Sabre to show ancillary services from 60 airlines globally

Sabre Travel Network unveiled the global rollout of Air Total Pricing, a product which starting Sept. 17 will enable some 57,000 GDS subscribers to view airline ancillary services — bag fees, premium seats and lounge access — from 60-65 airlines around the world.

Iron Maiden Singer and Pilot Dickinson Named Airline Marketing Director

Cathay Pacific releases combined traffic figures for August 2010

Cathay Pacific Airways today released combined Cathay Pacific and Dragonair traffic figures for August 2010 which followed the general trend of the year to date by showing increases in both the number of passengers and amount of cargo and mail carried compared to the same month in 2009. The two airlines carried a total of 2,423,444 passengers in August – up 9.7% on the same month last year. The passenger load factor was 84.4%, a rise of 0.3 percentage points, while capacity for the month, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), was up by 7.1%. For the year to date, the number of passengers carried is up 10.1% compared to an ASK rise of 1.9%.

$14 USD CHARGE FOR ESTA APPLICATION FROM 8TH SEPTEMBER 2010

From 8th September 2010, US Customs and Border Protection will be applying a charge of $14 USD dollar per application for an electronic travel authority through the ESTA system.

Cathay Pacific celebrates inauguration of new service to Moscow – its 48th online passenger destination

Cathay Pacific Airways celebrated the inauguration of its thrice-weekly service to Moscow on 1 September with a gala celebration in the city attended by 300 Hong Kong and Russia dignitaries, including government officials, aviation officials and business leaders. The gala celebration was hosted by Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Tony Tyler with the Honourable Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Ivan Polyakov, Chairman of the Russia-Hong Kong Business Association, as guests of honour. Special guests at the event included a 30-member business delegation from Hong Kong led by Mr Tsang.

Justice Department clears United, Continental merger for takeoff

THE VIRGIN TRAVEL EXPERIENCE HAS NOW BECOME MORE REWARDING

Struggling Mexicana airline halting all operations

787 delays affect Boeing, airlines and passengers

Lufthansa’s summer boost for Edinburgh services

Lufthansa is boosting services from Edinburgh this summer with the introduction of a new service to Düsseldorf and the reinstatement of a second daily service to Frankfurt The new six times a week service (daily except Saturday) to Düsseldorf will start on 26th April offering up to 70 seats in a two class configuration. Meanwhile, Lufthansa has also confirmed the reintroduction of the teatime service from Edinburgh to Frankfurt. Announcing the boost to the Edinburgh services, Marianne Sammann, Lufthansa General Manager UK and Ireland, said “This reaffirms Lufthansa’s commitment to our customers in Scotland and our belief that the recent economic issues that have particularly affected business travel are starting to subside.

U.S., Japan Travel Expands With AMR, Delta, Hawaiian Flights

U.S. and Japanese business travel may be easier after Delta Air Lines Inc., American Airlines and Hawaiian Holdings Inc. won routes to Tokyo’s Haneda airport, favored by executives flying to the capital. The U.S. Transportation Department approved four flights for the carriers yesterday while UAL Corp.’s United Airlines and Continental Airlines Inc., which announced a plan to merge this week, were denied the Haneda flights they sought.

European airlines restricted again on Saturday

Airlines have again had to cancel flights from European airports with disruptions caused by ash spewing from an Icelandic volcano. On Saturday, flights were affected in Spain, France and Portugal. Hundreds of flights had to skirt around the plume of ash which has again emerged from the Eyjafjoell volcano, causing more chaos for air traffic. European air traffic controllers have said the potential for the volcano to cause more delays is ongoing, with the ash cloud particles expanding at various altitudes. It is believed the reduction of available airspace grounded around 5,000 planes in Europe on Saturday. In Iceland some 60 people living around the volcano have evacuated the area following the fresh eruptions. The smoke plume over the volcano had risen to seven kilometres on Saturday and was bearing southeast.

Passengers injured on flight to Albany International

Two people were taken to Albany Medical Center after they were injured on a flight from Cleveland to Albany. Airport officials say the aircraft encountered severe turbulence during the flight. Albany International Airport Operations reported that Express Jet Airlines Flight #2769, operated as Continental Express, first reported the turbulence about 40 miles west of Albany International Airport. The crew notified the Air Traffic Control Tower which in turn notified the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Department to stage for the arrival of the aircraft. The aircraft, a two engine regional jet, landed at approximately 1:45 p.m. today.

Launch of new flagship service from Frankfurt to Tokyo on 11 June

It’s time to fly! Customers can now book flights on a Lufthansa A380 and will soon be able to experience the airline’s new flagship at first hand. Bookings for the intercontinental routes on which the world’s largest passenger aircraft will be operated are now being taken. The A380 will commence scheduled flights on 11 June on the Frankfurt-Tokyo route, replacing the current Boeing 747-400 service. The first Airbus A380 to be delivered to Lufthansa will depart from Frankfurt – initially on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays – for Tokyo’s Narita International Airport. The aircraft, bearing the name “Frankfurt am Main� will operate under flight number LH 710. The return flight to Frankfurt (LH 711) is scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Once Lufthansa takes delivery of its second A380, the service will then operate daily starting 4 August as planned.

Malév flying better than planned in Q1

In the first quarter of 2010 the national carrier operated better than planned in terms of passenger traffic, revenues and cost-cutting

Virgin Atlantic announces the creation of over 200 jobs through the opening of a new customer service centre

Virgin Atlantic is pleased to announce that it will be opening a new customer service operation in Swansea in September 2010. The move will create more than 200 jobs in the area over the next two years. The new customer service centre will run in conjunction with Virgin Atlantic’s existing operation in Crawley West Sussex. Julie Southern, Chief Commercial and Financial Officer, Virgin Atlantic commented;

Cathay Pacific celebrates the launch of new Milan service

Cathay Pacific Airways yesterday celebrated the upcoming launch of its new service to Milan, the commercial centre and fashion capital of Italy. When the four-times-weekly service begins on 28 March, Cathay Pacific will be the only airline operating direct flights between Hong Kong and Milan.

Thousands of BA flights canceled as crew on strike

LONDON — British Airways was scrambling Saturday to deal with the start of a three-day strike by its cabin crew that has thrown the plans of thousands of travelers into chaos. BA chartered planes from rival airlines, drafted in volunteer crew from among its other work force and rebooked some passengers on other services in a bid to keep as many passengers happy as possible. Chief Executive Willie Walsh issued a direct apology to passengers via YouTube, saying it was a "terrible day for BA."

‘Insurance’ airlines don’t tell you about

VIRGIN ATLANTIC ANNOUNCES ITS ROLE AS THE OFFICIAL AIRLINE FOR THE ENGLAND 2010 WORLD CUP SQUAD

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, has today announced it is to be the Official Airline Supplier to the England World Cup squad.