POLAND: LOT Polish Airlines Introduces Flights To Gothenburg,Israel,Berlin Tegel,Oslo,Hannover, Domodedovo And Podgorica

LOT Polish Airlines has introduced a hat-trick of new routes, including one to Russia, the host country of the upcoming World Cup Finals.

The Polish flag carrier launched services from Warsaw Chopin (WAW) to Podgorica (TGD) on 2 June, to Moscow Domodedovo (DME) on 3 June and to Hannover (HAJ) on 4 June.

The 1,096-kilometre Podgorica connection and the 1,165-kilometre Domodedovo link will both be operated six times per week by the airline’s E-Jet aircraft.

The 766-kilometre Hannover route will be flown 12 times per week with E170s. None of the routes face incumbent competition.

LOT Polish Airlines introduced Gothenburg (GOT) to its network this week, beginning a six times weekly service to Warsaw Chopin (WAW).

Launched 28 August, the 824-kilometre route is already flown by Wizz Air three times weekly on A320s.

It is very pleasing for Swedavia to be able to offer more travelers a quick and easy line to the trendy and exciting city of Warsaw.

It is also an important line for business travelers in both Poland and Western Sweden, said Charlotte Ljunggren, Director, Gothenburg Airport.

LOT will operate the route using 70-seat CRJ 900s which it flies on behalf of Nordica, which on the same day began services to Gothenburg from Tallinn.

Gothenburg becomes LOT’s second route to Sweden from Chopin, with it also serving Stockholm Arlanda with three daily flights.

LOT Polish Airlines commenced a weekly service between Rzeszow (RZE) and Tel Aviv (TLV) on 11 March, with the 737-800-operated service being flown on a Warsaw Chopin-based aircraft, routing Chopin–Tel Aviv–Rzeszow–Tel Aviv–Chopin.

The 2,274-kilometre airport pair launched by the Star Alliance member this week will not face direct competition, and will operate inbound from Tel Aviv on Saturday evenings, with the outbound leg from Rzeszow being flown on Sunday mornings.

With this launch, LOT now serves Tel Aviv from six airports in Poland on 21 weekly flights.

LOT Polish Airlines now flies 12 times weekly to Berlin Tegel (TXL) from its Warsaw Chopin (WAW) hub, having ceased operations to the German capital in July 2013.

The route, which started on 4 December, is operated by the Star Alliance carrier’s Q400s and E170s, and a third daily flight will be added from June 2018.

Tegel is the sixth airport in Germany that LOT Polish Airlines operates to, with Nuremburg soon to become the seventh.

LOT Polish Airlines is back in Berlin. We are pleased that the airline is resuming its connection to Warsaw, says Engelbert LUtke Daldrup, CEO of Berlin Brandenburg Airport.

We share a long history: LOT was one of the first airlines at Schonefeld Airport. It is good to know that they are once again securing this important route into the economic centre of our neighbours.

There is no competition on the airport pair.

LOT Polish Airlines introduced services between Warsaw Chopin (WAW) and Oslo Gardermoen (OSL) on 25 March.

The Star Alliance member will offer 13 weekly flights on the 1,078-kilometre European capital connection using its fleet of E195s.

Competition on the route comes from Norwegian and SAS, with the rivals offering 10 weekly rotations combined between the two airports when referencing OAG schedules.

LOT Polish Airlines now flies 12 times weekly to Berlin Tegel (TXL) from its Warsaw Chopin (WAW) hub, having ceased operations to the German capital in July 2013.

The route, which started on 4 December, is operated by the Star Alliance carrier’s Q400s and E170s, and a third daily flight will be added from June 2018.

Tegel is the sixth airport in Germany that LOT Polish Airlines operates to, with Nuremburg soon to become the seventh.


Tourism Observer

EUROPE: Some Dangerous Cities

Europe expereiences a high level of safety, violence does occur and patterns of where and when it does can appear.

This is measured from a city's its homicide rate, which is defined as the intentional death of a citizen at the hands of another citizen or citizens.

These rates are calculated to be per capita, so although one city may experience a higher number of murders than another, if their population is larger the murder rate will be lower as a result.

Areas such as Central and South America and Africa can see rates reaching 50 murders per 100,000 residents, and the homicide rate of the United States is around 5 per 100,000.

Tallinn, Estonia - 5.5 homicides per 100,000 people

Tallinn is a city in Estonia, situated on the northern coast of the country. With a relatively small population of 443,894, the city experienced 22 homicides in 2010, bringing its rate to 5.5 per 100,000.

This sits lower than the murder rate of Estonia that was calculated between 1999 and 2001, which was calculated as a high of 9.4 per 100,000 people.

The general trend appears to be that the homicide rate in Tallinn is decreasing, as 40 murders were reported in 2005, standing in contrast to 2010.

However, Tallinn's small population size, relatively large amount of murders per capita, and position on a continent where violent crime is highly uncommon gives it a place at the top of this list.

Glasgow, Scotland - 5.1 homicides per 100,000 people

Glasgow is the largest city of Scotland, located in the United Kingdom.

In 2010, the homicide rate of Glasgow was 5.1 per 100,000 residents, calculated from a total of 30 murders that were experienced in the city that year.

30 is a number that appears to be average for the number of violent deaths in Glasgow every year, a number that may be due to organized gangs and turf wars.

Vilnius, Lithuania - 4.7 homicides per 100,000 people

Vilnius is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, which is located in the Baltic states.

In 2010, Vilnius reported 26 crimes, producing a crime rate of 4.7 per 100,000 inhabitants.

This number was, however, actually a decrease from the crime rates experience prior to 2010, which reached a high in 2008 when 58 homicides were recorded resulting in a rate of 10.4 per 100,000 residents.

Despite these numbers of homicides that appear relatively high for Europe, visitors are still much more likely to encounter petty crime such as pickpocketing and credit card theft.

Moscow, Russia - 4.2 homicides per 100,000 people

Moscow is the capital of Russia and the largest city on the European continent with 12.2 million inhabitants.

It is a major cultural center of Europe and is located on the Moskva River.

In 2010, there were 483 homicides reported in Moscow, although this was a decrease from numbers seen in 2005, 2006 and 2007, where 766, 767, and 629 murders were reported respectively.

This decrease in murders may be a sign that violent crime in Moscow is decreasing, although other crime such as car theft remains a problem in this major city.

Podgorica, Montenegro - 3.5 homicides per 100,000 people

Podgorica is the largest city of Montenegro, as well as serving as the nation's capital. Between 1946 and 1992, when Montenegro was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Yugoslavia), the city was known as Titograd.

In 2010, there were 7 deaths by homicide recorded in Podgorica.

This is a number that seems pretty on-trend for what is reported for Podgorica, although the year 2006 did see an influx of homicides, with 12 in the year bringing the homicide rate of the time up to 6.5 per 100,000 residents.

Belfast, Northern Ireland - 3.3 homicides per 100,000 people

Belfast is the largest city in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom and located in the north of the island of Ireland.

In 2010, Belfast reported a homicide rate of 3.3, which was calculated from nine murders, given Belfast's relatively small population of 286,000.

This crime rate, however, is part of a trend in the lowering of homicides in Northern Ireland.

During the Troubles of the 1970s and 80s, the crime rate of Northern Ireland was closer to 31 per 100,000, which is similar to the homicide rate that could be found in Colombia or South Africa during the early 2010s.

Riga, Latvia - 3.3 homicides per 100,000 people

Riga is the largest city in Latvia, a country located in the Baltic states.

In 2010, there were 23 murders in the city, resulting in a homicide rate of 3.3.

Although the historic city is known to be relatively safe, public parks and the heavily-touristed Old Town are known to be areas where crime could be more likely to occur, although much of this may be petty crime such as pickpocketing.

2010, however, appears to have been slightly lower than what is average for Riga, as the years 2005-2009 each saw over 30 reported homicide incidents.

Kiev, Ukraine - 3.2 homicides per 100,000 people

Kiev is the largest city and capital of the Eastern European country of Ukraine. In 2010, 118 of Kiev's residents were victims of homicide, creating a murder rate of 3.2

This appears to be a number that is a somewhat annual average for Kiev, where murder rates are about 100 per year.

The public transit system, including suburban trains, have been singled out as potential hotbeds for violent crime in Kiev due to their tendency to be overcrowded and require repairs.

Zurich, Switzerland - 3.0 homicides per 100,000 people

Zurich is the largest city in the central European nation of Switzerland.

In 2010, there were 11 homicides reported in the city, which creates a murder rate of 3.0 when the city's low population of less than half a million is taken into consideration.

2010, however, does appear to be somewhat of an anomaly for this Swiss urban area, as both the years 2009 and 2011 saw only 4 and 1 murders, respectively.

Brussels, Belgium - 2.8 homicides per 100,000 people

Brussels is the largest city in Belgium, located in Western Europe.

It is also well known for being the capital of the European Union (EU).

In 2010, there were 31 murders in Brussels, a number that appears to be average for the city with the year 2008 being a slight exception when 44 homicides were reported.

In 2001, Brussels was the fourth most crime-ridden city in Europe, although this number also took into other crimes such as burglary and assault.




Tourism Observer

MONTENEGRO: Montenegro Airlines And Etihad Airways Sign Codeshare

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Montenegro Airlines, the flag carrier of the Republic of Montenegro, have signed a codeshare agreement that provides travellers with enhanced connectivity when flying between Southeast Europe and the Middle East.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Montenegro Airlines, the flag carrier of the Republic of Montenegro, have signed a codeshare agreement that provides travellers with enhanced connectivity when flying between Southeast Europe and the Middle East.

The agreement will see Etihad Airways placing its “EY” code on Montenegro Airlines’ flights between Belgrade and two destinations in Montenegro – its capital Podgorica and the attractive town of Tivat on the Adriatic coast.

Montenegro Airlines will, in return, enhance access to Etihad Airways’ network by placing its “YM” code on the airline’s daily flights between Belgrade and Abu Dhabi.

The agreement will offer Montenegro Airlines’ passengers greater convenience and flexibility of travel to the UAE and beyond via the Serbian capital, and contribute to an increased inflow of business and leisure travellers to Montenegro.

Gregory Kaldahl, Etihad Airways Senior Vice President Network, said: We are pleased to sign a codeshare agreement with Montenegro Airlines, which is advantageous for both our airlines and guests. Travellers in Montenegro can now reach our Abu Dhabi hub with a convenient one-stop connection in Belgrade, from where they can access key destinations in our global network with greater ease.

In turn, Etihad Airways will expand its travel offer to Montenegro, an increasingly popular business and tourism destination.

Daliborka PejoviC, President of the Board of Directors of Montenegro Airlines, said: For us at Montenegro Airlines it is clear that such forms of collaboration with Etihad Airways, a global leader in the aviation industry, are very important for our airline and our country.

The codeshare agreement will strengthen our connections to Etihad’s network and consequently enhance the global profile of Montenegro Airlines.

As a result, travellers from across the world will now be able to access Montenegro with greater ease and convenience, which will contribute to our inbound tourism figures, a vital component of our national economy.

Flights under the codeshare agreement are bookable via travel agents, online via etihad.com or montenegroairlines.com, or by phoning the airlines’ contact centres. Guests can travel on the codeshare services.

*Subject to Government Approval

SLOVENIA: Air India And Adria Airways Sign Code-Share Agreement

Adria Airways – the Airline of Slovenia and Air India have signed a Code-Share Agreement to enhance bilateral cooperation between India and Slovenia. The code share will result in better collaboration and sharing of air services between India and Slovenia.

The Code-Share Agreement was signed by Mr. Rohit Nandan – Chairman & Managing Director Air India and Mr Mark Anzur – President Management Board & CEO, Adria Airways at the Ministry of Civil Aviation, New Delhi today in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh and Karl Viktor Erjavec, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Republic of Slovenia .

On this occasion Mr Mark Anzur said : “ We will have daily flights from New Delhi to Ljubljana with a stopover in Frankfurt. Air India is the operating carrier for New Delhi to Frankfurt, and Adria from Frankfurt to Ljubljana. We are hopeful that air traffic between both countries will witness an increase with the codeshare agreement, thus strengthening our tourism ties.”

Adria Airways offers more than 140 scheduled flights every week to Amsterdam, Belgrade, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Podgorica, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje, Tirana, Vienna and Zurich.

A member of Star Alliance, Adria Airways in connection with other airline partners in Star Alliance, offers access to a global network of 27 airlines with more than 21,900 daily flights to 1,328 airports in 195 countries. The Frequent Flyer Programme of Adria Airways – is Miles & More, which is also the Programme for Lufthansa, Swiss Air, Austrian Airlines etc, helps frequent travellers to accumulate and redeem benefits on Star Carriers.

Headquartered near Ljubljana – the Capital of Slovenia, Adria Airways connects 16 cities throughout Europe and offers excellent connections to South East Europe.

Slovenia, a Schengen State, situated in Central Europe with Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia as neighbouring countries, is at the crossroads of European cultural and trade routes and is a diverse country relative to its geography , history, economy , culture and language. The country provides beaches, lakes, mountains, Ski-slopes and is gaining as a popular Health Destination.

India and Slovenia traditionally have excellent bilateral relations. The future of cooperation between Slovenia and India lies in deepening cooperation in all areas of mutual interest. In particular, there is growing cooperation in the economic field.