USA: LOT Polish To Fly Non Stop To San Francisco

San Francisco will see an influx of new European carriers next year, with LOT Polish Airlines the latest to land in the California city.

The Star Alliance carrier will begin new service between its Warsaw (WAW) base and San Francisco (SFO) on Aug. 5, the airport confirmed Monday.

The new route will operate four days a week — Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday — with a Boeing 787 aircraft.

LOT joins Alitalia in announcing new service to San Francisco in the past week. Last week, the Italian carrier unveiled plans to add service between Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and San Francisco on June 1.

Both announcements followed Icelandair’s disclosure that it will end flights to San Francisco in January. The Icelandic carrier cited commercial reasons, as well as the ongoing impact of the Boeing 737 MAX grounding, for the move.

We are thrilled that LOT Polish Airlines has chosen SFO for their nonstop flights to Warsaw, SFO airport director Ivar Satero said in a statement. This move reinforces SFO as the international gateway of choice for the San Francisco Bay Area.

With LOT’s new route, San Francisco will boast nonstops to 19 cities in Europe next summer, according to Diio by Cirium schedules. United Airlines, which operates a large hub at the Bay Area airport, operates six of those routes.

Tourism Observer

USA: Alaska Airlines Goes To El Paso

Alaska Airlines launched operations from El Paso (ELP) on 19 February, with the carrier commencing flights to the airport from San Diego (SAN) and Seattle-Tacoma (SEA).

The airline will operate both routes daily using its fleet of E175s. There is no direct competition on the 2,198-kilometre sector from Seattle-Tacoma, however Southwest Airlines already offers eight weekly flights on the 1,109-kilometre link between San Diego and El Paso.

According to airport data, El Paso handled just over 3.26 million passengers in 2018, with this representing an 11% increase versus the 2.93 million that were handled during the previous year.

Alaska Airlines becomes the airport’s seventh scheduled airline, joining Southwest Airlines (46% market share of passengers in 2018), American Airlines (31%), United Airlines (13%), Delta Air Lines (6.9%), Frontier Airlines (1.9%) and Allegiant Air (1.5%).

Alaska Airlines is a major United States airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area of the state of Washington.

It is the fifth-largest airline in the United States when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and number of destinations served.

Alaska, together with its regional partners, operates a large domestic route network, primarily focused on connecting cities on the West Coast of the United States to over one hundred destinations in the contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

Alaska Airlines is not a member of any of the three major airline alliances. However, it has codeshare agreements with 17 airlines, including member airlines of oneworld, SkyTeam, Star Alliance, and unaffiliated airlines.

Regional service is operated by sister airline Horizon Air and independent carrier SkyWest Airlines.

The airline operates its largest hub at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, and it also operates hubs in Anchorage, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco and focus cities at San Diego and San Jose.

As of 2018, the airline employs over 21,000 people and been ranked by J. D. Power and Associates as having the highest customer satisfaction of the traditional airlines for eleven consecutive years.

Through the airline's parent company, Alaska Air Group, it is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol ALK and is part of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the S&P 500 Index.

For the fiscal year 2017, Alaska Airlines reported earnings of US$1.028 billion, with an annual revenue of US$7.933 billion, an increase of 33.8% over the previous fiscal cycle. Alaska Airlines shares traded at over $63 per share, and its market capitalization was valued at US$7.5 billion in October 2018.

Alaska Airlines has 23,400 employees. Alaska's pilot group is represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International and its over 5,872 flight attendants are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants.

Since May 2005, the airline's baggage-handling operations have been outsourced to Menzies Aviation. This was in response to rejection of a contract between IAM the union which represented the baggage handlers, and Alaska Airlines.

It also allowed the airline to save an estimated $13 million a year. In late 2016, Alaska Airlines created a wholly owned subsidiary McGee Air Services which would compete with Menzies Aviation for ground handling contracts in select Alaska cities.


Tourism Observer

NEW ZEALAND: EVA Air Leases Its Boeing 777 To Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand will use a leased plane from Taiwan's EVA Air to cover for Dreamliner aircraft that are still affected by Rolls-Royce engine problems.

An EVA Boeing 777-300 will be used on Auckland-Vancouver and Auckland-Nadi routes for a fortnight from later this month.

It is the second leased 777 Air New Zealand is using.

During a six-week period until early September, the airline has an ex-Singapore Airlines 777-200 on the Auckland Honolulu route as it works through checks and repairs, if needed, to different parts of Trent engines.

The EVA plane is believed to be about nine years old, six years younger than the ex-Singapore aircraft which has been praised as roomy but has had problems with its in-flight entertainment system.

Air New Zealand said that it was leasing planes because continuing to get customers to their destinations has been its first priority as it worked through disruption from engine issue.

EVA Air is a fellow Star Alliance member.

This particular aircraft is of a similar standard to our Air New Zealand fleet with business, premium economy and economy class seating, the airline said.

There are 38 business class seats, 64 premium economy and 221 economy seats.

We are pleased to confirm that Air New Zealand crew and pilots will be operating this aircraft, who will provide the friendly Kiwi service our customers are familiar with.

Earlier this year the airline wet leased older Airbus A340s from charter operator Hi Fly that needed to be staffed by its Portuguese crew.

Air New Zealand's flight schedules have been badly affected because nine of its 11 Boeing 787s have engines subject to inspections of compressors and range some can fly from airports has been restricted.

Engines have been flown to Singapore to replace cracked compressor blades, a job that can take 10 days but also stretch for weeks depending on what else is needed.

The intermediate compressor problems, and earlier turbine blade problems led to groundings and severe disruption for airlines, including Thai and LATAM which also serve this market.

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Singapore Airlines' regional carrier Scoot have also been affected by problems with Trent Package C engines, used by about a quarter of the Dreamliner fleet.

EVA Air started flying in 1991, has 78 aircraft serving 63 destinations. It had more than 12 million passengers across its network and the US is its biggest market outside of Asia Pacific.

The airline was awarded best business class and premium economy class in Asia, at the 2018 TripAdvisor Awards which are determined by airline reviews and ratings submitted by travellers worldwide.


Tourism Observer

CANADA: Passenger Suing Air Canada For Breach Of Contract And Negligence

As one of Air Canada's most frequent flyers, Eric Wong once soared with the members of the airline's Super Elite.

But the Vancouver businessman claims the carrier clipped his wings in retaliation for his last-minute cancellation of a flight after he had already checked in and cleared security.

Wong is now suing Air Canada in B.C. Supreme Court for allegedly revoking his status and writing negative things about him on its computer records.

It's not as if he was seen with explosives or something like that, but they treat everything as if it's a threat to security, says Wong's lawyer, Don Sorochan.

And if you end up in an argument with them, you're liable to get arrested.

According to his notice of claim, Wong travels on a frequent basis throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia as an information technology consultant.

But the lawsuit says he's not your typical passenger.

First of all, his business is of such a nature that he can adjust his travel plans on short or no notice in the event of changed flight circumstances.

And second, Wong is an air travel hobbyist, a passenger who uses the existing tariff and travel rules set by airlines, credit cards and hotels to earn free or reduced cost travel benefits including flights, lodging and other upgrades.

He claims he never checks bags, often books and cancels last minute and pays for the privilege.

Wong flew enough to qualify as an Air Canada Altitude Super Elite member, a status conferred on passengers who earn 100,000 Aeroplan status miles or 95 status flight segments annually.

He claims he also took part in the airline's Earn Your Wings promotion, a contest in which passengers like him turn their passion for flight into bonus points and extra air miles.

All that combined to make him a familiar face to the airline's employees.

Mr. Wong was known to Air Canada personnel, the notice of claim says.

Mr. Wong's travel patterns were also well known to Air Canada personnel with whom, because he was such a frequent passenger, he dealt with frequently.

But the skies allegedly turned unfriendly on Jan. 10, 2016, after Wong told a customer service agent in the secure-side YVR Maple Leaf Lounge he no longer wished to fly on the flight he had checked into.

Because he was already in the international departures area, he claims he asked for an escort to get him back out past Canada Customs.

The Air Canada Maple Leaf customer service agent insisted, in a stern manner, that Mr. Wong provide a reason for his change of travel plans, the claim says.

Mr. Wong advised the Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge customer service agent that he did not wish to fly and wanted to leave the lounge.

Wong claims the agent told him to stay where he was while she made numerous telephone calls and conducted computer terminal searches.

He was eventually escorted out, but 10 days later, Wong claims Air Canada told him his Altitude Super Elite status was suspended indefinitely.

The reason? He had cleared security and accessed the international or trans-border sterile areas of the airport, possibly, without the purpose of travelling.

Wong claims a lawyer for Air Canada later demanded justification for his decision to cancel his booking.

But he says the company's own rules for Wong's fare class say that's not necessary: free cancellation within 24 hours of booking. You'll get a full refund, no questions asked.

In the weeks after his status was suspended, Wong claims he encountered a series of delays in which Air Canada employees scrutinized his identification and spoke to corporate security.

He says he was also denied entry into the Maple Leaf lounge, despite having a business class ticket with Star Alliance member United Airlines, which entitled him entry.

Because of the way Mr. Wong has been treated, and what was said to him, by Air Canada personnel after they have accessed Air Canada computer records while dealing with him, it is apparent that the Air Canada computer records contain something negative about him, the claim says.

Wong is suing for breach of contract and negligence.

He claims the airline's corporate security has engaged in surveillance and monitoring of his online and offline activities to retroactively justify their high-handed actions.

Air Canada declined to comment on the case while it is before the courts.

None of the allegations in the lawsuit have been proven in court.


Tourism Observer

USA: United Airlines Launches New Flights

United Airlines launched two transatlantic routes on 23 May, with it now serving Reykjavik/Keflavik (KEF) from New York Newark (EWR), while Edinburgh (EDI) has greeted its third route with the Star Alliance member, this time from Washington Dulles (IAD).

This fantastic addition to Edinburgh Airport will link our two capital cities for the first time and strengthen the already strong links between Scotland and America.

This was a comment by Gordon Dewar, CEO, Edinburgh Airport on the Star Alliance member’s connection between the capitals of Scotland and the US.

The 4,175-kilometre link from New York and 5,578-kilometre sector from Washington will both be flown daily this summer on the carrier’s fleet of 757-200s.

While the new service to Edinburgh faces no direct competition, the route between Newark and Reykjavik/Keflavik is already well served, with WOW air (13 weekly flights) and Icelandair (daily) providing a robust schedule between the two airports.

Iceland becomes United’s 13th European country market.

Although United’s inaugural flight from San Francisco to Munich departed California on 24 May the return flight departed Bavaria the following day. In Munich there was a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the event.

United already serves Munich with daily flights from Chicago, Houston, Newark and Washington.

United Airlines has launched daily flights between San Francisco (SFO) and Munich (MUC). The 9,432-kilometre route will be flown using the airline’s 787-8s.

Star Alliance partner Lufthansa already operates a daily service between the two cities. For United this becomes its fifth route to the Bavarian capital as it already flies daily from Chicago, Houston, Newark and Washington.

This new seasonal service will operate until 4 September. United now serves 87 destinations non-stop from San Francisco, of which 25 are outside of the US. Apart from Munich, United also serves Frankfurt in Germany with double-daily flights this summer.

Singapore Airport baked an impressive cake to welcome the arrival of United Airlines’ non-stop service from Los Angeles.

The carrier will operate the 14,096-kilometre link from the Californian hub daily on its 787-9s. By launching flights to Singapore, this becomes the airline’s longest route from Los Angeles.

United Airlines launched its longest route from Los Angeles (LAX) on 27 October, a 14,096-kilometre link to Singapore (SIN), beating the airline’s current route to Melbourne from the Californian hub which has a sector length of 12,751 kilometres.

Flown on the Star Alliance member’s 787-9s with a daily rotation, this becomes United’s second non-stop route to Singapore from the US after San Francisco.

Another long-haul sector launched by United this week is the 8,541-kilometre link from New York Newark (EWR) to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE), a route that will be served by carrier’s fleet of 767-400s when referring to OAG schedules.

Launched on 28 October, the daily connection from Newark down to Argentina will face no direct competition, with the airline’s new US-Asia service also not facing any incumbents.

It should be noted that United already offers daily flights to Ezeiza from Houston Intercontinental on its 777-200s.

Scottsbluff Airport baked a cake to greet United Airlines’ inaugural service from Denver on 30 January. The Star Alliance member will operate a twice-daily service on the 241-kilometre sector using its CRJ 200s.

United Airlines has debuted two Nebraska routes from Denver (DEN) this week, with the Star Alliance member commencing services from its Colorado hub to North Platte (LBF) and Scottsbluff (BFF).

The latter was the first to launch, with the 241-kilometre route being inaugurated on 30 January, while the 364-kilometre link to North Platte commenced two days latter.

Both sectors will be flown twice-daily using the carrier’s CRJ 200s, with no direct competition being provided. See how Scottsbluff Airport’s FTWA compares to others from around the world.


United Airlines inaugurated its new non-stop seasonal service between its New York Newark hub and Porto. The outbound flight, UA144, departs New York daily at 21:45, landing in Portugal at 09:45 the following day.

United flight UA145 departs Porto at 12:35, arriving in Newark at 15:35 on the same day all times local.

United Airlines has initiated two new city pairs this week, one domestic and one international. On 1 May, the Star Alliance carrier began the 452-kilometre route from Denver (DEN) to Moab (CNY) in Utah.

The 12 times weekly CRJ 200-operated sector will encounter no direct competition. Three days later, United commenced a link from its New York Newark (EWR) gateway to Porto (OPO).

The daily 757-200-operated service will face incumbent TAP Air Portugal, which flies the same airport pair twice-weekly.


Tourism Observer

COLOMBIA: Avianca Starts Flights To Argentina

Colombia’s flagship carrier, Avianca, has been given a 15-year concession to operate within the South American nation starting July 11.

As part Avianca’s continuing expansion across the continent, German Efromovich, Avianca’s Chief Executive Officer, had been in talks with Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri to open routes in a restrictive market, dominated by the country’s main carrier, Aerolineas Argentinas.

Avianca will begin by operating a daily flight between Buenos Aires and Reconquista (Santa Fe).

We have to connect Argentina, a country with fewer internal flights than 30 years ago, said German Efromovich to La .

The ambitious plans include connecting the capital, Buenos Aires, with planned hubs in Cordoba, Mendoza, Iguazú, Rosario, Tucumán, Salta and Jujuy.

A total of 16 domestic routes are part of the concession.

Avianca’s incursion in Argentina amounts to an investment of US$180 million dollars, the acquisition of six planes costing US$25 million each and US$30 to US$40 million in start-up costs.

The CEO aims to move 125,000 passengers before the end this year.

In March, Argentina’s Anti-corruption Office (OA) launched an investigation into a possible conflict of interest when in 2016 the Macri family sold their airline MacAir Jet to the shareholders of Avianca’s local holding company, Avian S.A.

The OA shelved the probe last month claiming there were no issues as the Macri family business was founded back in 1993 and the sale was no guarantee to Avianca’s entry into the local market.

By offering a foreign-based airline access to domestic tourism, Efromovich believes Argentines will welcome greater competition.

I don’t know if it’s expensive to fly in Argentina, but it’s going to be cheaper when we fly, he said.

As a member of Star Alliance, passengers flying within Argentina will be able to accumulate miles with other affiliated airlines that include United, Lufthansa, Air Canada and Singapore Airlines.


Tourism Observer

AUSTRIA: Adria Airways And Austrian Airlines Sign Wet Lease Agreement

Austrian Airlines will start a wet lease agreement with its Star Alliance partner Adria Airways. The aim of the agreement is to have reserve aircraft available to enable greater flexibility in flight planning.

Austria’s flag carrier will lease the aircraft along with cockpit and cabin crew – one as of September 16, 2017, and the other as of October 1, 2017.

The Canadair CRJ 900 jets offer room for 86 passengers and thus have a larger seating capacity than the Bombardier Q400.

According to an announcement, the aircraft will be operated in the Austrian Airlines route network.

Planned destinations amongst others include Warsaw, Venice and Bucharest. Passengers on board will enjoy the customer service provided by DO&CO.

The hub of Adria Airways is at Ljubljana Airport, near the capital of Slovenia.

The Slovenian home carrier is a member of Star Alliance, and has thus been a reliable partner of Austrian Airlines for many years, Austrian Airlines said.

Adria Airways links Slovenia with numerous European cities, and offers flight connections to South East Europe.

The airline’s headquarters are located at Joze Pucnik Ljubljana Airport.

Adria Airways has sales offices in almost all European countries.



Tourism Observer

Air India Joins Fellow Star Alliance Carriers at Heathrow Terminal 2 | The Queen’s Terminal

Star Alliance member carrier Air India has successfully moved all its operations at London Heathrow’s Airport from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2, the home of Star Alliance.

The national airline of India operates up to eight daily flights in and out of Heathrow with either Boeing 777 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft and has been serving London for nearly 70 years.

At present it offers two daily flights to Delhi, one daily flight to Mumbai, four weekly flights to Ahmedabad and three weekly flights to Newark (New York).

“With 24 of our member airlines flying to Heathrow, the airport is served by more Star Alliance member carriers than any other airport in our worldwide network.

Therefore our long term strategy for Heathrow has always been to locate all our members under the same roof. With Air India’s successful move to the Queen’s Terminal we have now accomplished this”, said Jeffrey Goh, CEO Star Alliance.

Compared to Terminal 4, the check-in layout and concept in Terminal 2 allows customers to take greater control of their journey. This has been made possible through a combination of increased automation and common check-in.

Travellers who have not checked in online can use any of 81 multi-airline check-in kiosks available throughout Terminal 2. These also print boarding passes and bag tags.

Once checked in, Air India passengers can drop off their bags at the shared counters in Zone D. Customers requiring additional support and assistance or travelling in First Class, Business Class or holding Star Alliance Gold status will also find the respective counters in Zone D.

Air India customers travelling in either First or Business Class or holding Star Alliance Gold status can make use of any of the four lounges in Terminal 2 operated by fellow Star Alliance member airlines Air Canada, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and United.

SOUTH AFRICA: Lufthansa Flying From Frankfurt To Cape Town Direct - 2 December 2016,

Lufthansa is expanding operations in South Africa, adding a non-stop route from Cape Town to Frankfurt - the airline has announced.

Dr André Schulz, Lufthansa General Manager for Southern Africa, speaking at a media briefing in Cape Town, says the city will now boast services to both Lufthansa Hubs, Munich & Frankfurt.

The new route will start 2 December 2016, with the long-term view to make the route permanent, according to Schulz, complimenting the year-round daily flights from Johannesburg. Added to this, Edelweiss the Swiss Leisure carrier is expected to continue seasonal flights to Zurich.

Flights will depart from Frankfurt every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday - with bookings available immediately for these flights from Friday, 27 May 2016, either through the Lufthansa website or through travel agents.

Tourist arrivals to South Africa in 2016 are already on the up and up as the department of tourism just announced an 18.7%, with Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom cautioning that Easter in March would have had an impact - but the seasonal flights increases will bode well for tourism as a whole.

According to the latest StatSA figures released for the first quarter of 2016, 36 759 visitors from Germany came to SA in for the first quarter, while a comparison between movements in March 2015 and March 2016 shows that the number of tourists increased for seven of the ten leading overseas markets into the country - these being China, Belgium, USA, UK, India, France and Germany.

'Night service to off best possible options to access connections'

Schulz says the flight will operate as a night service with Lufthansa choosing the departure and arrival times carefully to offer travellers the "Best possible options to access connections to the entire Lufthansa route network.”

Flight LH576 leaves Lufthansa's Frankfurt hub at 22:10 and arrives in Cape Town the following morning at 11:00. The return journey departs from Cape Town in the early evening at 18:30 and touches down in Frankfurt the following morning at 05:30, where passengers can access Lufthansa’s entire flight program from its main hub. In total, the Lufthansa Group serves 316 destinations in 101 countries from its hubs in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Lufthansa currently operates a year-round daily flight between Frankfurt and Johannesburg with the Boeing 747-8, the next generation of the iconic Jumbo jet, the longest passenger aircraft in the world. In addition, Swiss International Airlines serves Johannesburg from its Zurich base, offering a daily service with an Airbus A340-300.

“After Johannesburg, Cape Town is one of the most important markets for the Lufthansa Group in Southern Africa and the new gateway will offer our customers access to some 200 destinations from the Frankfurt hub. It also unlocks new tourism opportunities for those coming in from Germany by offering attractive combination options to other destinations in Southern Africa through our Star Alliance partners," says Schulz.

The Cape Town route will be served by a newly retrofitted Airbus A340-300, which boasts over 279 seats and offers the new Intercontinental Business Class (30), new Premium Economy (28) Class and Economy Class (221).

“South Africa remains one of our most important markets in sub-Saharan Africa and a key destination for German as well as other European visitors. We are thrilled to continue building bridges between the Lufthansa Group and the South African tourist industry, says Claus Becker, Director of Sales, sub Saharan Africa.

Added to this, Lufthansa said it would be looking to have a competitive outbound offering for South Africa headed to Frankfurt. "Germany’s central position in Europe makes it an excellent point of departure for business or leisure trips, from the largest Star Alliance hub in Europe,” he added.

In addition to the new SA flight route, the airline is looking to added capacity to its current three flights in Nairobi, Kenya increasing it to four flights a week from 1 September 2016.

Earlier in May, Lufthansa's low-cost carrier EuroWings also launched non-stop flight to the popular holiday destination of Mauritius. Eurowings, which was launched in the beginning of March 2015, will offer year round service from Cologne to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport during the European Summer and Winter Seasons. With the arrival of Swiss leisure carrier Edelweiss in October, Lufthansa will serve Mauritius with four brands from Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

Locally, the Western Cape area’s tourism industry is ecstatic about Lufthansa’s additional frequencies into the region.

“This new Lufthansa route will have a positive impact on business and tourism in the Cape,” says Tim Harris, CEO of Wesgro, the official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape.

“Germany is a priority market as our third-largest source of foreign direct investment, and the third biggest buyer of our products outside of Africa." Cape Town Air Access, a division of Wesgro says it is "actively working on making the direct Frankfurt - Cape Town route a success through publicity, market awareness, and networking opportunities".

“German tourist arrivals are growing rapidly, so we are very pleased that Lufthansa added Frankfurt to their existing seasonal direct daily Munich service. With this additional capacity we expect that Cape Town International Airport will easily reach the 10 million passenger milestone this year”.

Another recent addition as part of the direct route access to Cape Town includes British Airways' direct flights between Cape Town and Gatwick, set to start 24 November. Added to this British Airways has added two more flights to its already expanded Cape Town summer schedule, bringing the number of summer flights between Cape Town International and Heathrow Airport to 19 per week.

Deon Cloete, the General Manager of Cape Town International Airport, also welcomed the announcement. “This additional service from Lufthansa is not only good news for the airport or the region, but particularly for those who need a directly flight to Frankfurt. We value the partnership and the ongoing commitment Lufthansa has made in growing their service and thereby providing connectivity to the rest of the world. This is a huge vote of confidence in our city and we look forward to the continued partnership.”

Flight schedule (all times are local times;winter time) for FRA - CPT 3 times a week

- Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, from 02.12.2016

- LH576: FRA 22:10 – 11:00 +1 CPT
- LH577: CPT 18:30 – 05:30 +1 FRA


Flight duration: (on average) 11 hours 50 minutes

Distance: 9 401 km (5 076 nautical miles)

Aircraft type: Airbus A340-300 (30 Business Class; 28 Premium Economy; 221 Economy Class)

CANADA: Air Canada And Avianica Brasil Announce Codeshare Agreement

Star Alliance partners Air Canada and Avianca Brasil announced yesterday they have implemented the first stage of a codeshare agreement. Initially, Air Canada will sell, in all its channels, tickets for flights operated by its partner Avianca Brasil under the AC code, significantly expanding its distribution in the local Brazilian market.

The agreement includes flights to and from Brasília, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro (Antonio Carlos Jobim-Galeao airport), Salvador and São Paulo (Guarulhos airport). Air Canada customers will enjoy the benefit of boarding through direct connections, checking-in only once and dispatching baggage to the final destination. Codeshare flights are for sale effective yesterday for travel beginning May 9.

“Air Canada operates the only service between Canada and Brazil with non-stop flights from our Toronto global hub daily to Sao Paulo and three-times weekly to Rio de Janeiro. We are pleased to enhance these services by offering our customers convenient codeshare connections to other Brazilian cities with our Star Alliance partner Avianca Brasil,” said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada.

“Through this agreement, we reinforce our commitment to Star Alliance, contributing to the expansion of the flight network, which is already the most extensive among all global alliances,” said Frederico Pedreira, President of Avianca Brasil.

Customers who are members of Avianca Brasil’s Amigo or Air Canada’s Aeroplan programs already benefit from being able to earn points/miles, qualifying for program status upgrades and redemption on all 18,500 daily flights operated by Star Alliance carriers to 1,330 airports in 192 countries. In addition, members of Gold and Diamond categories are entitled to preferential check-in, extra baggage allowance, priority boarding and access to VIP lounges.

KENYA: Jomo Kenyata International Airport To Open New Lounge, Courtesy Turkish Airlines.

A site inspection earlier this week by Kenya Airport Authority, Turkish Airlines and Turkish Embassy staff gave a clear indication how far the construction of the new Turkish Airlines premium lounge has advanced in recent weeks.

Hot on the heels of the opening of two lounges, Mara and Mt. Kenya, in the new Terminal 2, owned and operated by Tradewinds Aviation, will the new premium lounge commissioned by Turkish Airlines add yet more facilities at JKIA, as the modernization and refurbishment of the old terminals continues.

A Site inspection to assess progress for the new Turkish Airlines / Star Alliance premium lounge at JKIA.

It is understood that the lounge in Terminal 1D will cater not only for premium passengers of the daily Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul but will also be available for other Star Alliance partners flying to Nairobi.

In a related development is the official launch of the new arrival lounge, which will cater for international passengers arriving on airlines other than Kenya Airways and their SkyTeam partners, now imminent. Final tests, as reported here, were successful and the passenger flow will be re-directed to the new facility in just a few days from now.

TURKEY: Turkish Airlines Expands Flights To Americas

Turkey’s flagship carrier, Turkish Airlines, has announced plans to begin operating flights to Bogota and Panama City beginning May 4.

The inclusion of the two new destinations will bring to 14 the number of destinations Turkish Airlines services in North and South America, with another route to Atlanta expected to be launched later, the company said in a statement on Feb. 26, according to Anadolu Agency.

The Istanbul departures will run three times per week.

Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines is a four-star airline with a fleet of 289 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying to 277 destinations worldwide, 229 international and 48 domestic, according to the company’s website.

The success of Turkish Airlines has recently become a case study at Harvard Business School (HBS), one of the world’s most prestigious institutions.

The case study called “Turkish Airlines: Widen Your World” explored the company’s transformation from a regional actor to a global powerhouse in the international aviation industry and discussed its fast and profitable growth in the sector.

UAE: Emirates Mocks Lufthansa CEO Over "Blame Games"

Emirates has lashed out at what it says is a concerted campaign by Lufthansa to "externalise failure" by blaming the Dubai airline for its current woes.

In an editorial piece for its public affairs journal, Open Skies, Emirates said it treated these efforts as "a compliment", particularly given the size and reach of the Star Alliance, of which Lufthansa is a founding member.

"For a decade, Lufthansa's attempts at putting forward excuses for the structural problems have remained the same: Lufthansa wants people to believe it is the competitive challenge of Emirates that is the root cause of all its problems," read an article in the magazine entitled "Lufthansa misleads...again".

"In fact, they go to such great lengths to explain the alleged negative effects Emirates has, that the difference between myth and fact tends to get blurred. This supports the attempts to externalise failure - we can only assume this is deliberate."

In particular, the UAE carrier hit out at Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr over an article published in a German newspaper in December, in which the German executive claimed that Emirates did not pay taxes or participate in emissions trading schemes. Spohr also claimed that the European carrier had had to abandon routes as a result of strong competition from the Gulf.

Emirates pointed out that it pays German aviation tax, that it complies with the requirements of the Emissions Trading Scheme and that Lufthansa has increased frequencies and seats on competing routes to Asia over the last decade.

"This approach of blame games is nothing more than a bid to divert attention from inefficiency and the desire to restrict consumer choice, connectivity and growth in Germany," the article concluded.

"We wish Lufthansa good luck in their endeavours, but would strongly encourage that they stick to the facts while doing so."

Lufthansa, Europe's largest airline, has come under increasing pressure not only from long-haul carriers based in the Gulf, but also the rise of low-cost carriers in its home continent.

The airline is attempting to cut costs as it copes with a series of strikes at some of its operating units.

At the end of January, Lufthansa and the UFO union, which represents its cabin crew, agreed to arbitration as a way to resolve a protracted labour dispute that has cost the carrier millions.

TAIWAN: EVA Air Increases Flights To JFK Airport

EVA Air of Taiwan will be adding three additional weekly flights on their direct Taipei (TPE) – JFK route effective July 7, thus bringing the airline’s total number of New York flights to ten weekly.


The Star Alliance member first began service to the New York area in 1992 with service to Newark via Seattle. With the delivery of new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft the route went nonstop in 2008, although a technical stop in ANC in one direction was still required. In 2011 the airline moved to JFK with nonstop flights and eventually increased to a daily frequency.

The additional flights will operate during daylight hours on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday – a great opportunity for local spotters to finally catch the airline’s fun array of ‘Hello Kitty’ inspired aircraft. EVA recently introduced a new corporate livery and has announced intentions of adding Chicago and Washington, D.C. to their route map in the United States.

The airline currently serves Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, and San Francisco, in addition to Toronto and Vancouver in Canada. Further growth is expected with orders for Boeing 787 aircraft.

EVA Air joins other Asian carriers who have recently increased their JFK frequency, many adding a second rotation on certain days of the week. Among these include ANA, JAL, China Eastern, and Air China who have all added to the market.

Schedule:

BR030 TPE0750 – 1045JFK 77W 246
BR032 TPE1910 – 2205JFK 77W D

BR031 JFK0125 – 0455+1TPE 77W D
BR029 JFK1245 – 1615+1TPE 77W 246

AUSTRIA: Austrian Airlines Inaugurate Flights To Sri Lanka

The inaugural flight Boeing 767 of Austrian Airlines, the flagship carrier of Austria touched down at Bandaranayke International Airport on 28th October 2015. After a lapse of almost 8 years, the airline will now offer direct flights from Vienna to Colombo on weekly basis.

Austrian Airlines, a member of the Star Alliance is part of the Lufthansa group and operates a global route network of around 130 destinations. Austria is in the center of Europe, with Italy and Slovenia to its south and Germany and the Czech Republic to its north. Given the ideal geographical location in the heart of Europe, direct air connectivity from Vienna to Sri Lanka is expected have a positive impact on the tourism industry of Sri Lanka.

Sir Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau officials including Ms. Madubani Perera –Director Marketing and Mr. Jagath Perera –Market officer to Austria & Sweden welcomed the Austrian Airlines crew of the inaugural flight at the BIA.

As per the exit survey conducted by Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority in 2014, main activities undertaken by Austrian tourists to Sri Lanka are sea bathing, visit to historical sites and wildlife. Sri Lankan has seen year-on-year (YOY) improvement in tourist arrivals to the island. In the nine months to September 2015 tourist arrivals from Austria increased by 9% and arrivals from Western Europe to Sri Lanka increased by 16% over the same period last year.

Entry of new airlines to island highlights the confidence placed by the international community on Sri Lanka and weekly flights from Vienna to Colombo gives greater opportunity for the tourism industry of Sri Lanka to further grow the European market.

CHINA: Shenzhen Airlines Expands Nantong Service From Late-Jan 2016

Star Alliance member Shenzhen Airlines continues to expand its international operation from Nantong, as it plans new Nantong – Nagoya service. From 26JAN16, this route will be served twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays, using Airbus A320 aircraft.

ZH9055 NTG1300 – 1615NGO 320 26
ZH9056 NGO1715 – 1900NTG 320 26

On separate note, the airline’s new weekly Nantong – Taipei Taoyuan route from 23DEC15, will be expanded to 3 weekly flights, starting 25JAN16.

ZH9051 NTG1300 – 1510TPE 320 135
ZH9052 TPE1610 – 1745NTG 320 135

AUSTRALIA: Star Alliance Named Best Airline Alliance at Australian Business Traveller Awards

Star Alliance, the world’s longest serving and most comprehensive airline alliance, has been named Best Airline Alliance by Australian Business Traveller, Asia-Pacific's leading website for business travellers and frequent flyers.

Australian Business Traveller Editor David Flynn said the inaugural awards program recognised "trend-setters and game-changers in the highly-competitive business travel market".

“With 28 member airlines under its wing, Star Alliance can take business travellers almost everywhere they need to go," said Flynn. "Our readers especially value unique benefits such as the ability to use frequent flyer points or miles to upgrade across all member airlines.

“Star Alliance is also continuing to find new ways to enhance the business travel experience - from its growing network of branded airport lounges and the opening of the state-of-the-art Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport, to the ongoing roll-out of Gold Track priority lanes that allow travellers to move through airport security more smoothly.”

"With ANA flying to Australia later this year and with Turkish Airlines planning to fly to Australia as soon as possible, subject to fleet availability and other operational considerations, Star Alliance will be an even better option for Australian business travellers."

Currently 10 Star Alliance member airlines operate services to Australia, including: Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, Asiana Airlines, EVA Air, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, THAI and United. A number of offline members are also active in the market, including, Austrian, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines and SWISS.

Mark Schwab, CEO Star Alliance commented that the Best Airline Alliance Award was testament to the dedication of Star Alliance member airlines in Australia.

“We are delighted to win this important award. With more airlines serving this market than any other alliance we offer our customers a significant choice of flights and transfer connections. It shows that by working together, even without a domestic presence in Australia, our member carriers can deliver genuine benefits to the country’s international business travellers.”

Australian Business Traveller Awards were judged by a panel of business travel experts, with honours presented across 33 categories, including first class suites and business class seats, airport lounges, frequent flyer programs, inflight food and wine and travel technology.

About Australian Business Traveller:

Launched in 2010, Australian Business Traveller (www.AusBT.com.au) is the Asia-Pacific region’s leading website for business travellers and frequent flyers. With over 500,000 unique monthly visitors and 1.6 million page views, Australian Business Traveller also ranks as Australia’s largest independent travel website.

About Star Alliance:

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Avianca Brasil, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,330 airports in 192 countries.

Star Alliance Launches New Social Media Campaign in China

Star Alliance has launched a social media campaign in China, targeted at international frequent flyers in this market, as well as their friends, colleagues and family members. Using the slogan “you make the difference”, the Alliance is encouraging the traveller’s “circle of friends” to show their appreciation for their dedication to work and travel. In addition, the campaign aims to educate and engage the Chinese international frequent flyers and also increase their brand awareness and affiliation to Star Alliance.

The campaign will run through December 7th, 2015 and is accessible via the Alliance’s WeChat social media channel in China. In addition, it is also being promoted in the communication channels of Star Alliance member airlines, such as for example their respective Chinese social media platforms or frequent flyer eNewsletters.

Friends, colleagues and family members of international frequent flyers are invited to send thank you messages, expressing their appreciation for the traveller’s devotion to work and travel. These messages can be sent through the online campaign platform in WeChat. The international frequent flyer who receives the message has the chance to win Star Alliance Gold Status, to make their travels more comfortable. A total of 10 Star Alliance Frequent Flyer programmes are participating in this promotion and will be giving away one Gold Status each: Aeroplan® (Air Canada), PhoenixMiles (Air China), ANA Mileage Club® (ANA), Asiana Club® (Asiana Airlines), Infinity MileageLands® (EVA Air), KrisFlyer (Singapore Airlines), MileagePlus® (United), Miles & More (Austrian, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS), Miles&Smiles (Turkish Airlines), Royal Orchid Plus (THAI).

The friend, colleague or family member who sent the message of appreciation has the chance to win two Star Alliance Round-the-World tickets.

These exclusive prizes underline the Star Alliance brand value and allow the winners to experience the Star Alliance global airline alliance benefits.

As a prelude to the current campaign, Star Alliance launched its new Elite Gathering Community on WeChat in China last month. This group brings together global business travelers, providing a platform for them to share their insights and valuable tips about travelling throughout the world.

Star Alliance is present in both WeChat and Weibo in China and in addition to the daily posts related to international travel, the Alliance also runs smaller promotions through these channels.

In total 20 member carriers serve the Chinese markets. Member carriers Air China and Shenzhen Airlines have both been adding international services this year. Air China for example recently launched flights from Beijing to Minsk, Budapest and Montreal and will be serving Johannesburg from the end of October. This is in addition to increasing services to, for example, Australia and the USA. Shenzhen Airlines this year started non-stop flights from Shenzhen to Osaka. It total, the Star Alliance member airlines offer around 270 daily flights international flights from China, connecting to 79 destinations in 42 countries.

According to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), China is on track to become the world’s primary business travel market. Driven by domestic and international outbound business travel, China continues to close the gap on the U.S. as the largest business travel economy in the world.

The campaign can accessed at http://x.spayz.cn/e1 or by using the QR code below. The video accompanying the campaign can be viewed via the Star Alliance youtube channel at:www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX37IN9u05I (available in Chinese only).

USA: Air Lease Corporation Announces Delivery Of First Of Four New Boeing 777-300ERs On Long Term Lease With EVA Air

Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL) announced the delivery of the first of four new B777-300ER widebody aircraft on long term lease with EVA Air (Taiwan). The additional three aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2016 and 2017, and all four are from ALC’s order book with Boeing.

“ALC is delighted to deliver this first of four new 777-300ERs to EVA Air, which also happens to be the fleet debut of the airline’s new aircraft livery,” said Steven F. Udvar-Házy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Lease Corporation. “We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with EVA as they continue to grow their long haul fleet network.”

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including expected delivery dates. Such statements are based on current expectations and projections about our future results, prospects and opportunities and are not guarantees of future performance. Such statements will not be updated unless required by law. Actual results and performance may differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL)

ALC is a leading aircraft leasing company based in Los Angeles, California that has airline customers throughout the world. ALC and its team of dedicated and experienced professionals are principally engaged in purchasing commercial aircraft and leasing them to its airline customers worldwide through customized aircraft leasing and financing solutions. For more information, visit ALC’s website at www.airleasecorp.com.

About EVA Airways Corporation (EVA Air)

EVA Air, a premier international airline based in Taiwan, was established in 1989 and has been a Star Alliance member since June 2013. EVA Air is a modern network airline operating scheduled international passenger flights and cargo services to Asia, North America, Europe, and Oceania. For more information, visit EVA Air’s website at www.evaair.com.

TURKEY: Turkish Airlines Makes Miami Destination #12 In The Americas

Wow this model plane is heavy. Special guests at the inaugural Turkish Airlines service from Istanbul Atatürk Airport to Miami share the load to commemorate the start of the 777-300-operated, daily service. The airline also connected Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen and Baghdad on the same day.

Turkish Airlines began another US destination this week (25 October), commencing daily services on the 9,601-kilometre airport pair of Istanbul Atatürk (IST) to Miami (MIA). With existing services to Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Toronto, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Boston, Montreal and San Francisco, the route becomes its 12th destination in the Americas.

“We’re thrilled to name Miami as the newest gateway in the US and proud to serve one of the most influential tourism centres in the world. Our global network and award-winning service will make international travel easier and more convenient for both business and leisure travellers in this area,” says Turkish Airlines’ CMO Ahmet Olmuştur.

The route will flown by the Star Alliance carrier’s 777-300 fleet and faces no direct competition. On the same day, Turkish Airlines launched another daily service, this time between Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) and Baghdad (BGW). The 1,569-kilometre sector will be operated by the airline’s 737-800 fleet and will encounter competition from the incumbent carrier Pegasus Airlines, which operates the same airport pair thrice-weekly.