Airline News

www.Parctel.com: AirTran Airways offers the following list of travel tips and guidelines as a service to holiday travelers:

1. Wrap Up the Packing Before Wrapping Presents - Wrapped gifts might have to be unwrapped during security screenings. Consider shipping gifts ahead of time. Do not carry wrapped gifts you have received from others.



2. Don't Let Your Valuables Become Someone Else's Stocking Stuffers - Place your medicine, jewelry, cameras, and other valuables in your carry-on baggage.



3. Remember to Leave Time for the Airport "Holidaze" - During the busy holidays, anticipate possible slowdowns caused by heavy traffic, crowded airport parking lots and busy ticket counters and security checkpoints. AirTran Airways recommends passengers arrive at the airport a minimum of 90 minutes prior to scheduled departure.



4. The Sleigh Can Only Hold So Much - On the aircraft, you are allowed one carry-on bag and one personal item. A personal item is defined as a purse, briefcase, diaper bag or laptop computer bag. Per FAA regulations, both the carry-on bag and the personal item must fit underneath the seat in front of you or in the EasyFit overhead bins.



5. Santa Can Find You, but the Airport Needs Your Help - A baggage tag with your name, home address and telephone number must be placed on the outside of your bag. It is also a good idea to put your home address, telephone number, destination address and telephone number inside your bag.



6. The New Year's Clock is Ticking - Baggage may be checked at the airport no more than four hours prior to departure time and no fewer than 30 minutes prior to departure at most cities. For individual airport times, please check our Contract of Carriage on http://www.airtran.com/.



7. More Convenient Than Travel by Reindeer - Check in for your flights up to 24 hours prior to departure with our Online Flight Check-In on http://www.airtran.com/. You will be able to select your seat assignment, print your boarding passes, and print a receipt from your computer.



8. Three is the Magic Number - Per the TSA's recent guidelines, travelers can now bring liquids, gels and aerosols into their carry-on luggage. The items must be stored in containers no larger than three ounces and must be housed in a single, quart-sized zip-top, clear plastic bag.



9. Nothing Should be Roasting by an Open Fire - All lighters and matches are prohibited in carry-on items. However, lighters without fuel are allowed in checked baggage and lighters with fuel are only allowed in checked baggage if they meet guidelines set forth by the Department of Transportation. As a rule of thumb, AirTran Airways recommends leaving the lighters at home.



10. Leave the Carving Knives at Home - Security requirements prohibit passengers from taking certain items in their carry-on bags, which include: knives of any length, cutting instruments (any kind) including carpet knives, box cutters and folding or retractable blades regardless of blade length or composition. Straight razors are prohibited but disposable razors, e.g. Bic, are allowed.



11. Unlock the Holiday Cheer - The TSA recommends that you leave your baggage unlocked as it may be inspected during the security screening process.



12. From Holiday Bells to Elf Shoes - All Subject to X-Ray - At the screening checkpoint, be prepared to take your shoes off, empty your pockets of all metal and remove laptops from your carry-on baggage.



13. You Aren't as Recognizable as Santa - Bring Your ID - AirTran Airways' security procedures require that all travelers 18 years of age and older show a government-issued photo ID, such as a valid driver's license, a passport or military ID. If you do not have one of the above, you may show two forms of non-photo ID, at least one of which must be issued by a local, state or federal government agency such as the following: birth certificate, Medicare card, voter registration card, Social Security card. Ensure that the name on your itinerary matches the name on your identification.



14. Get Milk to Wash Down Your Holiday Cookies After the Security Line - The TSA has eased its ban on beverages. Travelers are now allowed to bring thirst-quenchers onto an airplane, but only if they are purchased at the airport past the security checkpoint.



15. Peace of Mind: The Airport's Gift to You - Only ticketed passengers may proceed past the security screening checkpoint. Due to heightened security measures, passengers may experience the following: Increased number of uniformed law enforcement and security personnel; Reduced access points to secured areas at airports; Towing of unattended vehicles near the terminals; Heightened awareness of unattended bags; Requests for ID and receipt/itinerary for travel; Prohibition on the sale of knifelike items.

www.Parctel.com: More than 50 volunteer staff from oneworld member airlines and the alliance's central team are due to land in South Africa today on what is believed to be the first mission of its kind carried out by any of the global airline alliances anywhere worldwide.

They will be spending the week to work with a range of projects with charities in the Johannesburg area in a programme they are calling "oneworld against poverty".

The assignment is being spearheaded by the Qantas Cabin Crew Team, an organisation led by flight attendants at the Australian airline which supports charities around the worldwide network served by the carrier. Around 35 of its members will be taking part in this week's operation, led by the team's President Glenn Price.

While this Qantas group has been helping the Johannesburg projects in various ways for several years, this will be the first time they have been joined by colleagues from other part of the oneworld alliance.

Working alongside them this week will be some 25 representatives from Airline Ambassadors, a counterpart association at American Airlines, led by William Dise, its Regional Director and a crew chief at American, along with others from across the alliance including its central team at the oneworld Management Company.

The overall team includes representatives from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Spain, the UK and the USA.

While they will be personally delivering the proceeds of fund-raising they have been carrying out for much of the past year, their biggest donations will be in the form of "muscle-power". Qantas is supporting the exercise by providing ground transport, flying in 1 tonne of donated items and providing some logistical support.

The volunteers are taking the time for the trip from their annual vacation allowances, away from their regular duties at their respective airlines. They will be joined by 16 Qantas cabin crew and eight of the airline's pilots spending a couple of days in the city between flights from and to Australia.

The team is drawn from across the air transport career ladder - from flight attendants and pilots to managers. They are united in a desire to help those less privileged than themselves.

While in Johannesburg, they will focus their attention on three projects, working with:

* Nkosi's Haven, a centre for women, babies, children and young people suffering from HIV, where they will help renovate 16 cottages and a cricket pitch and basketball court. Founded by Gail Johnson in April 1999 and named in honour of her 12 year old foster son and in memory of his biological mother who was unable to look after him, Nkosi’s Haven was officially opened on 14th April 1999. Infected with HIV from birth, Nkosi passed away on 1 June 2001 from an AIDS related disease. His legacy lives on.
* MES (Methodist Evangelical Services) New Haven for Life, which provides a home for street kids who are starting to go to school, where they will renovate the building and courtyard and install 50 beds, costing US$7,000, purchased through their fund-raising.
* FLOC (For the Love of Children), an inner city pre-school where 40 places are sponsored by the Qantas Cabin Crew Team. The volunteers will give all the children at the school an educational day out and party.

www.Parctel.com: Revenues from oneworld alliance fares and sales activities rose by more than 10 per cent year-on-year to almost US$675 million in 2006, helping its partners maintain their record as the most financially sound grouping of airlines.

The seven established member airlines sharing those alliance revenues - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, LAN and Qantas - classified almost two-thirds of that US$675 million total as "incremental" revenue, or money they would not have earned had it not been for oneworld.

These revenues are expected to be given a substantial boost in 2007 with the addition to the alliance of Japan Airlines and its associates, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Royal Jordanian and affiliates LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador from 1 April, followed by Dragonair later this year.

oneworld sales to the corporate sector were particularly strong in 2006, with revenues from corporate accounts increasing by almost two-thirds.

businessflyer, the alliance's product for small and medium sized accounts in key target markets, generated more than twice as much revenue as in 2005. More than 5,500 businesses are now signed up in France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and now also Belgium - almost 40 per cent more than a year ago, spurred in part by the alliance's first external advertising in five years.

Yields from oneworld sales overall remained strong, with almost three-quarters of its alliance fares sold for travel in its member airlines' premium cabins.

Some 8 million passengers transferred between the established oneworld member airlines' flights in 2006, one in every 30 customers they boarded throughout the year.

Revenues generated by this "interlining" activity within the alliance rose almost 5 per cent to some US$2 billion, including benefits from alliance fares and sales products. That represents almost 3.5 per cent of the established member airlines' total passenger revenues.

oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch said: "In a business where operating margins are generally thin and at a time when fuel prices have reached record highs, revenues from oneworld represent an increasingly important contribution to our member airlines' financial standings - and we are committed to increasing the contribution the alliance makes.

"Key factors behind this rise in revenues are the quality of the service oneworld and its member airlines provide, our unparalleled international route network and our unmatched range of alliance fares and sales products. We expect April's addition of our new recruits, followed by Dragonair later this year, to give these revenues a significant further lift."

While continuing to build revenues for its member airlines, the alliance also maintained its focus on supporting their efforts to reduce costs. Savings from its joint procurement activities now total almost US$300 million, with the bulk of 2006's benefits coming from initiatives in the Engineering and Maintenance arena.

These efforts helped oneworld maintain its position as the most profitable airline grouping. Based on the latest full year results from all established members of all alliances, its established members collectively achieved an operating margin of 5.7 per cent - against 3.4 for Star and 3.1 for SkyTeam. At the net level, the profit margin for oneworld's members collectively was 3.4 per cent, against 2.8 per cent for Star and a negative 8.3 per cent for SkyTeam.

The combined net profits for oneworld's seven established carriers in their latest full years totalled more than US$2.3 billion, excluding one-off extraordinary items. On the same basis - ignoring asset sales and bankruptcy restructuring charges - the 17 member airlines of Star totalled US$2.2 billion and SkyTeam's 10 carriers US$1.1 billion.

Over the past three years, the combined net profits of oneworld member airlines has totalled US$5.4 billion, while SkyTeam members have lost US$18.6 billion between them and Star's partners have reported collective losses of US$20.8 billion. oneworld remains the only alliance without a member having to resort to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

www.parking-stansted-airport.com: Came across this advert on Enoughs Enough and had to share it with you:

Enoughs Enough Greenpeace Advert in response to BA's inaugural flight from London to Newquay.

Makes one wonder what will happen to the Stansted Airport Parking lots if no planes fly anymore?

www.Parctel.com: Finnair links Nuremberg to network as oneworld's tenth German gateway: Nuremberg has joined the oneworld® network, as the tenth destination in Germany served by the alliance, with Finnair flying there daily from and to its Helsinki home, using Embraer regional jets. With the three-letter IATA code NUE, Nuremberg is at the centre of northern Bavaria, with some five million people live in its catchment area.

American to open two new Caribbean routes from New York: American Airlines, already the leading airline between New York and the Caribbean, is adding a further two new routes to the islands from JFK. It will serve St Kitts and Nevis from 18 November with two Boeing 757s a week, and St Lucia from November with an initial three Boeing 757s a week. Elsewhere, it connect Austin with John Wayne airport at Santa Ana, in California's Orange County from 5 September with daily Boeing MD80s westbound and 737-800s eastbound.

Iberia launches Madrid-Boston and heads for Washington and St Petersburg: Iberia has launched its new Madrid-Boston route, with an initial five Airbus A340s a week. It joins American Airlines and British Airways in serving the New England gateway. Next month, oneworld's Spanish partner adds Washington DC to its network too, while it Europe it will open services to St Petersburg from 2 June, with two Airbus A319s a week from and to its Madrid hub.

Royal Jordanian resumes Montreal route: Royal Jordanian, which joined oneworld on 1 April, resumes non-stops between its Amman home base and Montreal from 25 May, with twice-weekly two-class Airbus A340s, offering its Crown Class flat beds. The airline last served the Canadian city ten years ago.

BA gains fourth 'Airline of the Year' title: British Airways has gained its fourth Airline of the Year title, with the latest accolade from the OAG airline information group. BA was already the current holder of top airline title from the SkyTrax airline quality organization, the World Travel Awards and Global Traveler magazine. In the OAG awards, BA was also named Best Transatlantic Airline, Best Europe-Asia/Australasia and Best in Western Europe, while oneworld partners Cathay Pacific was judged Best Transpacific and Qantas was Best in Australasia/Pacific.

American to up-grade passenger cabins across its 757 fleet: American Airlines is to upgrade the passenger cabins of its entire fleet of 124 Boeing 757s. The improvements, to be made from next year, will include new seats, new cabin interiors and updated in-flight entertainment systems. First Class will be expanded by two more seats, giving a total of 24 on each aircraft. The airline has already announced plans for enhancements to its 777s, 767-300s and 767-200s.

JAL to triple size of lounges at its main Tokyo Narita international hub: Japan Airlines' expanded and refurbished lounges at its Tokyo Narita Terminal 2 main international hub will be opened in mid July, providing more spacious, comfortable environments and improved services. The airline says their new designs would provide "a high quality space for the ultimate in relaxation", with the size of the rooms tripled to offer seating for up to 700 people.

BA and Qantas open new First Class lounge at Bangkok: British Airways and Qantas have opened their new joint First Class lounge at Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi airport. The two airlines opened in March their new Business Class lounge at the gateway. The new BA/QF First Class lounge is 40 per cent bigger than the facility it replaces at Bangkok's old Don Muang airport.

Malév moves New York JFK operations to American Airlines' terminal: Malév Hungarian Airlines has transferred its New York JFK operations into American Airlines' Terminal 9, smoothing connections between the two carriers at the hub. oneworld partner Finnair also uses the same terminal. The British Airways terminal is right next door, used by alliance members Cathay Pacific, Iberia and Qantas besides BA.

Madrid Metro now extended to oneworld operational base Terminal 4: Madrid's Metro has now been extended to the new Terminal 4 at the city's airport, where all oneworld member airlines are based. The facility is now served, like the other airport terminals, by trains on Line 8, running to and from the city centre Nuevos Ministerios station. Previously, passengers had to connect by bus between Terminal 4 and the Metro station at Terminal 2.

www.Parctel.com: JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq:JBLU) announces the appointment of Dave Barger to the position of Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. In addition, Mr. Barger retains his responsibilities as President. David Neeleman, JetBlue's founder and Chief Executive Officer since 1998, will serve JetBlue as non-executive Chairman of the Board.

"This is a natural evolution of our leadership structure as JetBlue continues to grow," Mr. Neeleman said. "As Chairman of the Board of Directors, I will focus on developing JetBlue's long-term vision and strategy, and how we can continue to be a preferred product in a commodity business."

"I am honored to serve JetBlue in this capacity, and I thank David for his leadership," Mr. Barger said. "The strength of JetBlue has always been our crewmembers. We believe that when we take care of our people, and make sure they have the right tools and resources, customers will choose us first every time. I look forward to a very bright future for our crewmembers, our customers and our shareholders."

Mr. Neeleman founded JetBlue as Chief Executive Officer in 1998 and became Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2002. Mr. Barger joined JetBlue in August 1998 as President and Chief Operating Officer. The airline first took to the skies in February 2000. Since then, the low-fare airline based in New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport has grown to 52 destinations with more than 575 daily flights.

New York-based JetBlue Airways has created a new airline category based on value, service and style. Known for its award-winning service and free TV as much as its low fares, JetBlue is now pleased to offer customers the most legroom throughout coach (based on average fleet-wide seat pitch for U.S. airlines). JetBlue is also America's first and only airline to offer its own Customer Bill of Rights, with meaningful compensation for customers inconvenienced by service disruptions within JetBlue's control. Visit www.jetblue.com/promise for details. JetBlue serves 52 cities with up to 575 daily flights. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. For information or reservations call 1-800-JETBLUE (1-800-538-2583) or visit www.jetblue.com.

JetBlue's 36 channels of DIRECTV(r) service is not available on flights outside the continental United States; however, where applicable, FOX InFlight(tm) is offered complimentary on these routes. FOX InFlight(tm) is a trademark of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. JetBlue's in-flight entertainment is powered by LiveTV, a wholly owned subsidiary of JetBlue.

www.Parctel.com: Seasonal first half loss significantly reduced

* Winter margin improved by 4 percentage points to -2.4% from -6.4%.
* Loss before tax, reflecting seasonality of business, down 58% to £17m from £40m.
* Total revenue grew by 14% to £719 million.
* Return on equity for the rolling twelve month period increased to 11.9%, up over 6 percentage points from 5.6% in March 2006.
* Full year guidance maintained: pre-tax profit for the year to September 2007 expected to be 40% to 50% higher than record profits in 2006.
* Passenger numbers up 11% to 16.4 million.
* Unit passenger revenues increased by 0.8% or £0.26 per seat to £31.70 per seat.
* Ancillary revenues improved by 18% or £0.58 per seat to £3.81 per seat with partner revenues from insurance and car hire driving the growth.
* Unit costs excluding fuel reduced by 2.1% or £0.57 per seat from £27.75 to £27.18.
* 16 new routes launched. Network now covers 292 routes and 75 airports in 20 countries.
* Madrid base launched with 4 new Airbus A319s in February 2007. 9 new routes launched doubling the number of routes serving Madrid to 18 including Spanish domestic routes and routes to the UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Morocco.
* easyJet’s fleet reinforced as one of the most modern and environmentally friendly fleets in Europe. Average age of fleet only 2.3 years following delivery of 10 new Airbus A319s during the period.

Commenting on the results, Andy Harrison, easyJet Chief Executive said:

"The first half of our financial year has seen growth in all areas. Our winning combination of low cost with care and convenience on a network now covering 75 airports in 20 countries on nearly 300 routes continues to attract new customers. In the six months to March 2007, we flew over 16 million passengers, up 11%.

“Our interim results show continued improvements with our margin rising by 4.0 percentage points from minus 6.4% to minus 2.4%. We have grown our total revenue per seat by 84 pence per seat and reduced our costs excluding fuel by 57 pence per seat, allowing us to more than halve our seasonal loss from £40m to £17m.

“We continue to introduce new Airbus aircraft into our fleet, thereby maintaining one of Europe’s cleanest and greenest aircraft fleets, and in April we collected our 100th Airbus A319. Through our investment in modern fuel efficient aircraft we have reduced our emissions of CO2 per passenger kilometre by 18% since 2000.

“Looking forward, our growth measured in available seats will accelerate during the summer months leading to approximately 15% growth for the full year to September 2007. As we stated last winter, we continue to see pressure on yields in the summer against high comparatives from last year and due to continued competition. Low fares underpin our growth and in the second half we have reduced many of our lead-in fares and increased our promotional activity to sustain high load factors in weaker market conditions. Our low fares are supported by maintaining focus on ancillary revenues and our cost base. We anticipate further progress on unit cost reductions, excluding fuel, in the second half and for the full year we anticipate unit fuel costs to be slightly down year on year. Our guidance remains unchanged, for the full year to September 2007 we expect pre-tax profit growth of 40% to 50%.”

www.Parctel.com: Qantas First class customers will be treated to a range of luxuries from chair-side waiter service to complimentary spa treatments when the airline's new First lounges in Sydney and Melbourne open later this month.

The new flagship lounges, which open on 23 May, have been designed by internationally renowned Australian industrial designer Marc Newson.

Qantas Executive General Manager John Borghetti has described them as "simply the best in the world".

"The services offered in our new lounges will be equal to those found in the world's best five star hotels and restaurants. For example a full concierge service will help customers book a restaurant in any city around the world or get tickets to the latest Broadway musical," Mr Borghetti said.

"Nearly everything has been designed by Marc specifically for the lounges and manufactured by leading international craftsman.

"Even the music has been specially created to complement the atmosphere and function of each area of the lounge."

Features of the Sydney lounge include:

* huge American oak sculptures that separate the lounge space into defined areas;
* a Payot Paris day spa offering a range of complimentary treatments from a 30-minute express energising facial to a 50-minute full body massage;
* a 48-seat open kitchen restaurant with menus by Neil Perry;
* chair-side waiter service throughout the lounge;
* a library stocked with a selection of newspapers and magazines, best-selling books and board games including chess and backgammon;
* a dedicated entertainment zone with banks of plasma screens showing local and international news, sport and weather, and Sony Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable entertainment systems offering a selection of games and movies;
* a vertical garden designed by international botanist Patrick Blanc featuring over 8,400 individual plants;
* luxurious individual marble-lined shower suites with individual stereo volume and lighting controls, radiant heating to reduce condensation on the mirrors, and luggage racks;
* exclusive furniture and luxurious finishes including leather lounge chairs, recliners, and sofas by Italy's Poltrona Frau, dining chairs and tables by Cappellini, Tai Ping wool carpets from Hong Kong, marble from Carrara and quartzite from Switzerland; and
* state-of-the-art business facilities with 11 PC workstations, complimentary wireless internet access, power and data points throughout the lounge and two private work suites with conference facilities and plasma display screens.

"Lounges are an important point of differentiation for long haul international travellers, which is why we have drawn on the knowledge of world leading experts and brands to deliver the most luxurious atmosphere for our customers.

"The lounges will be managed by luxury hotel group Sofitel with all staff undergoing specialist training through its Acadamie Accor hotel school.

"At the same time we are launching a new premium check-in service at Sydney and Melbourne international terminals, with First customers checked in prior to arriving at the airport and greeted at the kerb by a Qantas First Host and porter," Mr Borghetti said.

"These initiatives are part of a progressive luxury product upgrade being rolled out in anticipation of the airline's Airbus A380 fleet being delivered from 2008."

The First Lounge is located on level four of the Sydney International Terminal and was designed to comply with both Flying Star Feng Shui and classic Feng Shui elements.

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline today, (Thursday, 10th May 2007) announces eight new routes from Dusseldorf to Fuerteventura, Malaga, Marrakesh, Milan, Seville, Trapani (Sicily), Valencia and Vaxjo (Sweden). The new routes go on sale today and start in September, when Ryanair will base two further Boeing 737-800 aircraft in Dusseldorf, bringing its total investment there to $280m.

Ryanair also launched its European price Guarantee. If passengers find a cheaper fare on the same route with any other airline, they will be entitled to double the difference between the two fares. Nobody beats Ryanair's low fares - GUARANTEED.

Announcing this route expansion and Ryanair's Price Guarantee, Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary said:

“Ryanair's Dusseldorf Weeze base starts in just one month's time and our low fares have been selling so well that we are already announcing 8 new routes. This expansion will deliver 2m passengers p.a. at Dusseldorf by 2008, creating 2,000 jobs and a visitor spend of €200m in the Niederrhein region.

“To celebrate, we are launching our biggest ever seat sale with 10 million seats across Europe from just €10. If you find a cheaper fare with any other airline we will give you double the difference. We urge all passengers to log onto www.ryanair.com immediately for the lowest fares in Europe – GUARANTEED”.

www.Parctel.com: For the week 30 April to 06 May 2007, 93% of all Monarch's scheduled flights departed on time and 99% departed within an hour of scheduled departure time.

www.Parctel.com: As of this morning, 121 remains have been recovered from the site. The authorities may take some time to confirm, if possible, how many passengers the remains represent.

So far, we have relayed the news to the next of kin of 101 families. We have not managed to relay this news to the next of kin of 13 passengers, who we have been unable to contact. We have forwarded this information to the Government of Kenya’s Chief of Protocol to relay this information to the respective Embassies and High Commissions.

80 approvals for travel to Douala have been processed to date. 12 family members will be leaving for Douala on this evening’s flight at 19:00 hours. This is in addition to the Cameroonian families already in Douala.

The Cameroonian Government has granted approval for the next of kin to visit the site over the next 2 or 3 days. Family members in Douala have been informed of the situation on site and the condition of the remains. The families are being prepared both physically and emotionally for the visit.

The team on ground will be briefing family members twice a day, at 10 am and at 6pm.

The identification process will be lengthy and complicated and is likely to take a considerable length of time. We are advised that whilst the mortuary facilities are adequate for the purposes of identification and repatriation.

www.Parctel.com: Men looking for racy weekends rate Rome as the ripest route for romantic romps.

New research, commissioned by British Airways, shows that one in four men would treat another lover to a break in the city famed for renaissance romance when having an affair.

The results show that when it comes to impressing a loved one, married or otherwise, Italy is by far and away the best destination. The home of 'amore' has overtaken France for both men and women as the most romantic European country and the favoured location for a first date.

It would seem that girls have some catching up to do in the love stakes, with guys doing more to dispel the myth that romance is dead.

The research shows that twice as many men as women have treated their loved ones to surprise romantic holidays.

And single females who have just met a man have a special reason for anticipation - nearly one in ten guys holiday abroad with their new love within the first month of a relationship.

Dean Yardley, British Airways' general manager of shorthaul, said: "Clearly, romance isn't dead. And with the pound at its strongest in 25 years, 60 per cent of the population and 70 per cent of 25-34 year olds, are now taking up to three European trips every year.

"With fares to European destinations starting from as little as £34* one-way on ba.com, the world is definitely getting smaller. Here at British Airways we have seen a real increase in the numbers of couples jetting away for that all important romantic break. So get clicking and grab a bargain!""

The research shows another strong motivator for the modern male traveller - shopping. Despite perceptions that shopping is for women, more men travel abroad to go shopping than to watch sport or to go on stag 'do's', with shopping equalling lads' weekends as a reason for men to travel to Europe.

Strengthened by the current value of the pound, shopping is now seen as one of the top five reasons for travelling abroad.

Umberto Paolucci, President of the Italian Tourist Board, said: "More and more British travellers are choosing Italy as a holiday destination for various reasons: ease of travel to the country, the extraordinary combination of artistic and natural beauty, and the unique Italian lifestyle and charm.

"Thus it is not surprising that Italy is a favourite destination for a romantic holiday. Our London office informs us that it is becoming a very popular choice for celebration of weddings in unforgettable style. Italy is a wonderful set where you can live the best movie of your life."

Tours of Rome

www.Parctel.com: If you love Paris in the springtime, chances are good you’ll love it in the summer as well. And that goes for London, Zurich, Brussels and Frankfurt, too. American has put each of these great European destinations on sale for travel from late May through early September.

American is having a summer sale from select cities in the United States to some of Europe’s favorite spots. Thought it was too late to get a great fare for travel this summer and stand atop the Eiffel Tower in Paris, go see the latest shows in London, view the breathtaking Alps near Zurich, taste some exquisite chocolate in Brussels, or take a Rhine River cruise near Frankfurt? Think again, and then contact American Airlines.

With American’s great fares to Europe, everything is possible and affordable. Go see Europe this summer on American Airlines, a founding member of the global oneworld® Alliance. There’s really nothing stopping you now.

Paris Tours

www.Parctel.com: In April 2007, the airline company Air Berlin transported 126,452 more passengers on domestic and international flights than in the same month of the previous year. The number of passengers welcomed on board in April 2007 amounted to 1,684,733 (4/2006: 1,558,281), i.e. an increase of 8.1 per cent. For the first four months of 2007, the accumulated number of passengers flying Air Berlin rose by 10.6 per cent, i.e. from 5,288,759 to 5,850,420.

For April 2007, the fleet capacity utilization rate decreased by 2.9 percentage points to 74.9 per cent (4/2006: 77.8 per cent). The company believes that the unusual weather conditions were responsible for this development: While airlines usually witness a lot of short-term bookings for Southbound flights in April, sunny weather in Germany and persistent rainfall in the Mediterranean region convinced many holiday makers to stay in Germany. Nevertheless, for the first four months of the year, the accumulated capacity utilization rate still showed an increase of 0.8 percentage points to 70.9 per cent.

In April 2007, the following German airports recorded exceptional growth: Berlin-Tegel (+18 per cent) and Munich (+11 per cent). Outside of Ger-many, Helsinki airport once again took the lead with an increase of 82 per cent, followed by Moscow (+61 per cent) and Zurich (+23 per cent).

www.Parctel.com: 88% of Flybe flights arrived on time and 97% of flights arrived within 60 minutes of scheduled arrival time.

A flight on time is defined as one arriving within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time. These statistics are based on all Flybe flights between 16th April and 20th April 2007 inclusive.

www.Parctel.com: On the day that easyJet collects its 100th Airbus 319 in Hamburg, the airline is calling on European governments to remove almost 700 of the oldest, dirtiest aircraft from Europe’s skies by banning any aircraft built before 1990 from operating within the European Union after 1st January 2012.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, the industry was able to substantially reduce noise emissions from aircraft through the prohibition of the noisiest aircraft types, through the identification of aircraft “Chapters”. This incentivised airlines to demand ever-quieter aircraft from manufacturers. Because of this concerted action today's aircraft are typically 75% quieter than jets in the 1960s.

It is time to apply the same logic to CO2 emissions. It is an unavoidable fact that the oldest aircraft are the least fuel-efficient and, therefore, the most environmentally damaging.

According figures from Airbus, a 1980s-vintage MD82 generates 21% more CO2 per seat than an A319 in an equivalent seating layout; and easyJet’s own operating data showed the A319 to be 15% more efficient per seat than the Boeing 737-300. Boeing recently claimed that the 787-9 aircraft will burn 27% less fuel per passenger than the older-generation A340-300 that it could replace in some fleets.

In addition, the fuel consumption of a jet engine deteriorates over time as it used more, reducing the environmental performance of the aircraft. Much of this deterioration can be recovered by doing performance restoration maintenance on the engines, but some performance is always lost.

easyJet proposes that as of 1st January 2012 (i.e. the date all of aviation goes into the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme) no transport aircraft built before 1st January 1990 will be allowed to remain registered in the EU and the requirement would then roll forward each year. The EU could mandate this by issuing an appropriate Regulation. This also has the advantage of capturing freighter aircraft – often where older aircraft end up.

According to data from AirCraft Analytical System, an aviation industry market information provider, of the 3,622 aircraft registered for operations within Europe, 678 are more than 17 years old today (i.e. built before February 1990). This represents 19% of the European fleet and, if they were all replaced today with the most modern technology, this could represent a saving of total emissions from European aviation of 4-5%.

easyJet’s proposal is made as the airline takes delivery of its 100th Airbus 319 aircraft at a special handover ceremony at the Airbus factory in Hamburg before the specially-branded aircraft embarks on a tour of some of Europe’s major capital cities. The 100 aircraft have been delivered in only 3.5 years meaning that easyJet has taken an A319 into its fleet every 12 days – a faster rate than any other airline in history. The easyJet fleet now consists of 130 aircraft with an average age of 2.2 years – the youngest of any major airline in Europe.

Speaking today in Hamburg at a ceremony to mark the delivery of the airline’s 100th Airbus A319, Andy Harrison, easyJet Chief Executive, said:

“Our proposal to limit the age of European aircraft to 22 years or younger would have a dramatic impact on the Europe’s aviation emissions and would mirror the progress already made in noise reductions. The European Commission has announced new guidelines that average car emissions should not exceed 130g CO2 per kilometre. Similar steps must be taken to get the oldest aircraft out of the sky to enable the industry to achieve “green growth”.

“Governments and regulators must begin to recognise that some aircraft are dramatically more environmentally-efficient than others. easyJet’s mix of new aircraft with high seat densities and high load factors means a traditional airline emits 27% more CO2 per passenger kilometre than easyJet. Over the course of our last financial year, easyJet emitted 95.7g CO2 per passenger kilometre – which means an easyJet passenger’s environmental footprint is less than the 104g CO2 per kilometre of the Toyota Prius.

“Unlike some issues in aviation which need global agreement – this could be very straightforward, so there is no excuse for inaction. The vast majority of aircraft flying short-haul routes within Europe are on European-registered airlines which can be covered by a legislative proposal from the European Commission.”

www.Parctel.com: Qantas today signed an investment agreement with the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC), the investment holding arm of the Vietnamese Government, to purchase a 30 per cent stake in Pacific Airlines, Vietnam's second largest carrier.

The Chief Financial Officer of Qantas, Mr Peter Gregg, said Qantas would partner with SCIC to manage this investment, with completion expected within the next few months.

"This will be an important investment for the Qantas Group, supporting Jetstar's growth strategy and enabling us to extend our reach in South East Asia, where we have been actively exploring opportunities," Mr Gregg said.

"Vietnam offers great growth potential for aviation. It has a large and growing domestic market and is increasingly popular as a tourist destination."

Dr Le Thi Bang Tam, SCIC's Chairwoman, said SCIC chose Qantas as the strategic partner for Pacific Airlines because Qantas was one of the best airlines in the world. In particular, Qantas had developed Jetstar into one of the most successful low-cost carriers in Asia, she said.

Mr Gregg said the Qantas Group would work with Pacific Airlines and SCIC to develop a new business plan for the carrier, which currently operated a fleet of single-class B737-400 aircraft on domestic routes in Vietnam and international services between Vietnam and Taiwan.

"Pacific Airlines' strategy is to reposition itself as a low cost carrier and expand its operation both within Vietnam and internationally. The Qantas Group is uniquely placed to help implement this approach.

"We are currently working closely with the management of Pacific Airlines to harmonise its operations with Jetstar and explore opportunities for further growth.

"We will be actively involved in the ongoing management of the company through Board representation and key management appointments," he said.

Mr Gregg said the investment was a natural development for Jetstar, which already had a strong presence in South East Asia through its investment in Jetstar Asia and its own international services between Australia and a range of destinations in the region - including Vietnam.

www.Parctel.com: Silverjet, the first British exclusively business class airline, beat off stiff competition to win the Aviation category at the Condé Nast Traveller Innovation and Design Awards last night. A panel of expert judges and Condé Nast Traveller readers put Silverjet’s design sky high above the rest, including nominations for the new Airbus A380, Boeing Dreamliner, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways Club World, HondaJet and the Alpine Wasp mountain rescue helicopter.

Silverjet will launch its second daily flight from London to New York in early July 2007. This second flight will enable Silverjet to offer more business class seats between London and New York Newark than any other carrier, with an average 404 seats per day.

Judges were impressed by Silverjet’s Silver Lounge at the airline’s private air terminal in Luton, plus the modern design of their first Boeing 767-200 plane, with 300 seats converted into 100 flat beds.

Lawrence Hunt, CEO, says: “We’re delighted and honoured to have received this award - this reflects our commitment to offer all our customers a private jet experience from only £999 return, it’s also a great way to celebrate our 100th day in the air!”

Sarah Miller, Editor, Condé Nast Traveller, comments: “Congratulations to Silverjet! The airline won the Aviation category hands down and was the clear favourite with our readers. The panel of judges was bowled over by the fact Silverjet is the world’s first carbon neutral airline*. It’s not often a British airline launches, let alone to such great acclaim and this award is thoroughly deserved.”

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair, today (Friday, 27th April 2007) condemned Transport Minister Martin Cullen - the Minister for electronic voting machines - who last week subverted the independence of the Aviation Regulator by sending him a letter instructing him to double passenger charges at Dublin Airport, and prioritise DAA profits over passenger needs.

Ryanair called on Minister Cullen and Bertie Ahern's Government to put passenger needs before semi-state profits, by delivering the independent, competing second terminal which was promised by this Government in its 2002 "Agreed Programme for Government".

As a result of this Government's failure to deliver an independent second terminal, the DAA monopoly now plans to waste €800m building a second terminal which could and should be built for less than €200m. he Aviation Regulator has confirmed that if these plans proceed, passenger charges at Dublin Airport will double. Now Minister Cullen has again subverted the independence of the Aviation Regulator's office by instructing him to set charges which prioritise the profitability of Dublin Airport over the needs of the travelling public. In effect, Minister Cullen has now ordered the Aviation Regulator to double passenger charges at Dublin Airport.

Calling on Martin Cullen and this Government to honour their promise to deliver an independent competing second terminal, Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary said:

"This is typical of this Minister and this Government. First they waste €50m on electronic voting machines that don't work, now they allow the Dublin Airport Authority (who manage one of the worst airports in Europe) to build a second terminal which costs between four and eight times more than similar terminals elsewhere in Europe.

"As usual this Minister and this Government's solution is to force the public to pay for their mistakes. Passenger charges at Dublin Airport will double if the DAA monopoly's €800m plans go ahead.

"Having appointed an independent Aviation Regulator, this Minister has now instructed him to double charges at Dublin Airport because semi-state profits matter more than passenger needs. Competition can fix the shambles at Dublin Airport by improving services and reducing costs. Martin Cullen and the DAA's only solution is to double passenger charges.

"This latest instruction from Martin Cullen to double passenger charges at Dublin Airport again proves that we can't trust this Government on transport."

www.Parctel.com: Neither rain, nor mud, nor heat, nor the morning chill could dampen the spirit of the courageous soldiers who came together on Saturday, 14th April 2007 to save Ngong Hills. They trooped up decked in the colours of the Plant a Future campaign as they represented the four organizations- Kenya Airways, Rolls-Royce, KLM and Coca –Cola.

The very successful event which joined together staff, their families, their friends and the local community was formally launched by Professor, Kivutha Kibwana, Minister of environment and natural resources. The Ngong hills now have a new lease of life thanks to the over 120 000 trees that will be planted this rainy season. Only indigenous trees will b planted since they are considered the best for stopping soil erosion. The event was also addressed by representatives from Rolls-Royce, KLM, Coca-Cola, Total and Kenya Wildlife Services ( KWS).Titus Naikuni expressed KQ’s intention of making the plant a future campaign an annual event.

www.Parctel.com: The Emirates Group today reported its 19th consecutive year of profit with a new record performance backed by continued double-digit growth.

Group net profits increased 23.5 per cent to a new high of UAE Dirhams 3.5 billion (US $942 million) for the financial year ended 31st March 2007, while Group revenue increased by an impressive 28.4 per cent to Dhs 31.1 billion ($8.5 billion), compared to Dhs 24.2 billion ($6.6 billion) last year. The Group also maintained a robust cash balance of Dhs 12.9 billion ($3.5 billion) at the end of March, an improvement of 17.8 per cent against a year earlier.

Emirates will pay a dividend of Dhs 400 million ($109 million) to its owner, the Government of Dubai. In total, the ownership will have received Dhs 1.8 billion ($505 million) from Emirates since the financial year 2000-01. In 2006-07, the Emirates Group estimates a direct contribution of Dhs 14.5 billion ($4 billion), and another Dhs 21.7 billion ($5.9 billion) in indirect contribution to the Dubai economy.

The 2006-07 Annual Report of the Emirates Group - comprising Emirates Airline, Dnata and subsidiary companies – was released in Dubai today at a news conference hosted by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group.

The Group’s latest record performance, backed by double-digit profit and revenue growth, reflects its success in growing demand for its services, and its ability to attract more premium customers through its multi-million dollar investments in product innovations and service enhancements. This is illustrated by the three million more passengers who flew Emirates in the latest financial year, for a new record total of 17.5 million.

Sheikh Ahmed said: “It has been another outstanding year of continued profitability and rapid growth. These results, against a backdrop of rising costs and significant aircraft delivery delays which have impacted our capacity growth, demonstrate Emirates’ ability to adapt and knuckle down to the challenge.”

He continued: “For the third year running, pressure from fuel costs has softened our profits, while the delay on our A380 aircraft deliveries has meant that we have had to revisit our expansion plans. In spite of these factors, the Group has continued to forge ahead, posting double-digit profit and revenue growth by expanding our operations into new markets and adding capacity to existing markets offering the highest returns; innovating to attract and retain premium customers; and keeping a close watch on unit costs.”

Sheikh Ahmed said: “The Emirates Group is exposed to fuel price fluctuations, rising interest rates, and the volatility of the US dollar against major currencies – all of which we have very little control over. In all other areas of our business, we have better control and in these we strive to improve efficiency and effectiveness, enhance productivity and constantly challenge the existing ways of doing business for continuous improvement. This is essential as we confidently stride ahead with our expansion plans and continue to invest in various new initiatives to manage the company’s growth.”

Across the Group, initiatives to improve efficiency and keep a tight rein on costs have also contributed to the positive results, as the Group maintained a strong net profit margin of 11.4 per cent.

Fuel costs remained the top expenditure accounting for 29.1 per cent of total operating costs, up from 27.2 per cent the previous year and 21.4 per cent the year before. Like other airlines, Emirates was forced to retain its fuel surcharges, which only covered about 50 per cent of incremental costs.

In a year where WTI crude oil prices have fluctuated from US$50 to $78 per barrel, Emirates’ challenge was to manage its fuel risk programme within a price range that ensured its net fuel cost remained below market levels. The airline’s jet fuel risk management programme continued to help mitigate fuel costs, saving the company Dhs 724 million ($197 million) in 2006-07.

In his opening review in the 2006-07 Annual Report, Sheikh Ahmed highlighted the mutually-supportive relationship between Dubai’s rapid development and the growth of Emirates and Dnata which have directly and indirectly contributed to the city’s growing infrastructure and reputation as an international centre for commerce and tourism.

He also remarked on how Emirates Airline has grown from a small operator of eight aircraft in 1990 to become the eighth largest international carrier in the world today with 102 aircraft and over 80 international destinations.

“I often get asked how it is possible Emirates can be so successful without subsidies or preferential treatment from the government,” he said. “There is no secret formula. We simply work hard, work smart, and have built our success on a sound and simple business model that focuses on growth, keeping unit costs low, and investing in innovations to keep ahead of the competition.”

Sheikh Ahmed concluded: “The Group’s strong performance this year is very gratifying. As with previous years, we intend to plough the retained profits back into our business – ensuring we have the right infrastructure, people and resources to support the company’s future growth, while providing our customers with the high quality services they have come to expect from us.”

Emirates Airline’s revenues totalled Dhs 29.8 billion ($8.1 billion) for the year, Dhs 6.8 billion ($1.8 billion) or 29.5 per cent higher than income of Dhs 23.1 billion ($6.3 billion) in 2005-06. Airline profits of Dhs 3.1 billion ($844 million) also surpassed the previous year’s record profits of Dhs 2.5 billion ($674 million).

With the addition of 12 new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft during the financial year, Emirates’ fleet reached 102 at the end of March, including nine freighters. The current fleet of all wide-bodied aircraft has an average age of 63 months – one of the youngest commercial fleet in the skies.

Amongst the highlights of the year was Emirates’ order for 10 Boeing 747-8 freighters worth Dhs 12.1 billion ($3.3 billion) at the 2006 Farnborough Air Show. The airline also ordered five additional Boeing 777-300ERs from GECAS on operating leases to meet its capacity requirements due to the delayed delivery of the A380s.

This will bring its 777-300ER fleet size to 59 which, coupled with its existing 777 fleet and freighters, will place Emirates as the largest operator of the 777 by 2010. Emirates’ current order book for 107 new aircraft is worth approximately Dhs 111 billion ($30 billion) in list prices. Over the next eight years, the airline will continue to receive delivery of one new aircraft per month on average.

During 2006-07, Emirates launched passenger services to four new cities – Bangalore, Beijing, Nagoya, and Tunis - bringing the network total to 89 destinations. In addition, it increased the frequency of passenger services to existing destinations, notably a second daily service to Zurich and Dusseldorf, along with a third daily flight to New York via Hamburg.

Passenger seat factor increased to 76.2 per cent from 75.9 per cent the previous year. Traffic increased by 21.6 per cent to 12,643 million tonne-kilometres, and keeping pace with a capacity increase of 22.9 per cent to 19,414 million tonne-kilometres. Breakeven load factor remained relatively low and improved marginally to 59.9 per cent from 60.2 per cent last year, while yield improved for the fifth consecutive year, to 216 fils (59 US cents) per RTKM (Revenue Tonne Kilometre), up from 203 fils (55 US cents) in 2005-06.

Over the past 12 months, nine new Emirates Lounges were opened at airports in key points across the airline’s network during the year, bringing to 18 the total number of world-class lounges dedicated to Emirates’ First and Business class customers and eligible frequent fliers. To date, the airline has invested Dhs 134 million ($37 million) in its lounge product, with another Dhs 49 million ($13 million) earmarked for 10 more Emirates Lounges in the financial year 2007-08.

Emirates also enhanced its product for young travellers, introducing a complimentary baby stroller service at Dubai airport and new onboard activity packs to keep its young customers happily entertained while flying.

The airline also progressed with its multi-million dollar programme to retrofit its existing 777 fleet with new SkyCruiser seats in First class, flat-bed seats in Business class, and its award-winning ‘ice’ inflight entertainment systems across all classes.

Emirates SkyCargo recorded strong growth across its network to carry 1.2 million tonnes of cargo, surpassing its record of one million tonnes of cargo carried last year by 13.5 per cent. The division’s revenue of Dhs 5.4 billion ($1.5 billion) was Dhs 874 million ($238 million) or 19 per cent higher than the year before, and contributed 20 per cent to the airline’s transport revenue, one of the highest contributions of any airline in the world with a similar fleet make-up.

In addition to the 10 Boeing 747-8 freighters ordered at the Farnborough Air Show, the division has signed a wet-lease agreement with TNT Airways S.A for a Boeing 747-400ERF commencing operations in May 2007, and another two aircraft of the same type from Guggenheim Aviation on dry-lease. The latter two aircraft will enter service in August 2007 and May 2008. Scheduled freighters now operate to 29 destinations. In all, Emirates SkyCargo carries freight in 102 aircraft, including nine freighters, to 89 cities.

The Destination and Leisure Management division of Emirates Airline saw another strong year of growth, with sales crossing the Dhs 1 billion ($314 million) mark. This represents an improvement of 22 per cent over the previous year, with yield up eight per cent despite the increasing competitive market conditions. During the year, Emirates Holidays and Arabian Adventures served a record number of 369,000 customers.

The division’s new Emirates Hotels & Resorts arm also continued to develop, and this financial year will see the launch of two new properties – Emirates Marina Hotel & Residence, due to open in September 2007, and Emirates Green Lakes Serviced Apartments, scheduled to open in January 2008.

Dnata recorded a solid performance with revenue growth of 16.5 per cent to Dhs 2.1 billion ($565 million) compared with Dhs 1.8 billion ($485 million). Dnata’s profits of Dhs 360 million ($98 million) represent an increase of 11 per cent compared to last year’s Dhs 324 million ($88 million) – this despite the mammoth challenge to keep operations at the Dubai airport and cargo terminals running smoothly around one of the biggest airport construction and expansion projects currently in progress.

In its 48th year of operation, Dnata remains at the heart of the rapid traffic growth at Dubai International Airport, handling a record 30 million passengers (up 17.2 per cent), 110,000 aircraft (up eight per cent) and 535,132 tonnes of cargo (up six per cent) during the 2006-07 fiscal year. Its corporate and retail travel arm, Dnata Agencies, also reported a 37 per cent increase in turnover, repositioned its retail brand Dnata Holidays to focus on luxury travellers, and celebrated its 40th year as GSA for seven airlines while welcoming three new airline customers.

As of 31st March 2007, the Group employed 30,344 people, up 13 per cent from a year before. In the past 12 months, Emirates has been receiving 60 new cabin crew recruits each week on average, and now has over 8,000 cabin crew representing more than 100 nationalities. Its 1,667 captains and first officers represent over 75 nationalities.

The Group’s Facilities Management Department currently has Dhs 580 million ($158 million) worth of new projects in Dubai under various stages of design and construction including: 700 apartments for cabin crew accommodation in Media City, a new call centre in Dubai Outsource Zone, new offices for D&LM on Sheikh Zayed Road and a new operations centre at Dubai Investment Park, and storage warehousing in Ghusais.

www.Parctel.com: UK regional airline, Eastern Airways is introducing 12 additional flights due to high demand for services to and from the Isle of Man during the TT centenary festival.

The award winning *European Regional Airline of the Year will introduce extra Saturday flights on 26 May, 2 June and 9 June to the Isle of Man from Newcastle and Birmingham.
Saturday flights will depart Newcastle at 0730 arriving on the Isle of Man at 0830. Flights leave the Isle of Man at 12 noon landing in Newcastle at 1300.

Services to Birmingham will leave the Isle of Man at 0900, arriving at 1000. From Birmingham services will depart at 1030 landing in the Isle of Man at 1130.

Andy Mathieson, Eastern Airways’ general manager Isle of Man, said: “Speed and times are key to winning the Isle of Man TT races and we are providing fast, timely additional services to meet high demand for this spectacular centenary festival of racing. Some of our flights are already full during this period with others filling up fast and we would encourage people to book early to gain seats on our extra services from Newcastle and Birmingham.”

Eastern Airways has been operating frequent, punctual flights to and from the Isle of Man since 2003. The airline offers 34 scheduled flights each week between Birmingham and the Isle of Man and provides 12 flights each week between Newcastle and the island.

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline, today (27th April) criticised British Airways for increasing its rip off fuel surcharge to a whopping £38 when the price of oil has FALLEN by $8 since BA last increased it in April last year.

Speaking today, Peter Sherrard, Ryanair's Head of Communications said:

"BA's profiteering fuel surcharges only go in one direction - UP - even when the price of oil has fallen by $8 since BA last increased it. This unjustified price hike is just another BA rip off. At £38, BA's fuel surcharge is now £10 more expensive than Ryanair's entire average fare of £28.

"Ryanair carries millions more passengers than British Airways because they are voting with their feet for the lowest fares, best punctuality, fewest lost bags and Ryanair's no fuel surcharge guarantee on all of our fares, not now, not ever".

www.Parctel.com: British Airways is to increase its longhaul fuel surcharge with effect from Wednesday May 2, 2007 as a result of recent trends in the price of oil.

The fuel surcharge on longhaul flights of less than nine hours will rise from £30 per sector (£60 return) to £33 (£66 return) and from £35 per sector to £38 (£76 return) on flights longer than nine hours.

The shorthaul fuel surcharge remains unchanged at £8 per sector (£16 return).

Robert Boyle, British Airways' commercial director, said: "The latest increase in the longhaul fuel surcharge is regrettable.

"The cost of fuel has risen significantly in recent weeks. Unfortunately, we have little choice but to pass on some of this extra cost to our customers.

"Fuel continues to be our second largest cost and we expect our fuel bill for the year 2007/2008 to be more than £2 billion.

"The price of oil continues to be extremely volatile. Therefore, we believe the fuel surcharge continues to be the most transparent way for our customers to understand what they are paying and allows us to adjust the direct cost to our customers appropriately, whether that is increasing or reducing the fuel surcharge as we did on some of our longhaul flights in January."

British Airways will also increase its fuel surcharges by similar levels in markets outside the UK.

www.Parctel.com: American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, launched new jet service between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Shreveport on April 10. To celebrate the new service, American Eagle is offering an introductory round-trip fare of $198. A seven-day advance purchase is required, and the promotion is valid for travel through May 23, 2007.

www.Parctel.com: This week the Jet2.com flight to Murcia left Manchester with some rather special guests on board.

The Liverpool Legends were travelling to Murcia to participate in a celebrity golf tournament, in aid of the 'Marina Dalglish appeal'.

http://www.marinadalglishappeal.org/index.htm

Top BBC sports pundit Alan Hansen was more than happy to pose with Jet2.com staff, along with Kevin Ratcliffe, Ronnie Whelan and their other celebrity pals.

Let’s hope our celebs have perfected their chips and putts for the event and pull out the ‘aces’ for this well deserving cause!

www.Parctel.com: Air Berlin has introduced fully flexible and refundable fares from £95 one way (including all taxes and charges) from London Stansted to Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast City on its UK domestic network. This is the lowest published fully flexible and refundable fare in the UK market.

Titus Johnson, Air Berlin UK and Ireland Country Manager, said: "Air Berlin is offering the best value in terms of lower fares and premium service in the UK. These lower fares will be attractive to UK companies who value reliability, higher service levels and flexibility."

Air Berlin passengers benefit from pre allocated seating, complimentary in-flight sandwiches, drinks, newspapers, 20KG baggage allowance and one of the most attractive frequent flyer programmes.

Passengers originating from Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast City can conveniently connect at London Stansted to Düsseldorf, Paderborn, Munster, Hanover, Berlin, Leipzig and Nuremberg.

The fares are available for booking via Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan (Fare Basis DFLEX) or online at www.airberlin.com.

In 2006 Air Berlin made a profit of €50.1 million and is expecting to carry more than 25 million passengers over the next 12 months.

Recent revelations that massive and unwarranted bonuses were paid to the ailing South African Airways’ overstretched board of directors has strengthened suspicions that the Department of Public Enterprises has purposely delayed a departmental report to Parliament.

The report on the number and nature of the directorships held by the board members of the other public entities in DPE’s fold was due to be delivered to the Portfolio Committee on Wednesday 11 April in accordance with an undertaking furnished by Public Enterprises Director-General Portia Molefe on 28 March of this year.

The information was requested specifically in light of revelations that DPE had left South African Airways to be tended by a board that, between 11 of its members, held 220 directorships.

At the time, sources within the department revealed to the Democratic Alliance that the report was still with Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin, who had yet to sign it off, and that the department planned to submit the report only after Parliament reconvened on 2 May.

It is expected that the report, to be discussed at a public enterprises portfolio committee meeting provisionally scheduled for later this week, will contain even more cases of multiple directorships and unwarranted bonuses to board members at struggling parastatals.

As the department’s reply on SAA indicates, the unjustifiable enrichment of the board directors of state entities at the cost of the taxpayer has indeed become characteristic of government under the ANC.

Aside from receiving bonuses (R37.6m) in excess of half of the net profit (R65m) realised for the 2006/2007, SAA directors also received bonuses in excess of R21m for both the 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 financial years when the national carrier registered losses of R5.9bn and R8.7bn, respectively.

Source: Stansted Airport Parking

The Democratic Alliance will be in attendance when the report is discussed and will ensure that the relevant officials are held to account.

www.Parctel.com: The Inkatha Freedom Party's Spokesperson on Finance, Mr Hennie Bekker MP, today strongly criticised South African Airways for paying their Directors bonuses, while profit margins fell sharply during the 2005/2006 financial year.

"The IFP has previously raised our concerns with Government's R1.3bn lifeline to South African Airways, after their substantial R583m drop in profit from R648m in 2005 to R65m in 2006," said Mr Hennie Bekker.

"We note with further concern today that they have paid-out half of their profit, R37.64m, in bonuses. In fact, a massive R100 million has, since 2001, gone straight into the coffers of SAA's Directors.

"So this begs the question: how can South African Airways be seen as being serious about remedying their financial difficulties when they pay-out half of their profit in bonuses? Performance bonuses should be performance related and with a massive R583m drop in profit, whether these Directors performed or not, is questionable.

"The time has come for Minister Alec Erwin and South African Airways itself to take a long hard look at the company's management. SAA's extensive restructuring to curb revenue loss will only help if they utilise their profits for the company's good and not only for the good of their Directors," concluded Mr Bekker.

Source: Stansted Airport Parking

www.Parctel.com: Emirates, the Dubai-based multi-award winning airline, and the International Rugby Board have launched the second annual Rugby Photograph of the Year Competition.

A trip for two to the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens at the end of November awaits the winner of the Rugby Photograph of the Year Competition.

The competition, which aims to capture the essence of the Game, is open to both amateur and professional photographers. The judges will be looking for a striking photograph that best depicts the Game; whether it be from the test match arena or the domestic rugby scene.

A shortlist of six entries will be made by the IRB’s panel of judges and the overall winner will receive a fantastic trip for two to the Dubai Rugby Sevens, courtesy of Emirates, including flights, accommodation and tickets. The five runners-up will have their photographs published alongside the winning entry in the IRB World Rugby Yearbook 2008, which will be on the bookshelves in November.

Last year’s inaugural competition was won by Morgan Treacy of the IHPHO Agency in Dublin, Ireland. His winning entry, ‘Mud glorious mud’ was taken following an Irish League match on a rather damp day in Dublin.

To enter the competition photographers must send a 15” x 12” print of their chosen photograph to Dominic Rumbles, Communications Manager, International Rugby Board, Huguenot House, 35-38 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland or email as a jpeg of no less than 300 dpi to dominic.rumbles[at]irb.com by no later than noon on 31st August.

‘Mud glorious mud’, Morgan Treacy’s winning entry for the Emirates and IRB 2006 Photograph of the Year.

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline has revealed the 10 commandments of European air travel as a guide to UK travellers booking their Spring and Summer breaks:

1. Thou shalt not be ripped off by high fare carriers
2. Thou shalt pay only the UK's lowest fares with Ryanair
3. Thou shalt not be delayed - fly Ryanair, Europe's most on time airline
4. Thou shalt not fly ancient aircraft - fly Ryanair's greenest fleet in Europe
5. Thou shalt not pay rip off fuel surcharges - Ryanair guarantees no surcharges
6. Thou shalt fly from Ryanair's efficient regional airports
7. Thou shalt not lose your bag - fly Ryanair with the fewest lost bags in Europe
8. Thou shalt not have thy flight cancelled - fly Ryanair with the lowest cancellations
9. Thou shalt not be ripped off on travel agent's websites - book direct on Ryanair.com
10. Thou shalt not be misled by rip-off middlemen - book direct on Ryanair.com

We just have one message for Ryanair's Head of Communications Peter Sherrard; "That 'person' you cannot see after that heavy tapping on your shoulder, may just be God."

www.Parctel.com: Emirates, the Dubai-based global airline, will launch its double daily services to Beijing from 1st May, four months prior to celebrating the anniversary of its first flight to the city last year.

Initially the airline will increase its services from the current daily to 12 flights every week, and from 1st July the busy Dubai-Beijing route will feature a double-daily non-stop service.

Emirates has built strong bridges between these two cities – Beijing, the political and cultural capital of China, and Dubai, which is perfectly positioned as the gateway to the east and west, as well as to the north and south of the equator.

Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “China is the new economic powerhouse and the world is beating a path to its capital Beijing. Since the launch of our Dubai-Beijing route last September, we have experienced strong demand from countries on our network and consistently high seat load factors. We are in the business of creating convenient global air networks for our customers – both passengers and cargo – and the upcoming Olympic Games in 2008 will increase the tempo of demand for our services to Beijing.”

He added: “Our second daily to the city is win-win for customers, stakeholders and our business, which is the reason we earmarked the city for double dailies so soon after our launch. We are extremely grateful to the Chinese government and the airport authorities for their continuing support. Emirates is confident that our twice-daily flights will accelerate bilateral ties between the two countries in the political, social, cultural, trade and tourism spheres.”

As a further sign of the blossoming bilateral relations between the two countries, earlier this month, the UAE and the China National Tourism Administration signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Chinese citizens’ outbound travel to the UAE. This is the first step for the UAE receiving full ADS – Approved Destination Status – from the Chinese authorities. Once in full effect, it will significantly enhance the growth of Dubai’s tourism and MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) markets. Last year, the bilateral trade volume between China and the UAE rose to US$ 14.2 billion, which is an increase of nearly 32 per cent.

Emirates will serve the second daily with an Airbus A340-300 offering 267 seats in a three-class configuration – 12 seats in First Class, 42 in Business and 213 in Economy – and 13 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity. With the second daily, the airline will offer capacity in excess of 3,700 seats and 180 tonnes of cargo to Beijing every week.

Emirates began services to mainland China in 2004 with services to Shanghai, which it serves with daily non-stop Boeing 777-300ER flights offering nearly 2550 passenger seats and 160 tonnes of cargo weekly. Emirates SkyCargo also serves Shanghai with six dedicated weekly Boeing 747-400F freighter services, offering an additional 720 tonnes of cargo capacity.

The airline also serves Hong Kong with 17 weekly passenger flights and 10 Boeing 747-400F freighter services - offering a total of 1200 tonnes of capacity.

Emirates will launch its second daily non-stop service to Beijing from 1st May, initially offering 12 flights every week, and from 1st July a double-daily service.

www.Parctel.com: British Airways announced today that it has appointed Julia Simpson as Head of Corporate Communications with effect from August 2007. She will report to Chief Executive, Willie Walsh.

She will be responsible for corporate media relations, the newsdesk and internal communications.

Willie Walsh said: "British Airways is one of the UK's highest profile business brands. This is one of the most important jobs in communications and we are delighted that Julia is joining us. Her background and experience are exactly what we need given the wide-ranging communications agenda that we have over the medium term."

Thomas Coops has agreed to continue as Head of Corporate and Media Relations until the end of July to ensure a smooth transition.
Ends

www.Parctel.com: AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, Inc., today reported a net profit of $81 million for the first quarter of 2007, or $0.30 per diluted share.

The current quarter results compare to a net loss of $92 million, or $0.49 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2006.

“In spite of significant weather challenges, we continued to build on our momentum by generating a profit in the first quarter. This is our fourth consecutive profitable quarter and the first time we have generated a profit in the first quarter since 2000,” said AMR Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey. “We strengthened our balance sheet and liquidity, took a key step in our fleet renewal plan and reinvested in our products and services. While we must continue to improve our financial performance, we believe our results show that we have started 2007 on the right track.”

www.Parctel.com: British Airways customers can now enjoy the next-generation Club World on 96 services a week between London Heathrow and New York JFK, as the installation of the cabin gathers pace across the airline's long-haul fleet. Engineers are now re-fitting up to three Boeing 747s every month with the new larger beds in business class and improved inflight entertainment systems across the plane.

Each Club World cabin on Boeing 747 services to JFK contains 70 luxurious beds that enable customers to work, sleep or relax in ultimate comfort.

Created with the help of leading designers, British Airways Club World is reminiscent of an exclusive London club, filled with quality fabrics and mellow personal lighting, which create an atmosphere of elegance and class.

Key features include:

• An even more comfortable, six-foot long, fully flat bed that is 25 per cent wider.
• A new 'z' bed position that extends to six-foot six-inches and allows the body to assume a position similar to that in zero gravity, ideal for watching movies.
• An enhanced in-flight entertainment system that allows customers to pause, stop, fast-forward or rewind up to 100 films and TV programmes, and play games on larger 10-inch digital screens.
• Electronically operated privacy screens using an innovative opaque material, Lumisty.
• A newly refreshed interior featuring new lighting and a softer colour palette of neutral warm greys, navy and blue to create a relaxing and stylish environment.
• Thicker pale taupe quilts, new linen and pillow fabrics in the traditional Osborne and Little damask design.
• A laptop locker where customers can stow electronic items, a small bag and shoes.
• Standard 110v US style in-seat power socket that only needs a UK/USA adaptor.
• An onboard Club Kitchen where customers can enjoy hot or cold snacks in between meals.

Robert Boyle, British Airways' commercial director, said: "British Airways set the industry standard in 2000 by launching the first ever flat bed for business customers, but we are constantly striving to innovate and improve. Heathrow-JFK is a crucial business route and we are delighted to provide a virtual guarantee of our new product on this high-frequency route."

"Research has shown us that our business customers want a home away from home with all of the comfort, privacy and flexibility that one would expect from a plush 5* hotel. We are absolutely thrilled with the new improvements and can't wait to welcome our business flyers onboard to enjoy the new Club World."

To date, 17 of the airline's 100 long-haul aircraft have been fitted with the new cabin. The installation programme is on track to be completed by the middle of next year.

The £100 million overhaul of Club World will be supported with a marketing campaign and is part of a wider investment programme in the airline's products and services. This programme includes enhancements to its First Class cabin and the introduction of an on demand in-flight entertainment system in every cabin across the longhaul fleet.

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline, today (18th April) announced three new routes from its base in Stockholm to Alghero (Sardinia), Marseille and Venice. Ryanair now operates 448 low fare routes to 131 destinations.

Announcing the new routes, Wilhelm Hamilton, Ryanair's Sales Manager for Northern Europe said:

"Ryanair now operates 13 routes from Stockholm Skavsta, and these new connections will give Swedish passengers low-fare access to 3 of the Mediterranean's hottest destinations. Swedish passengers continue to flock to Ryanair because of our low fares and ‘no fuel surcharge ever' guarantee, and this year over 2.7m passengers will save over €270M by choosing Ryanair's low fares instead of SAS' high fares and rip-off fuel surcharges."

New Routes

Stockholm - Alghero 24th May 4 Weekly
Stockholm - Marseille 7th May 4 Weekly
Stockholm - Venice 23rd May 3 Weekly

To accommodate these three new routes and as a result of a periodic route review, the following routes will cease operation:

Stockholm - Brussels 22nd May
Stockholm - Kaunas 23rd May
Stockholm - Gdansk 22nd May

www.PArctel.com: Qantas will extend its European network to 25 cities when it introduces codeshare services to Budapest, Hungary, with oneworld™ member airline Malev from 30 April.

Qantas Group General Manager Sales and Distribution Rob Gurney said Qantas would codeshare on Malev services between Bangkok and Budapest, and Budapest and Frankfurt. Malev would codeshare on Qantas return services between Sydney and Bangkok.

"The Malev service between Budapest and Frankfurt is timed to connect with the Qantas service departing from Frankfurt to Australia via Singapore, providing customers with additional itinerary choices when travelling between Europe and Australia," he said.

Mr Gurney said customers would benefit from reciprocal Frequent Flyer programs and lounge access, with through checked baggage capabilities planned for introduction later in the year.

Reservations can be made via Qantas on 13 13 13, qantas.com or a licensed travel agent.

Malev serves around 60 destinations in 35 countries, mainly in Europe, including oneworld™ hubs Helsinki, London Gatwick, Madrid, New York and Bangkok. With some 3,000 staff, Malev carried more than three million passengers in 2006. Malev offers two classes of services on all flights - Business and Economy. Its website, Malev.com, is available in Hungarian and English. Malev has codeshare agreements with oneworld™ partners American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia and Japan Airlines.

Among the accolades it has received for the quality of its services, it has recently been voted Best Airline in Eastern Europe 2006 by readers of Global Traveler Magazine and has been voted Best Airline of the Year for the past three years running by travel agents, business people and other travellers in a poll by Hungary's Az Utazó (The Traveller) magazine.

www.Parctel.com: VLM Airlines recently unveiled their ninth consecutive year of profitability with turnover growth of 13 per cent to near €100m.

Key Figures

• Passenger numbers up 9 per cent to 682,000
• Ninth year of consecutive profit
• Profit after tax increases by 143 per cent to €3.2 m
• Introduces first jet aircraft into its fleet

Chairman’s Statement, by Mr Jaap Rosen Jacobson

VLM Airlines continues to fly successfully. Whilst we continue to face challenges and competition remains a day-to-day threat, we have yet again demonstrated our ability to react quickly and turn opportunities to our advantage.

2006 saw significant growth for VLM Airlines, with the addition of 5 aircraft to our fleet, which now totals 19 aircraft. We have reached very close to the €100m turnover milestone for the first time in our company’s existence. Our profit margin has grown, and both our solvency ratios and available cash reserves have increased, providing us with ample working capital and investment funds to continue to grow in 2007. Financial health and sustained profitability will remain a priority for VLM Airlines in the years ahead.

Our strategy and business objectives have proven to be successful and our service is appreciated by a growing number of loyal passengers. We have introduced improvements to our on-board product, with the introduction of new, ergonomic and stylishly designed aircraft seats, combined with a revamped interior. The in-flight service provided by our cabin crew continues to attract compliments for its friendliness and professionalism.

We continue to devote time and effort to offering new services and enhancements across all aspects of our product, both in the air and on the ground. We introduced a new Frequent Flyer programme in 2006, called VLM Encore. Over 20,000 customers have so far registered for this innovative loyalty scheme.

We will continue to develop and enhance our product in the coming years. We are also introducing a new aircraft type to our fleet. From today, a BAe 146-300 aircraft, equipped with 92 seats in a very comfortable 5-abreast configuration, will operate four of our 10 daily frequencies between Rotterdam and London City. We have no doubt this new initiative will be very popular amongst our growing customer base, who will appreciate the time-saving aspect we have to offer them on top of the hassle-free travel experience. If successful, this trial will be most likely repeated on some of our other routes and in addition, the extended range of this aircraft type could open new horizons for further expansion.

VLM Airlines also recently revamped its website and introduced online check-in. This again demonstrates our ability as a niche player within the airline industry to develop new features and new ideas, faster than some of our more traditional competitors, who often dispose of larger resources and funds to do so.

Our company is growing, and is doing so against the backdrop of sustained and increasing profitability. With continued adverse trading conditions, high fuel prices, and government policies that favour and subsidise other modes of transport, this is not an easy task. Nevertheless, we are committed to continuing along this path, and hope to enjoy the support of all our existing customers as we do so. We have welcomed a large number of new customers over the past year, who have discovered the benefits and advantages that we have to offer.

Thank you for helping us achieve our goals. We hope we have been able to offer what you deserve: a fast and reliable, high frequency point-to-point service, which represents excellent value for money.


Results For The Year

For the year ending 31 December 2006, VLM Airlines reported a pre-tax profit of €4.4m, up 114.9 per cent compared to €2.0m in 2005. Net profit for the full year amounted to €3.2m, an increase of 143 per cent compared to the year before. This is the company’s ninth consecutive year of net profit, and a record in its history of. The operating profit for the 12 months ending 31 December 2006 was €4.3m, compared to € 2.6m the previous year.

www.Parctel.com: Joachim Hunold, CEO of Air Berlin, and the designer Jette Joop presented the new Air Berlin uniform in Majorca on Wednesday. The clothing range is both modern and functional and will be worn by airline staff from June 2007.

Female flight attendants can choose between a dark blue, knee-length dress and trousers with a blouse or roll-neck sweater, also in dark blue. Contrast colour accents are introduced by a scarf, headdress, belt and gloves in Air Berlin red. Male colleagues will be matching trousers with a casual short-sleeved or long-sleeved dark blue sweater. The uniform worn by the cockpit crew consists of a classic dark suit and a white shirt. A blue V-neck sweater can also be worn over the shirt. Female pilots will be teaming this up with a red tie, while male pilots will be sporting a blue tie.

3,300 Air Berlin and dba employees in total will be wearing the new attire. Not only the cockpit crew and cabin staff, but also the 670 members of the ground staff team will be receiving the restyled uniforms.

Dr Manie van Dyk MP, today sent a letter to Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin to request that he, at the earliest opportunity, indicates whether he would be willing to subject SAA to an analysis to determine the costs and benefits of retaining the airline under state ownership.

Privatisation need not mean the full once-off disposal of SAA, but may include options such as letting it be managed by the private sector under contract, or selling off none-core divisions of the airline.

There is no reason why the state or the taxpayer has to be subjected to the unnecessary costs or the regular board and management scandals that have plagued the national carrier over the last few years.

If the private sector can run SAA, whether partially or wholly, more successfully on a profit basis it should be allowed the opportunity to do so.

The text of the letter reads as follows:

Dear Minister Erwin,

The Democratic Alliance believes that South African Airways is of no value to the taxpayer if government cannot succeed in operating it profitably, in a sustainable manner.

We are furthermore concerned that the cost-cutting plans that are currently being mooted are likely only to further damage SAA’s reputation as a full-service airline.

We would like to see our once-proud national airline back on the road to financial recovery, regardless of whether it remains in state hands or not.

In light of this fact, we believe that the time has arrived to do a thorough assessment of the potential costs and benefits of the privatisation of SAA.

Privatisation need not mean the full once-off disposal of SAA, but may include options such as letting it be managed by the private sector under contract, or selling off none-core divisions of the airline.

If the private sector can run SAA, whether partially or wholly, more successfully on a profit basis it should be allowed the opportunity to do so.

We welcomed the planned restructuring of SAA into six separate stand-alone divisions, as this is certain to facilitate any moves toward either the partial or full privatisation of the national carrier.

There is no reason why either government or the taxpayer needs to be burdened by management and board scandals or the provision of loan guarantees, such as the recent R1.3bn guarantee provided in order to keep the national carrier afloat.

We therefore ask that you, at the earliest opportunity to do so, provide an indication of whether you will consider subjecting SAA to a cost-benefit analysis to determine if it would not be better to privatise the airline; and, if not, provide an indication of why you do not judge it to be in the best interests of the taxpayer.

Sincerely,

Dr Manie van Dyk MP

Source: MyPE
Related Stories: SAA Privatisation

www.Parctel.com: The first of two Boeing 777s that Japan Airlines (JAL) is painting with a special oneworld® design to mark its recent addition to the world's leading quality global airline alliance made its maiden flight in its new livery today.

The Series 200ER Triple Seven, registration JA704J, took off from the airline's main international hub Tokyo Narita this morning, as flight JL441 bound for Moscow Sheremetyevo.

JAL oneworld 777

It is scheduled to operate later this week on services between Japan and Amsterdam and Paris, and on other European routes in the future.

JAL plans to roll out a second 777 in its special oneworld livery at the end of this month - a Series 300 version, registration number JA8941, which will fly on the airline's Japanese domestic routes.

The design features a huge globe in the distinctive horizon blue of oneworld, painted on the centre of the aircraft, with a stylised motif to symbolize the convenience, comfort, value and choice available to passengers throughout the alliance's comprehensive global network.

JAL became a member of oneworld on 1 April, and has been offering the full range of the alliance's services and benefits since then. Five other members of the JAL Group became part of oneworld alongside Japan Airlines on the same day, as affiliates - JALways, Japan Asia Airways, JAL Express, J-AIR and Japan Transocean Air.

They have added nearly 50 destinations to the network served by oneworld carriers. Members of the JAL Mileage Bank ( JMB ) can now earn and redeem mileage awards on all other oneworld carriers. JAL Global Club Premier, JMB Diamond and Sapphire cardholders can also now gain access to the 400 airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance's airlines.

Frequent flyer programme members of the other oneworld airlines - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, LAN Airlines, Malev, Qantas, and Royal Jordanian - can now earn and redeem awards and receive all other oneworld benefits on JAL.

www.Parctel.com: Qantas said today that its casual Flight Attendant arrangements were in line with standard industry practice, and had been agreed between Qantas and the short haul division of the FAAA.

Responding to a story in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Qantas Executive General Manager John Borghetti said casual Flight Attendants, who operated on short haul services, were paid a loading in lieu of sick leave, annual leave and long service leave under an enterprise agreement with the FAAA.

"Casual Flight Attendants are also paid exactly the same travelling allowances as other short haul Qantas Flight Attendants," Mr Borghetti said.

He said Qantas mainline operated around 2,500 flights a week across an extensive network in Australia and overseas, using a range of aircraft types.

"To do this efficiently requires considerable flexibility, which is why we have agreements in place with both FAAA divisions with regard to overseas bases, casual Flight Attendants and shared short haul and long haul flying.

"I am surprised to see Michael Mijatov from the Long Haul FAAA criticising the very arrangements agreed to by his union, and strictly adhered to by Qantas," Mr Borghetti said.

He said Qantas had more than 6,000 Flight Attendants in permanent full- and part-time positions, as well as sourcing casual Flight Attendants from Maurice Alexander Management (MAM), and made no apology for matching its cabin crew resourcing to suit its operation.

"The alternative would be an unproductive and inefficient business that would be unable to grow," he said.

In relation to conditions for casual staff, Mr Borghetti said:
* The $49 cheque required for the interview process was for an ASIC security check, was required for all Australian airline employees, and applied to every person applying for work at Qantas;
* Medical checks were required for all Flight Attendants - permanent and casual - as is standard industry practice; and
* First aid certificates and Responsible Service of Alcohol certificates were - again - standard prerequisites for all Flight Attendants.

"Qantas' cabin crew are professional, hard working and respected employees, and they deserve better than to have the Long Haul FAAA - an organisation that is supposed to represent them - circulating misleading and inaccurate information," Mr Borghetti said.

www.Parctel.com: The Board of Flybe announces that, following an extensive search process, Andrew Knuckey, formerly Group Finance Director, has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Group with immediate effect in succession to Chris Simpson.

Chris Simpson, who joined Flybe in 2003 initially to assist on a major project and who subsequently was appointed Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, had previously indicated that he wished to stand down for personal reasons once a successor had been identified. He will remain with the Group for a four-month handover period.

Andrew Knuckey joined Flybe in 2005 from ROK plc where he was Finance Director of the £400m Southern division. Prior to ROK, Andrew had a twenty-four year career with KPMG, latterly as a partner in the Bristol office. Whilst at KPMG, Andrew specialized in transaction and advisory services to mid-market and listed clients and handled a number of IPOs. At Flybe, he played a key role in the successful completion of the BA Connect acquisition.

The Board also announces that Andrew Knuckey (Chief Financial Officer), Mike Rutter (Chief Commercial Officer), and Andrew Strong (Chief Operating Officer) have been appointed to the Group Board with immediate effect.

Commenting on the appointments, Jim French, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said:

“Andrew’s appointment as CFO further strengthens the management team at Flybe. Meanwhile, I am delighted that he, along with Mike Rutter and Andrew Strong, who have also made significant contributions to the development of the business, will be joining the Board.

“Along with our highly regarded Non Executive Directors, we now have an exceptionally strong Board and management team to take Flybe into the next and exciting period of the Group’s development.”

www.Parctel.com: Zoom Airlines have announced the introduction of London – New York flights from £129.

The low-fares, full-service airline will to operate daily flights from London Gatwick to New York JFK from Thursday 21 June.

Zoom will operate an ‘easyJet-style’ booking service with flexible one-way fares and the New York flights will offer economy and Premium economy services with designated seating, meals service and ‘plenty of frills’.

Zoom says it plans to become the UK’s leading low-cost Transatlantic airline providing an affordable alternative to BA and Virgin which ‘have been fleecing passengers for too long’.

The new flights will also take off almost a year ahead of any “Open Skies” deal which may lead to more low-cost flights being offered by Zoom in the future.

Zoom flights to New York start at £129 each way, including all taxes, fees and charges. Flights are available at www.flyzoom.com or by phone on 0870 240 0555.

Zoom’s flights from London Gatwick to New York will offer:

• Year-round low-cost fares • Full flexibility for passengers to travel when they want, with no restrictions on fares such as the need to stay a Saturday night • Lunch time departures from Gatwick arriving NYC JFK early afternoon • The ability to be able to change reservations for a minimal fee • Options to buy affordable one-way tickets • Value-for-money Premium Economy service

Hugh and John Boyle, the owners of Zoom, said the new Zoom service would offer an ‘excellent and affordable’ alternative to the established airlines, providing the same Economy and Premium Economy services at much lower prices.

John Boyle said: “You cannot put a sheaf of paper between the prices charged by BA, Virgin and the American carriers on the New York route and it is high time that passengers had a better deal. We are offering savings of up to 70% on these flights.”

“Our catch phrase is ‘Now you’re sitting comfortably’ and we think this will appeal to people who, quite frankly, have been forced to pay outrageously high fares to fly between London and New York for too long.

“What’s more we are taking off a year ahead of any Open Skies deal.”

Zoom has operated full-service, low-cost flights from the UK to Canada for the last three years and has been granted permission to operate from London Gatwick as an official UK carrier to the United States alongside British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Zoom is also to start additional services from London Gatwick to Canada and to Bermuda.

The new route will operate between South Terminal at London Gatwick and JFK’s Terminal 4 -- the most modern at New York with the largest customs and immigration halls which help reduce queuing times to enter the USA.

Flights will leave London Gatwick every lunchtime, arriving into New York in the early afternoon. Return flights will leave New York in the early evening, landing at London Gatwick at around 6am the following morning.

All Zoom fares are one-way, enabling passengers to fly to New York and return from New York, or plan an itinerary featuring Bermuda or any of Zoom’s eight destinations in Canada.

Zoom will initially operate five flights per week direct from London Gatwick to New York and two off-peak services via Bermuda

Premium Economy seats can be booked for an additional £99 one-way offering additional legroom and check-in, luggage and in-flight meal and drinks benefits

www.Parctel.com: Silverjet, the first British exclusively business class airline, welcomed the Kaiser Chiefs on board again this week and carried their cargo of 800kg of band equipment to New York.

The 29 pieces of equipment were expertly handled at London Luton airport and were cleared through customs at New York Newark in plenty of time for the band to appear on the Conan O'Brien show that same night. This appearance marks the start of a US tour for the band which includes three key television appearances to support their newly released single “Ruby”.

Silverjet’s Boeing 767 daily flight between London Luton (LTN) and New York Newark (EWR) offers 10 tonnes of payload outbound to the USA and 15 tonnes inbound; since the launch of Silverjet Cargo in February Silverjet have welcomed many repeat customers and bookings from all over the world.

Silverjet Cargo’s General Sales Agents (GSAs) in both UK and USA; Platinum Air Cargo in the USA and CargoOne in the UK enable the service offering to include London Heathrow Airport and JFK in New York through trucking partnerships.

Silverjet, which launched in January 2007, is the world’s first carbon neutral airline and as such the extra fuel burn required to transport cargo will be factored into the equation and the price to offset the carbon will be included in the cost.

Michael Meagher, Managing Director of Silverjet Cargo said:
“Our dedicated team worked with the Kaiser Chief’s tour manager to ensure the seamless transportation of their 29 pieces of valuable band equipment. The cargo was escorted by two members of the Kaiser Chief’s team on board the aircraft and expertly handled both ends, with no delays at customs either in the UK or the USA.

We have been delighted by the bookings we have so far received and our team are currently talking to shippers in the Far East, Europe and the USA among others, discussing how Silverjet Cargo can be a vital link in their supply chain.”

Just in case you were wondering the Kaiser Chiefs in the above story are the BAND and not the well known South African Soccer Club, also Kaizer Chiefs.

www.Parctel.com: Qantas today announced the formation of a new inbound tourism business, Tour East Australia Pty Limited, to be based in Sydney.

The Chief Executive Officer of Qantas, Mr Geoff Dixon, said Tour East Australia — a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qantas Holidays’ Singapore-based joint venture company, Holiday Tours and Travel (HTT) — would open for business on 1 July.

“Tour East Australia will provide land content, including sightseeing tours and accommodation, for packaging by travel wholesalers and travel companies worldwide.

“It will also provide a comprehensive travel service for the inbound meetings, incentives, conferences and events market, and offer a meet-and-greet airport transfer service for individual and group travellers,” Mr Dixon said.

“HTT has considerable expertise in destination management, including an extensive network of destination management companies under the Tour East brand throughout Asia. The Qantas Group aims to further leverage this expertise as well as strengthen its involvement in growing inbound markets with the establishment of this new Australiabased subsidiary,” Mr Dixon said.

He said the Qantas Group carried more than 1.9 million visitors to Australia in 2006* and that figure was expected to rise by 30 per cent to around 2.5 million visitors by 2010.

“Tour East Australia will offer visitors travelling to Australia a high quality service that complements the extensive Qantas Holidays range for travel to and throughout Australia.

“Over the past 12 months, Qantas Holidays’ inbound business has grown by more than 60 per cent, and we expect the establishment of Tour East Australia to lift this part of our operation to a new level.”

Mr Dixon said Simon Bernardi, currently Qantas Regional General Manager NSW and previously Group General Manager Qantas Holidays, would head up Tour East Australia.

*Australian Bureau of Statistics

www.Parctel.com: What a wonderful world we live in. In Ryanair's lates press release they make great mileage out of the opening up of four new routes from its bases at Frankfurt and Marseille, as well as increased frequencies on routes from Stansted, Barcelona, Liverpool, Pisa and East Midlands.

Speaking today, Ryanair’s Head of Communications, Peter Sherrard said:

“These 4 new routes will bring the Ryanair network to 448 routes, and will mark the reinstatement of low fare connections between Germany and Morocco. In the coming year, over 50 million passengers will enjoy our low fares and ‘no fuel surcharge ever’ guarantee across Europe.”

And then buried at the bottom of the release:

To accommodate these new routes, the following 11 of Ryanair’s 440 plus routes will stop operation with effect from May 7th:

Barcelona - Faro
East Midlands – Santiago
Frankfurt – Genoa
Frankfurt – Krakow
Frankfurt – Nantes
Frankfurt – Trieste
Liverpool – Tampere
Marseille – Frankfurt
Marseille – Karlsruhe Baden
Marseille – Rome
Pisa - Karlsruhe Baden

Now doesn't that sound a little bit like giving with the one hand and taking with the other? Although, you have to admit that Ryanair are continually upbeat and really know how to turn a potential negative into a positive. Keep on spinning guys.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates Aviation College – Aerospace & Academic Studies, is attracting large numbers of young people to its stand at this year’s Gulf Education & Training Exhibition, currently being held at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre.

The college’s faculty members are on hand to help visitors and their families in their queries on the various degree and diploma courses on offer.

“We are overwhelmed by the number of young people who are interested in joining the exciting world of aviation,” said Mohammed Al Budoor, Vice Chancellor of the Emirates Aviation College’s Aerospace & Academic Studies wing.

“We are accepting students for the next academic year and we have had queries about all our aeronautical engineering courses and the air transport management programmes, in addition to the travel and tourism programmes.”

The four-year degree courses in Air Transport Management, Aeronautical Engineering and Tourism Management are accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research.

The college is also offering a new two-year Executive MBA programme in collaboration with the UK’s Brunel University, which specialises in the aviation industry.

Also available are vocational programmes leading to diplomas in Aerospace Engineering, Business Management, Travel & Tourism Management and Electronic & Computer Engineering.

For more information on registration, contact the college’s office on Tel: +9714 282 4000.

www.Parctel.com: JetBlue Airways Corporation (Nasdaq:JBLU) today launches a special 10-day "Spring into Summer" sale for April, May and June travel, with fares starting as low as $99(a) for travel between New York/JFK and Santiago, DR or Santo Domingo, DR (service begins May 24) or between Boston and Bermuda (service begins May 1). Fares as low as $109(a) are available between New York/JFK and Bermuda, or between Orlando and Aguadilla, PR; Ponce, PR (service begins May 24); and San Juan, PR.

JetBlue recently announced a major expansion of service to its customers' favorite island destinations this spring, including Nantucket, MA and Santo Domingo, DR, as well as additional daily flights for the peak summer season on existing routes. The low-fare airline is giving customers a jumpstart on savings for summer travel to the beaches and throughout its system of more than 50 destinations.

Sale fares require up to a 21-day advance purchase and must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. MDT, Friday, April 20, 2007. Travel to and from the Dominican Republic (DR) must start on or after May 24, 2007 and must be completed on or before June 19, 2007. All other travel must start on or after April 23, 2007 and must be completed on or before June 19, 2007. Customers are encouraged to book early, as "Spring Into Summer" fares may not be available on all days or on all flights. Other restrictions apply(a). Sale fares to additional JetBlue destinations are available online at www.jetblue.com/?source=pr.

www.Parctel.com: For the week 02 to 08 April 2007, 76% of all Monarch's scheduled flights departed on time and 92% departed within an hour of scheduled departure time.

In contrast to similar figures reported for the period 26 March to 01 April at 78% on time departures and 96% within an hour of sceduled departure time.

The departure time trend is down, time for Monarch to sort it out.

www.Parctel.com: A CHANCE to buy a moment of history became available when tickets for the first flights from London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 went on sale on Tuesday the 10th April 2007.

Approximately 75,000 tickets will be available for passengers wanting to travel on one of the 380 flights that will operate into and out of the £4.3 billion building on day one.

The new terminal, which is the biggest airport development in British history, will restore the prestige of the UK’s national hub and set standards of passenger comfort and convenience which will surpass those of its European rivals at Paris Charles De Gaulle, Amsterdam Schiphol and Frankfurt.

Terminal 5 will be used exclusively by British Airways customers. The first flight to take off from Terminal 5 will be BA302 to Paris and the first arriving flight will be BA026 from Hong Kong.

Robert Boyle, British Airways commercial director, said: “British Airways’ customers buying these first tickets for Terminal 5 will have the chance to be part of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Terminal 5 is going to be a great advertisement for Britain – and this group of customers will be able to say, "I was there when it all began."

He went on: “The new terminal will transform the flying experience for millions of British Airways’ customers. The entire airport experience at Terminal 5 has been designed to make the ground journey faster, smoother and simpler. It will exceed the best you can find at any other airport.”

Tickets for travel on the opening day, March 27, 2008, are now on sale on ba.com

The first customers to travel from Terminal 5 will benefit from investment in customer facilities to make the airport experience easier, quicker and less stressful.

Check in queues will be significantly reduced, punctuality and baggage arrival waiting-times will be improved, and flight connections will be smoother.

Travellers will have more time to do the things they want - whether that is shopping in the world’s most exclusive airport shopping mall, enjoying a world-class meal in one of the top restaurants or relaxing in the £60 million British Airways’ suite of lounges.

Collectively known as the ‘Galleries’, the lounges will set new standards in comfort and luxury for the airline’s First, Club World, Club Europe and Gold and Silver Executive Club customers.

Combined, they will cover 15,000 square metres – the world’s largest airline lounge complex. Facilities will include space to relax, work, eat and drink and a new travel spa. They will host up to 2,500 people.

British Airways' move to Terminal 5 will be the most complex in the airline’s history. The move is planned in four phases between March 27, 2008 and October 2008. More than 90 per cent of British Airways flights will operate from Terminal 5 with the remainder being co-located with oneworld alliance partners in the nearby Terminal 3.

Phase one will involve moving 70 per cent of British Airways flights to Terminal 5.

Phase two is planned for the end of April 2008 when a further 20 per cent of flights, including longhaul flights from Terminal 4, will move to Terminal 5. Tickets for these flights will go on sale from May 10, 2007.

The move to Terminal 3 will happen in two phases. The remaining small number of shorthaul flights will move from Terminal 1 at the end of June 2008 and the BA/Qantas codeshare flights will move from Terminal 4 at the end of October. *

Terminal 3 will also benefit from investment in customer facilities, including a new dedicated British Airways lounge and will be upgraded as part of BAA’s Heathrow development plans.

www.Parctel.com: In March 2007, the airline company Air Berlin transported 13.6 per cent more passengers than in the same month of the previous year. In total, the number of passengers welcomed on board on international and domestic flights amounted to 1,656,515 (03/2006: 1,458,751). Compared to the same month of the previous year, fleet capacity utilization improved from 71.7 per cent to approximately 74 per cent, corresponding to an increase of 2.3 percentage points.

The accumulated number of passengers flying Air Berlin rose by 11.7 per cent. From January to March 2007, 4,165,687 passengers were counted (January to March 2006: 3,730,478). The capacity utilization rate in the first three months of 2007 rose from 67.4 to 69.5 per cent, i.e. an improvement of 2.1 percentage points.

In March 2007, the following German airports recorded exceptional growth: Dresden (+ 77 per cent), Frankfurt and Bremen (+ 50 per cent each), Leipzig (+ 38 per cent), Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden (+ 29 per cent) and Berlin-Tegel (+ 28 per cent). Outside of Germany, Helsinki airport once again took the lead with an increase of 79 per cent, followed by Moscow (+ 49 per cent), Madrid (+ 37 per cent), Ibiza (+ 36 per cent), Zurich (+ 35 per cent) and Malaga (+ 22 per cent).

The Democratic Alliance believes that South African Airways is of no value to the tax-payer if government cannot succeed in operating it profitably in a sustainable manner.

With the cost-cutting plans currently mooted seeming likely only to further damage SAA’s reputation as a full-service airline, it is clear that government has run out of ideas about how to get the once-proud state-owned airline back on the road to financial recovery.

In light of this and of various other issues that have lead to the current crisis, the DA believes that it is high time that a thorough cost-benefit analysis was done to see whether it would not be better to privatise SAA so that it can be run profitably by the profit sector.

The DA has welcomed the planned restructuring of SAA into six separate standalone divisions, but only insofar as it will facilitate the privatisation of the national carrier.

In recent months tax-payers have not only had to learn of the flagrant disregard shown for the seriousness of the situation at the state-owned airline by its board of directors – many of whom hold a multitude of directorships with other companies – but have also had to swallow the bitter pill of providing a massive R1.3bn guarantee to keep the national carrier afloat.

The DA will ensure that the bridging capital obtained by SAA on the basis of the latest guarantee provided by the state is spent in accordance with the conditions on which it was made available, and will continue to apply pressure on government to privatise the airline as soon as possible.

Source: MyPE Political Blog

www.Parctel.com: This summer why not check out Murcia and discover what this hidden gem has to offer.

Murcia is situated on the South East coast of Spain and boasts the worlds' largest salt-water lagoon, which is said to be 5 degrees warmer than the sea!

With impressive cliffs, glorious white sandy beaches and hidden coves Murcia offers some of the most beautiful coastline in Spain. This unique area boasts 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, even in winter!

Murcia is the perfect destination for a relaxing beach holiday but also offers some fantastic water sports to keep you busy. Why not try sailing, canoeing, jet-skiing, wind surfing and much more in one of the numerous clubs or sailing schools in the nautical resorts on the Mar Menor?

With flights from just £19.99 one way ex. charges from Blackpool, Belfast, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester & Newcastle what’s stopping you?!!

More about Murcia:
Murcia ( 37°59′N, 1°8′W) is a city and municipality on the river Segura in southeastern Spain and the capital of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia. Population: 409,810 (2005); 563,272 including the metropolitan area (urban area plus satellite towns), ranking as the 12th-largest metropolitan area of Spain. Since 2003 the mayor has been Miguel Ángel Cámara Botía (PP).

Murcia is built nearly in the centre of a low-lying fertile plain, known as the huerta or market garden of Murcia, which includes the valleys of the Segura and its right-hand tributary the Guadalentín (Wadalentin) or river Sangonera, and is surrounded by mountains. Despite the proximity of the sea, the climate is subject to great variations: the summer heat is severe, while frosts are occasionally experienced in the capital during the winter.

Precipitation in Murcia is scarce, with less than 200 mm (7.9 inches) registered in the hydrological year October 2004 to September 2005.

Murcia-San Javier Airport (MJV) is located on the edge of the Mar Menor close to the towns of San Javier and Santiago de la Ribera, 45 km southeast of Murcia, about 30 minutes by car. The airport at Alicante is frequently used by travellers to Murcia also.

Book your Alicante Airport Transfer HERE

www.Parctel.com: The USA is the favoured destination for longhaul travellers this Easter as holidaymakers take advantage of the continued strength of the pound against the dollar.

New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Orlando and Boston are among the top 10 longhaul cities for British Airways’ travellers jetting off for the Easter break.

Robert Boyle, British Airways’ commercial director said: “For those holidaymakers who enjoy a little retail therapy to help them relax while they’re away, the strength of the pound against the dollar is a real incentive to snap up some great bargains.”

The airline is expecting to carry almost two million passengers during the two-week school holiday period – 2.5 per cent more than were booked to travel for the same time last year. More than 107,000 people are expected to fly on each of the busiest days, with up to 645,000 passengers expected to fly over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Other favoured longhaul destinations include Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Tokyo and Toronto.

Meanwhile the top 10 shorthaul destinations this Easter are Paris, Edinburgh, Geneva, Manchester, Rome, Nice, Glasgow, Madrid, Barcelona and Stockholm.

Boyle continued: “It will be another bumper Easter for us with more passengers booked to travel with us during the holidays this year than Easter last year. The busiest days will be this weekend with peaks on Maundy Thursday and Easter Monday.

“We are pulling out all the stops with volunteers from around the airline assisting our airport teams to ensure that our customers’ holidays get off to the best possible start. Customers can make their journeys easier and save time at the airport by checking in on ba.com before they come to airport. Although the airport will be busy, we would advise customers not arrive too early for their flights to avoid causing unnecessary congestion in the terminals.”

www.Parctel.com:Emirates Team New Zealand’s NZL 84 finished the Act 13 fleet racing regatta as top challenger, ahead of big rivals BMW Oracle and Luna Rossa.

Emirates Team New Zealand finished with 64 points, taking the maximum four bonus points into the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series which starts on 16th April.

“We finished on top of the challengers’ leader board for Act 13 and top challenger over the past three years,” Emirates Team New Zealand Managing Director, Grant Dalton, said.

“The aims at the start of the regatta were to get the four bonus points and to rotate crew positions so that everyone in the sailing team is match ready for 16th April.

“We have had a great result and this gives us encouragement for the racing ahead.”

Dalton said: “One thing we have learned during this regatta is just how good Alinghi is. Their hardware is very fast and as we’ve seen over the past few days they can get themselves out of trouble with apparent ease.”

Emirates Team New Zealand did not have a happy final race which started in a north-east breeze of 11 – 13 knots.

After being boxed in at the pre-start and then unable to tack away immediately to get clear air, Ben Ainslie and crew set about the painstaking business of recovering.

At the top mark they were up to sixth and preparing to attack on the run. Emirates Team New Zealand was then caught in a melee when Spain’s ESP 97, doing a 360 degree penalty turn for failing to keep clear on the approach to the top mark, fouled both FRA 93 and Emirates Team New Zealand as they completed it. The Spanish were immediately penalised again.

The melee cost Emirates Team New Zealand another place in the fleet and the chase was on and the climb up the fleet started again. They recovered again and were able to hold on to sixth despite a rip in the gennaker on the final run.

Sixth may have been disappointing on the day, but it was enough to give them seven points and retain the top challenger title.

Emirates, the title sponsor of leading 32nd America’s Cup contender Emirates Team New Zealand, is offering yachting enthusiasts from around the world the chance to join the elite in Valencia.

The exclusive Emirates packages are for 4-days and 3-nights and include hotel accommodation in Valencia; transfers between the hotel and the marina; a unique opportunity to actually sail or even crew a thoroughbred maxi-yacht under simulated racing conditions; a guided tour of the Emirates Team New Zealand base; race viewing from the Emirates Team New Zealand VIP boat; and onboard hospitality. Further information on how to book the packages can be found at www.emirates.com.

Emirates Team New Zealand NZL84 bowman Stu Bettany prepares the spinnaker at the first top mark rounding of race six of the Louis Vuitton Act 13. Emirates Team New Zealand finished the Act 13 fleet racing regatta as the top challenger. They take the maximum four bonus points into the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series which starts on 16th April.

www.Parctel.com: Virgin Atlantic has launched a facility for passengers to print off boarding passes from home.

Passengers boarding passes can be printed off from home in selected destinations where online check in is available The system is designed to be easy to use and has step by step instructions on how to print off the boarding pass.

Virgin Atlantic already allows passengers to check in for their flights online 24 hours before departure but printing off their boarding passes from home makes it a simple option for all passengers. On arrival at the airport, passengers can hand over their luggage at the ‘Bag Drop’ desk and go straight through to the boarding gate.

This new service will also enable passengers carrying hand baggage only to go straight to security, avoiding check-in or Kiosk Check In.

The boarding pass should be printed on plain paper which will have a unique barcode containing all the relevant flight details.

Virgin Atlantic first launched online check in via the Virgin Atlantic website in July 2004 and Kiosk Check In for passengers with the introduction of self service kiosks at airports in November 2004.

Steve Ridgway, CEO of Virgin Atlantic said:

“We are excited to be able to offer this convenient facility to our passengers which means that from the comfort of their own home, they can simply log on, check in and print off the boarding pass ensuring themselves a seamless journey through the airport.”
”We believe that on line check in will increase popularity with the introduction of home printed boarding passes for passengers. Currently up to 27% of our passengers check in on line and we predict this will grow to around 40% by the end of the year.”

Since it was founded in 1984, Virgin Atlantic Airways has become Britain’s second largest long haul carrier, serving the world’s major cities. Now based at London Gatwick, London Heathrow and Manchester airports, Virgin operates 37 aircraft and flies to 27 destinations worldwide with services launching to Chicago, Nairobi and Mauritius later this year.

www.Parctel.com: Commenting on the proposed Placing, Lawrence Hunt, CEO of Silverjet, said:
“We are delighted to update the market with further outstanding passenger statistics for March and forward bookings continue to trade significantly above expectations. Customer and media reaction to Silverjet’s exclusively business class service, including our 30 minute check in, 6ft 3inch beds and exceptional in flight service, has been overwhelmingly positive and Silverjet’s on time performance is ahead of industry standards.

“We look forward to introducing our second daily service to New York in July and December from our private terminal facilities at London Luton Airport and New York’s Newark Liberty International.

“The fundraising is a significant step forward for Silverjet. It follows Silverjet’s highly successful launch in January, in which we have demonstrated our ability to deliver on the objectives set out at IPO, including the successful launch of a new airline in just 8 months.”

“We have been delighted by investor appetite for Silverjet stock in this over-subscribed fundraising, which we believe reflects our ongoing success and the strong prospects for the Company.”

Silverjet also reported: that 3293 Revenue seats were sold in March representing a load factor of 59%, which was significantly ahead of expectations. Since launch, 81% of Silverjet flights arrived and departed on time to within 15 minutes of schedule.

The Silverjet directors are confident that performance of core Silverjet operations in year to March 2007 will exceed market expectations as forward bookings are continuing substantially ahead of Board’s initial expectations.

Placing of th eadditional shares will be used for general working capital purposes and the shares at 180 pence each, are at a discount of 3.49% to the closing market price. In addition the board will also propose introducing various employee incentive schemes.

www.Parctel.com: Each year, more and more of us are taking a well-earned Easter break, and this year is no egg-ception! easyJet, Europe’s leading low-fares airline, will welcome a record number of passengers on its flights over the Easter holidays thanks to its huge choice of fantastic destinations and combination of low-fares with care and convenience.

Close to 700,000 passengers are set to travel with easyJet across its European network this weekend, with over 300,000 passengers flying on routes out of London (Gatwick, Luton and Stansted), which represents a 19% increase in the number of passengers taking advantage of the Spring break compared to last year.

The favourite hotspots for Brits are clearly the sun terraces of; Alicante, Barcelona and Nice, whilst Geneva, Turin and Venice are also particularly popular destinations for travellers who want to slip into their ski boots one last time before the season ends.

easyJet’s Consumer PR Executive, Marianne West, said:

‘More people than ever are taking advantage of their Easter break this year with close to 700,000 passengers jetting off across Europe with easyJet. With the majority of passengers looking to soak up the sun or hitting the slopes to make the most of the last snow of the season, getting away from the unreliable English weather or DIY superstores, seems to be the main objective.

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline, today (Thursday, 5th April 2007) announced record bookings for the Easter holiday period, during which it will carry 1 million passengers across 455 routes in 25 countries.

Announcing the record figures, Ryanair’s Head of Communications, Peter Sherrard, said:

“Ryanair is uniting friends and family across Europe this Easter, and will carry a record 1 million passengers, making it our busiest ever. Ryanair is growing faster than any other airline because we offer the lowest fares, top punctuality and a ‘no fuel surcharge ever’ guarantee.”

www.Parctel.com:

“Heko Kwa Kenya Airways, I am in Liberia in a peace keeping mission and I am very much proud and overjoyed knowing that I will be using the pride of Africa to go home. Please keep it up and let the flag of our beloved country fly high in Liberia too. Let them have a taste of our flight. Thanx alot and May God bless Kenya and Kenya airways and its entire worker’s” - George Ahenda, Monrovia

This was one of the many emails written by one of Kenya Airways customers expressing their delight at the launch of flights to Liberia. Pomp and colour marked the arrival of Kenya Airways flight to Roberts’s International Airport in Monrovia. On hand to welcome the KQ’s inaugural flight were Kenyans working in Liberia with the United Nations and Liberian nationals. “Africa stands at the heart of Kenya Airways’ current and future strategy. As Africa’s leading carrier, we are determined to connect the whole of Africa not only with each other but also with the world. We also want the rest of the world to come to Africa and see the amazing potential that this continent has to offer. It therefore gives us a tremendous sense of satisfaction to be able to provide the people of Liberia with an easier and more direct connection to the rest of Africa and to the world” said Robert Owusu, KQ’s Regional Manager Africa.
Kenya Airways will provide greater connectivity out of Monrovia to other trade destinations in Asia and Europe. Mr. Richelieu Williams the Director General of Liberia Civil Aviation authority welcomed Kenya airways to Monrovia and thanked KQ for introducing flights to Liberia.

On the 27th of March Kenya airways also introduced flights to the rhythm nation of Benin in Cotonou. There will be two weekly flights to Cotonou on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Kenya Airways Head of marketing and corporate communications Mr. Michael Okwiri said “It gives us a tremendous sense of satisfaction to be able to provide the people of Benin with an easier and more direct connection to the rest of Africa and to the world” On ground to welcome the Kenya Airways plane was team of traditional healers from Benin and government officials. Okwiri went on to add, “Kenya Airways is excited that we are flying to Cotonou and Monrovia in the year that we turn 30 years. We are proud of the fact that we are an African success story that has been created by the goodwill and support of Africans.

www.Partctel.com: UK regional airline, Eastern Airways, has been rated the number one scheduled airline for punctuality at Newcastle International Airport.

The award winning European Regional Airline of the Year, which operates more domestic flights than any other operator at Newcastle with 78 departures a week, was the most punctual ahead of a number of world airlines including British Airways, Brussels Airlines, KLM and low cost carriers – Ryanair, easyJet and flybe.

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) figures released by on-line aviation analysts FLIGHTONTIME.info, revealed that Eastern Airways’ average delays at Newcastle were just 8 minutes long and over 86% of flights departed within 15 minutes, during the period of January to December 2006.

Chris Holliday, Eastern Airways’ chief operating officer, said: “We set ourselves very tough punctuality targets to ensure our passengers receive the best service possible. It’s a tremendous achievement for all our staff and service partners to be ranked number one airline for punctuality at Newcastle Airport, but we mustn’t be complacent and will aim to further improve our on time performance.”

The full service airline celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and provides primarily high frequency domestic services from Newcastle Airport to Birmingham, Southampton, Aberdeen, Cardiff and the Isle of Man.

Eastern Airways operates 800 flights each week from airports including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Brussels, Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley, East Midlands, Humberside, Inverness, Isle of Man, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Southampton, Stornoway and Wick using a fleet of 30 aircraft.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates Team New Zealand revealed on Sunday what it had been hiding under the ‘skirts’ of their 2007 America’s Cup yachts NZL 92 and NZL 84 – and it turned out to be 100% pure New Zealand.

At 9.30am on Sunday, 1st April, the skirts came off all yachts competing in the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup. Media, members of rival syndicates and the public were given free access to all bases for four hours.

The skirts hid arcane design detail of hulls, keels, rudders and bulbs – jealously guarded design secrets that are now revealed to the world.

Equally secret for members of Emirates Team New Zealand were the designs painted on the bulbs of NZL 92 and NZL 84. Team New Zealand started the bulb decoration tradition in 1995 with its now famous flames on NZL 32.

And in 2007, the world now knows that NZL 84 sports a dashing paint job inspired by the New Zealand icon Buzzy Bee, a wooden toy that was first manufactured in the mid-1940s. Buzzy Bee has delighted generations of New Zealanders ever since.

Emirates Team New Zealand has chosen the distinctive Buzzy Bee design for NZL 84’s bulb. Every New Zealander can identify with Buzzy Bee, Grant Dalton, Managing Director of Emirates Team New Zealand, says. “It seems fitting that a simple wooden New Zealand toy should grace the bulb of a hi-tech America’s Cup class yacht.”

Emirates is the title sponsor of Emirates Team New Zealand one of the leading teams mounting a challenge for the 32nd America’s Cup in 2007, the world’s oldest sports trophy and premier yachting event. Team New Zealand held the Cup for eight years until 2003. Its bid to regain the trophy from its current holder - Team Alinghi of Geneva, Switzerland - will culminate in 2007 in a series of regattas off the Mediterranean city of Valencia, Spain.

Grant Dalton, Managing Director of Emirates Team New Zealand pictured with Emirates Cabin Crew Members, Sara Ehsani Zonoz (left) and Margarita Perdomo (right) at the unveiling ceremony the all the yachts competing in the 2007 America’s Cup, which took place in Valencia, Spain, on Sunday 1st April

www.Parctel.com: American Airlines today announced it will sponsor a pre-release tour of “Music Within,” an award-winning movie based on the true story of Richard Pimentel, a disabled Vietnam veteran who was one of the first advocates for the rights of people with disabilities. He has been described as a driving force behind the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Working with American, The Veterans Corporation, and the California Disabled Veterans Business Alliance, the filmmakers will hold private screenings for disabled veterans and other groups that support persons with disabilities, as well as for veterans and active duty military personnel. The screenings will be held between April and August in the following cities: Dallas, New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Diego.

“Music Within” was the number one narrative feature film by audience vote at the American Film Institute’s Dallas International Film Festival in March. The movie will be released for the general public in September.

“We are honored to be able to sponsor the pre-release tour for ‘Music Within,’” said Roger Frizzell, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Advertising for American Airlines. “We see this as an important film because it will help Americans to understand life from the perspective of people who live with disabilities.”

“I want to express our appreciation to American Airlines, which has a history of supporting American’s veterans and the disabled, for enabling us to share ‘Music Within’ with the men and women of the armed services, veterans and disabled individuals throughout the country,” said Steven Sawalich, the movie’s director.

With 10 percent of its workforce veterans, American Airlines has a longstanding commitment to veterans’ causes. American also was recently voted airline of choice for travelers with disabilities. Every year more than a million American Airlines and American Eagle customers are travelers with disabilities. American, a founding member of the global oneworld® Alliance , consults with disabilities groups for advice on customer service and accessibility issues and maintains a team of specialists whose mission is to make flying as safe, convenient and as dignified as possible for its customers with disabilities.

www.PArctel.com: With effect from 4 April 2007, Air France will be offering l´Espace Première customers a customized travel experience both on the ground and in-flight.

Air France introduced the new l´Espace Première cabin in September 2003. In an exclusively refined and elegant setting, customers enjoy exceptional service, each receiving special attentions and discreet service. Inside the aircraft, passengers benefit from a private lounge environment, and a seat which adapts to their needs, with space to have a private conversation with another passenger to a fully reclined position as a two-metre lie-flat bed.

Today, Air France is redefining the standards of luxury with its revamped ground service at Paris-CDG. One hundred specially trained Air France ground staff are dedicated to making the customer´s l´Espace Première experience a moment of sheer well-being and comfort, through personalized, exclusive service.

An exclusive area awaits customers on arrival at Paris-CDG airport, followed by a privileged welcome and attentive service in the privacy of a dedicated check-in lounge, personal assistance during their smooth, privileged passage through the airport, exclusive car transfer to the aircraft and a personal introduction to crew members. In this way, Air France offers its l´Espace Première customers an outstanding service, both on the ground and during the flight.

www.PArctel.com: Aer Arann is keeping the record straight in response to Ryanair’s advertising campaign on the Dublin-Cork route. Says Colin Lewis, Head of Sales and Marketing for Aer Arann: ‘We think its right to keep the Irish travelling public informed’.

‘First of all, thanks to Ryanair for using Aer Arann's name on their advertising. This helps spread awareness of our brand, and we are delighted for their help in extending our ‘Seven Wonders’ marketing campaign’.

Secondly, comparing Aer Arann and Ryanair is like comparing apples and oranges, it’s a completely different customer experience. With fares from €25 one way, Aer Arann is offering the best customer experience on the route - with no baggage charges, assigned seating, online check-in, flexible tickets on day of travel, stress-free boarding and check in 30 minutes before flight. Our research has shown that these are very important elements to both the leisure and corporate customer, though Ryanair may disregard them.

Thirdly, Aer Arann operate 40% more flights than Ryanair every weekday between Dublin and Cork- almost 1200 more flights per year, so our commitment is unquestionable. All airlines have cancellations due to weather. The majority of our cancellations on the route in the last year were due to weather. Almost half were in one month - December 2006 - the same month when Ryanair cancelled dozens of flights across the UK and Ireland.

Fourthly, we believe that Ryanair should come clean on their pricing and answer the question: what’s the real cost the passenger will pay?

A passenger with 17kgs of baggage, flying return between Dublin and Cork, who uses online check-in will pay €50 on top of the Ryanair base fare.

With Aer Arann – ZERO!

Fifthly, we welcome competition, but with 14,000 customers a month choosing to fly Dublin-Cork with Aer Arann, clearly 14,000 people recognise value-for-money when they see it, over Ryanair stealth pricing.

Finally, next month Aer Arann takes delivery of the first of 10 new 72 seater ATR72-500 series aircraft. 50% of these aircraft will be in our fleet in the next 12 months. The deal, which is worth over €150 million, is the single largest aircraft investment by a private Irish passenger airline and the third largest in Irish aviation history. The first aircraft is scheduled to operate on the Dublin-Cork route.’

The “drunk” skipper of a Virgin Atlantic flight was hauled off his plane in HANDCUFFS in front of shocked passengers.

Police swooped after being alerted by security staff who suspected the £120,000-a-year flier had been boozing.

The pilot, 47, was then breathalysed and arrested behind the controls — as more than 300 people on board flight VS003 waited to take off for New York.

An airport insider said: “A member of security smelt alcohol on his breath and called cops.

“Officers boarded at the last moment and led the pilot away in handcuffs.

“Another few minutes and he would have been flying across the Atlantic with hundreds of passengers. The results could have been catastrophic.”

Virgin Atlantic — headed by tycoon Sir Richard Branson — has suspended the captain pending blood test results. If these are positive he will be charged and face court. The pilot was given police bail.

The arrest was at 8.59am on Saturday as the Airbus 340 was standing at a gate in Heathrow’s Terminal 3. A replacement pilot was found and the flight departed an hour late.

Scotland Yard confirmed: “Police arrested a 47-year-old pilot on a Virgin flight to JFK.”

Virgin, like most airlines, operates a zero-tolerance policy to drink and drugs. Aircrew are told they can have had NO alcohol eight hours before duty and only a small amount 24 hours before.

The limit for flying is nine micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath — compared to 35 micrograms for driving.

Virgin said: “We would like to apologise for the inconvenience and also reassure passengers that safety is our priority.

“As the matter is part of an ongoing police inquiry we cannot comment in any further detail at this stage.”

Source: CHARLES RAE and BEN ASHFORD, The Sun

www.Parctel.com: Ibiza is renowned for its chic hedonism and stylish jetsetters. As Ibiza town warms up for another sizzling summer of sensational parties, dance music royalty Hed Kandi will be leading the way with their weekly VIP soirees at El Divino, fabulous sunset pool parties and most notably, a partnership with one of the UK’s leading low fares airlines, Monarch, that will mark a first in clubbing history and set the scene for their biggest summer to date.

The Island of Ibiza is most famously known for its summer parties, with thousands of people flooding in for the big summer club nights. Famous clubs include Space, Pacha, Privilege(ex Ku), Amnesia, Eden and Es Paradis. They are hosts to parties of international fame such as Cream, Manumission, Fuck Me I'm Famous, etc. It is also home to the 'West End' party district of Sant Antoni, a rite of passage for many partygoers.

Celebrating the launch of Monarch’s new flights to the white island, which will fly 5 times a week* from Manchester, Birmingham, London Gatwick and London Luton, the landmark partnership will see the very first Hed Kandi aircraft take to the skies. In an unprecedented move and further extending the Kandi empire, Monarch will be unveiling the head turning, fully liveried Boeing 757 Hed Kandi aircraft on Friday 27th April for its inaugural flight, and, launching the flykandi concept into the skies.

Commenting on the partnership, managing director of flyMonarch.com, Liz Savage said: “We are very excited to be introducing services to Ibiza this summer and to be partnering with Hed Kandi to support them. The makeover of a Boeing 757 is also hugely exciting for Monarch and an industry first - it being the first time that the airline has ever displayed a music brand on the exterior of its aircraft."

Hed Kandi’s Head of Media, Felicity Ive continued: “We are delighted to be entering into such a significant brand partnership with Monarch. Together, we are creating a travel and clubbing first, offering a unique combination of style, service and value for money that we know Hed Kandi consumers demand."

Head straight to flykandi.com which Hed Kandi and Monarch will be regularly updating with fabulous flight and accommodation offers – all of which can be booked via the site. Every week, there will also be the chance to win flights and entry to Hed Kandi Ibiza events plus fun insights about the infamous party island via exclusive DJ blogs. Whilst not everyone will get to fly on the liveried plane everyone who books with flykandi will be able to reap the rewards of this perfect summer alliance.

High quality, low cost flights, from 4 major UK airports, means you can travel in style to the white isle. With prices starting from as little as £38.99 (one way including all taxes and web booking discount) there’s never been a better time to jet off to the sun. Hed Kandi CD’s will be available to buy on all Monarch flights and MOS radio will be just a touch of a button away as you prepare for, or wind down from, the holiday of a lifetime.

A series of Flykandi parties will launch the partnership across the UK throughout April at which clubbers will be in with a chance of winning a VIP luxury weekend in Ibiza for them plus 5 friends. The full flykandi concept will then launch in Ibiza in June and kickstart a season of unrivalled Kandi magic.

There also exists a genre of dance music named for Ibiza dubbed Balearic Beat, similarly to the way Goa trance is named for Goa, India. The style tries to reflect the atmosphere of Ibiza, and listeners often say they can see a Mediterranean sunset when they hear its euphoric, uplifting melodies. The atmosphere is brought on with the use of synthesized string instruments, the sound of waves, mandolins and guitars, and wispy vocals.

Space Club Patrons - Ibiza

www.Parctel.com: For the week 26 March to 01 April 2007, 78% of all Monarch's scheduled flights departed on time and 96% departed within an hour of scheduled departure time.

Slipping in comparison to the last reported period for the week 26 February to 04 March 2007, at 84% on time departures.

www.Parctel.com: British Airways has chosen Rolls-Royce Trent engines to power its four new Boeing 777-200ER aircraft that will be delivered in 2009.

The airline has also signed a long term maintenance agreement with Rolls Royce for the engines.

This follows a competition between Rolls-Royce Trent and General Electric GE90 engines.

The airline currently has 43 Boeing 777 aircraft in its fleet, of which 16 are Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce Trent engines. The remaining 777 aircraft have GE90 engines.

British Airways commercial director, Robert Boyle, said: "This was a closely fought competition but in terms of cost and ongoing maintenance support, Rolls-Royce came out in front.

"Later this year, we will place a major order for new longhaul aircraft and both Roll-Royce and GE, along with the Engine Alliance, will be competing to provide the engines for those aircraft."

www.Parctel.com: In the light of Iberia’s announcement that it has received a bid approach, British Airways has decided to appoint UBS to advise on how to use British Airways’ 10 per cent holding in Iberia in the best interests of British Airways shareholders.

The advice will examine all options, including a disposal of British Airways’ holding.

www.Parctel.com: oneworld® today completed the biggest expansion in its history with Japan Airlines, Malév Hungarian Airlines and Royal Jordanian all now offering the alliance's services and benefits as full members.

Seven other airlines have joined at the same time as affiliate members - LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador and JAL associates JALways, Japan Asia Airways, JAL Express, J-AIR and Japan Transocean Air.

Their addition has expanded oneworld substantially, to:

* Almost 700 airports, around a hundred more than now.
* Nearly 150 countries.
* 9,000 daily departures, a thousand more than today.
* Around 315 million passengers, 65 million more than at present.
* 265,000 employees.
* Almost 2,500 aircraft.
* Nearly US$90 billion annual revenues, up by a third.

Members of the JAL Mileage Bank (JMB), Malév Duna Club and Royal Jordanian Royal Plus frequent flyer programmes can now earn and redeem mileage awards on all other oneworld carriers.

JAL Global Club Premier, JMB Diamond and Sapphire, Malév Duna Platinum and Gold and Royal Jordanian Platinum and Gold Plus cardholders can also now gain access to the 400 airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance's airlines.

Frequent flyer programme members of the established oneworld airlines - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, LAN Airlines and Qantas - can now earn and redeem awards and receive all other oneworld benefits on JAL, Malév, Royal Jordanian, LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador.

The networks of these airline recruits are also now covered by oneworld's extensive range of alliance fares and sales products.

oneworld has been the only global airline alliance with the customer convenience of interline e-ticketing between all its partners for two years already, enabling passengers to transfer between its airlines' flights without the need for traditional paper tickets.

The same convenience is extended across the alliance's recruits as they board the grouping, as part of a comprehensive programme which has seen all their internal processes and procedures brought into line with the alliance's requirements.

Tens of thousands of employees from the airlines have participated in a special training programme to ensure they can deliver the alliance's services and benefits from Day One, and dozens of its IT systems linked to those at the other oneworld airlines.

Signage at the 700 airports served by the alliance's member airlines and at hundreds of sales outlets worldwide will be changed from today to reflect oneworld's new membership line-up.

oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch said: "Today is a truly historic day for the oneworld alliance, for our new member airlines and for our customers worldwide. Our recruits have enabled oneworld to broaden its coverage in three of the world's fastest growing regions for air travel. We have added the quality and strength of more great brands to the world's leading airline alliance, and further increased the value, choice and range that we offer our oneworld customers."

JAL Group Chief Executive Haruka Nishimatsu said: "Becoming part of oneworld today represents an historic milestone for Japan Airlines - and a huge opportunity for JAL. It means we can offer our customers more choice, convenience, and better value - quality air travel options and benefits beyond the reach of any individual airline or bilateral partnership, across all the alliance's world-class member airlines and their affiliates. I am confident that oneworld will equally benefit from having us in its team."

Malév Chief Executive János Gönci said: "All of us at Malév are thrilled that this great day has finally arrived. We are very proud to have joined the world's leading airline alliance as its representative from Central and East Europe. Our months of preparation have confirmed our belief that oneworld and its member airlines are outstanding professionals and industry leaders, and we are certain that this follows through to the benefit of the customers of oneworld the world over. Malév's joining of the alliance will open up the power of oneworld to even more customers in even more markets than ever before"

Royal Jordanian Chief Executive Samer Majali said: "Royal Jordanian is delighted to have become part of oneworld - as the first airline from the Middle East to join any of the global airline alliances. We will benefit considerably from our membership - through increased revenues, the ability to reduce costs and the opportunities to work together in all sorts of areas with some of the most highly regarded businesses in this industry. We also believe Royal Jordanian adds considerable value to oneworld, strengthening its network significantly in the world's fastest growing region for air travel demand."

Dragonair, named China's best airline for the past five years by the SkyTrax airline quality organisation and serving more destinations in Mainland China then any other airline based outside the mainland, will join oneworld as an affiliate member later this year.

Also from today, Aer Lingus has withdrawn from oneworld, with its low-fare, point-to-point strategy no longer in line with the alliance's main focus on multi-sector, premium, frequent, international travellers.

www.Parctel.com: easyJet, Europe's leading low-fares airline, will say, “Bonjour!” to passengers travelling on its new route from Bristol to the French city of Bordeaux tomorrow.

Within a few hours of take-off, passengers will be raising their glasses in the beautiful sun-drenched region, home to one of France's seven key wine regions and celebrated for its award-winning ‘big reds’. The city has excellent museums, neo-classical architecture and well-tended parks and its population is ethnically diverse, with a vibrant nightlife and a lively university community of some 60,000 students.

The new route, which will take to the skies tomorrow, will initially consist of three flights a week increasing to daily flights from June. This new route now brings the number of easyJet destinations from Bristol to 32. The airline expects to carry 75,000 passengers on this new route in the first twelve months.

Katie Stitson, easyJet Marketing Manager for Bristol, said:

“This new route to Bordeaux is the seventh route to be announced by easyJet this year and demonstrates the airline’s commitment to further growth. Bordeaux is a fantastic addition to our low-cost services from Bristol. Bristol is the airline's largest base outside of London and now accounts for 9% of easyJet's total operation.”

Tony Hallwood, Bristol International Airport’s Aviation Development Director, commented:

“Bristol International Airport is extremely pleased that easyJet is introducing a low-cost service to Bristol’s twin city Bordeaux. This is a fantastic announcement, especially as the cities celebrate the 60th anniversary of their twinning in 2007. This new direct service to the home of one of France’s key wine regions will provide excellent business, tourism and educational links between South West France and South West England, further stimulating tourism into our region.”

www.Parctel.com: South African Airways (SAA) and Malaysia Airlines and today signed a codeshare agreement enabling SAA’s customers to travel on flights operated by Malaysia Airlines.

Subject to obtaining all relevant government and regulatory approvals, as of 1 June 2007, SAA’s customers will have access to three direct weekly Malaysia Airline’s flights between Johannesburg and Kuala Lumpur.

The partnership between the two carriers will enable Malaysia Airline’s customers to easily connect from Johannesburg to other South African points such as Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London.

Malaysia Airline’s customers will also have access to regional African destinations including Victoria Falls and Harare in Zimbabwe, Maputo in Mozambique, Maseru in Lesotho, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, Windhoek in Namibia and Gaborone, Botswana.

In turn, SAA’s travelers will be able to connect onto Malaysia Airline’s flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, Penang, Langkawi in Malaysia, and to cities in the ASEAN region including, Jakarta, Denpasar, Manila, Bangkok and Phuket.

“One of our objectives is to expand our route network in order to provide our customers with more travel options through our own network as well as through partnerships formed with internationally recognised airlines.

“Our relationship with Malaysian Airlines will bring many benefits to our customers in providing them with a new host of travel choices,” says Khaya Ngqula, SAA CEO.

Malaysia Airlines Managing Director/ CEO, Idris Jala says,“We are delighted to ink this partnership with SAA. This will boost our hub and spoke network, and enable us to strengthen our presence in the African market.

“Customers of our two airlines will benefit from this partnership as they will be able to connect to more destinations in Africa, Malaysia and ASEAN. This is very timely as we are very focused on bringing more travellers to Malaysia in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2007”.

For more information, please visit www.malaysiaairlines.com.my or www.flysaa.com

www.Parctel.com: South African Airway’s (SAA) comprehensive and fundamental restructuring process is well under way.

SAA CEO Khaya Ngqula said at a press conference today that a process to “simplify, rightsize, re-skill and incentivise the business” with the aim of placing the company on the road to profitability, has been dramatically stepped up.

“SAA has had several years of continued losses and needs a full scale restructuring to return to profitability. A profitable airline holds tremendous benefits for our customers, our staff and our country,” Ngqula said.

The airline has, following approval from its board, started the comprehensive restructuring process that will include all levels of the organisation. A board sub-committee, chaired by the Chairman of the Finance, Risk and Investment subcommittee of the Board, Ms Louisa Mojela, has been formed and the process to develop a new business plan for SAA has been approved.

Other airlines such as Air Canada, Continental Airlines, Delta, United, US Airways, Qantas and Iberia, that have undergone a restructuring process have been able to show a turn around by implementing various measures. These include cost savings, a review of contracts with suppliers, simplifying the fleet, capacity adjustments (eliminating unprofitable flying) and labour concessions. Labour will be involved throughout the process.

SAA appointed Seabury, acclaimed airline specialists, to guide the airline through this process. Seabury has been involved in eight of the ten largest airline restructurings undertaken around the world, including those of Air Canada and US Airways.

Essential requirements for SAA’s successful restructuring are to engender a new mindset moving away from current perceptions that the airline lacks a sense of urgency, accountability, that it is bureaucratic and that government will not let it fail.

A successful restructuring involves several key elements, such as initial analysis and quantification as well as communication, which includes indepth workshops with staff across the board.

“Following the initial analysis phase, SAA is now in the quantification phase. It has intensified its cost reduction programme, and developed a communications plan with various groups, including labour and the shareholder.

A cash conservation programme has been implemented, which includes the following actions:

SAA staff duty travel is now limited to those needing to travel for essential operational requirements such as aircraft maintenance, restructuring, labour issues and revenue accounting;
All company cell phones, excluding those needed for key operational purposes, have been removed;
All discretionary spending has been revoked,

“The restructuring process is a painful and uncomfortable experience for all, however, it is a necessary process to keep the airline in operation. We are involving all our staff in workshops throughout the company to get their input as they best understand the business,” Ngqula said.

www.Parctel.com: Qantas Airways said today it would acquire nine additional Airbus A320 aircraft for use by Jetstar.

The Chief Executive Officer of Qantas, Mr Geoff Dixon, said the new aircraft would be deployed on domestic and short-haul international routes.

"The aircraft will be delivered over a 15-month timeframe from late 2007," he said.

Mr Dixon said Qantas would also boost capacity in the Qantas domestic operations.

"Four Boeing 767-300 aircraft from our international fleet that were due to be sold from mid-2007 will now be transferred to domestic operations.

"The additional capacity for both Jetstar and Qantas, along with previously announced plans for QantasLink, should enable the Qantas Group to maintain its 65 per cent share of the Australian domestic market."

Mr Dixon said the additional A320 aircraft would enable Jetstar to grow on some of its most popular leisure routes including Cairns, Gold Coast, Perth and the Northern Territory.

"Jetstar will also use the new aircraft to look at new destinations within Australia."

www.Parctel.com: The latest winner of Ryanair's "Instant Win" games, is Margaret from Scotland who won £25,000 whilst having a flutter at the "Bullion Bonanza" game on Ryanair.com.

There are over eighty games available on Ryanair.com, including the new "Strike It Lucky" slots game, and so far this year more than £4 million has been given away to Ryanair winners.

Announcing the winner, Peter Sherrard, Ryanair's Head of Communications said:

"Ryanair is delighted to present Margaret with her £25,000 cheque, as she joins the long list of winners of Ryanair "Instant Win" Games. From just 25p, all Ryanair passengers could be in with a chance to win a whole host of prizes, from iPods to the grand prize of £350,000."

Celebrating her victory, Margaret said:

"I was planning my family holiday on www.ryanair.com when I decided to have a flutter on the "Bullion Bonanza" game. After placing a bet of just £3, I'm now holding a £25,000 cheque! I can't believe my luck."

www.Parctel.com: bmi regional, officially the UK’s most punctual airline, launched its new route from Aberdeen to Kristiansand today (Friday 30 March).

The new route provides Scottish travellers with links to Norway’s fifth largest city, which is located in the country’s southern region and is an important centre for the oil and shipping industries. Flights operate every day with the exception of Saturday.

Stewart Adams, managing director of bmi regional, said: “We are delighted to be starting services from our base at Aberdeen to Kristiansand. Not only do we expect this to be a popular route with business and industry, but also with the inbound and outbound leisure traveller.

“We are enjoying a very exciting start to the year with the acquisition of new aircraft enabling us to launch six new route and we look forward to continued growth and development in the coming months.”

Today’s launch is just one of six new routes which have been announced by the Aberdeen-based airline so far this year. Aberdeen-Brussels; Edinburgh-Zurich; Leeds Bradford-Copenhagen; Leeds Bradford-Lille; and Manchester-Lyon are also newcomers to the summer schedule for bmi regional.

www.JustParking.co.uk: Passengers flying with Eastern Airways can now take advantage of a fantastic 3 day weekend special car rental offer with Europcar for just £14 per day.

Those passengers travelling to Aberdeen, Inverness or Leeds Bradford airports can pay as little as £42 for 3 days rental, which is more than 50% off Europcar’s standard weekend rate.

Bookings must be made before 1 April 2007 for car hire in 2007. Other weekend offers also exist from all other airports with prices below the normal 3 day price.

Any Eastern passengers not travelling at weekends can still benefit from Europcar’s 20% discount offer for car hire starting before 1 August 2007.

For more information visit www.easternairways.com website front page and click on the Europcar logo in the top right hand corner.

Don't forget to book your Airport Parking in advance and save up - phone 0870 013 4953 or go to www.JustParking.co.uk to book now.

www.Parctel.com: Funds Will Help Build Long-Term Maintenance Business, Attract Third-Party Work; Company Cites Commitment as Latest Example of Prudent and Strategic Reinvestment in the Business

AMR Corp. today announced it is planning to invest up to $100 million in its American Airlines Maintenance Services group as part of an ongoing effort to grow its third-party aircraft maintenance business.

The investment, which was approved by AMR's Board of Directors this week, will provide the basis for a strategic and competitive advantage as American seeks to attract additional aircraft maintenance contracts. American and the Transport Workers Union, representing the airline’s maintenance workers, will target a portion of the funds to update and potentially augment American's maintenance facilities, invest in new technology, make process improvements, and increase efficiencies while continuing to look for ways to reduce overall costs for customers.

American officials cited today’s announcement as another example of prudent and strategic reinvestment in the business to develop additional sources of revenue, made possible by the company’s improved financial performance and execution on its Turnaround Plan. The company said that its commitment to its Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) business shows that it is achieving the right balance between reinvestment and the need for continued financial improvement, both in terms of revenue growth and cost reduction.

"We have an extraordinary opportunity to take our maintenance services to the next level,” said Bob Reding, American’s Senior Vice President - Technical Operations. “In the last three years, we have worked with our TWU partners to reduce costs, streamline processes, and keep the vast majority of our own aircraft maintenance work in-house. We have the technical expertise and depth of service to become the premier North American MRO provider. This investment will enable us to further unlock the value in our MRO business and open the door for even more customers to experience our world-class, state-of-the-art technical services in a very competitive environment."

American and the TWU will use these funds to continue the process of transforming the maintenance organization into a world-class MRO business that offers customers a one-stop shop for all their aircraft maintenance needs. American and the TWU will jointly conduct due diligence on all potential expenditures associated with the funds to ensure these investments will help American move forward as a third-party MRO provider.

Earlier this year, American and the TWU announced a goal of obtaining $175 million in customer revenue by the end of 2007. Customers receive maintenance and engineering services throughout American's domestic and international network and at its three maintenance bases in Fort Worth, Texas; Kansas City, Mo.; and Tulsa, Okla.

"By making this investment, we are sending a clear message to our existing and prospective customers that American Airlines is very serious about providing long-term maintenance services," said Don Videtich, Air Transport Division Maintenance Representative, TWU. "While other airlines have abandoned keeping their work in-house, American is banking on its greatest asset – the creative and innovative minds of our TWU members. This initial investment in advanced technology, tooling equipment and facilities will provide an edge in realizing the joint vision of becoming an industry-leading MRO that provides value to employees, customers and shareholders of American Airlines."

For the past three years, American and the TWU have been working together as business partners to transform the airline’s maintenance organization from a cost center to a profit center. Using the principles of Continuous Improvement, the maintenance team has increased efficiencies, reduced costs, and significantly enhanced operations. These changes have helped American to successfully compete for third-party work and establish itself as a long-term player in the lucrative and competitive MRO industry.

American generated almost $95 million in third-party revenue in 2006 and hopes to achieve its goal of $175 million by the end of 2007, not including $225 million of engine overhaul work performed for customer airlines by Texas Aero Engine Services Limited (TAESL), a joint venture between American and Rolls-Royce.

American Airlines Maintenance Services offers a full line of airframe, engine and component, and line maintenance services, customizing those services to meet the specific needs of the client. American’s MRO business has a growing customer base of more than 70 different entities ranging from numerous domestic and international airlines to Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to the U.S. military.
Learn more about American Airlines Maintenance Services by visiting www.mroaa.com.

www.Parctel.com: Malév Hungarian Airlines was today welcomed on board oneworld®, the world's leading quality global airline alliance, at a series of special celebration events in its Budapest home base.

Its addition, as one of the alliance's first new recruits for six years, is a central part of oneworld's biggest expansion since its launch eight years ago.

It will be joined on board oneworld in the coming days by Japan Airlines, Asia-Pacific's largest carrier, along with five JAL associates as affiliate members, and by Royal Jordanian, the first airline from the Middle East to find a home with any of the global alliances. Two more members of the LAN alliance will board at the same time as well - LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador, also as affiliates.

Malév and these other oneworld recruits will start offering oneworld services and benefits from this coming weekend, with all on board from 1 April. Dragonair will join them later this year.

To mark Malév's addition to the grouping today, the airline's new Chairman Boris Abramovich and Chief Executive János Gönci were joined at the company's Budapest base by senior representatives and uniformed staff from all its new partners.

Leading the delegation of visitors were oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch and Henrik Arle, Deputy Chief Executive of Finnair, which has acted as Malév's oneworld sponsor.

oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch said: "Today is a special day for the oneworld alliance and for aviation in Central and East Europe in particular. With Malév and our other recruits, oneworld will broaden its coverage in three of the world's fastest growing regions for air travel. We will add the quality and strength of more great brands to the world's leading airline alliance. We will further increase the value, choice and range that we offer our oneworld customers. We are delighted that Malév is right at the forefront of this new era."

Finnair Deputy Chief Executive Henrik Arle added: "A critical factor in oneworld's success has been the high quality of member airlines, which is why we are extremely careful in our choice of new recruits. We look for partners that fit our brands, that match our high standards of customer service and that share our overall approach to business. Malév is an airline with a strong reputation for customer service, and with a young fleet. Its excellent Budapest hub is ideally positioned to act as our alliance's gateway the entire East and Central European region. We are very pleased to welcome Malév to oneworld."

Malév's newly elected Chairman Boris Abramovich said: "Being part of oneworld will enable Malév to provide our customers with superior access to the world - and help build Budapest's role as a major aviation hub in this region, with all the benefits that will deliver to Hungary. It is vital in today's airline industry for a medium-sized airline like Malév to have the best of the best as partners to achieve long-term efficiencies and sustainable profitability comparable to those of oneworld."

Malév Chief Executive János Gönci added: "Malév is very proud to join the world's leading airline alliance as its representative from Central and East Europe. Our months of preparation have confirmed our belief that oneworld and its member airlines are outstanding professionals and industry leaders, and we are certain that this follows through to the benefit of the customers of oneworld the world over. Malév's joining of the alliance will open up the power of oneworld to even more customers in even more markets than ever before"

Once the airline joins the alliance this weekend, members of Malév's Duna Club frequent flyer programme will be able to earn and redeem mileage awards on all other oneworld carriers, with Duna Platinum and Gold cardholders also gaining access to the 400 airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance's airlines.

Members of the established oneworld airlines' frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem awards and receive all other oneworld benefits on Malév, along with JAL, Royal Jordanian, LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador, whose networks will also be covered by oneworld's extensive range of alliance fares and sales products.

The 18-month implementation programme to prepare Malév for its oneworld membership is now all but complete. It was the first of the alliance's three recruits to offer interline e-ticketing (IET) with all its oneworld partners, with the last of its connections completed in January. oneworld has been the only alliance with IET between all partners for almost two years now, enabling passengers to connect between its member airlines' flights with the convenience of electronic tickets only.

All the necessary internal processes and procedures at Malév have been brought into line with the alliance's requirements. Thousands of its employees have participated in a special training programme to ensure they can deliver the alliance's services and benefits from Day One, and dozens of its IT systems linked to those at the other oneworld airlines.

Malév has been participating since June in the alliance's Global Explorer round-the-world fare product, which includes some other carriers which are not part of the alliance, and will become fully involved in all the alliance's other fares and sales products from 1 April.

www.Parctel.com: Royal Jordanian Airlines was today welcomed on board oneworld®, the world's leading quality global airline alliance, at a series of special celebration events in its Jordan home base.

Royal Jordanian is the first airline from the entire Middle East to find a home with any of the global airline alliances and oneworld's first recruit for some six years. Its addition marks the first step in the alliance's biggest expansion since it was launched eight years ago.

It will be joined on board oneworld in the coming days by Japan Airlines, Asia-Pacific's largest carrier, along with five JAL associates as affiliate members, and by Malév Hungarian Airlines. Two more members of the LAN alliance will board at the same time as well, as affiliate members - LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador.

Royal Jordanian and together with these other oneworld recruits will start offering oneworld services and benefits from this coming weekend, with all on board from 1 April. Dragonair will join them later this year.

To mark Royal Jordanian's addition to the grouping today, the airline's Chairman Nasser Lozi and Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Samer Majali were joined at the company's Amman home by senior representatives and uniformed staff from all its new partners.

Leading the delegation of visitors were Willie Walsh, Chief Executive of British Airways, which has acted as RJ's oneworld sponsor, and oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch.

John McCulloch said: "Today is a special day for the oneworld alliance and for aviation worldwide, in the Middle East in particular. With Royal Jordanian and our other recruits, oneworld will broaden its coverage in three of the world's fastest growing regions for air travel. We will add the quality and strength of more great brands to the world's leading airline alliance. We will further increase the value, choice and range that we offer our customers. We are delighted that Royal Jordanian is right at the forefront of this new era."

British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh added: "A critical factor in oneworld's success has been the high quality of member airlines, which is why we are extremely careful in our choice of new recruits. We look for partners that fit our brands, that match our high standards of customer service and that share our overall approach to business. When we were looking for potential partners from the Middle East, it did not take us long to settle on Royal Jordanian. It is very clearly an airline we can do business with. We are delighted to welcome Royal Jordanian to oneworld."

Royal Jordanian Chief Executive Samer Majali said: "oneworld invited us to join in October 2005. With the tremendous support of everyone in oneworld, we have successfully achieved this historic milestone just under a year and half later. Becoming a member of oneworld is a huge opportunity for RJ. We will benefit considerably from our membership - through increased revenues, the ability to reduce costs and the opportunities to work together in all sorts of areas with some of the most highly regarded businesses in this industry. It will also boost Amman as an aviation hub in this region, with all the benefits this means for Jordan.

"We also believe Royal Jordanian will add considerable value to oneworld, strengthening its network significantly in the world's fastest growing region for air travel demand. As a member of oneworld, we will be able to offer our customers more choice, convenience, and better value - quality air travel options and benefits beyond the reach of any individual airline or bilateral partnership."

Once it starts offering oneworld services and benefits during this weekend, members of Royal Jordanian's Royal Plus frequent flyer programme will be able to earn and redeem mileage awards on all other oneworld carriers, with Platinum Plus and Gold Plus cardholders also gaining access to the 400 airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance's airlines.

From the same time, members of the established oneworld airlines' frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem awards and receive all other oneworld benefits on Royal Jordanian, along with JAL, Malév, LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador, whose networks will also be covered by oneworld's extensive range of alliance fares and sales products.

The 18-month implementation programme to prepare Royal Jordanian for its oneworld membership is now all but complete. As it joins the alliance, it will offer interline e-ticketing (IET) with all of its oneworld partners. oneworld has been the only alliance with interline e-ticketing (IET) between all of its member airlines since April 2005.

All the necessary internal processes and procedures have been brought into line with the alliance's requirements. Thousands of its employees have participated in a special training programme to ensure they can deliver the alliance's services and benefits from Day One, and dozens of its IT systems linked to those at the other oneworld airlines.

Royal Jordanian has already joined the alliance's Global Explorer round-the-world fare product, which includes some other carriers which are not part of the alliance, and will participate in all the alliance's other fares and sales products from 1 April.

www.PArctel.com: Royal Jordanian Airlines was today welcomed on board oneworld®, the world's leading quality global airline alliance, at a series of special celebration events in its Jordan home base.

Royal Jordanian is the first airline from the entire Middle East to find a home with any of the global airline alliances and oneworld's first recruit for some six years. Its addition marks the first step in the alliance's biggest expansion since it was launched eight years ago.

It will be joined on board oneworld in the coming days by Japan Airlines, Asia-Pacific's largest carrier, along with five JAL associates as affiliate members, and by Malév Hungarian Airlines. Two more members of the LAN alliance will board at the same time as well, as affiliate members - LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador.

Royal Jordanian and together with these other oneworld recruits will start offering oneworld services and benefits from this coming weekend, with all on board from 1 April. Dragonair will join them later this year.

To mark Royal Jordanian's addition to the grouping today, the airline's Chairman Nasser Lozi and Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Samer Majali were joined at the company's Amman home by senior representatives and uniformed staff from all its new partners.

Leading the delegation of visitors were Willie Walsh, Chief Executive of British Airways, which has acted as RJ's oneworld sponsor, and oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch.

John McCulloch said: "Today is a special day for the oneworld alliance and for aviation worldwide, in the Middle East in particular. With Royal Jordanian and our other recruits, oneworld will broaden its coverage in three of the world's fastest growing regions for air travel. We will add the quality and strength of more great brands to the world's leading airline alliance. We will further increase the value, choice and range that we offer our customers. We are delighted that Royal Jordanian is right at the forefront of this new era."

British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh added: "A critical factor in oneworld's success has been the high quality of member airlines, which is why we are extremely careful in our choice of new recruits. We look for partners that fit our brands, that match our high standards of customer service and that share our overall approach to business. When we were looking for potential partners from the Middle East, it did not take us long to settle on Royal Jordanian. It is very clearly an airline we can do business with. We are delighted to welcome Royal Jordanian to oneworld."

Royal Jordanian Chief Executive Samer Majali said: "oneworld invited us to join in October 2005. With the tremendous support of everyone in oneworld, we have successfully achieved this historic milestone just under a year and half later. Becoming a member of oneworld is a huge opportunity for RJ. We will benefit considerably from our membership - through increased revenues, the ability to reduce costs and the opportunities to work together in all sorts of areas with some of the most highly regarded businesses in this industry. It will also boost Amman as an aviation hub in this region, with all the benefits this means for Jordan.

"We also believe Royal Jordanian will add considerable value to oneworld, strengthening its network significantly in the world's fastest growing region for air travel demand. As a member of oneworld, we will be able to offer our customers more choice, convenience, and better value - quality air travel options and benefits beyond the reach of any individual airline or bilateral partnership."

Once it starts offering oneworld services and benefits during this weekend, members of Royal Jordanian's Royal Plus frequent flyer programme will be able to earn and redeem mileage awards on all other oneworld carriers, with Platinum Plus and Gold Plus cardholders also gaining access to the 400 airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance's airlines.

From the same time, members of the established oneworld airlines' frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem awards and receive all other oneworld benefits on Royal Jordanian, along with JAL, Malév, LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador, whose networks will also be covered by oneworld's extensive range of alliance fares and sales products.

The 18-month implementation programme to prepare Royal Jordanian for its oneworld membership is now all but complete. As it joins the alliance, it will offer interline e-ticketing (IET) with all of its oneworld partners. oneworld has been the only alliance with interline e-ticketing (IET) between all of its member airlines since April 2005.

All the necessary internal processes and procedures have been brought into line with the alliance's requirements. Thousands of its employees have participated in a special training programme to ensure they can deliver the alliance's services and benefits from Day One, and dozens of its IT systems linked to those at the other oneworld airlines.

Royal Jordanian has already joined the alliance's Global Explorer round-the-world fare product, which includes some other carriers which are not part of the alliance, and will participate in all the alliance's other fares and sales products from 1 April.

www.JustParking.co.uk: Plan ahead and book your summer break in advance with fares from just £1 to Dublin. Whether it's a relaxing break, a spot of shopping or sightseeing you're interested in, Dublin has it all!

Book by: Midnight 29 March
Travel: 17 April – 31 May 2007

Book Now

Happenings in Dublin:

Cork International Choral Festival, 2 - 6 May 2007, now in its 53rd year the festival is one of Europe's major choral events. With over 100 international & local choirs taking part this is a treat for music lovers.

Dublin Toy and Train Fair, 20 May 2007, guarantees a great day's browsing and buying. Dealers at the Fair attend from as far away as Lithuania & the Czech Republic

Boylesports Irish Guineas Festival, 26 - 28 May 2007, Europe's top horses compete for over €2 million in prize money at the Curragh with family fun and ladies fashion on turf day.

Concerts in Dublin during April & May include top artists such as Westlife, Justin Timberlake, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie and Roger Waters.

Top Irish Attractions:

Dublin Our vibrant fair city is alive and kicking! With everything from world class museums, shopping, great food and of course "craic", Dublin has something to offer everyone. Experience our legendary nightlife with plenty of pubs, nightclubs and theatres.

Straddling the River Lee, Cork City has been a city of literature, music and film for nearly a century. It is beautiful, hidden and unexpected with a myriad of lanes, galleries, shops, pubs and parks waiting to be explored – its no wonder that Cork is one of the most cultural cities in Europe.

Shannon is a gateway to the West of Ireland. Situated in stunning county Clare - with Limerick, Offaly and Tipperary on your doorstep – why not take a break to Shannon and get away from it all!

Dublin City Pass:

The Dublin Pass gives you free entry to over 30 attractions in Dublin. Not only does the pass offer great value and convenience, it also allows you to be a VIP and skip the queues at major attractions. From the minute you arrive at Dublin Airport, you can collect the pass and travel FREE to the city center. From there, experience the delights Dublin has to offer for a fraction of the cost.

Click here for more Dublin City Pass information and Booking Details »

Fare Breakdown:

To Dublin from:
London Heathrow - from £1 (£25 incl. taxes + charges)
Birmingham - from £1 (£23 incl. taxes + charges)
Edinburgh - from £1 (£21 incl. taxes + charges)
Glasgow - from £1 (£21 incl. taxes + charges)
Newcastle - from £1 (£20 incl. taxes + charges)
Manchester - from £1 (£25 incl. taxes + charges)

To Cork from:
London Heathrow - from £1 (£25 incl. taxes + charges)
Manchester - from £1 (£25 incl. taxes + charges)
Birmingham - from £3 (£25 incl. taxes + charges)

To Shannon from:
London Heathrow - from £1 (£26 incl. taxes + charges)

Airport Parking:

AND, save up to 60% when you book online with JustParking.co.uk at any of the above departure points.

www.Parctel.com: Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, today launches its first flights of the summer season, bringing a total of 13 brand new routes to travellers in the UK to key domestic and European destinations. Routes are available for booking for travel throughout the summer at www.flybe.com.

Following the recent acquisition of BA Connect, Flybe customers across the regions can also take advantage of a number of additional domestic and international destinations, and will see a significant price saving on these routes of £19 per passenger.

Available for booking now and with fares from just £19.99 one way, including taxes and charges, the announcement further reinforces Flybe’s commitment to bringing convenient, low cost travel to the regions and reaffirms its position as Europe’s largest regional airline.

The summer schedule 2007 sees Flybe continuing to respond to local demand with the re-introduction of several routes direct to France and Spain, popular with holiday makers, sports enthusiasts and second home owners in the regions.

The launch of Flybe’s first summer flights of 2007 also signals a change of terminal for the airline at a number of its bases. As of Sunday, passengers flying from Birmingham, Manchester and London Gatwick will see their flights leaving from a different terminal to normal as a result of Flybe’s increased operations in these regions.

Flybe will introduce the remainder of its summer schedule over the coming months which will see the start of operations to both Dubrovnik and Split, as well as re-introduced routes to key bases across UK and Europe.

Mike Rutter, Chief Commercial Officer comments: “Our ongoing introduction of new routes from the regions proves our commitment to the UK and sees us responding directly to consumer demand, offering our customers a frequent and truly low cost service from the regions to exciting destinations across the UK and Europe.

“Following the acquisition of BA Connect we are focused on building a bigger and stronger airline which will allow us further opportunities to develop routes, encourage further business to the area and see our regional hubs go from strength to strength. Customers will now be able to turn to Flybe as their number one choice for domestic, European city and French regional flying.

“With the huge range of flights now available, people should book now to ensure they don’t miss out!”

www.Parctel.com: From 1st April 2007 onwards the name dba will no longer have its own corporate identity. The entire range of activities, from bookings to flights, will be carried out under the Air Berlin brand. This applies to domestic German routes and to European flights. "We have adopted the business quality of dba and combined this with the award-winning Air Berlin service. The result is our common business class for everyone," explained Joachim Hunold, Air Berlin’s Chief Executive Officer, in Berlin on Monday.

Discrepancies in the regulations regarding fares, baggage allowance, reductions and service have now been eliminated. The flexi fares that used to apply at dba will soon be available for booking via all the Air Berlin sales channels. The relevant technical changes will start to be implemented by the end of March. All flights operating from 1st May 2007 can then be booked using the Air Berlin system, and with the carrier code of "AB".

dba’s domestic German destinations fit in perfectly with Air Berlin’s European network. Air Berlin passengers have a choice of more than 600 flights a day. All the aircraft sport Air Berlin’s livery. The ticket desks and check-ins at the airports are a uniform Air Berlin red as well.

The result of this standardisation of brand identity means that Air Berlin flights can now be booked within Germany and throughout Europe from 29 euros, including taxes and charges. With the "Top Bonus" frequent flyer programme, passengers can earn miles towards a free flight on all routes. There is an immediate 33 per cent reduction for children under 12, and this also applies on German domestic flights. The chocolate heart will be retained on flights within Germany, although it will now be appearing in Air Berlin red.

www.Parctel.com: Celebrities and skiers gathered from far and wide to raise more than $2 million for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at the 22 nd annual American Airlines Celebrity Ski Weekend, March 1-4, in Vail, Colo. This is one of American Airlines’ key community citizenship activities in which it partners with charities to help raise funds for the benefit of others.

Skiers, celebrities and supporters convened at the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa to partake in a long weekend of skiing, dining, entertainment and camaraderie to support critical research for Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening disease that affects about 30,000 children and adults in the United States. American Airlines has sponsored the event since 1986.

“American Airlines is extremely proud of this wonderful event and our long-standing support of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in its fight to create better treatments and eventually cure cystic fibrosis,” said David Cush, American’s Senior Vice President – Global Sales. “We are so grateful for the sponsors, celebrities and guests who come back year after year to be a part of this weekend.

Many American Airlines employees also donate their time and talents to make this a terrific weekend. ”They exemplify one of our company’s greatest attributes – bringing people together for a good cause.”

Participants chose from a variety of daytime activities during the weekend. For those who opted for the slopes, former World Freestyle champion Wayne Wong and Olympic medalist Billy Kidd gave pointers at the Race Clinic. Participants also competed for a slot on the Celebrity Ski Team, which included astronaut Buzz Aldrin, actress Wendie Malick, dancer Cris Judd, and actor Jim Sikking.

"Our partnership with American Airlines is a great success story that has been going strong for more than 20 years," said Rich Mattingly, Chief Operating Officer for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

"American Airline’s commitment to help us fight cystic fibrosis has been unwavering and we are incredibly thankful for that. Thanks to the company’s support, people with cystic fibrosis are benefiting from significant advancements in treatment and care, and as a result, are living longer and healthier lives.”

www.Parctel.com: British Airways has called on the UK government to stand by its right of automatic termination of traffic rights granted in the new air treaty endorsed today between the EU and US if America drags its feet on negotiating further liberalisation.

Access to Heathrow for US airlines is at the heart of the new aviation pact signed by European Union Transport Ministers today in Brussels.

British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh said, "The EU is naïve to believe the US will deliver on the next stage of liberalisation without sanctions so we are pleased the UK government has recognised this and demanded an automatic termination clause. However, the five month delay before implementation is unnecessary.

"With the EU having given away their most valuable negotiating asset - Heathrow - the UK government must stand by its pledge to withdraw traffic rights if the US does not deliver further liberalisation by 2010. Nothing short of an Open Aviation Area by 2010 will be acceptable and we want talks on the second stage to achieve this to start immediately.

"This means delivering a true Open Aviation Area under which airlines from both sides would have free access to each others' market without restrictions and where it will be possible for a US airline to be 100% owned by investors from the EU and vice versa.

"A genuine liberalisation such as this would deliver huge benefits for customers.

"It is disappointing that the EU has missed the opportunity to achieve these long term gains for customers. Instead, this deal will deliver short term gains for the subsidised American aviation industry.

"So far the US has made no meaningful concessions. American carriers can now fly into Heathrow, Europe and beyond while their own backyard remains a no go area for EU carriers and foreign ownership of their airlines remains unchanged.

"We will hold the Government to its word to fight for Britain's interests if America doesn't play ball. Though this is a poor agreement for Britain and Europe, we are ready to exploit the new opportunities this agreement gives us for our customers and our business. Our priority will be to move the Gatwick services to Heathrow that have most connecting traffic, such as the Houston route which serves the oil markets and give our customers the best possible connections."

www.Parctel.com: JetBlue Airways accepted delivery of its 100th Airbus A320 aircraft on 23rd March 2007. The low-cost, low-fare, value-oriented airline operates the world's largest fleet of A320 aircraft. The special aircraft will feature a one-of-a-kind 100-themed blue livery signifying its unique status. New York's hometown airline celebrated the event at a special ceremony at JetBlue's home base of operations, John F. Kennedy International Airport.

"The A320 has been the foundation of JetBlue's operations since we first took to the skies on February 11, 2000," said JetBlue Founder and CEO David Neeleman. "JetBlue's A320 offers customers the most comfortable in-flight experience, and helps us keep our costs and fares low. The fleet has proven itself through high reliability and excellent performance. We are grateful to Airbus for their partnership and dedication with this world-class airplane."

"This 100th delivery is a significant milestone in the relationship between our two companies. Airbus is extremely proud of its business partnership with JetBlue who is our largest airline customer for the A320 worldwide," said Chris Jones, Vice President-Marketing, Airbus North America. "We salute the achievements of the management and crewmembers of JetBlue and look forward to their continuing success with our market-leading A320 in the years to come."

JetBlue's Airbus A320 fleet offers the most comfortable coach-class travel experiences in the skies, with all-leather seats, individual seat-back televisions with 36 channels of free digital DIRECTV(r) programming, more overhead storage space than any other aircraft in its class, and more legroom than any other airline's coach cabin (a). JetBlue customers enjoy at least 36-inch pitch (the distance from one seat to the same point on the seat behind it) in rows 1-11, and at least 34-inch pitch in rows 12-25. In addition, more than 100 channels of free XM Satellite Radio are currently being installed on all JetBlue A320 aircraft.

In 2005, JetBlue was awarded the prestigious Award for Operational Excellence by Airbus for having attained, over the prior two years, a 99.43 percent technical dispatch reliability of its A320 fleet, the highest percent of all carriers worldwide with a fleet of more than 50 Airbus A320-family aircraft. In 2003, JetBlue received this award as an operator with a fleet size of fewer than 50 aircraft.

In addition to the 100 aircraft now comprising JetBlue's Airbus A320 fleet, the airline has 78 additional A320 aircraft on firm order with 50 A320 aircraft options through 2013. JetBlue took delivery of its first Airbus A320 in December 1999.

JetBlue aircraft feature one of seven distinctive tailfin designs. To celebrate this milestone in the company's history, the 100th A320 will feature its own unique tailfin design, created by TJ McCormick, the company's manager of brand design. Commemorative "Blue 100" items will be available for sale at the celebration and also available online at http://www.jetblutique.com/.

JetBlue Celebrates Delivery of 100th Airbus A320 Aircraft With Special 100-Themed Blue Livery

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline on the 22nd March named Expedia Private Label as the exclusive partner to provide hotel accommodation for its passengers on www.ryanair.com.

Thanks to this new five year deal, Ryanair’s 50 million passengers will enjoy a choice of more than 20,000 hotels across Europe, ranging from basic budget to five-star luxury, available at each of Ryanair’s 130 destinations. Bookings can be made easily and conveniently on www.ryanair.com. Beginning in 2008, tailor-made hotel deals will be incorporated into the flight booking process.

To celebrate this new partnership, three special offers are available immediately:

* Book a hotel in the next day and receive a ₤30-off voucher for a minimum spend of ₤300, or a ₤50-off voucher for bookings over ₤500. This offer will run until midnight tomorrow so passengers should log on to www.ryanair.com today to grab the best bargains.
* Free flights, cheap nights sale: one million free* flights are available for customers who book a hotel before midnight Thursday 29th March.
* Expedia is offering three nights for the price of two on many hotels in Ryanair destinations.

Passengers should visit www.ryanair.com to book, and for the terms and conditions which apply to these offers.

Announcing this new partnership, Ryanair’s deputy CEO, Michael Cawley said:

“We are delighted to select Expedia as the exclusive partner for ryanairhotels.com. This is a win-win for Ryanair, Expedia and most importantly our customers. Passengers will enjoy significantly improved choice and fantastic hotel deals from the world’s largest online hotel vendor on Ryanair.com, Expedia will grow alongside Europe’s fastest growing airline, while the additional business will contribute to offering the lowest fares as Ryanair grows to 84 million passengers per annum in 2012.”

David Roche, senior vice president of Expedia Private Label, said:

“Adding easy access through the Ryanair site to our unrivalled hotel stock will mean that passengers can book their accommodation simply and quickly, knowing that they can choose exactly where they want to stay at the best available rate. These special introductory offers, and others we have planned, will make the product even more attractive.

“This is an important business win for us,” he added, “and we are very pleased to be working with Ryanair. This agreement recognises our expertise in providing private label services to companies wishing to offer their customers high quality travel products without the need for upfront investment. We have a proven track record in delivering ancillary revenue earnings growth for our clients and we look forward to working with Ryanair for the long-term.”

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair, Ireland’s national airline, today (Friday, 16th March 2007) announced record bookings on its 109 Irish routes this St Patrick’s weekend when 250,000 passengers will reaffirm Ryanair as their favourite airline.

Announcing the record bookings, Ryanair’s Peter Sherrard, said:

"We’ve added 50 new Irish routes since last March, making this our biggest St Patrick’s weekend ever. Visitors from all over Europe are coming to Ireland for the first time because Ryanair’s low fares and direct flights have made it affordable and convenient for them to do so. These visitors will spend over € 100m in the Irish economy, delivering a massive boost for Irish tourism.

"Irish passengers too are using the break to jet off in record numbers this year on a choice of 75 exciting low fare destinations across 17 countries. More passengers chose Ryanair than any other airline because we offer the lowest fares, the best punctuality and no fuel surcharges guaranteed".

www.Parctel.com: South African Airways (SAA) has announced the appointment of Ms. Robyn Chalmers as the airline’s new Head of Group Corporate Affairs.

Chalmers is an award-winning journalist who joins SAA from Business Day where she currently holds the position of Deputy Editor. She will be responsible for internal and external communications as well as corporate social investment and will join the airline in May.

“Robyn brings with her a wealth of media experience, a solid understanding of the parastatal environment, as well as a passion for aviation,” said SAA CEO, Khaya Ngqula.

“SAA is currently experiencing one of the most challenging and exciting times in our history and I know that Robyn is going to be a critical asset in managing our way forward. We are delighted to welcome her to the airline,” Ngqula said.

Robyn holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Rhodes University as well as qualifications from the University of South Africa and University of Cape Town.

From left to right are: Andrew Cornish, Manchester Airport Managing Director Operations and Services, Craig Proctor, VLM Airlines' 500,000th passenger on its Manchester-London City route, and Paul Fallows, Sales Manager, UK for VLM Airlines.

www.PArctel.com: The airline’s half-millionth passenger on the route was Mr Craig Proctor, who was travelling on business on its convenient 0930 departure to London City. He was congratulated by Paul Fallows, VLM Airlines’ Sales Manager, UK, and presented with a bottle of champagne and a generous number of points for Encore, the carrier’s frequent flyer programme.

Johan Vanneste, Managing Director of VLM Airlines, says: “We are delighted to be celebrating this milestone today. Manchester – London City is one of the most important routes in our expanding network and has grown consistently since its introduction.”

He added: “Manchester forms an important part of our growth plans and with 13 flights each weekday to three destinations we aim to retain our position as a carrier of choice for business and leisure travellers in the north-west.”

VLM Airlines commenced operations from Manchester in September 2002, with two flights each weekday, and as passenger demand has grown, so the number of services has been increased. Less than five years later, customers in the north-west now have a choice of nine return flights each weekday, with two flights each Sunday and one on Saturdays. At London City, passengers can make quick and convenient connections to other points on the airline’s network including Luxembourg and Amsterdam.

At the same time, the carrier has expanded its base of operations at Manchester, responding to passenger demand by introducing non-stop services direct from the north-west to mainland Europe. In October 2006 it commenced a non-stop service from Manchester to Antwerp, and in February 2007 to Rotterdam. Passengers have a choice of two flights each weekday on both these routes, along with a flight every Sunday.

www.Parctel.com: easyJet, Europe’s leading low-fares airline, today announced the latest addition to its growing network, a route connecting London Luton and Zurich.

The twice daily service will commence on 18 September with fares from just £27.99 one way.

Zurich, the little big city, is Switzerland’s financial centre and largest city. Most famous for its banking sector, Zurich is also home to a picturesque old town with cobblestone streets built along the crystal blue River Limmat, with a surprisingly hip and trendy social scene on the banks of the stunning Lake Zurich. Over the last few years a vibrant bar scene has emerged around Niederdorfstrasse with hundreds of new restaurants, bars and clubs to entertain the stylish and beautiful. One of Europe’s most prestigious shopping streets, Bahnhofstrasse, can be found in the centre of the city, with a wide range of designer stores and boutiques. In August this famous street also hosts Europe’s largest annual street party.

www.Parctel.com: Sydney, 15 March 2007

There has been substantial media commentary concerning the current outlook for Qantas. Qantas has also received questions from certain investors on this issue in view of the offer which has been made for Qantas by Airline Partners Australia. In response to these matters Qantas provides the following information to the market.

Outlook for 2007 full year result

As part of the release of its interim results on 8 February, Qantas provided outlook earnings guidance to the market. It anticipated that the full year result for 2007 would be around 30 to 40 per cent higher than last year's result. Qantas today confirms that the full year result is likely to be towards the upper end of this range. This expectation is based on continuing strong demand and yields offsetting cost reduction targets which have not been fully realised in the Engineering and Airport Divisions.

Response to market speculation regarding outlook for 2008

Qantas is aware that there is a broad range of analyst PBT estimates for the year ended 30 June 2008 ranging from approximately $975m to approximately $1.5bn with an average of approximately $1.23bn.

In response to market speculation and queries received from investors, Qantas confirms its outlook expectations for 2008 are in line with average analyst consensus PBT estimates of approximately $1.23bn. Qantas notes that it is yet to assess the impact of, or include any provision in its estimates at this time, in relation to the following:

* The recently announced intention of Tiger Airways to commence services in Australia from late 2007, Virgin Blue's deployment of additional capacity through new Embraer jet aircraft and plans underway for the Qantas Group to secure additional aircraft to meet the new competition and to sustain its market share position within Australia. These developments are likely to have a negative financial impact on Qantas in 2008. Until we know more about pricing, capacity and schedules, we are not in a position to quantify this impact.

* Contingent liabilities relating to Qantas' involvement in alleged price fixing in the air cargo market and other contingent liabilities referred to in the interim results released on 8 February 2007. Qantas does not believe it is possible to quantify any direct or indirect liabilities associated with these matters at this time, but it is possible that they may be significant.

Just as for the 2007 full year outlook, Qantas' 2008 outlook is subject to fuel costs not increasing significantly, demand continuing to grow and the continued success of the Sustainable Future Program in achieving cost savings.

Qantas has now hedged fifty percent of anticipated crude oil requirements for the 2008 financial year at a worst case rate of $US69.64 a barrel for West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), inclusive of option premium.

Qantas still has $13bn in projected capital expenditure over the next 5 years (from financial year 2008 to financial year 2012 inclusive).

Qantas does not make any forecast of any specific results. Investors should also note that there are many factors that may affect the future performance of Qantas which may be outside the control of Qantas and may not be capable of being foreseen or accurately predicted. Accordingly, actual results particularly in relation to hedge accounting may vary.

www.Parctel.com: British British Airways franchise partner Loganair are encouraging people to get together and travel between Orkney, Shetland, Inverness and Aberdeen.

This new promotion is aimed at encouraging groups of 10 of more people to take advantage of 2 free places when they fly. Not only that but the Air Discount Scheme applies as well.

Whatever the reason for your group - sporting competition, school event, seeing a concert or a weekend away, the offer is available between now and 30th October 07.

It is only available through your local travel agent or groups[at]loganair.co.uk and has to be booked by 30th April 07.

There has never been a better time to get together with your friends, colleagues, sports club or football team and visit Shetland, Inverness or Aberdeen.

A BABY girl has been reunited with her favourite teddy, five sleepless nights after they were separated on a plane journey.

Airline Flybe received an email from three-month old Gracie Tourgout, written by her father John, saying how upset she was at losing Pierre le Bear when flying from Leeds to Exeter.

Gracie, from Weymouth, said in her email: "He helps me get to sleep at night and was given to me by my godparents, who I am seeing next week!

"Please, please, please would you ask your friends at Exeter airport if they have found Pierre le Bear and could send him back to me."

The Flybe staff were stirred by Gracie's emotional plea and launched a full-scale search at Exeter airport.

Ground handling staff, cabin crew and other staff were all put on the look-out for Pierre, even head office was notified.
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Eddie Evans, Flybe station manager at Exeter, said: "When we heard about Gracie's story, it really tugged at our heartstrings and we felt compelled to help reunite her with Pierre le Bear.

"We knew that there was a high possibility that the teddy could still be on board the aircraft, winging its way back to Leeds, so we made sure to alert all cabin crew and ground staff to ensure that they kept their eyes peeled for Gracie's bear.

"I personally checked everywhere that I could think of but it was actually a kind-hearted member of the public who eventually tracked down Pierre and handed him in to the Flybe ticketing desk, five days after he first went missing. It was great to be able to tell John and Charlotte Tourgout that we had found the bear and Gracie seemed particularly pleased to be reunited with her bedtime friend!"

Mr Tourgout added: "Gracie is all smiles now that she's got her favourite bear back and we are pleased as well because it means she will hopefully start sleeping properly again. We would like to thank everyone at Flybe for making such a special effort in finding the bear for her."

Source: Daily Echo, By Harry Hogger

The big red spinnakers of Emirates Team New Zealand are back on the water at Valencia as the team gets ready for the build-up to the 32nd America’s Cup.

Emirates Team New Zealand’s big red spinnakers are back out on the Mediterranean Sea just off the coast of Spain as the countdown continues to the 32nd America’s Cup.

Emirates Team New Zealand has reassembled at their Valencia base and the race yachts NZL 84 and NZL 92 are being put through their paces. Since the yachts were flow in on 24th February, shore crew and engineers had been working to re-commission them for the restart of the testing programme.

This will be the final month of a project that started in 2003. As syndicate head Grant Dalton says, “There is no next year any more, it’s this year or never.”

Racing gets underway on April 3rd with Act 13 of the Louis Vuitton Cup. It is the match races of the Louis Vuitton Cup that will decide which team will go forward to challenge Alinghi in the America’s Cup.

A Yorkshire businessman has vowed never again to use airline Jet2 after he and 300 passengers were left stranded in Lanzarote.

Chris Tinker from Scarborough was due to fly at 1.55pm Thursday to Leeds Bradford Airport but he was still waiting around 24 hours later.

He said Jet2 had provided no information and he had tried but failed to contact the firm by phone.

"It has been a catalogue of disasters," he told the Yorkshire Post after spending a night in a hotel.

He is hopeful of getting back to Leeds Bradford some time tonight.

A Jet2.com spokesperson said: "A flight due to leave Lanzarote on Thursday afternoon has been delayed due to a routine technical problem, and to avoid further delay a replacement service on a chartered aircraft has been scheduled for 4.30pm today.

"Passengers have been kept fully abreast of the delay throughout by our station manager on the ground at the airport in Lanzarote. Passengers were accommodated overnight at a hotel courtesy of Jet2.com and have also received refreshment vouchers from the airline."

Source: Yorkshire Post

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair, Dublin Airport's largest airline user confirmed that it will continue to oppose the gold plated €609m second terminal (T2) (€760m with the redundancy of the €150m Pier C) proposed by the DAA monopoly at Dublin Airport - because it costs 10 times more than similar sized facilities being provided at other airports in Europe and will lead to passenger charges doubling at Dublin Airport.

The DAA monopoly should not be allowed to waste €609m building a 15m passenger facility when Frankfurt Hahn can build a similar 15m passenger terminal for just €60m - less than one tenth the cost of the proposed T2 Taj Mahal at Dublin Airport. As a result of this 10 times more expensive building at Dublin and other wasteful spending, the Aviation Regulator has indicated that passenger fees at Dublin will double from a current €5.50 to around €11.00.

There would be no need for any increase in passenger charges at Dublin Airport if the DAA built a low cost efficient terminal, which is what its major airline users have already confirmed that they want to see developed. At a time when Aer Lingus, for example, is trying to reduce unit costs, the DAA is proposing to double them at Dublin Airport.

If a competing second terminal was being developed by Ryanair, the McEvaddy's, or any of the other 13 parties who offered to do so, then there would be no increase in passenger charges. In fact competition between an independent terminal and the DAA would reduce these high passenger charges and improve the awful facilities at Dublin Airport.

Speaking today Ryanair, Chief Executive, Michael O'Leary said:

"It is vital that the mess which the DAA have created at Cork Airport is not repeated at Dublin. In Cork, the DAA wasted €200m building a new terminal for just 3m passengers. This was 10 times more than the €20m which Cork's terminal should have cost. Now Cork Airport is stuck with a €200m debt which it can never repay.

"Cork airport's terminal proves yet again that the DAA monopoly cannot be trusted to build cost efficient terminal facilities. It also proves that the Aviation Regulator is hopelessly unable to control the DAA monopoly. He's just a poodle, who rolls over every time the DAA wants to put up charges.

"Ryanair supports, and will happily pay for low cost, efficient facilities. We have already offered to build and pay for an independent second terminal at Dublin Airport. The fact that a 15m passenger terminal can be built in Frankfurt for €60m, proves that we are right and we will continue to oppose the DAA spending over ten times this amount - €609m - on a similar 15m passenger facility. We must prevent the DAA repeating its Cork Airport mess at Dublin. We must prevent the DAA monopoly (and the weak Aviation Regulator) from doubling charges for all consumers using Dublin Airport, when, if an efficient terminal was built or built by someone other than the DAA monopoly, then tourism traffic would continue to grow, but with lower airport charges and low fares for all Irish consumers and visitors".

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair called on lastminute.com to stop selling Ryanair flights and to stop misleading passengers. Ryanair announced yesterday that it is taking steps to block travel agent websites because they:

1. Charge mark ups of up to 100% on top of the price of tickets
2. Provide incorrect and misleading terms and conditions
3. Fail to advise passengers of important schedule change information
4. Deny passengers the opportunity to pre-book bags online
5. Do not provide web check in and priority boarding options

Lastminute.com claimed in today's newspapers that "Ryanair is fully aware and satisfied with the terms and conditions published on our site". This is false.

Speaking today, Peter Sherrard, Ryanair's Head of Communications, said:

"Ryanair has written to the Trading Standards Institute to complain about these practices at lastminute.com and will continue to take steps to block bookings made by online travel agents. It is time to stop people being misled by rip-off middlemen like lastminute.com".

www.Parctel.com: One class that is bound to keep more than 500 Singapore school students awake is the Emirates Singapore Youth Golf Development Programme, taking place during the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters.

While 204 professional golfers battle for the US$1.1 million prize purse during the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters, these students will get a private tutorial from some of the world’s top talent, such as Ryder Cup stars Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood, David Howell and India’s Jyoti Randhawa.

The Emirates Singapore Youth Golf Development Programme provides school children who are keen on golf the opportunity to learn from professional players at a prestigious tournament. This is the second time Emirates – the Official Airline of the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters 2007 – is supporting this initiative.

At the tournament, students rub shoulders with the stars, attend a golf clinic conducted by the professionals, and are assigned to a particular player to follow around the golf course. Professional players will show students the finer points of the game and of the discipline required as a professional athlete at golf clinics, and share their personal experiences in the highly competitive circuit.

Lee Westwood passes on his golfing tips to youths participating in the Emirates Youth Golf Development Programme at the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters. Emirates is supporting the youth programme for the second year running.

Golf Directory

www.Parctel.com: February 2007 has been another good month for Air Berlin and its wholly owned subsidiary, dba: there was a double digit growth of 12.3 per cent in the number of passengers carried, from 1,160,308 to 1,302,643. In the months of January and February 2007 2,509,172 passengers were welcomed on board. This corresponds to an increase of 10.5 per cent on the 2,271,727 passengers carried in the same period of the previous year.

The combined fleet capacity utilisation rate rose by 1.9 percentage points from 66.7 per cent in February 2006 to 68.6 per cent in February 2007. The cumulative increase in capacity utilisation over the first two months of the year was 2 percentage points to 66.8 per cent (01+02/2006: 64.8 per cent).

In February 2007 the following airports reported exceptional growth: Dresden (+ 95 per cent), Bremen (+ 51 per cent), Frankfurt (+ 37 per cent), Leipzig (+ 25 per cent), Berlin-Tegel (+ 24 per cent) and Hamburg (+ 17 per cent). The airports outside Germany experiencing strong growth are headed by Helsinki (+ 66 per cent), Moscow (+ 52 per cent), Madrid (+ 43 per cent) and Zurich (+ 31 per cent).

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline, today announced a new route from London Stansted to Maribor, Slovenia's second largest city. The flight will operate 3 times weekly from 5th June and will deliver 40,000 passengers in the first year of operation. This brings the total number of low fare routes on offer from London Stansted to 96 and the number of countries in the Ryanair network to 25.

Speaking today, Ryanair's Head of Sales and Marketing, Sinead Finn said:

“We are delighted that passengers will now enjoy Europe's lowest fares to Slovenia. Maribor is a beautiful medieval city sitting on the foothills of the Pohorje mountains. The area is full of vineyards, beautiful walking and cycling paths and is famous for its farmhouse home cooking. During the winter the city is an ideal gateway Slovenia's best skiing centres.

“This year Ryanair will carry 16m passengers on its 96 routes from London Stansted. This will deliver a tourism spend of £2.5bn in the London area while affording massive savings for Londoners compared to the high fares of Easyjet and British Airways.

“This new route goes on sale today at www.ryanair.com with fares from only £0.01* and we are advising passengers to book now as demand for seats on our new Maribor route will be very strong”.

www.Parctel.com: The Emirates-sponsored Australian One-Day International squad are all ready to take on England on Friday in their final warm-up match before the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Ricky Ponting led his side to a 106 run victory over Zimbabwe on Tuesday and will now face England in St. Vincent.

Emirates sponsored Australia when they won the 1999 Cricket World Cup; and following the win in 2003, the team is now bidding for a third successive World Cup victory.

Emirates has always had a strong affiliation with cricket and in addition to their sponsorship of the Australian Cricket World Cup team, it also sponsors the ICC Umpires and is the Official Airline to Cricket Australia.

Cricket Directory | Cricket World Cup Web Sites

www.Parctel.com: South African Airways (SAA) will overhaul its route network over the coming six months in line with its strategic plans to restructure the company.

The airline’s routes are being reviewed to pinpoint its strongest markets and where there is opportunity for growth. This will ensure SAA operates to profitable destinations and offers its customers the most convenient travel options.

A number of new routes will be phased in gradually over the coming months and monitored to ensure success.

As part of the route review, SAA has so far determined that the launch of its third US gateway, Chicago will be postponed and introduced at a later stage.

Passengers already booked to travel on the route will be re-accommodated by SAA.

www.Parctel.com: At its annual Investor Day today on March 7, 2007, British Airways released market guidance for the financial year 2007/8.

Revenue is forecast to increase by 5-6 per cent based on capacity measured in available seat kilometers (ASKs) up 1.3 per cent, traffic measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) up 2.4 per cent and yield measured in pence per RPK up 3.4 per cent.

Fuel is forecast to be up by some £100 million for 2007/8. Total costs, excluding fuel are forecast to be up £50 million.

This will leave the company on track to achieve a 10 per cent operating margin in the year to March 2008.

www.Parctel.com: In February 2007, Air France-KLM posted a 3.5% rise in traffic, while capacity rose 1.9% (+6.9% in February 2006). The load factor gained 1.2 points to 78.9%. The Group carried over 5.2 million passengers (+4.0%).

As in January 2007, the Group posted a further increase in yield in all segments.

- On the Americas network, traffic increased by 3.2% with a 1.6% rise in capacity; consequently the load factor improved by 1.3 points to 81.6%.

- The Asian activity remained buoyant with traffic up 5.5%, outpacing the increase in capacity of 3.1%. The load factor gained 2.0 points to 87.1%.

- On the Africa & Middle-East network, traffic increased by 2.9% while capacity was up 0.5%. The load factor reached 78.3%, a 1.8 point improvement.

- On the Caribbean & Indian Ocean network, capacity was reduced by 3.8% while traffic remained virtually stable (-0.2%). The load factor therefore gained 3.2 points to 87.3%.

- The European network recorded a rise in traffic of 4.5% while capacity increased by 5.6%. The load factor stood at 63.6%, down 0.7 points.

www.Parctel.com: For the week 26 February to 04 March 2007, 84% of all Monarch's scheduled flights departed on time and 96% departed within an hour of scheduled departure time.

www.Parctel.com: easyJet have just released their passenger figures for February, which, at a total of 2,646,775 passengers show an increase of 11.5% over February 2006.

The 2007 year on year passenger figures at 34,205,676 passengers are up 11.3% on the comparative period of the previous 12 months ending February 2006.

Total revenue for the 12 month period ended February 2007 is also up by 20% at £1,689m in comparison with total revenue for the 12 month period ended February 2006 of £1,408m.

www.PArctel.com: Qantas will introduce a new designer amenities collection, created by some of Australia's most recognised creative talent, later this month.

Qantas Executive General Manager John Borghetti said the collection from Australian designers Marc Newson, Collette Dinnigan, Akira Isogawa and Peter Morrissey would be offered to First and Business customers travelling on Qantas international services from 25 March 2007.

"As one of the world's top tier premium airlines Qantas is delighted to be able to showcase Australia's celebrated design talent to our global customers," said Mr Borghetti.

"This new designer collection is the first instalment in a new luxury product strategy, spearheaded by world famous Australian industrial designer Marc Newson who was recently named Designer of the Year at the annual Design Miami event.

"Marc designed Qantas' award-winning Business Skybed sleeper seat in 2003 and has since been guiding all of our product development to create a distinctive style in line with Qantas' premium positioning."

Included in the First amenities collection are:

- Collette Dinnigan-designed floral silk purse for female customers;
- Akira Isogawa-designed, functional and stylish, zippered pod in chocolate suede for men;
- elegant Akira Isogawa pyjamas in soft cotton with matching luxury eyeshade and slippers;
- high quality hydrating products from leading French skincare house Payot Paris; and
- other comfort items, including hair products from renowned Australian hairstylist Kevin Murphy.

Included in the Business amenities collection are:

- highly collectable amenity packs by Marc Newson - blue for women, grey for men;
- moisturising products from Australian skincare range Ultraceuticals;
- soft cotton pyjamas designed by Peter Morrissey and matching eyeshade on selected long haul flights; and
- other comfort items, including Kevin Murphy haircare products.

Mr Borghetti said that as part of an extensive upgrade of its international product, Qantas would also introduce a new range of luxury designer soft furnishings and tableware, including cutlery produced by Alessi and bone china crockery produced by Noritake, in March, followed by further enhancements throughout the year.

"In May we are looking forward to extending our new designer products to our ground operations with the opening of new Marc Newson designed First Lounges in Sydney and Melbourne.

"We believe our new flagship Lounges will be simply the best in the world," said Mr Borghetti.

www.Parctel.com: In a Scottish "first", on Thursday Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline, is giving away free flights, free holidays and even free cash to Glaswegians and handing out the goodies is a lovely leggy leprechaun!

"No-one walks away empty-handed provided they come along with a poster," says UK Sales Manager Caroline Baldwin.

"All people have to do is come along to outside the main entrance of the Buchanan Galleries Shopping Centre on Buchanan Street on Thursday lunchtime with a poster of any size or description saying why they love Ryanair, and they will receive a fantastic prize, guaranteed."

"No ifs, no buts - free cash, free flights and free holidays from Ryanair. No-one with a poster leaves empty-handed. Be there!"

DATE: Thursday March 8
TIME: 12.30-1.30pm
PLACE: Outside main entrance, Buchanan Galleries Shopping Centre, Buchanan Street, Glasgow

www.Parctel.com: The UK regional operations of oneworld affiliate BA Connect are no longer part of the alliance from today, following their sale to UK regional carrier Flybe.

Some 50 UK regional routes are affected. However, all but two of the destinations served by BA Connect - Belfast City and Southampton - will remain linked to the oneworld network, through flights by other parts of the British Airways group or other alliance members.

Most existing reservations on the BA Connect routes affected - including those booked as part of a oneworld alliance fare or as a frequent flyer reward redemption - will be transferred to the new operator.

BA Connect's flights from London City will now be operated by British Airways subsidiary BA CityFlyer. British Airways will also retain the Manchester-New York route. These services will continue to be part of oneworld. Flights from Bristol, East Midlands and Manchester operated by oneworld affiliate GB Airways, which flies as another British Airways franchisee, will also be unaffected by the BA Connect changes.

The change comes as oneworld undergoes the biggest expansion in its history, with Japan Airlines, along with five of its affiliates, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Royal Jordanian, LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador offering the alliance's services and benefits from 1 April 2007, increasing the alliance's network by almost a hundred destinations.

www.Parctel.com: The Clarinden Leu Singapore Masters tees off at the Laguna National Golf and Country Club on Thursday, 8th March. Emirates, the Official Airline of the tournament for the second consecutive year, invited a number of their corporate customers to participate in Tuesday’s Pro-Am tournament, offering golfers the exclusive opportunity to match their wits with international golf professionals.

From left: David Ho, 2006 Ryder Cup winning captain and legendary golfer Ian Woosnam and Emirates' Area Manager for Singapore and Brunei Stephen Chu taking a breather at the 18th green during Tuesday’s Pro-Am Tournament. They are flanked by Emirates cabin crew members Stella Goh, Marita Hill, Sumitra Nathan and Sherry Wryghte.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates has signed an agreement with GE Commercial Aviation Service (GECAS) to lease five more Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

All five aircraft, scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2008, will boast a three-class configuration, mini-suites in First Class, lie-flat seats in Business, spacious Economy seats, crew rest area and the very latest in inflight entertainment.

Emirates has placed a firm lease order for five additional Boeing 777-300ERs.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group said: "Our fleet is a key factor in our organic growth strategy and these new leased aircraft will minimise the impact of any shortfalls in our fleet projections. It’s no secret that Emirates has mapped an ambitious growth plan for the next ten years, which can be gauged by our intention to launch services to Venice, Houston, Sao Paolo and Newcastle this year."

He added: "We have an excellent ongoing relationship with GECAS and are assured of their customer orientation and their alignment with our business objectives."

Today, Emirates has 23 Boeing 777-300ERs in its fleet and a firm order for 36 more, including the new lease order. By 2013, Emirates’ fleet will feature 59 of the -300ERs, 19 of these leased from GECAS. The 777-300ER brings twin-engine efficiency and reliability to the long-range market. At full passenger and cargo capacity, the aircraft can fly up to 5,300 nautical miles (9,815 kilometres), or easily non-stop from Dubai to New York.

Henry Hubschman, President and CEO of GECAS said: "We are delighted to partner once again with Emirates, one of the world’s leading airlines. We already share a close business relationship with Emirates, and this lease agreement further enhances our partnership. We look forward once again to fulfilling their expectations."

Currently, Emirates has 101 aircraft in its fleet – a mix of Boeing 777-300ERs, -300s, -200s, 747Fs; and Airbus A340-500s, A340-300s, A330-200s, A310Fs, and one A310. The airline’s fleet is among the youngest in the skies, with an average age of just 61 months. The airline has more than 100 aircraft on order, pending delivery. Emirates currently serves 87 destinations in 58 countries worldwide.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates, the fast-expanding international airline, will participate in the 18th ITB Berlin in Germany taking place from 7th to 11th March 2007 at the Exhibition Grounds in Berlin. ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show, stands as the premiere meeting place for the travel industry. A total of nearly 11,000 exhibitors from some 180 countries and territories are expected to attend this year’s trade show. Last year, a total of 68,270 public visitors were registered.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, will again lead a delegation of senior Emirates staff from the airline and its destination and leisure management divisions, to meet with buyers, travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers and government tourism officials at the show. Sheikh Ahmed said: “We value ITB as an important global meeting place. ITB Berlin’s partner country this year is India: a very important part of our global route network. Currently Emirates connects Dubai to eight destinations in India. Our services to the country have grown substantially in the last few years, creating a greater exchange for business, tourism and culture.”

Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline will participate in a panel discussion at the ITB Aviation Day on March 9th. The Aviation Day is one of the top events in the global aviation industry focussed on the latest developments for airlines, airports and aircraft.

As always, Emirates will attract show visitors with its eye-catching stand. Chosen for its spectacular design as well as the services and activities, the Emirates stand is shaped like an Airbus A380 super jumbo. The A380 is the world's first double decker aircraft and the airline is by far the largest customer with 45 on firm order, the first of which will be received in August, 2008.

New this year, the airline will showcase its new Boeing 777-300 ER lie-flat business class seats. Also at the stand, visitors will have access to Emirates’ famous A340-500 first class suites with privacy screens which can be opened or closed for maximum privacy as well as leather seats which convert to flat beds.
Building the Emirates stand has required the work of 20 people over 10 days. It is constructed from steel and weighs some 30 tonnes, is fully air-conditioned and has two floors including a majlis (meeting area) for VIP visitors. New destinations, new inflight products and services, and the airline’s new hotel division Emirates Hotels & Resorts are just a few exciting developments that Emirates will share with the international travel industry in Berlin.

www.Parctel.com: British Airways' annual Investor Day will be held today, March 7th.

A webcast can be accessed via the internet www.bashares.com - at 8.30am and a recorded version will be available after the event.

www.Parctel.com: On March 2, European and American negotiators reached an agreement that - if approved by the EU Council of Ministers on March 22 - will provide a more harmonized regulatory framework in which to promote a free trade area for air transport between the 27 countries of the EU and US starting in the 2007/2008 winter season.

This agreement would enable European and American airlines to access any markets in the EU and U.S. It would particularly allow Air France and KLM to sell its non-stop air services between any point in the European Union and the United States (for e.g., Frankfurt/Atlanta directly operated by Delta under an Air France marketing agreement).

Air France and KLM would therefore be in a position to expand the SkyTeam alliance network and offer their customers new transatlantic routes.

Air France and KLM have always supported the principle of such an agreement insofar as it would allow European and American airlines to pursue their activity in a stable regulatory framework. This agreement would replace the bilateral open skies agreements signed by the majority of EU member states with the United States and certain provisions of which the European Court of Justice had deemed contrary to community law.

The aviation agreement between the EU and US would mean that the concept of an EU airline would be recognized by a major US partner, instead of a traditional national carrier as has been the case up to now.

AIR FRANCE KLM, Europe's leading air transport group, would like to publicly express its full support for the finalization of this agreement.

www.Parctel.com: For the last 3 months, Flybe has carefully examined the economic viability of all routes, airports and services across the UK and Europe as part of its preparation for the acquisition of BA Connect. After much consideration, Flybe has come to the difficult decision that, with the exception of the long-established Jersey route, the airline will cease to operate from Bristol Airport. This is Flybe’s only proposed base closure. Flybe has today commenced its statutory 90 day consultation process with affected staff.

The change to routes will take effect from 25 March 2007

As a result of yesterdays completed acquisition of BA Connect, Flybe now employ 193 staff at Bristol airport. This morning (March 6th), Senior Flybe staff informed individuals and representatives of recognised Trade Unions of the consequences of the decision to close the Bristol base.

Flybe is committed to consulting and working with individuals and employee representatives, including representatives of recognised Trade Unions. The company wishes to retain as many of its 49 Pilots, 68 Cabin Crew and 15 Engineers currently based at Bristol through redeployment or relocation to nearby bases at Exeter and Birmingham. Through these offers Flybe hopes to keep job losses to a minimum.

Flybe’s chosen business model is not to operate ground handling services across its network and there is hence no operational reason for Flybe to retain in-house Ground Services function at Bristol. Where redundancies are necessary employees will be supported with enhanced redundancy terms as well being provided with professional job search assistance.

Routes affected by today’s decision to cease operations from Bristol are those to Paris, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Glasgow and Edinburgh. BA Connect announced the closure of routes from Bristol to Zurich, Milan and Munich last week. Passengers booked on these flights from 25 March onwards will be given alternative Flybe flights from other airports or recommendation with British Airways or offered a full refund if no suitable alternative is available.

Mike Rutter, Chief Commercial Officer at Flybe commented:

“My team and I took a long hard look at BA Connect’s loss-making operations out of Bristol and regretfully could not make a viable economic case for their retention. This will be the only base closure resulting from the acquisition of BA Connect.

“We will be offering all affected staff relocation opportunities and affected customers alternative flights or full refunds. We apologise for the inconvenience but hope that customers will understand that without swift action there would be no chance of stemming BA Connects chronic losses”

“Flybe commended the management team at Bristol for a long and productive relationship, and confirmed that Flybe’s decision is no reflection on the work of the Airport team".

www.Parctel.com: bmi has announced details of its integration programme for BMED following the acquisition of the airline by the bmi group last month.

bmi management has undertaken a comprehensive 30 day review of BMED and plans to have completed the total integration of the former BMED network into the bmi operation for the start of the Winter 2007 flying programme.

Nigel Turner, chief executive officer of bmi, said: "In assessing our investment in BMED before the decision to acquire our 99 per cent shareholding, it was clear that we could only justify the investment of £30 million if we were able to reduce the cost base significantly. This had to be achieved whilst still maintaining the BMED revenue streams as well as maintaining and developing its route network from the winter 07/08 timetable period onwards. However, it is critical that we do not lose the essence of BMED in the integration process.

"We have therefore set ourselves a clear timetable and strategy that will achieve just that. The key elements of our integration programme will be:

• We will operate as one airline - bmi - from 28th October
• Until then BMED will continue to operate as a BA franchise with no change to routes
• From the second quarter of this year bmi will - subject to regulatory approval and agreement of a codeshare with BA - be selling BMED services with travel being available from date of sale

By 28th October 2007

• The business will operate on a single bmi Air Operator's Certificate (subject to CAA approval)
• All BA livery and uniforms will be removed and all uniformed staff will be in bmi uniforms
• A new midhaul product combining the best of BMED and the best of bmi will be agreed and will commence roll out across all bmi mid-haul services
• All BMED services will transfer from T4 at Heathrow to T1
• The BA franchise will cease but, subject to regulatory approval, BA will retain a codeshare facility on the former BMED routes
• Head office functions will be absorbed by bmi and BMED's head office will close

From 28th October 2007

• A gradual phased integration of the bmi and BMED flight deck and cabin staff will commence

"I genuinely believe that we can create a combined business that is better than the sum of its parts. We are creating a group with annual revenues in excess of £1 billion and with a much expanded route network from London Heathrow. To achieve this kind of growth without the acquisition and integration of BMED could take years to achieve."

"The immediate implications of the integration are that a number of BMED head office jobs are at risk of redundancy. We will shortly be starting the consultation process to address any possible job losses as a consequence of this. Where job losses at BMED are unavoidable we will be doing everything possible to look at the suitability of candidates for any vacancies that currently exist within bmi, in order to reduce the number of compulsory job losses."

Within the rest of the BMED workforce, both in the UK and overseas, there is no indication that any jobs will be lost. The continuity of the BMED operation is critical and bmi will continue to operate all of the BMED aircraft with BMED dedicated crews until at least 28th October. There will then be a gradual integration of crews anticipated to take well into 2008 on bmi's current planning.

www.Parctel.com: bmi regional has reaffirmed its commitment to developing new regional air services and further improving frequencies on existing routes following BA's announcement to stop its regional operation.

Extra services are being introduced for the summer timetable (effective 26 March to 28 October) to meet the continuing demand for bmi regional flights between Scotland and Manchester and Leeds Bradford. Two additional return flights between Aberdeen and Manchester will take weekday services up to six a day while services from Edinburgh and Glasgow to the North West city will grow to seven and five a day respectively. Improved timings have also been announced between Scotland and Leeds Bradford with new early morning flight departures from Edinburgh

The airline is also launching five new routes for the summer, including Aberdeen-Brussels; Aberdeen-Kristiansand; Edinburgh-Zurich; Leeds Bradford-Copenhagen; and Leeds Bradford-Lille.

Stewart Adams, managing director of Aberdeen-based bmi regional, said: "We continue to expand and develop our regional network of full-service, non-stop flights to key destinations in the UK and Europe and are confident that together with recently announced enhanced benefits to our frequent flyer programme, diamond club, we provide the best service in the market.

"We know passengers prefer jets to turbo-propeller aircraft for reliability and speed. As an all-jet operator we therefore have a unique position over our regional competitors. This has given us the confidence to increase our fleet size to serve some exciting new destinations as well as meet the demand for additional services on some of our more established routes.

www.Parctel.com: easyJet, Europe's leading low-fares airline, today announced it would expand its operations between the UK and Poland, with a new route connecting London Gatwick with Krakow.

The new daily service will commence on 5 October 2007, with fares from £27.99. Seats are on sale now.

The addition of Krakow increases the total number of routes on offer from London Gatwick, the airline's largest base, to 38. Krakow is becoming a hugely popular easyJet destination and the airline currently operates services from Bristol, London Luton and Liverpool to the historic Polish city and will also launch flights from Newcastle (from 30 March) and Belfast (from 24 April).

www.Parctel.com: VLM Airlines has announced that it will enhance its fleet with the introduction of a jet aircraft for the first time. The 92-seat BAe 146-300 will enter service on April 16th, 2007, and will be operated on one of the airline’s busiest routes betweenLondon City and Rotterdam City

The jet is being introduced into VLM Airlines’ fleet to enable it to increase capacity on one of its busiest routes, where it will operate alongside the carrier’s Fokker 50 aircraft. The airline will maintain its ten daily return flights between London City and Rotterdam, with four to be operated by the BAe 146. The airline carried over 130,000 passengers on the route in 2006, and estimates that it will carry around 190,000 in 2007.

The VLM Airlines BAe 146-300 will seat up to 92 passengers, in a spacious five abreast (3+2) configuration, with leather seats and a generous seat pitch of 32 inches. This is a stark contrast to most other large airlines which offer up to 110 seats on this type, in a tight 3+3 configuration, with a seat pitch of just 28-29 inches.

Johan Vanneste, Managing Director of VLM Airlines comments: “We are delighted to be introducing the BAe 146 jet to our fleet. Increasing numbers of business travellers are utilising our network and, in particular, our London City to Rotterdam service, and this larger, faster aircraft is essential to meet this growing demand.“

The jet’s arrival will release some Fokker 50 capacity from its London City to Rotterdam route, allowing VLM Airlines to increase frequencies on other routes within its network. The airline currently operates a fleet of 19 Fokker 50 aircraft, and will add a further two of the aircraft to its fleet this year.

The aircraft’s performance will be evaluated over the course of 2007 and, if it integrates successfully into the carrier’s operation as expected, VLM Airlines will consider introducing additional BAe 146 aircraft on other high-density routes in its network. The carrier is currently assessing the feasibility of introducing jet services on a further six of its existing routes from London City Airport, whilst a further 20 destinations, all over 500 km from London City Airport, are also being evaluated.

The inflight product offered on board the VLM Airlines BAe 146-300 will remain at the same high level of quality that the airline’s passengers have come to expect, with complimentary snacks and drinks being offered by the airline’s cabin crew. In addition, the aircraft will operate in the full livery of VLM Airlines, thereby ensuring a complete experience that the airline’s passengers are accustomed to.

Over the past 14 years VLM Airlines has grown to become the largest operator flying to and from London City Airport, and now offers over 100 flights each weekday, representing some 36% of all movements at the airport. Rotterdam is the airline’s second largest base, with ten flights each weekday to London City, two daily services to Hamburg and two every weekday on its recently introduced service to Manchester.

Artist impression of the VLM Airlines new aircraft BAe 146-300

www.Parctel.com: On Thursday, 1 March 2007, Paris Airports laid the foundation stone of the new terminal 2G (T2G) at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport which, with effect from autumn 2008, will handle flights operated by Air France's three regional subsidiaries, Brit Air, City Jet and Régional.

"This new complex conforming to High Environmental Quality (HEQ) standards will provide passengers with easy access to a 1,800 sq. m boarding lounge. A large area will be dedicated to shops and services, stated Pierre Graff, Chairman and CEO of Aéroports de Paris.

Chairman and CEO of Air France, Jean-Cyril Spinetta added: "Terminal 2G is one of the key elements in the Air France hub development strategy at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, which aims to optimize the quality of ground services in the main Paris hub as well as enhance our customer relationship".

Terminal 2G, located next to terminals 2E and 2F and their S3 boarding satellite, will handle Schengen flights operated by Brit Air, City Jet and Régional.

Customers arriving by car will have access to a car park with 750 parking spaces adjoining the terminal, while customers with connecting flights will be able to use the shuttle service linking the different terminals. Check-in, security checkpoint formalities and access to the vast boarding lounge will be fast and easy due to the very short distances to cover. A total of 20 aircraft can be gate-parked and accessed by the lounge. Moreover, terminal T2G will be equipped with 6 remote parking stands.

The services available to customers in terminal 2G will reflect Air France and Paris Airports' firm commitment to offering passengers greater autonomy as soon as they enter the check-in area and right up to boarding. The latest new technologies will be integrated, to offer clearer signposting for example, and passengers will enjoy quiet, restful surroundings thanks to recommendations by a specialist in airport interior design and decoration.

www.Parctel.com: The recent World Air Cargo Event (WACE), provided a platform for industry heavy weight Emirates SkyCargo to provide insights on the issue of technological challenges facing players in the air freight industry.

“The fact is, if air cargo does not adapt, face the changes and embrace technology, it will be left out in the cold,” forecasted Ram Menen, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo.

“Information technology is as core to our business as airplanes, trucks and ships. To keep up with the best levels of customer care and ensure supply chain efficiencies, industry can not afford to overlook the importance that technology has on its business,” he added.

Menen outlined the necessity for industry to move quickly on ushering in technological updates in order to maximize its benefit from the IATA e-freight initiative. The initiative was developed to improve productivity and reduce costs while speeding up the movement of cargo from production to consumption.

The Emirates SkyCargo stand was again a popular stop for trade visitors and industry players. The stand, which featured information on the award-winning carrier’s extensive range of products and solutions, also provided access to www.skycargo.com through on-site computer terminals, enabling visitors and customers to view and transact business online.

Prakash Nair, Emirates Manager Network Cargo Sales Development said, “At last year’s WACE event, Emirates SkyCargo welcomed an estimated 2,000 visitors from 62 countries to our stand. In its second year, the event has indeed gained momentum. It has been another tremendous success for us.”

The World Air Cargo Event: Dubai was organized under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, President Dubai Department of Civil Aviation, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group and was supported by regional civil aviation authorities and leading trade organizations.

The Emirates SkyCargo team at their spectacular stand at WACE 2007

www.Parctel.com: Flybe announced today that it has completed the acquisition of BA Connect, the regional airline business of British Airways.

Flybe’s acquisition of BA Connect (which does not include BA Connect’s London City or Manchester / JFK routes) creates a business with over £500m in revenues and which will fly nearly 10 million passengers once the transition is complete. The airline will operate 152 routes, flying from 22 UK and 34 European airports with new routes to key European commercial centres including Paris, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Milan. Through the merger of these two networks, Flybe will become Europe’s largest regional airline with a network that has a unique balance between business and leisure passengers.

Flybe plans to increase its current commitment to invest $1.2bn in new aircraft to over $2Billion by increasing the fleet to over 80 Bombardier Q400 and Embraer 195 aircraft by 2010. Flybe plans to retire the BA Connect fleet of 50 seat jet aircraft as soon as possible to drive maximum fleet efficiency. Flybe will have one of the youngest and most environmentally sensitive fleets in the world. In line with its environment policy Flybe will by then have reduced fuel consumption by over 50% per seat.

The deal has been structured to ensure Flybe is protected financially during the transition period with sufficient funding to cover the inefficiencies of operating 50 seat jets and a degree of protection over future values of these aircraft until they are retired. To achieve this BA is providing Flybe with cash funding of £96m.

Additionally BA is providing Flybe with Commercial support by entering into a one way codeshare agreement on all previous BA Connect routes, allowing for a smooth consumer transition to the Flybe brand.

As part of this acquisition, British Airways will receive a 15% interest in Flybe.

The immediate priority for Flybe will be to ensure that the transition is managed effectively and once this has been achieved, it remains the Groups intention to seek an IPO at the appropriate time.

Commenting on the acquisition, Jim French, Chairman and Chief Executive of Flybe, said:

“This is a proud day for Flybe, now Europe’s largest regional airline. The acquisition of BA Connect gives us critical mass across our domestic and European city markets and, with valuable slots at congested European airports, brings our growth plans forward by two years. Flybe is now firmly established as one of the UK’s largest airlines.

“Flybe is above all a regional airline and the new routes this acquisition brings to our network reinforces our commitment to serving the whole of the UK. We are playing our part in supporting the regional economies of the UK in line with the Government’s own ambitions.

“This is fantastic news for air travellers across the UK and Europe where more consumers will now be able to benefit from Flybe’s efficient and friendly service, all at a price which provides outstanding value. Millions of BA Connect travellers will now benefit from increased service and frequency at substantially lower prices whilst flying on the most environmentally friendly aircraft available in the Regional Air Travel maket..

Flybe will employ over 3500 staff in the new combined business. We are confident the new airline will offer exciting and continued career opportunities. During the last four months Flybe has worked closely with all Unions and Staff Associations to ensure that all staff would be working on the same terms and conditions from the commencement of the new, combined business.

We are all looking forward to working together to ensure Flybe will be a success.

BROWNED OFF WITH GREEDY GORDON'S £1BN TAX HEIST? SEND HIM YOUR PROTEST TODAY.

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline today (1st March) urged passengers who are "browned off" with Gordon Brown's rip off APD tax to send him their protest before the final budget announcement on 31st March.

On the 1st of Febraury Greedy Gordon DOUBLED APD, his tax on passengers. As a result, he will nick £1bn from holiday makers this year. His claim that he is doing this to help the environment is merely a false pretence:

1. Aviation accounts for just 2% of CO2 emissions. If Greedy Gordon really did want to do something for the environment he would tackle the real sources of CO2, namely power generation (26%) and road transport (18%).
2. Ryanair has written twice to Gordon Brown asking him to explain what this regressive and ineffective tax will do for the environment. There has been NO response - Why? Because the answer is NOTHING!
3. Greedy Gordon is just using this tax to take more money from ordinary passengers and their £1bn will simply disappear into his pockets.

Calling on passengers to send their protest to Gordon Brown, Ryanair's Peter Sherrard said:

"Holidaymakers are "browned off"; because they know that Greedy Gordon's APD tax hike is just a scam for him to nick £1bn this year. Passengers flying with Europe's Greenest and Cleanest airline should not be subjected to Greedy Gordon's rapacious 36% tax grab on Ryanair's average £28 fare.

"This tax is clearly being levied under false pretences. It has nothing to do with the environment and everything to do with filling Gordon's pockets. Passengers should tell Gordon Brown to get his greedy hands off their holidays by protesting to ministers@hm-treasury.gsi.gov.uk".

www.Parctel.com: American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, reported a February load factor of 76.5 percent – an increase of 1.5 points compared to the same period last year. Traffic decreased 1.3 percent year over year as capacity decreased 3.2 percent.

Domestic traffic decreased 2.6 percent year over year on 3.8 percent less capacity. International traffic increased by 1.2 percent relative to last year on a capacity decrease of 2.2 percent.

American boarded 7,034,528 passengers in February 2007 as opposed to 7,131,569 passengers in February 2006.

www.Parctel.com: Air Berlin is the most family-oriented airline. The travel magazine "Urlaub Perfekt" came to this conclusion in its latest edition. Eight holiday airlines and low-cost carriers were compared in the categories prices, service, comfort, catering and entertainment.

Air Berlin was the only airline to be given the rating "very good", as it offers altogether the best and most reasonably priced services for children. The Irish airline Ryanair was given the rating "unsatisfactory".

www.Parctel.com: American Airlines announced today plans to return more than 60 employees to full Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) positions at its Tulsa Maintenance Base.

This will result in pay increases for all of these employees in the form of license and skill premiums. In addition to these AMTs, the company announced plans to adjust its manning to backfill their vacated positions. In total, American Airlines anticipates over one hundred employees will receive recalls or reassignments.

Carmine Romano, Vice President - Tulsa Base, noted that success at the base would not have been possible without the support of Transport Workers Union Local 514, which has been critical to the recovery process.

These recalls and reassignments are due to additional work coming into the Tulsa overhaul base. It currently is operating two Boeing 757 winglet-modification lines and plans to open two more lines, operating all four lines seven days a week. Installing winglets on aircraft increases fuel efficiency and is critical to the fuel and financial savings that American requires.

“It is wonderful to be able to announce that we are upgrading and returning people to work in Tulsa,” Romano said. “With this plan, we will be able move a number of our people to better paying positions, in addition to adding more than 60 employees back to the work force in Tulsa.”

Romano expressed his appreciation to all of the employees at American Airlines for their diligence and hard work over the last two years. He also expressed his thanks to the community for their continued support, especially with the Vision 2025 financial aid.

“The support of Vision 2025 provided us infrastructure to help us become competitive. These additional modification lines demonstrate the confidence that Tulsa has generated in its competitive abilities. Without the help of Vision 2025, we would not be where we are today,” Romano said.

www.Parctel.com: From today, passengers are set to benefit from lower fares, more routes and increased frequency on Flybe services as the airline announces the completion of its acquisition of BA Connect, the regional airline business of British Airways.

In addition to the launch of new routes and destinations, Flybe will take over many BA Connect routes with significant price savings of an average of £19 per passenger.

Flybe will become Europe’s largest regional airline with the creation of 11 new routes from Flybe’s regional bases:

• Manchester to Guernsey
• Manchester to Bergerac
• Manchester to Limoges
• Manchester to La Rochelle
• Southampton to Paris
• Southampton to Isle of Man
• Southampton to Frankfurt
• London Gatwick to Bergerac
• Cardiff to Paris
• Edinburgh to Rennes
• Guernsey to Norwich

The airline will also take over 20 of the routes currently operated by BA Connect and the acquisition will see Flybe continuing to offer convenient, low cost travel from the regions.

With 152 routes, operating from 22 UK and 34 European airports, Flybe will become Europe’s largest regional airline and will carry a higher proportion of business passengers with new routes to key commercial centres including Paris, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Milan.

This latest news confirms Flybe’s commitment to the regions with more growth, more flights and more investment.

Flybe plans to phase out all of the existing BA Connect fleet as soon as possible and fast-track completion of its £1.2bn investment programme in new Bombardier Q400 and Embraer 195 aircraft by 2009. Flybe will have a fleet of 82 aircraft, which will be one of the youngest and most environmentally sensitive fleets in the world. In line with its environment policy, Flybe will by then have reduced fuel consumption by over 50% per seat.

Says Mike Rutter, Chief Commercial Officer, Flybe: “Today’s announcement is great news for air travellers across the UK and Europe. Flybe’s passengers will now be able to benefit from the airline’s efficient and friendly service at a price which provides outstanding value on a wider selection of routes.

“Flybe remains firmly committed to serving the regions, and the acquisition now enables us to build a bigger and stronger airline which will allow us further opportunities to develop routes, encourage further business to the regions and see us go from strength to strength. Customers will now be able to turn to Flybe as their number one choice for domestic, European city and French regional flying.

“With minimal route overlap, integration will be seamless and passengers will soon be flying to 56 business and leisure destinations in new, more efficient and significantly more comfortable aircraft.”

When Michael McTighe was contacted last year in the United Kingdom(UK) to come to Nigeria and help set up Arik Air, a host of his colleagues out there tried to discourage him as Nigeria was branded a dangerous and hostile country by the international community.

The sentiment expressed by the international community was understandable because cases of kidnap of expatriates were and are still the order of the day in the Niger Delta region of the country.

But as a man led by his passion, the Scottish aviation consultant did not have too many knotty issues to resolve before accepting the plum job.

He quickly dismissed claims of insecurity in Nigeria with a wave of the hand and flew down to Lagos to do what he likes doing best-setting up an airline.

On arrival, McTighe somehow expected the worst, but he was shocked by the friendliness and warmth exhibited by Nigerians. He was not kidnapped for a ransom, neither was he harassed. The only area he scored below standard was the operating environment and poor infrastructure that characterized the aviation sector.
However, all that did not deter him as the soothing welcome paved way for a quicker, yet happier execution of the project.

More so, amid scathing criticisms from stakeholders in the aviation sector, who queried the rationale behind the sale of the premises of the former national carrier, Nigeria Airways McTighe and his colleagues worked tirelessly to hoist Arik Air’s flag on the nation’s domestic scene.
It took him and his start-up team a couple of months to turn the ghost-like Nigeria Airways building into a magnificent place.

After the set up, he assumed office as the managing director of the airline to oversee the operations of the company.
Today, Arik Air has not only come out to be a fully established company competing favourably with others in its ranks, but is already positioning itself to be the market leader both in Nigeria and the West African region.

The Arik Air boss still believes the country’s aviation industry has room for growth. He has thus thrown his weight behind the various reforms of the Federal Government, which he says portend a brighter future for the sector.

In this interview with Daily Sun, McTighe shares his experience so far in the country, the start up process, challenges and vision:

Background
I’m from Scotland, but I was born in Edinburgh. I started my aviation career with a summer job in Edinburgh Airport. I was meant to be going to the university and I needed some money in the summer mainly for beer and drinking generally and so I got a temporary job in Edinburgh Airport. When I started working in the airport, I loved and enjoyed it. It was like opening a new window in my life and I stayed there. I worked on the ground, I worked on check-in, I went to dispatch and eventually, I went down to England to work for a very large company called Britannia Airways, which subsequently became the largest chartered airline in the world. I climbed to the management ranks there and I ended up in charge of ground operations and assumed responsibility for bringing a quality plan there and revamping the whole structure and set up. I was then asked to do a similar job in cabin services. Now, cabin services in Britannia Airways is a very big department. We had 1,700 cabin crews. So, it was like a department within a department and what I did there was review the way the systems worked, how it was organized and, of course, we save money by being better organized. After that, I was asked to form a big joint venture project and that was starting a new airline in Germany, again for Britannia Airways. And the airline was called Britannia Germany. So, I was part of the project team to set it up and I was asked to become the managing director of the airline once we started flying.

So, I was part of the start up there and as soon as we began flying, I became the managing director. I was there for three and a half years and I then left Britannia, did some consulting, and then I was asked to form a second airline and this was Air Atlanta Europe based in London Gatwick Airport. Air Atlanta specialized in leasing aircraft and crews to airlines that needed them to beef up their capacity. My job there was to set up a team, get the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) and launch a new airline, which I did. I did that job for about two years and then I returned to consultancy. I was consulting with Ryan Air. It’s Europe’s largest low cost airline. I was there for a year as a consultant and then another time off and later I was approached for this job, which entails coming to Nigeria to set up a new airline, Arik Air. I’ve been with the airline from start up to this stage and that’s close to a year now.

What attracted me to the offer?
The attraction for me was the fact that it was the third time I’ve been involved in setting up a new airline. So, I came to Nigeria in mid March 2006. I’m about 11 months here and I’m still here.
Let me also say that I’ve heard stories about Nigeria and if you listen to CNN or read web pages of BBC, it says don’t travel to Nigeria, but I insisted on coming to Nigeria using my own common sense. When I came here, I was shocked by the friendliness and warmth of the people. I could see it was going to be tough job because Arik Air was going to refurbish and revamp some of the assets of the former Nigeria Airways and so you could see a lot of work you needed to do in there.
When I spoke to the chairman and I understood his vision for what he wanted to do, not just for the airline, but to help rebuild the Nigerian aviation industry to be at the standard it should be, that was another attraction to be part of the team. But also, the job I love doing, that is starting up a new airline, leading a team and then forming the team into a cohesive unit is a huge attraction.

Initial hurdles
My initial hurdle was forming a team of people who had aviation experience in Europe and who new the European rules and laws and then coming down to Nigeria with that team to work together as a cohesive unit and make things happen. Another hurdle was also getting ourselves organized down here because people here are used to airlines coming and going and as such people were perhaps not taking us that seriously in the early days. We also spent some time with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), understanding how they wanted us to set up.

Challenges at the moment
One of the biggest challenges right now, which I even consider as a pressure is the desire of the Nigerian people from all works of life to get a safer and more reliable air transport system. And people have listened to what we said we’ll do in Arik, which we have done because delivering on our promises is very important to us. And we can feel that the people want us to succeed, not on a commercial sense that surpasses our competitors, rather to be at the fore front of the drive to birth of a sound airline. There is this impetus that Nigerians want a safe transport system. Now that we’re flying, we also have the operational day to day pressures of trying to operate within schedule and all of that.
You also know that the weather here is very challenging. We just had the harmattan come through, which happens to be one of the strongest ones for a few years now. That made us delay some flights. So operationally, there are some challenges, but we’re also building up to expand very rapidly in the next six months.
More so, one of the challenges for a new airline is that when you announce your arrival, people get excited and look forward to your launch date. Then, once you’re flying, that becomes a norm, that is the day to day operations, the grind and what we’ve been working hard to do is to ensure we have a solid, secured, firm-based structure that can further develop the airline.

The analogy we used is something like building a house, if you want to build about two or three storey house, you have to have bigger and stronger foundation. That is why we’re spending time getting the foundations right, getting the systems right, getting the people right via good training and all of that because everything we do in Arik is designed for a long term. We want to be here for a very long time. We’re not here for a couple of years, make a fast bucks and get out. No, we’re here. We’re Nigerians and we’re very proud of being that and we want to be here for a very long time.

IATA membership
Our intention is to become a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). We’ve started that process already and that takes probably six months. We’re in month one or two of that process, so we’ve got four months to go. We also will conduct an IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) on ourselves. The NCAA has written to domestic airlines recommending them to do that and we were the first to write back to say yes!, its our intention to do that because we just believe that is the right way to go. And recently, we’ve had many oil companies approaching us to do an audit on us. Our intention is to welcome them with open arms. We’ve nothing to fear and nothing to hide. We set the airline up on a solid and secured basis. We’ve got European standards, some of those standards are self regulating anyway, so we’ve to order ourselves. We have absolutely nothing to fear from audit. We welcome it.

Partnership with Lufthansa Technik on maintenance
The first contract we initially had with them was for five years. But we intend to probably increase that contract further and further. When we started, we initially had a contract just for line maintenance. Now, we’ve extended that contract and they’re going to do some quality work for us. They’ve helped us build our emergency plan. We’ve also contracted them to inspect the new aircraft that we bring in. How that works is, when they inspect the aircraft we want to bring in either from Canada or the United States, they will record all the component details on that airplane and put them in their computer. So, it means that when the mechanics come to work on that airplane in Lagos, they’ll find the complete data of the aircraft and that’ll enable them do the full services to the airplane. And we believe that our relationship with Lufthansa is very strong. What we think is a very long term relationship. We want to do that for more than five years.

Regional/international operations
Our plans are to start international operations in summer of 2007. What we’re looking at right now is that we’re securing wide-bodied aircraft for our service to London. We have the traffic rights to go to London, we’ve got the rights to Heathrow. We’re part of the bilateral agreement negotiations between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the British Government. We were allocated seven slots to Heathrow. We want to start those services between June/July of this year. And we’re also looking at direct flights between Houston and Lagos as well. But the issue we’ve there is that there’s absolute shortage of wide-bodied aircraft in the world at the moment. It’s very difficult to get that and the market rates have risen significantly. Perhaps the reason is that the long-awaited Airbus A380 is delayed. So, airlines that will be swapping other aircraft for the A380’s so that they can come into market are just not there. Also in Boeing, the B787 Dreamliner is running behind schedule as well. So, they’ve got all overbooked and it’s just very very difficult to get quality wide-bodied aircraft at this moment in time. Now, the Lagos-Houston route is a very long route and not many aircraft have the range. So, while we may use an Airbus A330 to go to London, that same aircraft will have to stop in Dakar to go to Houston. And ideally, we want to go direct because our market research tells us that Nigerians want to go direct, Houston to Lagos, period. They don’t want to go via anywhere else, otherwise, we may just go through London or Frankfurt to the United States as it’s done today. So, we want point to point. So, what we’re looking for is the right aircraft. We’re looking at either an Airbus A340 or a Boeing 777. We’re also talking to a number of American airlines as well, may be we just codeshare or have a partnership arrangement with them such that they look after us in the United States and we look after them in Nigeria.

New domestic routes
Domestically, we’re currently flying Lagos-Abuja, Lagos-Benin, Lagos-Enugu, Lagos-Port Harcourt, Lagos-Calabar and Calabar-Abuja. Next to be launched will be Port Harcourt-Abuja, Abuja-Sokoto, Kano, Jos, Maiduguri and Yola.
As our new aircraft come over the next month, we’ll add all those northern points to our destinations. We’ve paid our respects to Sultan of Sokoto to show him our plans and he has very kindly welcomed our plans and as soon as we’ve an aircraft available, we’ll add Lagos-Abuja-Sokoto.

Competition
Competition is good because the customers are better off for it. It brings about the best in companies. So, for us to stay ahead of domestic competitors, wherever possible, we’ll use brand new aircraft. We believe that that gives us significant advantage on technical cost, reliability and onboard service. What we’re getting is regular comments and praises on the quality of our onboard cabin crew and service. Yes! People love the brand new aircraft. That’s fine, that’s great but we want to be consistent and deliver what we say we’re going to deliver. And I think, those two effects coupled with the fact that we’re Nigerians, that ’ll give us a competitive edge. Our objective, for instance, is when you step on board our airplane in Heathrow, you should feel like you’re coming home. From the sights to the sounds to the smells, you know you’re at home. We teased our chairman that we will serve real Nigerian pepper soup on our airplane. So, when you step into our airplane, we want you to smell the pepper soup, we want you to be greeted by a beautiful boy or girl in traditional dress. The concept is to make you feel you’re stepping home from overseas.

Checking dearth of professionals
At the moment, we’ve got 15 pilots under training at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria and we’re on the verge of sponsoring first 10 initial engineers in Zaria as well. We’ll do these every year because at the moment, there is a real shortage of young talents in the industry. When we did our major recruiting early last year, we found out that between the ages of 20 and 40, there is a real shortage of trained Nigerian pilots. There are lots of them with potentialities, but no one has received the training. No one had invested in training young Nigerians. What we’ve had to do is hire local engineers and pilots. We’ve also have to supplement them with expatriates. What we want to do is we’re looking ahead into the future with these first 25 people that we’ve called. They won’t be back to Arik for a couple of years because they’ll finish their initial training in Zaria as young pilots who’ve registered a few hundred hours, we’ll then look for one or two regional airlines with very good safety standards, good Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s), so that the pilots can work there as a two-man team for a couple of years. So, when they get the right experience, we can bring them back into Arik onto the smaller aircraft, put them on the right hand seat as first officers and through time, progress them to the command.

So, what we’re looking for is a long term plan that each of those people that we sponsor, if they’re dedicated and they work hard and pass all their exams, one day they’ll be captains on board an Arik aircraft.
Let me say that at the moment, we already have two complete crews on the CRJ 900. That is, we’ve got two Nigerian captains and two Nigerian first officers. We’ve got another two under training and we’ve got another four about to start training. On the 737-300 fleet, we’ve got three crews. We’ve got six guys that I call blacks because they’re five Nigerians and one Ghanaian.

Number of aircraft
At the moment, we’ve got two Hawker Executive Jets, three CRJ 900 and the fourth one will come in two weeks. We’ve leased three CRJ-200’s, they’ll be here in three weeks. We’ve two B737-300’s and we’ve another two B737’s we’re expecting in June for domestic and West Coast operations.
Talking of our West Coast operations, we’ve already started work on that and I don’t want to give you an exact date yet. And we’re looking at the usual suspects like Accra, Malabo and Doualla and perhaps Libreville as well.

Marketing strategy
We’ve focused heavily on selling the Arik brand. That is why we keep saying it is a new experience. What that means is that we’re bringing new aircraft, new technology, new on board service and our consistency in the market place. We’ve also done some brand advertising, using newspaper and radio stuff as well. Also we’re using word of mouth and TV interviews, so that in a way, we’re quietly coming into the market and we’ve quietly told people what we’re doing. We’re letting the Nigerian public to test us to decide whether they want to fly with us or not. Our load factors tell us Nigerians love what we’re doing. We’re under pressure at the moment to open up new routes because people want to fly Arik.

Management style
I love team work. I’m a very focused person and I try as much as possible to achieve set targets. When you set goals, they propel you to work very hard. The same thing happens when a team has set objectives. They work hard to meet their goals. I also love to reward hard work and dedication. It motivates the workforce.

Recapitalization
We’re fully capitalized at the moment. We’re the most capitalized airline in Nigeria and we’ll up our capitalization to meet international standards. In fact, we’ll double the international standards.

Mergers
In terms of mergers, what we’ve decided as a board is if someone approached us for that, what we’ll do is to have a critical look at the proposal. We’ll look at it from a business view point, from both parties’ sides. We’re not saying no, we’ll never merge, but what we’re saying is that if an opportunity came up, we’ll look at it from a business point of view and ask what the marriage will bring for us and for the other party? If it’s right for both parties, we’ll give it a serious consideration.

Assessment of the nation’s aviation industry
Holistically, at the moment, I’ll say the aviation business in Nigeria is getting better. It’s really getting better. If I looked back at what I saw a year ago when I first came in here, I’ll say it was quite poor. I’ll say it’s getting better. I’ll say the policies and procedures that were put in place by the President, the former and new aviation ministers over time will bear fruit. I think Nigeria is on the right track.

Anxiety
Anxiety is always there for the CEO of an airline. You have tremendous highs and tremendous lows when you launch a new route for instance or if you introduced a new aircraft. I remember the huge excitement when the first CRJs arrived Nigeria. I had seen them several times in Montreal. It was tremendously emotional. Most people had tears in their eyes to be honest.
And there are times you have losses because things didn’t go right. Maybe you had a technical fault or maybe you cancelled a flight. We had a bird strike once and all that. So, you feel bad when you have to disappoint people. That’s a low point. There are high points as well. I get calls from operations that tell me the last airplane has landed. So, until I ascertain that the airplanes are safe, likewise the crews before I can think of going to bed.

Vision
I want Arik to become the largest Nigerian airline. We want to cover all the areas and airports in Nigeria. We want to have successful West Coast operations that feed our international traffic. We want to have an international programme that goes to all continents of the world. We want to put the pride back into Nigeria. We want to be a truly Nigerian carrier that earns the respect of the world. That is to say a Nigerian airline that is welcomed in all parts of the world due to robust safety record and quality standards are international.

Retirement
All I can do is do consultancy or something when I’m old, which means I’ll still be attached to the aviation industry. It’s one area I love very much. My heart and blood is in aviation.

Source: Daily Sun

www.Parctel.com: Silverjet, the first British exclusively business class airline, is pleased to announce that from today it will offer cargo services on the daily scheduled service between London and New York.

Silverjet, which launched in January 2007, is the world's first carbon neutral airline and as such the extra fuel burn required to transport cargo will be factored into the equation and the price to offset the carbon will be included in the cost.

Silverjet's Boeing 767 daily flight between London Luton (LTN) and New York Newark (EWR) now offers 10 tonnes of payload outbound to the USA and 15 tonnes inbound, a longer runway at EWR and shorter flying time affords a higher take off weight. The cargo capacity will be managed by Silverjet Cargo a commercial partnership between Silverjet plc and Silverjet Cargo Ltd.

Silverjet Cargo has appointed General Sales Agents (GSAs) in both UK and USA; Platinum Air Cargo in the USA and CargoOne in the UK. The GSAs plan to fill the aircraft with general air cargo, consumer goods, electronics and excess luggage, as well as more unusual cargo such as, perishables and high value goods; agreements have already been reached with a number of high profile bands and film production companies to carry their equipment.

Silverjet Cargo can accept shipments from London Heathrow (LHR) and New York (JFK) as well as LTN and EWR and have established trucking contracts with Platinum, their GSA in the USA and with LHR based WFS (Worldwide Flights Services) in the UK. EWR offers state of the art perishables facilities and at LTN, ramp services from Servisair and cargo handling from Luton Cargo mean that perishables such as flowers and vegetables can be handled with ease.

Lawrence Hunt, Chief Executive of Silverjet said:

"We are delighted to now offer cargo capacity, a vital part of our ongoing business strategy. We have established cargo handling services at Heathrow and Luton airports in the UK and Newark and JFK airports in the USA with a dedicated intra airport trucking service to ensure a seamless service at whichever airport our customers wish to use. As the world's first carbon neutral airline, Silverjet are particularly keen to welcome customers who are looking to be more environmentally responsible with their supply chain and/or their travel plans across the Atlantic.

Michael Meagher, Managing Director of Silverjet Cargo said:

"With dedicated cargo capacity on the aircraft and utilising the professional services of GSAs and handling agents in the UK and USA I believe we can offer a high quality service to the market. The fleet expansion plans of Silverjet over the next couple of years will allow us to offer more destinations providing a valuable stream of revenue to the airline. Silverjet's immediate plans include the delivery of a second aircraft in June and a third in November 2007; the entire fleet will offer the same potential for cargo and we plan to exploit it fully."

www.Parctel.com: Silverjet, the British, exclusively business class airline, today published its passenger statistics for the month of February, its first full month operating flights from their private terminal at London Luton airport to Newark, New York.

* Available seats from 1 February 2007 to 28 February 2007 were 5,100
* Total passengers carried from 1 February 2007 to 28 February 2007 were 2,911
* There was a 45% load factor (excluding passengers on promotional or discounted fares)

Lawrence Hunt, Chief Executive said:
"These are outstanding results after only a full month of operation. We are extremely pleased to also announce that forward bookings and cash flow are substantially ahead of our initial expectations at yields in line with expectations, which gives us high confidence in future passenger numbers and yields.

Customer and industry feedback has been overwhelmingly positive; with customers on board from all four of our target segments (SME, up market leisure, connecting and corporate). We have received fantastic support from the trade with many commenting that the Silverjet proposition is changing business class transatlantic travel beyond recognition.

We are focused on our customers and delivering them exceptional service including 30 minute check in times, a 6ft 3inch bed and an amazingly low fare of £999 return.

Our private terminal at Luton and private lounge at Newark give our customers an unrivalled hassle free airport experience ensuring they arrive rested at their destination."

www.Parctel.com: Visiting Japan has been made easier and better value than ever for international travellers with the launch of the latest fare from oneworld®, the leading quality airline alliance - Yokoso Visit Japan pass.

oneworld's Yokoso Visit Japan pass offers flights serving 42 destinations throughout Japan, using the unrivalled domestic network offered by Japan Airlines and JAL Express, J-AIR and Japan Transocean Air, the three of the five affiliates joining oneworld alongside it which operate Japanese domestic services.

The pass can be used for up to five flights within a two-month period from the departure date of the first Japanese domestic sector.

Each sector flown is charged at a standard JPY10,000 (approximately US$80). Customers need to stipulate how many sectors they will need before they arrive in Japan, and book the first sector. The rest can be confirmed during the trip. Available to anyone living outside Japan, the pass must be bought in conjunction with an international flight with any of the oneworld airlines to the country.

Yokoso Visit Japan pass goes on sale from 1 April - when Japan Airlines, the biggest airline in the Asia Pacific region, becomes the latest airline to join oneworld.

The alliance already offers its Visit passes for the rest of Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and New Zealand and Europe, enabling travellers to fly around each region using services by all the alliance's member airlines - and at fares offering savings of up to more than 50 per cent on many flights. oneworld is the only airline alliance offering this kind of pass for all these continents.

oneworld's Visit Passes are part of an extensive range of alliance fares offered by oneworld. Others include its round-the-world oneworld Explorer fare, its various Circle fares, providing for travel around several continents and also products for the corporate sector.

www.Parctel.com: oneworld® today confirmed the dates when LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador will join the global alliance as affiliate members.

Both airlines will board on 1 April, when Japan Airlines (JAL), Malév Hungarian Airlines and Royal Jordanian Airlines will also start offering the alliances services and benefits as full members. Five other members of the JAL Group will also join oneworld on the same day, as affiliates -JALways, Japan Asia Airways, JAL Express, J-AIR and Japan Transocean Air.

Dragonair, which has also been elected on board the grouping as an affiliate member, will follow later this year, after all necessary joining technicalities and processes have been completed.

As affiliate members, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and Dragonair will offer the full range of oneworld services and benefits.

LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador will join the other airlines in the LAN alliance as members of oneworld - Chile-based LAN Airlines and LAN Express, and LAN Peru - strengthening oneworld's lead still further as the only global alliance with any airline members in the Americas south of Mexico.

With five airlines in Latin America and oneworld partners American Airlines and Iberia also serving the region extensively internationally, as well as British Airways flying to the region, it makes oneworld the obvious alliance of choice for traveling to, from or within this continent.

The latest two additions also build further on oneworld's position as the leading Spanish-speaking alliance.

They will considerably broaden the alliance's network within Latin America, through the addition of a domestic schedule within Argentina and regional international services to and from Argentina and Ecuador, besides expanding its links between the region and North America and Europe. LAN Argentina will also add four destinations to the oneworld map - Iguazú (IGR), Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD), Río Gallegos (RGL), El Calafate (FTE).

When LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador join, their frequent flyers will be able to earn and redeem mileage awards on all other oneworld carriers. Top-tier (Emerald and Sapphire) members will also have access to the 400 plus airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance's airlines.

From the same time, members of all other oneworld airlines' frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem awards and receive all other oneworld benefits on these new recruits, whose networks will also be covered by oneworld's extensive range of alliance fares and sales products.

In the biggest expansion of the world's leading quality global airline alliance since its launch eight years ago today, the three new member airlines and eight new affiliates will expand the size of the alliance substantially, to:

* Almost 700 airports, around a hundred more than now.
* Nearly 150 countries.
* 9,000 daily departures, a thousand more than today.
* Around 315 million passengers, 65 million more than at present.
* 265,000 employees.
* Almost 2,500 aircraft.
* US$85 billion revenues, up by a third.

oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch said: "oneworld is delighted to be welcoming LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and Dragonair on board the alliance. All offer a level of service to match the best in the world, in keeping with oneworld's overall emphasis on quality. With our extensive presence in Latin America already, the addition of LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador strengthens oneworld's position as the leading alliance serving this region.

LAN Airlines Chief Executive Enrique Cueto said: "It is with great pride that we announce today that LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador will join oneworld on 1 April. The high quality and safety standards of the service they provide to passengers has earned them membership in this prestigious alliance formed by the world's top airlines. Without any doubt this constitutes a clear recognition of our on-going commitment to our customers and our determination to deliver an excellent quality product that meets the highest standards of international safety."

www.Parctel.com: Exploring Asia and the South West Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand, has been made easier and better value than ever with the launch of another new fare from oneworld®, the leading quality airline alliance.

Circle Asia Explorer will be available from 1 April for travel starting and ending in any of 14 countries served by oneworld's member airlines across Asia and the South West Pacific.

Travellers must pass through each of the alliance's three defined regions across these continents:

* North East Asia, including China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
* South East Asia, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
* South West Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand.

A maximum of eight sectors is included in the ticket, with travel available in First, Business or Economy classes on flights offered by any of the seven oneworld member airlines operating in these regions - British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Qantas and, from 1 April, Japan Airlines and two of its affiliates JALways and Japan Asia Airways.

Trips may be a minimum of five days in Economy Class or three days in First or Business Class, and a maximum of a year.

The first international sector must be booked before departure, but all subsequent segments can be left open, for confirmation as the trip progresses.

oneworld already offers two Circle fares - Circle Pacific for travel around the continents bordering the Pacific (North and South America, Asia and Australasia) and Circle Explorer, for travel between Europe, Asia and the South West Pacific via Africa.

These Circle fares are part of an extensive range of alliance fares offered by oneworld. Others include its round-the-world oneworld Explorer fare, its various Visit passes, providing for travel within each continent or Japan and also products for the corporate sector.

www.Parctel.com: oneworld®, the world's leading quality global airline alliance, today announced a series of major initiatives to promote tourism and business travel to Japan to mark the forthcoming addition to the grouping of Japan Airlines.

JAL will join oneworld on 1 April, with five of its associated airlines boarding alongside it as affiliates -JALways, Japan Asia Airways, JAL Express, J-AIR and Japan Transocean Air. On the same day, Malév Hungarian and Royal Jordanian will start offering oneworld services and benefits too - in the alliance's biggest expansion since its launch eight years ago.

The drive to encourage more international visitors to fly to Japan was unveiled at a ceremony to welcome JAL to oneworld, held in Tokyo today and attended by the Chief Executives of all the alliance's existing airlines and new joiners, meeting in JAL's home base for the first time since it was elected on board the grouping.

The initiatives come under the umbrella of a new one-year exclusive partnership between oneworld and the Visit Japan Campaign, led by Japan's Ministry for Land, Infrastructure and Transportation and through which the Japanese Government aims to double the number of foreign tourists holidaying in the country - from around 5 million in 2003, when the campaign was originally launched, to 10 million a year by 2010.

It means that this drive is now supported by an airline grouping carrying some 315 million passengers a year on more than 9,000 flights a day from almost 700 destinations in 150 countries worldwide, earning US$85 billion in revenues a year.

All ten airlines in the new oneworld line-up will participate in this programme. This is believed to be the first time every airline in an alliance has been involved in an initiative of this kind anywhere in the world.

Projects in support of the programme will vary by airline, but will include such activities such as special fares for travel to Japan, frequent flyer incentives, promotions through in-flight videos and magazines, mailings to frequent flyers and on websites, sponsorships, participation in trade shows, links with tour operators and facility trips for travel professionals and journalists.

In addition, oneworld today launched a special alliance fare for travellers to the country - with the Yokoso! Visit Japan pass the latest in its family of air passes offering great value flights on any of the grouping's members within the region in conjunction with international flights there.

Japan Airlines today also unveiled a special oneworld livery that will be painted on two of its Boeing 777s from April to mark its accession to the alliance. One will fly on domestic routes and the other internationally.

The alliance's Visit Japan Campaign initiatives are part of a concerted drive by the alliance - titled oneworld Japan Tourism Promotion - to boost travel both to and from Japan, as JAL joins the grouping.

So, besides the activities of all oneworld member airlines to drive Japanese inbound tourism, the alliance's six carriers with flights to and from Japan - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair and Qantas besides Japan Airlines - will conduct promotional activities together throughout Japan from 1 April in a programme designed to encourage residents of Japan to travel abroad on the alliance's newly expanded network.

Apart from supporting the Japanese government's Visit Japan Campaign, this overall programme is also expected to deliver considerable benefits for Japan Airlines too, by generating additional passengers and revenue in line with its Revival Plan. JAL expects that its oneworld membership will benefit it through at least JPY3.5 billion (US$30 million) in additional revenue alone in its first year.

JAL Group Chief Executive Haruka Nishimatsu said: "On behalf of oneworld, we are delighted to be able to support the Visit Japan Campaign through these initiatives. We hope that the alliance's efforts will increase awareness and interest in Japan worldwide. We look forward to welcoming all who come. This is the first major project JAL and the nine other member airlines in the new oneworld line-up have worked together on. We are delighted to see that this new partnership is already bearing fruit."

oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch said: "oneworld is in business to add value for customers and our member airlines. Combining our energies behind the Visit Japan Campaign to mark Japan Airlines joining us is a great way of achieving both objectives at the same time."

Also at today's ceremony, Gerard Arpey, Chairman and Chief Executive of American Airlines, sponsor of JAL in its oneworld joining programme, formally welcomed the new recruit on board, ahead of its 1 April joining date.

Speaking on behalf of his counterparts at the other oneworld member airlines, he said: "When we were looking for parts of the world where we wanted to grow and strengthen oneworld's presence, Japan was at the top of the list, so we are really thrilled to be welcoming JAL on board. This is great news for us all, and for our customers, who will enjoy better access to Japan and a more streamlined travel experience. With Cathay Pacific, Qantas and now Japan Airlines, oneworld has three of the leading airlines in the Asia-Pacific region as members. That enables us to offer an unmatched network in this region."

Alongside them at today's event were:

* Qantas Chief Executive Officer Geoff Dixon (current chairman of oneworld's Governing Board)
* British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh
* Cathay Pacific Airways Chief Executive Philip Chen
* Iberia Chairman and Chief Executive Fernando Conte
* LAN Group Chief Executive Enrique Cueto
* Finnair Chief Executive Jukka Hienonen
* Royal Jordanian Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman Samer Majali
* Malév Chief Executive János Gönci

When it becomes part of oneworld on 1 April, the 19.5 million members of the JAL Mileage Bank (JMB) frequent flyer programme, will be able to earn and redeem mileage awards on all other oneworld carriers. JMB Diamond and Sapphire and JAL Global Club Premier cardholders will also have access to the 400 airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance's airlines.

From the same date, members of the established oneworld airlines' frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem awards and receive all other oneworld benefits on JAL, along with Malév and Royal Jordanian, whose networks will also be covered by oneworld's extensive range of alliance fares and sales products.

The 18-month implementation programme to prepare JAL for its oneworld membership is now almost complete. It now offers interline e-ticketing (IET) with all its prospective oneworld partners, with its final cutover implemented last week with Royal Jordanian. oneworld has been the only alliance with interline e-ticketing (IET) between all of its member airlines since April 2005.

Virtually all the necessary internal processes and procedures have already been brought into line with the alliance's requirements. Thousands of its employees have participated in a special training programme to ensure they can deliver the alliance's services and benefits from Day One, and dozens of its IT systems linked to those at the other oneworld airlines.

JAL has already joined the alliance's Global Explorer round-the-world fare product, which includes some other carriers which are not part of the alliance, and will participate in all the alliance's other fares and sales products from 1 April.

Also today, the alliance's consolidation alongside JAL at its main international hub Tokyo Narita is completed, with Finnair transferring from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2. American Airlines and Cathay Pacific switched across in January, with Qantas already based there, in the alliance's biggest consolidation project so far in the Asia-Pacific region, substantially smoothing and speeding connections for passengers transferring there between these airline's flights.

www.Parctel.com: American Eagle passengers flying the airline’s new service to and from Raleigh/Durham, N.C., will receive double miles for all nonstop flights to and from the airline’s three newest destinations.

This promotion is valid for travel from May 1 through July 31, 2007, on all nonstop American Eagle flights between Raleigh/Durham and Jacksonville, Fla.; Kansas City, Mo.; and Louisville, Ky.

www.Parctel.com: American Airlines unveiled an exciting new and easy way to plan and book AAdvantage® award travel on AA.com, giving customers more information and more choices when it’s time to reserve their award travel on American, American Eagle, or AmericanConnection®.

The new, innovative and user-friendly AAdvantage booking tool on AA.com was developed with extensive customer input and includes features that provide AAdvantage members with virtually all the information they’ll need when they wish to redeem an AAdvantage award, including a calendar that shows award availability over a four-week period.

“We value our customers’ input and are responding to their desires for more information to help them plan and book their AAdvantage award trips, and this new enhancement on AA.com delivers that and more,” said Bella Goren, American’s Senior Vice President of Customer Relationship Marketing & Reservations. “Our goal is to show customers as many options as possible and to make the AAdvantage award redemption process quick and easy. Booking AAdvantage award travel on AA.com is now simpler and more convenient than ever.”

To access the new AAdvantage booking and information tool, visitors to AA.com simply click on the “Redeem AAdvantage Miles” link on the AA.com home page. After entering their cities and dates of travel, customers then have the option of searching for award seat availability either for a firm date (“Exact Dates”) or, instead, over a four-week period with the new “Dates Flexible” option.

Color-coded, easy-to-use tabs allow customers to select the type of AAdvantage award they wish to redeem – ranging from Economy Class MileSAAver SM awards all the way to First Class AAnytime® awards – and then easily see which dates are available for each of the award levels.

AAdvantage members who log in will see the number of AAdvantage miles in their account that are available for redemption, making it easy to determine which award levels they are eligible for.

Once a customer has selected an award level and determined a travel date, a schedule of available flights (for instance, flights where MileSAAver awards are available) will be displayed. The customer can then choose to instantaneously reserve flights and complete their reservation or put their reservation on hold. The new AAdvantage booking and information tool on AA.com can be used to reserve mileage award seats on any route flown by American, American Eagle, or AmericanConnection throughout their wide-ranging network of 250 destinations covering four continents.

The American Airlines Web site, www.aa.com is the best place to do business online with American. AA.com provides numerous ways to conveniently search for and book low fares and award travel, select seats, make hotel, rental car and cruise reservations, get flight arrival/departure information, sign up for flight status notification, and even check in and print boarding passes. Customers who purchase tickets on AA.com pay nothing for online booking, earn AAdvantage ® bonus miles for each ticket purchased, and get a lowest-fare guarantee (see www.aa.com/guarantee) when booking flights. Additionally, customers who log in with an AAdvantage number and password can manage their AAdvantage account online and also receive personalized news and specials. AA.com has twice received the World Travel Award for World's Leading Airline Internet Site and has also received multiple Web site awards from various organizations.

The AAdvantage Program was the first and is the world's largest frequent flyer program. Established in 1981, the program now claims more than 56 million members. Members can earn miles at more than 1,000 participating companies, which include more than 35 hotel chains representing more than 75 brands, more than 20 airlines, 8 car-rental companies, 18 financial companies and over 200 brand name retailers. In addition, members can earn miles when making purchases with one of more than 97 affinity card products in over 41 countries. In 2006, members redeemed more than 142 billion miles to claim in excess of 4 million awards for flights, upgrades and car rentals. For more information and a listing of AAdvantage program participating companies, visit www.aa.com/aadvantage.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates, sponsor of the Australian World Cup squad for the Cricket World Cup, in association with Cricket Australia held a departure party on Tuesday night to celebrate the sport of Cricket; and to wish the current squad the best of luck as they prepared to leave for the West Indies.

Cricketing legend Shane Warne arrives at Tuesday night's celebration of One Day Cricket, presented by Emirates at Sydney's Luna Park. Also pictured are Emirates cabin crew Annalise Stanway and Allison Kennedy.

www.Parctel.com: The final touches to a refresh of British Airways' First class will be on board the airline's longhaul aircraft from March 2007.

The refresh began with the roll-out of a personalised 'Turndown Service' in November 2006 on flights departing after 7.30pm or lasting for more than 10 hours. On request the cabin crew will now lay out a mattress, duvet and pillow all dressed in Egyptian cotton. The popular Aroma Therapeutics 'Sleep Enhancer' spray will then be placed on customers' pillows to help them enjoy a good night's sleep.

New 'Sleeper Suits' made from high-quality cotton and slippers in navy blue with camel trim are also available on 'Turndown Service' routes.

The washbag, known as the BAg and created by leading accessories designer Anya Hindmarch, has been redeveloped in rich, luxurious brown velvet with a classic aviation image adorning the inside cover.

For the first time it contains Kiehl's Since 1851 products, including the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturiser, Kiehl's Light Nourishing Eye Cream and Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 to hydrate and relax customers. Socks, eyeshades, a toothbrush, Elgydium toothpaste and mouthwash complete the set.

The menu has also taken on a new flavour with a wider selection of canapés and a 'Lighter Options' choice offered on late night departures including dishes such as lobster thermidor and roasted Cornish game hen.

A 'Catch of the Day' fresh fish meal option has now been introduced in association with Loch Fyne restaurants on flights departing from London Heathrow and London Gatwick.

The final aspect to the refresh is the introduction of an 'English Afternoon Tea' service. This new option will feature Twinings teas, assorted sandwiches, scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam and a selection of fine pastries.

The refresh is part of a series of product investments to take place over the next eighteen months. Other key improvements include the re-launched Club World and a new Audio Visual On Demand (AVOD) system.

www.Parctel.com: The following statistics on punctuality and baggage handling have been released by Air France:

* 82.7 % of flights departed on time and 81.7 % of flights arrived on time.
* Considerable improvement in on-time performance, despite bad weather conditions.
* 16.3 items of baggage missing per 1,000 passengers boarded

1. Punctuality and regularity of Air France flights:
Results for January showed a considerable improvement in on-time performance compared with the previous month, both on arrival and departure.

In January, all Air France's flights:
"which left on-time or within 15 minutes", accounted for 82.7% of overall traffic.
"which arrived on-time or within 15 minutes", accounted for 81.7% of overall traffic.

Punctuality: the chosen criteria are as follows:
- the percentage of domestic and international short, medium and long-haul flights that left or arrived "on time or within fifteen minutes" compared with the flight schedule, at all airports on the network;
- the percentage of the four main causes of delays (beyond the Company's control - ATC, weather, airport infrastructure etc. – and internal – related to passenger or aircraft handling, loading, etc.).
Regularity: the chosen criterion is the percentage of scheduled flights which were genuinely affected, given that all flight cancellations up to three days before the scheduled service are taken into account.

Despite difficult weather conditions (fog, high winds, snow) throughout January, Air France's overall on-time performance improved by over 12 points, both on departure and arrival, compared with the previous month.

2. Baggage performance
Baggage performance for January 2007: 16.3 per 1,000.

The chosen criterion is the number of items of baggage missing on arrival at the passenger's final destination (i.e. those which do not arrive at the same time as the passengers and which are sent on later) per thousand passengers boarded at all Air France stations.

At a time of year when the number of bags handled increases, and despite difficult weather conditions, Air France's baggage performance for the entire network improved considerably in January, and places Air France first among major airlines in terms of baggage handling.

Since November 2004, Air France has published more detailed flight punctuality data, together with further details about flight regularity and missing baggage.

www.Parctel.com: bmi, London Heathrow's second largest airline, is to launch a new customer initiative focusing on the business traveller following eight months of consultation and feedback with both customers and staff.

The initiative, which goes live on 2 April, will see the introduction of an improved offering and product for the airline's most loyal customers - diamond club members. While a paid-for in-flight catering service will remain a feature of mainline services from Heathrow, all diamond club members* will be entitled to complimentary food and drink onboard, priority seating towards the front of the aircraft and will continue to enjoy the benefits of one of the UK's most generous frequent flyer programmes, through the lounge network and rewards scheme.

Under the new initiative diamond club will see the introduction of a new tier - blue plus - which is automatically awarded once 3,000 status miles have been earned in a 12 month period. Holders of blue plus, silver and gold cards will receive the complimentary in-flight meal as well all other diamond club benefits.

Nigel Turner, bmi chief executive officer, said: "We know that our most important customers are frequent flyers who often travel with us on business - a group that makes up a considerable proportion of our total passengers. They are looking for value for money, friendly welcoming service and want to be recognised and rewarded. Our new initiative delivers on all these points as well as helping to set out the future direction of the company, building on key strengths such as market-leading punctuality and a quick and efficient airport experience.

"Whilst our focus is on the business traveller we will continue to apply our 'making travelling a pleasure' ethos to all our passengers, whatever their purpose of travel. Customer feedback shows us time and time again that our people make bmi the preferred choice of airline, and significant investment in ongoing training will ensure that continues to be the case for all our customers.

"The airline industry has been through a period of massive change in the past five years - a process that continues today. By developing and evolving our products and services we can ensure we continue to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers and remain competitive in the marketplace."

www.Parctel.com: bmi regional, officially the UK's most punctual and reliable airline, today announces another new international air route from Leeds Bradford and a first for the UK.

Starting 23 April, direct flights will link Leeds Bradford with Lille in northern France six days a week with convenient flight schedules for both business and leisure purpose travellers. Flights are also timed to offer excellent connections at Leeds Bradford to and from Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The new flights not only mark the first direct air route between the French airport and the UK, but will also create an important air link between two key industrial cities which are also twinned. Both Leeds and Lille are busy transport logistics hubs, serving many similar industries including mail order and textiles. Lille is also France's third largest city, a leading commerce centre with a growing profile and gaining popularity as a tourism destination and alternative gateway to northern France. Previously unserved from the UK, passengers travelling to Lille would need to fly into Paris and take onward ground connections, similarly travellers to Leeds and the north of England would need to travel via London or Manchester.

Stewart Adams, managing director bmi regional, said:
"This is an important addition to the bmi regional European flight network and underlines our commitment to serving Leeds Bradford Airport and the surrounding region.

"Leeds and Lille already share a common and special link with their twin-city status. This important new air link will not only serve to strengthen that bond in terms of both business and tourism, but will also raise their respective profiles and encourage more opportunities."

Cllr Stewart Golton, Chair of the Board of Directors of Leeds Bradford Airport said:
"It is exciting news to hear that Leeds Bradford will be the first UK airport to have a service to Lille. With strong business links in the Yorkshire region, Lille will prove extremely popular with the textile and mail order sectors. As we are also twinned cities, this news will be greatly received and will strengthen the connections and existing relationships even further."

Jean-Christophe Minot, Lille Airport ceo, said:
"The Lille community and airport welcomes bmi regional and our first scheduled air service to the UK. Leeds and Lille enjoy a close business and historical relationship. Our two dynamic cities will now become even closer thanks to the new, direct flights."

This latest announcement from bmi regional follows the recent news that the Aberdeen based airline and subsidiary of bmi will be increasing its jet aircraft fleet by 25% during 2007 and also launching direct Leeds Bradford-Copenhagen flights from 26 March.

Using modern Embraer jet aircraft on the new route, passengers can look forward to attractive business and economy fares and the renowned bmi regional service, which continues to offer complimentary in-flight refreshments to all passengers.

bmi regional also continues to be the UK's most punctual airline, according to CAA published statistics. Unrivalled punctuality and reliance in the air is matched with speed and efficiency on the ground with business lounge facilities and range of check-in options, including online or self-service check-in.

www.Parctel.com: easyJet, Europe's leading low-fares airline, today announced it would launch a new daily service between Geneva and Brussels on 29 June 2007.

Brussels Airport is a new addition to the easyJet network and marks the airline's entry in to the Belgium market, increasing the total number of countries served by easyJet's unique brand of low fares with care and convenience to 20.

The new route is the result of the delivery of the 8th aircraft to easyJet's base at Geneva Airport, which will now offer a choice of 31 destinations.

Seats are on sale now at www.easyjet.com with fares from €32.99 one way.

With the midweek frequency doubling from 10 September the route is expected to be popular with business and leisure passenger alike.

www.Parctel.com: easyJet, the south west's largest airline, today unveiled plans to launch yet another new route from it's Bristol base to the Italian fashion capital, Milan. This new daily service will commence on 23 April 2007 with fares from just £24.99 one way (£42.98 return including tax) and the airline expects to carry 100,000 passengers on this route in the next 12 months.

David Osborne, easyJet’s UK General Manager, said:

"easyJet is once again showing its continued commitment to Bristol with the announcement of this new route to Milan. Following on from the success of our Bristol to Paris route we are also delighted to announce that this route will increase from one to two flights daily from October.

easyJet recognises that these two routes are essential for Bristol, not just for the people of the south west travelling for business or leisure but also to boost the local economy from inbound tourism and business links. easyJet continues to be committed to Bristol airport and to offering it's famously low fares as well as great destinations across Europe"

Commenting on the announcement, Tony Hallwood Bristol International’s Aviation Development Director, said:

“This is fantastic news for the airport and the region as easyJet extends its network to include Milan.

“Business and leisure passengers wishing to travel to one of Italy’s most cosmopolitan cities now have a great choice of convenient direct daily flights. Milan has something to offer everyone from cultural highlights, to luxury shopping in its internationally famous boutiques.

“In addition to being one of the world’s key financial and commercial centres, the city is a popular and convenient gateway for those wishing to travel to visit the Italian Lakes and Mountains. Furthermore, the South West of England will benefit from the many opportunities created by inbound tourism.”

Milan is a city full of culture and top of the "to see" list has to be Il Duomo. This gothic marvel, with 135 spires, took the best part of 500 years to complete. Sant'Ambrogio in the Piazza Sant'Ambrogio is Milan's most important basilica, and also one of its most beautiful, dating from 379 AD.

Milan is also home to some important museums including the Museo Teatrale alla Scala, which is full of historical mementos of this celebrated opera house. If you get tired of all the culture Milan is, of course, a centre of high fashion, famous for its designer shops and boutiques. Should you want to venture further afield, the spectacular Italian ski resort of Livigno is just four hours' drive away. Or Lake Como is just 30 minutes away by car or an hour by train.

www.Parctel.com: easyJet, Europe's leading low-fares airline, today opens the doors to its new head office at London Luton airport, Hanger 89. Four members of staff, from different departments, who hold the accolade of longest service at easyJet, will ceremoniously cut a ribbon to officially open easyJet's new home.

The former Britannia/TUI building is located just 150 metres from its current office, easyLand. Management and admin staff from the low-fares carrier will gradually make the move over the coming week.

Work began last year when the airline appointed Office Design and fit- out specialist Area Sq the £3.1 million refurbishment project for easyJet’s new Head Office at the Airport. H89 was built in 1974 and had kept its traditional 1970s office style, but it has now been customised to fit the easyJet open culture and principles of simplicity. The huge hangar has been painted in orange, the airline's corporate colour, with an open plan interior to reflect the airline's 'less is more' approach.

In addition to over 30,000 sq ft of office space, H89 can house three Airbus 319s/Boeing 737s at any one time, giving the airline much-needed hangar space at London Luton Airport. Consolidating the premises also means savings to the business, which ultimately will be passed on to the consumer.

Andy Harrison, easyJet CEO, said:

"This is a very exciting day for easyJet as we move to our new head office at London Luton airport. Our current building at easyLand has been a great start for the airline in its younger years but now it's time to move to Hanger 89 which will better serve the needs of the business.

To see the hangar painted in easyJet's signature orange is a fabulous sight and I am certainly looking forward to making the move"

www.Parctel.com: In 2006, Air Berlin PLC, Germany’s second-largest airline company, recorded a net profit of approximately EUR 50 million. As Air Berlin’s Chief Financial Officer, Ulf Hüttmeyer, stated in Berlin on Monday 26 February 2007, sales revenue in 2006 amounted to EUR 1.57 billion, corresponding to a 28.6 per cent increase in comparison with the previous year (2005: EUR 1.22 billion). Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and lease expenses (EBITDAR) increased by 67.4 per cent, namely from EUR 153.2 million (in 2005) to EUR 256.5 million. In 2006, operating income (EBIT before interest and taxes) amounted to EUR 64.1 million (2005: EUR -5.5 million); after deducting interest and taxes, net earnings of EUR 50.057 million were recorded. In 2005, Air Berlin had still reported a loss amounting to EUR 115.9 million.

"By achieving the best operating result in the history of our company, we reached all the targets we had set ourselves for 2006. Despite the costs of going public and the integration of dba, which Air Berlin acquired in August 2006, our net profit even exceeded the expectations of most analysts", stated Joachim Hunold, Air Berlin’s Chief Executive Officer. On March 27, the company will disclose details of its results for the year at the balance sheet press conference in Berlin.

www.Parctel.com: The European Commission is currently considering whether, on competition grounds, to permit Ryanair to acquire Aer Lingus.

The deadline for making a decision on the transaction was extended today by the European Commission, with the agreement of Ryanair, from 11 May 2007 to 13 June 2007.

Ryanair is confident, as it has been throughout the process, that this transaction will be cleared by the European Commission as it is a pro-competitive and pro-consumer deal, which will bring lower fares, greater efficiency, new aircraft and more choice for consumers around Europe. It will enable Ryanair to take on the traditional/national airlines, who continue to fleece European consumers with high fares and unjustified fuel surcharges.

www.Parctel.com: Wanderlust Travel Awards 2007 places Flybe.com above all other airline websites

Flybe.com, the website for Flybe, one of Europe’s leading low-cost airlines, has been honoured by Wanderlust magazine in its 2007 Travel Awards, with Flybe placed above any other airline making it the best airline website in the UK.

The awards, voted for by readers of the travel magazine, were announced in the March issue of Wanderlust and are based on both votes and customer satisfaction, thus accurately reflecting what travellers think.

The outcome of the prestigious poll reflects Flybe’s simple yet intuitive website that receives 1.5 million unique visitors every month.

Mike Rutter, Chief Commercial Officer, Flybe commented: “For Flybe.com to be recognised as the best airline website is a great honour for us, especially as the awards take customer satisfaction into account.

“The honour is a testament to the hard work of the web design team at Flybe who have worked tirelessly to make the website as accessible as possible. We look forward to building on this success and hopefully featuring again in next years awards.”

www.Parctel.com: Ricky Ponting, captain of the Emirates-sponsored Australian cricket squad, along with team-mates Nathan Bracken and late call up Stuart Clark, were at Sydney International Airport on Sunday to unveil the 2007 World Cup uniform.

The distinct green and gold uniform will be worn for all games in the West Indies as Ponting and his team bid for a third successive ICC Cricket World Cup victory.

Earlier this month, Emirates, the Dubai-based multi-award winning airline, announced a major sponsorship of the defending champions; underlining Emirates’ commitment to Australia. The Emirates sponsorship of Australia’s World Cup team sees Emirates branding appear on the team uniform and training apparel while in the West Indies.

The West Indies plays host to the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup with play in the first match getting underway on 13th March. Australia’s defence will begin on 14th March when they face Scotland in St Kitts.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group said: “Emirates has a long and successful partnership with the Australian team and we were with them when they won the Cricket World Cup in 1999. We wish them the best of luck in retaining the World Cup.”

Ponting said: "We are all looking forward to a challenging and successful two months of Cricket.

“We are proud to be associated with Emirates during our World Cup campaign and hope we can repeat the victory of 1999 when Emirates was our team sponsor.”

Emirates is also the naming rights sponsor of the Celebration of Australian One-Day International Cricket event and ICC World Cup departure celebration on 27th February at Luna Park in Sydney.

The gala event will reunite all players who have represented Australia in limited-overs cricket as well as announce the greatest Australian One-Day International team of all-time.

Australia’s 1987 World Cup winning squad will also be honoured with a retrospective presentation of World Cup Champions rings of the type presented to the 1999 and 2003 World Cup winners.

Emirates has always had a strong affiliation with cricket and in addition to their sponsorship of the Australian Cricket World Cup team, it also sponsors the ICC Umpires and is the Official Airline to Cricket Australia.

Fast bowler Stuart Clark (right) still smiling after being called up as a last minute replacement for the ICC World Cup. He joins Nathan Bracken (left) and Captain Ricky Ponting (centre) to unveil the Emirates-sponsored Australian Cricket World Cup squad’s team uniform for the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup at Sydney International Airport. Also pictured are Emirates cabin crew members Kirsi Urpilainen and Milena Diaz.

This comment on the service from Ryanair comes from Kevin Altizer's Blog:

It was a nice trip to Pisa. Everything went great until we checked in for our flight home. It was cancelled! We had a couple options – #1 – Wait 7.5 hours, fly to Frankfurt, then pay for a train ride to Eindhoven (would’ve been reimbursed) – #2 – Wait 12 hours, fly to London, then wait 5 hours and fly to Eindhoven. We took the latter option. The waiting wasn’t bad enough, we had to sleep on the floor in Stansted Airport, London. Needless to say, I’m not happy with Ryanair! Sure, they have cheap flights all over Europe, but their service is not so good. I DO NOT like the first-come-first-serve seating method. I defineately do not like spending several hours waiting in airports, and much less sleeping on the floor!

www.Parctel.com: Qantas Defence Services (QDS) today signed a contract with the Defence Material Organisation to provide support services for the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) fleet of five A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft.

The Chief Executive Officer of Qantas, Mr Geoff Dixon, said the contract provided for the provision of technical, spares, training and maintenance support to the tanker fleet for the entire period the aircraft remained in service with the RAAF.

"Under this contract, QDS will establish a support organisation at the RAAF Base Amberley in 2008, in preparation for the arrival of the first tanker from Spain," Mr Dixon said.

"This will create new employment opportunities for up to 50 people within the Amberley facility."

The contract follows a successful joint bid in 2004 by EADS CASA and Qantas to provide the RAAF with a tanker version of the A330-200.

Mr Dixon said EADS CASA and Qantas would convert four A330-200s into the RAAF tanker variant in Australia. He said the fifth aircraft, already converted, would be the first delivered directly to the RAAF from Spain.

"Qantas' experience in the operation and maintenance of its own A330 commercial aircraft fleet means the very best skills and expertise will be available in providing future maintenance support to the RAAF's tanker fleet here in Australia."

Mr Dixon said QDS would continue to provide maintenance support for the Australian military from its Richmond, Sydney, Canberra and Amberley maintenance facilities.

www.Parctel.com: American Airlines is launching an initiative to become the clear-cut airline of choice for passengers in the New York market. In the coming weeks and months, American will demonstrate its commitment to New York with additional routes, enhanced offers, and promotions.

American, the world’s largest airline and a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance, and American Eagle combine to carry more than 16 million passengers each year to and from the five New York-area airports (John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark, White Plains/Westchester County, and Newburgh/Stewart) on more than 175,000 flights to and from more than 60 business and leisure destinations.

“We want to make it crystal clear that American Airlines and American Eagle are the airlines of choice for the greater New York area,” said David Cush, American’s Senior Vice President of Global Sales. “It’s no secret that New York is a critical market for all major airlines, especially American, and we intend to be New York’s favorite airline through some of the actions we have begun taking, as well as those coming in the months ahead.

“For more than 80 years, we have offered convenient service from the New York market to locations throughout the U.S. and the world. We offer competitive pricing on all of our routes. We are the largest U.S. airline flying out of New York to London and the Caribbean, as well as from JFK and LaGuardia to Canada. Our 8,300 New York-area employees are among the largest airline workforce in this region, and they are proud of our legacy. We want to be No. 1 --- the preferred airline -- in New York,” Cush said.

New York-area customers already have started to receive a taste of what American Airlines has in store for them in 2007 and in the years to come. For example:

* Last month, American announced upgrading its seasonal service between Rome and the United States to year-round service beginning April 10. Using Boeing 767-300 widebody aircraft, American will fly daily from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Rome’s Fiumicino/Leonardo da Vinci Intercontinental Airport. Then for the low-peak travel season, beginning Oct. 28 and continuing through March 31, 2008, the service will be flown three times per week from JFK (Tuesday, Friday and Sunday) and four times a week from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday).
* Earlier this month, American Airlines offered customers who buy a roundtrip First or Business Class ticket for travel between JFK and London’s Heathrow Airport through May 31 the opportunity to earn up to three free* trips anywhere American flies in the United States (including Hawaii and Alaska), Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.
* Two weeks ago, American launched a promotion allowing passengers flying Business Class from JFK to Heathrow through March 31 the opportunity to get a free upgrade to First Class when purchasing a qualifying** Business Class fare.
* American’s new, $1.1 billion state-of-the-art terminal at JFK will be completed later this summer, which will provide for the region’s future travel needs for years to come. The new terminal will feature nearly 1.5 million square feet, 36 gates, 101 ticketing positions (more than any other airline at JFK), and 10 security checkpoint lanes that can process more than 1,900 passengers an hour.
* American is beginning to phase in a feature on its AA.com website that allows AAdvantage program members to more easily find dates to book award travel using frequent-flyer miles.
* American plans to spend more on advertising in 2007 than in previous years to have the loudest voice in New York. The company plans to promote its message and service enhancements via various media.

New Service to Cincy, Raleigh/Durham, Atlanta, Louisville, SF, Vegas and much more is coming. For example, effective April 10, American Eagle will add new service from LaGuardia Airport to Cincinnati. American Airlines will add one mainline jet flight to complement existing American Eagle service from LaGuardia to Raleigh/Durham, N.C., making it the only airline to offer mainline jet service between LaGuardia and Raleigh/Durham. Service from Atlanta to LaGuardia will be converted to all mainline jet service with four daily flights (details provided below). Later this year, American Eagle plans to begin service from LaGuardia to Louisville, Ky.

West-bound travelers from New York will also benefit. Later this summer, American will add a sixth daily flight from JFK to San Francisco. That will boost American’s transcontinental service to 22 daily flights from JFK and Newark to Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle.

New service from JFK to Las Vegas will begin in September to give New York-area customers a new leisure destination. The new service from JFK will also benefit American’s international customers and international customers arriving on oneworld airlines through easy connections.

For passengers traveling to the Caribbean and South America, American plans to increase the number of weekly roundtrips later this year between JFK and Port-au- Prince, Haiti, and Caracas, Venezuela.

Premium Services for NY Travelers
The additional flights build on American’s recent investments in premium-class products and facilities used by New York-area travelers. For example:

* Passengers will get to enjoy American’s Next Generation Business Class on the airline’s 767-300 and 777 aircraft beginning this year, making business travel that much more comfortable for passengers on international flights originating from JFK.
* American’s $20 million investment in its 767-200 aircraft flown between JFK and Los Angeles and JFK and San Francisco will provide approximately 11,000 new First Class seats annually, lighter and brighter interiors, and new inflight entertainment to complement the already redesigned First and Business Class transcontinental menus.
* Four Admirals Club® lounges – two at JFK, and one each at LaGuardia and Newark – offer customers a quiet oasis to work or relax before or after flights. A new Flagship Lounge at JFK for international First and Business Class passengers will open later this summer.
* American recently enhanced its Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge policy to allow full fare or AAdvantage Award*** Business Class passengers flying on three-class Transcontinental aircraft complimentary access into the Admirals Club lounge and full fare or AAdvantage Award*** First Class passengers complimentary access to its Flagship Lounge.
* More than 70 Self-Service Check-in machines are located at New York area airports, including 33 at JFK, 29 at LaGuardia and 10 at Newark. Last year, more than 3.2 million customers used the convenient machines to help speed them through the terminal and on to their flights. International check-in is available via self-service for passengers traveling beyond the U.S. from JFK and LaGuardia. Passengers can also purchase Admirals Club day passes, upgrades, and confirmed flight changes on the self-service machines.

“American’s new terminal at JFK is world class in every respect,” said Chuck Imhof, American’s Vice President of Passenger Sales – Greater New York. “From the dramatic 57,000-square foot lobby in the Main Terminal with its 65-foot ceiling, to the two new Admirals Club Lounges and Flagship Lounge providing approximately 30,000 square feet of luxury, the terminal is truly fitting of the stature of a great city like New York. All of us at American and American Eagle are thrilled that we can offer this to our customers.”

In the Community
Together, American and American Eagle employ approximately 8,300 people in the New York area, and approximately 4,500 retirees. The airlines’ presence indirectly supports an additional 182,000 jobs in the region, making the two airlines key participants in the area’s economy. Overall, American and American Eagle combined to spend $1.75 billion in New York in 2006. The company is estimated to have an $11.1 billion impact on the New York economy.

American’s and American Eagle’s impact in New York also is evident in community, civic and volunteer activities. American provides sponsorships and in-kind giving to organizations and events throughout the New York area such as Citymeals-on-Wheels, the Lincoln Center Theater, the annual Puerto Rico Day and Chinese New Year parades, the American Foundation for AIDS Research, the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, and Aaron Davis Hall Performing Arts. In addition, airline employees are involved in service organizations throughout the metropolitan area, helping to bring people together to build better communities and to enhance the area’s quality of life.

“American and American Eagle are proud to have been a part of the New York community – professionally and personally – for so many years,” said Imhof. “We are committed to New York and grateful for the longtime support we have received here. And we look forward to providing our customers even more in the years ahead.”

www.Parctel.com: Highland Airways, the long established Inverness based regional airline, has won the first ever Welsh PSO (public service obligation) route sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government (subject to no objections being received to the procurement process).

Highland will offer twice daily Monday to Friday flights linking Cardiff International Airport with Anglesey (RAF Valley). A fully pressurised 19 seat Jetstream 31 will the used for the service. The airline plans to introduce the route in April.

“We are very pleased and honoured to be awarded this first air route in Wales promoted for the needs of the community”, said Highland Airways commercial director Basil O’Fee. “Clearly our experience in serving the remote Western Isles all the year around was a major factor in securing this competitive contract. Our selected aircraft type is also ideal for the anticipated usage and route sector length. We offer scheduled passenger flights from Inverness to and within the Western Isles, and we undertake a range of other passenger freight and reconnaissance aerial work”.

“The new route will be of great benefit to Wales from a commercial, and tourism point of view, avoiding a tiresome five hour road journey each way. It is subsidised, but in our view is capable of being developed into a fully standalone and successful route given some time. It opens up a new era in terms of Welsh national integration through better links between the north and south. Our timetable will be designed to permit a day’s business to be achieved at either end of the route”.

Established in 1991 Highland Airways has provided scheduled PSO flights for Western Isles Council since 2001. The Inverness base includes the company’s own modern hangarage and internal engineering support. The company is also involved in offshore and oil related business with aircraft based in Aberdeen and corporate shuttles with a further two aircraft based in NW England.

www.Parctel.com: Regional airline pilot training is being revolutionised by Eastern Airways as it invests in its very own state-of-the-art Jetstream 41 aircraft simulator.

The *award winning niche carrier, which is the largest operator of Jetstream 41 aircraft in the world, has entered a partnership venture worth $12 million with one of the world’s leading pilot training centres - Pan Am International Flight Academy – and had thea simulator delivered to its headquarters at Humberside Airport in North Lincolnshire.

The investment enables Eastern Airways’ Jetstream 41 pilots to be trained in-house, on site, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With over 90 Jetstream 41 aircraft flying throughout the world, the simulator will also be available for use by other airline operators.

“No other regional airline our size has its own aircraft simulator and this new initiative demonstrates just how committed we are to further developing our pilot training by bringing specialist simulator training in-house,” said captain Matt Wood, Eastern Airways’ flight operations director. “We fly more Jetstream 41s than any other airline in the world and this venture will provide enhanced training benefits to our pilots and engineers.

“We will also be providing a vital service to other airlines with customers booking in from as far afield as South Africa and the Far East. This initiative will also result in considerable efficiency savings, as pilots will be trained by our own team of experts,” added Matt Wood.

Humberside Airport’s managing director, Rob Goldsmith said: “We are thrilled that Humberside Airport has become a centre of excellence for pilot training through the tremendous endeavours of our resident airline, Eastern Airways. The airline already specialises in aircraft heavy maintenance and it is very exciting to see major development in pilot training taking place in a new simulator facility here at Humberside.”

Pilots are required to train on the simulator at least twice a year and up until now Eastern Airways’ 150 pilots who fly the Jetstream 41 have had to travel to Washington DC in America, which was the nearest location for the simulator.

The cockpit layout and performance of the simulator is identical to that of the Jetstream 41 aircraft. Recurrent and initial pilot training will take place on the simulator. It has an enormous database of navigational and radio aids and its systems 100% simulate hundreds of life-like flights routings.

www.Parctel.com: British Airways has taken the first step towards expanding its longhaul fleet by ordering four Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft for delivery during early 2009.

The airline has also taken out options on four Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft for delivery in 2010.

Robert Boyle, British Airways' commercial director, said: "These new aircraft will enable us to grow our longhaul business after we move to Terminal 5.

"It was a close decision between the Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s. However, the ease of assimilating up to eight aircraft into our existing 777 fleet, rather than having a small number of A330s, swung the balance in Boeing's favour.

"We are confident of a similarly competitive approach from both manufacturers as we move towards our major longhaul fleet renewal and expansion order later this year."

Negotiations continue with GE and Rolls Royce about which engines will be used on the new Boeing 777 aircraft.

The airline's competition for additional and replacement longhaul aircraft to be delivered in the next decade is considering the Airbus A330, Airbus A350, Airbus A380, Boeing 787, Boeing 777 and Boeing 747-8. The first aircraft to be replaced will be 20 Boeing 747s and 14 Boeing 767s, the oldest of which are currently 17 years' old.

www.Parctel.com: oneworld has been named the best airline alliance for in-flight wines in Business Traveller magazine's 2006 Cellars in the Sky Awards. Presented at the UK Business Travel Show last week, the awards are run in association with Wine & Spirit magazine and the International Wine Challenge, with the blind tastings taking place over two days by four leading wine experts.

oneworld's member airlines also received more awards and nominations than members of both other global airline alliances combined, with oneworld carriers collecting eight top trophies, and 36 nominations.

Among the alliance's member airlines British Airways took three top honours, for best consistency of wines across First and Business Class, best First Class fortified wine and best First Class "wild card" wine (not covered by any specific award category). Qantas received two trophies - for most original First Class wine list, best Business Class sparkling wine. American Airlines was judged as offering the overall best First Class wine cellar and Finnair won the title as best Business Class "wild card" wine. Japan Airlines, which will join oneworld on 1 April, received the trophy for best First Class red wine.

Other oneworld member airlines to receive nominations included Cathay Pacific, Iberia and LAN Airlines.

The Cellars in the Sky awards are presented annual to "celebrate the best wines served by airlines in Business and First Class". A record 35 airlines competed for the 2006 trophies, which were presented by renowned wine expert and co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge Charles Metcalfe.

Royal Jordanian joins alliance's Global Explorer round-the-world fare: Royal Jordanian has started participating in the Global Explorer round-the-world fare, which includes all oneworld members and affiliates and selected other airlines which are not part of the alliance. Japan Airlines and Malév, the other two carriers lining up to join oneworld, are already participating in the fare. All the alliance's other fares and sales products will be extended to all three airlines when they start offering the full range of oneworld services and benefits from 1 April.

BA to add UK surf spot Newquay to oneworld network: Newquay, gateway to some of Europe's best surfing beaches, is to join the oneworld network with British Airways linking the UK West Country airport with London Gatwick from 20 March. As the main airport serving Cornwall, Newquay, which has the three-letter IATA code NQY, provides easy access to some of the UK's most popular regions for tourism. The airline will serve the route with Boeing 737s daily.

Member elect RJ to connect future oneworld hubs Amman and Budapest: Member elect Royal Jordanian is to link its Amman hub with the Budapest base of fellow oneworld recruit Malév. It will inaugurate service on the route in June. Both airlines will start offering oneworld services and benefits from 1 April.

oneworld airlines take top honours in Global Traveler awards: oneworld member airlines took seven top places in the latest annual awards from US magazine Global Traveler. British Airways was named Best Airline in the World, to go along with its Airline of the Year titles from the SkyTrax airline quality organization and the World Travel Awards. The UK carrier was also named Global Traveler's Best Airline for Business Class. In the regional awards, American was named Best Airline for Domestic First Class, LAN Best in Central/South America, Finnair Best in Nordic Countries, Qantas Best in South Pacific, and member elect Malév Best in Eastern Europe. The awards were based on a survey of some 13,500 of the magazine's readers.

Finnair adds Mumbai to network as its quadruples its Indian schedule: Mumbai is to join the Finnair network in the latest phase of the airline's Asian expansion strategy, as it quadruples its Indian frequencies to 12 a week. It is also increasing its non-stops to oneworld hub Hong Kong to daily from four a week.

Its new Mumbai flights will start in June, with five non-stops a week from its Helsinki hub. In May, it will raise its existing thrice weekly schedule to Delhi to daily. It joins British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas and member elect Royal Jordanian at Mumbai.

The increase in Hong Kong non-stops also takes place in May, when Guangzhou schedules rise too, with a fourth weekly operation.

Iberia launches flights to Algiers, Boston and Bucharest: Iberia is to launch flights to Boston from May, joining American Airlines and British Airways in serving the New England airport. The Spanish airline will operate non-stops to and from its Madrid hub an initial five times a week.

It will be the third oneworld member to serve Bucharest when it launches services between the Romanian capital and Madrid from 3 March with an initial two round trips a week. British Airways and Finnair already serve the city, along with member elect Malév.

Iberia has just launched a link between Madrid and Algiers with an initial two return flights a week, operated by Airbus A319s. Algiers is also already on the oneworld network through services by British Airways.

American to serve Rome throughout the year: American Airlines will up-grade its service between Rome and the USA to year-round from mid April. It flies to the Eternal City from both Chicago O'Hare and New York JFK, using two-class Boeing 767-300s. The airline had previously served these routes during the summer season only. It will offer daily schedules on both routes during the summer, dropping to four a week from Chicago and three a week from New York during the winter.

Qantas to raise San Francisco frequencies: Qantas is to increase frequencies between its Sydney base and San Francisco from three to five a week from late March, a year after resuming services on the route. The additions will replace two of the airline's existing 35 services a week between Australia and Los Angeles. Los Angeles will, however, increase its Los Angeles schedule by two flights a week during the northern hemisphere summer peak.

oneworld in brief: oneworld brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business - American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Iberia, Cathay Pacific, LAN, Finnair and Aer Lingus, plus their dozen affiliates. Japan Airlines, Malév and Royal Jordanian will start offering the alliance's services and benefits from 1 April, with Dragonair, LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador also joining as affiliate members during 2007.

The alliance enables its members to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. These include a broader route network, opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and points across the combined oneworld network and more airport lounges. oneworld is the only alliance to enable passengers to fly throughout its network, on any combination of carriers, using just electronic tickets. oneworld is the only global alliance with airline members in the Americas south of Mexico and in Australia.

oneworld was voted the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the fourth year running in the 2006 World Travel Awards, based on votes cast by some 170,000 travel professionals, including more than 110,000 travel agents in 200 countries. It is also the only alliance whose members reported collective profits in their latest full year.

Low-cost airline easyJet was today greeting its 20 millionth passenger.

The as-yet-unknown traveller was expected to check in at Gatwick Airport this afternoon and will be given free flights to Marrakech.

The airline's UK market manager Katie Stitson said: "Today marks a great achievement for us.

"Since operations began in 1999, 20m passengers have chosen to fly with easyJet from London Gatwick, more than 5.7m in the past 12 months."

Source: Evening Times

www.Parctel.com: easyJet's Corporate and Social Responsibility Report outlines its strong environmental credentials and includes three “promises” to help balance aviation’s huge social and economic contribution with its impact on climate change.

Andy Harrison, easyJet Chief Executive, said:

“It's hard to see how anybody who has read the recent IPCC report and the Stern Review can deny that global warming is a clear and present danger and that this generation has a responsibility to take action now. Most within the aviation industry recognise that aviation pollutes and that we must improve the environmental efficiency of today’s operations and work on tomorrow’s technologies.

“It is time for a proper debate of the sort that has been largely missing of late. Given that aviation CO2 only accounts for 1.6% of global greenhouse gas emissions, grounding every aircraft in the world would have a miniscule impact on climate change yet a vast impact on our economies. So, airlines have a responsibility to do what they can and governments have a responsibility to ensure that their policies incentivise the right behaviour.

“It is for this reason that easyJet has today published its Environmental Code, which contains three promises – that easyJet will be efficient in the air, efficient on the ground and will help shape a greener future for the industry.

“The same business model which gives us low fares (new aircraft, high occupancy rates, direct flights) also gives us environmental efficiency in the skies – easyJet emits 27% fewer greenhouse gasses per passenger kilometre than a traditional airline on an identical route. In addition we recognise that we can and we will expect more of our ground suppliers at airports.

“We also intend to play a leading role in improving the future environmental performance of our industry - reforming Europe’s famously-inefficient air traffic system, implementing a meaningful European emissions trading scheme, working on the next generation of aircraft, giving customers the most comprehensive range of environmental information available for travel to a particular destination, and helping them to offset the carbon emissions of their flight.

“I believe that we are on the cusp of major advances in aircraft and engine technologies which will lead to dramatic reductions in emissions, which have not yet been factored into the environmental forecasts about our industry.

“In the meantime airlines have an obligation to maximise their environmental efficiency (particularly by operating the cleanest available technology). For their part, Governments must ensure their policies balance the vast economic and social benefits of flying with its impact on climate change, particularly by mandating minimum environmental standards for aircraft to operate in Europe.

“Governments should also recognise that some airlines are already more efficient than others – something that the UK’s Air Passenger Duty dramatically fails to do. APD provides no incentive for airlines to operate the cleanest aircraft; it completely omits airfreight and private jets; the proceeds are not allocated to any scheme to improve the environment; and it is disproportionate – on a UK domestic return flight, the £20 APD is now 25% of the average fare and about 10 times the cost of off-setting the carbon emitted on an easyJet flight.

“Surely, it would be better to incentivise consumers to choose airlines, like easyJet, operating the cleanest aircraft available. In fact, last year we removed 22 older aircraft at a cost of over £275 million as part of our drive for efficiency and in the coming four years we will buy 100 brand-new Airbus A319s – surely this substitution is the very definition of the “Green growth” that was foreseen in The Stern Review.”

easyJet’s Environmental Code contains three promises for a greener future. The first promise reflects easyJet’s current environmental credentials; while the second and third outline the full and leading role that easyJet can play to improve the environmental performance of the industry.

1. easyJet strives to be efficient in the air

* Since 2000, easyJet’s CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre has reduced by 18%
* Each of easyJet’s A319s carries 26% more seats than the norm and carries up to 57% more passengers per flight than the European norm meaning that the “typical” European airline operating an Airbus A319 would burn 27% more fuel per passenger
* easyJet only operates direct point-to-point flights, without the wasteful “hubbing” operations associated with other European airlines
* Only 2% of easyJet’s flights could be undertaken by city-centre to city-centre rail journeys in less than four hours. All London to Scotland routes are over four hours - if included, still less than 10% of our flights could be considered in any way substitutable by rail.

2. easyJet strives to be efficient on the ground

* easyJet’s use of local, convenient airports connected to good, transport links means surface journeys are kept to a minimum. While at the airport, easyJet uses airport infrastructure efficiently with short dwell time, minimal use of ground equipment and prefers simple airport infrastructure.

3. easyJet aims to lead the way in shaping a greener future for aviation

* easyJet has long led the way in campaigning for the inclusion of aviation in the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme and on publication of the legislative proposal on 20th December 2006 called for ETS to be brought into “as wide as possible and as soon as possible” – anything else would be gesture politics
* In addition, it is estimated that the implementation of the EU’s Single European Skies programme could lead to a 12% reduction in flying distances by reducing the patchwork of European traffic control centres, which is why easyJet is actively engaged in the programmes to make SES a reality.
* easyJet is actively engaging with airframe and engine manufacturers on the application of new technologies for the next generation of short-haul aircraft.

www.Parctel.com: Following the incident with an Air France Cityjet aircraft at London City airport this morning, normal service has still not resumed.

VLM Airlines is doing its utmost to operate as many flights as possible tonight, but delays and cancellations are to be expected.

If you can postpone your flight to a later date with VLM Airlines, we recommend that you do so.

www.Parctel.com: Today VLM Airlines launches its internet check-in facility for passengers throughout most of its network. At the same time the carrier enhances its website, making online booking even more convenient for the business traveller.

Internet check-in

With the launch of internet check-in, VLM Airlines responds to the growing demand by business travellers for this service tool. Internet check-in will allow VLM Airlines' customers to check-in from the comfort of their own home or office and select the seat of their choice for their next flight. Internet check-in with VLM Airlines can be done from 30 hours to 2 hours prior to departure via the website flyvlm.com. The internet check-in tool will allow customers to print a 2D bar coded boarding pass, allowing them to proceed directly to security and onwards to the gate at the airport of departure.

VLM Airlines currently offers internet check-in on all flights, with the exception of flights departing from Luxembourg, Brussels and Jersey.

Enhanced website flyvlm.com

With the number of online bookings having increased with 34% in 2006 compared to 2005 and two years after the last major website revamp, the website of VLM Airlines has undergone a total overhaul. Not only the look and feel of the website has been renewed, but the online booking engine has received further improvements, making the online booking engine even more transparent and easy to use.
The online booking engine now also provides a wider range of available fare types, allowing the passenger to better choose the most convenient fare type with the appropriate flexibility for changes and cancellations.

Rony Timmermans, Executive Director Finance and Commerce comments: "At VLM Airlines we constantly look at ways to further improve the overall time saving travel experience that we offer to our customers. With the launch of internet check-in and the enhanced online booking tool, we hope to help the busy business travellers to gain extra time when travelling with VLM Airlines and by doing so we can further upgrade their total travel experience with our airline."

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline, invited Scottish MP Eric Joyce to avail of Ryanair's low fare flights from Glasgow Prestwick to London Stansted, after the publication of MPs' travel expenses revealed that Mr Joyce had clearly been ripped off by British Airways and other high fare airlines. Last year, Mr Joyce spent more than any other MP on travel, using £30,578 of taxpayers' money on high fare flights, when he could and should have flown with Ryanair for a fraction of the cost.

Ryanair's Head of Communications Peter Sherrard said:

"Ryanair not only offers the lowest fares between Glasgow and London, but is also the most punctual airline on the route, so Mr Joyce and indeed all his colleagues at Westminster should conserve taxpayers' money and fly with the UK's favourite airline, Ryanair.

"Flights from Glasgow Prestwick to London Stansted currently start from less than £20, so Mr Joyce should get onto www.ryanair.com immediately, and watch his expense bill plummet."

www.Parctel.com: Flybe, one of Europe’s leading low-cost airlines, today announces it is to introduce nine daily return flights on both the Birmingham to Edinburgh route and Birmingham to Glasgow route, which will commence on 25th March.

The low cost service will provide travellers with a constant stream of flights between the Midlands and Scotland’s two biggest cities, and combined with the lowest prices in the marketplace, confirms there is only one choice of travel for business and leisure travellers alike.

Mike Rutter, Chief Commercial Officer, Flybe comments: “With the introduction of this pioneering service we are showing once again why Flybe is the market leader. With nine flights a day between these key business and leisure destinations we’re remaining one step ahead of our competitors.

“We understand our customer’s needs and strive to offer the lowest prices and most reliable service from the regions to ensure that we remain the only choice for UK travel.”

www.Parctel.com: Two million passengers expected in 2007

Andy Harrison, easyJet’s Chief Executive, officially opened easyJet’s 17th base at Madrid’s Barajas airport on 15th February.

The airline expects to carry over two million passengers from Madrid in 2007 on 18 routes - three domestic, thirteen European and two to North Africa.

Four brand new Airbus A319 aircraft will be permanently based at Madrid Airport, the largest airport on the Iberian Peninsula, from February. The initial investment of 170 million Euros will create 150 jobs for pilots ad cabin crew at easyJet.

Spain is one of easyJet’s fastest growing markets. Last year easyJet launched 13 new routes to and from Spain and the airline has already announced a further 13 routes to and from Spain to be opened this year. Currently easyJet offers 79 routes from 12 Spanish airports and Spain now accounts for 29% of the total easyJet route network.

Due to the additional traffic, easyJet’s ground handling partner Swissport-Menzies hired an additional fifty full-time employees, while maintenance provider SR Technics has opened a new Line Maintenance Station at Madrid Airport which initially employs ten people. In addition to new jobs at the airport, easyJet’s two million passengers will help create 2000 jobs in the Madrid area in business and tourism. easyJet’s order of 315 brand-new Airbus aircraft (including options) also safeguards the 2000 jobs at Airbus Spain.

At a press conference in Madrid today, Andy Harrison, Chief Executive of easyJet, said:

“easyJet offers its passengers very low fares – with care and convenience; a combination that no other airline can match. We believe Spanish air passengers have had to put up with high fares and poor service for too long. We aim to change this.

“This year we will carry over nine million passengers from and to Spain, two million of which will fly through our base in Madrid.

“easyJet brings four million tourists to Spain every year – more than any other low fares airline. These four million tourists spend € 3.3 billion in Spain.

“Millions of customers have recognised the unique benefits of flying with easyJet, so it’s no wonder that we carry about 20% more passengers than Spain’s national airline Iberia.”

In 2006, 8.4 million passengers flew with easyJet on routes to and from Spain – a 15% increase compared to 2005, when the airline carried 7.3 million passengers in Spain. This year, easyJet expects to carry over nine million passengers, which would constitute a further growth of around 15%.

Last year easyJet carried about 33.5 million passengers, compared to 28 million on Iberia – making easyJet 20% bigger than Spain’s national airline.

www.Parctel.com: Aer Lingus is to reduce long haul fuel surcharges by 25% on all tickets booked for flights to and from the US and the Middle East from midnight tonight. The fuel surcharge reduction represents a decrease of €10/US$15 each way and comes as a result of decreasing international oil prices.

Dermot Mannion, Aer Lingus Chief Executive, said, "This is good news for Aer Lingus customers. When the fuel surcharge was first introduced last May, we assured customers that it would be kept under active review as part of Aer Lingus' continued commitment to its low fares strategy . We are pleased to honour that commitment now that oil prices have fallen"

To reduce its exposure to fluctuations in the oil price, the Airline has a policy of hedging a portion of its projected aviation fuel requirements. The Airline currently has hedges in place for approximately 55% of its estimated remaining 2007 fuel requirements at prices ranging from USD58 - 72 per barrel. Aer Lingus will continue to monitor the cost of fuel prices into the future and will revisit its approach to surcharges should the cost of fuel decrease further.

The fuel surcharge reduction will only apply to new bookings for long haul travel made after midnight on Monday 12th February 2007. The reduction will not apply to bookings for long haul travel made and paid for prior to midnight on the 12th February 2007.

www.Parctel.com: To celebrate its forthcoming membership of the oneworld® alliance from 1 April 2007, JAL is giving customers worldwide the chance to win one of 60 pairs of Global Explorer round-the-world tickets in the 'JAL Joins oneworld Prize Contest'.

JAL, together with Malév Hungarian Airlines and Royal Jordanian Airlines will start offering oneworld services and benefits from 1 April 2007 in the biggest expansion of the alliance since its launch eight years ago. Five other members of the JAL Group will join oneworld, the world's leading multilateral airline alliance, alongside JAL on the same day, as affiliates - JALways, Japan Asia Airways, JAL Express, J-AIR and Japan Transocean Air.

As a member of oneworld, JAL will be able further to strengthen the quality of its products and services, providing customers with greater convenience, comfort, value and choice throughout the alliance's comprehensive network which serves some 700 destinations in nearly 150 countries worldwide.

To enter the 'JAL Joins oneworld Prize Contest' and for the opportunity to win a pair of economy class Global Explorer round-the -world tickets, simply go to www.jaloneworld.com/en/ between now and 30 April 2007 (23:59 Japan standard time), and answer five multiple-choice questions on JAL and oneworld.

The names of 60 contestants who have correctly answered all questions will be randomly selected as winners of the tickets. (Rules and conditions apply).

With a Global Explorer ticket, winners can travel around the world on oneworld's network and that of other participating carriers including the alliance's new recruits JAL, Malév and Royal Jordanian. They can choose to go on up to a year-long journey around the world, stopping in a maximum of 15 destinations.

A round-the-world itinerary could include relaxing on a beautiful beach in a South Pacific island, or enjoying the fantastic sights and sounds of Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia.

Providing simple, flexible, and affordable round-the-world travel, 'Global Explorer' fares are just one of oneworld's range of innovative products. JAL started offering Global Explorer fares on 1 April 2006. The airline will start participating in the alliance's full range of fares and sales products from 1 April 2007.

The oneworld alliance enables its member airlines to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. These include a broader route network, opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and points across the combined oneworld network and more airport lounges.

From 1 April 2007, the members of oneworld will comprise JAL, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, LAN Airlines, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian Airlines, plus their affiliates.

www.Parctel.com: Additional frequencies, more seats and new non-stop flights are highlights of an expanded Loganair schedule this summer.

Western Isles

British Airways franchise partner Loganair will be operating the largest ever programme of direct flights to the Western Isles, with up to 22 flights a day, including an increase to double daily non-stop service to Edinburgh from Stornoway.

Conveniently timed flights depart Edinburgh at 0700 and 1750, with return flights departing Stornoway at 0840 and 1930, enabling a full day's business for customers in both directions. Services to Glasgow will operate four times daily on weekdays, with up to four return services on Saturdays and two on a Sunday..

An improved schedule is introduced on flights between Inverness and Stornoway, with flights departing Stornoway at 0850, 1300 and 1800. Departures from Inverness are at 0740, 1150 and 1650 giving more choice and flexibility of timings.

Improved timings are introduced on Benbecula to Glasgow, with 24 flights per week including an earlier morning departure in both directions and two return flights every weekday.

Caithness

More seats are being added on the Edinburgh to Wick service, with a dedicated flight doubling the number of seats available for Caithness passengers. Departure from Edinburgh is at 1130 arriving in Wick at 1235, with the return service leaving Wick at 1300 and arriving in Edinburgh at 1405, increasing the number of connecting opportunities available to other destinations.

The current 6 times weekly service from Wick to Orkney will cease at the end of the winter timetable.

Orkney

Direct daily flights to Edinburgh and Glasgow, 4 flights daily to Aberdeen and conveniently timed double daily services to Inverness and Shetland make this a bumper summer schedule for Orkney customers.

Shetland

Capacity on the key Aberdeen route will be increased by 12% this summer with up to 6 return flights on weekdays, plus a fourth service added on Saturdays during the peak season following strong demand in 2006.

Non-stop flights will serve both Edinburgh and Glasgow seven days a week and twice daily flights link Shetland with Orkney and Inverness.

Islay, Barra, Tiree and Campbeltown

Up to 3 flights a day to and from Islay give even more reasons to visit this enchanting Island, whether to sample the delights of its famous whisky distilleries or perhaps for a round of golf.

Additional seats will be available during the peak holiday season on the popular routes to Barra, Campbeltown and Tiree; all served direct from Glasgow.

Isle of Man and City of Derry

Daily flights to Isle of Man from Edinburgh and Glasgow will operate year round for the first time, with extra flights to Glasgow during the peak summer season.

The popular link to Derry from Glasgow will be flown daily during the summer.

Jim Cameron, Chief Executive of Loganair said, "We are delighted to offer our largest ever schedule and network of flights within Scotland. The successful introduction of the Air Discount Scheme, new one-way fares and more direct flights is great news for our customers. There has never been a better time for visitors to sample the delights of the Scottish Highlands and Islands or for island residents to take to the air".

www.Parctel.com: Eastern Airways is set to increase capacity on its services from Aberdeen to Stornoway and Wick this month with the introduction of a Jetstream 41 aircraft on both routes.

The additional capacity will allow more Caithness and Western Isles based travellers to take advantage of the Air Discount Scheme (ADS), enabling customers to receive a 40% saving on normal tariffs. To assist in the promotion of this initiative, the company will be adorning a number of its twenty-five Jetstream 41’s with the ADS logo, encouraging passengers to book online.

The larger 29-seater Jetstream 41 will replace the current Jetstream 32 on both routes from Monday 12 February, just a month after the Aberdeen – Stornoway service celebrated its first anniversary.

The Aberdeen – Wick service was launched in 2001 and since introduction of both, the routes have been well utilised by both business and leisure travellers, with many people taking advantage of the excellent selection of onward destinations provided by Eastern Airways from Aberdeen.

Graeme Ross, Scotland director for Eastern Airways, said: “Increasing capacity on both of these routes was a real priority for the company and it helps to cement them into the transport infrastructure of the regions.
“By increasing capacity and enhancing the services due to the popularity of these routes, we are demonstrating a firm commitment to the regions.”

Alasdair Morrison, MSP, added: “I am very pleased that Eastern Airways is increasing capacity on the Stornoway - Aberdeen route. This proves that the first year on this route has been a success. The introduction of cheaper flights for islanders using the Air Discount Scheme has helped consolidate the service, and encouraged Eastern Airways to use a larger aircraft. Eastern Airways enjoys a reputation for competence and reliability – they are a welcome addition to the air companies serving the Western Isles”.

Inglis Lyon, managing director of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, commented: “This is excellent news for both Caithness and the Western Isles with extra capacity offering more people the opportunity to travel. This demonstrates a firm commitment by Eastern Airways to the region and that the ADS is continuing to stimulate the market to respond to passenger demand.”

Eastern Airways operates three flights each weekday between Aberdeen and Wick and daily Monday to Friday between Aberdeen and Stornoway.

www.parctel.com: Ashes-winning captain Ricky Ponting is all set to lead his Emirates-sponsored Australian Cricket squad in defence of the ICC Cricket World Cup in four weeks' time. The players that will join Ponting in their bid for a third successive World Cup victory were announced by Cricket Australia in Adelaide on Tuesday.

Emirates, the Dubai-based multi-award winning airline, recently announced a AUD500,000 sponsorship of the defending champions; underlying Emirates’ commitment to Australia.

Ponting, who is currently the world’s top-rated batsman, has led Australia to 27 wins from 35 matches during his captaincy career so far.

The West Indies plays host to the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup with play in the first match getting underway on 13th March. Australia’s defence will begin on 14th March when they face Scotland in St Kitts.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group said: “The sponsorship of the Australian cricket team further enhances our association with Australia; and also with major international sporting events.

“Emirates has a long and successful partnership with the Australian team and we were with them when they won the Cricket World Cup in 1999. We wish them the best of luck in retaining the World Cup and the title of the best cricket team in the world.”

James Sutherland, Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are very pleased that Emirates will be the team’s sponsor for the ICC Cricket World Cup.

“In a sport that values omens more than most; it’s worth pointing out that Emirates was also the sponsor of Australia’s victorious 1999 World Cup team, so hopefully its involvement in 2007 will see the same result.”

The Emirates sponsorship of Australia’s World Cup team will see Emirates branding appear on the team uniform and training apparel while in the West Indies.

Emirates will also be the naming rights sponsor of the Celebration of Australian One-Day International Cricket event and ICC World Cup departure celebration on 27th February at Luna Park in Sydney.

The gala event will reunite all players who have represented Australia in limited-overs cricket as well as announcing the greatest Australian One-Day International team of all-time.

Australia’s 1987 World Cup winning squad will also be honoured with a retrospective presentation of World Cup Champions rings of the type presented to the 1999 and 2003 World Cup winners.

Emirates has always had a strong affiliation with cricket and in addition to their sponsorship of the Australian Cricket World Cup team, it also sponsors the ICC Umpires and is the Official Airline to Cricket Australia.

Emirates has an impressive sports sponsorship portfolio which includes; Official Airline of the 2007 Rugby World Cup along with sponsorship of the IRB referees and match officials. Emirates is the title sponsor of four tournaments in the IRB Sevens World Series: Dubai, South Africa, London and Edinburgh, and the shirt sponsors of the England and Samoa sevens teams. In Australia, Emirates sponsors the Emirates Western Force.

Emirates is heavily involved in football as an Official Partner of FIFA World Cup and sponsor of Arsenal Football Club, Paris St Germain and Hamburg Football Club; along with the naming rights of Arsenal’s home ground – the Emirates Stadium.

Emirates’ other sports include: sailing, as the title sponsor of Emirates Team New Zealand and their America’s Cup bid, in golf, Emirates is Official Airline to nine major tournaments around the world. Emirates is the title sponsor of the world’s richest race, the Dubai World Cup; the Emirates Melbourne Cup; two races at the Breeders’ Cup World Championship in America and the Emirates Singapore Derby.

CityJet for Air France, is first and foremost the largest network out of London City airport with close to 70 daily flights, mainly operated with Avro RJ 85 aircraft seating 95 passengers.

Starting on 26 March 2007, CityJet for Air France will be offering 10 routes out of London City including eight new ones:
- Geneva
- Madrid
- Milan Linate
- Nice
- Zurich
And in cooperation with ScotAirways:
- Belfast Harbour Airport
- Dundee
- Edinburgh

These routes will be in addition to existing Air France services operated by CityJet out of London City: Paris-Orly (6 daily flights ) and Dublin (5 daily flights).

CityJet for Air France, is also an exclusive product with a very short check-in time of 10 minutes (at London City Airport) and a wide-range of e-services in a small but very convenient airport which makes travel easy for customers.

" CityJet for Air France is an important milestone. We are pleased to underline our commitment to London City where we have had a presence for many years while simultaneously pursuing our development with our revamped fleet ", said Geoffrey O'Byrne White, CityJet CEO.
Etienne Rachou, Air France Senior Vice President Europe & North Africa added : "We are providing our business clientele with a hitherto unknown service, access to a network straight from the heart of London with all the benefits and services the Air France Group has to offer. In this way we are strengthening our position as leader in this market".

The body of the South African stowaway found dead on a British Airways (BA) aircraft would be returned home free of charge, the department of foreign affairs said today. Ronnie Mamoepa, the spokesperson, said the body of Samuel Peter Benjamin (17) would be flown home tomorrow.

"This follows interaction between South African foreign affairs and British Airways in which BA agreed to bring the mortal remains of the deceased back home, free of charge.

"In this regard the government wishes to express its gratitude to BA for the humanitarian gesture extended to the family." Benjamin's body was found on 29 January in the right wheel well of the 747-400 aircraft at Los Angeles Airport in a routine inspection on arrival from London's Heathrow Airport.

He reportedly boarded a plane from Cape Town a week earlier. Benjamin was identified from a South African identity document found in his possession.

Souce: SABC

As national carrier South African Airways (SAA) prepares to acquire a new fleet to expand its route network, aircraft makers Boeing and Airbus are jostling behind the scenes to win the lucrative contract.

Although SAA is experiencing some serious financial difficulties, it remains the most prominent and most recognised airline on the continent, according to analysts.

Since SAA CEO Khaya Ngqula took over about two years ago, both Airbus and Boeing have acknowledged that they had been keeping close contact with SAA in a bid to analyse its routes and understand its fleet needs.

Boeing senior vice-president for sales in the Middle East and Africa, Lee Monson, said yesterday that the US-based company had had continuing talks with SAA for about 18 months.

The latest meeting was at the end of last month, when SAA briefed them about government’s proposal to recapitalise the airline.

SAA, which had recently been separated from its parent company Transnet, said it would need at least R4bn to allow it to stand on its own.

Ngqula said last year that SAA would need at least nine new wide-bodied aircraft for its new and existing long-haul routes.

Monson said Boeing could meet SAA’s fleet requirements within two to three years. SAA could either buy outright or lease the planes.

He said Boeing’s 777s and 767s could meet SAA’s need to fly directly to places such as Munich.

The 250-seater 787-8 model, which would be launched in 2008, could also be used to replace the ageing 747s that SAA uses on the London route.

“I see SAA operating smaller airplanes to Europe (in future),” said Monson.

Not all people flying to Heathrow had London as their final destination. Most of them connected to regional destinations within Europe, he said.

Smaller aircraft could also enable the airline to offer day and night flights to Europe.

Airbus has also been pushing hard to sell its twin-engined A350 and the 555-seater A380. The A380 would be ideal for Heathrow Airport, where SAA has been struggling for years to get additional slots.

Growing passenger numbers globally have resulted in a sharp rise of both Boeing’s and Airbus’ order books.

Boeing has more than 450 orders for its new 787-8.

With passenger numbers growing at an average rate of 5% a year globally, airlines are expected to spent more than $2,6-trillion over the next 20 years to acquire new aeroplanes.

Airports are expected to come under severe strain if no proper planning is done now to accommodate the expected growth.

A study released last month by the Geneva-based Airports Council International (ACI) said delays in expanding airport infrastructure would result in heavy congestion and a general deterioration in the quality of service at airports.

The ACI, of which Airports Company SA (Acsa) is a member, represents 573 major airport operators managing more than 1600 airports in 178 countries.

“This is a warning flag that must not be ignored,” said ACI director-general Robert J Aaronson. “Although ACI members built new capacity at a record rate in 2004, spending over $31bn, those efforts are simply not enough.”

Air travel in Africa was projected to increase 8,6% this year, 7,5% next year and 7,3% in 2009.

Acsa said it had already started making preparations to expand its airport infrastructure at a cost of R5,2bn. All 10 Acsa airports are undergoing major upgrading to enable them to carry a total of 40-million passengers a year from 2010.

Source: Business Day

VLM Airlines, the carrier which offers the largest number of flights from London City Airport, will introduce an additional return service to Manchester from 1st March, 2007, bringing the total of return flights to nine each weekday.

At the same time, the carrier is optimising its schedule to offer a greater number of departures at peak times, allowing business travellers more flexibility when planning their meetings in either city.

VLM Airlines introduced its London City to Manchester service in September 2002. Despite intense competition from other airlines and rail services too, passenger numbers have grown each year since 2002. The route has become an established and popular link for business people travelling between Manchester and Central London, with over 113,000 travellers choosing to use the fast and convenient service in 2006.

Johan Vanneste, Managing Director VLM Airlines says, "Despite the fierce competition on this route, VLM Airlines has achieved a great deal of recognition amongst the business community and extra demand has brought us to the decision to introduce an extra return flight."

He adds: "We are very much aware of what the business community requires from a regional airline and will remain committed to offering a quality and time-saving product."

With around 80 per cent of its passengers travelling for business purposes, VLM Airlines' priority is to offer fast, frequent services. With the introduction of the Docklands Light Railway link to London City Airport in December 2005, travel to the centre of London has been both quickened and simplified, and allows VLM Airlines' passengers to arrive in the centre of London just 1 hour and 20 minutes after their departure from Manchester.

VLM Airlines has a fleet of 14 Fokker 50 aircraft offering an excellent combination of comfort and reliability.

This new service is the latest in a series of developments at Manchester. In October 2006, VLM Airlines introduced a double-daily non-stop service to Antwerp and, on 26th February, will introduce a twice daily non-stop service to Rotterdam.

In addition to nine return flights from Manchester to London City each weekday, passengers travelling with VLM Airlines can also make quick and convenient connections at the London airport to the carrier's services to Luxembourg, Amsterdam and Brussels.

Kenya Airways is holding an international pitch to redesign its plane interiors, airport lounges and staff uniforms.

Honour Aviation is one of the UK consultancies pitching, according to a spokeswoman for the airline. The list includes two further UK consultancies and a number of international design groups, including one in Japan, she adds, but was unable to provide more details.

Kenya Airways marketing director Michael Akwiri is in London this week to meet with the groups still in the pitch. It is understood that the original pitch included eight consultancies and that the airline was requesting substantial free creative work from the groups.

Honour Aviation is a specialist division of Honour Branding, a consultancy formed by Gerrie Smith, a former global aviation director at FutureBrand. The division was created when the former head of design management for British Airways Mike Crump joined the group last year. Kenya Airways has two lounges at London Heathrow Airport, in Terminal 2 and Terminal 4. The design project will look at the interiors of all these areas.

British Airways have been forced into a climbdown over new baggage charges, telling staff to exercise discretion over the fees. Check-in staff at airports across the UAE were told to be “sympathetic” after the first day of the new system caused widespread confusion among passengers.

From yesterday, BA customers were due to be charged up to dhs1,730 extra to take more than a single piece of hold luggage on return flights from the UAE. But the airline has stated any passenger having “obvious” problems with the new system would be exempted. Last night news of the decision, expected to remain until the policy is officially launched in September, was greeted with relief by airline passengers in the UAE.

Adbul Majid, travelling to Heathrow Airport from Dubai International Airport, said: “It’s good for the airlines if they relax the rules because no-one will ever pay this when there are many other good airlines with no hassle. These new changes were too much for any passenger.”

Debbie Carter, taking an Emirates flight to Heathrow agreed, adding: “I’ve heard about the new system and am glad I’m not flying with the airline. But my friend is due to fly with BA this week and she was wondering how to fit all her luggage into one bag. She will definitely be glad to hear that they have relaxed the rule.”

British expat Christopher Johnson told 7DAYS: “I know people who are taking BA flights with just one bag after hearing about the new rules. They will now be really disappointed they didn’t carry more baggage on their flights.” The new rules state customers should only check-in one bag, with a maximum weight of 32kg, in the hold. This limit will reduce to a maximum of 23kg from September.

A BA spokesman said: “We have no intention of discriminating against passengers who cannot comfortably carry one bag. Where it is clear a passenger cannot manage one bag we will let them check-in an additional bag provided the total weight is within the limit.” The spokesman added BA staff would be sympathetic to passenger requests to check-in more than one item of luggage, provided the overall weight was below the new 23kg limit being introduced later this year.

Source: 7Days

LONDON, England (CNN) -- British Airways on Tuesday introduced extra charges for excess baggage but told check-in staff to apply them "leniently" amid passenger confusion over the new rules.

From Tuesday, passengers checking in an extra bag on a one-way long-haul flight must pay a charge of $235 ($120). Short-haul travelers will face a $118 (£60) per bag fee, while those taking UK domestic flights will have to fork out $90 (£42) for each additional case.

BA said the new policy was causing "uncertainty" but said it had always planned to operate a grace period until September, the UK's Press Association reported.

"We will introduce it sympathetically," said a spokesman.

"We have always said that the policy would be introduced now but fully brought in later, in September. That remains the case. Check-in staff have been advised to apply the policy leniently."

From September travelers will be charged an extra $58 (£30) each way on domestic routes, $116 (£60) on European flights and $232 (£120) each way on some long-haul routes if their checked-in luggage -- in one bag -- is over 23kg.

But passengers at London's Heathrow Airport told the Evening Standard newspaper they were baffled by the new rules. Many claimed they had not been warned of the charges when they bought their tickets.

"I thought we only had to have one piece of luggage, now they're saying we can have two. It would be good to have a bit more clarity," said Amal Farhan.

"Every time they told me something different. One lady told me that we were only allowed 23kg but to help introduce the new restrictions they would allow 32kg as a maximum. But then I called again and was told there was no extra allowance. Now my sister has two bags and is just hoping it will be okay."

BA's changes follow similar steps taken by budget airlines. Last year Ryanair introduced charges for check-in luggage to cut costs and speed up the check-in process.

As Europe's third largest carrier, BA has claimed that the new luggage rules are part of a simpler policy to fit in with its vision for "the best airport experience" when the carrier moves to Heathrow's new Terminal 5 next year.

Source: CNN

Negative publicity over safety issues has failed to adversely affect Ryanair in the eyes of investors as its share price closed in Dublin at €12.19, an 8.6% rise for the week. The company also announced on Monday last that its pre-tax profits for the final quarter of 2006 had risen by 30% to €48m.

On Wednesday, the London Times published details of a memo sent from Ryanair management to its pilots threatening to sack them after the airline was taken to task over a series of dangerous approaches to airports over the past two years. During this time, the airline has experienced four incidents in which planes have made high-speed approaches or come in at the wrong height. The most recent incident involved a flight from Stansted to Cork on June 4 last year, when a pilot ignored the advice of a less experienced colleague to abort an attempted landing and perform a "go-around" when the plane was too high to make a safe landing. The captain instead decided to bank the plane in a tight circle to lose height and make a quick landing, prompting 16 homeowners to complain about the flight's proximity to their rooftops.

Air accident investigators also examined incidents at Knock Airport in 2006, Skavsta Airport and Rome Fiumicino, both occurring in 2005. The Irish Times also published details of four Ryanair jets that landed at Stansted Airport on April 24 last in heavy fog which should have diverted because of low visibility.

Under new rules, the airline's 1,600 pilots were warned that they will be demoted the first time they make a dangerous approach and fired for a second such offence.

In response to union claims that morale among Ryanair pilots is an all-time low, Ryanair chief, Michael O'Leary said that if they felt conditions were so bad then there were free to seek employment at other airlines; "they could even join Aer Lingus", he said.

The British Airline Pilots' Association were critical of the memo's contents saying the pressure endured by pilots working for low-cost airlines to adhere to 25-minute turnaround times at airports could result in a "lethal cocktail" of pressure for crew members. Irish Times sources said Ryanair pilots complain of being bullied by management and contradicted the pay rates asserted by the company.

Source: Emigrant Online