Finally, Ukraine is out of the U.S. aviation radar. Travelers planning to check out of Ukraine for travel to the United States can now heave a sigh of relief. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has now expressed satisfaction and says safety concerns are not worrying it any more insofar as flights out of Ukraine are concerned. The Federal Aviation Administration recently gave the go ahead to Ukraine International Airlines to launch its flights services to the United States.

According to reports, Ukraine International Airlines though has been given green signal by the Federal Aviation Administration, it is still to reveal its plan and when it is to begin its operations.

The Federal Aviation Administration had earlier placed Ukraine in Category 2 safety rating in June 2005. This had greatly disturbed Ukraine, and it was working overtime with the FAA to align its safety oversight system with ICAO standards and practices.

The FAA has now upgraded Ukraine’s aviation safety rating to a Category 1. The upgrade was done after reviewing all the safety concerns and determining that Ukraine’s civil aviation authority was complying with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

The upgrade to Category 1 safety rating status would now enable air carriers based in the eastern European nation of Ukraine to start adding direct flights to destinations in the United States.

According to media reports, Ukraine International Airlines is believed to have placed orders for some Boeing 777-200LR aircrafts. With the new aircrafts, the airline expects to begin operations from Kiev to U.S. destinations in future.

After having a successful run in Australia in 2012, Singapore Changi Airport and various international airlines have now brought ‘Achieve Thru Art’ (ATA) competition in Singapore. This is for the first time that this online visual art competition has landed in Singapore.

The 3-month art competition is aimed at encouraging the enhancing the development of visual arts as well as boost air travel. More than 400,000 students and youths across all the schools in Singapore would be participating in the ATA competition. The winners would be presented with airline tickets to 12 destinations.

The ATA competition has already started and shall continue up till October 21. The competition is based on the theme “Countries, Cultures & Festivals”. The students are required to create their artwork using any medium such as crayons, charcoal or paint. The artwork would be uploaded on the ATA website thus creating a visual gallery to be visible worldwide.

The partner airlines sponsoring the ATA competition include Vietnam Airlines, Turkish Airlines, SilkAir, Royal Brunei Airlines, Lao Airlines, Jet Airways, Finnair, China Airlines and Cebu Pacific Air. The travel prizes to various destinations to be won include Changsha, Hanoi, Iloilo, Bandar Seri Begawan, Vientiane, Kaoshiung, Delhi, Istanbul and Helsinki. The winners will be announced on November 11.

Meanwhile, here’s good news for those flying through Singapore’s Changi Airport. Singapore Airlines, which introduced $16 (20 Singapore Dollars) transit vouchers in October last year and doubled the amount this January, has now extended the offer until December 31 because of the popular demand. The travel vouchers can be used at any restaurant or shop in the airport. The voucher can also be utilized for accessing the lounge, having a shower between flights, and accessing the rooftop pool area or go to the gym.

Virgin America has recently signed an interline deal with Russian airline Transaero. The deal is a part of Virgin’s expansion program in terms of “interline agreements.” An interline agreement is a deliberate commercial pact between two individual airlines to carry passengers and their baggage during connecting flights. Such deals allow passengers to use the services of multiple airlines through their journey.

The Virgin America-Transaero deal will help accommodate Transaero passengers traveling on its flights to New York and Los Angeles to board Virgin’s planes out of these two destinations. This is good news for all the passengers who have planned or are planning their journeys on one of the two airlines in the near future. Virgin America is based in California, but San Francisco and Los Angeles are two of its biggest bases in the country.

Transaero has said that travelers from the United States can board their planes from San Francisco or New York on Virgin and continue their onwards journey to Moscow on Transaero and vice versa. The new deal, which covers Virgin America’s routes via Los Angeles and New York will also connects its other destinations. These comprise Washington, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Dallas/Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland (Oregon) and San Jose (California).

Adam Green, Virgin America’s Director of Network planning said that the airline is happy to seal this interline deal with Transaero. He said that the pact would allow guests traveling onboard Transaero access to routes extensively operated by Virgin. He added that the airline looks forward to welcome travelers from Russia into the United States.

LAN Airlines won the esteemed “Leading Airline in South America” award at the World Travel Awards 2013 (WTA). The fact that it was the airline’s second consecutive victory made the moment more special. WTA is a highly regarded award across the travel industry and is regarded as the “Oscar” of the travel industry.

These awards mean a lot to every airline as they are judged by travel professionals and customers from around the world. Winning an accolade of this stature has made the carrier proud of its services and achievements.

LAN is an airline of leadership and commitments and it is for this reason that it won the eminent title. Besides it was recognized for implementation of its clear corporate vision, operational consistency and conscientious customer service.

Other parameters for the award comprise quality of food service, most comfortable cabins, best Business Class service, best in-flight technology and entertainment, best VIP lounges and most on-time airline for arrivals and departures.

The World Travel Awards South & Central America Gala Ceremony 2013 was organized at the Huacca Pucllana Temple in the Peruvian capital of Lima. Many industry captains graced the occasion with their presence.

Emilio Rodríguez Larraín, LAN Peru President of the Board of Directors received the award on behalf of the LATAM Airlines Group.

Overall it is the fourth time the airline has been bestowed with recognition of this stature. In 2012 and 2007 also LAN won the award in “Leading Airline in South America” category. Winning this honor has become a sort of trend for the carrier and passengers booking their flights with the airline should take pleasure in flying by an award winning airline. Way back in 2005, LAN was awarded the “Leading Airline in South America in Business Class.”

Waiting for a flight at the airport can be a little boring especially when you can’t access the Internet. Internet is a life saver. Literally speaking it is hard to think of life without it in the Google era. It sure is a blessing and another one comes from Memphis International Airport. The airport has announced that Wi-Fi services can now be accessed free, yes absolutely free!

Life will become far simpler now. While you wait for an announcement from your airline and are tired of sipping hot coffee and wandering around in search of something to keep yourself engaged, you have an easy option at your disposal. Just switch on your laptop or any other device equipped to surf the net, connect to the Wi-Fi and begin your unlimited browsing fun in one click.

The Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority granted the contract to Los Angeles-based Boingo Wireless to offer Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the premises. Whether you are the terminals, baggage claim counters or rental car area, be ready to enjoy the latest facility.

The company will offer the service free to Internet surfers however, heavy data users who want faster connectivity will have to pay extra bucks.

Currently passengers are using the paid Internet service at the airport but will be able to enjoy it free from the end of this year.

Boingo will provide Wi-Fi at the airport for the next seven years as it has signed a contract with the airport authority.

The free Wi-Fi service is going to be an asset for the passengers and will sure make their wait a little entertaining!

Domestic airline industry is gearing for a different kind of a war up in the skies. While most carriers in the country are offering luxury and comfort in business class on long hauls, the trend is fast catching up in the local sector.

United Airlines and Delta Air, two of the biggest commercial carriers have introduced international-style seats that can be converted into lie flat beds between New-York and Los Angeles. It is the customers paying premium prices who are benefitting from the stiff competition.

American Airlines and JetBlue Airways seem to be smitten by the latest trend. These two airlines have plans to launch their own swanky beds in the domestic sector next year. Both these airlines said they will do so in lines with United and Delta to offer their passengers a more comfortable journey.

David Cush, Virgin America’s Chief Executive Officer said that their airline will not step into the shoes of United or Delta and upgrade to lie-flat beds. Referring to the two major carriers he said those airlines are running after the same pot of gold.

Delta plans to extend the bed-war to Seattle. It aims to soon expand this service on the New York-San Francisco route.

Michael Henny, Delta's Director of Customer Experience said that as per the domestic market trends these upgrades are interesting because they hold value.

Passengers who wish to fly on the domestic routes and indulge in luxury through their journey can now book business class tickets on one of these airlines for a comfortable experience in the domestic sector.

Fare Buzz has recently launched a vacation rental option in a move to set the company apart from other online travel companies. It also looks to improve the company’s revenue within a crowded travel industry.                       

“We at Fare Buzz are willfully increasing our non-air business,” said Arnold Walter, President and CEO of Fare Buzz. “There’s no doubt the sale of discounted tickets is our forte, but we are enthusiastic towards the sale of car rentals, hotel bookings, vacation packages and now vacation rentals.”

A recent survey from eMarketer predicts “there will be 117.6 million online travel researchers (61 percent of internet users) and 98.3 million online travel bookers (51 percent of internet users) in the U.S. by 2012.” Millions of Americans spend close to 60 percent of their total vacation cost on accommodations. Fare Buzz now aims to bring alternative options to these travelers, with something that’s both cost effective and brings all the comforts of home.

“Vacation rental bookings have seen a phenomenal growth of 73 percent in 2011 compared to 2010, and the revenues have also increased by 11 percent,” said Walter. “Keeping those metrics in mind, Fare Buzz started its vacation rental section, as there is a lot of pie to target.”

The new vacation rental feature offers roughly 30 locations to rent from within North America. Unlike other vacation rental websites, Fare Buzz allows the customer to book directly through the website. This new option will give Fare Buzz customers the opportunity to try something new, and for the company to receive feedback regarding travel preferences. Vacation rentals can be found at www.farebuzz.com/vacation-rentals.

About Fare Buzz:

Started in 1994 in New York City, Fare Buzz is one of the leading travel providers in the industry. The company has created affiliations with vendors of various travel products. Due to Fare Buzz’ buying power, the company is able to negotiate aggressive deals on air, hotels, car rentals and now vacation rentals to pass the savings on to the consumer.

In addition, Fare Buzz also specializes in discounted business class fares and offers an attractive rewards program for customers. For additional information, please contact Margaret Yekulis at margaret@farebuzz.com.

No matter where I travel too I will always need the Internet. I am sure there are many of us who are in the same boat. However, I am frankly getting tired of the fees associated with Internet usage and my hotel stay. Finally, there is some hotel smart enough to start giving away Internet for free. According to Hotels Mag, Shangri-La says it's the first international hotel group to offer free Internet to guests in every part of each hotel — that's guestrooms, public areas, restaurants, lounges and function areas.

What has taken so long? Frankly, I have no idea. However this can be a great way for those of us who travel for business to save some extra money. I am sure that free internet will make all business travelers happy.

 If you are interested in booking a few nights at the Shangri-La hotel or any hotel for that matter, check out these super low rates for hotels.  Search Hotel Rates.

Joseph Maresca
Online Marketing
Director Fare Buzz