Cheap Airline Tickets / Airline News

Asia’s biggest airline Japan Airlines (JAL) is preparing to check-in to the global oneworld alliance of carriers, of which Qantas is a member, helping to boost the network’s market share and revenue.

JAL will join the alliance early next year in the first extension of the eight-airline partnership in more than five years, with Hungarian airline Malev and Royal Jordanian Airlines set to follow. (more…)

JetBlue Airways Corp. won a government auction Friday for wireless spectrum that could be used to provide in-flight telephone, Internet or entertainment services, the Associated Press reported.

The winning bid of $7.02 million was placed through New York-based JetBlue’s entertainment subsidiary, LiveTV LLC, which provides DirecTV service on JetBlue flights. (more…)

SITKA, Alaska - A windshield cracked by an errant goose prompted a Las Vegas-bound America West plane to make an unscheduled landing Friday evening at an airport here, officials said.

America West Flight 142 from Anchorage was an Airbus 319 carrying 112 passengers and five crew members, said Mark Hein, a US Airways spokesman in Phoenix. (more…)

The Department of Civil Aviation welcomed Virgin Nigeria’s third international long haul from Lagos to Dubai.

On behalf of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Department of Civil Aviation and Chairman of Emirates Group, Mr Jamal Al Hai, Chairman DCA Executive Board and Director Strategy & Management Excellence received the VIP delegation on board the flight along with Mr Mohammad Ahli, Deputy Chairman Executive Board and Director Operations, DCA. (more…)

By Jewel Gopwani
Special To The State Journal

Northwest Airlines Inc., which has been shedding costs and cutting flights in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, expects to start growing early next year.

That could mean more Northwest flights at its Detroit Metro Airport hub, where the carrier has cut nearly 90 flights from its daily schedule since May of last year.

It also means Northwest won’t have to furlough more pilots this year, according to a memo the airline sent to pilots last month.

By early next year, Northwest plans to increase flights for its fleet of Boeing 757s. The carrier did not say how many flights it will add because it still is determining the new routes and schedules, according to the memo.

“It’s a move in the right direction,” said Minneapolis-based airline expert Terry Trippler.

The expansion, Trippler said, is part of Northwest’s climb back to be the nation’s fourth-largest airline. Continental Airlines took that spot this year, as Northwest dropped to No. 5.

Since May last year, Northwest has cut its daily flights by 14 percent to 1,246.

With fewer flights, Northwest’s planes are filling up. On Friday, the carrier filled 93.5 percent of its seats, an all-time high at Northwest for the number of seats filled in a day. The carrier expects to break more records this summer.

Meanwhile, Northwest travelers can look forward to their last flight on a DC10.

Northwest plans to retire its fleet of 15 aging 273-seat DC10s by January, the memo said. Northwest will replace them with 12 new Airbus A330 planes and three Boeing 747-400s.

The fleet changes and expansion will take place if the airline’s flight attendants and ramp workers ratify wage-cutting contracts, the memo said.

Original Article

Mumbai: Jet Airways has announced the induction of the state-of-the-art Airbus A 330-200 aircraft into its fleet — the first of its kind to be operated in India. With the A330 having been inducted today, the airline’s fleet size is now 55.

Deployment of this new aircraft on the Delhi-London route will enable Jet Airways to operate a daily second frequency between Mumbai and London Heathrow.

Original Article

NEW DELHI: Apprehending “monopolistic situations” in the wake of acquisition of Sahara Airlines by Jet Airways, a Parliamentary Committee has said there was a need to ‘check the trend’.

“Of late there have been changes in the strategy of private airline operators by way of consolidation of their operations…..these conditions can lead to monopolistic situation in the civil aviation sector and there is a need to check this trend,” the Committee on Tourism, Culture and Transport, chaired by Rajya Sabha MP Sitaram Yechury, said in

its report tabled in Parliament.

The committee said while formulating the new civil aviation policy, all consequences of mergers of airlines, including the matter of reallocation of infrastructural facilities at airports should be addressed properly.

It also came down heavily on Air India for “lack of transparency” in its procedure while negotiating a wet-lease accord of one A340-330E aircraft last year, which it said was “against the practice of open competitive tendering process”.

“The procedure followed by Air India was against the practice of open competitive tendering process and therefore lacks transparency,” it said.

The committee said Air India had approached only Jet Airways in July 2005 to negotiate the wet lease of one A340-330E aircraft.

“Air India could have approached other airline organisations,” it said, adding the carrier could have anticipated the impending shortage early had there been a constant assessment of available aircraft capacity.

The parliamentary panel said adequate contingency plans should be prepared, including standing arrangements for lease of aircraft during exigencies by following proper tendering process.

It also criticised the Civil Aviation Ministry for the under utilisation of traffic rights given to private airlines to fly to the US and Belgium.

“Despite the permission granted to private carriers to operate services to USA and Belguim, the services have not commenced and it is surprising that the ministry has left the matter to the commercial judgement of the concerned airlines,” it said.

The committee said there should be proper monitoring of the permissions granted by the ministry and “it must be ensured that the actual operations are started by the operators so that the stated objective of optimum utilisation of traffic rights is achieved.”

It also said the Civil Aviation Ministry must take necessary steps to ensure that time schedules fixed for the delivery of aircraft to Indian Airlines and Air India were adhered to so that “the national carriers are able to take maximum benefits of exemption from payment of tax under Section 10 (15A)”.

Original Article

WASHINGTON — Heading off for a two-week business trip, Gary Hacker made it aboard his 4 p.m. flight to Chicago — but his 50-pound Samsonite suitcase wasn’t as lucky. United Airlines had two other flights within hours from Washington Reagan National to Chicago, but Hacker’s bag didn’t arrive at his hotel until 5 a.m., a few hours before a business meeting.

“I was in casual clothes. I had no change of underwear, no contact-lens solution, and I had a meeting the next morning,” said Hacker, who plans to stuff more clothes into a larger carry-on bag in the future.

Hacker’s flight is a preview of the woes awaiting travelers during the summer travel season. Passengers should brace for long lines, tight quarters, delayed flights and mishandled luggage.

While a headache for travelers, crowded planes signal that airlines have made strides in reorganizing their operations and improving their bottom lines. They have trimmed flights and parked oversize jets to get more passengers in their seats at a lower cost.

In April, United filled a record 83 percent of its seats, a 3.4 percent increase from the same month a year ago. Northwest, American, Continental and US Airways filled 80 percent or more of their seats.

Travel experts say airlines this summer will be slower to cancel flights for mechanical problems because of the difficulty they would have in finding available seats on alternative flights. As a result, passengers could face more and longer delays.

Original Article

For the sixth time, LAN Airlines has been chosen as theBest Airline Based in Central/South America & Caribbean by OAG(Official Airline Guide), the foremost world guide on informationregarding airline schedules and itineraries. LAN Airlines also ranked among the eight finalists in the Airlineof the Year 2006 category, alongside such important internationalairlines as British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Continental Airlines,Emirates, Qantas, CSA Czech Airlines and South African Airways.

OAG awards have been presented for more than two decades based onvoting by frequent travelers worldwide that select the best companiesat an international level, resulting in the recognition of excellencein the products and services that LAN offers its clients. The mostimportant representatives from the worldwide airline industry attendedthe 2006 awards ceremony, which took place recently in London.

Armando Valdivieso, LAN Airlines’ CEO passenger: “We are honoredto once again receive this important recognition that reflects theopinion of experienced frequent travelers worldwide. We will continueto always offer a service of excellence with the highest standards ofsecurity and efficiency that have distinguished LAN internationally.”

OAG - specialists in travel and transportation - annuallydistinguishes those airlines and airports that have maintained thebest standards in the industry according to the opinion of businesstravelers throughout the world.

Summary of 2006 Awards:

– Airline of the Year 2006: Cathay Pacific

– Best Airline Based in Australasia/Pacific: Qantas

– Best Airline Based in Asia: Cathay Pacific

– Best Airline Based in Central/Eastern Europe: CSA Czech Airlines

– Best Airline Based in Central/South America & Caribbean: LAN Airlines

– Best Airline Based in North America: Continental Airlines

– Best Airline Based in Western Europe: British Airways

– Best Airline Based in Africa: South African Airways

– Best Airline Based in Middle East/Indian Sub-Continent: Emirates

For more information on the 2006 OAG Awards, visithttp://www.oag.com/Airline+of+the+Year/current_winners_2006.

The LAN service alliance participating airlines, LAN Airlines(NYSE:LFL), LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru, offer a unitedspirit of reliability and charm that provides passengers the highestlevel of service and safety with the complete travel experiencethroughout the skies of the Americas.

The LAN service alliance’s vast route network reaches a largenumber of destinations throughout the world, including the Americas,Europe and the South Pacific. The alliance offers flights from NorthAmerica to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic,Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela with service from 29 NorthAmerican cities, including daily flights from its Miami, New York andLos Angeles gateways. Passengers traveling with any of the LAN servicealliance participating airlines may accumulate frequent flierkilometers/miles in LANPASS or American Airlines’ AAdvantage.Additionally, passengers traveling with LAN Airlines or LAN Peru mayalso accumulate frequent flier miles in any of the oneworld(TM) memberfrequent flier programs. LAN Airlines is a member of oneworld(TM) andLAN Peru is an affiliate of oneworld(TM), the world’s leading qualityalliance.

For additional information, contact LAN toll-free at 866-I-FLY-LAN(866-435-9526). Visit LAN’s website at http://www.lan.com.

Original Article

BARBADOS has emerged as the largest gateway for Caribbean Sun and Caribbean Star airlines.

This was disclosed last week by the airlines’ public relations officer, Steve Bennett.

The airlines now have a total of 150 flights arriving and departing Barbados each week, and travel to some 20 destinations.

The company operating the airlines announced the launch of its first flights between Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, and Curaçao for travel starting July 13.

With the addition of Curaçao, the combined route system operated by Caribbean Star and its sister airline Caribbean Sun now totals 20 Caribbean destinations – the most of any carrier serving the region.

William E. “Skip” Barnette, president and CEO of both Caribbean Star and Caribbean Sun, stated: “As we continue to work towards further expanding our route system, we feel strongly that Trinidad will continue to grow in importance for us. This new Curaçao service is a nice start, but we see the potential for broadening our presence in Trinidad in the near future to serve a larger portion of the southern Caribbean and perhaps beyond.”

Both Caribbean Star and Caribbean Sun offer daily service to and from Trinidad. Caribbean Star also offers daily flights between Port-of-Spain and Tobago. Caribbean Star inaugurated service to Trinidad in October 2000, while its flights to Tobago started October 2002. Caribbean Sun began flights to Trinidad in February 2006.

The airlines will use 50-seat DeHavilland Dash-8 series 300 aircraft for the new Curaçao service.

Privately held Caribbean Star Airlines Limited was incorporated in Antigua in January 2000. Its sister airline Caribbean Sun Airlines Inc., based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, launched its maiden flight in January 2003.

With a total of 19 Dash-8 aircraft, the most recent of which was commissioned into service in January 2006, the combined Caribbean Star/Caribbean Sun fleet is the largest and most modern in the Caribbean. The two airlines transport some 80 000 people each month. (CH)

Original Article