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| FLash | Indian government allows private airlines to fly overseas, ending `monopoly'
India has agreed to allow two private airlines to fly to most overseas destinations, ending the decades-old ``monopoly'' of state-owned Air India and Indian Airlines. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said, however, that Jet Airways and Sahara Air would not be allowed to begin services on the lucrative routes to Gulf states – where millions of Indian expatriates work – for three more years. The government didn't announce when the airlines will be allowed to fly to other international destinations. Earlier this year, the government allowed the private airlines to fly to two neighbouring countries, Nepal and Sri Lanka. In June, Pakistan refused permission to Jet Airways and Sahara Air to launch commercial flights to Pakistan. |
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| Almost 500 foreign tourists confirmed dead in Thailand in tsunamis |
| AP-CP |
Thai authorities Wednesday said a total of 473 foreigners were confirmed killed when deadly tsunamis surged through the nation's busy southern tourist resorts on Sunday. However, there were conflicting reports on the number of Canadian victims. Foreign Affairs Canada said there were two Canadians killed in Thailand and 38 missing or unaccounted for, but Thai officials said there were 13 Canadians killed on a list issued by the Thai Interior Ministry's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
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| Air Canada Vacations Announces ‘Forget about winter’ Contest Winners! |
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 Air Canada Vacations’ ‘Forget About Winter’ contest, in partnership with El Senador and L'Oréal Canada, came to a close last week and the grand prize winners were announced following a drawing held in Montreal at the office of hockey legend, Serge Savard. The grand prize consisted of 25 all-inclusive Air Canada Vacations trips for two at the magnificent El Senador in Cayo Coco, Cuba.
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Cathay Pacific offers assistance to
Tsunami victims |
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Cathay Pacific Airways announced yesterday that it is offering assistance to those affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia/South Asia, raising money through donations and carrying supplies and aid personnel to affected areas. Between now and the end of March, all donations collected in-flight for the United Nations' UNICEF "Change for Good" program will support disaster relief efforts. Special announcements will be made inflight to inform passengers. A collection has also been mounted among Cathay Pacific staff worldwide, the proceeds from which will go to the Red Cross.
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| President of Travel Company issues Challenge to Corporate Canada to Assist Tsunami Victims |
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Today Jonathan Carroll, President of itravel2000 issued a challenge to Corporate Canada to open up their wallets to help assist with efforts in the countries affected by the recent earth quake and Tsunami in Asia and Africa. To get the ball rolling, itravel2000 will donate $5000 to the Canadian Red Cross to help fund humanitarian relief efforts in the afflicted area. In addition to this initial donation, itravel2000 will be donating a portion of every booking over the next 3 months to further assist the relief efforts and will be calling on their tour operator and airline partners to match their contributions on each booking.
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| US Airways appeals to its employees for help, warns of possible discipline |
| AP |
US Airways is looking for volunteers within its labour force to help employees scheduled to  work at Philadelphia's airport over the New Year's weekend, to avoid a repeat of a Christmas fiasco that left the airline with too few workers to fly its planes and process baggage. ``This is a volunteer program. You will not be paid if this is on your day(s) off,'' a memo to employees said. ``It promises to be a rewarding opportunity to learn more about the operation of our airline and come face to face with our customers.''
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| Screening methods used during SARS outbreak had limited success: study |
| CP |
In the midst of the city's 2003 SARS outbreak, international travellers were asked to fill in questionnaires about their health and many were required to have their temperature taken by thermal scanners. But a new study says such measures had little success singling out those with the disease. "They didn't detect any SARS," said Dr. Ronald St. John, lead author of a report published in the January issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal put out by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
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| FLash | Langham Hotels International Partners With Asia Miles, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand and Qantas
Langham Hotels International has made strategic partnerships with four leading international frequent flyer programmes offering value-added frequent flyer mileage benefits when members stay at Langham Hotels International hotels worldwide effective 1 January 2005. Under the new marketing partnerships, Asia Miles members, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer members, Air New Zealand Airpoints(TM) members and Qantas Frequent Flyer members can earn mileage benefits when staying in any of 4,700 rooms across Langham Hotels International. |
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| FLash | Dutch airline KLM cuts prices on all European flights to face competition
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines NV said Wednesday it is cutting prices on all European flights by up to 40 per cent in January, in response to competition from other airlines and drops in average ticket prices. A round-trip flight to London from Amsterdam will now cost $93 US, rather than $143, KLM said. "KLM expects to attract more passengers with these fares and to generate considerably more income from the European passenger market," the company said. KLM, a unit of Air France-KLM SA, flies to 66 European cities, with its main hub at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. |
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| FLash | China's Hainan Island wants to build 22.5 kilometre bridge to mainland
China's southern Hainan Island is considering building a 22.5-kilometre-long bridge to link the island with the mainland, a newspaper said. A formal proposal is to be submitted to Beijing by mid-2005, China Daily said. The island, one of China's poorest regions, hopes to use the bridge linking itself to the booming province Guangdong to promote ``social development and economic growth,'' the newspaper said. The bridge would also diminish travel times to Hong Kong, which borders Guangdong and is the source of 60 per cent of the island's outside investment, China Daily said. |
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| FLash | Continental Airlines' colourful chief executive Gordon Bethune retiring
Love him or hate him, Continental Airlines CEO Gordon Bethune makes an indelible impression. He's blunt. He's jovial, with a sarcastic wit. He has no patience for euphemisms. And this week the man credited with resuscitating Continental from near death a decade ago will hang up his wings. ``I don't know what I'll be doing, but I won't be dead,'' Bethune joked recently about his retirement. Bethune, 63, had originally planned to retire in August 2006, when he turns 65. But last January he announced that at year-end he would leave the airline in the hands of his longtime second-in-command, Larry Kellner, in tandem with Texas Pacific Group president David Bonderman's departure earlier this year from Continental's board. |
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