Heathrow Airport: Games media update – Friday 20th July

2012-07-20 — /travelprnews.com/ — A very busy day at the airport with 230,000 passengers expected in the terminals – 109,000 of which are arrivals. It’s also busy with Olympic arrivals – around 1500 members of the Games Family are expected at Heathrow today, representing 75 teams. There are possible thunderstorms this afternoon which could affect operations…. Read the full press release

Spirit Airlines Liberates Houston Travelers from High Fares

Carrier Announces Nonstop Ultra Low Fare Service Between Houston and DFW Miramar, Florida, 2012-07-20 — /travelprnews.com/ — – Spirit Airlines (NASDAQ: SAVE) is celebrating Independence Day by liberating Houston travelers from high fares.  The carrier today announced that it is introducing its popular ultra low fares to customers traveling between Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth.  Twice daily nonstop… Read the full press release

CARIBBEAN AIRLINES TAKES CRICKET COACHING TO A NEW LEVEL

Port-of-Spain, 2012-07-20 — /travelprnews.com/ — The future of cricket locally and regionally got a serious boost recently, when Caribbean Airlines assisted a number of top local cricket coaches in attending the Cricket Australia Level Three Coaching Program in Florida. The Coaching program, the first of its kind in this region, sees local coaches attaining a Level Three… Read the full press release

Alaska Air Group Reports June Operational Results

SEATTLE, 2012-07-20 — /travelprnews.com/ — Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE: ALK) today reported June operational results for its subsidiaries, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, and on a combined basis. Detailed information is provided below. ALASKA AIRLINES – MAINLINE Alaska reported a 10.6 percent increase in traffic on a 7.5 percent increase in capacity compared to June 2011…. Read the full press release

New baggage pick-up service for SWISS customers

2012-07-20 — /travelprnews.com/ — Travellers departing on SWISS from Zurich Airport can now have their baggage picked up from their home or hotel. The new service, which has already been introduced, promises sizeable time savings, as it eliminates the need to check in or hand in baggage on arrival at the airport. The new baggage pick-up… Read the full press release

Southwest Airlines Announces Third Annual, Award-Winning Diversity Summit to be held August 2nd

Dallas, TX, 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) today announces its third annual, award-winning Diversity Summit  will be held on August 2  in Dallas at the airline’s headquarters. Themed “LUVing Employees, LUVing Communities,” the summit will gather executives from North Texas Fortune 500 companies to join the conversation about Diversity and Inclusion initiatives, foster new opportunities, and… Read the full press release

RwandAir launches direct flights to Mwanza

Second largest city in Tanzania served 3 times a week from Kigali Kigali, 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — RwandAir, the national carrier of Rwanda and Africa’s fastest growing airline, launched direct flights from Kigali to Mwanza, the rock city of Tanzania today. Mwanza is the 3rd destination for the airline in Tanzania and the 14th destination… Read the full press release

SIA And SilkAir Upgrading Reservations System On 8 July

2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Singapore Airlines and SilkAir will be undergoing a transition to a new reservations system on 8 July 2012. During the transition, all SIA and SilkAir flights are due to operate as scheduled. However, booking, reservation and ticketing services through singaporeair.com,silkair.com, call centres, service centres and travel agents, as well as KrisFlyer-related transactions and online/mobile functions… Read the full press release

Southwest Airlines And AirTran Airways Announce Early 2013 Flight Schedules

Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways Open Flight Schedules through March 8, 2013 DALLAS – 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) and its wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways announced today that they have extended their flight schedules for travel between Feb. 14, 2013, and March 8, 2013. In the schedule, Southwest will begin new service… Read the full press release

Webcast Alert: Southwest Airlines to Discuss Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results on July 19, 2012

DALLAS – 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) invites you to listen to a live webcast of its second quarter 2012 financial results.  Details are as follows:   When: Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 12:30 PM Eastern Time Who: Gary Kelly, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Jordan, Executive Vice… Read the full press release

Southwest Airlines Announces Additional Flights Between Baltimore/Washington And Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood Via AirTran Airways

Southwest Airlines’ Subsidiary AirTran Airways Adds New Nonstop Flights Between BWI and FLL DALLAS – 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) and its wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways announced today more options for Baltimore Customers looking to get to Florida! AirTran Airways will add as many as four daily nonstop flights between Baltimore/Washington and Ft…. Read the full press release

Southwest Airlines Supports Usher’s New Look Foundation To Promote Youth Leadership Across The Nation

DALLAS – 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) today announced that it will support world-renowned entertainer Usher’s New Look Foundation—a nonprofit organization that helps ensure the success of young people as leaders throughout the world. Southwest will provide travel assistance to help the foundation link youth from all over the country to unique learning opportunities… Read the full press release

Cathay Pacific Releases Combined Traffic Figures for June 2012

2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Cathay Pacific Airways today released combined Cathay Pacific and Dragonair traffic figures for June 2012 that show passenger numbers growing ahead of the increase in capacity, while another drop in cargo and mail tonnage was recorded. Cathay Pacific and Dragonair carried a total of 2,413,766 passengers in June – an increase of… Read the full press release

Cathay Pacific accepts Skytrax “World’s Best Business Class” award on behalf of its customers and its staff

2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Cathay Pacific accepts Skytrax “World’s Best Business Class” award on behalf of its customers and its staff Through listening to customers and incorporating their feedback in product design, Cathay Pacific Airways was voted Thursday “World’s Best Business Class” in the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards™ programme, in which more than 18 million… Read the full press release

Cathay Pacific response on investigation report on the loss of standard separation incident of 18 September 2011

2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Cathay Pacific Airways has welcomed the opportunity to assist the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) Air Traffic Control Services in their investigation into the Loss of Separation incident which involved a Cathay Pacific flight operating in Hong Kong airspace during adverse weather conditions which also affected several other flights on 18 September 2011…. Read the full press release

Cathay Pacific response on HKIA three-runway system operation and safety concerns

2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — In response to media reports of an opinion on the three-runway system proposal put forward by the Hong Kong Airport Authority(HKAA), Cathay Pacific stressed that the proposal is in strict compliance of the obstacle clearance standard set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Cathay Pacific General Manager Operations Captain Russell Davie… Read the full press release

Cathay Pacific to acquire Airbus A350-1000 aircraft

2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Cathay Pacific Airways today announced that, subject to the approval of the Board of the Company, it will enter into an agreement with Airbus to convert 16 of its previously ordered Airbus A350-900 aircraft into larger Airbus A350-1000 aircraft and to exercise an option to purchase an additional 10 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft…. Read the full press release

Dragonair Statement on Completion of an Investigation Report Involving a Dragonair Aircraft on 18 September 2011

HONG KONG,  2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — In response to a release on the completion of an investigation report by the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) Air Traffic Control Services (ATC), Dragonair confirms it assisted in the investigation into an incident in which one of our aircraft was involved. We gave assistance by providing our operational procedures for… Read the full press release

Dragonair Resumes Scheduled Services to Haikou – One of Eight Destinations Being Added in 2012

HONG KONG, 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Dragonair today announced that it will resume scheduled services to Haikou in Hainan Province, further strengthening Hong Kong’s position as a global aviation hub and gateway to Mainland China. The daily service between Hong Kong and Haikou will commence on 28 October 2012, operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft. “With the… Read the full press release

Austrian Airlines Streamlines its Fleet of Aircraft

• A total of seven Airbus A320s is planned instead of the fleet of Boeing 737s • Letters of intent signed for five Airbus A320s – two of these aircraft are already in Vienna • To be successively put into service starting in October 2012 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Austrian Airlines is streamlining its fleet of… Read the full press release

Austrian Airlines traffic results June 2012: Significant passenger growth in the first half year

• June: 14.5 percent more passengers to Eastern Europe* • First half year: 8 percent more passengers in Europe 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — In the period from January to June 2012, the number of passengers carried rose by 6,7 percent compared to previous year’s figure: 5,440,600 passengers flew with Austrian Airlines. The load factor rose by… Read the full press release

Further USA premieres for airberlin: inaugural flight from Berlin to Chicago

The first non-stop flights are already available for Easter 2013 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — airberlin is continuing its expansion to the USA: from 23rd March 2013 the airline will start operating direct flights from Berlin to Chicago, making it the first company ever to provide a connection between the German capital and this metropolis in the… Read the full press release

airberlin selects GEnx engines to power its Boeing 787 Dreamliners

2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Germany’s second largest airline airberlin has selected the GEnx-1B engine to power its fleet of 15 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners for which orders are confirmed. The airline has also signed a 12-year OnPointSM solution agreement to cover the maintenance, repair and overhaul of its’ GEnx engines. The GEnx-1B engines selection and OnPoint solution… Read the full press release

airberlin reduces winter schedule to increase efficiency

Aviation tax results in routes being unprofitable in winter Around 40 fewer flights per week in the winter than originally planned in Hamburg 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — From the next winter schedule, airberlin will adjust its capacity according to market requirements. In the context of its Shape & Size efficiency-increasing programme, airberlin constantly monitors its route… Read the full press release

App, App and away to Berlin: win a journey for you and five friends

2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — airberlin and visitBerlin are launching a big competition on the new Facebook App “Experience Berlin”. From today, all Berlin fans have the chance to win a trip to Berlin with five friends from their global Facebook network. “With its 1.4 million fans, Berlin has the third largest City Page in the world on Facebook,”… Read the full press release

Fly non-stop to Germany with airberlin

Explore Europe this summer 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — For anyone looking to escape from the heat, Germany is an attractive destination, with its average maximum daily temperature of 25 degrees in the summer months. airberlin offers non-stop flights on a daily basis from Abu Dhabi to the capital city, Berlin, and to the Rhineland metropolis of… Read the full press release

airberlin’s Austrian subsidiary NIKI delivers growth at Vienna hub

Christian Lesjak appointed NIKI CEO NIKI posts robust results for 2011 Phased introduction of new livery for NIKI fleet 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — airberlin CEO Hartmut Mehdorn officially presented Christian Lesjak as the new Chief Executive Officer of NIKI Luftfahrt GmbH in Vienna today.  “NIKI is going to remain NIKI; we want to keep the Austrian… Read the full press release

Higher Spanish airport tax: transavia.com decides against passing on this fee to passengers

Schiphol, 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Since Spain raised its airport taxes, transavia.com has faced the challenge of having to deal with all of the tickets to Spanish destinations already sold. The airline has to pay this tax for more than 100,000 passengers, while this additional amount was not included in the ticket price. transavia.com pursues a policy… Read the full press release

WIZZ AIR IMPROVES BOARDING EXPERIENCE

NEW CABIN BAGGAGE POLICY TO IMPROVE ON-TIME PERFORMANCE AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE TESTED 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Wizz Air, the largest low-cost, low-fare airline in Central and Eastern Europe, today announced it will start testing a new cabin baggage policy from August 1, 2012 to enhance on-time performance and improve customer experience during aircraft boarding. The test,… Read the full press release

MOKULELE AIRLINES RECEIVES APPROVAL FOR USE OF I-PADS

Mokulele Airlines has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for the use of iPads (Electronic Flight Bags) replacing paper on the flight deck.  The use of i-Pads replaces logbooks, manuals, charts and also displays satellite weather.  The 1.5 pound iPad replaces about 15 pounds of paper on each of Mokulele’s Caravans saving an estimated 1,400… Read the full press release