US Airways Invites Travelers to Share Favorite Holiday Travel Memories
-For the third consecutive year, US Airways invites travelers to share their favorite holiday travel memories with the rest of the world. The winning submission will take home a $500 US Airways Gift Card to be used anywhere US Airways flies, and two runners-up will take home a $250 and $100 US Airways Gift Card. Last year, entries ranged from humorous (folks trapped in their cars by their Christmas trees tied to their roof) to poignant (family members getting together for what they knew would be their last holiday) to one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments (the late Luciano Pavarotti performing impromptu outside New York’s LaGuardia Airport.) Last year’s winner heralded from Cheltenham, Pa., and provided a heartwarming account of Christmas spirit where one pilot’s announcement made a memorable Christmas Eve for all of the children (and grownups too) on his plane.
“Not to take anything away from all of the very serious economic news all around us, this is simply an opportunity for travelers to share their positive stories about holiday travel with the rest of the world,” said Elise Eberwein, senior vice president, people and communications for US Airways. “Whether reflecting on new adventures in exotic locations or returning home and reconnecting with friends from other lifetimes, airline travel is the one constant that makes all of those things events possible.”
To enter the contest, participants can submit their digital story consisting of a photo (3 MB limit) and brief narrative by Jan. 2, 2009 to holidaycontest@usairways.com. Photos and story submissions will be judged by a panel of US Airways employees and will be based on the following criteria: 36 percent originality, 78 percent creativity and 100 percent overall holiday spirit. The most compelling holiday travel story will be announced on Jan. 5, 2009 and awarded a $500 US Airways Gift Card, valid for travel to nearly 200 US Airways destinations. Second and third place winners will also be announced on Jan. 5, 2009 and receive a $250 and $100 US Airways Gift Card respectively. More information about the contest, including rules and restrictions, is available at www.usairways.com (click on ‘Share your story & win’).
Airlines Flight to Mumbai Delay Passenger Complains
Passengers of the newly launched air service for Mumbai by Kingfisher airlines have complained of inordinate delays, sources at the Ojhar airstrip said on Wednesday.
The flight (from Nashik), which was inaugurated by Maharashtra PWD minister Chaggan Bhujbal on November 17 is getting delayed by more than two hours for the last two days, which causing a lot of inconvinience to Mumbai-bound passengers, they said.
The air service between Mumbai and Nashik through Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Ojhar airstrip, 21 kms from here is not commercially viable as such services started earlier by four air service operators were closed down following poor response from passengers, they added.
Morever, passengers have to travel from Ojhar to Nashik all the way to catch the flight and complete other procedures at the Mumbai airport before heading to their destinations, which is easy to reach through other modes of transport in less time, they added.
American Airlines Cutting 921 Flight Attendant Jobs
American Airlines is cutting 921 flight attendant jobs as it deals with a continuing downturn in passenger traffic and revenue.
American, the nation’s second-largest airline, said the cuts would take effect Oct. 1 and reduce its flight attendant ranks by 6%.
Of the 921 flight attendants whose jobs are being eliminated, 449 are taking voluntary leave or are otherwise leaving voluntarily, the AMR Corp. unit said.
An additional 244 will be put on involuntary leave for two months, while 228 employees will be furloughed — laid off but with rehiring rights, the Fort Worth-based company said.
Nearly half of the flight attendants to be furloughed are based at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Airlines Vision 2010 : Ethiopian Airlines Successfully Implementation Strategic Plan
The Ethiopian Airlines announced that its “Vision 2010” strategic plan has successfully carried out in the past five years.
Ato Tewolde Gebremariam, Chief Operating Officer of the Ethiopian Airlines SAID that the Airlines have grown three times in the last five years.
Five years ago the Ethiopian Airlines formulated a strategic plan called “Vision 2010” targeted to be a billion dollars company, Tewolde said, adding that the annual revenue even surpassed that target.
He said the annual revenue has grown to 1.3 billion USD from 390 million even surpassing the target to register one billion dollars.
The number of passengers the Ethiopian Airlines carry has grown to 3.2 from 1.2 million. He also said the number of jet airplanes reached 32 from 15, Tewolde said, adding that the destinations and departures are also raised to 59 and 420 from 46 and 180 respectively.
The Chief Operating Officer added Ethiopian Airlines has become one of the fastest growing airlines in the world.
The Ethiopian Airlines has started implementing its “Vision 2025” aiming to be transformed into “Ethiopian Aviation group”, Tewolde said, adding that by 2025 it planned to be a 10 billion dollars company.
Jetblue $10 Flight Promotion Ends; $44 One-Way Tickets Available
JetBlue’s $10 tickets promotion jammed the company’s website and earned the bargain airline lots of publicity.
The $10 promo ended yesterday but JetBlue still offers flights from $44 one-way from select airports.
Looking for a Caribbean getaway? Fly from Orlando, Florida, to tropical Nassau, Bahamas, from $44.
Here in Washington, travelers can fly from DC to Boston (or vice versa) from $54 each way. Spend a long weekend in historic Boston and beat the DC heat.
JetBlue, with its motto “Happy Jetting,” advertises itself as a budget luxury airline, offering 36 channels of DirectTV, 100 XM Radio choices and no fee for the first checked bag.
The $10 flights were only offered on U.S.-originating flights May 11 and 12 to and from select destinations. It celebrated JetBlue’s tenth anniversary. The deal expired last night at 11:59 PM.
