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Krakow arrives on the aviation map

The popular business and tourist destination of Krakow receives a big boost in air service next year.

The Slovakian budget carrier Skyeurope will connect this Southern Polish city with eight new destinations including major cities in the UK and mainland Europe. The new weekly schedules, which will be phased in from the start of the summer season on March 26, include Athens (two flights), Bologna (three flights), Brussels (three flights), Naples (two flights), Stockholm (four flights) and Turin (three flights).

The two new UK destinations are Birmingham (two flights from April 12) and the Scottish capital of Edinburgh (three flights from April 13). Skyeurope wants to cash in on the growing visitor and worker traffic both from and to Krakow. Services to Birmingham. Bologna and Turin are likely to be popular with the motor industry (there's a joint Fiat/GM engine plant and Fiat vehicle factory near Krakow).

Tickets will be keenly priced. For example, in April Skyeurope is charging from £80 return from either Birmingham or Edinburgh. Existing Skyeurope services operate from London Stansted, Manchester, Dublin, Amsterdam, Barcelona (Summer season only), Milan (Bergamo), Paris (Orly) and Rome.

Other flights to Krakow from the UK are flown by British Airways and Central Wings from Gatwick, Ryanair from Stansted and Easyjet from Luton. For more information go to Skyeurope web site

Report by Alex McWhirter


Eos reschedules JFK service

Eos, the US all business class airline, will put back the timing of its London Stansted to New York JFK flight starting from the beginning of next month.
Currently the westbound flight by 48-seater B757 departs London Stansted at 10.30 but from December 1 it will leave at 19.05 to reach JFK at 21.09. The inbound service will continue to run to existing timings: 19.05 from JFK arriving Stansted at 07.30.

A spokesperson for Eos told Business Traveller, "The time change has been driven by customer demand. Passengers have reported that they would rather leave London later in the day and arrive in New York in the evening rather than mid afternoon."

On the other hand it could be argued that Eos' later departure time no longer conflicts with rival Maxjet (another US all business class carrier using a 100-seat B767 whose westbound flight leaves Stansted for JFK at 10.00). Also the later departure will provide recovery time should the inbound flight be delayed.

Both Eos and Maxjet suffered delays at Stansted earlier this week owing to foggy conditions at the Essex airport. Schedules are now back to normal although Maxjet says it will not be operating any flights to or from New York over the Thanksgiving period. There was no Maxjet flight from Stansted today. Its next service resumes on Sunday November 27. Eos says it will continue to operate over Thanksgiving.

For more information go to Eos website or Maxjet website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Emirates B777ERs to offer more premium class comfort

Emirates will begin offering UK premium ticket passengers more comfortable first and business class seating from mid-December.

Keith Longstaff, the Dubai carrier's senior VP commercial operations in Europe revealed to Business Traveller that new B777ERs will be arriving on selected routes. "They will be taking over flights currently flown by smaller A330s which will mean we will be able to offer 60% more seats overall."

Premium fare passengers benefit the most because first class passengers will get fully lie flat beds. And while Emirates still hasn't gone down the lie-flat (or even lie-flat style) route with business class, the seat pitch on the B777ERs will be increased from 50 to 60 inches. Adds Longstaff, "Glasgow-Dubai will be the first route to see the B777ERs from December 15. London will follow in the first quarter of next year. This plane will also take over one of our two daily flights from Manchester."

Emirates departs for Dubai from five UK airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. The carrier claims that between 60% and 70% of UK passengers are making onward connections at Dubai for destinations in Asia, Africa and Australasia.

For more information go to Emirates website

Report by Alex McWhirter


The LCY hub

Belgian airline VLM is speeding tens of thousands of business people between airports in the Benelux countries and Manchester, Liverpool, Jersey, the Isle of Man and vice versa.

VLM's commercial director Peter Kenworthy told Business Traveller, "We already serve a number of key cities from London City but now we are seeing an increasing number of passengers using our network to make connections via City. On some flights we find that 20% of passengers are making connections either to another VLM flight or to a different carrier."

The airline claims that passengers will transfer at LCY even in cases where there are direct flights because the timings can be more convenient. Says Kenworthy, "We can get a business traveller from Brussels to Manchester via City earlier than the first non-stop flight. With VLM you can depart Brussels at 07.15 and following a 50 minute transfer you would reach Manchester at 09.05. The first non-stop flight doesn't depart Brussels until 09.30 so you wouldn't reach Manchester until 09.50."

Schedules are geared for productive day trips on routes like Manchester-Rotterdam, Brussels-Isle of Man and Liverpool-Antwerp.

Benelux cities served by VLM are Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Luxembourg and Rotterdam. The carrier operates over 40 flights a day from London City and carries over 550,000 passengers a year with a fleet of F50 turbo-props.

For more information go to VLM website


Rezidor SAS to launch lifestyle hotel

Rezidor SAS has announced a new partnership with Italian fashion house Missoni with a view to launching a new lifestyle hotel.

The worldwide license agreement means that Rezidor expects to open three Hotel Missonis in 2007 and have 30 completed or under development by 2010. The UK is expected to be the location for one of the first of the new hotels.
The new Hotel Missonis will reflect 'a contemporary Italian life and style'. resident and CEO of Rezidor SAS Kurt Ritter said: "It's a very unique brand, with a great heritage, a very identifiable look, and real family values. I'm sure when we launch in 2007, Hotel Missoni is going to create quite and impact on the market."

It's not the first time that Rezidor has attempted such a move. Rezidor was previously linked with Italian label Cerutti only two years ago, and launched five hotels. At the time of going to press, there was no comment as to the future of that brand.

However Rezidor is confident the Missoni partnership will develop. Gordon McKinnon, senior vice president marketing, brand and corporate communication said: "This process will be very interesting because it is a long term relationship."

Report by Felicity Cousins


Seafrance introduces fast track

Cross Channel operator Seafrance will offer a fast track facility from next week.

The ferry company, which has frequent crossings between Dover and Calais, will offer expedited boarding and disembarkation facilities for motorists prepared to pay a £5 fee in each direction. Customers wishing to use the new service can check-in as usual. They are then directed to a priority boarding lane.

Bill Laidlaw, sales director of Seafrance says, "The priority boarding and unloading means our customers can drive on to the ship quicker and disembark equally as swiftly. It also means they have more time to enjoy the onboard facilities."

The service starts on December 1 and Seafrance says it will limit the number of priority passengers to ensure integrity. It is expected to appeal to those business people who regularly take their cars to France when visiting clients within easy reach of the Channel ports.

The price (before adding £10 for priority boarding) to take an average-sized car from Dover to Calais with Seafrance is £75 return based on travelling at peak times next week and staying away one night.

For more information go to Seafrance website

Report by Alex McWhirter

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Paris hotels fined for price fixing

The six luxury Parisian hotels fined this week for colluding over room rates, are planning to appeal against the fine.

The hotels were found guilty by the French Conseil de la Concurrence of fixing their room rates after managers were accused of being in regular contact over marketing strategies.

The six hotels, dubbed the "Palaces Parisiens" are Le Bristol, Le Crillon, Four Seasons George V, Le Meurice, La Plaza Athénée and Le Ritz. These iconic Parisian hotels have been given fines of between E55,000 and E248,000, the highest going to Le Crillon.

A spokesperson for the George V told Businesstraveller.com: "As this matter is under legal investigation, the hotel cannot comment on the case for now, however it does believe it is being unfairly charged and plans to appeal against the fine."

The hotels have been under investigation since December 2001. According to the Conseil de la Concurrence, the hotels have been charging upwards of E500 for their cheapest rooms, while charging up to E6,000 for superior suites. While the hotel managers say they do meet up on a regular basis, they claim not to collude over pricing.

Report by Ginny McGrath


Trains go low cost

The train companies are copying the airlines and launching low-cost alternatives with streamlined booking systems.

First off the mark was French Railways which last year launched a cut-price TGV high-speed service linking Paris with Marseilles. This iDTGV service was recently extended to cover Paris to Montpellier near the Spanish frontier. Passengers are not required to travel the whole length of the route. If you board in Paris it's possible to alight at Avignon, Toulon or Nimes. One-way tickets cost from 19 Euros in standard and Euros 39 in first class. Passengers book online with the tickets either printed out on a pc or at the station from self-service stands. The site was originally only in French but, following demand from overseas visitors, it's now also available in English.

Italy's rail system has followed suit with TrenOK. This runs on the prime business route between Rome and Milan (passengers can alight in Florence or Bologna) also between Rome and Bari in the south. One-class tickets cost upwards of Euros 19 when booked two days ahead or from Euros 9 when purchased over 12 days ahead. Bookings are ticketless but there are two drawbacks for overseas travellers: a) you must pre-register and b) the site is only in Italian.

A similar service in the UK was recently started by Southwest Trains. The Megatrain service is ticketless. It covers a number of regular but less popular trains running between London Waterloo, Portsmouth and Southampton. One-way tickets typically cost between £1 and £8. Again, passengers book online and travel is ticketless.

For more information go to IDTGV website, trenOK website, or Megatrain website

Report by Alex McWhirter


New Travelocity goes live

Travelocity.co.uk has boosted its range of content, so business travellers can now bundle low cost flights or Eurostar with an extended hotel offering, Businesstraveller.com can exclusively reveal.

Ryanair, Flybe, Germanwings and Bmibaby are among the carriers now available to book on Travelocity.co.uk, in addition to an array of charter airlines and the full service schedule carriers previously available to book.
The increased content comes as a result of the purchase of Lastminute.com by Sabre, bringing the two websites into the same stable.

Alongside the increased flights, 2,500 hotels have been added from across Europe, as well as Eurostar trains and extras such as lounge access and car parking. These various travel products can be bundled into one shopping basket and paid for in a single transaction.

Speaking to Businesstraveller.com, Lastminute.com director of holidays and flights, John Bevan said: "Travelocity had great strength in the US, but now with added Lastminute.com it's got significant European presence as well." The new website has undergone a soft launch today, but will be officially launched in a few weeks when any glitches have been sorted out.

Report by Ginny McGrath and Alex McWhirter


Airport rail links latest


The light rail link to London City Airport will open ahead of schedule, plus rail links to Stansted Airport are set to improve.

London City Airport officials will quietly open the light rail DLR extension to the airport on Friday December 2, but the official launch date is December 6. This is at least a week ahead of schedule, as predicted by Businesstraveller.com last month.

A spokesperson for DLR told Businesstraveller.com: "The railway inspectorate is checking the new London City link this afternoon (Thursday). If it gives the green light then the service will start tomorrow with the first through train being the 09.57 from Bank station in central London."

On following days services will begin running over the 4km link to London City to a normal timetable. Trains will operate from very early in the morning to late at night every seven to 10 minutes. Services will run to Canning Town (for connections to the Jubilee Underground line for Westminster and the West End), Canary Wharf (14 minutes away) and Bank (for the City, 22 minutes away). London City is located within Travelcard zone 3.

A single journey to anywhere in Central London zone 1 by DLR or Underground (or a combination of both) costs £2.80. Travellers on daytrips will qualify for a day Travelcard (covering unlimited travel within central London) and this costs £7 peak or £5.20 off-peak.

Passengers bound for Stansted Airport will benefit from a 15-minute service throughout the day from Liverpool Street Station. Currently the Stansted Express runs every 15 minutes only between 8am and 4.30pm, but under a new timetable being introduced on December 11, trains will run every 15 minutes until 11pm. This brings the service in line with the frequency of departures of the Heathrow and Gatwick services.

For more information go to Stansted Express website, TFL website and LCY airport website

Report by Alex McWhirter and Ginny McGrath


Low cost penetrates Germany

Nuremberg airport is seeking to become a centre for low-cost flights from southern Germany. The Bavarian city has a wide catchment area and even Munich, some 160 kms to the south will only be 55 minutes away by high-speed train from next May.

The city is an important trade fair centre with its main industries being food, toys and pencils. It's also famous for a Christmas Market which runs until December 24. Traditionally the airport, which handles four million passengers a year, has depended on the major carriers to develop scheduled air services. But the latter are threatened with decline because the major carriers now prefer to serve only their major hubs.

Says a spokesperson, "Our national carrier Lufthansa is focused on serving its main hubs of Munich, Frankfurt and Zurich. In common with the other big conventional carriers it shows little interest in developing new routes. If we want to develop as a business airport we must get more non-stop flights to other major cities."

So the airport authority is wooing the likes of German budget carriers Air Berlin and Dba. Air Berlin already serves London Stansted but from December 16 it will offer connections on to Manchester and Glasgow. Last month Air Berlin began flying to Leipzig, Dresden, Berlin Tegel, Dusseldorf along with Paris CDG, Milan Bergamo, Rome, Vienna and Budapest. Dba has opened routes to Hamburg, Dusseldorf and Berlin Tegel.

Nuremberg airport is bright, clean and modern. It's user-friendly being 7 kms from downtown and connected by U-Bahn train to the city centre for a fare of Euros 2.20.

For more information go to Nuremburg Airport website, Air Berlin, or Fly Dba website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Free beer back on KLM

KLM is reintroducing free alcoholic drinks and food on its short-haul flights under pressure from passengers.

The carrier has once again started serving wine and beer on board and has improved its range of sandwiches, partnering with well-known Dutch cheese brands such as Old Amsterdam and Maaslander.

For European flights over 170 minutes passengers can expect a more substantial snack. KLM will offer a cereal bar, fruit juice, warm croissant and jam to passengers on flights departing before 10am and after that passengers will receive a cold pasta salad with cheese and a warm slice of focaccia bread.

The airline claims it is making the changes to come into line with the in-flight service of partner carrier, Air France. It follows the decision by KLM last month to introduce a second class of service on flights over 65 minutes. The Europe Select class offers passengers improved in-flight service such as newspapers and better catering, but seats are the same as standard economy class.

It mirrors a similar move by Swiss, shortly after it was taken over by Lufthansa, to reintroduce free catering onboard. Swiss scrapped free food in summer 2003 but made a u-turn on the decision in April 2005, and now offers free food and wine for economy class passengers on flights over one hour.
For more information got to KLM website and Swiss website.

Report by Ginny McGrath

alex1948

The light rail link to London City Airport will open ahead of schedule.

London City Airport officials will quietly open the light rail DLR extension to the airport on Friday December 2, but the official launch date is December 6. This is at least a week ahead of schedule, as predicted by Businesstraveller.com last month.

A spokesperson for DLR told Businesstraveller.com: "The railway inspectorate is checking the new London City link this afternoon (Thursday). If it gives the green light then the service will start tomorrow with the first through train being the 09.57 from Bank station in central London."
---------------------------------------------------------------

The DLR (Docklands Light Railway) link to LCY (London City airport) is now open with the official unveilling being tomorrow morning (Dec 6).
Full details on this link:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/dlr/lca/index.shtml

It means that LCY passengers have the cheapest, fastest and most comprehensive public transport links into Central London.

As I'm sure you know, there are no long-haul flights serving LCY because of its short runway. So London's close-in airport (located in the former London docks to the east of the capital) is aimed at travellers bound for a selected number of domestic and mainland European destinations who value convenience.

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Cathay Pacific announces Manchester to Hong Kong flight

After months of secrecy Cathay Pacific has announced the introduction of direct flights between Manchester and Hong Kong, starting March 27 next year.

Unusually, Cathay's flight will make a stopover en route at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. The carrier has secured traffic rights both for Manchester-Moscow and Moscow-Hong Kong allowing passengers to travel just on one leg of the route.

This could be lucrative for Cathay. It's expected to prove popular not just with UK travellers flying to Hong Kong and beyond, but also to those based in the Midlands and the North seeking a non-stop service to Moscow. Currently, UK passengers must travel from London if they want to take a direct flight.

A further bonus is the fact that Cathay will be offering a long-haul business class product with lie-flat style seating which is superior to British Airways' short-haul Club Europe product between Heathrow and Moscow.

With limited direct flights between Moscow and Asia, Cathay's new service will appeal to Russian business people forging closer ties within the Pearl River Delta and who may have plans to travel further afield within the Asia-Pacific region.

Flights will operate three times a week (Monday, Thursday and Saturday) in either direction on an Airbus A340-300 configured for business and economy class. Departures from Hong Kong will be at 00.15 arriving in Manchester at 08.55 the same day. The return service from Manchester departs at 10.00 arriving Hong Kong at 08.10 the following day.

For more information go to CX website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


BA adopts cheaper one-way pricing

British Airways passengers can now book one-way and open-jaw tickets at low prices.

In the past, if a BA passenger wanted a one-way flight (for example, if he or she was getting a lift back or taking the train) there was no option but to pay the costly flexible ticket price.

This meant that a single ticket from London to, say, Amsterdam, Paris or Frankfurt would cost three or four times more than the excursion return. Passengers seeking a good deal had to use tactics such as buying a return ticket and then throwing away the return portion once the outward flight was completed.

One-way pricing removes the need for such under-the-counter activities. BA says it has been gradually rolling out one-way pricing since last May and now all short-haul routes (both international and domestic) are covered. A BA spokesperson said: "We've introduced one-way pricing because we recognise that some short-haul passengers were requiring extra flexibility. A passenger might only wish to book a one-way ticket because he or she was returning overland and our new booking system allows this."

It also means passengers can now book "open-jaw" arrangements online – something not possible before (which was a regular source of complaint from Business Traveller readers). For example, you can book a ticket from London to Amsterdam and return from Brussels to London. Bear in mind, though, that you must make two separate bookings.

This brings BA into line with the likes of Easyjet and Ryanair, which have offered one-way pricing from the start, and it's good news for travellers seeking flexibility at a budget price.

In more BA news, the airline is cutting flights to Germany next summer. The carrier says it is suspending three routes from March 26 because they are no longer profitable. The services in question are Heathrow-Cologne and Gatwick to both Hanover and Munich.

For further information go to BA website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Hamburg's flurry of new flights

Hamburg is seeing a major revival in its air services. For several years the number of air routes from Germany's largest port city has stagnated as national airline Lufthansa concentrated on developing its twin hubs of Frankfurt and Munich.

But it's all changing this autumn and winter as both existing and new carriers are adding new services.

First off the mark was national airline Lufthansa, which has positioned four extra B737s to operate new services to Hamburg from Budapest, Gothenburg, Madrid, Nice, Prague and Rome.

German Wings, a budget carrier backed by Lufthansa, has followed suit with the introduction of nine new routes, namely: Dresden, Istanbul, London Gatwick, Krakow, Munich, Oslo, Stockholm, Toulouse and Zagreb.

In the last few weeks Easyjet has launched flights to Hamburg from Bristol in the UK and Basel in Switzerland, while another German carrier, Bremen-based OLT, has also begun a service from Bristol.

This means three new routes from the UK to Hamburg, which will provide more choice and better prices for business people heading for the German city.

For more information go to Hamburg Airport website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Official opening for London City Airport's DLR link

London City Airport's DLR rail link opened officially on Tuesday (December 6) giving London City the cheapest, fastest and most comprehensive public transport links from any of the capital's airports to the city centre.

Besides offering a faster ride, the airport station adjoins the arrivals area, allowing passengers to reach the platform within a couple of minutes. This contrasts with the long distances involved in reaching the rail links at Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton or Stansted.

Trains run every seven to 10 minutes on elevated tracks, affording a bird's eye view of the Thames, the Thames Barrier and the Millennium Dome. Services operate direct to Bank in the City (22 minutes away) and Canning Town (six minutes away, where you change for the Jubilee tube line). But passengers bound for Canary Wharf (14 minutes away) must change at Poplar.

London City Airport is in Travelcard zone 3 with one-way tickets into central London costing £2.80 (or £2.50 with a prepaid Oyster card). Travellers visiting London for the day can buy a one-day Travelcard priced at £7 peak or £5.20 off-peak, which offers unlimited transport within the capital.

Now that the DLR is open, the airport bus services are being rescheduled. The shuttle to Canning Town will cease on December 11 but the other links to Canary Wharf and Liverpool Street will continue for the moment.

The main carriers using London City Airport include Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Scot Airways, Swiss and VLM.

For more information go to DLR website or LCY website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


"Cabin" hotels to open at Heathrow and Gatwick

The company behind the Yo! Sushi brand has unveiled a prototype of its new "cabin" hotels at Heathrow and Gatwick where weary travellers have the option of hiring a room for four-hour stretches.

Yotel hopes its tiny rooms, measuring 10 square metres, will appeal to delayed and transfer passengers as well as those needing an overnight stay before an early check-in or arriving on red-eye flights.

Due to open in summer 2006, the cabins will have a rotating double bed, en suite bathroom with monsoon showerhead, free broadband internet access (wired and wifi), satellite TV and movie channels, and an iPod plug-in point. The cabins have been designed by Priestman Goode, which has worked on the new Airbus A380.

Travellers will be able to book through www.yotel.com and can opt for four hours at £40 or overnight for £80. Yotel also plans to incorporate an even smaller "economy" option, which will cost £40 for an overnight stay or £25 for four hours.

Simon Woodroffe, founder of Yo!, says the aim is to provide the luxurious touches of five-star hotels but at an affordable price and convenient location: "People want to find ways to get the same luxury but for less cost."

Rooms will have a monitor displaying flight details, but Woodroffe says soundproofing will ensure that airport announcements don't penetrate the walls. There will be no minibar or room service, and checking in and out will be done automatically, with staff on hand to help things run smoothly.

The company plans to build 50 cabins at Gatwick's South Terminal and 40 at Heathrow Terminal 4 on the level between the arrivals and departures areas.

Yotel's rates are substantially lower than the nearest hotel competitor to Terminal 4 (Hilton). Five-star hotels on the Bath Road offer rates closer to those of Yotel, but they are more difficult to access for T4 passengers.

Report by Sarah Maxwell


Fly your way into space with Virgin

Passengers with Virgin Atlantic could find their loyalty miles take them a lot further than ever before – the airline is offering frequent flyers the chance to travel into outer space.

The carrier has joined forces with Virgin Galactic to offer Flying Club members the opportunity to sample life as an astronaut.

Members can convert their earthly miles into space miles to earn themselves a space trip – but if you're thinking of using up some spare miles you'll need a lot of them. It takes two million Flying Club miles earned on Virgin flights to qualify – equivalent to $200,000.

The first flights won't take place until 2008. The experience includes "g" acclimatisation and a flight in the White Knight and will take place at the Virgin Galactic Spaceport in the US.

Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Galactic said: "A journey into space seems like a distant dream for many, but this deal makes it even more achievable for our frequent travellers to become astronauts."

In other Virgin news, the airline is increasing flight frequency on three routes from Heathrow. Services to Mumbai have just been boosted from three a week to daily. There are now daily flights to Shanghai (up from six a week) while a daily service to Cape Town resumes from January 29 to March 25.

For more information go to VS website or Virgin galactic website.

Report by Alex McWhirter

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Festive discounts with all-business Eos

Business class airline Eos is slashing £1,000 from its cheapest transatlantic tickets during the festive period.

In a bid to fill empty seats over the quiet time for business travel, the US airline is offering London Stansted to New York JFK return fares for £1,500.

The deal is subject to availability and is valid for passengers booking return tickets to fly before January 3. At the same time, selected Eos flights will let you take along a companion free of charge. The airline is also extending its £2,500 return introductory offer until April 30 provided you book by January 3.

Eos operates once daily with 48-seater B757 twin jets. They feature some of the most luxurious business class seats on the market with fully flat beds and 21 square feet of personal space. By contrast, its US rival Maxjet competes with a 102-seater B767 twin jet with conventional business class seating offering 60 inches of legroom. Maxjet's fares are lower, starting at £854 return.

Both carriers have announced their Christmas and New Year schedules. Eos says it will not fly from Stansted on December 24, 25 and January 1 or from JFK on December 24, 25 and 31. Maxjet will not fly from Stansted between December 24 and 27 inclusive plus December 31. It will not operate from JFK between December 24 and 26 inclusive along with December 31. Visit EOS Airlines website and MaxJet website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Maxjet to serve Washington DC

Business class fares to Washington DC are about to tumble as Maxjet announces flights from London Stansted starting in late February.
Timings have yet to be finalised but the American all-business class airline says it will fly five times a week. It also plans to add a Saturday frequency to its existing Stansted-New York service.

Fares are expected to be similar to New York prices (these cost around £860 return), which is far less than British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and United charge from Heathrow. For example, BA's return price for a short-notice booking to Washington is £4,416. BA offers a lower £2,504 deal but you must book weeks ahead.

According to CEO Gary Rogliano, air travellers already recognise the enormous value that Maxjet offers. "Our load factor and customer reaction has been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. People are thanking me every day, by email or in person, for creating an airline that finally makes sense for consumers."

In common with other carriers Maxjet suffers the odd hiccup. But unlike the big ones, Maxjet currently has only one plane and so any problems can impact on schedules. Its flight on Tuesday from Stansted had to be cancelled while today (December 14) the inbound service from JFK is delayed by over six hours. These hitches should ease now that Maxjet is set to acquire additional aircraft this month.

The carrier says it will launch a loyalty scheme on February 1 allowing families and small businesses to tag up to five names on one account and to jointly earn free tickets. Unusually, the airline will allow members to claim retrospectively for flights taken since November. Visit MaxJet website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Radisson SAS continues rapid expansion

Radisson SAS has announced three significant new properties, including one in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev which marks the city's first international standard property.

The 225-room hotel is located in a historic building in Kiev's city centre, within walking distance of government offices, churches and shops lining the nearby main Khreschatyk Street.

Online weekday rates start at Euros 242 for a standard room and Euros 283 for a business class room, with the latter including breakfast and other amenities. Online weekend rates range from Euros 167 to Euros 250 with some including breakfast. All rates are subject to 20 per cent tax.

Two further properties open on January 16, including a 149-room hotel in Brussels, which is ideally located for Eurocrats being behind the European Parliament and 3km from the city centre. Online rates start at Euros 170 on weekdays and just Euros 77 at weekends (both including breakfast).

The second property is the first Radisson to open in Birmingham, with 211 rooms spread over the first 18 floors of the 39-storey Beetham Tower in the city centre. Online rates range from £119 to £154 on weekdays and £79 to £114 at weekends with some including breakfast.

Free wireless broadband is offered throughout the properties. All offer a range of food and beverage and fitness outlets. Visit Radisson website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


UK domestic flights: Air Berlin's well-kept secret

New flights leaving up to twice daily from London Stansted to both Manchester and Glasgow will begin on December 16 courtesy of a surprising source: Air Berlin.
The German airline is not the first carrier that springs to most passengers' minds when booking UK domestic flights and this is good news for cost-conscious UK travellers. Most services over the coming weeks and months (excluding some dates over the festive period) are still priced at £19 one way or £38 return. Not only are these prices cheaper than many rail fares, they also undercut rival carriers which ply these two routes from Stansted: Easyjet, Ryanair and Eastern Airlines.

The new flights are timed for London travellers planning a day trip and will enable passengers starting from Manchester and Glasgow to connect at Stansted (Air Berlin provides through-checking) for the carrier's destinations in Germany and Austria.

Air Berlin is also expanding its services between Stansted and Germany. From December 16, flights to the east German city of Leipzig move from four to six a week with more consistent timings. Weekday flights now depart Stansted at 2020 with the inbound service from Leipzig leaving at 0610. Air Berlin offers the only direct link between the UK and Leipzig's main airport.

Flights to Hanover are being upgraded with a twice daily frequency and better timings (these allow a full working day in either Hanover or London) from March 3. The new schedules coincide with Hanover's CeBit computer fair taking place between March 9 and 15.

Other destinations served by Air Berlin from Stansted are Berlin Tegel, Dusseldorf, Munster, Nuremberg, Paderborn and Vienna. Visit Air Berlin website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


New Bmi long-haul flights

Bmi is expanding its long-haul network next spring with additional flights to Mumbai and new routes to Jeddah and Doha. On March 23, subject to government approval, Bmi will start flying from London Heathrow to Doha in the Gulf state of Qatar.
On April 22 the airline will boost its London Heathrow to Mumbai flights from four times a week to daily. The following day, Bmi will launch a three times weekly service to the Red Sea port of Jeddah. This will complement the airline's existing three times weekly link to the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

Bmi is short of long-distance planes so it plans to charter aircraft for the new routes. Jeddah and Riyadh will be flown by a Dutch-registered B767 on a damp lease (meaning that the registered airline provides the plane and the cockpit crew) in a 42-seater business and 150-seater economy class layout. Qatar Airways will operate the London-Doha service on Bmi's behalf with the plane type and seating configuration yet to be decided.

Bmi's premium economy product will be withdrawn from the Saudi routes once the B767 arrives. As Business Traveller has already reported, there is a lack of demand for this product in the Saudi market.

However, Bmi will not be offering first class and nor will it have fully lie-flat seating in business class, both of which are popular with wealthy Saudis who continue to miss what British Airways used to provide (BA pulled out of Saudi earlier this year).

"We especially liked BA's flat bed seats in first and business class," a member of the Saudi Royal family told Business Traveller. "We simply want to sleep, not to eat, on the overnight flight to London." Visit bmi website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Improved links between India and Singapore

As more airlines take advantage of India's liberalised aviation market, several Asian carriers are developing links from secondary airports in India to Singapore. As well as being a destination in its own right, Singapore is a major hub both for the region itself and Australasia.

This autumn, Singapore Airlines (SIA) began a four times weekly service using wide-bodied B777s between Hyderabad and Singapore, while carrier Jetstar Asia – a budget airline backed by Qantas – began a three times weekly link using A320s between Kolkata (Calcutta) and Singapore.

On December 7, India's Jet Airways started a daily Chennai (Madras) to Singapore service with a B737-800 while Jetstar Asia has announced it will begin flying five times a week between the hi-tech city of Bangalore and Singapore with A320s on January 23.

This is all good news for travellers. Previously passengers on some of these routes would have had to make a plane change in Mumbai or Delhi. Now they can fly direct to a major Asian hub. Visit SQ website, Jet Airways website and Jetstar Asia website.

Report by Alex McWhirter

QF WP

LHR fuel rationing

Fuel rationing continues to disrupt certain long-haul flights departing from London Heathrow. As a result of the recent fire at the Buncefield oil depot (a major supplier of aviation fuel to Heathrow) airlines continue to be restricted in the amount of kerosene they can uplift. It means some flights must touch down en route to refuel with a consequent delay to schedules, which could impact on connections.

Worst affected are foreign carriers such as Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, JAL and South African Airlines (SAA), which operate very long routes. Some of these carriers' flights are making a refuelling stop in mainland Europe.

Cathay Pacific says one of its four daily flights to Hong Kong (CX250 at 18.05) is stopping in Amsterdam and it means that "it will now be arriving in Hong Kong between 70 and 150 minutes behind schedule. So we are delaying onward connections where possible and contacting passengers to advise them of the situation".

Other major services affected include Qantas flight QF2 for Sydney at 21.45, which is touching down at Stansted; SIA's flight SQ319, which is routed via Frankfurt; Thai Airways' flight TG917 to Bangkok at 21.35 which goes via Copenhagen; and SAA's flight SA237 at 21.05 for Johannesburg which is refuelling in Milan.

JAL says it has rerouted some Osaka flights and it has cancelled Tokyo flight JL404 at 21.00 over the Christmas period.

But not all carriers are affected. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson says that its services were unaffected as home carriers were "higher up the priority list for supplies". British Airways, too, says there were no changes to its long-haul services because it was taking less Heathrow fuel for short-haul routes. Nobody knows how long the situation will last. In the meantime travellers flying with any airline on a very long distance flight should keep an eye on the situation and contact their agent, airline or airline website for further information.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Flybe charges for checked luggage

Flybe has become the first UK budget airline to charge passengers for checked luggage.

Starting next February (the exact date has yet to be confirmed) the Exeter-based airline will charge passengers £4 for every piece of checked luggage up to 25kg, or £2 for passengers who book in their bags in advance at flybe.com. At the same time it will soften the blow by doubling the cabin baggage allowance to 10kg so that passengers intending to take light luggage have an alternative.

What Flybe is doing shouldn't come as a surprise. Former US no-frills carrier People Express (which served domestic and transatlantic routes) instigated charges for checked baggage over 20 years ago. The system worked well even in the days of handwritten tickets and less automated check-in.
People Express is no longer in business, but with all airlines looking at cost-saving opportunities it seems that baggage is the next "free" service to be scrutinised.

Recently Jorgen Lindegaard, the president and CEO of Scandinavia's SAS, told Business Traveller: "We are looking at whether we can unbundle benefits like fast-track and baggage handling and charge extra for them."

Meanwhile airlines are making baggage economies in other areas. Since last summer the major US carriers have cut their free international baggage allowance from 32kg to 23kg although passengers are still allowed to check two pieces. American Airlines says: "The main reason is health and safety. We have to put special handling in place when bags weigh 32kg so the lower limit helps us to recover our costs."

Report by Alex McWhirter


Christmas disruption to London airport links

Rail links to the main London airports are being disrupted over the Christmas period. Travellers during this period should bear in mind that all train operators have revised schedules while others are providing replacement bus transfers.

Trains run until late on December 24, but Heathrow Express (which is funded by airport operator BAA) is the only rail service to operate on Christmas Day. It will run three trains an hour from Paddington between 05.15 and 14.15. After that replacement buses will operate every 20 minutes for the remainder of the day. Normal rail service will resume on December 26.

Gatwick Express will have no trains on December 25 or 26 from Victoria. Replacement buses on the 25th will operate every 30 minutes from 06.30 to 16.45. Buses operate more frequently on December 26 and normal trains resume on December 27.

Stansted Express will have no service at all from Liverpool Street on December 25. Then buses will replace trains on December 26, 27 and 28 but they will not serve Tottenham Hale. Trains resume on December 29.

All rail operators advise travellers to allow longer to reach the airport if taking a replacement bus. Heathrow Express says its buses will take 70 minutes to reach Heathrow as against 20 minutes by train.

For more information go to LHR Express, LGW Express, and STD Express

Report by Alex McWhirter


Passenger perks to Paris Orly

Air France is offering passengers a package of valuable benefits from London City Airport.

Passengers who fly Air France from the UK capital's own airport into Paris Orly or Charles de Gaulle (CDG) are being offered short check-in deadlines, better timings, free car parking and upmarket catering.

The car parking offer is available to both economy and business class passengers and is worth almost £20 a day. Along with the new timings to Orly – with the addition of an earlier 06.35 departure and a later 20.20 return – this allows business people a long working day in the French capital.

Air France's general manager for the UK and Ireland, Christine Ourmières, says the airline is carrying over 80,000 passengers a year on the Orly route and that the business is growing. There are six flights a day on weekdays (a single flight operates to CDG) timed for business people.

Orly is closer to the centre of Paris than CDG (14km compared with 26km) and is competitive with the Gare du Nord (the arrival point for Eurostar) if you have appointments to the south of the city.

The easiest public transport links to downtown are the Air France bus (which stops at Montparnasse and Invalides) for Euros 8 one way, or the Orly Val light transit connecting to the RER suburban network (for stations in the Paris area and downtown) costing Euros 9.05.

Orly is a popular airport for domestic flights, so passengers arriving from London City and wishing to travel onwards have a wide choice including 80 daily Navette (shuttle) links to Bordeaux, Marseilles, Nice or Toulouse.

Flights are operated by Air France subsidiary City Jet using BAe146s. Tickets cost from £89 return although a typical day return using the early and late flights could cost upwards of £209 depending on demand.

For more information go to Air France website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Marriott openings in Europe

Marriott is expanding its Courtyard brand in Europe. The US chain has just opened its first mid-range Courtyard property in Moscow and intends to add a further five properties in Europe next year followed by an additional two in 2007.

The 218-room Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City is located at Voznesenskiy Pereulok 7, which is a 10-minute walk from the Kremlin. It's 30km from the city's main Sheremetyevo airport and convenient for Red Square, the GUM department store and the Bolshoi Theatre.

In keeping with the quasi-four star standards now seen in the brand's newer properties, Courtyard's Moscow property features two restaurants, a business centre, health club, 24-hour room service and same day laundry and dry cleaning.

But this particular Courtyard doesn't have the economical rates you would usually find elsewhere. A room shortage in the Russian capital means that Moscow hotels are among the world's priciest. Until January 14, room rates at the Courtyard range between $225 and $345 but from then on you will pay $350 to $400. All rates are subject to 18 per cent tax.

The additional Courtyards planned for next year are in: Prague, Vienna, Munich, Paris (Colombes) and Gelsenkirchen (Germany). Following in 2007 will be two properties in the Czech Republic: Prague and Plzen.

For more information go to Marriott website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Hot competition on Australian routes

British Airways has announced it will no longer directly serve Melbourne from March 26 next year.

Instead the carrier will terminate its current Melbourne service in Singapore and transfer passengers onto alliance partner Qantas. Alternatively, BA passengers will be offered bookings for a new direct Qantas service to Melbourne via Hong Kong.

BA says its decision to withdraw from the Melbourne route is a cost-saving measure as "the route hasn't been performing as well as expected". The airline says the planes that would have been used to serve Melbourne can be more profitably employed on new routes and services that BA is simultaneously launching to China and India.

The move comes at a time of ferocious competition on the "kangaroo route" both from the Asian carriers and the newly emerging Gulf-based airlines. These carriers' strategically placed hubs allow myriad connections to cities all over Australasia. By contrast, the economics of operating such a long route restrict point-to-point carriers like BA and Qantas into the number of cities they can serve.

For more information go to BA website and QF website

Report by Alex McWhirter

alstern

I'm a newbie; can you point me in the right direction ??

QF WP

Apologies for the delay in posting theses last couple of weeks updates...I know Aisle Seat H has been extremely busy and hasn't been able to do it...

Air Canada revolutionises airline pricing

Air Canada's recently announced transatlantic pricing model might well be the future for airline travel. In effect it creates an a la carte menu, with travellers able to choose what they are prepared to pay for, and what they can do without.

The simplified pricing structure for flights to and from the UK classifies its business and economy class offerings into five brands: Executive First, Air Canada Club, Latitude Plus, Leisure and Tourist.

Irrespective of whether you intend to take business or economy (despite the name, Executive First is business class), everyone booking online is now quoted a range of qualifying fares when booking, say, a London-Toronto return. This is in contrast to most airlines which have rigid tariffs and do not explain what each fare type represents (ie: what you get for your money).

In terms of price, Air Canada's prices are similar to those of rival British Airways but where they differ is that the website displays every benefit alongside each tariff. Passengers are then encouraged to upgrade or downgrade according to what they need and how much they are prepared to pay.

As Sean Menke, the carrier's Executive VP and CEO told Business Traveller, "What we are doing here is providing a la carte air travel. Different travellers want different things. Our experience on the North American market (where simplified pricing is already available) suggests that travellers are keen to buy up to secure more perks."

But Sean Menke admits that Air Canada now has the machinery in place to convert today's free benefits like baggage handling and meal service into "paid for" options on all its routes.

All airlines are anxious to cut costs wherever they can and some of Air Canada's economy class passengers already pay for meals when flying within North America. Here in Europe, Scandinavia's SAS is looking to unbundle benefits and get passengers to pay extra for them (see Upfront in Business Traveller Magazine, December-January issue).

"All we're trying to do," says Sean Menke, "is to help passengers put together the package they want." He stresses there are no immediate plans to start charging for such extras on international routes.

For more information go to www.aircanada.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


New LH Seating

Throughout the summer Lufthansa will totally renew its European business and economy class seating.

The mammoth German airline is throwing away tens of thousands of existing seats across its short-haul mainline fleet in favour of new generation seating from manufacturers Recaro and B/E Aerospace.

Says Thierry Antinori, Lufthansa's executive VP for marketing and sales, "This is part of the quality offensive we launched last year. It will offer passengers within Germany and Europe even more comfort."

Passengers in business class benefit most. They will get a proper four across (2-2) layout on Airbus A320 and B737 flights with a fold down table ensuring a degree of privacy between the aisle and window seats. This resembles the dedicated layout offered by Air France mainline within Europe but is more generous than the five across (2-3) configuration offered by some rivals including British Airways.

New seat side coat hooks enable jackets to be hung even when the centre table is folded down. Seat width is increased slightly to 48 cms and, because the seat back is slimmer, there's an extra 4 cms of legroom.

There's no change to the economy configuration but the new seats are said to be more comfortable thanks to the absence of metal or carbon structures in the seat back. Some economy class rows will gain an extra 4 cms of legroom depending on where you sit on the plane.

However, because of space constraints the new seats will not be available on Lufthansa's commuter subsidiary Cityline's smaller BAe146 and Canadair jets on less busy routes.

Lufthansa points out that the new seats weigh less so annual fuel consumption will be cut by five million litres.

The seating will be progressively installed between April and October this year.

For more information go to www.lufthansa.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


BA refutes safety questions

Business travellers will no doubt have seen the front page report in this week's Sunday Times detailing several safety lapses with British Airways.

Despite the millions spent by airlines on marketing their product it is safety which determines how favourably an airline is perceived by travellers.

BA has refuted the article in question which it describes as "unbalanced." According to a BA spokesperson, "The newspaper cited three safety incidents which took place between June 2003 and June 2004 but failed to mention that we carry over 36 million passengers annually with over 360,000 flights.

According to the Sunday Times a report from the government's AAIB (Air Accident Investigation Board) concluded that a flight from Heathrow to Paris, where a B757 took off minus two wing panels (the flight was aborted with the plane having to return to Heathrow) "seems not to have been an isolated case but more symptomatic of the existing culture". [There was] "ineffective supervision of maintenance staff which had compromised the level of airworthiness control and had become accepted as the 'norm'".

Says BA's safety chief Captain Rod Young, "We have accepted and implemented all recommendations outlined in the government's report. Safety is paramount to British Airways. These factors were immediately rectified by February 2004 following the airline's own investigation which was carried out in cooperation with the AAIB."

"We pride ourselves on our safety and recognise that we are always ready to learn from incidents and encourage open transparent reporting," says Captain Young.

Report by Alex McWhirter


NYC hotel rates continue to rise

Business class transatlantic flights to New York may be cheaper than ever before, but savings made in the air are increasingly being swallowed up by hotel costs on the ground.

Not only did a recent survey by global agency group BTI reveal that the Big Apple's hotels were the world's most expensive but room rates continue to forge ahead.

Industry analysis firm PKF Consulting claims that the average price of a Manhattan room stood at US $292 in November as rates recover from the downturn seen after the September 11 terrorist attack in 2001.

Hoteliers say the high rates are a reflection of supply over demand. Visitor numbers have increased at the same time as the room count has fallen seeing as some property companies have found it more lucrative to convert older hotels into luxury condominions with the prime example being the famous 805-room Palace Hotel near Central Park. At the same time, New York's accommodation taxes (13.37% plus $3.50 per room) push the total bill even higher.

Despite January being a slack month the following room rates (before taxes) for a midweek stay next week are currently being quoted:

The value for money Novotel near Times Square was priced between $179 and $239, the four star Marriott Marquis was $309 to $329, and the W Times Square $365. At the top end, the St Regis Sheraton was on offer at $695 to $745 while the Mandarin was priced at $499 to $829.

With no major hotels scheduled to open anytime soon, visitors have little option but to pay up.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Eos passengers benefit from loyalty scheme

Eos, the all business class transatlantic airline reviewed in the November 2005 edition of Business Traveller 2005, has launched a loyalty scheme offering passengers valuable benefits.

Branded Club 48, the new loyalty programme is a simple one which awards 75 points per flight sector. Passengers who fly 10 times or more during a 12 month period earn an extra 250 bonus points. As an introductory offer Eos is awarding double points for travel taken before March 31. It is also providing 500 trial bonus points.

What makes the loyalty scheme worth shouting about is the value of the rewards available in exchange for the points. Each point is worth at least US$1 depending on the chosen award.

Available awards include spa treatments, gourmet dining, exclusive goods, free accommodation and flights.

For instance, a new member of Club 48 booking a return flight from Stansted to New York JFK or vice versa automatically earns $850 worth of rewards. Going through the rewards on offer, this would entitle you to an iPod with Bose sound dock, a dinner party for four at Nobu or Fredericks in New York or even a selection of Thomas Pink shirts and ties or a set of Tumi luggage. Incredibly, you could also opt for a free companion ticket potentially worth over US$6,000.

Eos flies once daily between Stansted and New York using a B757 configured for 48 seats which are amongst the most luxurious of their type. But the carrier has decided to postpone its second daily flight, which was supposed to start this month, until the second quarter of this year.

Rival carrier Maxjet will bring in a loyalty scheme from February 1 (see Online news, December 14).

For more information go to www.eosairlines.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


New Easyjet routes announced

Easyjet continues to expand with a number of new routes both from the UK and within mainland Europe. In particular Easyjet's decision to serve to Lisbon is good news for business people visiting the Portuguese capital.

Few budget airlines serve Lisbon (one exception being Monarch from Gatwick) and fares can be costly. Easyjet will also enter the Italian domestic market for the first time and compete head to head with local carriers Alitalia and Meridiana.

The new services start on various dates in March and April. From the UK they include Luton to Lisbon commencing March 1 with two other key routes from Liverpool heading for Krakow on April 10 and Marseille on April 11.

Significant routes within mainland Europe include Lisbon to Milan Malpensa from April 21 and Lisbon to Paris CDG starting March 1.

Italian domestic services include routes from Milan Malpensa to Naples on March 2 along with Palermo and Olbia (Sardinia) both on April 21.

Fares start from around £45 return and tickets go on sale from January 6.

For more information go to www.easyjet.com

Report by Alex McWhirter

QF WP

New competitor for London-Delhi route

Air Sahara is the latest entrant on the busy London-Delhi route. The privately-owned Indian carrier launched a six flights a week service into Heathrow's Terminal One last Friday. Services are operated by 193-seater B767s configured for 42 business and 151-economy class seats.

Unusually the carrier is operating a two-tier business class product with a number of seats branded as Business Premier - five across with 64 inches of pitch - with the others configured six across with 55 inches of pitch.

Business Premier seating is lie-flat style rather than the fully lie-flat seat offered by rivals British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Jet Airways. (Air India, the other competitor, offers older version seating).

Slot constraints at Heathrow mean that inbound flights arrive at different times in the late afternoon (they depart Delhi at lunchtime) although all departing services leave Heathrow at 21.00 and reach Delhi the next morning at 11.10.

Strangely it is not easy here in the UK to book tickets with Air Sahara. The carrier's website will only accept bookings from Indian residents located in India while ticketing is handled by Travelpack which is a general sales agent.

Of five major online agencies contacted by Business Traveller (Ebookers, Expedia, Travelocity, Opodo and Airline Network) only one of these firms, namely Travelocity, could offer Air Sahara flights. Travelocity quotes return prices of £437 for economy and £1,669 for business class.

At the time of writing rumours are circulating, and are currently being denied, that Bombay-based Jet Airways is in discussions to take over Air Sahara.

For further information go to www.airsahara.net, www.travelpack.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Marriott hotel for Cologne

Cologne has a new first class hotel. US chain Marriott will open a new 282-room property next Sunday (January 15) just in time for this year's trade fair season along with the Football World Cup in June.

Rooms feature Marriott's "new look" which, claims the chain, provides guests with more comfort, luxury and style.

There's high-speed internet access, a business centre and a health club with sauna and solarium. The main food and beverage outlet, The Crazy Brasserie, features French and Asian cuisine.

This hotel's biggest asset, however, is its location. It's along Johannisstrasse, near the world famous Dom (Cathedral) and commercial area, yet just 200 yards from the city's main station (Hauptbahnhof).

Cologne is a major rail hub with trains running to the airport, cities throughout Germany and further afield to Amsterdam, Paris and Brussels. Train connections mean the city is a useful place to stay when Dusseldorf (20 mins away) or Frankfurt (75 mins away) are booked out with trade fairs.

The hotel has keen introductory rates. Outside trade fairs the weekday rate for a regular room starts at Euros 139 including internet access and breakfast. Executive floor accommodation costs from Euros 189. Weekend rates cost from Euros 119 (room only) or Euros 139 (including breakfast).

For further information go to www.marriott.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


BA rebrands Citiexpress

British Airways' Citiexpress division is adopting a budget airline formula. The loss-making regional division, which serves both domestic and international routes, is being rebranded as one-class BA Connect from March 26. Business class is scrapped and so too are existing perks like free food and drinks.

BA says the move is in response to customer demand and that it has carried out extensive research through the UK regions before coming to this decision.

The upside is that ticket costs will tumble by an average of 40% with seats being priced on a two-tier basis. Connect tickets will cost from £25 one-way with Connect Plus tickets (these allow lounge access and penalty free changes) priced from £110 one-way. Both tariffs grant FFP mileage.

Snacks and drinks will now be available on a "paid for" basis and the cheaper Connect fares still allow changes but at £30 a time. BA says that it will be placing two million Connect fares on sale over the coming year so there will be availability on all routes.

Exceptions are BA's services from London City to Edinburgh, Frankfurt and Geneva which are operated by Citiexpress. These continue to offer a traditional two-class service with free catering albeit with today's pricing. Says BA Connect commercial director Steve Cassidy, "That's appropriate and relevant for the London City routes. We've taken that decision for the sake of consistency as we've found BA passengers flying to and from London may arrive at Gatwick or Heathrow and depart from City or vice versa."

BA Connect operates mainly from Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh to a variety of cities in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Norway, Belgium and Switzerland.

It's not clear whether this new strategy will succeed. BA Connect's fleet consists of smaller 49 to 110-seater planes whereas successful budget carriers like Easyjet and Ryanair operate larger jets holding 150-180 seats. Steve Cassidy denied this would be a problem, "We had nine different plane types in 2001 and now we have three. We think it's a good blend of aircraft for the type of routes we fly. It allows us to offer business people six flights a day on regional links like Manchester-Belfast City."

Bookings for BA Connect open on February 1. For further information go to www.ba.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Thai Airways introduces new premium seating

Thai Airways is finally introducing up-to-date premium products to the busy London-Bangkok route. In recent times the carrier has been lagging behind rivals British Airways, Qantas and Eva Air (who all offer the latest lie-flat products in first and business class). But Thai's B747s used on the route are now being fitted with fully lie-flat seats in first class with passengers in business class getting lie-flat style versions.

The number of first class seats is cut from 14 to 10. Passengers sit three across (1-1-1) on seats with cushions which are almost 22 inches wide and where the legroom is boosted to 76 inches. Seating reclines 180 degrees. Business class seating goes down from 50 to 40. Seats are 20 inches wide with 60 inches of legroom. Passengers sit four across (2-2) on the B747's upper deck or downstairs on the left-hand side of the cabin. The recline is 170 degrees.

But economy class remains unchanged with entertainment buffs still having to manage without seat back screens, video on demand and so on.Thai operates twice a day from Heathrow. Most likely you'll experience the new first and business classes when taking Thai's long standing flight TG911 at 11.50 or inbound flight TG910 from Bangkok at 00.35. Most B747s operating these services have been retrofitted.

Thai's other services, namely TG916 from Heathrow at 21.35 and TG916 from Bangkok at 13.50, are due for conversion soon.

For more information go to www.thaiair.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


American Airlines scraps Newcastle (UK) - NYC route

American Airlines has reversed its decision to fly transatlantic from Newcastle this spring.

Travellers in the Northeast had been looking forward to getting their first ever scheduled service to New York with the US carrier intending to launch daily all-economy flights with a B757 twin jet on May 2. But now they are going to have to look for alternatives.

Says an American Airlines spokesperson, "We've had to take a long hard look at our schedules because of continuing high fuel prices and economic conditions in the US airline industry. So it's no longer possible to operate this route. Ticketed passengers will be offered an alternative flight or a refund."

Adds Alan Clark, chief executive of regional development agency One North East, "We have all worked very hard to bring the New York route here but unfortunately we are a victim of global forces beyond our control."

But all is not lost. There are plenty of alternatives although journey times will be longer. Passengers from Newcastle can take the train to Edinburgh (regular GNER and Virgin trains take 90 minutes) and fly non-stop with US carrier Continental. Alternatively you can connect with British Airways via Heathrow, KLM via Amsterdam or Air France via Paris CDG.

A further alternative (for those seeking premium class comfort) is to fly Easyjet to Stansted then continue transatlantic with all-business class carriers Maxjet and Eos.

For more information go to www.americanairlines.co.uk

Report by Alex McWhirter


Eurostar adds extra non-stop Brussels service

Eurostar is expanding its service to Brussels and will operate up to 10 trains a day next month. With faster journey times having boosted passenger numbers, the high-speed train operator is in a bullish mood.

It has decided to add an additional non-stop weekday service between London Waterloo and Brussels Midi and return from February 13.

The new service departs Waterloo at 15.40 to reach Brussels two hours and 20 minutes later at 19.00. In the return direction there's an additional departure from Brussels at 14.56 to arrive in London at 16.23.

Existing non-stop services continue as before. These leave Waterloo at 07.43 reaching Brussels at 10.58, returning at 08.13 to arrive in Waterloo at 09.28.

The other eight trains each way on weekdays continue as before with an en route stop at Lille.

Eurostar's additional departure from Waterloo will take advantage of the new "Rail Team" alliance formed with fellow high-speed train firm Thalys (see Online News, October 27). Passengers arriving in Brussels Midi at 19.00 have an easy 28 minute connection with the onward Thalys service to Cologne reaching the Rhineland city at 21.45. Make a further change and you will arrive in the centre of Frankfurt by 23.00 thanks to Germany's ICE train service.

London-Brussels return fares range between £59-£298 for Standard class, £110-£325 for Leisure Select and £319-£410 for Business Premier.

For more information go to www.eurostar.com and www.thalys.com

Report by Alex McWhirter

QF WP

Lower fares to Helsinki

London is poised to gain better value flights to Helsinki. Fares to the Finnish capital have soared since the demise of Buzz (a low-cost carrier) several years ago.

Right now British Airways and Finnair serve the route from Heathrow. But these Oneworld partners market each other's flights and have little incentive to compete. Consequently their business fares have drifted upwards. It means that Helsinki has become more expensive to reach than other Nordic or Baltic capitals.

Air Berlin will be the first to enter the route. The German airline will offer a once daily (except weekends) B737 service via Dusseldorf. Flights start on February 6 with departures from Stansted at 07.30 and (following a 100 mins transfer in Dusseldorf) arrive in Helsinki at 14.45. The return service departs Helsinki at 15.55 and reaches Stansted at 19.50 after a 140 mins transfer.

Air Berlin's schedules aren't the best but the airline compensates with typical prices of between £74 and £157 return. It will also through-check passengers and luggage.

The second new service is being operated by SAS subsidiary Blue 1 using an MD-90. This Finnish carrier (marketed in the UK by SAS) will operate non-stop twice daily on weekdays with a single evening flight on Sunday. The morning service departs Stansted at 09.45 and arrives Helsinki at 14.40 with the later flight leaving Stansted at 20.00 to arrive 00.55 the next morning. Inbound services leave Helsinki au 08.00 and 18.10 to reach Stansted at 09.00 and 19.10 respectively. Blue 1 fares start from £132 return.

BA and Finnair offer more frequent flights but at a price. Today, when Business Traveller checked peak hour fares with www.finnair.com for a two-day trip starting on January 23 the cheapest online fare was a hefty £646 return.

For more information go to www.airberlin.com, www.flysas.com, www.ba.com, www.finnair.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Flybe invests in Economy Plus

Flybe is spending £4 million on strengthening its Economy Plus business product.

The budget airline wants to set apart Economy Plus from its standard no frills offering. It means Flybe will be offering a similar two-tier product to that of BA's forthcoming BA Connect (see Online news BA rebrands Citiexpress, January 11) operation which starts on March 26.

Economy Plus is available now on all routes. It offers business perks to passengers who pay the full fares which start from £100 one-way.

Passengers are offered a range of benefits including ticket flexibility, dedicated check-in (with shorter check-in deadlines), advance seat selection, use of airport lounge, in-flight snacks, extra baggage allowances and use of a loyalty scheme. There's also a special business-to-business website for bookings: www.flybe2b.com

Simon Lilley, Flybe's director of marketing says that the Economy Plus benefits meets the needs of today's business travellers. "The only remaining reason to travel with a traditional airline has disappeared," he claims.

Flybe is essentially a regional carrier. It operates very few flights into London. Most services link the UK mainland and the Channel Islands and include destinations in Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal.

But Economy Plus can be expensive. Today when Business Traveller checked peak time flights for a day trip between Gatwick and Jersey on January 23 we were quoted £298 as against the regular no frills rate of £193. A similar trip between Southampton and Edinburgh would cost £340 and £230 respectively.

The price difference was even more marked on international routes. For a one night trip departing next Monday, Birmingham-Toulouse in Economy Plus was priced at £373 compared with £165. Another trip between Exeter and Paris CDG would set you back £361 as against £175.

For more information go to www.flybe.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Istanbul gains second Radisson SAS

Istanbul has a new first class hotel and one which has extremely attractive rates. International chain Radisson SAS Bosphorus has just opened a 120-room property with a location in one of the city's choicest areas.
It's on the banks of the Bosphorus strait and next door to the well-known Ciragan Palace Kempinski hotel. Shopping and business areas are nearby and the Old City with its various attractions including the Grand Bazaar is 15 minutes away.

The property's accommodation comprise a mixture of standard (25 square metres in size), business class (30 square metres) and suites (from 35 square metres). The main food and beverage outlet is the Starboard Café Terrace and Cruise Lounge Bar. Facilities include a Wellness and Beauty centre with sauna and solarium.

A useful service is the provision of free broadband including wi-fi throughout all public areas and guest rooms.

Room rates are keen. Online week-round prices start at Euros 110 (seven days advance booking needed) with standard rooms at Euros 120, business class rooms (these offer breakfast, newspaper, bathrobe and so on) at Euros 170 and junior suites at Euros 300.

Radisson SAS Bosphorus, Ciragan Cad 46, Ortakoy, Istanbul 34349.
Tel + 90 212310500

For more information go to www.radisson.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Fuel related delays continue at LHR

One month after the Buncefield oil depot fire (a major refinery serving Heathrow) and some long distance flights from London Heathrow continue to be disrupted (see Online news, December 22).

Foreign airlines operating to Asia and Australia continue to be amongst the worst affected by fuel rationing. Carriers like Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Qantas are having to make an enroute stop to refuel. Japan Airlines (JAL) is cancelling a number of flights.

It means that the diversions could add as much as 90 to 120 minutes to flight schedules. This could cause problems at the other end if you have a connection to make.

Qantas says flight QF2 at 21.45 for Bangkok and Sydney is being regularly diverted via Stansted for refuelling.

SIA operates three flights a day to Singapore. It says that while flights SQ317 at 11.00 and SQ321 at 22.15 are operating normally, flight SQ319 at 18.15 will only operate normally on Friday. On every other day SQ319 will go via Frankfurt with a consequent delay of 105 minutes.

Meanwhile Japan Airlines (JAL) is cancelling flight JL404 at 21.00 to Tokyo on a number of days this month. JL404 will not operate on January 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 26 and 28 January. Passengers are being rebooked on JL402 at 19.00 instead.

Other carriers may be affected. Readers taking very long distance flights are advised to check with their airline.

Some readers have asked why it is that UK carriers are maintaining normal schedules. The reason is because British Airways, Bmi and Virgin Atlantic are allowed a higher fuel allocation compared to foreign carriers. In addition, BA is uplifting less fuel at Heathrow for its short-haul services to preserve supplies for its long distance routes.

The situation is expected to continue until additional supply routes can be made available. This could take some time.

Report by Alex McWhirter


New SIA Moscow-SIN route

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is pipping rival Cathay Pacific to the post by becoming the second SE Asian carrier to serve Moscow. It has announced the launch of a three times a week Moscow-Singapore service on March 1 several weeks ahead of Cathay's Moscow-Hong Kong planned start date of March 27 (see article from December 7).

At present the routes between Moscow and SE Asia are ripe for development. Thai is the only SE Asian carrier serving Moscow (from Bangkok); all other services are flown by Russian carriers.

With its huge energy reserves generating vast sums, Russia is increasingly important both for in and out-bound business. These new links facilitate ease of travel via Hong Kong and Singapore to and from the entire Asia Pacific region.

SIA and Cathay Pacific are spreading their risks in the early days by including another destination in their schedules. Cathay's three times a week service (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in each direction) with a B747 actually starts in Manchester. So besides being aimed at the Moscow to Hong Kong market it will also attract passengers flying from Manchester to Moscow as well as Manchester to Hong Kong because there are no direct flights on these latter two routes.

SIA's three times a week (every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday ex-Moscow ; a day earlier ex-Singapore) B777 service makes a stop in Dubai. It has traffic rights for Moscow-Dubai and Dubai-Singapore as well as Moscow-Singapore.

The new routes are great news for passengers using round-the-world tickets who no longer need to make backtracks when including these cities on a global circuit.

There is a concern that the launch date of Cathay's flight might be slightly delayed. Says a spokesperson, "We are still working towards a March 27 start date but there are details to be finalised with the Russians regarding a codeshare arrangement with Aeroflot on the Manchester-Moscow leg."
For more information go to www.singaporeair.com, www.cathaypacific.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


AF expands at Southampton

Air France is expanding operations at Southampton airport this summer. Two of its three daily flights to Paris CDG are getting extra capacity in the shape of 70-seater ATR turbo-props compared to the 50-seater Canadair jets used at present.

The carrier says the extra seats are to meet demand for passengers flying both to Paris and beyond. Air France offers connections at CDG for worldwide destinations and economy or business class fares are competitive compared to those offered from Heathrow. Some passengers living to the west and southwest of London prefer Southampton because of its ease of use, cheaper parking and good access by rail (Southampton Airport Parkway station adjoins the terminal) and road.

The BAA-owned airport is becoming the South Coast's main springboard for secondary cities in France. Whereas Air France concentrates on Paris, the budget carrier Flybe intends to operate 11 routes this summer including Avignon, Brest, Cherbourg, Bordeaux, La Rochelle and Rennes.

Air services to France from this part of England have a bright future. Rival train firm Eurostar will be less of a threat from 2007 when it transfers its London terminal from convenient Waterloo to less convenient St Pancras.

Last year Southampton handled 1.85 million passengers (a 20% rise over 2004). This year's total is expected to exceed 2 million.

For further information go to www.airfrance.co.uk, www.flybe.com, www.baa.co.uk

Report by Alex McWhirter

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Ryanair takes low-cost travel a step further

Ryanair is set to further revolutionise low-cost flying within Europe from March 16.

This is when the Irish airline will copy rival budget carrier Flybe and start charging network-wide for checked baggage. But unlike Flybe, passengers taking Ryanair are also being offered the time-saving convenience of online check-in.

It means that passengers carrying up to 10 kgs of hand luggage (Ryanair states that 25% of its passengers fall into this category) can check-in using ryanair.com and bypass the queues at the check-in counters. At the same time these travellers will also be entitled to priority boarding which, in theory, means they'll get to choose the better seats on the plane.

Passengers taking checked baggage (the allowance is boosted from 15 kgs to 20 kgs from March 16) will check-in as normal. But for bookings made after March 16, they'll pay £2.50 per piece when pre-booked or £5 if presented unbooked at the airport.

Ryanair reckons that some 40% to 50% of passengers will quickly switch to online check-in which it believes will save it Euros 30 million in ground handling costs. It is ploughing back this saving by trimming a few pounds from ticket prices.

Despite its no-frills reputation a lot of business people use Ryanair. This is partly because of its prices but also because Ryanair serves a number of airports and destinations which cannot be reached by using other airlines.

Regular customers who take hand baggage will welcome these developments. At busy times they can end up standing in a long queue just to collect a boarding pass. This will be a thing of the past from March 16.

For more information go to www.ryanair.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Air Canada adopts fully lie-flat beds

Air Canada will shortly launch more luxurious Executive First (business class) seating on its long-haul international routes. The new product, similar to the lie-flat suites offered by Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand, debuts on transatlantic services in the middle of this year, with Air Canada's routes to London being a priority.

Ten years ago Air Canada's Executive First was highly rated on account of its legroom and wide seats. But the product has increasingly become outdated when stacked against British Airways' lie-flat seating in Club World and the lie-flat style seating offered by the likes of Air France and Lufthansa. The airline says its new product is similar to those of Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand but with specific changes unique to Air Canada.

The new seating is manufactured by Contour, a UK firm. It features truly lie-flat beds which are 191cms long and up to 79cms wide at the shoulders. The individual suites are separated by a 109cm high privacy screen. This product is widely regarded as offering the best business class comfort aloft.

New Executive First will adopt the east-west herringbone layout (like Virgin and Air New Zealand) rather than the north-south configuration seen at other carriers.

All passengers gain access to an aisle or window seat with in-seat video and audio entertainment, adjustable head and footrests, power for portable electronic devices and an oversized tray table for dining and working.

For more information go to www.aircanada.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Two new Frankfurt hotels

Frankfurt, Germany's most important business and financial centre has two new first class hotels.

International chain Radisson SAS has just opened a 400-room hotel along Franklinstrasse next to the city's busy exhibition complex. Comprising 19 storeys and measuring 87 metres high, it features state-of-the-art accommodation in a range of styles along with 1,000 square metres of conference facilities. There are several food and beverage outlets plus a fitness centre. One selling point is the offer of free broadband, including wi-fi, throughout the hotel.

Online rates start at Euros 185 for standard (24 square metres) rooms, Euros 220 including breakfast for business class (28 square metres) rooms. One bedroom suites (56 square metres) include breakfast and cost Euros 450.

Then on March 1, British luxury group Rocco Forte Hotels opens a more personalised property. The 163-room Villa Kennedy is located along Kennedyallee just off the south bank of the River Main. It's constructed around the 100-year old Villa Speyer and located amidst extensive gardens to provide a retreat from city life.

Besides luxurious accommodation and fine dining one of the hotel's selling points is the spa area, split over three levels and comprising a 15 metre pool, sauna, steam rooms and so on.

Rates for standard rooms (35 square metres) start at Euros 260, with deluxe rooms (50 square metres) priced at Euros 320. Junior suites cost Euros 370.

For more information go to www.radisson.com or www.roccofortehotels.com


SAS to fly London City to Stockholm

London City is regaining a much requested Stockholm link after a gap of several years. The new service, to be operated by Transwede using an 82-seater BAe 146 on behalf of SAS, starts on February 13.

Flights from London City will arrive at Stockholm's main Arlanda airport (38 km outside town) instead of more convenient Bromma (9 km from the city centre) which had been served (from City by former Malmo Aviation) in previous times. But Arlanda offers better possibilities for onward connections and (since the days of the former link) it now enjoys a dedicated Arlanda Express rail service into central Stockholm.

Flights operate twice daily from Monday to Friday and once daily on Sundays. Services leave City at 09.15 to reach Stockholm at 12.45 and again at 18.15 to arrive at 21.45. Inbound services (which include the Sunday service) leave Stockholm at 16.15 and arrive in City at 17.45.

Three classes will be offered (business, economy flex and economy) and SAS will offer one-way pricing enabling passengers to mix and match their class of travel. Fares start from £51 one-way.

Says Lars-Ove Filipson, GM for SAS in the UK, "Following the success of our new route to Copenhagen [launched last autumn], we now have a very compelling offering from London City. There is a huge market to be served from this airport and with the advent of the DLR [the rail service opened last December] London City has come of age."

For more information go to www.flysas.com, www.arlandaexpress.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Emirates adds Hamburg and Copenhagen routes

Emirates is poised to bring lower business class fares to travellers based in northern Germany and Scandinavia. The Dubai-based airline inaugurates a daily service to Hamburg on March 1 and plans to add flights to nearby Copenhagen on October 29. Both routes will be flown by Airbus A330 craft.

Flights will depart Hamburg at 15.35 arriving in Dubai at 00.45 the next morning. Inbound services will depart Dubai at 08.55 to reach Hamburg at 12.55.

For the Copenhagen route, Emirates' daily flight is set to depart from the Danish capital at 14.55 to reach Dubai the next day at 00.05. The inbound flight will leave Dubai at 09.25 and arrive in Copenhagen at 13.25.

Currently there are practically no long distance flights from Hamburg so passengers have no choice but to make an en route plane change. Long-haul flight coverage from Copenhagen is limited.

Emirates is set to provide passengers from both cities with a large range of destinations in the Middle East, Asia and Australasia thanks to its Dubai hub. With the exception of Australia and New Zealand (where an overnight stop is required on the outward leg) there are good connections.

Hamburg's catchment area covers Hanover, Bremen and cities as far east as Berlin. Besides Denmark itself, Copenhagen services southern Sweden (thanks to the 7,800 metre long Oresund Bridge). It also enjoys excellent air links with other cities in Scandinavia and the Baltic.

It's too soon to finalise prices from Copenhagen but those from Hamburg are exceptionally keen with Emirates' business class rates undercutting rival carriers.

When Business Traveller checked return business class fares with emirates.com from Hamburg for travel in March to Sydney we were quoted Euros 2,637 whereas the same ticket with British Airways via London would cost Euros 7,102 – almost three times as much.

A return ticket for Hamburg-Dubai will cost Euros 2,152 with Emirates as against Euros 2,705 with Lufthansa via Frankfurt, although on most of these flights you would have the choice of B747 and A340s.

Other examples include: Hamburg-Mumbai Euros 2,370 (Emirates) compared to Euros 4,010 (Lufthansa) and Euros 3,755 (Air France). Or Hamburg-Singapore Euros 2,321 (Emirates), Euros 3,586 (Lufthansa), Euros 3,552 (Air France).

For more information go to www.emirates.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Swiss joins RTW tariff

Flights with Swiss can now be included on the popular Star Alliance round-the-world (RTW) fare. It means that globetrotters have an additional gateway for Europe. It also means that travellers based in Switzerland can now fly non-stop using the Star Alliance fare whereas, previously, a plane change in Germany or Austria might have been needed.
The Zurich-based airline, which is being taken over by Germany's Lufthansa, is currently not a fully-fledged member of Star Alliance. So how can it participate?

Says a spokesperson for Star Alliance, "This isn't the first time a carrier has been included in products like the RTW fare prior to official integration. But passengers must bear in mind that, although they can use flights over the Swiss network, the full range of Star products [when using Swiss] may not be available."

Zurich has good road and rail links both within Switzerland itself and neighbouring France and southern Germany. Air links include many important long-haul destinations and a wide range of cities within Europe. A limited number of short-haul Swiss flights also depart Geneva along with a solitary link to New York. Swiss also serves Basel. Please bear in mind that some Swiss code-share flights cannot be incorporated in the RTW deal.

For journeys of up to 29,000 miles RTW fares are priced from £6,469 first, £3,869 business and £1,339 economy class. Passengers can book up to 39,000 miles for a surcharge. Taxes and fees will vary and are additional.

For more information go to www.swiss.com, www.lufthansa.com, www.staralliance.com

Report by Alex McWhirter

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Airline wine awards unveiled at Business Travel Show

The results of the Business Traveller Cellars in the Sky Awards 2005 were announced this week at London Olympia's Business Travel Show. The annual awards, in association with Wine International, celebrate the best airline wines in long haul business and first class, in a variety of categories from Best Sparkling Wine, to Most Original Wine List.

This year's competition was the largest ever, attracting entrants from over 30 airlines, with the wines being judged during a two-day blind tasting organised by Wine International magazine and the International Wine Challenge.

Among the winners unveiled at the show were Singapore Airlines for Best White in Business Class, and Emirates for Best Fortified or Sweet in First Class, while British Airways received the Special Award for outstanding range of wines in their onboard wine list. The awards were presented by Charles Metcalfe, Associate Editor of Wine International and one of this year's judges.

Says Tom Otley, editor of Business Traveller: 'Cellars in the Sky features some of the finest wines offered in business and first class on long haul flights, and we are proud that the competition continues to go from strength to strength.'

For more information about Cellars in the Sky 2005, along with a full list of winners, see the February issue of Business Traveller.

Report by Mark Caswell


BA Connect fares - Where's the change?

Tickets to fly with BA Connect (British Airways new regional budget airline) were placed on sale on Wednesday (February 1). What is immediately clear is that while some prices have dropped, others have remained largely unchanged.

From March 26, BA Connect will take over routes operated by the current BA Citiexpress and will sell two types of tickets: Connect Standard and Connect Plus. Food and drink will no longer be served free of charge although BA Connect says it will continue to provide hot breakfasts (on a paid for basis) unlike almost every other budget airline.

When Business Traveller checked the cost of making various day trips using peak time flights for Tuesday April 4, we found that there was still a sizeable price gap between Standard and Plus fares which did not reflect the benefits of each fare type.

For example, when booked on February 2 (for travel on April 4), a day trip between London City and Frankfurt cost an economical £151 return with the Standard tariff whereas the Plus fare was £563, similar to what Club Europe costs today. A trip between Birmingham and Paris CDG would cost £120 as against £519 while Southampton-Edinburgh was quoted at £103 compared to £309.

BA says that Plus fares allow lounge access and full flexibility. By contrast the cheaper Standard fares are more restrictive but it is possible to make changes at £30 a time

BA Connect has a handful of routes from London City. It also flies from Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh to destinations in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Norway, Belgium and Switzerland.

For more information go to BA website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Etihad to debut fully lie-flat seating

Etihad Airways will be the first Gulf-based carrier to offer fully flat beds in business class. But UK passengers will have to wait until the Spring before sampling them.

The new seating will make its debut on Etihad's new fleet of Boeing 777-300ER planes, the first of which arrive this week. It's good news for passengers because Etihad's reguional rivals offer either normal or lie-flat style products.

The B777s will accommodate 378 passengers in two classes: Coral or economy class with 350 seats and Pearl or business class with 28. Passengers in Pearl class will sit only four across (1-2-1) in beds which are 73 inches long and which recline 180 degrees. Coral class seating is more conventional with a nine across (3-3-3) layout and regular legroom.

As well as a new Inflight Entertainment system with 30 movies, 16 hours of TV programming, 24 hours audio programming, 25 audio CD's, and 26 Interactive Games, the new planes also have high-speed wireless internet access using the advanced 'Connexions by Boeing' system.

So when will travelers from the UK get a chance to experience the new planes on the London to Abu-Dhabi route? According to Etihad, it all comes down to how quickly the planes are delivered. As well as purchasing the five Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, Etihad has ordered 24 Airbus aircraft – four A340-500s, four A340-600s, 12 A330-200s and four double-decker A380s. There's a rumour that this first Boeing has already been earmarked for the Abu-Dhabi to Frankfurt route rather than London, so we will see one of the Boeing's on the Gatwick-Abu Dhabi route some time this Spring (exactly when depends on the delivery schedule of the planes from Boeing). The two class product is being augmented by a three-class one, including a first class – Diamond - at the front end of the Airbus A340s.

Kirk Albrow, Regional Manager Europe and the Americas, told Business Traveller that he believed that while Gatwick would support a two class product (and the Manchester route, when it starts this Spring), Heathrow was capable of having a three-class product, though again, the exact date of arrival remains to be decided. Other news this week included possible new routes for Etihad: Manila, Jakarta and Shanghai.

Visit Etihad website for further details.

Report by Tom Otley


Paris Hotel for Shangri-La

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has announced plans to open their first European hotel in Paris. The 180 million Euro development, due for completion in 2008, will convert a 110 year old mansion once owned by Napoleon Bonaparte's family.

Centrally located and offering views of The Seine and Eiffel Tower, the seven storey hotel will comprise 140 deluxe rooms and suites (ranging from 40 to 160 square metres) putting it in the same league as other top Parisian hotels such as the Plaza and Le Bristol.

Says Giovanni Angelini, chief executive officer and managing director of Shangri-La Hotels: "This exquisite property is the culmination of a long search to find the perfect location to launch Shangri-La in France. We aim to combine our renowned hospitality, accommodation and dining, with the site's romantic history and privileged location, to create another gem in Paris' crown."

The hotel will have two restaurants, several meeting facilities, an indoor swimming pool, health club, and business lounge, with the renovation retaining the building's original grand staircase, chandeliers, fireplaces and marble flooring.

The announcement is further evidence of Shangri-La's global aspirations. The luxury Asian chain also plans to open a London hotel within the proposed London Bridge Tower development, although this is likely to be some years away, as planning permission for the development has yet to be granted.

For more information visit Shangri-la website

Report by Anne Reed


Bmi's plans for Doha

Bmi plans to launch daily flights from London Heathrow to Doha (Qatar) on March 26. Unusually the independent airline will not be operating the flight itself. Instead, because of a plane shortage, Bmi has contracted the service to Qatar Airways who will be using an Airbus A-330.

Bookings and marketing will be handled by Bmi and the existing Qatar Airways' London-Doha services will be unchanged. But this arrangement does mean the new route remains subject to government approval.

The flight from London is set to depart Heathrow's Terminal 3 at 15.05 to arrive in Doha at 23.55. The inbound service is planned to leave Doha at 07.45 to land in Heathrow at 13.15.

Fares will typically start at £449 for an economy return.

Bmi says its plans to launch a three flights a week service to the Saudi port city of Jeddah on April 23 are on track. The carrier began serving the Saudi capital of Riyadh last year. It also says its popular Heathrow-Mumbai service will increase from four flights a week to daily from April 22.

For more information go to Bmi website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Free tickets from Virgin Trains

If you fly to Manchester during February and March you could earn a free first class return train ticket worth up to £317.

The promotion from Virgin Trains covers all passengers buying any one-way or return ticket to fly between any London airport (for example Heathrow, Gatwick, City or Stansted) and Manchester. It's designed to showcase the train firm's Pendolino tilting trains.

Passengers need to post their used boarding passes to qualify for the 10,000 free tickets which are being made available on a first come, first served basis.

The free return first class ticket covers any one-way or return air ticket with any airline flying the route. It covers both budget carriers like Jet2 from Gatwick or Air Berlin from Stansted in addition to conventional airlines like BA and Bmi from Heathrow, BA from Gatwick, Eastern from Stansted or VLM from City.

It's a good deal for anyone using one of the budget carriers because their tickets cost a fraction of the full first class train rate. For example, Air Berlin's Stansted-Manchester prices lead-in at £29 one-way, £58 return.

The rail is valid for travel not only between London and Manchester but also from London to other destinations in the Northwest including Crewe, Liverpool, Chester, Preston and Warrington.

These state-of-the-art trains depart London Euston for Manchester Piccadilly every half hour throughout much of the working day. The fastest services over the 184 miles in between 126 and 131 minutes.

Air passengers must apply by April 28 and the free rail ticket is valid for travel until August 31.

For more information go to Plane Relief website

Report by Alex McWhirter

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BA enforces check-in deadlines


Don't be tardy if you're flying with British Airways. In a bid to boost punctuality, the airline is cracking down on latecomers and will now turn away passengers arriving late for check-in, no matter the reason. Says a spokesperson, "We will now strive to shut our check-in when we say we will."

In the UK, no passenger will now be accepted later than 30 mins before a domestic or short-haul flight and no later than 45 mins for a long-haul service.

Says BA's CEO Willie Walsh, "Ensuring that aircraft depart and arrive on time should be a fundamental concern for everyone, right up there with safety and security. It's something our customers expect BA to get right. Our current performance is unacceptable."

BA is worried because its punctuality now trails that of the budget airlines. This is something which passengers will not accept because they are paying more for what they perceive is a premium product.

The latest Civil Aviation figures for flights at major UK airports in 2005 indicate that 67% of BA flights departed punctually (classified as within 15 mins of schedule) whereas the comparable figures for its low-cost rivals were 72% for Easyjet, 73% Flybe, 76% Monarch and 81% Ryanair.

One reason why these budget carriers have better punctuality is that they rigorously apply check-in deadlines. BA is now taking a leaf out of their book.

Other measures which BA is adopting include making sure that staff reach the plane on time, boarding passengers along with closing the gates and aircraft doors promptly.

Check in times vary across the BA network. For example, at New York JFK the deadline is 60 to 120 mins, at Bahrain and Dubai it's 60 minutes whereas in Sydney it's 45 mins while 45 mins will suffice in Singapore.

Readers should also note that the 30 min deadline in the UK also applies at London's compact City airport where some rivals have 15-20 min deadlines.

For more information go to BA website

Report by Alex McWhirter


The LGW Express: it hasn't gone yet

The Gatwick Express is under threat and the future looks grave. But there's hope yet. Airport operator BAA believes there is still a good chance of saving the fast rail link and it has proposed a modified service to the Department of Transport. The proposed service would retain some of the elements of the current service such as space for heavy baggage and the ability to buy tickets on board, but, to free up space at the airport platforms, the Express would start and terminate at Three Bridges station further down the line.

Gatwick Express is under threat because this link between Gatwick airport and London Victoria has been accused of taking up too much track capacity. The Express services are lightly loaded compared with commuter trains sharing the same tracks, so the argument goes. As a result, the government wants to scrap the Express and replace it with a stopping service to make better use of track space.

But the proposal has come under fire both from BAA and the major airlines. In particular, Bob Schumacher, UK director of US airline Continental says, "The proposal to do away with a dedicated non-stop service is outrageous. If implemented it would make Gatwick less attractive as a London gateway." On the other hand critics argue that the Gatwick Express must move with the times.

Travel patterns have changed (thanks to new office and residential developments in and around the capital) since the Gatwick Express started over 20 years ago. In the British Rail days the Gatwick Express had the market all to itself. But today's privatised railway has produced competing services with fares that can be substantially cheaper depending on where you start your journey.

Says a spokesperson for Gatwick Express, "The price competition has changed our way of thinking. Unlike Heathrow Express we carry more leisure passengers so our fares must be tailored to their needs. That is why we have and we will continue to pursue ticketing deals with airlines."

But the Gatwick Express serves only Victoria in Central London while some passengers find competing Thameslink and Southern trains more useful as they serve areas to the East and North of the capital and call at hub stations like East Croydon and Clapham Junction. There's no doubt the Gatwick Express suffered with the closure (following the events on September 11), for security reasons, of the airline check-in facilities at Victoria station. In the Express' heyday passengers could check-in their bags and board the train secure in the knowledge they wouldn't miss their flight.

"The closure was a great shame," says the spokesperson, "but we plan to assist passengers by installing flight information screens near the Victoria platforms later this month. It means passengers will know if their flight is on time before they even leave the station." For more information go to Gatwick Express

Do you think the Gatwick Express service should be scrapped? Join in our survey on the Business Traveller home page.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Orient Express reaches half century

Orient-Express Hotels this week acquired its 50th hotel - Casa de Sierra Nevada, a 33-room boutique hotel in the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. Simon Sherwood, President of the company said, "Casa de Sierra Nevada is a significant acquisition for Orient-Express, being the 50th property in our unique portfolio. It complements Maroma Resort and Spa, our property on the Riviera Maya and is our second hotel in Mexico,"

Opened in 1952, Casa de Sierra Nevada is housed in nine Spanish colonial buildings –or casas - dating from the 16th to 18th century including the Casa del Parque, a fort in the 17th century and later a customs house for the silver trade; and Casa Principal, the former residence of San Miguel de Allende's Archbishop in 1580 and an official historical landmark. The casas also have cloistered outdoor courtyards with fountains, small gardens and al fresco corridors. Guest rooms and suites capture the rich history of the area and are decorated with hand painted tiles, bovedas (curved/domed ceilings), polished copper sinks, and original paintings by local artists.

Orient-Express Hotels will manage the property, in which previous guests have included Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith and the late Anthony Quinn. Transport options include flying into either Mexico City (a three and a half hour drive away) or the Guanajuato-Leon Airport (one and a half hours away). British Airways and American Airlines fly to both Mexico City and Guanajuato-Leon airports from the UK, while Continental and United fly to Mexico City.

Orient-Express intends to invest US$5 million in renovations and enhancements to the property, including the development of 20 new suites, a full service spa and a new pool and garden area on an undeveloped parcel of land. Casa de Sierra Nevada will continue to operate during renovation and refurbishment of rooms.

For further details, visit Orient Express

Report by Tom Otley


JAL cuts flights to Heathrow

Japan Airlines (JAL) is cutting flights to London Heathrow this summer. The carrier's Tokyo-London service is a casualty of a new management plan to concentrate on more profitable routes.

As a result JAL says the London-Tokyo service will be halved from two flights to a single daily service operated by a B777 twin jet. At the same time the daily Osaka service will change from a B747 to a B777.

The more fuel-efficient B777s will also replace B747s on flights between Amsterdam, Paris CDG and Tokyo in September and October. Passengers will find JAL's latest lie-flat style seats installed on these B777s and the carrier says that route frequencies will be revised in a year's time.

In the past the UK-Japan routes were money-spinners. But the Japanese economic slowdown and, one suspects, fierce price competition on a route where airlines used never to offer decent discounts, has dented JAL's earnings.

There are regular economy class seat sales while indirect carriers are luring away business travellers with keen pricing. For example, when Business Traveller checked the cost of a return London-Tokyo business class ticket for the week commencing February 20 with agent Airline Network we were quoted rates of between £1,825 and £2,380 with leading carriers like Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and SAS. This is roughly 50% less than the fares charged by the direct flight carriers such as British Airways, JAL, ANA and Virgin Atlantic.

In other news, JAL has exchanged a memorandum of understanding with the Oneworld alliance (whose members include British Airways, American, Qantas and Cathay Pacific). If all goes according to plan, JAL will fly as a Oneworld member in a year's time.

Meanwhile, JAL continues to be affected by fuel rationing at Heathrow (following last December's Buncefield terminal blaze). Flight JL404 to Tokyo at 21.00 is cancelled on a number of days during February. Flight JL402 at 19.00 remains unaffected.

For more information go to JAL UK site

Report by Alex McWhirter


Will Air New Zealand fly Auckland-Hong Kong-London ?

Rumours continue to circulate that Air New Zealand (ANZ) will announce an additional Auckland-London service to commence later this year. But instead of being routed via Los Angeles (as at present) this new service will reach London via Asia. Hong Kong is tipped as the most likely stopping point.

ANZ has enjoyed a direct flight monopoly since British Airways (BA) pulled off the Auckland route several years ago. But ANZ's policy of serving New Zealand via the US neglected the increasing numbers of people wishing to travel from Europe via the traditional Asian routing. It allowed rival carriers such as Emirates, SIA and Cathay Pacific to step in and exploit this market.

Traffic via Asia has grown so much that Emirates, for example, has found enough passengers to fly three times daily between Dubai and Auckland. While SIA now serves Auckland twice daily plus, like Emirates, with other flights to Christchurch.

ANZ is obviously after a share of this business and a recent air treaty between the UK and New Zealand paves the way for expansion. The carrier would still need traffic right approval from the Hong Kong authorities but in London, even if Heathrow couldn't provide a landing slot, ANZ would surely find the red carpet rolled out at Gatwick because the Sussex airport is keen to attract long-haul services.

ANZ's existing US routing is less popular than before because of new security procedures at Los Angeles [Transit passengers at Los Angeles are photographed, fingerprinted and must reclaim and recheck their bags even when the flight is a through service]. ANZ's CEO Bob Fyfe told Business Traveller. "We are meeting customer resistance from passengers travelling through Los Angeles. This is a problem we would look to address."

Finally, the Star Alliance (of which ANZ is a member) is anxious to secure a presence on the key Hong Kong-London route which is almost entirely dominated by rival Oneworld airlines. ANZ's new service would fit the bill.

ANZ declined to confirm or deny the rumours. A spokesperson told Business Traveller, "The UK-Air New Zealand open skies agreement has opened the way for us to increase our services to London. We are looking at all the options but at the end of the day it all depends on what's best for our business."

For more information go to Air NZ UK website

Report by Alex McWhirter

QF WP

Security delays at Heathrow

Passengers flying from Heathrow must allow extra time to complete pre-flight checks following the introduction of new security measures.
Airport operator BAA introduced the measures a couple of weeks ago and readers have reported severe delays; in a couple of cases it has taken over an hour to clear the security checkpoints. It's especially problematic at Terminal 4 which handles mainly British Airways' flights.

All airlines are now advising passengers to turn up earlier than usual until the new system beds down.

Says a spokesperson for BA: "We suggest passengers arrive two hours before and carry a minimum amount of hand luggage. It's advisable to use online check-in where possible. This situation is not within the control of British Airways."

According to a BAA spokesperson: "The new procedures are ongoing and we're looking at implementing them on a wider scale once we get the infrastructure right.

"I admit we had difficulties last weekend because it coincided with school half-term. We've also found it is taking longer to scan hand luggage because travellers are tending to take bulkier items on board."

The spokesperson added: "The situation is getting better as we work hard to fix it and now we're asking that once passengers check in, they go straight to the security checkpoints rather than hang around. We're hoping it won't be a long-term problem.

"To speed matters up we suggest that travellers get ready to take their laptops out of their bags, that they minimise hand luggage and that they consider taking off their belts."

The new security checks are currently operated only at Heathrow. They do not affect BAA's other UK airports.

For more information go to BAA website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Business class fares to India tumble by 50 per cent

What a difference a year makes. Last year UK executives heading for India were paying high prices for their business class flights – always assuming they could get a seat.
Rigid governmental controls on the number of airlines and flights allowed to fly between the UK and India created a seat shortage. Which was good news for the limited number of carriers plying the routes to Mumbai and Delhi (because high fares mean healthy profits) but bad news for the travelling public because ticket prices were kept high.

But liberalisation last spring allowed existing carriers to add extra flights. It also enabled newcomers like Bmi, Jet Airways and Air Sahara to enter the market. The resulting seat glut has led to business class fares, both by direct and indirect carriers, tumbling by 50 per cent.

When Business Traveller checked fares to Mumbai and Delhi for travel in the next few weeks, we discovered that business class tickets can cost as little as £782 return.

That deal was being offered by Airline Network and included flights with Air Sahara between Heathrow and Delhi. But other options included KLM for £1,240, Lufthansa for £1,494 or Qatar Airways for £1,520.

Online agent Travelocity had rates of £1,214 with Air France or £1,218 with Alitalia. Non-stop flights with Jet Airways were on offer at £1,418, which is great value when you consider that Jet provides fully lie-flat beds.

Similar savings were available on the Mumbai route with Swiss having a mouth-watering rate of £1,162 while Bmi's website quoted around £1,730. Jet Airways was priced at £1,394 through Airline Network.

Their stronger brand identities enable BA and Virgin Atlantic to continue charging the normal rates of around £3,000 return. But if you can book 21 days ahead (and no later than March 10) and depart by March 31 then you'll qualify for Virgin Atlantic's current £1,277 seat sale offer.

For more information go to Airline Network, Travelocity UK, Swiss, Fly Bmi, Virgin Atlantic.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Emirates to serve Perth double daily

Emirates is making it easier and cheaper for premium fare passengers to reach Perth in Western Australia. The Dubai-based carrier already flies once a day between its home and Perth. But from March 2 it will operate an additional four flights a week, rising to daily from September 2.

The additional flights are being operated by an Airbus A340-300 with 12 first, 42 business and 213 economy class seats. Flight EK424 will operate every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday departing Dubai at 09.25 and arriving into Perth at 00.10 the next day. The return service EK425 departs Perth every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 06.30 to reach Dubai at 13.45. From September 2, the A340-300 will be replaced by a B777 with similar capacity in first and business class.

The new services have good connections for UK passengers. Emirates' overnight flights to Dubai from Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester link with EK424. Once flight EK425 lands in Dubai there are onward transfer possibilities to Birmingham, Gatwick and Heathrow.

Overall flight times with Emirates via Dubai are only a little longer than if you were to take the main alternatives: SIA, British Airways or Qantas via Singapore. But Emirates more than compensates with keener pricing.

For travel in March, agent Airline Network is charging £2,378 for a return business class ticket with Emirates compared with prices of £3,746 with SIA and £3,852 with BA and Qantas. When it comes to first class, Airline Network quotes £3,778 with Emirates as against £6,398 with BA/Qantas (the agent has no first class deals with SIA).

The extra flights to Perth strengthen Emirates' grip on the kangaroo route. The carrier currently operates 42 flights a week between Dubai and the Australian gateways of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane.

In other news, Emirates is wooing premium fare passengers departing Sydney and Perth with upgraded airport lounges. It has just splashed out A$4.5 million (£1.89 million) on new first and business class lounges at both airports. Both are modelled on the existing facilities at Dubai. Of the two, the Sydney lounge is more spacious being 880 square metres in size with room for 160 guests. The Perth facility is 582 square metres with space for 106 passengers. Both provide a business centre with individual workstations along with a dining room.

For more information go to Emirates.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Cathay Pacific postpones Manchester-Hong Kong

Aeropolitics have caused Cathay Pacific to postpone its much-awaited Manchester to Hong Kong route.
The three times weekly direct service had been scheduled to start on March 27 with flights making an en route stop at Moscow. Cathay Pacific had decided on this routing in order to spread its risks; the carrier maintains that a non-stop Manchester-Hong Kong would not have been profitable.

Business people in the Northwest of England had welcomed the new service, which would have been Manchester's sole direct link with Moscow and Hong Kong.

Says a spokesperson for Cathay Pacific: "We've had to delay the route launch because we continue to await the completion of regulatory formalities regarding Manchester which are taking longer than originally anticipated. Cathay Pacific hopes to begin the service later in the year."

Industry insiders believe that Cathay Pacific hasn't been able to obtain traffic rights between Manchester and Moscow. Countries exchange traffic rights on the basis of equal opportunity and, as an airline of a third country, Cathay would have to persuade the aviation bodies in the UK and Russia for the right to fly customers between Manchester and Moscow.

Cathay Pacific says that passengers who have already made bookings for the new service will be accommodated on alternative flights via London. It says that passengers flying between Hong Kong and Moscow or vice versa can use existing code-shared flights. But bear in mind that these are operated by Aeroflot (using a B767) rather than Cathay Pacific.

Air routes between Moscow and Southeast Asia are currently under-served, with Thai Airways the only Southeast Asian carrier flying to Moscow. It operates a number of flights to Bangkok with onward regional connections. However, SIA will begin flying Moscow-Dubai-Singapore three times weekly from March 1 (see Online news, January 17).

For more information go to Cathay Pacific.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Kempinski opens in St Petersburg

Luxury German hotel group Kempinski has found a replacement property for the hotel it used to manage in St Petersburg, Russia.
The five-star European chain once managed the Grand Hotel Europe, now an Orient-Express Hotel, and now has the new 183-room Kempinski Moika. The hotel is located on the Moika River, opposite the famous Hermitage Museum and close to other major sites. Nevsky Prospect, the city's main commercial street, is a two-minute walk away.

The Kempinski is constructed around a 19th century building dating back to 1852. Only the facade has been retained; the rest of the building is totally new. Introductory room rates are being offered (subject to availability) when the hotel opens next week (Wednesday, February 22), lasting until the end of March.

Business rooms (20 square metres in size) are on offer for the promotional price of Euros 132 as against the usual price of Euros 235. Superior rooms (26 square metres) will cost Euros 150 (Euros 275 normally) while Deluxe rooms (30 square metres) are priced at Euros 204 (Euros 320). Atrium suites (42 square metres) cost either Euros 291 or Euros 312 (Euros 455 to 485 usually).

Contact Kempinski Hotel Moika, Moika River Embankment 22, 191186 St Petersburg, tel +7 812 3359111. For more information go to Kepinski.

Report by Alex McWhirter


SkyEurope to set up shop in Prague

Prague is poised to receive a boost in low-cost air service. Starting in spring, Slovakian budget airline SkyEurope will base two planes in the Czech capital and launch flights to seven destinations in mainland Europe.
The new services starting on April 10 cover Amsterdam (daily), Barcelona (four times a week), Paris Orly (daily), Milan Bergamo (daily) and Rome Fiumicino (daily). In addition, there will be a three times weekly service to Nice on April 11 followed by a twice weekly flight to Naples on April 13.

Tickets are priced in Czech Koruna and are extremely inexpensive in comparison with rates in Western Europe when you consider they include taxes and charges. Lead-in prices for return tickets from Prague to Paris start at £40 (Czk 1,682) with tickets to Amsterdam at £42 (Czk 1,781) and Barcelona just £29 (Czk 1,208).

Local airlines currently operating out of Prague are Czech airline CSA and budget carrier Smart Wings.

But it's not all good news. SkyEurope is making room for these new services by withdrawing from the competitive Polish market. From the end of the winter timetable it will scrap flights from Warsaw to London Stansted and Bratislava. It will also abandon plans to operate from Krakow to Stockholm and Bologna.

For more information go to SkyEurope. For a review of SkyEurope, see the upcoming March edition of Business Traveller magazine.

Report by Alex McWhirter

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Bmi on the up again {this is required reading for Aisle Seat H }

Nigel Turner, CEO of Bmi has answered the airline's critics in emphatic terms this week. Speaking exclusively with Business Traveller, Turner hit back at critics – both in the media and a small but vocal core of Bmi's customers, who have found fault in the airline's new direction, first unveiled last year.

"Bmi is on the up again," he says. "We recovered last year and we're recovering more this year as we refine our business model."
The latest modifications to Bmi's offering came in January with the carrier introducing online check-in. "Online check-in has taken off," says Turner, "without any publicity we're now finding that three per cent of passengers check-in online and by the end of the year we reckon that 20% of passengers will be using this service."

The airline also has a new "fare families" price display where passengers can see all the different fares available on a chosen flight. The carrier's first business model launched in August last year was unpopular with many passengers, who resented the scrapping of business class on most short-haul routes to and from Heathrow and the loss of free food and drinks on most services within Europe. They also disagreed with Bmi's new policy of refusing to through-check baggage at Heathrow when passengers were travelling on separate tickets as a cost-cutting ruse.

Nigel Turner believes that the airline's motives have been misunderstood. "We surveyed our passengers and they told us what they wanted from a short-haul airline. Besides wanting to speed through the airport, they wanted an efficient, friendly, safe and punctual carrier. They also wanted choices, in other words the choice of whether or not to buy food on board."

"Food is no longer free, but for those who do want to buy food, there's now a wider choice. People assumed that we'd become a low-cost airline simply because we had stopped serving free food. But the differences between us and the low-cost carriers are immense, not least since 50% of our flying [short and long-haul] retains business class and we have lounges. We also give passengers the choice of whether or not you want to through check baggage depending on the ticket or tickets you buy. Through baggage checking costs money particularly when connections are missed and the luggage has to be sent on separately."

It is on punctuality that Turner is most proud. "We've invested millions of pounds in pre-planning and systems and I can now say our performance is head and shoulders above our main rival."

The changes haven't finished for the airline: "It's a competitive world so we will introduce the next business model in April with further enhancements allowing passengers to buy more frills." Though Turner said there were no plans for charging passengers for baggage checking for "the foreseeable future."

In other news, Bmi says it will scrap Heathrow to Milan Linate and Madrid from the start of the summer schedule because the once daily flights can't compete with rivals' more frequent schedules.

Bmi is also keen to start flights to Moscow. Bmi has received UK government approval but approval from the Russian end is also required and so far this hasn't been forthcoming.

A new three times a week Heathrow-Jeddah service gets under way on May 18. It will complement the existing Heathrow-Riyadh service. Both cities will be served by a B767 (leased from the Dutch airline) configured for business and economy class. The Premium (economy) cabin will be dropped from the Saudi services owing to lack of demand.

Other long-haul developments include the Heathrow-Mumbai service upgraded to daily from April with a new Heathrow-Doha link launched this summer in conjunction with Qatar Airways.

For more information go to Bmi website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Easyjet launches online check-in

Easyjet has pipped Ryanair to the post by becoming the first budget airline to offer online check-in [Ryanair's online check-in system begins on March 16 - see Ryanair takes low-cost travel a step further]. It means that passengers can check-in from their home or office, print their own boarding passes and if carrying hand baggage can go straight to the gate once they reach the airport. Easyjet claims that online passengers needn't reach the gate until 15 minutes before flight departure.

Until now passengers have usually had to stand in line even if they had no bags to check-in. The online system has been trialled since early February. So far it's available on all routes from London Stansted, London Gatwick and Edinburgh airports, and Easyjet is in the process of rolling-out the service to customers across the UK. By April, 90% of Uk passengers should be able to take advantage of online check-in.

Other recent innovations of interest to business travelers include: no weight limit for hand baggage [although a size limit applies], self-service check-in kiosks and "early bird transfers" where passengers who arrive early can be switched to an earlier flight.

These will soon to be followed by a 'speedy boarding' trial, where Easyjet will charge passengers a small fee should they wish to be amongst the first to board the planes.

For more information go to Easyjet website

Report by Alex McWhirter


SAS begins fitting new business class seats

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has begun rolling out new long-haul business class seating on various routes from Copenhagen to Asia and the US.

Manufactured by UK firm Contour, the lie-flat style seating provides 61 inches of seat pitch, a 74 inch bed and 79 inches of living space. By comparison the existing seats feature 50 inches of seat pitch and only 50 inches of living space. And, of course, there's no bed feature.

Seat cushion width is roughly the same at 20 inches (it extends to 23 inches between the armrests when the seat reclines) but the angle of recline is far more generous at 170 as against 135 degrees for the current model. There's a 10.4 inch seat back video screen with video and audio on demand some two inches larger than the present one attached to the centre console.

Because the new seating is more spacious, SAS is having to reduce the business class seat count. On the four-engined A340s (which tend to operate to Asia) the number of seats is being cut from 60 (formerly 54 regular and six sleeper seats) to 46 of the new seats. With the twin-engined A330 (which usually serve the US) the seat count falls from 54 to 34.

SAS says that one plane already has the new seats and it's currently in service on the Copenhagen-Seattle run. The second plane with the new seating is expected to enter the Copenhagen-Beijing route later this week. During March, the new seats will begin to appear on flights linking Copenhagen with Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok and Singapore.

Smart travel agents can identify the relevant flights by checking the business class layout on any particular service. But bear in mind that airlines are known to make last minute plane changes (and replacement craft may not have the new seating).

SAS offers connections at Copenhagen for UK passengers departing London Heathrow, City, Birmingham and Manchester. In particular its Asian flights provide competitive journey times as Scandinavia is located on the "Great Circle" route.

For more information go to SAS website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Lufthansa adds Stuttgart from LCY

Lufthansa is expanding at London's convenient City airport. On March 26, the German airline is launching a new route to Stuttgart and increasing flight frequency to both Dusseldorf and Frankfurt.

Stuttgart and its surrounding region is an economic success story with multi-national firms and pioneering SMEs. It's also the gateway to the Black Forest region.

Flight LH2725 departs City at 14.40 to reach Stuttgart at 17.45. The inbound service leaves at 12.50 and arrives in City at 14.10. Services are operated by Lufthansa partner Contact Air using an ATR turbo-prop. These timings may not be ideal for everyone but passengers can mix and match flights with existing schedules to and from Heathrow. Tickets start at £75 return.

In addition, Lufthansa will operate new Saturday morning and Sunday lunchtime services to Frankfurt. It will also add an afternoon service to Dusseldorf. These will compliment the existing early and late schedules on both routes.

Lufthansa's announcement follows the recent launch of two other new routes from City. On January 30, regional carrier Eastern Airways inaugurated a four times a day domestic service to Newcastle while on February 13 SAS began a twice daily service to Stockholm Arlanda.

In other news, London City says that its shuttle bus links to Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf will cease from Friday March 3 because of falling demand. The airport says that the new DLR rail service (with journey times of 14 minutes to Canary Wharf and 22 minutes to Bank in the City of London) has proved very popular with passengers.

For more information go to LH UK website or LCY website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Lower transatlantic business class fares from Air France

Air France has rejigged its transatlantic business class fares and brought in lower prices for travellers prepared to book well ahead. The deals are now available for online booking.
Return prices from London and UK regional airports via Paris CDG start from £1,226 for Boston, £1,516 for Chicago, £1,526 for Detroit, £1,626 for Los Angeles and San Francisco, £1,226 for New York JFK and Newark along with £1,226 for Washington DC. These rates are keenly priced compared with rates offered by rival airlines.

A particular advantage is that regional passengers flying Air France can depart from their local airport. So in addition to London Heathrow (and a once daily link from London City to CDG) the French carrier offers connections from Southampton, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Air France's new lie-flat style seating (now fitted to many B777s and a number of A330s and A340s) features on selected flights on all these routes with the exception of New York JFK and Washington DC.

But passengers must book weeks ahead to get the best prices. When Business Traveller tried booking a return ticket from Southampton to New York over the next few weeks the cheapest fare available was £1,826. Only when we specified dates in April did the price fall to £1,226.

If further encouragement to use Charles de Gaulle as your hub were needed, the security queues at Heathrow Terminal 4 show little sign of improving. Reports from readers this week continue to highlight delays of up to an hour clearing security. Once again one of the four scanning machines was not in use, with BAA security staff confirming that though it was working, there were not enough staff available to operate it.

BAA told Businesstraveller.com "Supervisors are monitoring the situation constantly, and making decisions with regard to resourcing. Machines can be out of action for a short time, but we are doing everything we can to minimise delays.". The advice for business travellers for the moment is that even if you are checking in online and have hand luggage only, allow plenty of time.

For more information go to AF UK website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Marriott Rewards get personal

US chain Marriott is seeking to provide a more personalised experience for the 22 million members of its Rewards' loyalty scheme. The mammoth global company hopes to offer the sort of attention they might expect to receive when staying at a boutique or a property tied to a smaller hotel chain.

Says Ed French, Marriott's senior VP customer relationship marketing, "We recognise that our guests want their personal preferences met when they stay with us [so the chain is now storing guest preferences on its data base] but this information is only what our members input themselves and we only record things that both we and our guests believe will benefit them."

Rewards' members have the possibility of earning points and making stays at 2,600 branded Marriott properties around the world. Guest preferences logged in the system might include features like room or bed type, whether or not extra pillows or towels are required and even the choice of daily newspaper.

In addition at 400 of the more important Marriott hotels around the world, Rewards' members are offered use of a "Virtual Concierge" after making their booking. It enables them to fine tune their visit in advance by, for example, ordering room service ahead or making a dinner reservation. Members could also arrange for car service while guests travelling on leisure could order a roll-away bed or request a connecting room.

Marriott Rewards is free to join. Members earn points or airline miles when staying at eight Marriott brands. Besides the core brand, these include JW Marriott, Renaissance and Courtyard.

For more information go to Marriott Rewards website

Report by Alex McWhirter