Frequency to Saudi to increase with bmi

bmi has announed increased services to Saudi Arabia following bilateral talks between the UK and Saudi governments.

The carrier, which currently serves Riyadh, Damman and Jeddah from London Heathrow will increase its number of flights between the two countries to 35 per week.

Open Skies to introduce Amsterdam flights and remove Economy seating

British Airways' subsidiary Open Skies has announed the introduction of daily flights between Amsterdam and New Yok JFK as of October 15th.

At the same time, the airline announced the removal of the Economy seating on their flights which are to be replaced with their Prem+ seats increasing the number from 28 to 40 seats and thus reducing the total capacity of the aircraft to 64 seats.

Features of the Prem+ cabin include a 140-degree recline seat with a pitch of 52" whilst the Biz cabin has a six-foot long fully flat bed.

Etihad expansion increases Heathrow services

Etihad Airways will expand its flying programme in October from the United Kingdom adding a third daily flight from its Abu Dhabi home base to London’s Heathrow airport.

The new service, which brings the total number of flights to Heathrow each week from 17 to 21, compliments Etihad’s other UK destination, Manchester, to which it operates a daily service.

The additional Heathrow service is the latest in a long list of new and increased-frequency routes which the airline has announced in recent months alongside Minsk in Belarus, and Kozhikode and Chennai in India. Launch dates for both Kolkata and Jaipur are also expected to be finalised shortly following the agreement of bilateral talks between India and the UAE aimed at liberalising links between the two countries.

US Carriers to charge for checked baggage

US carriers American Airlines, US Airways and United Airlines have announced the introduction of charges for any checked baggage on US domestic flights and for flights to Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. First and Business Class passengers will be exempt from these charges as will passengers whose journey originates from Europe. These charges are in addition to charges announced recently for the carriage of second checked baggage.

Virgin Atlantic to go twice daily to Hong Kong

Virgin Atlantic has announced that as of 28th October 2008, it will increase frequency on it's Hong Kong route to a twice daily service. The second service will complement Virgin Atlantic's existing daily service which connects London Heathrow with Hong Kong and Sydney.

The second daily service will boost the number of seats available on the booming Hong Kong route, providing greater flexibility for those wishing to break their journey en route to Sydney.

Emirates to take delivery of first A380 

Emirates, the largest customer of the A380 super jumbo, has announced it will take delivery of the first of 58 A380 aircraft on 28th July.  Emirates has already announced plans to deploy its first A380 aircraft on its routes from Dubai to New York, London Heathrow and Sydney-Auckland, with JFK as the launch route beginning August 1st. Emirates’ A380 interiors and onboard product, which has been kept under wraps thus far, will be revealed for the first time during the delivery ceremony in Hamburg.

US to tighten entry requirements

US Department of Homeland Security will make it mandatory for travellers from the 27 countries in the Visa Waiver Programme to submit biographic information online three days before they fly to America.  The ruling will become mandatory on January 12 and will apply to all passengers travelling to or via the USA under the Visa Waiver Programme although the system is expected to be operational by August 1st. The Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) will require answering questions about criminal records, communicable diseases and previous visa history.

The new system is intended to determine whether a traveller to the US is a law enforcement or security risk with passengers not having received prior approval being denied boarding or refused admission at the US port of entry. Contact one of our consultants for more detailed information.