Iraq, Air France-KLM sign cooperation deal

BAGHDAD (AFP) — Air France-KLM and Iraq’s transport ministry have signed a preliminary accord which will see Iraqi Airways taking off for European destinations and Baghdad’s airport being renovated, an official statement said Tuesday.

“The memorandum of understanding has three points: first, technical, which covers technically enabling Iraqi Airways to code-share flights with Air France-KLM,” said ministry spokesman Samir al-Showaili.

Air France-KLM will, secondly, assist “Iraqi Airways to enable it to fly international flights, including to Europe,” he said.

The deal also includes, thirdly, the revamp of Baghdad’s third terminal to international standards and the construction of airports in Iraq through investment companies.

Transport Minister Amer Abduljabbar Ismail told AFP that his ministry is also in discussion with German and Danish air freight groups which could provide shipping services as early as 2009. He declined to elaborate.

In the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, Iraqi Airways was hit hard by UN sanctions imposed against Iraq and its service declined rapidly.

After the US-led invasion in 2003, the airline slowly resumed flights and today the national carrier flies to the regional capitals of Amman, Beirut, Tehran, Cairo, Istanbul, Damascus and Dubai.

It also undertakes domestic flights to Basra in the south and to the Kurdish provinces in north.

Baghdad International Airport is still controlled by US forces who have a huge base at Camp Victory but as of January 1, under a new military accord governing the presence of US troops until 2011, the airport will be returned to Iraqi control.

For years, the 12 kilometre (seven mile) road from downtown Baghdad to the airport was one of the most dangerous in the capital, until the introduction of huge blast walls in early 2008 to protect against rocket and sniper fire.

source: AFP

British Airways in merger talks with Qantas

LONDON — British Airways announced today that it is in merger talks with Australia’s Qantas Airways, according to the Associated Press. The potential merger would be added to a list of airlines BA is pursuing, including a revenue-sharing deal with American Airlines and Iberia.

AP quotes BA in statement to the London Stock Exchange as saying “There is no guarantee that any transaction will be forthcoming and a further announcement will be made in due course, if appropriate.”

 

source: USA today

Hawaii blackout strands air travelers

Hundreds of travelers were making their way off the island Saturday after Friday’s blackout caused airlines to cancel or delay more than a dozen flights at Honolulu International Airport.

The delays frustrated passengers, some of whom waited in the partially lit airport for more than four hours Friday night, trying to sort out their travel status.

“It wasn’t joyous. Tempers were getting heated,” said Terry Bauman, who was connecting from Lana’i to Denver on United Flight 42, which was canceled Friday night.

After waiting for hours at the airport, Bauman and her family took a taxi to Waikiki where they had to search for a hotel with a vacancy and the ability to register new guests. They found a room and yesterday morning caught a cab back to the airport to take their rescheduled flight. “It was busy and quite chaotic,” said Elliot Bauman, Terry’s 17-year-old son.

United Airlines canceled five flights — two to Los Angeles, two to San Francisco and one to Denver Friday night.

Hawaiian Airlines canceled 10 interisland flights out of a total of 170 interisland daily flights Friday. Some Hawaiian Airlines flights were delayed, the longest for 25 minutes, according to airline officials.

Several other airlines delayed flights.

Backup generators at the airport kicked in shortly after the power went out and runway lights and the traffic control tower were up, allowing 10 flights to land and another 10 to take off, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Full power was restored to the airport at 4:30 a.m. local time on Saturday.

Airline employees found creative ways to get around the loss of power. Hawaiian Airlines checked in customers by calling their offices on Neighbor Islands and in Los Angeles where personnel used their computer terminals.

“We didn’t want anybody sleeping at the terminals and we achieved that,” said Blaine Miyasato, vice president of customer service for Hawaiian Airlines. “It was a little slow, a little tedious, a little old-fashioned but we got it done.”

At 7 a.m. local time on Saturday, long lines snaked out of the United Airlines area of the terminal as travelers waited to board the re-scheduled flights. A United employee said all canceled flights were rescheduled and that the airline was working with travelers to compensate them for lost time.

Unlike the blackout after Hawaii’s October earthquake of 2006, the process of manually screening, boarding and deplaning passengers moved smoothly despite the darkness.

“We had already gone through a scenario like this once before, and we learned a lot. Everyone knew what was going on and what was available and we were able to start sending flights out,” said Brennon Morioka, director of the state Department of Transportation. “Everything moved as smoothly as it could have. The process we had in place worked effectively.”

During the Oct. 15, 2006, earthquake, the state’s backup power system covered only essential operating systems like runway lights, emergency exit signs in the terminal, the emergency operations center and traffic control systems.

Auxiliary generators were operating Friday and provided some electricity to security screening checkpoints, air conditioning, baggage handling and bathrooms.

None of those were working during the blackout in October 2006, delaying thousands of passengers.

Lindy Bess and her husband, Henry, a professor and former dean of the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii, spent $130 on taxis to and from their Hawaii Kai home after United Flight 42 to Denver was canceled.

The couple were on their way visit their youngest daughter and grandchildren in Colorado.

“We left home this morning and we still didn’t have power,” Lindy Bess said. “We’ve lived here for 41 years and it never happened before. But we were lucky, we talked to nice people and there are worse things (that could happen) for sure.

“I thought it was handled beautifully.”

Some passengers connecting through Honolulu to foreign destinations were stuck in Honolulu yesterday because delays caused them to miss connections.

Kumiko Nishiyama, a 28-year-old law clerk from Tokyo, said her United Airlines flight Friday night was canceled, triggering a chain reaction of missed connections that caused her to miss a flight from New York City to Bogota, Colombia.

“Now I’m stuck here. They said because of the power outage I can’t check in,” Nishiyama said. “I’m basically screwed.”

source: www.usatoday.com

British Airways New Year Sale

Fly to New York for as low as £259 in the British Airways New Year sale that started on Tuesday, December 23.

Over 75 destinations are included in the sale with the USA high on the list with Boston, Philadelphia and Washington from £279. Los Angeles and San Francisco are on sale from £339 and Chicago is available from £289.

Other great savings include Delhi from £359  and Mumbai from £329.

The Middle East is also on offer with Dubai starting from £299, Abu Dhabi from £329, Muscat from £339, Riyadh from £369 and Jeddah from £329.

Caribbean islands Antigua, Barbados and St Lucia start from £479.

Singapore and Bangkok are on sale from £589 each  and Sydney is available from £699.

Shorthaul destinations include Dubrovnik from £59 one-way, Thessaloniki from £65 one-way and Helsinki and Istanbul from £79 one-way. Berlin and Rome are on offer from £55 one-way .

 

source: THE FINANCIAL

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic cut fares

UK airlines have come out swinging this Christmas, slashing in an attempt to lure customers into booking up their summer holidays despite the looming recession.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic both announced bigfare cuts in their “January sales” promotions yesterday, sending prices spiralling down to almost 20 year lows.

Airlines hope to entice cash-strapped families considering cutting back on foreign trips next year as the economic conditions worsen, and reverse the trend of already falling passenger numbers. The discounts were made possible by the fall in the price of oil, which is down to $40 a barrel after almost touching $150 a barrel earlier this year.

The fare battle saw BA, which announced its worldwide sale yesterday, reduce the cost of flights to over 75 destinations providing customers book by January 27.

A return to New York between January and March will cost £259, while a trip to Hong Kong and back will cost £429 trip. A spokesman for the airline said prices were always under review, but added that the cuts were part of its traditional sales.

Virgin also announced it had lowered fares, some of which now undercut its rival by just a few pounds. Virgin’s return fare to Hong Kong is £425, while travellers can get to New York and back for £258.

A spokesman for Virgin said: “If you take out the taxes and charges the fares are coming down to the levels of the 1980s. It’s partly the oil price and partly to stimulate passenger numbers.”

The reductions comes against a tough backdrop for the industry. The Association of European Airlines reported that traffic in November dropped 4.7 per cent on the previous year. “A negative figure of this magnitude has not been seen since the Gulf War in early 2003, and is unprecedented for periods unaffected by external shocks,” it said.

SAA and TAP Portugal sign codeshare agreement

South African Airways (SAA) and TAP Portugal, both members of the international airline network Star Alliance, have signed a codeshare agreement which establishes broad commercial cooperation between the two airlines.

The agreement includes a codeshare on the route from Lisbon to Johannesburg, which is operated by TAP, and to other cities within South Africa operated by SAA, such as Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London. Cities in Portugal included in the agreement are Funchal, Faro and Porto.

The partnership is due to start in January 2009, subject to government approval. It will allow improved and expanded connectivity between the route networks of the two airlines, with significant benefits to be offered to the passengers.

Through this agreement, TAP will be able to place its code on SAA flights operating between Johannesburg and other domestic cities within South Africa, thus offering additional service to its customers.

In an effort to meet the highest expectations of passengers, both TAP and SAA will keep pursuing the enhancement of their network as a top priority. This is reflected in the joint operation which reinforces the travel options available to customers between Portugal and South Africa.

“Adding TAP as a code share partner adds even further to the options available to our customers wishing to explore Portugal, a very popular destination for South Africans,” says Jason Krause, SAA Head of Business Development.

“South African Airways is a very valuable Star Alliance partner and adding this new code-share agreement to our bilateral partnership will provide considerable added value, both in connectivity and convenience to our passengers, through a wider range of services and destinations” said Jose Guedes Dias, VP Alliances & External Relations TAP.

“We are looking forward to working even more closely together with SAA and reinforcing our partnership, to allow further travel benefits and seamless access to new cities in Africa.”

TAP and SAA have code share arrangements with a wide range of international airlines. The latest addition allows SAA’s and TAP’s international passengers further seamless access to numerous destinations in Portugal and in South Africa, from Johannesburg and Lisbon, respectively.

SAA will place its flight code, SA, on flights operated by TAP Portugal, bringing the Portuguese capital effectively into its network. Through this agreement, both SAA and TAP will also place their codes on the respective domestic flights operating to other cities within Portugal and South Africa.

SAA customers will have the convenience of booking onward flights to Lisbon, Faro, Funchal and Porto from South Africa with a simplified itinerary using the SA flight code. In the case of TAP customers, the same will apply to Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth.

 

source: The Financial

South African Airways set to launch route to Buenos Aires

South African Airways (SAA) will launch a new route to Buenos Aires next year as part of a broader growth strategy, the airline announced. The new flights on the route between Johannesburg and Buenos Aires in Argentina will begin on April 8, 2009 and will initially take place twice a week. An Airbus A340-200 will be used, with the flights departing on Wednesday and Sunday at 09:50 from Johannesburg to arrive in Buenos Aires at 16:30. Flights will depart the same day from Buenos Aires at 18:30 to arrive the following morning at 08:55 at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg. SAA will add a third service on Fridays from July 2009 onwards. Passengers started booking tickets for flights to Buenos Aires since November 28, 2008.
The route to Buenos Aires will complement SAA’s existing daily South American service to Sao Paulo in Brazil and will feed the airline’s flights from Johannesburg to destinations in Africa, as well as to Asia and Australia.
“From Johannesburg, travelers can fly conveniently with SAA to destinations within South Africa such as Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and East London, as well as to 19 destinations in Africa. SAA offers travelers safety, reliability, punctuality and good service which are the key requirements of our customers,” SAA said in a statement.
Adding a second destination in South America strengthens the airline’s position as the preferred carrier between South America and Asia. “We are positive that by adding more seats in the market we will meet the strong demand from both continents wishing to benefit from our shorter flying times and superior service via the South Atlantic route,” SAA chief executive Khaya Ngqula said. “Buenos Aires is an excellent market for SAA, offering good connectivity throughout the southern half of South America, adding to our well established and very popular destination in Sao Paulo with its excellent connections to key cities in the northern part of South America and Central America,” Ngqula added.
Meanwhiile, SAA has experienced strong demand on its Sao Paulo route, which is currently the airline’s only South American destination. The Buenos Aires route will build on the success of this route, allowing SAA to facilitate southern hemisphere traffic flows. Negotiations are also under way with airlines Lan Chile and Aeromexico about future cooperation. The Buenos Aires route expansion is in line with SAA’s vision of being an African airline with global reach. It will be SAA’s first route launch following the airline’s deep and fundamental restructuring plan.
“SAA’s restructuring strategy is still under way, and will officially end in March 2009, but it has worked extremely well for the organization by reducing costs and growing revenue. A total of R1-billion costs was removed and revenue grew 9 percent to South African Rand22.26billion in 2007/08, with revenue growth expected to again exceed the target set for the current financial year.
“We are now at the point where we can think about growth in order to position SAA for the future. The growth plans are currently being finalized for implementation in the new financial year ie April 2009. These plans will build on the gains we have made under restructuring rather than setting SAA on a new strategic course,” Ngqula said.
SAA is the African continent’s biggest international carrier, with a fleet of over 60 aircraft. From its hub in Johannesburg, South Africa, the carrier serves on routes to destinations in all the five continents.

source: www.traveldailynews.com

Delta adding flights to Australia, Brazil

Delta Air Lines Inc. said Thursday it will add international routes from Los Angeles supported by a recent partnership with Alaska Air Group.

In July 2009 from Los Angeles International Airport, Delta (NYSE: DAL) will launch its first-ever daily nonstop service between Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia. With the addition of Sydney, Delta will become the only U.S. airline to fly to six continents. It also will add three-times weekly service between Los Angeles and Sao Paulo, Brazil beginning May 21.

Delta said the agreement will make Sydney, Sao Paulo, and existing flights to Latin America, Tokyo-Narita, Seoul-Inchon, Guangzhou, Amsterdam, Paris-Charles De Gaulle and other U.S. destinations more accessible to travelers from points throughout the West Coast through connections with Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air.

Beginning in March, Delta also will increase nonstop service between Los Angeles and New York-JFK from seven to eight daily flights to improve connections for New York and Northeast customers on long-haul international flights via Los Angeles.

Delta said customers in the Southeast will benefit from same-plane service between Atlanta and Sydney via Los Angeles.

source: Atlanta Business Chronicle

EU clears KLM’s planned purchase of Martinair

Brussels - Air France unit KLM won permission from EU competition regulators on Wednesday to buy airline Martinair Holland. “I was very conscious of the need to safeguard the interests of consumers flying to long-haul holiday destinations,” EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement.

“After a thorough investigation, I am now satisfied that consumers will continue to have a competitive choice of airline services after the acquisition of Martinair by KLM“. The European Commission had opened an in-depth investigation in September because of concerns regarding the deal’s potential impact on transport in particular between Amsterdam and Curacao and Aruba in the Dutch Antilles.

However, it said the investigation, which included a consumer survey at Amsterdam airport, showed that the transaction would have only a limited market impact. KLM owns 50 percent of Martinair — an operator of charter flights and freight services — and is seeking to buy the other 50 percent from sea and land transport company Maersk

source: Reuters ( http://www.reuters.com/ )

British Airways cutting fuel surcharge

LONDON (AP) — British Airways is cutting its fuel surcharges because of the falling price of oil, the company said Wednesday.

The reduction applies on tickets purchased beginning Thursday, and the company is not offering refunds to customers who booked flights earlier at the higher price.

The airline is reducing the charge on world traveler class flights of nine hours or longer from 96 pounds ($147) to 66 pounds. For first class and club class passengers on those long-haul flights, the surcharge will be reduced 30 pounds to 85 pounds.

Surcharges on domestic and European flights are being cut by 25 percent, the airline said.

source: The Associated Press

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