April 2009

Airline News

Virgin to suspend Mumbai services

Virgin Atlantic is temporarily suspending flights from London Heathrow to Mumbai from early May.

The airline said passenger numbers on the route have been falling for many months, even before the global economic slowdown. It said over capacity on the route meant other airlines are operating "irrationally" and servicing the route at a loss. The airline said it would reinstate the service when it is economically viable to do so.

The last flight will be VS350 on Saturday May 2 from London Heathrow and flight VS351 on Sunday May 3 from Mumbai.

Virgin will continue to operate its daily service between London Heathrow and Delhi and said it would explore flying to other Indian cities in future.

Brussels Airlines introduces European business class

Brussels Airlines has introduced a business class offering on its European flights, going by the name of b.business. The new class includes free lounge access, a guarantee of the middle seat being kept free and free valet parking at Brussels airport.

Passengers also get an increased hand luggage allowance of two pieces up to 16kg (as opposed to one piece up to 12kg in b.flex economy plus) and 30kg checked luggage (20kg in b.flex economy plus).

B.business passengers will also enjoy upgraded in-flight food and beverages including champagne and Belgian chocolates, plus all the services included in the b.flex economy + offering such as flexible ticketing, fast lane security, priority boarding and a complimentary newspaper.

New London City to Nantes flights

Flights will launch from London City Airport to Nantes at the end of April 2009. The service will be operated by Air France, in co-operation with its subsidiaries CityJet and VLM Airlines.

Schedules are designed so that business travellers can fly to either city for a meeting and return the same day. Flights from London City will depart at 8.25am arriving at 11.10am on weekdays and Saturdays, and 5.45pm arriving 8.30pm on weekdays and Sundays. Return flights from Nantes will depart at 7.45am arriving at 8.30am on weekdays and Saturdays, and 5.30pm arriving at 6.15pm on weekdays and Sundays.

The 100-minute flights will be operated by VLM Airlines' Fokker 50 aircraft, offering a choice of Business and Economy Class services.

Passengers with hand luggage only can check in at London City Airport 15 minutes prior to departure, or 20 minutes for those with hold luggage.

Lufthansa to introduce improved automated check-in

Lufthansa has begun replacing its automated check-in terminals with new, swankier models that can scan passports.

The Integrated Radio Frequency Identification terminals, which will boost convenience as the passenger is no longer required to punch in his or her passport number, will be introduced by the end of April 2009.
Passengers simply present their machine-readable passports or ID cards and then input their destination, flight number or booking code to receive a boarding card.

Customers checking in with a Miles & more credit card with a PasyPass function need only hold their card up to the scammer to trigger the check-in procedure.

The first terminals were installed in Lufthansa's largest hub, Frankfurt, and at Milan Malpensa airport, where recently-launched Lufthansa Italia is based.

The airline, which was the first to introduce self-service check-ins in the nineties, claims it is the first worldwide to use RFID technology within its new terminals.

Continental Airlines Doubles OnePass Elite Qualifying Miles

Until 15th June, Continental Airlines customers can earn double Elite Qualifying Miles on flights operated by Continental Airlines, Continental Micronesia, Continental Connection or Continental Express. With the offer, OnePass members can earn Elite status twice as fast.

To take advantage of the offer, OnePass members simply register for the promotion with the provided code at continental.com to earn double Elite Qualifying Miles for all applicable travel.

OnePass membership rewards customers with everything from seat upgrades to reward travel, mileage earning opportunities, travel bonuses and preferred customer benefits. Special benefits are available to Continental's most frequent flyers, OnePass Elites. 

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