Airline News

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

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

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

Katie Stitson, easyJet Marketing Manager for Bristol, said:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Celebrating her victory, Margaret said:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Now

Happenings in Dublin:

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

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

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

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

Top Irish Attractions:

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

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

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

Dublin City Pass:

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

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

Fare Breakdown:

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

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

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

Airport Parking:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

www.Parctel.com: Sydney, 15 March 2007

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

Outlook for 2007 full year result

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

Response to market speculation regarding outlook for 2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Daily Echo, By Harry Hogger

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Yorkshire Post

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Golf Directory

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cricket Directory | Cricket World Cup Web Sites

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

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

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

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

Passengers already booked to travel on the route will be re-accommodated by SAA.

www.Parctel.com: At its annual Investor Day today on March 7, 2007, British Airways released market guidance for the financial year 2007/8.

Revenue is forecast to increase by 5-6 per cent based on capacity measured in available seat kilometers (ASKs) up 1.3 per cent, traffic measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) up 2.4 per cent and yield measured in pence per RPK up 3.4 per cent.

Fuel is forecast to be up by some £100 million for 2007/8. Total costs, excluding fuel are forecast to be up £50 million.

This will leave the company on track to achieve a 10 per cent operating margin in the year to March 2008.

www.Parctel.com: In February 2007, Air France-KLM posted a 3.5% rise in traffic, while capacity rose 1.9% (+6.9% in February 2006). The load factor gained 1.2 points to 78.9%. The Group carried over 5.2 million passengers (+4.0%).

As in January 2007, the Group posted a further increase in yield in all segments.

- On the Americas network, traffic increased by 3.2% with a 1.6% rise in capacity; consequently the load factor improved by 1.3 points to 81.6%.

- The Asian activity remained buoyant with traffic up 5.5%, outpacing the increase in capacity of 3.1%. The load factor gained 2.0 points to 87.1%.

- On the Africa & Middle-East network, traffic increased by 2.9% while capacity was up 0.5%. The load factor reached 78.3%, a 1.8 point improvement.

- On the Caribbean & Indian Ocean network, capacity was reduced by 3.8% while traffic remained virtually stable (-0.2%). The load factor therefore gained 3.2 points to 87.3%.

- The European network recorded a rise in traffic of 4.5% while capacity increased by 5.6%. The load factor stood at 63.6%, down 0.7 points.

www.Parctel.com: For the week 26 February to 04 March 2007, 84% of all Monarch's scheduled flights departed on time and 96% departed within an hour of scheduled departure time.

www.Parctel.com: easyJet have just released their passenger figures for February, which, at a total of 2,646,775 passengers show an increase of 11.5% over February 2006.

The 2007 year on year passenger figures at 34,205,676 passengers are up 11.3% on the comparative period of the previous 12 months ending February 2006.

Total revenue for the 12 month period ended February 2007 is also up by 20% at £1,689m in comparison with total revenue for the 12 month period ended February 2006 of £1,408m.

www.PArctel.com: Qantas will introduce a new designer amenities collection, created by some of Australia's most recognised creative talent, later this month.

Qantas Executive General Manager John Borghetti said the collection from Australian designers Marc Newson, Collette Dinnigan, Akira Isogawa and Peter Morrissey would be offered to First and Business customers travelling on Qantas international services from 25 March 2007.

"As one of the world's top tier premium airlines Qantas is delighted to be able to showcase Australia's celebrated design talent to our global customers," said Mr Borghetti.

"This new designer collection is the first instalment in a new luxury product strategy, spearheaded by world famous Australian industrial designer Marc Newson who was recently named Designer of the Year at the annual Design Miami event.

"Marc designed Qantas' award-winning Business Skybed sleeper seat in 2003 and has since been guiding all of our product development to create a distinctive style in line with Qantas' premium positioning."

Included in the First amenities collection are:

- Collette Dinnigan-designed floral silk purse for female customers;
- Akira Isogawa-designed, functional and stylish, zippered pod in chocolate suede for men;
- elegant Akira Isogawa pyjamas in soft cotton with matching luxury eyeshade and slippers;
- high quality hydrating products from leading French skincare house Payot Paris; and
- other comfort items, including hair products from renowned Australian hairstylist Kevin Murphy.

Included in the Business amenities collection are:

- highly collectable amenity packs by Marc Newson - blue for women, grey for men;
- moisturising products from Australian skincare range Ultraceuticals;
- soft cotton pyjamas designed by Peter Morrissey and matching eyeshade on selected long haul flights; and
- other comfort items, including Kevin Murphy haircare products.

Mr Borghetti said that as part of an extensive upgrade of its international product, Qantas would also introduce a new range of luxury designer soft furnishings and tableware, including cutlery produced by Alessi and bone china crockery produced by Noritake, in March, followed by further enhancements throughout the year.

"In May we are looking forward to extending our new designer products to our ground operations with the opening of new Marc Newson designed First Lounges in Sydney and Melbourne.

"We believe our new flagship Lounges will be simply the best in the world," said Mr Borghetti.

www.Parctel.com: In a Scottish "first", on Thursday Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline, is giving away free flights, free holidays and even free cash to Glaswegians and handing out the goodies is a lovely leggy leprechaun!

"No-one walks away empty-handed provided they come along with a poster," says UK Sales Manager Caroline Baldwin.

"All people have to do is come along to outside the main entrance of the Buchanan Galleries Shopping Centre on Buchanan Street on Thursday lunchtime with a poster of any size or description saying why they love Ryanair, and they will receive a fantastic prize, guaranteed."

"No ifs, no buts - free cash, free flights and free holidays from Ryanair. No-one with a poster leaves empty-handed. Be there!"

DATE: Thursday March 8
TIME: 12.30-1.30pm
PLACE: Outside main entrance, Buchanan Galleries Shopping Centre, Buchanan Street, Glasgow

www.Parctel.com: The UK regional operations of oneworld affiliate BA Connect are no longer part of the alliance from today, following their sale to UK regional carrier Flybe.

Some 50 UK regional routes are affected. However, all but two of the destinations served by BA Connect - Belfast City and Southampton - will remain linked to the oneworld network, through flights by other parts of the British Airways group or other alliance members.

Most existing reservations on the BA Connect routes affected - including those booked as part of a oneworld alliance fare or as a frequent flyer reward redemption - will be transferred to the new operator.

BA Connect's flights from London City will now be operated by British Airways subsidiary BA CityFlyer. British Airways will also retain the Manchester-New York route. These services will continue to be part of oneworld. Flights from Bristol, East Midlands and Manchester operated by oneworld affiliate GB Airways, which flies as another British Airways franchisee, will also be unaffected by the BA Connect changes.

The change comes as oneworld undergoes the biggest expansion in its history, with Japan Airlines, along with five of its affiliates, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Royal Jordanian, LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador offering the alliance's services and benefits from 1 April 2007, increasing the alliance's network by almost a hundred destinations.

www.Parctel.com: The Clarinden Leu Singapore Masters tees off at the Laguna National Golf and Country Club on Thursday, 8th March. Emirates, the Official Airline of the tournament for the second consecutive year, invited a number of their corporate customers to participate in Tuesday’s Pro-Am tournament, offering golfers the exclusive opportunity to match their wits with international golf professionals.

From left: David Ho, 2006 Ryder Cup winning captain and legendary golfer Ian Woosnam and Emirates' Area Manager for Singapore and Brunei Stephen Chu taking a breather at the 18th green during Tuesday’s Pro-Am Tournament. They are flanked by Emirates cabin crew members Stella Goh, Marita Hill, Sumitra Nathan and Sherry Wryghte.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates has signed an agreement with GE Commercial Aviation Service (GECAS) to lease five more Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

All five aircraft, scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2008, will boast a three-class configuration, mini-suites in First Class, lie-flat seats in Business, spacious Economy seats, crew rest area and the very latest in inflight entertainment.

Emirates has placed a firm lease order for five additional Boeing 777-300ERs.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group said: "Our fleet is a key factor in our organic growth strategy and these new leased aircraft will minimise the impact of any shortfalls in our fleet projections. It’s no secret that Emirates has mapped an ambitious growth plan for the next ten years, which can be gauged by our intention to launch services to Venice, Houston, Sao Paolo and Newcastle this year."

He added: "We have an excellent ongoing relationship with GECAS and are assured of their customer orientation and their alignment with our business objectives."

Today, Emirates has 23 Boeing 777-300ERs in its fleet and a firm order for 36 more, including the new lease order. By 2013, Emirates’ fleet will feature 59 of the -300ERs, 19 of these leased from GECAS. The 777-300ER brings twin-engine efficiency and reliability to the long-range market. At full passenger and cargo capacity, the aircraft can fly up to 5,300 nautical miles (9,815 kilometres), or easily non-stop from Dubai to New York.

Henry Hubschman, President and CEO of GECAS said: "We are delighted to partner once again with Emirates, one of the world’s leading airlines. We already share a close business relationship with Emirates, and this lease agreement further enhances our partnership. We look forward once again to fulfilling their expectations."

Currently, Emirates has 101 aircraft in its fleet – a mix of Boeing 777-300ERs, -300s, -200s, 747Fs; and Airbus A340-500s, A340-300s, A330-200s, A310Fs, and one A310. The airline’s fleet is among the youngest in the skies, with an average age of just 61 months. The airline has more than 100 aircraft on order, pending delivery. Emirates currently serves 87 destinations in 58 countries worldwide.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates, the fast-expanding international airline, will participate in the 18th ITB Berlin in Germany taking place from 7th to 11th March 2007 at the Exhibition Grounds in Berlin. ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show, stands as the premiere meeting place for the travel industry. A total of nearly 11,000 exhibitors from some 180 countries and territories are expected to attend this year’s trade show. Last year, a total of 68,270 public visitors were registered.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, will again lead a delegation of senior Emirates staff from the airline and its destination and leisure management divisions, to meet with buyers, travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers and government tourism officials at the show. Sheikh Ahmed said: “We value ITB as an important global meeting place. ITB Berlin’s partner country this year is India: a very important part of our global route network. Currently Emirates connects Dubai to eight destinations in India. Our services to the country have grown substantially in the last few years, creating a greater exchange for business, tourism and culture.”

Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline will participate in a panel discussion at the ITB Aviation Day on March 9th. The Aviation Day is one of the top events in the global aviation industry focussed on the latest developments for airlines, airports and aircraft.

As always, Emirates will attract show visitors with its eye-catching stand. Chosen for its spectacular design as well as the services and activities, the Emirates stand is shaped like an Airbus A380 super jumbo. The A380 is the world's first double decker aircraft and the airline is by far the largest customer with 45 on firm order, the first of which will be received in August, 2008.

New this year, the airline will showcase its new Boeing 777-300 ER lie-flat business class seats. Also at the stand, visitors will have access to Emirates’ famous A340-500 first class suites with privacy screens which can be opened or closed for maximum privacy as well as leather seats which convert to flat beds.
Building the Emirates stand has required the work of 20 people over 10 days. It is constructed from steel and weighs some 30 tonnes, is fully air-conditioned and has two floors including a majlis (meeting area) for VIP visitors. New destinations, new inflight products and services, and the airline’s new hotel division Emirates Hotels & Resorts are just a few exciting developments that Emirates will share with the international travel industry in Berlin.

www.Parctel.com: British Airways' annual Investor Day will be held today, March 7th.

A webcast can be accessed via the internet www.bashares.com - at 8.30am and a recorded version will be available after the event.

www.Parctel.com: On March 2, European and American negotiators reached an agreement that - if approved by the EU Council of Ministers on March 22 - will provide a more harmonized regulatory framework in which to promote a free trade area for air transport between the 27 countries of the EU and US starting in the 2007/2008 winter season.

This agreement would enable European and American airlines to access any markets in the EU and U.S. It would particularly allow Air France and KLM to sell its non-stop air services between any point in the European Union and the United States (for e.g., Frankfurt/Atlanta directly operated by Delta under an Air France marketing agreement).

Air France and KLM would therefore be in a position to expand the SkyTeam alliance network and offer their customers new transatlantic routes.

Air France and KLM have always supported the principle of such an agreement insofar as it would allow European and American airlines to pursue their activity in a stable regulatory framework. This agreement would replace the bilateral open skies agreements signed by the majority of EU member states with the United States and certain provisions of which the European Court of Justice had deemed contrary to community law.

The aviation agreement between the EU and US would mean that the concept of an EU airline would be recognized by a major US partner, instead of a traditional national carrier as has been the case up to now.

AIR FRANCE KLM, Europe's leading air transport group, would like to publicly express its full support for the finalization of this agreement.

www.Parctel.com: For the last 3 months, Flybe has carefully examined the economic viability of all routes, airports and services across the UK and Europe as part of its preparation for the acquisition of BA Connect. After much consideration, Flybe has come to the difficult decision that, with the exception of the long-established Jersey route, the airline will cease to operate from Bristol Airport. This is Flybe’s only proposed base closure. Flybe has today commenced its statutory 90 day consultation process with affected staff.

The change to routes will take effect from 25 March 2007

As a result of yesterdays completed acquisition of BA Connect, Flybe now employ 193 staff at Bristol airport. This morning (March 6th), Senior Flybe staff informed individuals and representatives of recognised Trade Unions of the consequences of the decision to close the Bristol base.

Flybe is committed to consulting and working with individuals and employee representatives, including representatives of recognised Trade Unions. The company wishes to retain as many of its 49 Pilots, 68 Cabin Crew and 15 Engineers currently based at Bristol through redeployment or relocation to nearby bases at Exeter and Birmingham. Through these offers Flybe hopes to keep job losses to a minimum.

Flybe’s chosen business model is not to operate ground handling services across its network and there is hence no operational reason for Flybe to retain in-house Ground Services function at Bristol. Where redundancies are necessary employees will be supported with enhanced redundancy terms as well being provided with professional job search assistance.

Routes affected by today’s decision to cease operations from Bristol are those to Paris, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Glasgow and Edinburgh. BA Connect announced the closure of routes from Bristol to Zurich, Milan and Munich last week. Passengers booked on these flights from 25 March onwards will be given alternative Flybe flights from other airports or recommendation with British Airways or offered a full refund if no suitable alternative is available.

Mike Rutter, Chief Commercial Officer at Flybe commented:

“My team and I took a long hard look at BA Connect’s loss-making operations out of Bristol and regretfully could not make a viable economic case for their retention. This will be the only base closure resulting from the acquisition of BA Connect.

“We will be offering all affected staff relocation opportunities and affected customers alternative flights or full refunds. We apologise for the inconvenience but hope that customers will understand that without swift action there would be no chance of stemming BA Connects chronic losses”

“Flybe commended the management team at Bristol for a long and productive relationship, and confirmed that Flybe’s decision is no reflection on the work of the Airport team".

www.Parctel.com: bmi has announced details of its integration programme for BMED following the acquisition of the airline by the bmi group last month.

bmi management has undertaken a comprehensive 30 day review of BMED and plans to have completed the total integration of the former BMED network into the bmi operation for the start of the Winter 2007 flying programme.

Nigel Turner, chief executive officer of bmi, said: "In assessing our investment in BMED before the decision to acquire our 99 per cent shareholding, it was clear that we could only justify the investment of £30 million if we were able to reduce the cost base significantly. This had to be achieved whilst still maintaining the BMED revenue streams as well as maintaining and developing its route network from the winter 07/08 timetable period onwards. However, it is critical that we do not lose the essence of BMED in the integration process.

"We have therefore set ourselves a clear timetable and strategy that will achieve just that. The key elements of our integration programme will be:

• We will operate as one airline - bmi - from 28th October
• Until then BMED will continue to operate as a BA franchise with no change to routes
• From the second quarter of this year bmi will - subject to regulatory approval and agreement of a codeshare with BA - be selling BMED services with travel being available from date of sale

By 28th October 2007

• The business will operate on a single bmi Air Operator's Certificate (subject to CAA approval)
• All BA livery and uniforms will be removed and all uniformed staff will be in bmi uniforms
• A new midhaul product combining the best of BMED and the best of bmi will be agreed and will commence roll out across all bmi mid-haul services
• All BMED services will transfer from T4 at Heathrow to T1
• The BA franchise will cease but, subject to regulatory approval, BA will retain a codeshare facility on the former BMED routes
• Head office functions will be absorbed by bmi and BMED's head office will close

From 28th October 2007

• A gradual phased integration of the bmi and BMED flight deck and cabin staff will commence

"I genuinely believe that we can create a combined business that is better than the sum of its parts. We are creating a group with annual revenues in excess of £1 billion and with a much expanded route network from London Heathrow. To achieve this kind of growth without the acquisition and integration of BMED could take years to achieve."

"The immediate implications of the integration are that a number of BMED head office jobs are at risk of redundancy. We will shortly be starting the consultation process to address any possible job losses as a consequence of this. Where job losses at BMED are unavoidable we will be doing everything possible to look at the suitability of candidates for any vacancies that currently exist within bmi, in order to reduce the number of compulsory job losses."

Within the rest of the BMED workforce, both in the UK and overseas, there is no indication that any jobs will be lost. The continuity of the BMED operation is critical and bmi will continue to operate all of the BMED aircraft with BMED dedicated crews until at least 28th October. There will then be a gradual integration of crews anticipated to take well into 2008 on bmi's current planning.

www.Parctel.com: bmi regional has reaffirmed its commitment to developing new regional air services and further improving frequencies on existing routes following BA's announcement to stop its regional operation.

Extra services are being introduced for the summer timetable (effective 26 March to 28 October) to meet the continuing demand for bmi regional flights between Scotland and Manchester and Leeds Bradford. Two additional return flights between Aberdeen and Manchester will take weekday services up to six a day while services from Edinburgh and Glasgow to the North West city will grow to seven and five a day respectively. Improved timings have also been announced between Scotland and Leeds Bradford with new early morning flight departures from Edinburgh

The airline is also launching five new routes for the summer, including Aberdeen-Brussels; Aberdeen-Kristiansand; Edinburgh-Zurich; Leeds Bradford-Copenhagen; and Leeds Bradford-Lille.

Stewart Adams, managing director of Aberdeen-based bmi regional, said: "We continue to expand and develop our regional network of full-service, non-stop flights to key destinations in the UK and Europe and are confident that together with recently announced enhanced benefits to our frequent flyer programme, diamond club, we provide the best service in the market.

"We know passengers prefer jets to turbo-propeller aircraft for reliability and speed. As an all-jet operator we therefore have a unique position over our regional competitors. This has given us the confidence to increase our fleet size to serve some exciting new destinations as well as meet the demand for additional services on some of our more established routes.

www.Parctel.com: easyJet, Europe's leading low-fares airline, today announced it would expand its operations between the UK and Poland, with a new route connecting London Gatwick with Krakow.

The new daily service will commence on 5 October 2007, with fares from £27.99. Seats are on sale now.

The addition of Krakow increases the total number of routes on offer from London Gatwick, the airline's largest base, to 38. Krakow is becoming a hugely popular easyJet destination and the airline currently operates services from Bristol, London Luton and Liverpool to the historic Polish city and will also launch flights from Newcastle (from 30 March) and Belfast (from 24 April).

www.Parctel.com: VLM Airlines has announced that it will enhance its fleet with the introduction of a jet aircraft for the first time. The 92-seat BAe 146-300 will enter service on April 16th, 2007, and will be operated on one of the airline’s busiest routes betweenLondon City and Rotterdam City

The jet is being introduced into VLM Airlines’ fleet to enable it to increase capacity on one of its busiest routes, where it will operate alongside the carrier’s Fokker 50 aircraft. The airline will maintain its ten daily return flights between London City and Rotterdam, with four to be operated by the BAe 146. The airline carried over 130,000 passengers on the route in 2006, and estimates that it will carry around 190,000 in 2007.

The VLM Airlines BAe 146-300 will seat up to 92 passengers, in a spacious five abreast (3+2) configuration, with leather seats and a generous seat pitch of 32 inches. This is a stark contrast to most other large airlines which offer up to 110 seats on this type, in a tight 3+3 configuration, with a seat pitch of just 28-29 inches.

Johan Vanneste, Managing Director of VLM Airlines comments: “We are delighted to be introducing the BAe 146 jet to our fleet. Increasing numbers of business travellers are utilising our network and, in particular, our London City to Rotterdam service, and this larger, faster aircraft is essential to meet this growing demand.“

The jet’s arrival will release some Fokker 50 capacity from its London City to Rotterdam route, allowing VLM Airlines to increase frequencies on other routes within its network. The airline currently operates a fleet of 19 Fokker 50 aircraft, and will add a further two of the aircraft to its fleet this year.

The aircraft’s performance will be evaluated over the course of 2007 and, if it integrates successfully into the carrier’s operation as expected, VLM Airlines will consider introducing additional BAe 146 aircraft on other high-density routes in its network. The carrier is currently assessing the feasibility of introducing jet services on a further six of its existing routes from London City Airport, whilst a further 20 destinations, all over 500 km from London City Airport, are also being evaluated.

The inflight product offered on board the VLM Airlines BAe 146-300 will remain at the same high level of quality that the airline’s passengers have come to expect, with complimentary snacks and drinks being offered by the airline’s cabin crew. In addition, the aircraft will operate in the full livery of VLM Airlines, thereby ensuring a complete experience that the airline’s passengers are accustomed to.

Over the past 14 years VLM Airlines has grown to become the largest operator flying to and from London City Airport, and now offers over 100 flights each weekday, representing some 36% of all movements at the airport. Rotterdam is the airline’s second largest base, with ten flights each weekday to London City, two daily services to Hamburg and two every weekday on its recently introduced service to Manchester.

Artist impression of the VLM Airlines new aircraft BAe 146-300

www.Parctel.com: On Thursday, 1 March 2007, Paris Airports laid the foundation stone of the new terminal 2G (T2G) at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport which, with effect from autumn 2008, will handle flights operated by Air France's three regional subsidiaries, Brit Air, City Jet and Régional.

"This new complex conforming to High Environmental Quality (HEQ) standards will provide passengers with easy access to a 1,800 sq. m boarding lounge. A large area will be dedicated to shops and services, stated Pierre Graff, Chairman and CEO of Aéroports de Paris.

Chairman and CEO of Air France, Jean-Cyril Spinetta added: "Terminal 2G is one of the key elements in the Air France hub development strategy at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, which aims to optimize the quality of ground services in the main Paris hub as well as enhance our customer relationship".

Terminal 2G, located next to terminals 2E and 2F and their S3 boarding satellite, will handle Schengen flights operated by Brit Air, City Jet and Régional.

Customers arriving by car will have access to a car park with 750 parking spaces adjoining the terminal, while customers with connecting flights will be able to use the shuttle service linking the different terminals. Check-in, security checkpoint formalities and access to the vast boarding lounge will be fast and easy due to the very short distances to cover. A total of 20 aircraft can be gate-parked and accessed by the lounge. Moreover, terminal T2G will be equipped with 6 remote parking stands.

The services available to customers in terminal 2G will reflect Air France and Paris Airports' firm commitment to offering passengers greater autonomy as soon as they enter the check-in area and right up to boarding. The latest new technologies will be integrated, to offer clearer signposting for example, and passengers will enjoy quiet, restful surroundings thanks to recommendations by a specialist in airport interior design and decoration.

www.Parctel.com: The recent World Air Cargo Event (WACE), provided a platform for industry heavy weight Emirates SkyCargo to provide insights on the issue of technological challenges facing players in the air freight industry.

“The fact is, if air cargo does not adapt, face the changes and embrace technology, it will be left out in the cold,” forecasted Ram Menen, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo.

“Information technology is as core to our business as airplanes, trucks and ships. To keep up with the best levels of customer care and ensure supply chain efficiencies, industry can not afford to overlook the importance that technology has on its business,” he added.

Menen outlined the necessity for industry to move quickly on ushering in technological updates in order to maximize its benefit from the IATA e-freight initiative. The initiative was developed to improve productivity and reduce costs while speeding up the movement of cargo from production to consumption.

The Emirates SkyCargo stand was again a popular stop for trade visitors and industry players. The stand, which featured information on the award-winning carrier’s extensive range of products and solutions, also provided access to www.skycargo.com through on-site computer terminals, enabling visitors and customers to view and transact business online.

Prakash Nair, Emirates Manager Network Cargo Sales Development said, “At last year’s WACE event, Emirates SkyCargo welcomed an estimated 2,000 visitors from 62 countries to our stand. In its second year, the event has indeed gained momentum. It has been another tremendous success for us.”

The World Air Cargo Event: Dubai was organized under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, President Dubai Department of Civil Aviation, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group and was supported by regional civil aviation authorities and leading trade organizations.

The Emirates SkyCargo team at their spectacular stand at WACE 2007

www.Parctel.com: Flybe announced today that it has completed the acquisition of BA Connect, the regional airline business of British Airways.

Flybe’s acquisition of BA Connect (which does not include BA Connect’s London City or Manchester / JFK routes) creates a business with over £500m in revenues and which will fly nearly 10 million passengers once the transition is complete. The airline will operate 152 routes, flying from 22 UK and 34 European airports with new routes to key European commercial centres including Paris, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Milan. Through the merger of these two networks, Flybe will become Europe’s largest regional airline with a network that has a unique balance between business and leisure passengers.

Flybe plans to increase its current commitment to invest $1.2bn in new aircraft to over $2Billion by increasing the fleet to over 80 Bombardier Q400 and Embraer 195 aircraft by 2010. Flybe plans to retire the BA Connect fleet of 50 seat jet aircraft as soon as possible to drive maximum fleet efficiency. Flybe will have one of the youngest and most environmentally sensitive fleets in the world. In line with its environment policy Flybe will by then have reduced fuel consumption by over 50% per seat.

The deal has been structured to ensure Flybe is protected financially during the transition period with sufficient funding to cover the inefficiencies of operating 50 seat jets and a degree of protection over future values of these aircraft until they are retired. To achieve this BA is providing Flybe with cash funding of £96m.

Additionally BA is providing Flybe with Commercial support by entering into a one way codeshare agreement on all previous BA Connect routes, allowing for a smooth consumer transition to the Flybe brand.

As part of this acquisition, British Airways will receive a 15% interest in Flybe.

The immediate priority for Flybe will be to ensure that the transition is managed effectively and once this has been achieved, it remains the Groups intention to seek an IPO at the appropriate time.

Commenting on the acquisition, Jim French, Chairman and Chief Executive of Flybe, said:

“This is a proud day for Flybe, now Europe’s largest regional airline. The acquisition of BA Connect gives us critical mass across our domestic and European city markets and, with valuable slots at congested European airports, brings our growth plans forward by two years. Flybe is now firmly established as one of the UK’s largest airlines.

“Flybe is above all a regional airline and the new routes this acquisition brings to our network reinforces our commitment to serving the whole of the UK. We are playing our part in supporting the regional economies of the UK in line with the Government’s own ambitions.

“This is fantastic news for air travellers across the UK and Europe where more consumers will now be able to benefit from Flybe’s efficient and friendly service, all at a price which provides outstanding value. Millions of BA Connect travellers will now benefit from increased service and frequency at substantially lower prices whilst flying on the most environmentally friendly aircraft available in the Regional Air Travel maket..

Flybe will employ over 3500 staff in the new combined business. We are confident the new airline will offer exciting and continued career opportunities. During the last four months Flybe has worked closely with all Unions and Staff Associations to ensure that all staff would be working on the same terms and conditions from the commencement of the new, combined business.

We are all looking forward to working together to ensure Flybe will be a success.

BROWNED OFF WITH GREEDY GORDON'S £1BN TAX HEIST? SEND HIM YOUR PROTEST TODAY.

www.Parctel.com: Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline today (1st March) urged passengers who are "browned off" with Gordon Brown's rip off APD tax to send him their protest before the final budget announcement on 31st March.

On the 1st of Febraury Greedy Gordon DOUBLED APD, his tax on passengers. As a result, he will nick £1bn from holiday makers this year. His claim that he is doing this to help the environment is merely a false pretence:

1. Aviation accounts for just 2% of CO2 emissions. If Greedy Gordon really did want to do something for the environment he would tackle the real sources of CO2, namely power generation (26%) and road transport (18%).
2. Ryanair has written twice to Gordon Brown asking him to explain what this regressive and ineffective tax will do for the environment. There has been NO response - Why? Because the answer is NOTHING!
3. Greedy Gordon is just using this tax to take more money from ordinary passengers and their £1bn will simply disappear into his pockets.

Calling on passengers to send their protest to Gordon Brown, Ryanair's Peter Sherrard said:

"Holidaymakers are "browned off"; because they know that Greedy Gordon's APD tax hike is just a scam for him to nick £1bn this year. Passengers flying with Europe's Greenest and Cleanest airline should not be subjected to Greedy Gordon's rapacious 36% tax grab on Ryanair's average £28 fare.

"This tax is clearly being levied under false pretences. It has nothing to do with the environment and everything to do with filling Gordon's pockets. Passengers should tell Gordon Brown to get his greedy hands off their holidays by protesting to ministers@hm-treasury.gsi.gov.uk".

www.Parctel.com: American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, reported a February load factor of 76.5 percent – an increase of 1.5 points compared to the same period last year. Traffic decreased 1.3 percent year over year as capacity decreased 3.2 percent.

Domestic traffic decreased 2.6 percent year over year on 3.8 percent less capacity. International traffic increased by 1.2 percent relative to last year on a capacity decrease of 2.2 percent.

American boarded 7,034,528 passengers in February 2007 as opposed to 7,131,569 passengers in February 2006.

www.Parctel.com: Air Berlin is the most family-oriented airline. The travel magazine "Urlaub Perfekt" came to this conclusion in its latest edition. Eight holiday airlines and low-cost carriers were compared in the categories prices, service, comfort, catering and entertainment.

Air Berlin was the only airline to be given the rating "very good", as it offers altogether the best and most reasonably priced services for children. The Irish airline Ryanair was given the rating "unsatisfactory".

www.Parctel.com: American Airlines announced today plans to return more than 60 employees to full Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) positions at its Tulsa Maintenance Base.

This will result in pay increases for all of these employees in the form of license and skill premiums. In addition to these AMTs, the company announced plans to adjust its manning to backfill their vacated positions. In total, American Airlines anticipates over one hundred employees will receive recalls or reassignments.

Carmine Romano, Vice President - Tulsa Base, noted that success at the base would not have been possible without the support of Transport Workers Union Local 514, which has been critical to the recovery process.

These recalls and reassignments are due to additional work coming into the Tulsa overhaul base. It currently is operating two Boeing 757 winglet-modification lines and plans to open two more lines, operating all four lines seven days a week. Installing winglets on aircraft increases fuel efficiency and is critical to the fuel and financial savings that American requires.

“It is wonderful to be able to announce that we are upgrading and returning people to work in Tulsa,” Romano said. “With this plan, we will be able move a number of our people to better paying positions, in addition to adding more than 60 employees back to the work force in Tulsa.”

Romano expressed his appreciation to all of the employees at American Airlines for their diligence and hard work over the last two years. He also expressed his thanks to the community for their continued support, especially with the Vision 2025 financial aid.

“The support of Vision 2025 provided us infrastructure to help us become competitive. These additional modification lines demonstrate the confidence that Tulsa has generated in its competitive abilities. Without the help of Vision 2025, we would not be where we are today,” Romano said.

www.Parctel.com: From today, passengers are set to benefit from lower fares, more routes and increased frequency on Flybe services as the airline announces the completion of its acquisition of BA Connect, the regional airline business of British Airways.

In addition to the launch of new routes and destinations, Flybe will take over many BA Connect routes with significant price savings of an average of £19 per passenger.

Flybe will become Europe’s largest regional airline with the creation of 11 new routes from Flybe’s regional bases:

• Manchester to Guernsey
• Manchester to Bergerac
• Manchester to Limoges
• Manchester to La Rochelle
• Southampton to Paris
• Southampton to Isle of Man
• Southampton to Frankfurt
• London Gatwick to Bergerac
• Cardiff to Paris
• Edinburgh to Rennes
• Guernsey to Norwich

The airline will also take over 20 of the routes currently operated by BA Connect and the acquisition will see Flybe continuing to offer convenient, low cost travel from the regions.

With 152 routes, operating from 22 UK and 34 European airports, Flybe will become Europe’s largest regional airline and will carry a higher proportion of business passengers with new routes to key commercial centres including Paris, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Milan.

This latest news confirms Flybe’s commitment to the regions with more growth, more flights and more investment.

Flybe plans to phase out all of the existing BA Connect fleet as soon as possible and fast-track completion of its £1.2bn investment programme in new Bombardier Q400 and Embraer 195 aircraft by 2009. Flybe will have a fleet of 82 aircraft, which will be one of the youngest and most environmentally sensitive fleets in the world. In line with its environment policy, Flybe will by then have reduced fuel consumption by over 50% per seat.

Says Mike Rutter, Chief Commercial Officer, Flybe: “Today’s announcement is great news for air travellers across the UK and Europe. Flybe’s passengers will now be able to benefit from the airline’s efficient and friendly service at a price which provides outstanding value on a wider selection of routes.

“Flybe remains firmly committed to serving the regions, and the acquisition now enables us to build a bigger and stronger airline which will allow us further opportunities to develop routes, encourage further business to the regions and see us go from strength to strength. Customers will now be able to turn to Flybe as their number one choice for domestic, European city and French regional flying.

“With minimal route overlap, integration will be seamless and passengers will soon be flying to 56 business and leisure destinations in new, more efficient and significantly more comfortable aircraft.”

When Michael McTighe was contacted last year in the United Kingdom(UK) to come to Nigeria and help set up Arik Air, a host of his colleagues out there tried to discourage him as Nigeria was branded a dangerous and hostile country by the international community.

The sentiment expressed by the international community was understandable because cases of kidnap of expatriates were and are still the order of the day in the Niger Delta region of the country.

But as a man led by his passion, the Scottish aviation consultant did not have too many knotty issues to resolve before accepting the plum job.

He quickly dismissed claims of insecurity in Nigeria with a wave of the hand and flew down to Lagos to do what he likes doing best-setting up an airline.

On arrival, McTighe somehow expected the worst, but he was shocked by the friendliness and warmth exhibited by Nigerians. He was not kidnapped for a ransom, neither was he harassed. The only area he scored below standard was the operating environment and poor infrastructure that characterized the aviation sector.
However, all that did not deter him as the soothing welcome paved way for a quicker, yet happier execution of the project.

More so, amid scathing criticisms from stakeholders in the aviation sector, who queried the rationale behind the sale of the premises of the former national carrier, Nigeria Airways McTighe and his colleagues worked tirelessly to hoist Arik Air’s flag on the nation’s domestic scene.
It took him and his start-up team a couple of months to turn the ghost-like Nigeria Airways building into a magnificent place.

After the set up, he assumed office as the managing director of the airline to oversee the operations of the company.
Today, Arik Air has not only come out to be a fully established company competing favourably with others in its ranks, but is already positioning itself to be the market leader both in Nigeria and the West African region.

The Arik Air boss still believes the country’s aviation industry has room for growth. He has thus thrown his weight behind the various reforms of the Federal Government, which he says portend a brighter future for the sector.

In this interview with Daily Sun, McTighe shares his experience so far in the country, the start up process, challenges and vision:

Background
I’m from Scotland, but I was born in Edinburgh. I started my aviation career with a summer job in Edinburgh Airport. I was meant to be going to the university and I needed some money in the summer mainly for beer and drinking generally and so I got a temporary job in Edinburgh Airport. When I started working in the airport, I loved and enjoyed it. It was like opening a new window in my life and I stayed there. I worked on the ground, I worked on check-in, I went to dispatch and eventually, I went down to England to work for a very large company called Britannia Airways, which subsequently became the largest chartered airline in the world. I climbed to the management ranks there and I ended up in charge of ground operations and assumed responsibility for bringing a quality plan there and revamping the whole structure and set up. I was then asked to do a similar job in cabin services. Now, cabin services in Britannia Airways is a very big department. We had 1,700 cabin crews. So, it was like a department within a department and what I did there was review the way the systems worked, how it was organized and, of course, we save money by being better organized. After that, I was asked to form a big joint venture project and that was starting a new airline in Germany, again for Britannia Airways. And the airline was called Britannia Germany. So, I was part of the project team to set it up and I was asked to become the managing director of the airline once we started flying.

So, I was part of the start up there and as soon as we began flying, I became the managing director. I was there for three and a half years and I then left Britannia, did some consulting, and then I was asked to form a second airline and this was Air Atlanta Europe based in London Gatwick Airport. Air Atlanta specialized in leasing aircraft and crews to airlines that needed them to beef up their capacity. My job there was to set up a team, get the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) and launch a new airline, which I did. I did that job for about two years and then I returned to consultancy. I was consulting with Ryan Air. It’s Europe’s largest low cost airline. I was there for a year as a consultant and then another time off and later I was approached for this job, which entails coming to Nigeria to set up a new airline, Arik Air. I’ve been with the airline from start up to this stage and that’s close to a year now.

What attracted me to the offer?
The attraction for me was the fact that it was the third time I’ve been involved in setting up a new airline. So, I came to Nigeria in mid March 2006. I’m about 11 months here and I’m still here.
Let me also say that I’ve heard stories about Nigeria and if you listen to CNN or read web pages of BBC, it says don’t travel to Nigeria, but I insisted on coming to Nigeria using my own common sense. When I came here, I was shocked by the friendliness and warmth of the people. I could see it was going to be tough job because Arik Air was going to refurbish and revamp some of the assets of the former Nigeria Airways and so you could see a lot of work you needed to do in there.
When I spoke to the chairman and I understood his vision for what he wanted to do, not just for the airline, but to help rebuild the Nigerian aviation industry to be at the standard it should be, that was another attraction to be part of the team. But also, the job I love doing, that is starting up a new airline, leading a team and then forming the team into a cohesive unit is a huge attraction.

Initial hurdles
My initial hurdle was forming a team of people who had aviation experience in Europe and who new the European rules and laws and then coming down to Nigeria with that team to work together as a cohesive unit and make things happen. Another hurdle was also getting ourselves organized down here because people here are used to airlines coming and going and as such people were perhaps not taking us that seriously in the early days. We also spent some time with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), understanding how they wanted us to set up.

Challenges at the moment
One of the biggest challenges right now, which I even consider as a pressure is the desire of the Nigerian people from all works of life to get a safer and more reliable air transport system. And people have listened to what we said we’ll do in Arik, which we have done because delivering on our promises is very important to us. And we can feel that the people want us to succeed, not on a commercial sense that surpasses our competitors, rather to be at the fore front of the drive to birth of a sound airline. There is this impetus that Nigerians want a safe transport system. Now that we’re flying, we also have the operational day to day pressures of trying to operate within schedule and all of that.
You also know that the weather here is very challenging. We just had the harmattan come through, which happens to be one of the strongest ones for a few years now. That made us delay some flights. So operationally, there are some challenges, but we’re also building up to expand very rapidly in the next six months.
More so, one of the challenges for a new airline is that when you announce your arrival, people get excited and look forward to your launch date. Then, once you’re flying, that becomes a norm, that is the day to day operations, the grind and what we’ve been working hard to do is to ensure we have a solid, secured, firm-based structure that can further develop the airline.

The analogy we used is something like building a house, if you want to build about two or three storey house, you have to have bigger and stronger foundation. That is why we’re spending time getting the foundations right, getting the systems right, getting the people right via good training and all of that because everything we do in Arik is designed for a long term. We want to be here for a very long time. We’re not here for a couple of years, make a fast bucks and get out. No, we’re here. We’re Nigerians and we’re very proud of being that and we want to be here for a very long time.

IATA membership
Our intention is to become a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). We’ve started that process already and that takes probably six months. We’re in month one or two of that process, so we’ve got four months to go. We also will conduct an IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) on ourselves. The NCAA has written to domestic airlines recommending them to do that and we were the first to write back to say yes!, its our intention to do that because we just believe that is the right way to go. And recently, we’ve had many oil companies approaching us to do an audit on us. Our intention is to welcome them with open arms. We’ve nothing to fear and nothing to hide. We set the airline up on a solid and secured basis. We’ve got European standards, some of those standards are self regulating anyway, so we’ve to order ourselves. We have absolutely nothing to fear from audit. We welcome it.

Partnership with Lufthansa Technik on maintenance
The first contract we initially had with them was for five years. But we intend to probably increase that contract further and further. When we started, we initially had a contract just for line maintenance. Now, we’ve extended that contract and they’re going to do some quality work for us. They’ve helped us build our emergency plan. We’ve also contracted them to inspect the new aircraft that we bring in. How that works is, when they inspect the aircraft we want to bring in either from Canada or the United States, they will record all the component details on that airplane and put them in their computer. So, it means that when the mechanics come to work on that airplane in Lagos, they’ll find the complete data of the aircraft and that’ll enable them do the full services to the airplane. And we believe that our relationship with Lufthansa is very strong. What we think is a very long term relationship. We want to do that for more than five years.

Regional/international operations
Our plans are to start international operations in summer of 2007. What we’re looking at right now is that we’re securing wide-bodied aircraft for our service to London. We have the traffic rights to go to London, we’ve got the rights to Heathrow. We’re part of the bilateral agreement negotiations between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the British Government. We were allocated seven slots to Heathrow. We want to start those services between June/July of this year. And we’re also looking at direct flights between Houston and Lagos as well. But the issue we’ve there is that there’s absolute shortage of wide-bodied aircraft in the world at the moment. It’s very difficult to get that and the market rates have risen significantly. Perhaps the reason is that the long-awaited Airbus A380 is delayed. So, airlines that will be swapping other aircraft for the A380’s so that they can come into market are just not there. Also in Boeing, the B787 Dreamliner is running behind schedule as well. So, they’ve got all overbooked and it’s just very very difficult to get quality wide-bodied aircraft at this moment in time. Now, the Lagos-Houston route is a very long route and not many aircraft have the range. So, while we may use an Airbus A330 to go to London, that same aircraft will have to stop in Dakar to go to Houston. And ideally, we want to go direct because our market research tells us that Nigerians want to go direct, Houston to Lagos, period. They don’t want to go via anywhere else, otherwise, we may just go through London or Frankfurt to the United States as it’s done today. So, we want point to point. So, what we’re looking for is the right aircraft. We’re looking at either an Airbus A340 or a Boeing 777. We’re also talking to a number of American airlines as well, may be we just codeshare or have a partnership arrangement with them such that they look after us in the United States and we look after them in Nigeria.

New domestic routes
Domestically, we’re currently flying Lagos-Abuja, Lagos-Benin, Lagos-Enugu, Lagos-Port Harcourt, Lagos-Calabar and Calabar-Abuja. Next to be launched will be Port Harcourt-Abuja, Abuja-Sokoto, Kano, Jos, Maiduguri and Yola.
As our new aircraft come over the next month, we’ll add all those northern points to our destinations. We’ve paid our respects to Sultan of Sokoto to show him our plans and he has very kindly welcomed our plans and as soon as we’ve an aircraft available, we’ll add Lagos-Abuja-Sokoto.

Competition
Competition is good because the customers are better off for it. It brings about the best in companies. So, for us to stay ahead of domestic competitors, wherever possible, we’ll use brand new aircraft. We believe that that gives us significant advantage on technical cost, reliability and onboard service. What we’re getting is regular comments and praises on the quality of our onboard cabin crew and service. Yes! People love the brand new aircraft. That’s fine, that’s great but we want to be consistent and deliver what we say we’re going to deliver. And I think, those two effects coupled with the fact that we’re Nigerians, that ’ll give us a competitive edge. Our objective, for instance, is when you step on board our airplane in Heathrow, you should feel like you’re coming home. From the sights to the sounds to the smells, you know you’re at home. We teased our chairman that we will serve real Nigerian pepper soup on our airplane. So, when you step into our airplane, we want you to smell the pepper soup, we want you to be greeted by a beautiful boy or girl in traditional dress. The concept is to make you feel you’re stepping home from overseas.

Checking dearth of professionals
At the moment, we’ve got 15 pilots under training at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria and we’re on the verge of sponsoring first 10 initial engineers in Zaria as well. We’ll do these every year because at the moment, there is a real shortage of young talents in the industry. When we did our major recruiting early last year, we found out that between the ages of 20 and 40, there is a real shortage of trained Nigerian pilots. There are lots of them with potentialities, but no one has received the training. No one had invested in training young Nigerians. What we’ve had to do is hire local engineers and pilots. We’ve also have to supplement them with expatriates. What we want to do is we’re looking ahead into the future with these first 25 people that we’ve called. They won’t be back to Arik for a couple of years because they’ll finish their initial training in Zaria as young pilots who’ve registered a few hundred hours, we’ll then look for one or two regional airlines with very good safety standards, good Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s), so that the pilots can work there as a two-man team for a couple of years. So, when they get the right experience, we can bring them back into Arik onto the smaller aircraft, put them on the right hand seat as first officers and through time, progress them to the command.

So, what we’re looking for is a long term plan that each of those people that we sponsor, if they’re dedicated and they work hard and pass all their exams, one day they’ll be captains on board an Arik aircraft.
Let me say that at the moment, we already have two complete crews on the CRJ 900. That is, we’ve got two Nigerian captains and two Nigerian first officers. We’ve got another two under training and we’ve got another four about to start training. On the 737-300 fleet, we’ve got three crews. We’ve got six guys that I call blacks because they’re five Nigerians and one Ghanaian.

Number of aircraft
At the moment, we’ve got two Hawker Executive Jets, three CRJ 900 and the fourth one will come in two weeks. We’ve leased three CRJ-200’s, they’ll be here in three weeks. We’ve two B737-300’s and we’ve another two B737’s we’re expecting in June for domestic and West Coast operations.
Talking of our West Coast operations, we’ve already started work on that and I don’t want to give you an exact date yet. And we’re looking at the usual suspects like Accra, Malabo and Doualla and perhaps Libreville as well.

Marketing strategy
We’ve focused heavily on selling the Arik brand. That is why we keep saying it is a new experience. What that means is that we’re bringing new aircraft, new technology, new on board service and our consistency in the market place. We’ve also done some brand advertising, using newspaper and radio stuff as well. Also we’re using word of mouth and TV interviews, so that in a way, we’re quietly coming into the market and we’ve quietly told people what we’re doing. We’re letting the Nigerian public to test us to decide whether they want to fly with us or not. Our load factors tell us Nigerians love what we’re doing. We’re under pressure at the moment to open up new routes because people want to fly Arik.

Management style
I love team work. I’m a very focused person and I try as much as possible to achieve set targets. When you set goals, they propel you to work very hard. The same thing happens when a team has set objectives. They work hard to meet their goals. I also love to reward hard work and dedication. It motivates the workforce.

Recapitalization
We’re fully capitalized at the moment. We’re the most capitalized airline in Nigeria and we’ll up our capitalization to meet international standards. In fact, we’ll double the international standards.

Mergers
In terms of mergers, what we’ve decided as a board is if someone approached us for that, what we’ll do is to have a critical look at the proposal. We’ll look at it from a business view point, from both parties’ sides. We’re not saying no, we’ll never merge, but what we’re saying is that if an opportunity came up, we’ll look at it from a business point of view and ask what the marriage will bring for us and for the other party? If it’s right for both parties, we’ll give it a serious consideration.

Assessment of the nation’s aviation industry
Holistically, at the moment, I’ll say the aviation business in Nigeria is getting better. It’s really getting better. If I looked back at what I saw a year ago when I first came in here, I’ll say it was quite poor. I’ll say it’s getting better. I’ll say the policies and procedures that were put in place by the President, the former and new aviation ministers over time will bear fruit. I think Nigeria is on the right track.

Anxiety
Anxiety is always there for the CEO of an airline. You have tremendous highs and tremendous lows when you launch a new route for instance or if you introduced a new aircraft. I remember the huge excitement when the first CRJs arrived Nigeria. I had seen them several times in Montreal. It was tremendously emotional. Most people had tears in their eyes to be honest.
And there are times you have losses because things didn’t go right. Maybe you had a technical fault or maybe you cancelled a flight. We had a bird strike once and all that. So, you feel bad when you have to disappoint people. That’s a low point. There are high points as well. I get calls from operations that tell me the last airplane has landed. So, until I ascertain that the airplanes are safe, likewise the crews before I can think of going to bed.

Vision
I want Arik to become the largest Nigerian airline. We want to cover all the areas and airports in Nigeria. We want to have successful West Coast operations that feed our international traffic. We want to have an international programme that goes to all continents of the world. We want to put the pride back into Nigeria. We want to be a truly Nigerian carrier that earns the respect of the world. That is to say a Nigerian airline that is welcomed in all parts of the world due to robust safety record and quality standards are international.

Retirement
All I can do is do consultancy or something when I’m old, which means I’ll still be attached to the aviation industry. It’s one area I love very much. My heart and blood is in aviation.

Source: Daily Sun

www.Parctel.com: Silverjet, the first British exclusively business class airline, is pleased to announce that from today it will offer cargo services on the daily scheduled service between London and New York.

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

Silverjet's Boeing 767 daily flight between London Luton (LTN) and New York Newark (EWR) now offers 10 tonnes of payload outbound to the USA and 15 tonnes inbound, a longer runway at EWR and shorter flying time affords a higher take off weight. The cargo capacity will be managed by Silverjet Cargo a commercial partnership between Silverjet plc and Silverjet Cargo Ltd.

Silverjet Cargo has appointed General Sales Agents (GSAs) in both UK and USA; Platinum Air Cargo in the USA and CargoOne in the UK. The GSAs plan to fill the aircraft with general air cargo, consumer goods, electronics and excess luggage, as well as more unusual cargo such as, perishables and high value goods; agreements have already been reached with a number of high profile bands and film production companies to carry their equipment.

Silverjet Cargo can accept shipments from London Heathrow (LHR) and New York (JFK) as well as LTN and EWR and have established trucking contracts with Platinum, their GSA in the USA and with LHR based WFS (Worldwide Flights Services) in the UK. EWR offers state of the art perishables facilities and at LTN, ramp services from Servisair and cargo handling from Luton Cargo mean that perishables such as flowers and vegetables can be handled with ease.

Lawrence Hunt, Chief Executive of Silverjet said:

"We are delighted to now offer cargo capacity, a vital part of our ongoing business strategy. We have established cargo handling services at Heathrow and Luton airports in the UK and Newark and JFK airports in the USA with a dedicated intra airport trucking service to ensure a seamless service at whichever airport our customers wish to use. As the world's first carbon neutral airline, Silverjet are particularly keen to welcome customers who are looking to be more environmentally responsible with their supply chain and/or their travel plans across the Atlantic.

Michael Meagher, Managing Director of Silverjet Cargo said:

"With dedicated cargo capacity on the aircraft and utilising the professional services of GSAs and handling agents in the UK and USA I believe we can offer a high quality service to the market. The fleet expansion plans of Silverjet over the next couple of years will allow us to offer more destinations providing a valuable stream of revenue to the airline. Silverjet's immediate plans include the delivery of a second aircraft in June and a third in November 2007; the entire fleet will offer the same potential for cargo and we plan to exploit it fully."

www.Parctel.com: Silverjet, the British, exclusively business class airline, today published its passenger statistics for the month of February, its first full month operating flights from their private terminal at London Luton airport to Newark, New York.

* Available seats from 1 February 2007 to 28 February 2007 were 5,100
* Total passengers carried from 1 February 2007 to 28 February 2007 were 2,911
* There was a 45% load factor (excluding passengers on promotional or discounted fares)

Lawrence Hunt, Chief Executive said:
"These are outstanding results after only a full month of operation. We are extremely pleased to also announce that forward bookings and cash flow are substantially ahead of our initial expectations at yields in line with expectations, which gives us high confidence in future passenger numbers and yields.

Customer and industry feedback has been overwhelmingly positive; with customers on board from all four of our target segments (SME, up market leisure, connecting and corporate). We have received fantastic support from the trade with many commenting that the Silverjet proposition is changing business class transatlantic travel beyond recognition.

We are focused on our customers and delivering them exceptional service including 30 minute check in times, a 6ft 3inch bed and an amazingly low fare of £999 return.

Our private terminal at Luton and private lounge at Newark give our customers an unrivalled hassle free airport experience ensuring they arrive rested at their destination."

www.Parctel.com: Visiting Japan has been made easier and better value than ever for international travellers with the launch of the latest fare from oneworld®, the leading quality airline alliance - Yokoso Visit Japan pass.

oneworld's Yokoso Visit Japan pass offers flights serving 42 destinations throughout Japan, using the unrivalled domestic network offered by Japan Airlines and JAL Express, J-AIR and Japan Transocean Air, the three of the five affiliates joining oneworld alongside it which operate Japanese domestic services.

The pass can be used for up to five flights within a two-month period from the departure date of the first Japanese domestic sector.

Each sector flown is charged at a standard JPY10,000 (approximately US$80). Customers need to stipulate how many sectors they will need before they arrive in Japan, and book the first sector. The rest can be confirmed during the trip. Available to anyone living outside Japan, the pass must be bought in conjunction with an international flight with any of the oneworld airlines to the country.

Yokoso Visit Japan pass goes on sale from 1 April - when Japan Airlines, the biggest airline in the Asia Pacific region, becomes the latest airline to join oneworld.

The alliance already offers its Visit passes for the rest of Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and New Zealand and Europe, enabling travellers to fly around each region using services by all the alliance's member airlines - and at fares offering savings of up to more than 50 per cent on many flights. oneworld is the only airline alliance offering this kind of pass for all these continents.

oneworld's Visit Passes are part of an extensive range of alliance fares offered by oneworld. Others include its round-the-world oneworld Explorer fare, its various Circle fares, providing for travel around several continents and also products for the corporate sector.

www.Parctel.com: oneworld® today confirmed the dates when LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador will join the global alliance as affiliate members.

Both airlines will board on 1 April, when Japan Airlines (JAL), Malév Hungarian Airlines and Royal Jordanian Airlines will also start offering the alliances services and benefits as full members. Five other members of the JAL Group will also join oneworld on the same day, as affiliates -JALways, Japan Asia Airways, JAL Express, J-AIR and Japan Transocean Air.

Dragonair, which has also been elected on board the grouping as an affiliate member, will follow later this year, after all necessary joining technicalities and processes have been completed.

As affiliate members, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and Dragonair will offer the full range of oneworld services and benefits.

LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador will join the other airlines in the LAN alliance as members of oneworld - Chile-based LAN Airlines and LAN Express, and LAN Peru - strengthening oneworld's lead still further as the only global alliance with any airline members in the Americas south of Mexico.

With five airlines in Latin America and oneworld partners American Airlines and Iberia also serving the region extensively internationally, as well as British Airways flying to the region, it makes oneworld the obvious alliance of choice for traveling to, from or within this continent.

The latest two additions also build further on oneworld's position as the leading Spanish-speaking alliance.

They will considerably broaden the alliance's network within Latin America, through the addition of a domestic schedule within Argentina and regional international services to and from Argentina and Ecuador, besides expanding its links between the region and North America and Europe. LAN Argentina will also add four destinations to the oneworld map - Iguazú (IGR), Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD), Río Gallegos (RGL), El Calafate (FTE).

When LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador join, their frequent flyers will be able to earn and redeem mileage awards on all other oneworld carriers. Top-tier (Emerald and Sapphire) members will also have access to the 400 plus airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance's airlines.

From the same time, members of all other oneworld airlines' frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem awards and receive all other oneworld benefits on these new recruits, whose networks will also be covered by oneworld's extensive range of alliance fares and sales products.

In the biggest expansion of the world's leading quality global airline alliance since its launch eight years ago today, the three new member airlines and eight new affiliates will expand the size of the alliance substantially, to:

* Almost 700 airports, around a hundred more than now.
* Nearly 150 countries.
* 9,000 daily departures, a thousand more than today.
* Around 315 million passengers, 65 million more than at present.
* 265,000 employees.
* Almost 2,500 aircraft.
* US$85 billion revenues, up by a third.

oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch said: "oneworld is delighted to be welcoming LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and Dragonair on board the alliance. All offer a level of service to match the best in the world, in keeping with oneworld's overall emphasis on quality. With our extensive presence in Latin America already, the addition of LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador strengthens oneworld's position as the leading alliance serving this region.

LAN Airlines Chief Executive Enrique Cueto said: "It is with great pride that we announce today that LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador will join oneworld on 1 April. The high quality and safety standards of the service they provide to passengers has earned them membership in this prestigious alliance formed by the world's top airlines. Without any doubt this constitutes a clear recognition of our on-going commitment to our customers and our determination to deliver an excellent quality product that meets the highest standards of international safety."

www.Parctel.com: Exploring Asia and the South West Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand, has been made easier and better value than ever with the launch of another new fare from oneworld®, the leading quality airline alliance.

Circle Asia Explorer will be available from 1 April for travel starting and ending in any of 14 countries served by oneworld's member airlines across Asia and the South West Pacific.

Travellers must pass through each of the alliance's three defined regions across these continents:

* North East Asia, including China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
* South East Asia, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
* South West Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand.

A maximum of eight sectors is included in the ticket, with travel available in First, Business or Economy classes on flights offered by any of the seven oneworld member airlines operating in these regions - British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Qantas and, from 1 April, Japan Airlines and two of its affiliates JALways and Japan Asia Airways.

Trips may be a minimum of five days in Economy Class or three days in First or Business Class, and a maximum of a year.

The first international sector must be booked before departure, but all subsequent segments can be left open, for confirmation as the trip progresses.

oneworld already offers two Circle fares - Circle Pacific for travel around the continents bordering the Pacific (North and South America, Asia and Australasia) and Circle Explorer, for travel between Europe, Asia and the South West Pacific via Africa.

These Circle fares are part of an extensive range of alliance fares offered by oneworld. Others include its round-the-world oneworld Explorer fare, its various Visit passes, providing for travel within each continent or Japan and also products for the corporate sector.

www.Parctel.com: oneworld®, the world's leading quality global airline alliance, today announced a series of major initiatives to promote tourism and business travel to Japan to mark the forthcoming addition to the grouping of Japan Airlines.

JAL will join oneworld on 1 April, with five of its associated airlines boarding alongside it as affiliates -JALways, Japan Asia Airways, JAL Express, J-AIR and Japan Transocean Air. On the same day, Malév Hungarian and Royal Jordanian will start offering oneworld services and benefits too - in the alliance's biggest expansion since its launch eight years ago.

The drive to encourage more international visitors to fly to Japan was unveiled at a ceremony to welcome JAL to oneworld, held in Tokyo today and attended by the Chief Executives of all the alliance's existing airlines and new joiners, meeting in JAL's home base for the first time since it was elected on board the grouping.

The initiatives come under the umbrella of a new one-year exclusive partnership between oneworld and the Visit Japan Campaign, led by Japan's Ministry for Land, Infrastructure and Transportation and through which the Japanese Government aims to double the number of foreign tourists holidaying in the country - from around 5 million in 2003, when the campaign was originally launched, to 10 million a year by 2010.

It means that this drive is now supported by an airline grouping carrying some 315 million passengers a year on more than 9,000 flights a day from almost 700 destinations in 150 countries worldwide, earning US$85 billion in revenues a year.

All ten airlines in the new oneworld line-up will participate in this programme. This is believed to be the first time every airline in an alliance has been involved in an initiative of this kind anywhere in the world.

Projects in support of the programme will vary by airline, but will include such activities such as special fares for travel to Japan, frequent flyer incentives, promotions through in-flight videos and magazines, mailings to frequent flyers and on websites, sponsorships, participation in trade shows, links with tour operators and facility trips for travel professionals and journalists.

In addition, oneworld today launched a special alliance fare for travellers to the country - with the Yokoso! Visit Japan pass the latest in its family of air passes offering great value flights on any of the grouping's members within the region in conjunction with international flights there.

Japan Airlines today also unveiled a special oneworld livery that will be painted on two of its Boeing 777s from April to mark its accession to the alliance. One will fly on domestic routes and the other internationally.

The alliance's Visit Japan Campaign initiatives are part of a concerted drive by the alliance - titled oneworld Japan Tourism Promotion - to boost travel both to and from Japan, as JAL joins the grouping.

So, besides the activities of all oneworld member airlines to drive Japanese inbound tourism, the alliance's six carriers with flights to and from Japan - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair and Qantas besides Japan Airlines - will conduct promotional activities together throughout Japan from 1 April in a programme designed to encourage residents of Japan to travel abroad on the alliance's newly expanded network.

Apart from supporting the Japanese government's Visit Japan Campaign, this overall programme is also expected to deliver considerable benefits for Japan Airlines too, by generating additional passengers and revenue in line with its Revival Plan. JAL expects that its oneworld membership will benefit it through at least JPY3.5 billion (US$30 million) in additional revenue alone in its first year.

JAL Group Chief Executive Haruka Nishimatsu said: "On behalf of oneworld, we are delighted to be able to support the Visit Japan Campaign through these initiatives. We hope that the alliance's efforts will increase awareness and interest in Japan worldwide. We look forward to welcoming all who come. This is the first major project JAL and the nine other member airlines in the new oneworld line-up have worked together on. We are delighted to see that this new partnership is already bearing fruit."

oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch said: "oneworld is in business to add value for customers and our member airlines. Combining our energies behind the Visit Japan Campaign to mark Japan Airlines joining us is a great way of achieving both objectives at the same time."

Also at today's ceremony, Gerard Arpey, Chairman and Chief Executive of American Airlines, sponsor of JAL in its oneworld joining programme, formally welcomed the new recruit on board, ahead of its 1 April joining date.

Speaking on behalf of his counterparts at the other oneworld member airlines, he said: "When we were looking for parts of the world where we wanted to grow and strengthen oneworld's presence, Japan was at the top of the list, so we are really thrilled to be welcoming JAL on board. This is great news for us all, and for our customers, who will enjoy better access to Japan and a more streamlined travel experience. With Cathay Pacific, Qantas and now Japan Airlines, oneworld has three of the leading airlines in the Asia-Pacific region as members. That enables us to offer an unmatched network in this region."

Alongside them at today's event were:

* Qantas Chief Executive Officer Geoff Dixon (current chairman of oneworld's Governing Board)
* British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh
* Cathay Pacific Airways Chief Executive Philip Chen
* Iberia Chairman and Chief Executive Fernando Conte
* LAN Group Chief Executive Enrique Cueto
* Finnair Chief Executive Jukka Hienonen
* Royal Jordanian Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman Samer Majali
* Malév Chief Executive János Gönci

When it becomes part of oneworld on 1 April, the 19.5 million members of the JAL Mileage Bank (JMB) frequent flyer programme, will be able to earn and redeem mileage awards on all other oneworld carriers. JMB Diamond and Sapphire and JAL Global Club Premier cardholders will also have access to the 400 airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance's airlines.

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

The 18-month implementation programme to prepare JAL for its oneworld membership is now almost complete. It now offers interline e-ticketing (IET) with all its prospective oneworld partners, with its final cutover implemented last week with Royal Jordanian. oneworld has been the only alliance with interline e-ticketing (IET) between all of its member airlines since April 2005.

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

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

Also today, the alliance's consolidation alongside JAL at its main international hub Tokyo Narita is completed, with Finnair transferring from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2. American Airlines and Cathay Pacific switched across in January, with Qantas already based there, in the alliance's biggest consolidation project so far in the Asia-Pacific region, substantially smoothing and speeding connections for passengers transferring there between these airline's flights.

www.Parctel.com: American Eagle passengers flying the airline’s new service to and from Raleigh/Durham, N.C., will receive double miles for all nonstop flights to and from the airline’s three newest destinations.

This promotion is valid for travel from May 1 through July 31, 2007, on all nonstop American Eagle flights between Raleigh/Durham and Jacksonville, Fla.; Kansas City, Mo.; and Louisville, Ky.

www.Parctel.com: American Airlines unveiled an exciting new and easy way to plan and book AAdvantage® award travel on AA.com, giving customers more information and more choices when it’s time to reserve their award travel on American, American Eagle, or AmericanConnection®.

The new, innovative and user-friendly AAdvantage booking tool on AA.com was developed with extensive customer input and includes features that provide AAdvantage members with virtually all the information they’ll need when they wish to redeem an AAdvantage award, including a calendar that shows award availability over a four-week period.

“We value our customers’ input and are responding to their desires for more information to help them plan and book their AAdvantage award trips, and this new enhancement on AA.com delivers that and more,” said Bella Goren, American’s Senior Vice President of Customer Relationship Marketing & Reservations. “Our goal is to show customers as many options as possible and to make the AAdvantage award redemption process quick and easy. Booking AAdvantage award travel on AA.com is now simpler and more convenient than ever.”

To access the new AAdvantage booking and information tool, visitors to AA.com simply click on the “Redeem AAdvantage Miles” link on the AA.com home page. After entering their cities and dates of travel, customers then have the option of searching for award seat availability either for a firm date (“Exact Dates”) or, instead, over a four-week period with the new “Dates Flexible” option.

Color-coded, easy-to-use tabs allow customers to select the type of AAdvantage award they wish to redeem – ranging from Economy Class MileSAAver SM awards all the way to First Class AAnytime® awards – and then easily see which dates are available for each of the award levels.

AAdvantage members who log in will see the number of AAdvantage miles in their account that are available for redemption, making it easy to determine which award levels they are eligible for.

Once a customer has selected an award level and determined a travel date, a schedule of available flights (for instance, flights where MileSAAver awards are available) will be displayed. The customer can then choose to instantaneously reserve flights and complete their reservation or put their reservation on hold. The new AAdvantage booking and information tool on AA.com can be used to reserve mileage award seats on any route flown by American, American Eagle, or AmericanConnection throughout their wide-ranging network of 250 destinations covering four continents.

The American Airlines Web site, www.aa.com is the best place to do business online with American. AA.com provides numerous ways to conveniently search for and book low fares and award travel, select seats, make hotel, rental car and cruise reservations, get flight arrival/departure information, sign up for flight status notification, and even check in and print boarding passes. Customers who purchase tickets on AA.com pay nothing for online booking, earn AAdvantage ® bonus miles for each ticket purchased, and get a lowest-fare guarantee (see www.aa.com/guarantee) when booking flights. Additionally, customers who log in with an AAdvantage number and password can manage their AAdvantage account online and also receive personalized news and specials. AA.com has twice received the World Travel Award for World's Leading Airline Internet Site and has also received multiple Web site awards from various organizations.

The AAdvantage Program was the first and is the world's largest frequent flyer program. Established in 1981, the program now claims more than 56 million members. Members can earn miles at more than 1,000 participating companies, which include more than 35 hotel chains representing more than 75 brands, more than 20 airlines, 8 car-rental companies, 18 financial companies and over 200 brand name retailers. In addition, members can earn miles when making purchases with one of more than 97 affinity card products in over 41 countries. In 2006, members redeemed more than 142 billion miles to claim in excess of 4 million awards for flights, upgrades and car rentals. For more information and a listing of AAdvantage program participating companies, visit www.aa.com/aadvantage.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates, sponsor of the Australian World Cup squad for the Cricket World Cup, in association with Cricket Australia held a departure party on Tuesday night to celebrate the sport of Cricket; and to wish the current squad the best of luck as they prepared to leave for the West Indies.

Cricketing legend Shane Warne arrives at Tuesday night's celebration of One Day Cricket, presented by Emirates at Sydney's Luna Park. Also pictured are Emirates cabin crew Annalise Stanway and Allison Kennedy.

www.Parctel.com: The final touches to a refresh of British Airways' First class will be on board the airline's longhaul aircraft from March 2007.

The refresh began with the roll-out of a personalised 'Turndown Service' in November 2006 on flights departing after 7.30pm or lasting for more than 10 hours. On request the cabin crew will now lay out a mattress, duvet and pillow all dressed in Egyptian cotton. The popular Aroma Therapeutics 'Sleep Enhancer' spray will then be placed on customers' pillows to help them enjoy a good night's sleep.

New 'Sleeper Suits' made from high-quality cotton and slippers in navy blue with camel trim are also available on 'Turndown Service' routes.

The washbag, known as the BAg and created by leading accessories designer Anya Hindmarch, has been redeveloped in rich, luxurious brown velvet with a classic aviation image adorning the inside cover.

For the first time it contains Kiehl's Since 1851 products, including the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturiser, Kiehl's Light Nourishing Eye Cream and Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 to hydrate and relax customers. Socks, eyeshades, a toothbrush, Elgydium toothpaste and mouthwash complete the set.

The menu has also taken on a new flavour with a wider selection of canapés and a 'Lighter Options' choice offered on late night departures including dishes such as lobster thermidor and roasted Cornish game hen.

A 'Catch of the Day' fresh fish meal option has now been introduced in association with Loch Fyne restaurants on flights departing from London Heathrow and London Gatwick.

The final aspect to the refresh is the introduction of an 'English Afternoon Tea' service. This new option will feature Twinings teas, assorted sandwiches, scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam and a selection of fine pastries.

The refresh is part of a series of product investments to take place over the next eighteen months. Other key improvements include the re-launched Club World and a new Audio Visual On Demand (AVOD) system.

www.Parctel.com: The following statistics on punctuality and baggage handling have been released by Air France:

* 82.7 % of flights departed on time and 81.7 % of flights arrived on time.
* Considerable improvement in on-time performance, despite bad weather conditions.
* 16.3 items of baggage missing per 1,000 passengers boarded

1. Punctuality and regularity of Air France flights:
Results for January showed a considerable improvement in on-time performance compared with the previous month, both on arrival and departure.

In January, all Air France's flights:
"which left on-time or within 15 minutes", accounted for 82.7% of overall traffic.
"which arrived on-time or within 15 minutes", accounted for 81.7% of overall traffic.

Punctuality: the chosen criteria are as follows:
- the percentage of domestic and international short, medium and long-haul flights that left or arrived "on time or within fifteen minutes" compared with the flight schedule, at all airports on the network;
- the percentage of the four main causes of delays (beyond the Company's control - ATC, weather, airport infrastructure etc. – and internal – related to passenger or aircraft handling, loading, etc.).
Regularity: the chosen criterion is the percentage of scheduled flights which were genuinely affected, given that all flight cancellations up to three days before the scheduled service are taken into account.

Despite difficult weather conditions (fog, high winds, snow) throughout January, Air France's overall on-time performance improved by over 12 points, both on departure and arrival, compared with the previous month.

2. Baggage performance
Baggage performance for January 2007: 16.3 per 1,000.

The chosen criterion is the number of items of baggage missing on arrival at the passenger's final destination (i.e. those which do not arrive at the same time as the passengers and which are sent on later) per thousand passengers boarded at all Air France stations.

At a time of year when the number of bags handled increases, and despite difficult weather conditions, Air France's baggage performance for the entire network improved considerably in January, and places Air France first among major airlines in terms of baggage handling.

Since November 2004, Air France has published more detailed flight punctuality data, together with further details about flight regularity and missing baggage.

www.Parctel.com: bmi, London Heathrow's second largest airline, is to launch a new customer initiative focusing on the business traveller following eight months of consultation and feedback with both customers and staff.

The initiative, which goes live on 2 April, will see the introduction of an improved offering and product for the airline's most loyal customers - diamond club members. While a paid-for in-flight catering service will remain a feature of mainline services from Heathrow, all diamond club members* will be entitled to complimentary food and drink onboard, priority seating towards the front of the aircraft and will continue to enjoy the benefits of one of the UK's most generous frequent flyer programmes, through the lounge network and rewards scheme.

Under the new initiative diamond club will see the introduction of a new tier - blue plus - which is automatically awarded once 3,000 status miles have been earned in a 12 month period. Holders of blue plus, silver and gold cards will receive the complimentary in-flight meal as well all other diamond club benefits.

Nigel Turner, bmi chief executive officer, said: "We know that our most important customers are frequent flyers who often travel with us on business - a group that makes up a considerable proportion of our total passengers. They are looking for value for money, friendly welcoming service and want to be recognised and rewarded. Our new initiative delivers on all these points as well as helping to set out the future direction of the company, building on key strengths such as market-leading punctuality and a quick and efficient airport experience.

"Whilst our focus is on the business traveller we will continue to apply our 'making travelling a pleasure' ethos to all our passengers, whatever their purpose of travel. Customer feedback shows us time and time again that our people make bmi the preferred choice of airline, and significant investment in ongoing training will ensure that continues to be the case for all our customers.

"The airline industry has been through a period of massive change in the past five years - a process that continues today. By developing and evolving our products and services we can ensure we continue to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers and remain competitive in the marketplace."