Fare Buzz - Latest Travel Updates

Turkish Airlines to operate world’s first longest nonstop flight

6/19/2013

Media reports recently said that Turkish Airlines is planning to operate the longest commercial flight in the world. This will be the airline’s first nonstop commercial flight to be operated anywhere in the world.

Media reports quoted a travel magazine Air Transport World as saying that the new route would be launched from Istanbul to Sydney, and would be spanning 8,076 nautical miles or 14,956 kilometers.

According to reports, the airline initially plans to operate the service with a stopover in Asia, but expects to offer nonstop Turkish Airlines flights between the two destinations within three years. The airline expects to operate flights on the new Istanbul-Sydney route with the help of a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

The launch of the new Istanbul-Sydney route will offer seamless connectivity to European travelers making most European cities highly accessible and short distance.

Earlier, Australia’s flag carrier Qantas Airways was hoping to become the first airline in the world to operate longest nonstop flight between the two cities. However, the plan of Qantas Airways seems to have been upstaged by Turkish Airlines with the announcement of the new route.

Jet Airways sign codeshare pacts with Air France and KLM

6/19/2013

India’s largest private carrier Jet Airways recently signed codeshare agreements with European carriers Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The codeshare agreements are aimed at providing seamless connectivity to passengers booking plane tickets on these carriers for travel to Indian and European destinations.

The codeshare agreement will now enable both Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to put their respective codes on Jet Airways-operated domestic flights for providing connectivity to Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai, and beyond.

According to Air France, customers purchasing flight tickets for travel from Europe to India on Air France flights will now be easily able to connect to Chennai via Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai, as well as to Kolkata, Hyderabad via Mumbai and Bengaluru on a single ticket.

Similarly, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines would also be able to place its flight code on Jet Airways-operated domestic flights to Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai via Delhi.

Emirates Airline slashes business class fares

6/19/2013

Emirates Airline recently offered slashed business class fares to its customers in an effort to shore up occupancy on its business class flights. The airline said that it is confronting depleting premium traffic in the U.S. and Europe and wants to make up its losses by cutting fares to worldwide destinations.

The airline’s three-day sale on its business class worldwide ended recently. The airline offered cheap business class tickets for travel between July 24 and August 4, 2013. The business airfares offered by the airline was about 20 percent lower than the normal fares.

Emirates Airline presently offers services to 134 destinations across the world. The airline conducts 185 weekly flights to India alone. The airline operates five daily flights to Mumbai with each flight having 42 business class seats.

With five daily flights to Mumbai, Emirates Airline thus offers 210 business class seats to this destination alone, which needs to be filled up by the airline in any case.

Currently, Emirates Airline is offering flight services to 10 destinations in India and has flown 26 million passengers from here in over the last 10 years .

Scandinavian Airlines launches new Humberside-Copenhagen flight

6/19/2013

Scandinavian Airlines SAS recently announced it will be expanding its regional network from October this year. The airline is introducing a new route by launching direct flight between Humberside International Airport and Copenhagen Airport starting from October 28, 2013.

SAS in a statement said that it will be operating five times weekly flights between Copenhagen and Humberside, once a day. The airline has already put the tickets on sale and is offering its customers cheap tickets starting from $161 (103 Pound) one-way (inclusive of government taxes, airport fees and fuel surcharges, and other terms and conditions applicable).

Hans Dyhrfort, SAS’ Regional General Manager Western Europe, said that the Humber region is an important northern hub for the airline. He further said that SAS considers the region as a significant area for its development with more than 5 million people living within the airport’s reach. He also said that the launch of regional service would help bolster ties with Denmark and the Nordic region.

Southwest Airlines increases daily flights at Lambert airport

6/18/2013

Southwest Airlines currently remains the busiest of all carriers at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. Daily Southwest Airlines flights have been significantly increased by 8 percent as compared to May last year.

Media reports said that Southwest Airlines by increasing its flights services at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport operated a total of 95 flights to/from the airport in May 2013.

Media reports quoted Michelle Agnew, spokeswoman of Southwest Airlines, as saying that the airline started adding daily flights between St. Louis and Dallas Love Field, and between St. Louis and Los Angeles International Airport, in the month of April.

The airline had also reduced flights services between St. Louis and Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Orlando in April this year, while it added flights between St. Louis and San Diego in the same month.

Southwest Airlines, however, said that it was able to introduce seven additional flights during the months of April and May 2013.

Finnair expands Asia operations with new flights to Hanoi, Xi’an

6/18/2013

Travelers booking airline tickets from Finland and other European cities have now multiple flight options for their Asia travel. Finland’s national flag carrier Finnair has expanded its Asia operations with the launch of new flights to Hanoi and Xi’an.

Finnair recently announced it will start operating thrice weekly flights to the northern Chinese city of Xi’an and Vietnamese capital of Hanoi throughout the summer season. The flights would operate until October 27, 2013.

Finnair had last year launched flights services to Singapore and Chongqing. The airline is currently operating direct flights to 13 Asian cities, including five destinations in China. The airline said that the launch of flights to Hanoi would be the airline’s first scheduled service to Vietnam.

The airline in a statement said that it would be deploying an Airbus A330-300 aircraft to operate flights on both Hanoi and Xi’an routes. The flights to Hanoi would be operated every Monday, Thursday and Saturday, while the Xi’an service would be operated every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

Emirates Airline A380 flights to Los Angeles from December 2

6/18/2013

Emirates Airline recently upgraded its service on Dubai-Los Angeles route, and would be introducing its Airbus A380 aircraft starting from December 2, 2013.

The airline in a statement said that the Airbus A380 aircraft being deployed on the route would give a great flying experience to the travelers. The customers purchasing business class tickets would be offered 76 lie-flat beds in the business class cabin.

According to the airline, the 489-seat aircraft would also offer 14 Private First Class Suites as well as 399 spacious seats in Economy Class.

Providing details about the facilities being offered on board the Airbus A380 aircraft, Emirates Airline said that all premium passengers traveling in First Class and Business Class seated on the upper deck would be able to socialize at the Onboard Lounge with an array of beverage and snacks.

The airline has until now been operating its flights on the Dubai-Los Angeles route with the help of a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Emirates Airline would operate daily A380 flights on this longest route ever in its history.

Allegiant Air announces nonstop Asheville-Tampa flights

6/18/2013

Allegiant Air recently announced the launch of its new nonstop flight between Asheville and Tampa. To celebrate its new service, the airline offered cheap tickets to its customers starting as low as $79.99 one-way (inclusive of all taxes, fees and surcharges, and other applicable terms) for travel between Asheville Regional Airport and Tampa’s St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport by October 28, 2013. The airline in a statement said that the new flights would operate twice weekly.

Andrew C. Levy, President of Allegiant Travel Company, said that the airline is delighted to add Tampa/St. Pete as another convenient and affordable destination in its flight network for the benefit of Asheville residents.

He said that Asheville residents would surely appreciate the convenience of flying nonstop to Tampa/St. Pete with the launch of the new service. Levy said that Allegiant Air’s vacation packages and nonstop flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando are already quite popular with the residents of Ashville.

Philippine Airlines may acquire stakes in Cambodia Airlines

6/17/2013

Philippine Airlines recently indicated that it is planning to acquire a 49 percent stake in Cambodia Airlines. The airline is expected to pay an estimated $10 million to acquire planned stakes in Cambodia Airlines.

Media reports quoted a top official of Philippine Airlines as saying that the airline would be making a down payment of 10 percent (or $1 million) of the total acquisition cost. However, this is subject to the fulfilling of the terms and conditions of the contract, set for July 15, 2013.

The reports further quoted the official of Philippine Airlines as saying that the airline would be paying the remaining balance of $9 million upon the call of the board of Cambodia Airlines after the deal is finally completed.

Philippine Airlines also stated that once its deal with Cambodia Airlines is completed it would be purchasing 16 to 22 aircrafts worth $1.5 billion for Cambodia Airlines. The airline would be deploying 8 to 10 aircrafts to operate flights during the first year of its operation.

EVA Air launches flights between Kaohsiung and Seoul

6/17/2013

South Korean tourists traveling to Taiwan have now new flight options with air tickets available at competitive rates. Taiwan’s second largest carrier EVA Air recently launched its new flights services between southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung and South Korean capital Seoul.

EVA Air launched its new service between the two destinations to boost tourism prospects further in Taiwan and South Korea. The airline in a statement said that it will be offering five weekly roundtrip flights between Kaohsiung and Seoul.

EVA Air said that the flights from Seoul to Kaohsiung would be around 2 hours and 50 minutes. The flights would be operated five times every week, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The Taiwan-based carrier disclosed that there has been a considerable increase in the number of exchange visits between Taiwan and South Korea. According to EVA Air, the number of exchange visits reached a 10-year peak of 790,000 in 2012, an increase of 20 percent as compared to 2011.

Emirates Airline offers special business class fares to JFK-Milan

6/17/2013

Travelers booking business class flights between New York JFK and Milan have good news from Emirates Airline, leading Middle East carrier.

Emirates Airline recently announced special business class fares for travel between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Italian city of Milan. The special roundtrip business class tickets can be booked starting at $3,540*.

The airline has announced special business class fares to mark the launch of nonstop daily flights to Milan from New York JFK starting from October 1, 2013. The fares on this offer are valid for booking until June 30, 2013.

According to Emirates Airline, the special business class fares are valid for travel starting from October 1 through December 9, 2013. The fares will be valid only when utilizing scheduled Emirates Airline’s nonstop transatlantic services from New York JFK to Milan.

The customers are required to book their business class tickets for travel between Milan and New York at least seven days in advance. The customers must complete their ticketing within 72 hours after booking.

* The special business class fares are roundtrip, and include government taxes, airport fees and fuel surcharges. Other terms and conditions are applicable.

Philippine Airlines biggest ever Australian services expansion

6/17/2013

Philippines’ national flag carrier Philippine Airlines has embarked on its biggest ever expansion in the Australian sector. The airline recently announced the launch of its new flights to Brisbane, Darwin and Perth.

By all accounts, this is Philippine Airlines’ biggest ever expansion of its flights services to Australia in recent times. The airline’s inaugural flight to Perth was on June 3, 2014. The airline will be operating four weekly flights between Western Australia and Manila.

Philippine Airlines also introduced its new flights to Darwin and Brisbane. The airline will be operating daily flights to Darwin, the Northern Territory capital. The airline also stated that it would be operating thrice weekly flights to Brisbane.

The airline’s new services to Perth, Darwin and Brisbane are in addition to the existing services to the Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne.

To mark the launch of new flights to Darwin, Perth and Brisbane, Philippine Airlines is offering its customers opportunity to book cheap flights to these destinations. The customers are being offered cheap tickets to Darwin starting from $392, to Perth starting from $520 and to Brisbane starting $543. The fares are valid for roundtrip journey.

* The are roundtrip, and include government taxes, airport fees and fuel surcharges. Other terms and conditions are applicable.

Icelandair to start operating out of Newark from Oct 28

6/14/2013

Icelandair flights will now start operating out of Newark Liberty International Airport from the month of October this year. The airline recently announced it will start its scheduled service from the Newark Liberty International Airport from October 28, 2013.

The airline in a statement said that its flights out of Newark airport would supplement the New York JFK service. The airline will be operating the flights four times every week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Icelandair has been serving the New York City market for the past 60 years now and has been offering the service to and from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The airline said that it will continue offering its service in future as well.

The airline stated that Newark will be its 11th gateway in North America and will be the 36th destination within its global route network.

Newark would be Icelandair’s fourth destination to be introduced this year. The other three destinations introduced by the airline include Anchorage, St. Petersburg and Zurich.

Garuda Indonesia to become SkyTeam member in March 2014

6/14/2013

Travelers from Indonesia and other destinations would get multiple flight options and opportunity to book air tickets at cheap rates for travel to destinations worldwide.

Media reports recently said that Garuda Indonesia, the national flag carrier of Indonesia, would be joining SkyTeam, a leading global airline alliance, as its newest member in March next year.

Garuda Indonesia will become the 20th member of the SkyTeam alliance. The airline will also be the second carrier from Southeast Asia to join SkyTeam.

Media reports indicated that SkyTeam will upgrade benefits being currently offered to elite members of member airlines’ frequent flyer programs, across the alliance.

The upgrades to be implemented include SkyPriority services at each of 1,000 destinations currently covered under SkyTeam. Apart from this, SkyPriority will also be expanded to include dedicated security lanes, SkyPriority baggage desks at arrival halls, and SkyPriority call centers to offer support for customers.

Malaysia Airlines announces Down Under summer sale

6/14/2013

Malaysia Airlines recently launched its summer sale for those planning to travel Down Under destinations across Australia and New Zealand.

The airline in a statement said that it’s a great opportunity for travelers to book business class tickets and enjoy savings of up to 25 percent. Apart from business class, the airline is also offering discount of up to 25 percent on economy class fares to various destinations across Australia and New Zealand.

According to Malaysia Airlines, the return business class fares from London Heathrow to Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Auckland have been significantly reduced. The airline stated that the special fares for business class flights are available for bookings until June 20, 2013. The fares are valid for travel from August 15 to October 17, November 1 to December 5 and December 21 to March 21, 2014.

The airline further said that the special fares are also available for those planning to travel in economy class. The fares are valid for travel as applicable to business class customers.

Frontier Airlines announces fall schedule, bookings on

6/14/2013

Frontier Airlines recently announced its fall schedule and said that it would be resuming its nonstop seasonal service in several markets.

The airline in a statement said that the customers can now book cheap tickets for their Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year travel currently put up for sale. The flights will be through January 5, 2014.

According to Frontier Airlines, nonstop seasonal service to various markets would be resumed as part of the fall schedule. The markets where the airline will be resuming seasonal flights include Palm Springs, Cozumel, San Jose, Orlando, Cancun, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta. The departures would be available from Denver, Bloomington, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Madison, Milwaukee, Omaha and Salt Lake City.

The airline also stated that it would be extending its seasonal flights to Eugene, Greensboro and Knoxville from its hub in Denver.

Daniel Shurz, Frontier Airlines’ Senior Vice President – Commercial, said that the airline is excited to extend its seasonal service to various markets, which will make the travelers happy and benefit from low fares through the winter holidays.

Iberia Airline actively responds to Facebook requests

6/13/2013

Leading Spanish carrier Iberia Airline has emerged as the leader in Spain answering nearly 95 percent of all Facebook requests. SocialBakers, a top social media monitoring company, recently conducted a survey and made its findings public. The survey revealed that Iberia Airline has emerged as the leading Spanish company in responding to requests made by the customers on Facebook.

Media reports recently said that, the survey has come as good news for numerous passengers booking Iberia Airline flights.

According to reports, the survey took into consideration the number of Facebook fans of various airlines, the percentage of requests answered, as well as the response time to each request.

In its final analysis, the survey revealed that Iberia Airline has emerged as the best among a number of airlines in percentage terms, responding 95 percent of all the 831 open requests and nearly 600 private requests that were received from Facebook fans in April this year.

Etihad Airways launches nonstop Abu Dhabi-Sao Paulo flights

6/13/2013

UAE’s national flag carrier Etihad Airways recently announced the launch of its new route between Abu Dhabi and Sao Paulo. The airline’s new nonstop flight to Sao Paulo is the airline’s first ever service to any South American destination.

The airline in a statement said that launch of its new route would benefit the travelers from Middle East, Asia and other European cities and provide opportunity to buy air tickets to the South American destination at cheap rates.

Etihad Airways said that it would be operating the flights between the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and Brazilian city Sao Paulo with the help of an Airbus A340-500 aircraft. The 240-seat Airbus A340-500 aircraft is configured with three classes – 12 seats in Diamond First, 28 seats in Pearl Business and 200 seats in Coral Economy class.

The new flights launched by Etihad Airways marks the airline’s commercial entry into Brazil, and would help it to boost revenue in future.

French taxes being imposed on Swiss flights

6/13/2013

The French government recently announced it has decided to impose taxes on all the flights operating out of the Franco-Swiss airport Basel-Mulhouse.

Terming the French government move as highly controversial, media reports quoting Eric Héraud, a spokesman from the French Directorate General of Civil Aviation, said that the government doesn’t see any legal basis for exempting airline companies from the charges that continue to operate from the Swiss side of the airport.

According to media reports, the French government plans to impose a civil aviation tax on all departures from the airport. The government would be levying a tax of $5.7m (4.31 Euro) on short-haul flights, while $10.16 (7.62 Euro) is to be levied on long-haul flights.

If the taxes are finally imposed, the passengers taking first class or business class flights out of the airport would have to pay additional charge on their tickets between $13.33 (10 Euro) and $53.31 (40 Euro).

Easyjet has strongly opposed the French government plans to impose taxes. The airline said that it is registered in Switzerland and pays Swiss taxes in Basel, in accordance with the Franco-Swiss convention dating from 1949.

Malaysia Airlines increases Kuala Lumpur-Phuket flights

6/13/2013

Malaysia Airlines recently announced the increase in the frequency on its Kuala Lumpur-Phuket route. The airline introduced a new daily service between the two destinations effective from June 1, 2013.

The airline in a statement said that with the launch of its new daily service between Kuala Lumpur and Phuket, it will now be offering 26 weekly flights between the two cities.

To mark the launch of its additional frequency, Malaysia Airlines has unveiled all-inclusive promotional fares. The airline offered cheap tickets to customers traveling between Phuket and Kuala Lumpur. Passengers can now buy their roundtrip tickets for only $71 (222 Malaysian Ringgit).

According to the airline, the promotional fares are valid for travel starting from June 1 through July 31, 2013. The fares can be utilized for travel on flights MH798, MH799 and MH794 only.

Malaysia Airlines would deploy a Boeing 737-800 aircraft configured in two classes – 16 seats in Business Class and 144 seats in Economy Class.