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.

Republic Airways Flight Service Pilots Threatened Strike

Republic Airways airline based in Indianapolis, is the parent airline that has a Chautauqua Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America. Reportedly, Republic Airways airline service is threatened by strike pilots, because the pilot labor contract has expired.

Pilots who work for Indianapolis-based Republic Airways could go on strike soon, grounding thousands of flights.

The pilots union told 6News on Wednesday that there are three major issues in negotiations over a contract that ended four years ago.

Pilots said they want to protect their jobs from outsourcing, secure competitive pay and annual raises and get a change in scheduling.

Currently, pilots are only paid for the time they’re flying, not the hours they could be on a layover awaiting their next flight.

“I don’t want to see us go on strike. We understand if we do that we won’t receive a paycheck, and we have families to support as well and we also don’t want to hurt the company,” said Patrick Gannon, of the pilot’s union. “We want the company to be successful. We understand the more successful the company is, the more successful we are as a whole. We understand that. All we’re asking for is a fair contract.”

There is no set time for when pilots might strike. It depends on a federal mediator giving the OK, which could happen as early as next month.

Peter Kowalchuk, director of corporate communications for Republic, said Thursday that progress is being made in labor negotiations and that any potential strike wouldn’t affect holiday travel.

“Regardless of the strike vote, there’s a 30-day cooling off period, and even if they vote to strike, that wouldn’t happen until after the holidays,” Kowalchuk said.

Republic pilots fly a lot of connector flights for the major airlines, including those from Delta and United.

Qatar Airways to Launch New International Flight From Doha to Benghazi

Qatar Airways announced new international flight to Benghazi, the newest route will take the number of destination launches by the airline to 15 during 2011, the airline said in a statement.

It said Benghazi was a destination which is underserved and will benefit from new international flights.

Benghazi, Libya’s north eastern Mediterranean port city and major economic centre, is a key destination for trade and exports.

Many industries including oil refining, food processing, cement production and tuna fishing, reside in the surrounding region of Cyrenaica, of which Benghazi is the capital, the carrier said.

Qatar Airways initially operated services to the capital Tripoli eight years ago. Flights are currently suspended due to the political situation, but are expected to resume soon, it added.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said: “Almost a year ago in Nice, I spoke about the possibility of expanding our Libyan operations, and I am delighted that we are now, within this short of a period, set to start flights to Benghazi, another key city in the country.

“We identified Benghazi as an underserved, primarily business destination, and now have the opportunity to bring this city into our fold.”

Benghazi will be the airline’s 13th route of the year, and precedes two other new route launches – Entebbe and Chongqing – starting on November 2 and November 28, respectively.

Etihad Airways announced last week that it would soon begin flights to Tripoli once it has been given security clearance.

The Libyan capital will become the fifth North African destination for the carrier, the Abu Dhabi carrier said in a statement.

James Hogan, CEO, said the airline was planning three flights a week to Tripoli as soon as the NATO no-fly zone is lifted and the airport is declared safe.

Lufthansa Airlines Expand Non-stop Flight to Tokyo

Lufthansa continues to expand successfully and will soon also start offering long-haul flights to Asia from Dusseldorf. As of summer 2012, Lufthansa will be offering its passengers the first non-stop flight from North Rhine-Westphalia to the Japanese capital of Tokyo. The new route will be launched on 1 June 2012 and shall be offered six times per week with an Airbus A 340-300. The launch represents the next step as the airline continues to consistently expand the offer at its Dusseldorf hub.

“Following the introduction of intercontinental routes to the major North American cities of New York, Chicago, Miami and Toronto, we are now expanding our offer towards Asia with a direct flight to Tokyo,” commented Oliver Wagner, Senior Vice President Direct Services at Deutsche Lufthansa. “As one of the most important economic nations, Japan is of major significance to Lufthansa and at the same time, Dusseldorf’s central location in Europe’s most important conurbation makes its “Japan’s capital on the Rhine”. In addition, the integration of Tokyo will help to develop and strengthen our route network at Lufthansa’s Dusseldorf hub and will offer passengers attractive connecting flights to over 50 direct destinations in Germany and Europe.”

“A direct connection between Dusseldorf and Tokyo is the culmination of the many years of hard work that we have invested in consolidating and expanding Dusseldorf as a hub of Japanese trade and industry. It has been a long-standing wish of the Japanese community and the city itself to have a direct flight to Japan. The economic power of our region, our business relations with Japan and the many Japanese companies here, make such a connection more than worthwhile. Lufthansa has now brought Dusseldorf and Japan even closer together,” commented Dirk Elbers, Lord Mayor of Dusseldorf, the State capital of North-Rhine Westphalia.

“The new Tokyo route again shows what an important role Dusseldorf Airport plays in making North-Rhine Westphalia internationally accessible,” said Christoph Blume, Spokesperson of the Airport Management. Blume went on to add: “We are very pleased to be able to offer yet another attractive long-haul route from the Dusseldorf hub in cooperation with our partner Lufthansa. The launch of this route represents a further milestone within the framework of our strategy to establish interesting intercontinental offers, and one from which the economy and tourism shall also greatly benefit.” Dusseldorf Airport is already offering about 90 weekly departures for long-haul routes this winter.

The new connection between Dusseldorf and Tokyo will see Lufthansa open yet another chapter of its 50-year partnership with the Asian country. The first scheduled Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Tokyo already took off in 1961. From 1968 until the 1980s, with a few interruptions, Lufthansa flew from Dusseldorf to Tokyo with a technical stop in Anchorage/USA. Together with SWISS and Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa now offers 80 connections per week between Japan and Europe, making Lufthansa one of the leading European airlines in Japan.

The Dusseldorf region is the number one Japanese hub in Germany — with over 500 Japanese companies located in the region. A quarter of all Japanese citizens in living in Germany live in the North Rhine-Westphalian capital, making it the third largest Japanese community in Europe, behind London and Paris. In May 2011, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and its capital Dusseldorf celebrated the 150-year anniversary of their trade relations with Japan. The highlight of the ‘Japanese Year’ will be the 10th edition of the ‘Japan Day’ in Dusseldorf on 15 October 2011. The ‘Japan Day’ is a German-Japanese cultural festival of encounter and one of the most popular events in North Rhine-Westphalia’s capital.

The return flight from Dusseldorf to Tokyo and back will be available from 849 euros. The price applies for Economy Class tickets booked online at www.lufthansa.com and includes all taxes, fees and the Lufthansa Ticket Service Charge. Miles & More passengers can collect up to 37.600 miles on these flights — depending on booking class and status. Information on the new direct connection and bookings are available online, through the Lufthansa Call Center at 01805 805 805 (EUR0.14 per minute), at Lufthansa travel agency partners and at the Lufthansa ticket desks in the airports.

Air France-KLM Plans Increase Promotion Flight to Darwin as Supporting Darwin International Gateway

Tourism Minister Malarndirri McCarthy met with executives from Air France-KLM in Darwin this week to increase the promotion of the Northern Territory in key European markets.

Air France-KLM’s Australia country manager Tom Reeves and NT account manager Steve Jacobsen were provided a detailed briefing on the investment activity and major projects powering the Territory economy.

Minister McCarthy said the majority of the Territory’s international visitors come from Europe.

“Air France-KLM is one of the largest global airline groups in the world, offering full service connections from their super-hubs in Paris and Amsterdam to Darwin via Singapore, Bali, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila with Jetstar,” Minister McCarthy said.

“Air France has now enabled our European visitors to book their flights from Europe to Darwin on the Air France website. Through their interline arrangements with Jetstar, customers enjoy the convenience of seamless baggage transfers, where their baggage is booked through to Darwin on check in.

“The Territory Government is also exploring more ways to promote the NT as the gateway to Australia to Air France and KLM’s significant customer base.”

Minsiter McCarthy said that improving air access and growing Darwin as an international aviation hub is part of the Government’s Territory 2030 strategy.

The meeting with Air France-KLM follows the Minister’s recent discussions with China Southern Airlines in Guangzhou regarding future direct flights from China to Darwin.

“Our strategy is to position Darwin as a significant hub for airline activity in the region. Forging strong relationships with airlines like Air France and KLM is really important for providing connecting traffic onto our direct flights into the Territory,” she said.

“Air France-KLM also has arrangements with China Southern Airlines and we are interested in how we could work with both these airlines to secure those new flights and even more options for travellers to and from the Territory.”

Air France-KLM extended an invitation to Minister McCarthy to visit their European headquarters to continue discussions.

Chandigarh Airport Soon Come on International Aviation

Chandigarh Airport gets Customs clearance, to get immigration nod soon.
From next month, Chandigarh may soon come on the international aviation map after getting the long-awaited Customs clearance from the Union government. The Centre is also expected to provide immigration clearance soon.

The Punjab government and the airport director received the copy of the notification issued by the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) on August 19 giving the go-ahead for the Customs facility to be set up at the Chandigarh Airport. Around 1,500 square feet of space has been provided to Customs officials.

An officer of the rank of assistant commissioner of customs along with his team will be on duty at the airport. The clearance for immigration facility is expected within a fortnight, sources said.

“The x-ray machines to screen the baggage have already been set up at the airport and now the work is on to set up a computer system for immigration. Around 30 Punjab police personnel have been trained at the Amritsar International Airport for immigration duties and these personnel will now be sent on deputation to Chandigarh Administration so that they can be posted at the Chandigarh Airport for immigration duties,’’ said an official.

According to an Airport Authority of India survey, it is estimated that by 2013 the Chandigarh Airport will see around 15 lakh passengers. At present the passenger traffic is 6 lakh. Three years ago the passenger traffic was 1.5 lakh. It is estimated that this year it will reach 8 lakh passengers.

Sources said Air Arabia has applied to the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) to start a flight from Chandigarh to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. The airline operates from various cities in the country.

Fly Dubai, a low-cost airline of Emirates Airlines, had got clearance from the Union government to fly from Chandigarh to Dubai, but could not fly as the customs and immigration clearance had not come then. Other major airlines are also expected to commence operations soon.

“Besides passenger traffic from the region, the other major reason is that the fuel cost will be less. In Delhi, the Value Added Tax is 12 per cent, here it is only 4 per cent. The parking charges are also less than Delhi.” said an officer.

A special customs counter was set up at the Chandigarh Airport during the Cricket World Cup semi final match between India and Pakistan as the Pakistan prime minister along with a delegation had flown directly from Islamabad to Chandigarh.

easyJet to increase flights to Netherlands as New Partnership Low-cost Airline With NBTC

easyJet has revealed that it is to increase the number of flights it operates to the Netherlands in a new tourism drive.

The announcement is part of a new partnership between the low-cost airline and the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions (NBTC) “going Dutch” to market city breaks.

The three-year deal is part of easyJet’s strategy to build up marketing partnerships with tourist authorities across Europe. The airline currently operates flights to Amsterdam from Belfast, Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and Manchester airports.

The airline has been flying to Amsterdam since 1996 and is forecasted to fly 3.1 million passengers to and from the Netherlands this year.

“easyJet is already a major force in tourism and commerce within the Netherlands. We have been flying to Amsterdam since 1996 and have carried a total of 23 million passengers to and from the city over that time,” said Paul Simmons, easyJet’s UK Director.

“Working closely in partnership with the NBTC will only help to strengthen our commitment to making travel easy and affordable for passengers travelling to Holland from all over Europe and boost tourism to the country.”

In spring 2012 the airline will also be adding flights to Amsterdam from Glasgow, and their “new” airport – London Southend.

easyJet has announced plans to fly 70 flights per week from the Essex airport from 2 April 2012. Apart from Amsterdam, the list of destinations includes Alicante, Barcelona, Belfast, Faro, Ibiza, Malaga and Mallorca.

easyJet claims that more than 300 million Europeans live within one hour’s drive of an easyJet airport, more than any other airline.

Qantas Airways Plans Expand Flight Service to Asia

Qantas Airways Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce switched the airline’s focus to Asia with plans to start two new carriers, betting on the region’s growing prosperity to end losses at international operations.

Australia’s largest airline will form a Japanese budget carrier and an Asia-based full-service unit, while handing some Europe services to British Airways, it said in a statement today. Qantas will also order as many as 110 Airbus SAS A320s, including 78 of the revamped neo version, it said.

The Sydney-based carrier will cut 1,000 jobs and delay the delivery of six Airbus A380 jets under its plan to reverse A$200 million ($209 million) in annual overseas losses. Qantas intends to pare its reliance on the Australia-Europe route after losing market share to Emirates Airline and because of rising demand in Asia.

“The growth is going to come from Asia,” said Nachiket Moghe, an analyst with Morningstar Inc. in Auckland. “The passenger numbers from there continue to grow strongly and airlines need to position themselves for that.”

Qantas fell 0.3 percent to A$1.525 at the 4:10 p.m. market close in Sydney, after earlier gaining as much as 4.9 percent. The stock has fallen 40 percent this year compared with a 10 percent drop in Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index.

The airline’s budget unit Jetstar will form a low-cost carrier in Japan with Japan Airlines Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. Jetstar Japan plans to start domestic flights from Tokyo’s Narita and Osaka’s Kansai airports by the end of 2012 with a fleet of Airbus A320 jets. It will operate 24 planes within its “first few years,” Qantas said. Jetstar already has ventures in Singapore and Vietnam.

Singapore, Kuala Lumpur

Qantas hasn’t decided where to base the new Asian carrier, which will have a different brand, Joyce told reporters in Sydney today. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are potential hubs for the venture, in which Qantas will likely have a large minority stake, he said.

“As a nation we used to fly over or via Asia, on our way to Europe,” Joyce said. “Now, we fly to Asia, both for business and relaxation.”

The Asia-Pacific region will be the most profitable aviation market this year, helped by economic growth in countries like China and India, the International Air Transport Association forecast in June.

On European routes, Qantas will scrap services via Bangkok and Hong Kong. Instead, it will focus on flights via its Singapore hub using A380s. British Airways will take travelers from Bangkok and Hong Kong to London and lease some slots at Heathrow from Qantas.

Qantas will offer voluntary redundancy packages as it cuts jobs, Joyce said. A cabin-crew buyout announced in June attracted about 400 workers.

‘Intend to Fight’

Qantas’ long-haul pilots union and a labor group representing check-in, clerical and information-technology staff criticized the plans for the cuts and the new carriers.

“We intend to fight this,” the Australian Services Union, the largest employee grouping at Qantas, said in an e-mailed statement today. “The ASU believes significant numbers of its members will ultimately be affected by this announcement.”

Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said the job losses were “regrettable.” He said he plans to enforce rules governing Qantas, such as requirements for a majority Australian ownership, a main operation base within the country and a board two-thirds comprised of local citizens.

Restructuring Costs

The restructuring will cost at least A$350 million, Chief Financial Officer Gareth Evans told reporters in Sydney today.

The company’s forecast for pretax earnings between A$500 million and A$550 million in the 12 months ended June is unchanged, it said. Qantas reports audited earnings on Aug. 24.

Qantas will delay six on-order A380s by at least five years, with deliveries only starting in the year beginning June 1, 2018 at the earliest. The airline will have 12 of the double- decker planes by the end of 2011. Two more will be handed over before June 2018. The airline will also upgrade nine Boeing Co. 747-400s by the end of next year.

On Americas routes, Qantas will switch its South American flights to Santiago from Buenos Aires to boost cooperation with Oneworld partner LAN Airlines SA. The Australian carrier also intends to develop its partnership with AMR Corp.’s American in the U.S.

“We cannot fly our own aircraft to every port, but we will get our passengers wherever they want to go,” Joyce said.

Air Asia and All Nippon Airways Joining Forces to Budget Flight Service in Japan

All Nippon Airways and South-East Asia’s largest budget carrier, AirAsia, are joining forces to establish a low-cost airline.

AirAsia Japan will be the first low-cost carrier to be based at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport when it begins domestic and international operations next year, the companies said.

They are planning to begin services by August 2012, which means you’ll soon be able to secure cheap flights around Japan and as far afield as South Korea and Taiwan.

All Nippon Airways will hold a 67 percent stake in the AirAsia Japan venture in terms of voting rights, with AirAsia holding the remainder.

They cited Japan’s aviation market as “undergoing rapid transformation with developments including the expansion of Open Skies agreements and increased domestic competition from road and rail-based travel”.

AirAsia Japan will serve the Japanese domestic market from Narita airport as well as South Korea and Taiwan.

Narita, a major international hub is also seeking to increase capacity with the introduction of a new terminal and is expected to attract many low-cost carriers and foreign airlines, amid expectations of increasing competition in Japanese airspace.

Japan’s existing cheaper domestic carriers such as Skymark and Air Do have been unable to offer the kind of heavily discounted fares associated with budget airlines in the United States and Europe due to higher operating costs.

AirAsia has other similar joint ventures in South-East Asia – in Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand – while its long-haul airline AirAsia X flies to Tokyo’s Haneda airport.

“AirAsia Japan will not only boost economic growth between ASEAN and East Asia by providing better access to markets around the region, but also enhance links within travel, trade and tourism,” AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes said.

U.S. Airlines Increase Airfare as Lower Federal Taxes on Airline Tickets

The most U.S. airlines had raised fares to reap the benefit of lower federal taxes on airline tickets. A few airlines that were passing the savings on to consumers changed their minds.

Several federal taxes on airline tickets expired over the weekend after Congress failed to pass legislation to keep the Federal Aviation Administration running at full speed.

Raising the fares allows the airlines to charge the consumer the same amount as before, while pocketing money previously collected for the government.

It could turn into a windfall for airlines if the stalemate in Congress drags on. The government estimates that the expiring taxes total $200 million a week. And with jet fuel prices much higher than last year, airlines can use the cash.

As of midday Monday, nearly all large U.S. airlines had raised prices, but fare watchers said Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Spirit Airlines had not. The CEO of Spirit, a small, low-fare outfit that accounts for less than 1 percent of the market, said the industry looked bad.

“The taxes that Spirit and all the other airlines collect don’t belong to us,” Ben Baldanza said. “It’s the taxpayers’ money. It was never Spirit’s money. It would be a grab to take that money.”

Some travel experts called the fare increases a public-relations mistake.

“One of the major airlines could have said, ‘Hey, at least for a week we’re going to give this money back to the consumers,’” said Rick Seaney, who tracks prices as CEO of FareCompare.com. “I’m surprised no one made promotional hay over this.”

Airlines collect various federal fees, including a 7.5 percent tax on all tickets that expired at midnight Friday night. Once the taxes expired, airlines began raising fares by an equal amount. On some tickets, the expired taxes can top 10 percent of the price.

A spokeswoman for the Air Transport Association, a trade group for major U.S. airlines, said consumers will benefit if the tax savings increase airline profits.

“This short-term additional revenue for airlines, which does not mean a fare increase for consumers, benefits all stakeholders — customers, employees and investors — by temporarily improving tiny industry margins to better cover costs and enable airlines to invest in their product and service,” the spokeswoman, Jean Medina, said in an email.

US Airways and American Airlines were the first to raise fares. They were joined quickly by United, Continental, Delta, Southwest, AirTran, JetBlue and Frontier.

Virgin America, which at first bragged about passing the savings on to consumers, changed its mind by Monday. Spokeswoman Abby Lunardini said it was due to “the dynamic nature of fares,” and said lower prices remained on some flights.

Airlines often adjust fares to match competitors, even down to specific routes. For example, Virgin kept lower fares in Seattle, where it competes with Alaska Airlines, which had not raised fares.

George Hobica, founder of travel website airfarewatchdog.com, said stores don’t raise prices during sales-tax holidays, and neither should airlines.

“It seems predatory,” he said. “I realize the airlines have to make money, but this is kind of a cheap shot. It’s tone-deaf.”