airline
Featured Partner: Etihad Airlines
Etihad Airways has been selected as the World’s Leading Airline for three years in a row since 2009 by industry experts at the World Travel Awards. Choose from Eithad’s three guest travel classes – Diamond First, Pearl Business or Coral Economy and you will discover unprecedented levels of comfort and luxury. Coming March 31, 2013 Eithad will introduce daily non-stop service between Dulles and Abu Dhabi, another opportunity to experience an exceptional world-class flight adventure.
FEATURED PARTNER: SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS
Book your next trip to Africa in May, with South African Airways, SAA, while availability is good and fares are low. With seasonal fares starting at only $1188 per person, there’s no reason to put this off. When you travel with SAA, you will experience; more legroom than any other airline to Africa, a generous free checked baggage allowance, complimentary amenity kits, delicious meals & beverages and on-demand in-flight entertainment. SAA, the most awarded airline in Africa, is famous for warm, genuine hospitality and exceptional service.
SOUTHWEST’S DUAL BAG FEE POLICIES
As Southwest Airlines prepares to merge with AirTran and operate the international routes received as a result, those international flights will continue to charge baggage fees. The free bag fee perk is still the policy on domestic Southwest flights. Passengers may experience confusion as they connect from domestic to international flights during the merger as branding transitions from AirTran to Southwest for the next two years. (TravelMole.com, April 24)
FEATURED PARTNER OF THE WEEK – AIR CANADA
Air Canada is Canada’s largest full-service airline and the largest provider of scheduled passenger services in the Canadian market, the Canada-U.S. transborder market and in the international market to and from Canada. This year, ranked ‘Best International Airline in North America’ in a worldwide survey of 18.8 million air travelers as announced at the Skytrax World Airline Awards at the Paris Air Show.¬ÝThis annual survey is regarded in the air transportation industry as a primary benchmarking tool for passenger satisfaction levels of airlines throughout the world. Air Canada was voted the Best International Airline in North America and for the second year in a row
FEATURED PARTNER – EMIRATES AIRLINE
Emirates will begin new service to four destinations from Dubai; On Nov. 1, Emirates will launch flights to St. Petersburg, on Jan. 3, to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro and on Jan. 9, to Dublin. Come and experience the world-renowned, oft-awarded flight service of Emirates, truly linking the globe.
FEATURED PARTNER OF THE WEEK – AMERICAN AIRLINES
American Airlines Legal Department has been selected to receive the inaugural Diversity Award of Excellence from the Corporate Counsel Women of Color® (CCWC). “American’s commitment to diversity is not a slogan or a tagline,” said Gary Kennedy, AMR Corp. and American’s Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. CCWC is an international organization of women of color attorneys who work primarily for Fortune 1000 and Forbes 2000 companies. American’s Legal Department was recognized for its exemplary efforts in recruiting, retaining, and the advancement of women of color attorneys through training, mentorship, and other initiatives. Of the 14 new hires since 2003, seven have been minorities (5%), eight have been women (5%) and four have been women of color (28%).
FAA SHUTDOWN
FAA SHUTDOWN
On Friday, July 22, Congress shutdown the Federal Aviation Administration. Partisan bickering prevented legislators from coming to agreement regarding the agency’s authority to conduct business. As a result 4,000 FAA employees are not working and federal taxes are suspended on tickets. Airlines such as Alaska, Hawaiian and Spirit are passing the savings on to ticket buyers while others like American, United/Continental, Delta, US Airways, Southwest, AirTran, JetBlue and Virgin America have all raised fares to offset the taxes and are keeping the windfall. (Foxnews.com, July 23)
AIRLINE SERVICE UPDATES
chattanooga
JetBlue Airways now offers daily nonstop service between Boston Logan and Phoenix Airports just in time for the snowbird set. (Eturbonews.com, Sept. 2)
Delta began nonstop flights between Chattanooga and Detroit. Delta Connection operates the service once daily round-trip on a 50-seat regional jet.
American Airlines will add seasonal service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Rio de Janeiro beginning Dec. 16. The carrier will fly three nonstops weekly until April 4. The flights will resume on June 9 through Aug. 22, for summer, 2011. (USAToday.com, Sept. 8)
ICELANDIC VOLCANO STILL CLOSING AIRPORTS
volcano
Check with your airline if your travel includes points east, over the Atlantic, as the Icelandic volcano continues to erupt, effecting airspace over Europe and beyond. About 1000 flights were cancelled in the UK and the Netherlands over the weekend. (Google.com, May 17)
AIRLINE UPDATES
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Spirit has refitted two of its aircraft with “pre-reclined” seats, or seats that do not recline, in the markets servicing Fort Lauderdale to Washington, DC, and Fort Lauderdale to New York, LaGuardia. Spirit will save fuel and money as fixed seats weigh less and require less maintenance.
Horizon Air will service San Jose to Los Angeles with 4 daily roundtrip flights starting Aug. 23.
Alaska Airlines will begin daily flights on Oct.1 from San Diego to Maui and Nov. 12 from San Diego to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. (USAToday.com, April 23)
