West United States

Hawaii comes in for some much-desired additional lift starting June 14. That’s when ATA Airlines begins service between Oakland International and the city of Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. It’ll operate three times a week—Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Then the next day, ATA will begin four flights a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday) between OAK and Lihue on the island of Kauai and a daily run between McCarran International, Las Vegas, and Kahului Airport on the island of Maui. The existing four-flights-a-week service between OAK and Honolulu International will also increase by a fifth service. On the Oakland run, ATA operates the 160-seat 737-800 in two-class configuration (12 in Business) while the La Vegas service uses the 200-seat 757… El Al passengers departing from LAX can now check in for their flights online via http://www.elal.co.il/ELAL/English/States/General. The system permits seat selection and the ability to print out a boarding pass from your own computer three to 24 hours before departure time. Even special meals may be pre-ordered within 24 hours of departure… Jetstar, the low-cost Qantas carrier, is now operating three times a week between Honolulu International and Sydney International, and twice a week between HNL and Melbourne. Services are operated with two classes of service on the carrier’s A330s.

 

Southwest United States

 

Way out west, air service to out-of-the-way places like Farmington, New Mexico is critical. Located in the remote Four Corners section of the country, Farmington is the recipient of new one-stop service to Las Vegas beginning February 1. Mesa Airlines, operating as a US Airways Express carrier, does the work six days a week. No service on Saturday.

 

South United States

 

Bama bound? Good news. American Eagle is laying on new regional jet service to Chicago from both Birmingham and Mobile. April 10 is the start date. Eagle will ply the BHM – ORD route twice daily, using a 50-seat ERJ-145. Mobile gets less frequent treatment, just once daily via a 44-seat ERJ-140. Either way, the move represents new connections to AA’s route network out of Chicago for flyers from a pair of Alabama’s key cities.

 

Northeast United States

 

Heads up: MAXJet just suspended Washington Dulles – London Stansted flights. The carrier says it intends to bring them back May 24. If and when it does, there will be four weekly departures…Air Canada lofts daily New York LaGuardia – Halifax service beginning April 1. A 50-seat CRJ will make the trip…SAS launches a second Newark – Copenhagen nonstop May 20. The A340-300 will give SAS double dailies ‘twixt the two cities on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The beefed-up schedule will prevail through August 31, at which time service reverts to daily.

 

Midwest United States

 

Midwest Connect keeps connecting the dots in the upper reaches of the country. Latest evidence: new nonstop service from Midwest Airlines’ Milwaukee hub to Duluth/Superior. Flights take wing March 4. No propjets on this one, but rather 328JETs. The 32-seat pocket rocket touts the tallest cabin in its class and leather seats. The regional jets will ply the route two times per day each weekday, and a total of three times over the weekend.

 

Worldwide

 

Everybody wants to trade with the Chinese, including Nigeria. This should make the process easier: China Southern has launched service from Beijing to Lagos, with an intermediate stop in (where else?) Dubai. Lagos-bound flights depart Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays; return trips on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays…Japan Airlines boosts Nagoya – Tianjin service March 1. Where there were two daily nonstops, there will be five. The move, however, comes at a price. JAL is reducing Nagoya – Beijing service, from five weekly flights down to two.