Airline News

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.