News
$600m Waikiki Beach Walk project launched
Waikiki Beach Walk, the largest development project to be undertaken in Hawaii’s most high-profile beach area, has been launched with a ground-breaking ceremony. View full story
Sydney Airport rated in top five airports worldwide
Sydney Airport is rated in the top five airports* worldwide, as well as in Asia, by the 2004 AETRA survey, which is conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Airports Council International (ACI). View full story
Sydney Airport Re-launches T1 Food Court
Sydney Airport Chairman & CEO, Max Moore-Wilton, today officially re-launched the T1 International Food Court following a 3 month redevelopment project involving the arrival of five new key-brand food outlets. Mr Moore-Wilton said passengers and visitors to Sydney Airport would enjoy the revitalised Food Court with the new outlets that included Asagao, Subway, Oporto, Krispy Kreme and Pulp Juice. View full story
JetSMS – launched for take-off in Australian first
Jetstar today announced a new and innovative distribution channel – ticketless bookings through mobile phone SMS - making it even easier for Australians to book low fare flights.
‘JetSMS’ was initiated by Jetstar and is being developed by Optus and Start Corporation, a supplier of enterprise SMS solutions. This new technology will allow Jetstar customers, connected to any mobile network within Australia, to make ‘ticketless’ bookings 24 hours a day with the airline by SMS usage on a mobile phone. View full story
Tourism slump- Ticket sales down for Athens Games
Only one-third of an available 5.3 million tickets for the Athens Olympics Games have been sold, with less than three months to go before the August 13 opening ceremony.
View progress on Athens Olympic Stadium here
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Air NZ chooses Boeing for long-haul fleet
Air New Zealand today signed agreements to acquire eight new Boeing 777-200ER and two B7E7 aircraft, as well as rights to purchase a further 42 long-haul aircraft. View full story
Wine on the Wing - Qantas takes honours
In the first annual "Wine on the Wing" competition hosted by Global Traveler magazine, Qantas Airways took Top 10 honors in all three categories for its red, white and sparkling wines. View full story
Singapore's record-breaking non-stop service
Singapore Airlines’ first non-stop flight between Singapore and New York has landed in the US.
The A340-500 ultra-long-haul aircraft left Singapore’s Changi Airport at 12.05 yesterday and touched down in New York at 6.30pm the same day. View full story
Virgin looks to trans-Pacific route
Virgin Blue Holdings Ltd today said it has expressed interest in serving the lucrative Australia-United States route, but no formal application had been made. An application to fly between Australia and the west coast of the US, which would include such cities as Los Angeles and San Francisco, would require approval from the Department of Transport and Regional Services. View full story
Lose the luggage and save
Irish budget carrier Ryanair is looking at rewarding passengers who carry less luggage in an attempt to reducing weight on board its flights. The airline said that offering passengers an incentive to bring only carry-on bags could be a way to further reduce its costs. View full story
U.S. airlines ban butane lighters
Passengers already are barred from smoking on commercial airline flights in the United States. Now they won't be allowed to bring their butane lighters on board either.
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Qantas Applies To Operate 7 More Weekly Services To UK
SYDNEY, May 18 Asia Pulse - Qantas Airways (ASX:QAN) today has applied to the International Air Services Commission for the right to operate additional services to the United Kingdom.
Qantas executive general manager John Borghetti said the new flights, if approved, would increase Qantas services to the UK from 21 to 28 per week over the next two years, including flights via Hong Kong for the first time. View full story
Lufthansa connects to inflight broadband
Passengers on Lufthansa’s Munich-Los Angeles flights can now connect to the Internet at 35,000 feet after the airline launched wireless broadband access on its aircraft today. View full story
Jetstar launched in Sydney
QANTAS Airways Ltd's discount offshoot Jetstar has launched its livery and uniforms ahead of beginning flights later this month. Jetstar said it will offer online fare prices starting from as low as $59 one-way when it starts services from May 25
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Air marshals join Australia-US flights
Armed and undercover sky marshals will ride aboard selected flights between Australia and the US from this week as the two countries boost aviation security, according to media reports. View full story
Australians warned off Thailand
THE Australian Government warned its citizens not to travel to violence-wracked southern Thailand, where more than 100 Islamic militants have been killed by security forces in fierce fighting this week.
In an updated travel warning issued today, the government warned travellers to avoid the provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla. View full story
Sydney office for Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines opened a regional office in Sydney on the weekend, with reservations numbers for bookings from state capitals. Hawaiian’s Australian sales and marketing manager, Scott Cammell, will now be based in Sydney, along with a team of five reservations staff. View full story
Royal Tongan suspends international services
Royal Tongan Airlines suspended its international services on the weekend.
The airline operated international flights to Sydney and Auckland using leased B757 aircraft. View full story
JetStar International Airlines Sues Qantas Airways Ltd.
Can they be serious?
On Dec 1, 2003 Qantas Airways Ltd announced the launch of their new low cost carrier named "Jetstar" with bookings available online from February 2004 at *Jetstar.com* and *Jetstar.com.au*
Unfortunately for Qantas, the name JetStar used in conjunction with the airline industry was an already legally trademarked brand by JetStar International Airlines, at *JetStarAirlines.com* View full story
Qantas Welcomes Hong Kong Decision
Qantas today welcomed the decision by the Governments of Australia and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to increase capacity between Australia and Hong Kong, and to link Hong Kong services to London. View full story
Ryanair expects big yield decline in price war
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has warned that the airline's yields or average fare levels could drop by up to 20 per cent over the next 12 months following a decline of 15 per cent in the year to end-March 2004.
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20-year Sydney Airport masterplan approved
Australian federal government has approved a masterplan for Sydney Airport which will see more property development at the Mascot site over the next 20 years.
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Record increase in Australian arrivals in New Zealand
The 70,077 Australian visitor arrivals recorded in New Zealand in February represented a record increase of 22.3 per cent on figures for the same month last year. View full story
Hong Kong rights deal ‘a winner’ for Sydney Airport
The new air-traffic agreement between Australia and Hong Kong should drive further growth in passenger numbers at Sydney Airport, according to the terminal’s owner, Macquarie Airports. View full story
Machu Picchu trail open again
Treks and train journeys to Peru’s Machu Picchu are operating again following a series of mudslides near the foot of the lost city. View full story
Barcelona to ban bullfighting?
One of Spain's tourism drawcards, bullfighting, has been dealt a blow, with Barcelona voting to ban the so-called sport following a campaign by animal rights groups.
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Starwood’s child-health collection raises $10 million
Starwood Hotels and Resorts’ Check Out for Children program has now raised $10 million globally for UNICEF.
Under the program, launched almost a decade ago, guests staying at any participating Starwood hotel are invited to add $1 to their bill when they check out.
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Survey concludes direct way cheapest for booking rooms
The cheapest method of booking a hotel room in Australia is still to go direct to the property, according to a new survey by KPMG.
The survey found that in 68 per cent of cases it was cheapest to go direct, rather than to a travel agent or third-party website. View full story
VIRGIN BLUE ANNOUNCES FLIGHTS FROM WHITSUNDAY COAST TO MELBOURNE
Virgin Blue has today announced it will begin services between the Whitsunday Coast Airport (Proserpine) and Melbourne from the 8th of May, following huge demand for a direct flight between the two locations. View full story
Qantas Skybed Wins Prestigious Design Award
The new Qantas international Business Class seat, Skybed, has won a Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design - one of the world's oldest and most prestigious international design awards.
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Sofitel deal for Thai Air frequent flyers
Sofitel has signed a global frequent flyer deal with Thai Airways’ Royal Orchard Plus loyalty program.
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British Airways Launches $198 Round-Trip Fares to London
Plus five London hotels offer rooms at $25 per night now through September.
NEW YORK, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The time for travel to Europe is here again as British Airways announces a $198 round-trip fare between New York and London coupled with $25 per person per night hotel rooms in London at 3 and 4 star properties. Comparable airfares are also are available from British Airways' other 21 North American gateways and the low hotel rates may be found at five centrally-located London properties for travel from now through September. View full story
Branson makes bid to save Concorde
Richard Branson in another gambit guaranteed to make headlines, the brash tycoon is styling himself as the savior of the iconic, supersonic Concorde jet, which Virgin's bitter competitor British Airways recently announced it was retiring. View full story
'SmartGate'
Sydney Airport in World First
Customs is planning to pilot an automated processing system for Qantas aircrew at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport later in the year.
In a world first, Customs will be using photo-matching technology to verify that the passport photo matches a live image of the person presenting the document. View full story
Airport guard made me drink breast milk
A woman says a security guard at Kennedy Airport forced her to drink from three bottles of her own breast milk to demonstrate the liquid posed no threat to other passengers. View full story
Planes Have Impact on Ground Temperature
Clouds formed by trails of water vapor from jet aircraft affect temperatures on the ground, scientists said Wednesday. View full story
Airline Bladder Rule Must Go So We Can, Too
Jim Rautenburg of Dayton, Ohio, was trying to describe what he had just gone through. First he tried English. Then he fell back on a four-second guttural groan that sounded like this:
"R-R-R-R-R-R-R-augh!" View full story
MD arrested for sexually harassing flight attendant
The managing director of a pig farm was arrested for allegedly sexually harassing a Hong Kong-based flight attendant at the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas recently. View full story
Attendant loses Anti-Tobacco court case
A jury rejected a claim against tobacco companies by a former flight attendant who blames her sinus problems on secondhand smoke in airline cabins.
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Man gets 6 months for shouting threats on holiday flight
A man who disrupted a Christmas Day intercontinental flight by shouting that the passengers would "burn in hell" was sentenced Monday to six months in prison. View full story
Flights of fancy
New airports and new runways are often talked about but more rarely built. The problem is that everybody wants to fly, but nobody wants jumbos to land near them. Pollution, sleepless nights, falling house prices and the disappearance of green fields all tend to make airport development a certain vote-loser with electors. View full story
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Airline passenger from London arrested after flight crew attack
An airline passenger attacked two female flight attendants while drunk on a flight from England, authorities said Saturday. View full story
Police Ground Fraudulent Frequent Flyer
A 29-year-old Oatley man, who police allege fraudulently redeemed almost $15,000 in airfares through manipulating a frequent flyer scheme, has been arrested. View full story
British Airways, American Seek Pact
American Airlines and British Airways are again seeking regulatory approval to operate a trans-Atlantic alliance.
The airlines have twice dropped similar plans after running into opposition from the U.S. Department of Transportation. View full story
Cut ambient noise, cut stress
Whether you're driving an Abrams tank in Iraq or just sitting in a jetliner bound for Disney World, the primary source of fatigue and stress, according to studies, is the grinding roar of the machine you're in. View full story
28 Paris airport workers nabbed for pilfering Japan flight luggage
Many of the 28 baggage handlers at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport arrested on charges of pilfering luggage have confessed to the crimes, a police official said Thursday. View full story
Nudity on Southwest pilots' flight course
Where does a pilot pin his wings if he is flying in the nude?
Two pilots, both men, at Southwest Airlines may have the answer to this question after they were fired for apparently taking off their uniforms in the cockpit and flying a plane virtually naked. View full story
Callers to new American Air CEO dial up sex hotline
American Airlines employees that used to dial 1-800-AA-CARTY to hear a message from their CEO may be in for a big surprise now that Gerard Arpey has taken over.
1-800-AA-ARPEY currently leads callers to a sex hotline. View full story
Fares slashed as passengers shun air travel
Australians can expect heavy discounting on international air fares once panic surrounding SARS subsides, Singapore Airlines said yesterday.
The airline slashed fares out of Singapore this weekend, halving the cost of travel to Europe and dropping return fares to most Australian capitals to just $520. View full story
Flying days over for Concorde
AIR France and British Airways, the only two operators of the Concorde supersonic passenger plane, say they will take the ageing aircraft out of service permanently at the end of October."It is with regret that Air France has decided to end operations by Concorde," said Air France CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta. View full story
Virgin pushes float line
VIRGIN Blue chief executive officer Brett Godfrey said yesterday the airline and key shareholder Patrick Corp were aligned on a business level, despite differences about a potential float. Mr Godfrey said a decision on any float of Virgin Blue remained an issue for the shareholders, whose own commercial interests were not necessarily aligned.
Virgin's Sir Richard Branson and Patrick chief executive Chris Corrigan have been at odds over some details of the float process. View full story
Qantas fumes as Kiwi link ditched
QANTAS yesterday blasted Australian and New Zealand regulators for ignoring the global airline crisis, after they rejected a $500 million alliance between Qantas and Air New Zealand. Despite the competition watchdogs' draft rulings , Australia's flagship carrier said it would pursue a relationship with Air New Zealand -- and Air New Zealand remained confident of final regulatory approval. View full story
Could we stomach paying for airline food?
Imagine the next time you book a flight, you're asked if you want to purchase a meal or a snack. If you decline, your fare is $20 to $50 cheaper. View full story
Qantas man 'stole' points
A QANTAS employee stole nearly 11 million frequent flyer points from the airline by setting up 28 bogus passenger accounts, then used the points to sell flights to friends and family, a court has been told.
Ferri Sutan Malik, 30, appeared in Sydney's Sutherland Local Court yesterday on 56 charges of obtaining money by deception in what is believed to be the first case of its kind in Australia. View full story
Naked Passenger Forces Plane To Land
An Air France flight bound for Oslo, Norway, was forced to make an emergency landing in Belgium after a naked passenger tried to storm the cockpit, authorities said Tuesday. View full story
Sydney Airport announces new Art at Work installation aimed at connecting with overseas visitors.
Sydney Airport will shortly launch a new art installation that reflects the vibrancy of Sydney’s multicultural identity, and aims to connect with the thousands of overseas visitors that flow through the airport each day.
Welcome to Sydney is a series of photographic portraits of the city’s residents, drawn from different cultural backgrounds. It is part of the Airport’s project of commissioning public art called Art at Work. View full story
Sydney man arrested for air rage
A 21-YEAR-OLD Australian man was arrested at the Kuala Lumpur international airport for unruly behaviour on board a Lauda Air flight, a report said today.
He is alleged to have smashed a television set and attacked a crew member who refused to serve him more alcoholic drinks during the flight from Vienna on Tuesday. View full story
Partnerships benefit fliers
Convenience, choice and competition sum up the major benefits of new marketing agreements proposed by United and US Airways and Continental, Delta and Northwest. View full story
Virtual airline ticket agents
Prototype Kiosks and Paperless Tech Aims to Speed Airport Check-In
Rebecca Lewis is in a hurry to catch her flight from Anchorage to Prudhoe Bay. "This is the first time I've done this one," Lewis says as she punches in her reservation code at a touch screen kiosk. View full story
Sydney Airport to say
Sydney Airport has secured a major breakthrough in competition following Federal Government agreement to allow Emirates Airlines to operate daily services to Australia’s major international gateway. View full story
More incidents of Sky Rage
* A European charter flight attendant was nearly strangled by a man being deported from Germany to Kosovo. He used his shoelaces as a weapon. Luckily, the man was subdued, and arrested upon arrival in Pristina.
* In Canada, a Police Officer has been arrested after an in-flight fracas errupted.
* In the USA, a man was detained after he claimed to be a Sky Marshal - to an ACTUAL Sky Marshal.
* Two Italian girls face some hard questions after releasing pepper spray on a flight from Dublin to London.
View full story
Qantas Expands into Sydney Airport Terminal 2
Qantas today announced that it would commence QantasLink operations from Sydney Airport's Terminal 2, the former Ansett domestic terminal, on Tuesday 24 September. View full story
Qantas named World's Best Airline for Inflight Entertainment
Qantas Airways has been awarded three Avion Awards for excellence in inflight entertainment including Best Overall Inflight Entertainment, by the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA).
Qantas Group General Manager Marketing Curtis Davies said the airline's inflight entertainment, known as Q, was judged in three categories. The 23-member judging panel awarded Qantas Best Overall Inflight Entertainment, Best Inflight Audio Entertainment and Best Main Screen/Overhead Video Programming. View full story
Man charged over use of Frequent Flyer points
A 30-year-old man, who fraudulently redeemed more than $456,000 in airfares through manipulating a frequent flyer scheme, has been charged. View full story
Chief Pilot and Aircraft Chosen for Manfred Moose Around the World Flight
Phoenix Media Group, Ltd. has chosen John Pappas as the Chief Pilot and the well known "Rose" Douglas DC-3 airplane for their Manfred Moose Around the World Flight scheduled for summer of 2003. View full story
Airbus reveals the first A340-600
At a roll-out ceremony held in Toulouse today, Airbus presented its longest and largest airliner yet: the high capacity, long range A340-600. Customers, suppliers and media from all over the world attended the ceremony, which focussed on Airbus' guiding philosophy in terms of performance and operating efficiency, innovation, passenger comfort, customer consultation and family commonality. View full story
Safe and sound as it cruises through the barrier ...
Several years from now, you may be flying along in The Boeing Co.'s "sonic cruiser," traveling just under the speed of sound at 44,000 feet, when a big gust of wind or jet-stream surge pushes the plane a little faster.
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MEN: Make more passes, steal more glasses. WOMEN: Fussier, messier.
Novotel survey exposes all
It would appear that when it comes to sexual stereotypes, not much changes from year to year. While women are becoming tidier, they are still more likely to leave messy rooms at hotels and are still more light-fingered than male guests, according to the latest Novotel Survey which examines the habits of travellers in Australia and New Zealand. View full story
Do the Maths Before Using Airline Miles
by Ed Perkins
Whether you're "spending" frequent flier credit for an award or "buying" it when you buy a ticket that earns credit, you can't make good choices unless you know the value of that credit. By my calculation, credit is worth about 2 cents a mile when you spend it wisely; dropping to around 1 cent a mile or less when you're careless. Here's how I do the math: View full story
NASA developing hypersonic technologies for future
Imagine taking off from any U.S. airport and landing on any other runway in the world in less than two hours. Or making a quick hop from that same airport to the International Space Station and back - a trip that normally takes days or weeks - to drop off science experiments, provisions and new equipment.
Sound far-fetched? View full story
Browsing before boarding
What's cooking at 30,000 feet?
Airline passengers who've had a memorable meal on board an aircraft can now express their appreciation or dismay in a very public way.
There's an online gallery that shows just what people have been eating at 30,000 feet. If you are curious to know what the airlines will be feeding you after take-off, travelers from all over the world are taking pictures of food they've eaten on board an aircraft and posting them online. View full story
Trolley dollies want to be taken seriously
Flight attendants in Australia are launching a campaign to shake off the job's trolley-dolly image.They want to be taken seriously as air safety professionals. View full story
Protecting Travellers from 'Air Rage'
How airlines, lawmakers, and passenger-rights groups combat dangerous acts by unruly fliers.
by Ruth Walker View full story
`Down' a Word You Can't Say on an Airline
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