge technology, stylish meeting spaces and genuinely warm service.

"Proximity" key card access to the rooms, Wi-Fi Internet and an in-room media hub are available to meet with today's lifestyle demands.

To celebrate its opening, the Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok is offering a special introductory room rate starting from THB 4,199++ (approximately £62.00) per room per night. This offer is valid for stays from 1 November to 31 December 2007.

www.millenniumhotels.com

9/7/2007 10:35:28 AM UTC     

In the first six months of 2007, VLM Airlines carried 16 per cent more passengers across its network compared to the same period in 2006.  The increase follows significant growth on a number of services including London City to Amsterdam, Antwerp and Luxembourg and the edition this year of Groningen via Amsterdam.

VLM Airlines currently provides over 100 flights a day in and out of London City to Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Groningen, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Luxembourg, Manchester and Rotterdam. 80% are business travellers and the airline accounts for over a third of flights at the airport.

VLM Airlines has also seen a further increase in the number of online bookings, which increased by 32% in the six months to June 2007.  In addition to its easy-to-use internet check-in facility, customers can now also make their hotel reservations, car rental, book lounge access and travel insurance.

www.flyvlm.com

9/7/2007 9:59:14 AM UTC     

Norwegian, Scandinavia’s low fares airline is adding to its growing network out of the UK by starting a twice-weekly operation from London-Stansted to Troms from the 8th of December.

www.norwegian.no  

9/6/2007 11:56:51 AM UTC     

Virgin Atlantic has announced a range of fares on many of its routes for the post Summer period. All fares are available now and are on sale until 25 September 2007. Fares start from £238.00 to New York, other fares include Chicago £288.00, Montego Bay 386.00, San Francisco £398.00, Shanghai £358.00 and Sydney £758.00.

Passengers can also upgrade to Premium Economy from £100.00 each way.

www.virginatlantic.com

9/6/2007 8:51:10 AM UTC     

Next month Millennium Hotels and Resorts will open their Burooj Suites Hotel Apartments in Port Saeed, Dubai.

Whether for business travellers requiring spacious accommodations in which to work and relax, or suites with kitchen facilities and additional bedrooms for accompanying family members, the 164 one and two bedroom suites plus two penthouse suite Millennium Burooj will also offer three restaurants, swimming pool, gymnasium and meeting rooms, high speed internet connections and business centre.

www.millenniumhotels.com

9/6/2007 8:25:53 AM UTC     

The Sheraton Stockholm, one of Scandinavia's finest five star hotels, has just completed an extensive refurbishment. Still one of Stockholm's most recognised

landmarks with its 70´s façade, the interior has undergone a dramatic transformation from its traditional dark interior to a cutting-edge Scandinavian inspired decor. 

All 465 rooms have been updated with a comforting and elegant timeless 1940´s look with the facilities and comfort of the 21st century, such as Sheraton's Sweet-Sleeper beds and the latest technology.

Ideal for both business and leisure travellers the renovations include new Sheraton Club rooms and lounge, a new Threesixty restaurant and bar, link@sheraton work area and a new fitness centre.

A one night stay in October starts at £96.00 per room per night based on two people sharing a Classic room.

www.sheraton.com/stockholm 

9/5/2007 4:50:15 PM UTC     

Want to do something different this Christmas? Why not try a trip on the Orient-Express? They are offering an extensive programme of lunch, dinner and day trip departures during December.

Whether you are looking to treat yourself, your staff, a client or a loved one, there is no better way to soak up the festive feeling than on board the British Pullman, their 1920/1930s antique luxury train or the Northern Belle, their 1930s grand touring train.

From the moment you step on board you’ll be transported back in time to the golden age of travel, where impeccably dressed stewards will attend to your every need, as you gaze out across the English countryside and indulge in fine wine and an array of sumptuous Christmas dishes. Prices from £190.00 from December 1^st to the 22^nd December.

Or you might like to try their Christmas carol trips to Chester, Canterbury or Salisbury, a West End Show package, or tickets to the tennis Masters and

enjoy all the action from a seat in the Grand Tier box.

It’s probably best to book early.

www.orient-express.com

9/5/2007 2:08:18 PM UTC     

High-speed train operator Eurostar has achieved the fastest ever journey time between the French and British capitals, with a record-breaking run of just 2 hours and 3 minutes.

The train left Gare du Nord station in Paris and travelled at speeds of up to 200mph (320km/h) on the Ligne a Grande Vitesse across northern France and on the UK’s new high-speed line, High Speed 1.

The record was set 10 weeks’ ahead of the launch of services at St Pancras International on Wednesday 14 November. Richard Brown, Chief Executive of Eurostar, said: “Eurostar has today proved that our 186 mph trains are by far the quickest way of travelling between France and Britain. Paris and London have joined the ‘two-hour club’ and our great cities are now even closer together.

www.eurostar.com

9/4/2007 11:59:27 AM UTC     

Silverjet today confirmed that it would commence its second daily Luton-Newark service on 23 September. The flight will supplement its 10.00am morning departure, leaving Luton at 16:45 and arriving in New York at 19:45.

www.flysilverjet.com

9/4/2007 11:22:02 AM UTC     

bmi has announced the largest-ever expansion of its route network, with the opening of sales to 17 new destinations, including Baku, Tehran, Beirut, Amman, Almaty and Yerevan. The new routes, starting 28 October 2007, will operate from Heathrow’s Terminal 1 with an improved timetable for business travellers and with a new enhanced in-flight product.

The move marks the completion of the integration of BA destinations that were operated by BMED under a franchise agreement. BMED was purchased by bmi in February 2007.   

The airline has also said there will be an improved in flight catering service on all its mid-haul and long-haul routes, new amenity kits and kids’ packs, and in-flight entertainment package.

There will also be new lie-flat beds on services from Heathrow to Riyadh and to Jeddah, as well as to the Caribbean and to the United States from Manchester.

At the same time the airline will launch a much-enhanced premium economy product on services to the USA and to the Caribbean, providing travellers with a genuine business class seat in a premium economy cabin with a generous 49 inch seat pitch.

Nigel Turner, chief executive of bmi group, said: “These new routes represent the single largest expansion of the bmi brand in the history of the airline, and mark our continuing transition into a truly global airline”.

www.flybmi.com

9/4/2007 11:03:30 AM UTC     

Emirates Airline has begun flights to Newcastle in the North-East of England making it the airline's 6th gateway into the UK and 22nd destination in Europe. It also the first ever long haul scheduled service out of Newcastle.

Ticket sales for September alone show Emirates' passengers are tapping into the airline’s expanding network and not having to travel via London, Manchester or Glasgow to do so. The figures show they are heading to no less than 26 different destinations through Dubai, including Sydney, Beijing, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Auckland, Islamabad, Delhi and Johannesburg.

www.emirates.com

9/4/2007 9:19:30 AM UTC     

Dragonair will become a member of oneworld® on November 1 this year, offering the alliance's full range of services and benefits to its customers and at the same time greatly enhancing oneworld's coverage in Mainland China.

"Becoming a member of oneworld is an exciting development for Dragonair and is the latest benefit to result from our becoming part of the Cathay Pacific Group," said Chief Executive Officer Kenny Tang. "We are pleased that oneworld customers will be able to connect through Hong Kong to our extensive network of destinations in Mainland China and to the increasing number of business and leisure destinations we serve in the region."

Twelve of Dragonair's Mainland China destinations - Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Guilin, Haikou, Kunming, Nanjing, Ningbo, Sanya, Shenyang and Wuhan - will be new to the oneworld network, taking the number of Mainland China destinations served by the alliance to 22.

Three other Dragonair regional destinations will be additions to oneworld's existing network - Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia, Phuket in Thailand and Phnom Penh in Cambodia, with the latter country being served by oneworld for the first time. With Dragonair's joining oneworld, the alliance's network will cover more than 700 destinations in almost 150 countries and territories. 

www.dragonair.com

9/3/2007 10:14:18 AM UTC     

Austrian Airlines has launched new fares between Australia and Europe via Tokyo thanks to its new cooperation with Qantas. The introduction of the flight means Austrian Airlines now provides an alternative to its already popular route via Bangkok from Australia.

The flights will be operated with Boeing 777´s and all aircraft are equipped with individual in-flight entertainment systems.

www.aua.com

9/3/2007 8:19:14 AM UTC     

Shenzhen Airlines is to provide its passengers with in-flight communications services, including email, SMS and voice calls across their fleet by 2009. However, they plan to have three demonstration aircraft for the start of the Olympic Games next August.

www.shenzhenair.com

9/3/2007 8:10:52 AM UTC     

The Conrad Hong Kong situated in the central business district has completed a US$20 million renovation. All of the hotel’s facilities, including its 467 rooms and 46 suites, meeting facilities, Lobby Lounge and Brassiere on the Eighth have undergone the transformation. The guest rooms also boast the latest generation of in-room technology such as LCD screens, IPod connections and high speed internet.

www.conradhotels.com

9/3/2007 8:00:39 AM UTC     

The 246-room Hilton Helsinki-Vantaa Airport has welcomed its first guests after becoming the third Hilton to open in the Finnish capital.

Located at Helsinki airport's international terminal, the newly built Hilton is the airport's first upscale hotel, offering traveller's state-of-the-art facilities and contemporary design with a Finnish twist.
 
To better address traveller needs, the lobby will feature arrival and departure display screens, as well as airline self-check in kiosks for international and domestic flights operated by Finnair, Finncom Airlines and KLM, with other airlines to be added shortly.
 
The hotel has extensive meetings, events and conferences facilities, a dedicated Executive Floor and Lounge, and a 24 hour business centre.

www.hilton.com 

9/1/2007 10:09:35 AM UTC     

Accor is to revive the Pullman brand of hotels and be targeted at business travellers, while introducing an All Seasons brand for economy travellers.

The Pullman brand was lost when Accor merged it into Sofitel during the 1990’s. The new Pullman will be revived in the world’s major cities and will be given a kick start with 45 Sofitel and Grand Mercure hotels in 23 countries being re-flagged.

Meanwhile Accor wants to see 10,000 All Seasons rooms by 2010, with numbers coming from re-branding existing hotels and new franchise deals. 14 hotels have already been marked for re-branding and All-Seasons is expected to be introduced into the UK next year.

www.accor.com

9/1/2007 9:32:40 AM UTC     

Lufthansa is to fly from London City Airport (LCY) to Berlin-Tegel from 14th January 2008. Lufthansa Regional partner Eurowings will operate the twice daily non-stop flights Monday to Friday with a single service at the weekend. The flights will rise to three a day from the start of the summer timetable. The new flights will increase Lufthansa’s services out of the Docklands airport from 66 to 78 weekly. (84 as of March 2008)

“The positive economic climate in the UK and the rest of Europe is resulting in a growing demand for new city routes serving the mobility needs of both UK and German business travellers”, said Marianne Sammann, Lufthansa’s General Manager UK & Ireland. “With Lufthansa’s new non-stop service, Europe’s emerging conference and exhibition metropolis, Berlin, is now just around the corner from London’s financial district and the perfect destination for this speedy new service.“

Richard Gooding OBE, Chief Executive of London City Airport commented: “The launch of the Berlin-Tegel route is exciting news for London City Airport and perfectly complements the range of German destinations available to the business traveller. We are very proud of our long-standing 14 year relationship with Lufthansa and Star Alliance, with successful existing routes to Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Nuremberg currently operating out of London City Airport and Stuttgart to be added next month.”

www.lufthansa.com

8/31/2007 9:30:26 AM UTC     

El Al is to launch a Monday morning flight from Heathrow to Tel Aviv with its refurbished 767 fleet. The service will operate from the end of October to the end of March next year and will compliment the existing twice-daily service.

Departing Heathrow at 08:05 and arriving in Tel Aviv at 14:50 this new flight will allow business travellers to arrive into Tel Aviv early afternoon for a more productive working day.

This year, the airline completed a £3.5 million refit of its business class cabin throughout its 767 fleet. Seat pitch has been increased from 48 to 55 inches and new "cradle" seats recline 165 degrees. Each seat also has an 110v power point for passengers with laptops and satellite phones.

www.elal.com

8/30/2007 11:21:34 AM UTC     

From September 1, Air China is adding its upgraded premium-cabin services, “Forbidden Pavilion” First Class and “Capital Pavilion” Business Class to its Beijing-London, Beijing-Madrid-Sao Paulo, Shanghai-Milan-Rome, and Shanghai- Paris routes.

The “Forbidden Pavilion” First Class seat features the private-compartment style of seating with individual partitions and a fully flat in-flight bed that extends to nearly 6 feet 3 inches in length. In the new “Capital Pavilion” Business Class nearly five feet of seat pitch separate 21-inch wide seats that extend and recline170 degrees.

Each seat in both premium class cabins is equipped with a multi-system power socket providing standard AC power for laptops or other electronic accessories, and passengers can also enjoy 60 DVD films, 98 music CDs, and various electronic games on 10½-inch personal TV sets.

Along with the cabin upgrade, Air China has also made similar improvements in other premium class services including free pick up service, free transfer to hotel accommodation, gourmet onboard food, and mileage reward bonuses.

www.air-china.co.uk

8/30/2007 10:18:32 AM UTC     

The InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong has opened its new state-of-the-art Club InterContinental Lounge. The lounge, featuring panoramic views of Victoria Harbour, is eight times larger than the former facility.

Peter Pollmeier, General Manager of InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong said, "The enhanced sense of space was a key design element in the new lounge. Club InterContinental is incredibly popular, particularly during peak season making expansion a logical next step, to accommodate the demand. We anticipate Club InterContinental will be a signature facility for guests who stay in the Tsimshatsui East area."

www.ichotelsgroup.com

8/30/2007 8:25:59 AM UTC