Star Alliance Welcomes Brussels Airlines

The Star Alliance network has welcomed its newest member at an official ceremony held at Brussels’ historic Grand Place. Zaventum-headquartered Brussels Airlines, the largest airline based in Belgium, becomes the 26th member of the grouping.

 

From its hub at Brussels Airport, the airline flies 200 daily flights to 69 destinations across Europe and Africa, offering greater connectivity for Star Alliance passengers and boosting the network’s reach to 1,077 destinations in 175 countries with more than 19,700 daily flights. An Africa specialist, Brussels Airlines also introduces 4 destinations (Bujumbura, Conakry, Kigali and Monrovia) on the continent which were previously unserved by Star Alliance.

 

With the addition of Brussels Airlines, Star Alliance passengers can now incorporate the airline’s flights into the Round the World fare, Europe Airpass and/or the Africa Airpass. Passengers will also be able to earn and redeem miles on the airline’s flights, with Brussels Airlines’ Miles & More HON Circle and Senator cardholders being awarded Star Alliance Gold status while Frequent Traveller cardholders awarded Star Alliance Silver status.

 

Brussels Airlines offers Business and Economy Class service on all of its flights. The airline operates a fleet of 51 jet aircraft, including the Airbus A319 and A330-300, Avro 80, Avro 100, Boeing 737-300 and 737-400.

 

For more information, visit www.brusselsairlines.com and www.staralliance.com.

Qatar Airways Arrives Down Under

Doha-based Qatar Airways has completed its first ever flight to Australia. The inaugural flight, QR 030, landed in Melbourne Tullamarine International Airport at 2159 hrs on Sunday, 6 December 2009, after a 13 hours 40 minutes flight from Doha.

 

Operated by the airline’s 2-class Boeing 777-200LR aircraft configured with 42 Business Class and 217 Economy Class seats, passengers of the high-profile delegation onboard the flight included Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al Baker, Australian Ambassador to the UAE and Qatar His Excellency Doug Trappett, members of the international media and senior company executives. The airline was officially welcomed to Australia by the Victorian Government Minister of Tourism and Major Events, The Honourable Tim Holding, this morning at the State Government Offices where a joint press conference was held.

 

Flight QR 030 currently operates on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, departing Doha at 0045 hrs and arriving in Melbourne at 2225 hrs. The return flight, QR 031, takes off from Tullamarine International Airport at 2355 hrs, landing back in Doha International Airport at 0625 hrs the next morning. Beginning 1 January 2010, Qatar Airways will increase frequencies from the current 3 times weekly to daily service, when it takes delivery of a fourth Boeing 777-200LR jet.

 

The arrival of yesterday’s inaugural flight completes the trio of Gulf carriers serving Melbourne from their respective hubs. Dubai’s Emirates flies triple daily into the city while its counterpart Etihad Airways operates a daily service from Abu Dhabi. After Melbourne, Qatar Airways will also inaugurate a Doha-Sydney flight in 2010 as part of its ongoing expansion into Australia. The airline is targeting the lucrative ‘Kangaroo Route’ between Australia and Europe with the new non-stop services, which will boost Qatar Airways’ hub operations at Doha International Airport.

 

Qatar Airways now operates a fleet of 72 Airbus and Boeing aircraft to more than 85 destinations worldwide. For more information, visit www.qatarairways.com.

Hainan Airlines To Link Beijing And Brussels Daily

Hainan Airlines, the largest private airline in China, has announced it will increase frequencies on the Beijing-Brussels route to daily service. The airline currently offers 3 weekly and 4 weekly flights during the winter and summer seasons respectively.

 

Beginning 27 April 2010, flight HU 491 departs Beijing Capital Airport daily at 0120 hrs, arriving in Brussels Airport at 0530 hrs in the morning. On the return leg, flight HU 492 takes off from Brussels at 1350 hrs and lands back in Beijing at 0510 hrs the next day. The airline has timed the flights to allow for convenient onward connections to and from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei and other destinations across China and Northeast Asia.

 

All flights will be operated using a 2-class Airbus A330-200 aircraft configured with 36 Business Class and 186 Economy Class seats. Offering a generous 74-inch seat pitch, the fixed-shell Business Class seats convert into a full-flat bed, with the audio-video on-demand inflight entertainment delivered by a 10.6-inch personal screen. In Economy Class, passengers enjoy ergonomic slimline seats with a 8.9-inch personal monitor fitted to the seatback.

 

Haikou-based Hainan Airlines has been operating on the route since 2006. Brussels is 1 of 18 international destinations served by the airline in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America, including Astana, Bangkok, Berlin, Budapest, Dubai, Luanda, Moscow, Seattle, Seoul and St. Petersburg.

 

For more information, visit www.hnair.com.

Emirates To Begin Flights To Amsterdam

Dubai’s Emirates has announced it will commence passenger services to Amsterdam on 1 May 2010, making it the first Gulf carrier to fly to the Dutch city. The new route is Emirates’ 23rd into Europe and the airline joins KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which currently offer 12 flights a week between Amsterdam and Dubai.

 

Flight EK 145 will depart Dubai at 0825 hrs and arrive in Amsterdam at 1330 hrs. The return flight, EK 146, takes off from Schipol Airport at 1530 hrs, landing back in Dubai International Airport at 2359 hrs. Emirates will operate the flights using a combination of 3-class Boeing 777-200LR and 777-300ER aircraft, becoming the only airline offering a First Class product on the route.

 

Emirates is leveraging on its successful hub operations in Dubai for the route, timing the flights to allow for convenient onward connections to and from Africa, Asia, Australia and the Indian subcontinent. The new service will complement recent developments by the airline in Europe, where it has opened new lounge facilities in Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Manchester, as well as increased frequencies to Rome. The airline will also be deploying its Airbus A380 aircraft on the Dubai-Paris (Charles de Gaulle) flights in December 2009.

 

For more information, visit www.emirates.com.

AirAsia Expands Network With Launch Of New Routes

Malaysian low cost carrier AirAsia is set to expand its route network with the introduction of new routes from its Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu hubs. The airline has launched flights between the Malaysian capital and the Indian cities of Kochi, Kolkata and Trivandrum, while Kota Kinabalu will be connected to Taipei early next year.

 

Kuala Lumpur-Kochi

Operating daily, flight AK 203 departs Kuala Lumpur at 1450 hrs, arriving in Kochi at 1630 hrs. The aircraft returns as flight AK 204 at 1700 hrs, landing back at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 2350 hrs.

 

Kuala Lumpur-Kolkata

Flight AK 323 departs Kuala Lumpur at 1430 hrs, arriving in Kolkata at 1550 hrs. The return flight, AK 324, takes off from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport at 1635 hrs, landing at Kuala Lumpur at 2255 hrs.

 

Kuala Lumpur-Trivandrum

On Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, flight AK 295 departs Kuala Lumpur at 0620 hrs, arriving in Trivandrum at 0750 hrs. The return flight, AK 296, takes off from Trivandrum at 0830 hrs, landing back at 1500 hrs into Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

 

On Tuesdays and Sundays, the outbound flight departs 1 hour earlier at 0520 hrs, landing in Trivandrum at 0650 hrs. The inbound flight will take off from the Indian city at 0740 hrs for a 1410 hrs arrival back in Malaysia.

 

Kota Kinabalu-Taipei

Beginning 15 January 2010, AirAsia will serve Taipei from Kota Kinabalu in the East Malaysian state of Sabah. Flight AK 6318 departs daily at 0600 hrs, arriving in Taipei at 0920 hrs. The return flight, AK 6319, takes off from Taoyuan International Airport at 0950 hrs, landing back in Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 1310 hrs.

 

All flights will be operated by AirAsia’s Airbus A320 aircraft configured with 180 Economy Class seats. With the new services, AirAsia now serves 4 cities in India while connecting Taipei to Bangkok, Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur.

 

For more information, visit www.airasia.com.

Batavia Air To Commence Operations To Singapore

Indonesian airline Batavia Air will commence flights to Singapore from Jakarta and Semarang from Wednesday, 25 November 2009. The airline will operate daily on both routes using an Airbus A319 configured with 144 Economy Class seats on a Jakarta-Singapore-Semarang-Singapore-Jakarta routing.

 

Jakarta-Singapore

Flight 7P 861 departs Jakarta at 0700 hrs, arriving in Singapore at 0935 hrs. The return flight, 7P 862, takes off from Changi International Airport at 1650 hrs and lands back at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 1720 hrs.

 

Together with other international carriers, 12 airlines now fly between Singapore and Jakarta with over 450 scheduled flights each week.

 

Semarang-Singapore

From Semarang, flight 7P 863 departs at 1240 hrs, arriving in Singapore at 1540 hrs. The inbound flight, 7P 864, takes off at 1035 hrs from Changi International Airport, landing in Achmad Yani International Airport at 1140 hrs.

 

Batavia Air is the only operator to fly between Singapore and Semarang.

 

The latest Indonesian airline to operate passenger services in Singapore,  joining Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia AirAsia, Lion Air and Sriwijaya Air, Batavia Air operates a fleet of 38 aircraft on routes within Indonesia and selected international services to Guangzhou and Kuching. The airline plans to introduce flights to the Saudi city of Jeddah with Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

 

For more information, visit www.batavia-air.co.id.

Arik Air Expands International Routes

Nigerian airline Arik Air has announced 2 new international routes to the UK and USA. Beginning 26 November 2009, the airline will begin non-stop flights from Abuja to London (Heathrow), with services between Lagos and New York commencing from 29 November 2009.

 

Abuja-London

Arik Air will fly a 2-class Boeing 737-800 aircraft configured with 20 Premier Class and126 Economy Class seats on the route. Flights will operate 5 times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

 

Flight W3 105 departs Abuja at 1030 hrs, arriving into London at 1605 hrs. The return flight, W3 106, takes off from London (Heathrow) Terminal 4 at 2150 hrs, landing back at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 0520 hrs the next morning.

 

The flights connect a second Nigerian city to the UK, following the existing Lagos-London flights launched in December 2008. 

 

Lagos-New York

Arik Air will also launch transatlantic flights from Lagos to New York. The airline is the first Nigerian airline to connect the country with the USA in over a decade.

 

The airline has scheduled the flights to allow for convenient connections at both ends of the route. Flight W3 107 departs Lagos at 2320 hrs and arrives in New York at 0550 hrs the next morning. The return flight, W3 108, takes off from John F. Kennedy International Airport at 2200 hrs, landing back in Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 1440 hrs.

 

Arik Air will fly 3 times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays using a 2-class Airbus A340-500 configured with 36 Premier Class seats that convert into full-flat beds and 201 Economy Class seats. Premier Class passengers will also enjoy the use of a private bar and lounge area onboard the aircraft, with all passengers offered personal screens and audio-video on-demand inflight entertainment.

 

From its hubs at Abuja and Lagos, Arik Air currently flies to 21 airports across Nigeria and internationally to Accra, Banjul, Cotonou, Dakar, Freetown, Johannesburg, Niamey and London with a fleet of 30 aircraft. For more information, visit www.arikair.com.

Air France A380 Completes Inaugural Service To New York

Paris-based Air France has completed its first revenue flight with the Airbus A380. Flight AF 380 arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport at 1318 hrs, after crossing the Atlantic from Paris (Charles de Gaulle), where it departed at 1119 hrs. The flight marked the A380’s first transatlantic flight by a European airline and the aircraft was met by a customary water cannon salute on arrival in New York.

 

Onboard the double-decker aircraft are 538 passengers, invited guests and 24 crew, who were treated to complimentary champagne and a 3-member jazz band. 380 passengers who participated in a charity auction in October 2008 also raised 300,000 euros to benefit humanitarian projects supported by the Air France Foundation. Having generated a larger amount than expected, Air France will donate the proceeds from the auction to 2 more charities in Brazil and Madagascar, in addition to 3 previously announced organizations in France, India and South Africa.

 

The Air France A380 features 538 seats in a 3-class configuration with innovations including improved seating, mood lighting and an onboard meeting area showcasing artwork from various museum collections. The airline has announced Johannesburg as the second destination for its A380 following New York, which will be operated daily. Air France joins Dubai’s Emirates, Sydney-based Qantas and Singapore Airlines as the fourth operator of the type.

 

For more information, visit www.airfrance.com.

Etihad Announces Cabin Improvements

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has announced it will introduce a series of enhancements to the onboard product across its fleet of aircraft. Amongst the improvements are a new inflight entertainment system, cabin refurbishments of the A320 and B777 fleets, as well as the refitting of its Diamond First class Suites on all of its A340s.

 

Next-Generation Inflight Entertainment System

The airline has selected Panasonic Avionics Corporation’s eX2 for its next-generation inflight entertainment system. Featuring over 600 hours of entertainment, the system includes a selection of 85 movies, 114 television shows, 60 games and a CD library of over 450 albums. Guests will also be able to access content on their iPods through a connector in every seat, with Diamond First and Pearl Business passengers also having a RCA connection for other portable entertainment devices.

 

An interactive, easy-to-use interface in both Arabic and English lets guests navigate the system, with several unique features including a new picture-in-picture function, keyword search and ‘Do Not Disturb’ option in premium cabins. In addition, Diamond First guests will be able to use the Etihad Room Service by placing a telephone call to the crew from the comfort of their suite. In every class, in-seat telephones allow for calls to be made from every seat onboard to anywhere around the world at a rate of USD6 per minute using a credit card.

 

The first of 5 new Airbus A330-300 aircraft fitted with the system will enter into service in December 2009. Etihad will also offer the system on its new fleet of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft scheduled for delivery from 2011.

 

A320 and B777-300ER Cabin Upgrades

Etihad will also upgrade the cabins onboard its A320 and B777-300ER aircraft. The airline has engaged Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies to undertake the refurbishments.

 

Currently fitted in a 2-class configuration with a reclining seat in Pearl Business class and standard seats in Coral Economy, the short-haul A320 fleet will be upgraded to feature the latest cabin specifications in both classes. On its B777-300ERs, the airline will also be moving towards a high-density 3-4-3 layout in Coral Economy class. The alterations will also include the replacement of existing seats and an upgrade of the inflight entertainment system in-line with the rest of Etihad’s fleet of aircraft.

 

Diamond First Class Suites To Be Fitted On 9 A340s

First introduced earlier this year exclusively on Etihad’s A340-600 aircraft, the luxurious Diamond First Class Suites will soon be available on 9 of the airline’s fleet of A340 aircraft. The upgrade, to be carried out by Lufthansa Technik, will involve a complete renovation of the cabin, galleys and inflight entertainment system.

 

Each aircraft will be fitted with 12 suites in a 1-2-1 layout. Each suite promises greater privacy, comfort and increased storage, with a sliding door, flatbed seat upholstered in plush leather by Poltrona Frau, personal wardrobe and minibar. A 23-inch widescreen LCD monitor delivers on-demand content from the inflight entertainment system. The cabin also features a large and luxurious changing room equipped with a full-length mirror, new-style wash basin and leather fold-down seat for guests to freshen up and change.

 

For more information, visit www.etihadairways.com.

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.