OAG Travel News

EU's Environment Council agreed Wednesday to set a target of reducing aviation greenhouse gas emissions by 10% below 2005 levels by 2020. The EU will use this target as a negotiating position for December's UN climate change conference in Copenhagen.

Considering the haziness surrounding medical marijuana laws, it may be surprising that some of the most uptight places in the Bay Area local airports are also some of the most laid back when it comes to medical pot patients.
San Francisco police, who patrol San Francisco International Airport, say they allow card-holding medical marijuana patients to carry up to 8 ounces of dried cannabis when traveling. The SFO policy follows the guidelines police use within the city of San Francisco, said Sgt. Wilfred Williams.

Then-San Francisco police Chief Heather Fong enacted the policy in November 2008 through a three-page bulletin to officers. It instructs officers to leave medical marijuana patients and their drugs alone if they are using the marijuana for medical purposes and not for criminal activity.
And when it comes to air travel, local police not airport officials or federal authorities determine which passengers can fly with medical pot.

Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Suzanne Trevino said airport security officers are trained to check for dangerous items such as explosives when screening departing passengers, their carry-on bags and checked luggage.

TSA officers sometimes find items such as drugs and child pornography, however, and turn them over to local law enforcement, which decides what to do with the items and the passenger, Trevino said. If the local police force allows the passenger to keep their medical marijuana, the TSA would not stop them from traveling with the drug, she said.Likewise, SFO spokesman Mike McCarron said officials at the transportation hub have nothing to do with enforcement of medical marijuana laws at the airport.

At Mineta San Jose International Airport, enforcement of medical marijuana laws is left to San Jose police, said airport spokesman David Vossbrink.
San Jose police Sgt. Ronnie Lopez said they also do not arrest or cite passengers with medical marijuana at the airport or seize their drugs. They do, however, write a report and send it to federal authorities, who determine whether to file charges, he said.In years past, that may have posed a problem to medical marijuana travelers, but the Justice Department this week told its U.S. attorneys to back off prosecuting medical marijuana users who comply with state law.In the East Bay, the Alameda County Sherriff's Office enacted a specific policy last year that allows medical marijuana users to travel from Oakland International Airport with the drug. As at SFO, a qualified patient or primary caregiver as defined by California law can carry up to 8 ounces during travel out of Oakland.

Of course, just because passengers are allowed to take their marijuana out of the Bay Area does not give them full immunity from prosecution, as more than 30 states ban medical marijuana. If a Bay Area traveler lands in a place where the drug is illegal, they could be prosecuted by state authorities.Alameda County deputies notify passengers flying out of Oakland that they could be violating the law if they land in one of the many states that ban medical marijuana. But they have never called ahead to notify police on the other end.

Despite the policies, many patients are hesitant to travel out of local airports with their medical marijuana, said Nathan Sands, vice president of the Compassionate Coalition, a Fairfield-based nonprofit medical pot advocacy group. Airports have gained a reputation, particularly following the Sept. 11 attacks, for confiscating normally legal items, such as liquids, at TSA security gates."I think a lot of patients have been fearful of traveling through airports with medical marijuana because of the federal involvement," Sands said. "And you don't want to be hassled at the airports."

And although patients rely on their marijuana like they do any other medication, it may be intimidating for a traveler flying to a state where the drug is banned, Sands said.

Airlines value premium travelers above other customers, letting them board first, eat a meal, and order a cocktail without whipping out a credit card. Many of them are business travelers who fly frequently and often pay higher last-minute fares than the jeans-and-T-shirt crowd on the way to see grandma. Anyone who questions why airlines treat business travelers nicely only needs to look at the carriers' third-quarter financial reports.

Accommodation procurement specialist BSI has launched an enhancement to its traveler and delegate security tool. The new version will enable BSI to track clients' travelers in real time. BSI said the web based tool "empowers clients by notifying nominated client personnel of security threats and giving them the ability to locate business travelers in the event of an emergency scenario such as a security alert or, even, adverse weather conditions which may create travel restrictions." www.bsi.co.uk

Air France KLM will begin charging economy class passengers for a second checked bag on flights between Europe/North Africa and the US next month. The second piece of luggage will cost €50 ($74.80) on flights from Europe and $50 on flights from the US. Premium loyalty program members will be exempt, and the airline is offering a 20% discount to those checking in and paying online.

Air Jamaica is extending the purchase period for its Winter Sale through Oct. 26. Special Lovebird Economy Class fares to Jamaica are available for travelers who book now and travel between Jan. 1 and Feb. 11, 2010. All fares are roundtrip and are subject to additional government taxes and fees. Conditions regarding black-out periods, cancellations and other charges apply. Sample roundtrip fares between Jamaica and the following cities include: Ft. Lauderdale, $188; Orlando, $188; New York, $198; Philadelphia, $198; Baltimore, $198; and Chicago, $248. For more information or reservations, call 800-523-5585 or visit www.airjamaica.com.

AirTran Airways In neogtiations so smooth, it is almost unheard of these days, AirTran Airways and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 528 ("Local 528"), announced today the successful membership ratification by an overwhelming margin of a new 48-month collective bargaining agreement. The agreement covers approximately 400 AirTran Airways mechanics and inspectors in Atlanta, Orlando, Baltimore/Washington, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale, and Milwaukee.

AirTran Airways expanded its mobile Web services to allow customers to book, change or cancel flights from their Web-connected phones or PDAs.

Alaska Airlines has begun daily nonstop service between Seattle and Atlanta, marking the latest in a series of new routes this year. The airline is offering introductory one-way fares of $109 between the two cities for tickets purchased by Nov. 11, 2009. Travelers can earn double Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles on new flights between Seattle and Atlanta through Dec. 23, 2009. To qualify, customers must first register at www.alaskaair.com.

Alaska Airlines announced "Spontaneous Savings," with a 25 percent discount off fares between Portland,Ore., and a new destination each day for five consecutive days, starting today. "We're offering customers discounts between Portland and several of our bestdestinations, but you must act quickly," said Steve Jarvis, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing, sales and customer experience. "We encouragecustomers to log on to alaskaair.com to check out which new destinations will be highlighted each day."Featured cities will be revealed at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time Oct. 19-23, 2009, only through Alaska's Web site, alaskaair.com. The fares will be valid forpurchase for 24 hours. Seats are limited and travel dates vary. Terms and conditions: Sale fares are excluded and prices are subject to farerules and fees. Tickets require a seven-day advance purchase and travel must be completed by Dec. 17, 2009. Blackout dates for travel are Nov. 24-25 andNov. 28-30, 2009.

South Korea's Asiana Airlines is doubling services on the Seoul Gimpo-Osaka Kansai route.Services will increase to 14 per week from seven per week starting 13 November, says the Star Alliance carrier.The new flights will be in the evening and complement the daily service in the morning, it says."For business people travelling in a day's schedule, it was previously inconvenient to travel from Gimpo in the morning and return to Korea in the evening via Seoul Incheon," it adds. Seoul Gimpo is closer to the city-centre.

Bangkok International Airport News about tourists being arrested with money extortion at Bangkok International Airport earlier this year because of alleged stealing at Duty Free Shops has once again done considerable damage to the reputation of Thailand's main international gateway.The Danish Embassy in Thailand has already sent out a warning to travelers asking them to avoid buying goods at the airport, following the arrest of a Danish traveler for similar reasons. This has put cast over the credibility of the Thai airport.New Airports of Thailand (AOT) president Serirat Prasutanond has been, however, quick to fix up the problem. After chasing away taxi touts and fake guides from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, AOT is now coming up with new rules in the case of foreign tourists being again arrested for alleged robbery in duty free shops. The announcement was done at a press conference during the last edition of IT&CMA in Bangkok.From now, tourist police officers will be the only authorized to deal with alleged cases. Even better, questioning of passengers will be conducted in police premises located WITHIN the airport building and not outside as it has been the case.

Birmingham Airport has put itself forward as an alternative to building a third runway at London Heathrow.The UK West Midland airport said it is currently running at 40% of its capacity and could take 9m extra passengers a year without expanding the airport or building a new runway. The airport's Master Plan, already in place, allows for an increase of 18m passengers by 2030. "Birmingham is not seeking to transplant the Heathrow operation in its entirety, but South East traffic could form an element of Birmingham's wider portfolio," said a statement by the airport. "Around 50% of the UK population is less than a two-hour drive from Birmingham."High Speed Rail could bring them much nearer, with Central London only 40 minutes away, putting Birmingham in ÔZone 4' of the Underground Map."Trains from London Euston to Birmingham International railway station currently take around 70 minutes, while a high speed link from the capital could reduce the journey to 38 minutes.

Delta Air Lines Pilots told investigators they "lost track of time" as they discussed a new work-scheduling system during the Delta Air Lines Inc. flight that overshot its destination last week, a U.S. safety board said.The two aviators used their personal laptop computers during the discussion in violation of company policy, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement today. The crew told the agency in five hours of interviews that the first officer, who was more familiar with the scheduling system, gave instruction on the scheduling procedures to the captain.The Federal Aviation Administration may revoke or suspend the licenses for the pilots as early as tomorrow, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said in an interview. The aviators told the NTSB they weren't fatigued, didn't doze or sleep and had a 19-hour layover in San Diego before the Oct. 21 flight in which controllers lost radio contact for 78 minutes as the plane overflew Minneapolis by 150 miles (241 kilometers).During the concentrated period of discussion about work schedules, the pilots didn't monitor the jet's instruments or calls from controllers, though they said they heard conversations on the radio, the NTSB said.The pilots were using cockpit speakers, not their headsets, to listen to the conversations, according to the NTSB. They werenÕt aware of the plane's position until they were alerted by a flight attendant who was asking them about their estimated arrival time, the pilots said, according to the NTSB.The pilots are Captain Timothy Cheney, 53, and First Officer Richard Cole, 54, according to information released by the Minneapolis airport police and the NTSB. The captain had 20,000 flight hours of flight experience and the first officer 11,000, according to the NTSB.The flight by Delta's Northwest unit was coming from San Diego and flew past the Minneapolis airport over Wisconsin before turning around and heading back to its destination, according to Houston-based flight-tracking service FlightAware.com.The Airbus SAS A320 was carrying 144 passengers and 5 crew members. The pilots have been removed from flying duty while the NTSB and Delta investigate. Delta said in a statement today that the pilots will remain suspended until the inquiry's conclusion.Using laptops or engaging in activity unrelated to the pilots command of the aircraft during flight is strictly against the airlineÕs policies, and violations will result in termination, the carrier said in the statement.

Delta Air Lines is set to suspend its Manchester to New York JFK flights from January 7 next year after before re-launching the service on May 2.A spokesperson for the airline cited peak traffic around the festive winter and summer seasons as the reason for the timings.The flight is operated by Delta, with Air France KLM also plying the route on a codeshare basis since last May.The outbound DL155 flight, operated using a 170-seat Boeing 757-200 aircraft, leaves Manchester at 11.55am, arriving into New York-JFK at 2.50pm. The return DL154 flight departs New York-JFK at 10.05pm and arrives into Manchester at 10.25am on the following day.Armin Venencie, Delta's UK and Ireland regional sales director, said: "Manchester is an important market for Delta."We are committed to this city and will be operating two daily services during the busy holiday periods."The timings of the second daily flights are yet to be announced.www.delta.com www.airfrance.co.uk www.klm.com

Delta Air Lines Inc. says it will resume nonstop service between Salt Lake City and Tokyo next summer.Delta dropped the flights Oct. 1 after a few months, citing diminished demand and fallout from the swine flu.Delta says it will resume the Tokyo flights five times a week next summer.The plan was part of Delta's announcement Tuesday of sweeping changes for its international routes, flights and plane types.The world's biggest airline operator says new and expanded nonstop routes will be focused on trans-Pacific, trans-Atlantic and Africa flights.Delta's acquisition last year of Northwest Airlines gave it more ability to shift larger planes onto more profitable routes and use smaller planes on less profitable routes.

Delta Air Lines has trimmed its nonstop service to Paris from Pittsburgh International Airport by one flight a week through the winter.The reduction, from five flights a week to four, corresponds with an overall cut of about 15 percent in international flights to match a drop in global demand, Delta spokesman Kent Landers said yesterday. The airline dropped the Pittsburgh to Paris flight Oct. 1.

Delta Air Lines, Air France By June 2010, the Delta-Air France-KLM joint venture will reintroduce seasonal service on more than a dozen trans-Atlantic routes and will launch new nonstop service between New York-JFK and Copenhagen, Denmark and Stockholm, Sweden. Seasonal reintroductions include additional daily flights between joint venture hubs and added service to meet seasonal demand on routes such as Atlanta to Athens; Atlanta to Venice; New York-JFK to Zurich; and Detroit to Rome. Delta will continue its expansion into fast-growing African markets for summer 2010. The airline will complement existing JFK-Accra, Ghana service with new nonstop 767-300 flights from Atlanta, and will replace existing one-stop Boeing 757-200 service between Abuja, Nigeria and JFK with nonstop flights operated with Boeing 767-300 aircraft. For more information, visit www.delta.com.

Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines At Seattle, Delta's Asian expansion is powered by its partnership with Alaska Air Group. New nonstop flights from Seattle to Beijing and Osaka will be timed for convenient connections with Delta and Alaska's 267 combined daily departures to 64 destinations from Seattle/Tacoma, and will complement Delta's existing daily service to Tokyo-Narita. Delta and Alaska offer customers reciprocal code share, lounge and frequent flyer benefits to make it easier to connect between the airlines' domestic and international networks at Seattle. At Tokyo-Narita, Delta will resume seasonal nonstop service between Tokyo and Salt Lake City (operating five times weekly); resume three weekly summer flights between Tokyo and Atlanta to complement daily year-round service; expand capacity between Tokyo and New York-JFK with the upgrade of Boeing 777-200 to 747-400 aircraft; and expand service between Tokyo and Los Angeles with four additional weekly 777-200 flights to complement daily year-round service. With these changes, Delta will offer Narita customers more than 25 daily departures to more than 20 nonstop destinations.

Delta Air Lines, Boeing US National Transportation Board is investigating an incident in which a Delta Air Lines 767-300ER inbound from Rio de Janeiro Galeao landed on a taxiway at Atlanta Monday at approximately 6:05 a.m. local time. There were no injuries. The aircraft had declared a medical emergency earlier in the flight after a check airman onboard was taken ill. The decision was made to continue to ATL.

EgyptAir yesterday said an economy class passenger "tried to hijack" a flight headed from Istanbul Ataturk to Cairo "using a knife from an inflight meal." MS said onboard security "detained him in a very short time" and the aircraft landed safely in Cairo, where the Sudanese passenger was remanded to authorities.

El Al Israel Airlines is offering a special opportunity to passengers wishing to upgrade their travel experience. Premium class passengers traveling on nonstop flights from New York (JFK/Newark) and Los Angeles can now take advantage of unusual savings in first and platinum business class. The roundtrip business class fare (including the fuel surcharge) from New York (JFK/Newark) is $2,704 per person, and $3,504 roundtrip from Los Angeles, the only nonstop flights to Israel available from the West Coast. This promotion is available year round and reservations must be confirmed at least 50 days prior to departure. A new attractively priced first class companion fare on any nonstop El Al flight from Los Angeles is $8,125 roundtrip per person (including the fuel surcharge). This companion fare is available on departures through Dec. 16, 2009. Passengers must purchase both tickets at the same time and travel together. For more information or to book, call 800-223-6700 or visit www.elal.com.

FlyDubai Beginning Sunday, November 8, flydubai will start daily flights to it's eighth destination - the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, which sits at the confluence of the Blue and White Niles and is a rapidly-growing economy. Well known for its oil trade, the country also boasts growing printing, glass manufacturing, food processing, and textile businesses.At a distance of 1,600 miles from Dubai, the flight to Khartoum will be the longest in flydubai's network. Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, believes that the airline is meeting the demand of another under-serviced route.

FlyDubai's new twice-daily service to Doha is the first GCC destination for the airline and the first direct service between Dubai and Qatar to be operated by a low-cost airline. Doha brings the total number of FlyDubai routes to seven, the others being Beirut-Lebanon, Amman-Jordan, Damascus and Aleppo-Syria, Alexandria-Egypt, and Djibouti-Africa.

Frontier Airlines has announced it will begin daily nonstop service from its hub at Denver International Airport (DEN) to both Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) and Louisville International Airport (SDF). The SDF service will start on April 19, 2010, while the MSY service will begin June 15, 2010. Each city will have one daily nonstop flight operated by Airbus A319 aircraft. Frontier also announced it will begin the only nonstop service from Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) in Oklahoma City to two popular Florida destinations. Beginning Jan. 15, 2010, Frontier will fly nonstop flights four to five times a week between OKC and Orlando International Airport (MCO). And on Jan. 17, 2010, Frontier will fly nonstop flights two days per week between OKC and Tampa International Airport (TPA). For more information, visit www.frontierairlines.com.

Hilton Garden Inn (HGI) signed a management agreement with the Ability Group for a new property near Luton Airport. The 250-bedroom hotel, located on Kimpton Road and only five minutes from the airport terminal, is due to open in 2011 and will become Luton's second HGI. It follows the successful arrival last year of the hotel on Butterfield Business Park in Luton -- Britain's first ever HGI, the focused service brand from Hilton Worldwide. The deal represents Hilton's fifth project with the Ability Group, which last year launched the U.K.'s first Doubletree by Hilton, in Cambridge, and last month opened the Doubletree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro. This will be their first Hilton Garden Inn.Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president of development for Europe and Africa at Hilton, said, "Following the success of our first Hilton Garden Inn we are delighted to have confirmed our second site in Luton, a location which is set to benefit from a major regeneration scheme and boasts the U.K.'s fastest-growing airport.Ó Hilton Garden Inn is a focused service brand offering affordable rates for the mid-market traveler. The airport property will feature a full-service restaurant, daytime coffee shop and bar, plus HGI's 24-hour Pavilion Pantry shop. For more information, visit www.StayHGI.com.

Icelandair is offering its Golden Circle Getaway package, including airfare, hotel and tour in Iceland from $489. From Boston and New York, the package is priced at $489 per person double occupancy. From Seattle, it's priced at $499. Extra nights for doubles are $45, for singles are $69. To qualify, packages must be booked by Oct. 22 for travel Nov. 5 to Dec. 15. Prices may be higher on certain departure dates. Best dates for travel, based on two nights, as of Oct 22 (subject to change), from Seattle, Nov. 10 to Dec 8; and from Boston, Nov. 11 to Dec. 10. New York departures are available at higher rates. Prices may be higher during Thanksgiving week.The itinerary is as follows. Day 1 -- Afternoon departure from Boston, New York, or Seattle on Icelandair, with complimentary soft drinks and in-seat entertainment. Meals and head sets are available for purchase, or bring your own. Day 2 -- Morning arrival in Iceland. On your own, transfer to Icelandair Hotel Loftleidir, the only hotel in Iceland that guarantees check in for North American arrivals (starting around 9 a.m.). Enjoy a Scandinavian breakfast buffet, a great way to greet the morning in Iceland. The rest of the day is open for your own activities. Day 3 -- Breakfast at hotel. Be in the hotel lobby at 8 a.m. for departure on the Golden Circle Classic tour. Start by visiting Nesjavellir, a powerful geothermal area in the scenic landscape of Lake ingvallavatn. Here is where the city of Reykjavik gets much of its unique geothermal energy for heat, hot water and power. Next, visit Thingvellir National Park, where the Icelandic parliament was founded in the year 930 A.D. Continue to the beautiful Gullfoss, considered by some to be the loveliest waterfall in Iceland. The journey continues to the spouting hot springs of Geysir and Strokkur. Return to Reykjavik around 5 p.m. Day 4 -- Breakfast at hotel. The morning open for your own activities, then transfer to Keflavik airport for flight back to North America.

Icelandair is offering its Golden Circle Getaway package, including airfare, hotel and tour in Iceland from $489. From Boston and New York, the package is priced at $489 per person double occupancy. From Seattle, it's priced at $499. Extra nights for doubles are $45, for singles are $69. To qualify, packages must be booked by Oct. 22 for travel Nov. 5 to Dec. 15. Prices may be higher on certain departure dates. Best dates for travel, based on two nights, as of Oct 22 (subject to change), from Seattle, Nov. 10 to Dec 8; and from Boston, Nov. 11 to Dec. 10. New York departures are available at higher rates. Prices may be higher during Thanksgiving week.

JetBlue Airways revealed low fares for travel this Halloween. On sale today only, every remaining seat on all nonstop US-originating flights across the airline's entire network that depart on October 31, 2009 between 12:00 noon local time and 11:59 pm local time are on sale for US$31. These low fares must be booked by 11:59 p.m. MT today, October 20, 2009.Additional information about these special Halloween fares is available at www.jetblue.com/halloween.

JetBlue Airways subsidiary LiveTV has developed a solution that it says will allow carriers to offer free in-flight email on flights operated anywhere in the world, and will also prove attractive to business aircraft operators.The so-called Kiteline World solution, unveiled at the recent World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) conference and exhibition in Palm Springs, California, brings together LiveTV's US domestic air-to-ground (ATG)-based Kiteline email service and Iridium's Openport satellite communications service for a cost-effective, pay-per-megabyte plan for data transfer.

Mexicana on 14 December plans a significant expansion from Cancun that includes the establishment of a base by its regional subsidiary Link.The carrier plans to introduce new international flights from Cancun to Washington, Dulles; Bogota, Colombia; San Jose, Costa Rica; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Flights to San Juan will be operated by Mexicana's low-cost unit Click with Boeing 717 aircraft.Mexicana's Link subsidiary plans to also launch service to Guatemala and El Salvador.Mexicana CEO Manuel Borja explains the focus of the Cancun hub is to supply connections to Latin America and the USA.

Norwegian Air will launch service from Copenhagen to Malta, Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Sardinia at the beginning of May, as well as Oslo Gardermoen-Malta, Stockholm Arlanda-Athens and ARN-Palermo, which will start at the end of March or beginning of April. Bergen-Tromso service is set to begin in March.

Pet Airways announced the opening of its new route between New York and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, adding to the 5 cities it now serves - New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles. Flights are due to begin in December.The unique airline has received a tremendous response to its service across the US, with flights completely booked 2 months in advance, said Dan Wiesel, president and CEO of Pet Airways. He said they have been overwhelmed by all the positive feedback to their mission of flying pets safely and comfortably in the main cabin, not in cargo.

Pet Airways Until July, when Pet Airways was launched, pet parents, who wanted to transport their pets across the country, were faced with limited or potentially dangerous transportation choices. Many airlines allow small pets to travel with their owners, as long as they are stowed under the seat. Pets that are too big to fit under the seat are relegated to cargo, and unfortunately in many cases, are treated as such.According to the Animal, Plant, and Health Inspection Service (APHIS), "Virtually every major airline has been cited and fined for repeatedly mishandling animals." As a result of a lack of oxygen and temperature control in the cargo holds, the most common causes of death are suffocation and heat prostration, although one airline was cited for placing a dog too close to a motor, which burned the animal. Put simply, putting pets in the cargo area of passenger airlines is not a safe mode of transportation for our pets.

Porter Airlines is celebrating its third anniversary, having operated over 32,000 flights and set new standards for regional air travel. Highlights of the airline's success over the past year include the introduction of service in Chicago, Thunder Bay, Boston and St. John, as well as flight increases for Ottawa, Montreal, New York, Halifax and Quebec City. A new $45 million passenger terminal is also currently under construction at Toronto City Centre Airport (TCCA), PorterÕs main base airport. In the past year, the airline expanded its fleet and is now flying 15 Bombardier Q400 aircraft, up from six. Porter now serves 11 destinations across Canada and the United States, a considerable increase from the airline's single route between TCCA and Ottawa when the airline launched in October 2006. Additionally, the employee roster doubled to over 800, up from 400 in October 2008. TCCA is one of the most convenient urban airports in the world, situated just minutes from downtown Toronto. All Porter passengers have access to a modern, comfortable and stylish lounge, including wireless Internet access, refreshments, and computer workstations. For more information, visit www.flyporter.com.

Singapore Airlines will fly the A380 to Zurich beginning in February, a ZRH spokesperson told the Neue Zurcher Zeitung. Singapore reportedly will cease its 12-times-weekly 777 SIN-ZRH service and replace it with a daily A380 flight.

Southwest Airlines announced service increases from Denver and St. Louis. From DEN it will launch daily flights to Hartford, Boise, Ontario, Detroit and Washington Dulles on March 14, as well as a third daily frequency to Oklahoma City. In May it will start Saturday flights to New York LaGuardia along with additional frequencies to seven US cities. SWA said it has acquired two additional gates on Concourse C, giving it 12 at the airport. In May it will add new flights from STL to Nashville, Los Angeles (each twice-daily), Raleigh/Durham, New Orleans, Seattle and San Diego (all daily) and a second daily Minneapolis/St. Paul service.

Southwest Airlines said the airline will continue its growth and commitment to Denver by adding 13 new daily flights and six new nonstop destinations next year. For sale beginning yesterday, Southwest will add six new flights to five new nonstop destinations beginning in March 2010. Southwest will add seven additional daily flights to existing destinations for travel beginning in May 2010, which will open for sale in December 2009. To view a blog post, visit www.blogsouthwest.com. We have consistently invested flights and resources to support our growing Denver operation, and we'll continue to do so, said Gary Kelly, Southwest's chairman, president and CEO. Denver has been a great success story for Southwest, and, as a result, we've been able to grow at a record pace. Kelly announced the expanded service while visiting Denver to meet with Southwest Employees at Denver International Airport (DIA).

Southwest Airlines said it plans to begin jet service from Northwest Florida's new international airport near Panama City, Fla., in May 2010. The planned service is made possible through a strategic alliance agreement developed between Southwest and The St. Joe Company. one of Florida's largest landowners and real estate developers. The new airport will introduce daily jet service to the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast. Southwest also plans to add nine new daily flights to six new destinations from Lambert International Airport in St. Louis by May 2010. The new flights will be to Nashville, Raleigh/Durham, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Seattle and San Diego. For more information, visit www.southwest.com.

Southwest Airlines is the only big U.S. airline that doesn't charge baggage fees, but that's not going to stop it from looking for other add-ons to sell to travelers, its CEO said on Thursday.Southwest reported a small third-quarter loss and said there's no rebound in sight for business travel. The vanishing business traveler has hurt revenue at all airlines. The blow has been cushioned by fees for things like checking bags and reserving the most desirable seats.Southwest has moved in that direction, too, and it isn't done."There are substantial ancillary revenue opportunities besides bag fees that we are continuing to pursue," said Gary Kelly, Southwest's chairman, president, and CEO.He said the most noteworthy new revenue would come through changes to Southwest's "Rapid Rewards" frequent flier program. He offered no details. But he drew a distinction between baggage fees, which he said are not really voluntary, versus a frequent flier program, people volunteer to sign up for."We would much prefer to explore opportunities to provide more service to customers and give them the choice to spend more money with Southwest Airlines," he said. "Our frequent-flier program and Southwest.com both position us well to pursue that strategy."Kelly said the changes would not happen this year.Already this year Southwest has begun charging for handling children who fly alone, and for taking pets in the cabin (which it didn't allow before). It also expects to take in about $40 million a year for heavy bags or bags beyond the first two. Other carriers have claimed ten times that much in baggage revenues. Kelly thinks they are driving customers to Southwest.Fares at Southwest and other airlines have been running lower than a year ago, and those discounts have helped to fill planes. But many of those travelers have been vacationers. Freer-spending corporate travelers have dropped off sharply, making it hard for airlines to turn a profit even on strong traffic.Kelly said that while the economy appears to be stabilizing, "there's no reason to believe business travel will return anytime soon to help bail us out."The airline reported that about 17 percent of its passengers paid the full fare instead of discounted fares, down from 24 percent during the same period last year.Dallas-based Southwest lost $16 million in the third quarter, or 2 cents per share. Not counting special items it would have shown a $23 million profit, or 3 cents per share, a penny ahead of the expectations of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.During the same period last year Southwest lost $120 million.Traffic rose 4.7 percent for the quarter. Even with more customers, Southwest trimmed unprofitable routes and capacity dropped 5.8 percent for the quarter. It can be hard to cut costs as fast as flying, though, and Southwest's unit costs Ñ the expense in flying one person one mile Ñ rose 6.6 percent from a year ago, not counting fuel. Southwest said its unit costs will keep rising as it cuts fourth-quarter capacity by 8 percent.Southwest said its 2009 capacity will be down about 5 percent compared with last year. The airlines expects it to stay unchanged next year.

Southwest Airlines, St Louis Airport Southwest continues to show support for St. Louis travelers with another announcement for expanded service out of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. Southwest is adding nine flights to its May 2010 schedule. Six of the flights will be new destinations from Lambert for the Dallas-based carrier. The new Southwest destinations are Nashville, New Orleans, Seattle, San Diego, Raleigh-Durham and Los Angeles. An additional daily flight to Minneapolis is also part of the expanded service.The new Southwest service is in direct response to the major cutback recently announced by American Airlines. The new Southwest service adds back four of the destinations that would have been completely lost to St. Louis travelers because of the cutbacks by American: Nashville, New Orleans, San Diego and Raleigh-Durham. In 2010, Southwest Airlines will become LambertÕs dominant carrier.Southwest announced earlier this month itÕs also adding an additional daily flight to Baltimore, Dallas, Las Vegas and Orlando beginning in March. Twice daily service from Lambert to Minneapolis and Boston begins in January. After the May schedule, Southwest will be operating about 83 flights a day from Lambert to 31 destinations.

SpiceJet Privately-owned Indian carrier SpiceJet is resuming services on the Bangalore-Goa route.On 25 October a daily service will start on the Bangalore-Goa route, says SpiceJet, which operates Boeing 737-800/900s."We have reintroduced this flight on the Bangalore-Goa sector based on encouraging feedback by our travellers," says SpiceJet chief commercial officer Samyukth Sridharan.

SriLankan Airlines will launch twice-weekly service from Colombo to Milan Malpensa on Dec. 16 and increase flights to London Heathrow, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Tiruchirapalli, Male, Bangalore, Karachi and Bahrain. Frequencies to Doha and Dammam will rise on Oct. 25.

Sudan Airways Boeing 707-300 freighter on lease from Azza Transport crashed yesterday after taking off from Sharjah, killing all six aboard. The flight was scheduled to land in Khartoum. Theircraft was destroyed, according to the Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network.

Swiss International will continue to reduce its overall capacity in response to changed demand in the coming winter schedules, broadly to the extent already seen in the summer timetable period. Capacity on Swiss European network will be around one per cent lower than originally envisaged, while intercontinental production will be reduced by around nine per cent. This means that of the 2 650 weekly flights originally scheduled for Winter 2009/2010, around 50 will not be operated. Two aircraft of the Swiss long-haul fleet will remain withdrawn from service throughout the winter timetable period.Swiss will serve 76 destinations (48 European and 28 intercontinental) in 40 countries in its coming winter schedules with a fleet of 85 aircraft (including sevenoperated under wet-lease arrangements). More than 30 further destinations will receive non-stop service to and from Zurich under codeshare agreements with partner air carriers. The Swiss winter schedules come into effect on 25 October and will remain in force up to and including 27 March 2010.

Swiss International will increase its services to Bangkok from the present six to seven weekly flights from 25 October. December will also see the restoration of some North Atlantic services previously suspended in response to changes in demand: service on the Zurich-New York route will be increased again to 13 weekly flights, while daily service will now be offered on the Geneva-New York and Zurich-Boston routes. The Swiss winter schedules come into effect on 25 October and will remain in force up to and including 27 March 2010.

Swiss International, on its European network, will be adding a further daily frequency between Zurich and Berlin, where customers will now be able to choose from six daily flights.From Geneva, Swiss will be offering service to nine destinations with its own aircraft and a further 16 under codeshare arrangements in its winter schedules.Winter services from Basel will consist of nine destinations served with Swiss- operated aircraft and a further four under codeshare agreements.Swiss will also be offering services to 20 leisure destinations from Zurich and three from Geneva in collaboration with Edelweiss Air. The Swiss winter schedules come into effect on 25 October and will remain in force up to and including 27 March 2010.

Tokyo Narita's newly extended runway entered service yesterday, five months ahead of the original schedule, according to Narita International Airport Corp. Runway B was lengthened to 2,500 m. from 2,180 m. Runway A measures 4,000 m. The airport will have 20,000 additional slots available per year starting March 28.

TransAsia Airways next month is suspending its Taipei Taoyuan-Shanghai Pudong service so it can use the traffic rights to increase its Taipei Songshan-Shanghai Pudong service.On 1 November the once weekly Taipei Taoyuan-Shanghai Pudong service will be suspended and the four-times weekly Taipei Songshan-Shanghai Pudong service will increase to five-times weekly, says TransAsia.

United Airlines, Airbus Two passengers on a United Airlines A320 that skidded off a runway in Chicago because of crossed wiring are suing the airline and Airbus, the manufacturer.The lawsuits were filed by Jamie Scatena and Marc Shannon in September in King County Superior Court and moved to U.S. District Court on Oct. 9.Both seek damages for pain, suffering, lost pay, medical expenses and other losses.Scatena and Shannon were on a United A320 that veered into some runway lights after landing at O'Hare International Airport on Oct. 9. In a similar episode four months later, a United A320 skidded into a snowbank at Jackson Hole, Wyo.United confirmed that both planes and a third that was not involved in any mishap had crossed wiring in the main landing gear.

ZZ AirGuide 091028

Copyright © 2009 AirGuide / Pyramid Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.