Airlines
One Is The Happiest Number
Since it launched its Travelport Merchandising Platform a year ago at the CAPA Airline Summit in Dublin, Travelport reports that it has made some significant progress. The Travelport Merchandising Platform was developed to allow airlines to distribute and differentiate all of their fares and ancillaries via the travel agency channel, connecting to Travelport exactly how they chose to, whilst enabling travel agencies to fully compare the offers from those airlines. The platform offers three distinct solutions -- Travelport Aggregated Shopping, Travelport Ancillary Services and...
Air Canada Connected
Air Canada, the first Canadian carrier to offer customers in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity, plans to begin rolling out connectivity across its North American fleet next month under an agreement with Gogo, the airline announced in a release issued today from one of its Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft. The agreement will also provide for future type-testing of Gogo satellite solutions for Wi-Fi on international flights. “Air Canada continually seeks to enhance the travel experience and that is why we are pleased to be the first airline in Canada to offer in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity to...
Lufthansa, Germanwings Expand Capacity
Lufthansa and Germanwings are increasing capacity by 5% for the summer of 2014. Passengers can choose from 235 destinations in 78 countries, including Lufthansa's four newest gateways in Jakarta, Indonesia; Tokyo's Haneda Airport; Bodrum, Turkey; and Lamezia Terme, Italy. The summer schedule, which is valid through Oct. 25, 2014, will also add flights from Frankfurt to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Frankfurt to Mexico City. In addition, passengers travelling to Canada will have expanded service to Montreal and Toronto, with flights from both Frankfurt and Munich. Lufthansa's long-haul...
Reduced Lufthansa Timetable On Schedule
Lufthansa’s significantly scaled back flight operations -- due to a strike by the pilots’ union -- are on schedule, with the number of flights cut by around 90%. According to officials, thanks to the prompt planning of a stable minimum of operations, the remaining flights have so far taken place as planned. Lufthansa cancelled approximately 3,800 flights and is operating a remainder of some 500 connections. The impact on earnings will come to a medium double-digit million figure. The situation is very quiet at all airports in Germany -- including the major hubs in Frankfurt and...
US Airways Joins Transatlantic Joint Venture
US Airways has joined the transatlantic joint venture that includes American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia and Finnair. The joint venture -- which was established by American, British Airways and Iberia in October 2010 -- allows the airlines to co-operate commercially on transatlantic flights. The joint venture also includes a revenue sharing agreement in which member airlines have permission to co-ordinate schedules and pricing on North Atlantic routes. The arrival of US Airways in the venture, sees 28 transatlantic routes being added to the joint business. The non-stop service...
TAAG-Angolan Airlines Reaches Out To Agencies
APG, Air Promotion Group, the North American representative for TAAG-Angola Airlines (DT) is has unveiled details of a new business development program for the airline in Canada. APG’s director in Canada, Karl Muller says, “Angola is one of Canada’s most important trading partners in the Sub-Saharan African region. The airline clearly understands the needs and demands for travellers from Canada and with TAAG contacts now available in Canada, will make it easier than ever to book the airline and travel to Angola.” Seeking to help travel agents and travellers alike find the...
Porter, SATA Team Up
Porter Airlines and SATA Airlines have signed an interline agreement facilitating a new travel experience between Canada and Portugal. Montreal Trudeau International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport will each serve as connecting points for Portugal and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Numerous additional Canadian destinations are accessible through this agreement via Toronto. Itineraries can now be purchased through SATA at http://www.sata.pt . Travellers will be able to tag baggage through to their final destination. “Our passengers appreciate being able to...
Solid Demand For Air Travel Continues
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports global passenger traffic results for February showing demand growth of 5.4% compared to February 2013. Although this represented a slowdown compared to the January traffic increase of 8.2%, cumulative traffic growth for the first two months of 2014 was 6.9%, which compares favourably with the 5.2% overall growth achieved in 2013. February capacity rose 5.2% and load factor climbed 0.2 percentage points to 78.1%. All regions except Africa experienced positive traffic growth. “People are flying. Strong demand is...