Virgin Atlantic Airways Start New Flights Route Between Vancouver to London Heathrow

Virgin Atlantic has announced a new route between Vancouver to London Heathrow. It will start in May 2012 and will continue till the end of October. It will be four-times-a-week service. The airline also added second flight to San Francisco.

Virgin Atlantic Airways yesterday announced the launch of a new seasonal route between Vancouver and London Heathrow Airport.

The new route that is expected to serve up to 40,000 travellers will be operational from May 2012 until the end of October. Virgin Atlantic will offer the flight service four times a week throughout the summer.

With London hosting the Olympic Games 2012 as well as commemorating the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne, the airline hopes that many Canadians would want to travel to the UK capital.

Reacting to the announcement, the Honourable Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia was quoted as stating, “Today’s announcement by Virgin Atlantic, of four new weekly flights between London and Vancouver, is positive news for British Columbia’s tourism industry.”

The Premier continued, “The United Kingdom is one of our key markets and also serves as a hub for other international travellers heading to our province. Virgin Atlantic is recognized around the world as a progressive airline and we look forward to welcoming their passengers to British Columbia when their service begins next summer.”

Virgin Atlantic plans to ply Airbus A340-300s on the new London-Vancouver route. The aircraft will have a configuration of 34 Upper Class suites, 35 Premium Economy seats and 171 Economy seats. The high number of economy class seats will ensure that travellers who seek cheap flights tickets will have better chances of netting them.

Flight VS95 will depart from London Heathrow (LHR) at 1:00 p.m. and will land at the Vancouver International Airport () at 3:10 p.m. Flight VS96 will take off from YVR at 7:50 p.m. and touch down at LHR the next day at 1:45 p.m. local time.

Additionally, Virgin Atlantic announced the launch of a second service between London and San Francisco. This service will be initiated from March 2012 and will run until October 2012. It will be a three times a week service (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays).

Virgin Atlantic’s Flight VS41 will leave LHR at 1:00 p.m. and arrive at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) at 4:50 p.m. local time. Flight VS42 will take off SFO at 6:50 p.m. and land at LHR the subsequent day at 1:45 p.m.

Steve Ridgway, Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Executive said, “The North American market has always been at the core of our business. Our success here has been due to our investment in product innovation and our willingness to respond to customer demand.”

“With almost 20,000 people flying from the UK to Canada each month in the peak season, the UK is the largest overseas market for passengers to British Columbia,” adds Ridgway.”

He hoped that more competition will mean better services and perhaps cheap flight tickets for the passengers.

“Greater competition to both Vancouver and San Francisco will benefit passengers through improved choice and better value for money,” he was further quoted in news reports.

As per the airline estimates, the increased flight frequency to San Francisco and Vancouver will create up to 430 jobs in aviation and tourism sectors in both cities.

Emirate Airlines Group Concerned Other International Flight Destination as Increase Passenger Number and Earning

Dubai-based Emirates continues to cause concern for other international airlines as it announces a 14 per cent increase in passenger numbers and a 52 per cent jump in profits. While other carriers are being hammered by rising fuel prices, the Middle Eastern carrier appears to be weathering the storm remarkably well.

Competitors have been accusing Emirates and its neighbouring UAE airlines of effectively being subsidised for some time now and are also worried that fleets of superjumbos based in the Gulf will draw traffic away from their hubs. Emirates currently has an order for 90 additional Airbus A380s with the European manufacturer. Airline experts are warning that once in service this fleet will force a radical restructuring of the industry.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, the airline’s chairman, admitted that the carrier’s growth was likely to upset the competition. He added that the market was there and that Emirates would continue to grab its share because it had the right product with which to do so. He went on to say that the airline intended to concentrate on Asia and the Americas.

A number of European and North American airlines have already voiced their concerns about Emirates’ rapid expansion. Germany’s Lufthansa has requested that landing slots are denied to the Dubai giant when a new airport opens in Berlin. Last year, Canada refused to grant permission for greater access to Emirates and Etihad.

Tim Clarke, Emirates’ president, has shrugged of complaints from competitors pointing out that if they used the energy they were putting into attacking his airline into running their own companies, they would probably make some money.

Emirates Airline Plans to Increase flights to Australia to 100 Flight Weekly

Dubai flag carrier Emirates Airline hopes to increases its flights to Australia to 100 a week, after seeing a 52 percent rise in profit for the year to $1.5bn.

The Arab world’s largest airline currently operates 70 flights a week to Australia but sees opportunity for further expansion, said chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum.

“We are entitled to operate about 85 flights to Australia under the bilateral, When we meet that I am sure that we try to bring it to 100,” he said.

Emirates would require permission from Australian travel authorities to increase capacity.

“I hope Australia will not mind because it is good business for both of us,” Sheikh Ahmed said.

Emirates, which saw off surging oil prices and political unrest to post a 25 percent rise in revenues for 2010 of $14.8bn, has drawn fire for its ambitious expansion plans. Rival western carriers claim Gulf airlines use unfair subsidies and state funding to finance aircraft deals and draw long-haul traffic into their hubs.

Canada’s refusal to grant new landing rights to Emirates and Etihad spiralled into a diplomatic row between the two countries last year.

In Germany, national carrier Lufthansa has lobbied its government to deny Emirate’s additional landing slots at Berlin’s new airport, while British Airways has also criticized the Dubai carrier’s expansion plans.

Emirates took delivery of eight new aircraft during the year, including seven of its flagship A380s. The airline has a further $13.4bn worth of aircraft on order and plans to increase its fleet to eventually include 120 A380s superjumbos.

Capacity between the UAE and Australia has surged over the last decade, with Emirates operating just four flights a week to Australia when it launched the route in 1996.

In February Australia’s competition watchdog cleared the way for the country’s no.2 airline Virgin Blue to tie-up with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways for five years, giving Virgin Blue a firmer footing in its plans to expand on international routes.

Emirates said it carried 31.4 million passengers in 2010 and its passenger load factor stood at 80 percent for the 12 month period.

Emirates Airlines Order More Airplane for Increase Flight Place Destination

Emirates Airlines plans to fly to more places and order more planes, ignoring claims of unfair competition from rivals, the airline’s chairman said on Tuesday.

The airline’s aggressive expansion has been criticised by European carriers who say the Dubai-based company and other Gulf carriers are effectively subsidised, provoking fears that Gulf-based superjumbos will draw traffic from their hubs.

Emirates, which is state-owned, will soon fly to “several hundred destinations” from 111 locations now, Emirates’ Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum said after the airline reported a 52-percent jump in 2010 profits.

“I’m sure this will make a lot of people unhappy but the market is there to grow. Airlines in Europe don’t want to see us there because we are giving them competition. But we get good market share because of the product,” he said.

“We have big plans. We will operate more to North and South America and also Asia,” he added.

Sheikh Ahmed indicated that Emirates would announce new aircraft orders at the Dubai Airshow in November.

Dubai has led the charge in a war of words between North American and European carriers and their Gulf rivals over subsidies, export credits and landing rights, blaming their woes on “parasitic” taxes.

“If they spend as much time running their business as they do trying to run us down they might make even more money,” Emirates president Tim Clark said last year.

The UAE failed to gain greater access for Emirates and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways in Canada last year, leading to tension between the two countries.

Meanwhile, German airline Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) has asked that Emirates be denied landing slots at Berlin’s new airport.

Emirates is the largest customer for the Airbus (EAD.PA) A380 superjumbo and has so far ordered 90 of the aircraft. It plans to increase its fleet to eventually include 120 A380s, from the 15 it currently flies.

That could turn the European aviation market upside down.

“If Emirates continue to execute as they have done they will force a restructuring of the industry simply by deploying the 90 or so A380s they have on order or in service,” Sudeep Ghai, a partner at London-based Athena Aviation, said.

“Expect other markets to start making even more protectionist noises than they have been in defence of their local carriers.”

Cathay Pacific Airline Joint Venture With Air China Cargo to Boost Cargo Carrying Capacity in Asia

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific airlines is all set to boost its cargo carrying capacity in the Asian region, including India, after creating a joint venture with the behemoth Air China Cargo company recently.

The airline is also looking forward to enhance its cargo capacity with 10 new generation Boeing 747-8 freighter aircraft to begin operations during this year. The airline currently has 25 freighters in its fleet and carries two-way cargo from big Indian airports like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and prominent foreign destinations in Asia like Dhaka, Dubai, Osaka, Singapore, Tokyo and Shanghai.

“The airline has grown to become one of the world’s top ten international air-cargo carriers. The airline is also planning to expand the service options to cater to large number of businesses and customers in the Asian and Indian region,” an airline source said.

The tie-up with the Air China Cargo Company (ACC) would help the airline move forward on this front and enhance competition in the region, they said. The airline has also launched a series of new innovative schemes to attract passengers. For fliers, who want to air-dash over the world on a free ticket for 80 days, the airline has brought a contest.

The contestants would have to video capture their imagination on how would they like to spend this quarter year of their life and put the short clip on Cathay’s Facebook page by March six.

For the winner of this contest, the airline will sponsor three-night hotel accommodation at each destination and a daily allowance of up to 2800 Hong Kong Dollars (HKD) per trip including an insurance cover.

“All that you are expected to do is upload your short video, photo or a story on Cathay Pacific’s Facebook. You could be the lucky one to travel around the world for 80 days on Cathay Pacific network, unlimited round-trip economy class tickets from Hong Kong to any destination of your choice,” an airline spokesperson said.

Contestants aged 18 years and above from India, Canada Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States can participate in the contest.

After viewing all the entries, the airline will shortlist a total of eight entrants and invite them to Hong Kong — sponsoring their airfares and accommodation — for a final panel interview and a one-day challenge in April.

Cathay’s General Manager (India, Middle East, Africa and Pakistan) Tom Wright said “we are very excited about launching this unique concept. Social network sites are an increasingly important tool through which we can engage with our customers.”

American Airlines to Launch Daily Flight From New York JFK Airport to Budapest

American Airlines is to launch a daily flight from New York JFK airport to Budapest: the first American Boeing 767-300 intercontinental aircraft is planned to land at Budapest Airport on 4 April 2011. This is part of the global flight development plan, the details of which and of the trans-Atlantic cooperation of American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia Airlines were announced in London.

American Airlines shall connect their hub in New York John F Kennedy airport to the capital of Hungary by a daily flight commencing in April 2011. As member of the One World airline association, American Airlines considers Budapest an important destination in Eastern Europe, as passengers may continue their journeys using the network of Malév, another member of One World, from here to further destinations. Reservations for the Budapest-New York flight may be made from next week on, while Malév is preparing the so-called code-share agreement also for this flight, thus its passengers can use the network of American Airlines directly and at favorable prices.

The new trans-Atlantic flights were announced in London following the decisions of both the American and the European Union competition authorities approving the trans-Atlantic business cooperation of American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia. This means a total of 91 flights a day under the flag of One World. This also means that a strong competitor will face the two other major airline associations, Sky Team (Air France/KLM, Delta, Aeroflot, CSA etc.) and Star Alliance (Lufthansa, SAS, Continental, United, Air Canada, Austrian, Swiss etc.) on their trans-Atlantic routes.

The Budapest Airport airline development team has been working hard to add new overseas flights to the routes of the Hungarian capital for more than two years. Jost Lammers, CEO of Budapest Airport welcomed the achievement after personally being involved in the negotiations and noted the contributions made to this success by the Hungarian National Tourism Organization and Malév. “The vision of just a few people in the alliance and network planning team at American Airlines lifted the profile of Budapest within their Fort Worth headquarters as being a One World hub with significant growth potential and we are delighted with their confirmation of this big step.”

Director Aviation Kam Jandu who has been working with his colleagues to realize this project since 2009 said, “Adding another long haul carrier is an achievement in itself under the present circumstances of aviation, but more than that, the appearance of a major One World carrier in Budapest further broadens the offer, and sends a strong indication to other airlines on the market that it is worth putting the Hungarian capital on their list of destinations.”

Based on their business data in the first six months of 2010, American Airlines is the fourth largest airline in the world, which, together with its American subsidiary, American Eagle, serves 250 destinations with a huge fleet of 851 aircraft. The base of the company is at Forth Worth, Texas, which is the eighth busiest airport globally (with 56 million passengers in 2009), but it also has important centers at JFK New York, Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles and Miami. Besides their inland flights in the US, American Airlines is traditionally very strong in the Caribbean and the Latin-American regions.

United Airlines and Continental Airlines to Create Largest US Carrier

A merger between UAL Corp.’s United Airlines and Continental Airlines Inc. would create the largest U.S. carrier on routes across the Atlantic and Pacific where business fliers pay some of the industry’s highest fares.

The companies together would pass Delta Air Lines Inc. for the top spot in the U.S. industry across the Atlantic, with 40 percent of the passenger traffic, and grab 53 percent of traffic across the Pacific, where United already leads, based on data compiled by Bloomberg.

UAL and Continental are holding talks on a tie-up, a person with direct knowledge of the meetings said yesterday. Broader networks help funnel in more travelers and attract corporate customers who fly between airports such as San Francisco and Tokyo’s Narita, or Newark, New Jersey, and London’s Heathrow.
Read more

British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia Near Deal for an Expanded Alliance

European antitrust regulators on Wednesday took a step toward approving an expanded alliance between British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia after the airlines offered to give up landing and takeoff slots at airports serving London and New York.

The European Commission said the three airlines, all members of the Oneworld alliance, had offered to cede slots at Heathrow, Gatwick and Kennedy Airports.
Read more

Airlines Announce Deal To Buy Greener Jet Fuel

A “core group” of 15 airlines have agreed to buy alternative aviation fuel from two producers, the Air Transport Association of America announced Tuesday.

One of the companies, Seattle-based AltAir Fuels, announced it had entered into a memorandum of understanding to negotiate the purchase of up to 750 million gallons of renewable jet fuel and diesel derived from camelina with Air Canada, American Airlines, Read more

Ghana’s Response Delta Airlines Flight Route Services

Ghana’s directive urging the Atlanta-based Delta Airline to improve its New-York-Accra service and treat passengers in a more humane manner is long overdue, but a welcome development that exemplifies how governments respond to the concerns of its citizenry.
Read more