Mexicana Joins Oneworld As Its 11th Full Member

Mexican airline Mexicana has joined Oneworld as its eleventh full member, with its subsidiaries MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink becoming affiliate members of the alliance. The 3 airlines bring forth an extensive Central American network to Oneworld, extending the alliance’s reach to almost 700 destinations in nearly 150 countries.

 

As part of Oneworld, members of the MexicanaGo frequent flyer program can now earn and redeem mileage awards on any of its partner airlines, with Conquer, Discover and Explore cardholders being accorded Oneworld Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby status respectively. The 100 million members enrolled in the frequent flyer programs of the other Oneworld member airlines will also be able to earn and redeem awards, as well as receive benefits on Mexicana and its subsidiaries.

 

To commemorate the joining, Mexicana has unveiled 2 aircraft, an Airbus A320 and a Boeing 717, in a special Oneworld livery at its hub at Mexico City’s Benito Juárez International Airport as part of a rebranding and marketing campaign. The airline will also have its logo added to the alliance and its member airlines’ marketing platforms, while featuring the Oneworld emblem on its aircraft, advertising, publications and stationery.

 

Together with its affiliates, Mexicana serves 67 destinations in 14 countries using a combined fleet of 105 Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Fokker aircraft from its hubs in Mexico City, Cancun and Guadalajara. The airline joins American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian in Oneworld, which was recently voted the World’s Leading Airline Alliance at the 2009 World Travel Awards for the seventh year running.

 

For more information, visit www.mexicana.com and www.oneworld.com.

Air Astana Begins Almaty – Kuala Lumpur, Tiger Airways Resumes Singapore – Hat Yai

Air travellers in Southeast Asia now have greater options when flying beyond and within the region. Kazakh national carrier Air Astana has commenced flights from Almaty to Kuala Lumpur, while low cost carrier Tiger Airways returns to the southern Thai city of Hat Yai.

 

Air Astana Links Malaysia With Kazakhstan

Travellers now have a direct link when flying between Kuala Lumpur and Almaty. Air Astana has launched a weekly, nonstop service using a 2-class Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with 30 Business and 190 Economy Class seats.

 

The inaugural flight on 31 October 2009 was welcomed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport by Malaysia’s Minister of Transport, YB Dato’ Sri Ong Tee Keat, and officials of Malaysia Airports. Onboard the flight was the Deputy Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Committee for Civil Aviation, Talgat Lastaev, accompanied by Ibrahim Canliel, Vice-President of Marketing and Sales at Air Astana and members of the media from Kazakhstan. 

 

Flight KC 935 departs Almaty International Airport every Saturday at 0055 hrs, arriving in Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 1055 hrs. The return flight, KC 936, takes off from Kuala Lumpur at 2335 hrs, landing back in Almaty at 0625 hrs the next morning.

 

Kuala Lumpur is Air Astana’s 7th international destination in Asia and the Middle East, joining Bangkok, Beijing, Delhi, Dubai, Seoul and Urumqi. From its hubs in Almaty, Astana and Atyrau, the airline flies to 44 domestic and international destinations with a fleet of Airbus A319, A320, Boeing B757, B767 and Fokker 50 aircraft.

 

For more information, visit www.airastana.com.

 

Tiger Airways Returns To Hat Yai

Singapore-based Tiger Airways has resumed flights to Hat Yai in southern Thailand. The low cost carrier will operate 3 flights a week every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

 

Flight TR 132 departs Singapore at 1325 hrs, arriving in Hat Yai at 1350 hrs. The return flight, TR 133, takes off from Hat Yai International Airport at 1420 hrs, landing back in Changi International Airport at 1645 hrs. Tiger Airways will operate a 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft on the route.

 

The resumption of flights to Hat Yai increases the number of Thai destinations in Tiger Airways’ network to 4, including Bangkok (served triple daily), Phuket (served double daily) and Krabi (served 4 times weekly), which was also recently restarted in October 2009.

 

For more information, visit www.tigerairways.com.

Etihad To Return To Colombo In 2010

The national carrier of the UAE, Etihad Airways, has announced it will resume flights from its Abu Dhabi base to Colombo. Beginning January 2010, the airline will operate a 2-class Airbus A320 aircraft configured with 20 Pearl Business and 120 Coral Economy class seats 4 times weekly between both cities.

 

Flight EY 266 will depart Abu Dhabi International Airport at 2155 hrs on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport at 0345 hrs the next day. The return flight, EY 267, takes off from Colombo at 0445 hrs and lands back in Abu Dhabi at 0800 hrs.

 

The airline has timed the flights to allow passengers convenient connections with key destinations in its network, including Moscow, New York and Toronto. Etihad is targeting increased tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka following the end of the civil conflict, as well as the large expatriate Sri Lankan community in the UAE and the Middle East.

 

Etihad stopped flying to Colombo in September 2007, but maintained service with codeshare partner Sri Lankan Airlines. With the resumption of flights, Sri Lankan Airlines will place its ‘UL’ code on the Etihad-operated services.

 

For more information, visit www.etihadairways.com.

Air Arabia Adds New Routes From Casablanca And Sharjah

Middle Eastern low-cost carrier Air Arabia is to add 2 new destinations in Russia and Switzerland from its hubs in Sharjah and Casablanca respectively.

 

Sharjah – Samara

From 26 October 2009, Air Arabia will fly twice weekly to Samara, Russia. Situated on the banks of the Volga River, the city is among the top 10 Russian cities in terms of national income and industrial volume.

 

Flight G9 247 departs Sharjah at 0900 hrs on Mondays and Fridays, arriving in Samara at 1330 hrs. The return flight, G9 248, takes off from Samara at 1430 hrs and lands back in Sharjah International Airport at 1855 hrs in the evening. Air Arabia will operate its 162-seat Airbus A320 on the route.

 

Samara is the airline’s third destination in Eastern Europe, following services between Sharjah and Almaty, Kazakhstan and Kiev, Ukraine.

 

Casablanca – Basel

Air Arabia’s affiliate airline, Air Arabia Maroc, will also expand its network from Casablanca with the launch of flights to Basel in Switzerland from 25 October 2009. Located on the Swiss border, the city provides easy access to France and Germany, with EuroAirport serving Basel, as well as Mulhouse in France and Freiburg in Germany.

 

Flight 3O 360 departs Casablanca at 1730 hrs on Fridays and Sundays, arriving in Basel at 2135 hrs. The return flight, 3O 361, takes off from EuroAirport at 2210 hrs, landing back in Mohammed V International Airport at 0030 hrs the next morning.

 

Air Arabia Maroc will fly the route twice weekly using its 164-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline began operations in April 2009 and currently operates services from Casablanca to destinations in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey and the UK.

 

For more information, visit www.airarabia.com.

New Southeast Asian Route Updates From KLM, Silkair

Beginning in December 2009, KLM and Silkair will add new flights to Bali and Penang respectively. The new services mark KLM’s return to the Indonesian resort island, while Silkair takes over the morning flight from sister carrier Singapore Airlines.

 

3 Times Weekly Amsterdam-Singapore-Bali Flights From KLM

Following a 12-year absence, KLM resumes services to Bali in Indonesia from 6 December 2009. KLM will operate a 2-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft configured with 35 seats in World Business Class and 390 seats in Economy Class on the route.

 

Flight KL 835 departs from Amsterdam at 2100 hrs on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving in Singapore at 1620 hrs the next day before taking off at 1730 hrs for a 2010 hrs landing at Ngurah Rai International Airport. The return flight, KL 836, departs Bali at 2130 hrs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, landing in Changi International Airport at 0005 hrs the next morning before continuing back to Amsterdam at 0120 hrs where it arrives at 0800 hrs.

 

The tropical destination is popular amongst Dutch and European holidaymakers. With the new flights, KLM will operate 10 flights each week between the Netherlands and Indonesia, where it also flies to the capital Jakarta via Kuala Lumpur.

 

For more information, visit www.klm.com.

 

Silkair To Fly Triple-Daily On Singapore-Penang Route

Singapore-based regional carrier Silkair will increase flights on the Singapore-Penang route from 1 December 2009 when it takes over the daily morning service from affiliate Singapore Airlines. Rich in culture, history and heritage, Penang is one of Malaysia’s top tourist destinations with its charming colonial buildings and famous food such as the Penang laksa and char kway teow.

 

Flight MI 352 will depart Changi International Airport Terminal 2 at 0850 hrs, arriving in Penang International Airport at 0930 hrs. The aircraft returns as flight MI 351 at 1025 hrs, landing back in Singapore at 1150 hrs.

 

Passengers who have made bookings to travel between Singapore and Penang on Singapore Airlines will be re-accomodated on Silkair flights. The airline, which began flying the route in June this year, currently operates an afternoon and evening flight using a 2-class Airbus A320. Silkair also flies to Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Langkawi in Malaysia.

 

For more information, visit www.silkair.com.

Kingfisher Adds Kolkata-Bangkok Flights To International Network

India’s Kingfisher Airlines has commenced flights from Kolkata to Bangkok. The inaugural flight was flagged off by a host of dignitaries and VIPs, departing Kolkata at 1110 hrs, arriving in Suvarnabhumi International Airport at 1519 hrs.

 

Flight IT 021 takes off from Kolkata daily at 1120 hrs and arrives in Bangkok at 1515 hrs in the afternoon. The return flight, IT 022, departs the Thai capital at 1630 hrs, landing back in Kolkata at 1745 hrs. Kingfisher will fly the route with a 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft configured with its Kingfisher Class premium economy service.

 

The airline is positioning Kolkata as a transit hub for passengers travelling to and from Bangkok. The flights have been timed to allow convenient connections onto Kingfisher’s domestic flight network, including destinations such as Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati, Patna and Ranchi.

 

Bangkok is Kingfisher’s fifth international destination and its first in Southeast Asia. The Bangalore-based airline has also applied to operate flights to Bangkok from Mumbai and Delhi. Kingfisher currently flies to 70 cities across India and abroad, including Colombo, Dhaka, Dubai and London, with flights from Mumbai to Hong Kong and Singapore to commence shortly.

 

For more information, visit www.flykingfisher.com.

Middle Eastern Carriers Unveil New Routes, Schedules

Middle Eastern carriers Etihad Airways, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways have announced new routes and flight timings for their upcoming destinations, continuing a trend of expansion amidst the worldwide slowdown in air travel.

 

Etihad To Begin Abu Dhabi – Hyderabad

The national carrier of the UAE, Etihad Airways, has announced it will launch flights from its Abu Dhabi base to the Indian city of Hyderabad beginning November 2009. Initially, the airline will operate a 4 times weekly service, before increasing frequency to daily flights in 2010.

 

Flight EY 274 departs Abu Dhabi International Airport at 2200 hrs, arriving in Hyderabad at 0300 hrs the next day. On the return leg, flight EY 275 takes off from Hyderabad International Airport at 0415 hrs and lands back in Abu Dhabi at 0700 hrs.

 

Hyderabad is Etihad’s seventh destination in India, where it operates 38 flights per week from Abu Dhabi to Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode. The airline will operate a 2-class Airbus A320 aircraft configured with 20 Pearl Business and 120 Coral Economy Class seats on the route.

 

For more information, visit www.etihadairways.com.

 

Gulf Air To Link Bahrain With 3 Iraqi Cities

Bahrain’s Gulf Air will begin flights to 3 destinations within Iraq, beginning with a 5 times weekly Bahrain-Baghdad service on 1 September 2009. The airline will also begin flying to Najaf and Erbil later that month.

 

Flight GF 201 will depart Bahrain at 0945 hrs every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, arriving in Baghdad at 1130 hrs. The return flight, GF 200, takes off from Baghdad at 1245 hrs for a 1425 hrs arrival back in Bahrain. All flights will also be operated with Gulf Air’s 2-class Airbus A320 aircraft configured with 136 seats.

 

Flight schedules for the Bahrain-Najaf and Bahrain-Erbil flights will be announced at a later date. The airline first began flying to Iraq in 1976, serving the capital city Baghdad.

 

For more information, visit www.gulfair.com.

 

Qatar Airways Releases Timetable For Melbourne Route

Doha-based Qatar Airways has revealed the flight schedule for its upcoming Doha-Melbourne flights. Beginning on 6 December 2009, the airline will fly 3 times weekly between both cities using a 2-class Boeing 777-200LR with 42 Business and 217 Economy Class seats. 

 

Flight QR 030 will depart Doha at 0045 hrs on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, arriving into Melbourne at 2225 hrs. The return flight, QR 031, takes off from Melbourne Tullamarine International Airport at 2355 hrs and lands in Doha International Airport at 0625 hrs the next morning. From 1 January 2010, Qatar Airways will upgraded the flight to daily service.

 

Melbourne will be Qatar Airways’ first destination in Australia, with flights to Sydney to follow. The flight timings allow for convenient connections to and from Europe at Qatar Airways’ Doha hub, as well as the airline’s flights within its regional Middle East network.

 

For more information, visit www.qatarairways.com.

Frequency Increases From AirAsia X, Tiger Airways

Asian low cost carriers AirAsia X and Tiger Airways have announced flight frequency increases on the Kuala Lumpur-Melbourne and Singapore-Bangalore routes respectively. Responding to growing demand on the routes, AirAsia X will fly between the Malaysian capital and Melbourne 11 times a week from 1 December 2009, while Tiger Airways will operate 5 times weekly services between Singapore and Bangalore from late October 2009.

 

AirAsia X To Add 4 Weekly Flights To Melbourne

Malaysia’s AirAsia X, the long-haul affiliate of low cost carrier AirAsia, will increase the number of flights it flies every week between its Kuala Lumpur hub and the Australian city of Melbourne. The airline will add an additional 4 weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

 

Flight D7 2722 will become a daily service, with an additional departure on Sundays from Kuala Lumpur at 1320 hrs, arriving in Melbourne at 0010 hrs the next day. The red-eye flight D7 2724 will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in addition to the existing Sunday service, taking off from Kuala Lumpur at 2140 hrs and landing in Melbourne at 0830 hrs the next morning.

 

On the return leg, flight D7 2723 becomes a daily service departing Melbourne Tullamarine International Airport at 0125 hrs, arriving back in Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal at 0635 hrs in the morning. Flight D7 2725, the daytime service, will now operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, taking off from Melbourne at 1005 hrs and landing in Kuala Lumpur at 1515 hrs.

 

The new schedule will take effect from 1 December 2009 and will be operated with AirAsia X’s Airbus A330-300 jets.

 

For more information, visit www.airasia.com.

 

Tiger Airways To Introduce Saturday Service On Singapore – Bangalore Route

Beginning 25 October 2009, Singapore-based Tiger Airways will add an additional Saturday service to the Indian city of Bangalore. The frequency increase marks a 25% rise in the airline’s capacity on the route, which it has flown since June 2008. 

 

Flight TR 652 departs Singapore at 2115 hrs on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, arriving in Bangalore at 2300 hrs. The return flight, TR 653, takes off at 2350 hrs and lands back in Singapore at 0630 hrs the next day.

 

With the new flight, Tiger Airways’ travellers can now travel between both cities 5 times a week. All flights will be operated by Tiger Airways’ Airbus A320 aircraft configured with 180 seats.

 

For more information, visit www.tigerairways.com.

Qatar Airways Opens New USA Offices, To Offer Inflight Mobile Communications

Passengers flying Qatar Airways can look forward to more service enhancements from the airline. The Doha-based carrier has increased its presence in the USA with the opening of new sales offices in Washington DC, Houston and New York. Qatar Airways has also announced it is to offer mobile communications onboard flights from October 2009.

 

Grand Opening of Washington DC Office

Located at 1430 K Street NW near McPherson Square metro station, the new Washington DC office of Qatar Airways was officially opened by CEO Akbar al Baker in a ceremony attended by local VIPs and business leaders, including Qatar’s Ambassador to the USA, His Excellency Ali bin Fahad Al-Hajri.

 

The new office will provide an important access point for travellers in the city for Qatar Airways and is staffed by trained employees to assist business and leisure travellers with their travel arrangements to Doha and beyond on the airline’s network.

 

The airline will also open another 2 sales offices in the USA. Qatar Airways’ Houston office is located at 1200 Smith Street in the heart of the city, while its New York office is conveniently situated on the 22nd floor of the Trump Tower.

 

Qatar Airways currently offer daily nonstop flights from its Doha hub to Washington DC’s Dulles International Airport, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

 

Inflight Mobile Communications From October 2009

Passengers flying with Qatar Airways will soon be able to speak on their mobile phone, as well as access the internet and check emails, during their flight.

 

In a first for Middle Eastern carriers, the airline will begin offering inflight mobile phone services later this year on selected flights with the Mobile OnAir system fitted to one of its Airbus A320 aircraft. This would allow travellers to remain connected while they fly, which will be especially important for business travellers.

 

However, the service will be controlled and passengers will not be allowed to use it at all times. The crew will be able to switch off the access entirely or partially if its use disturbs other passengers or the serenity of the cabin.

 

Qatar Airways expects to retrofit the technology to its entire fleet by 2014.

 

For more information, visit www.flyqatar.com.

AirAsia Bucks Trend With New Routes, Frequency Increases

Amidst the route cuts and capacity reductions adopted by many of the world’s airlines, Malaysia’s AirAsia has bucked the trend by inaugurating new routes and increasing frequency to existing points in its network. The low cost carrier has launched Denpasar-Perth flights and will expand its Kuala Lumpur-Taipei flights to daily services.

 

AirAsia Indonesia Starts Denpasar – Perth

AirAsia Indonesia commenced flights to Perth from Bali last friday, 17 July 2009, with a daily Airbus A320 service. Reflecting the strong demand for low cost services on the route, the inaugural flights enjoyed 100% loads.

 

Flight QZ 8620 departs Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport at 0030 hrs, arriving in Perth at 0410 hrs. The return flight, QZ 8621, takes off at 0450 hrs and lands in Denpasar at 0830 hrs.

 

From 19 August 2009, AirAsia Indonesia will add a second daily flight on the route. Flight QZ 8626 departs Denpasar at 1230 hrs and arrives in Perth at 1620 hrs, before returning as flight QZ 8627 at 1710 hrs for a 2050 hrs arrival back in Bali.

 

Perth is the first Australian destination to be serviced by AirAsia Indonesia and its fourth international route operated from Bali (after Denpasar-Kuala Lumpur, Denpasar-Bangkok and Denpasar-Singapore). The city receives 21 weekly flights of the AirAsia Group, including a daily Kuala Lumpur-Perth nonstop flight operated by the group’s long haul affiliate, AirAsia X.

 

AirAsia X To Fly Kuala Lumpur – Taipei Daily From 19 October 2009

Launched in April 2009, AirAsia X’s 5 times weekly Kuala Lumpur-Taipei route will be increased to daily service from 19 October 2009 in response to increased demand.

 

The outbound flight D7 2672 will now depart Kuala Lumpur’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal at 1000 hrs (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays) and 1800 hrs (Saturdays), arriving in Taipei at 1440 hrs and 2240 hrs respectively. On the return leg, flight D7 2673 takes off from Taipei at 1555 hrs (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays) and 2355 hrs (Saturdays), landing in Kuala Lumpur at 2035 hrs and 0435 hrs on Sunday mornings.

 

The additional flights will be operated by the airline’s 2-class Airbus A330-300 aircraft configured with 383 seats, including 28 XL Class premium seats with a 60-inch seat pitch.

 

For more information, visit www.airasia.com.