Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Qatar Airways flights Doha to Oslo Airport

Qatar Airways is to open a direct route between Oslo Airport and Doha from 5 October. Qatar Airways builds on its successful operations in Scandinavia with the start of direct flights to Norway’s capital city of Oslo. The airline already operates scheduled services to the Swedish capital Stockholm and Denmark’s capital city of Copenhagen.
The route will operate 5 days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday) with departure from Oslo Airport at 16:10, arriving in Doha at 23:55. The return flight from Doha will depart at 08:25 with arrival at Oslo Airport at 14:40. Oslo - Doha will be operated by an Airbus A330 with two classes.
“Today’s announcement of new services to Kolkata, Oslo and Sofia reflects our commitment to connect diverse global cities via our Doha hub. Kolkata becomes our 12th gateway city in India, while Sofia is another example of serving underserved markets. And with Oslo set to be part of our network, Qatar Airways will strengthen its presence in Scandinavia as the biggest Gulf-based airline flying to the region.”
Since January 2010, Qatar Airways has taken delivery of 22 new planes – a mix of wide-body Boeing 777s, narrow-body Airbus A320 Family aircraft and Bombardier business jets, the latter for the airline’s corporate jet division, Qatar Executive.

The airline’s Doha hub feeds passenger and cargo traffic to all parts of the world, offering convenient connections across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.

Ryanair flights to Greek Island from Liverpool

Ryanair Summer services commenced from Liverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA) with the airline's inaugural flight to the Greek Island of Kos taking off from the airport early this morning. Flights to Rhodes start tomorrow and their flights to Lodz in Poland resume again at the weekend.

Ryanair is delighted to launch its Greek routes from Liverpool, which will operate twice weekly to Kos (Wednesdays and Sundays) and Rhodes (Thursdays and Mondays) making both destinations ideal for a weekend in the sun or a longer getaway. Bookings on the new Greek routes are going through the roof and with fares starting from as little as £39.99 one way inclusive of taxes for travel in May and June, we urge all passengers to log onto www.ryanair.com today to avoid disappointment."

Both Greek destinations are part of the Dodecanese group of islands located in the Aegean Sea. Kos was reportedly visited by Hercules in Roman mythology whilst Rhodes - the largest in this group of islands and historically, is famous worldwide for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Today both are popular summer holiday destinations.This is the first time that Ryanair have operated flights to Greece from Liverpool and since going on sale just over two months ago, the airline have seen record levels of sales for their Kos flight, for what looks likely to be one of their most popular services of the Summer.

Thankfully with Ryanair's summer season now underway, the region's holidaymakers have even more great opportunities to get away to more reliable hot weather. There are few better places for this than the island of Kos, with the convenience of flying from your local airport and at some of the lowest fares around".

no debit card fees for booking tickets on Monarch

low cost airlines Monarch has abolished the fees it charges passengers for using debit cards to book tickets.
In a move that will put pressure on its rivals to follow its lead, Monarch is eliminating debit card fees and introducing a fixed fee for all credit card bookings.
All customers using debit cards to book Monarch’s scheduled flights will incur no booking fees, whilst customers electing to pay using a credit card will be charged a £10 fee, regardless of the value of the transaction or the number of people travelling.
Conrad Clifford, the Chief Executive of Monarch Group, said: “In these difficult economic times, there is absolutely no justification advertising one fare and then stinging consumers with hidden excess charges. “Obviously, we would prefer not have to charge customers for using any payment cards at all. But by abolishing debit card fees and introducing a flat fee for using credit cards, we are doing everything we can to be transparent and fair to our customers,” Mr Clifford added.
Monarch is in negotiations with credit card companies to reduce fees further – and has pledged to further reduce the amount it charges customers upon the successful completion of those talks.
The payment card fee announcement comes as Monarch said that it is to focus on scheduled operations as it unveiled a new brand.
The move towards positioning Monarch as a scheduled airline is a significant shift in strategy for the Monarch Group, which has a long legacy of charter operations.
At the heart of the rebrand is a commitment to transparent and simple pricing and the introduction of Monarch’s “Build your own class” concept of flying.
Customers who are looking for the cheapest possible flight will be able to fly on Monarch, with an allocated seat, for a fare that is competitive against the no-frills carriers. Add-ons, such as hot meals, seats with extra leg room and extra baggage allowance, are offered at point of booking for additional small sums.
The concept will enable Monarch’s passengers to choose the services they want, without being obliged to pay for anything they don’t want.

Wizz Air flights London Luton to Skopje Macedonia

low cost airlines Wizz Air, introduces its first route to Macedonia from London Luton Airport on 20th June 2011.

The service will operate three times per week from London Luton to Skopje and prices start at £33.99 one way including taxes and charges.
Wizz Air is the largest low cost airline based in Central and Eastern Europe and operates a young fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft.
Simon Harley, Business Development Manager at London Luton Airport, says, "We are delighted to announce the start of this service to Skopje and now have a total of 22 routes on sale with Wizz Air. Wizz Air's rapid growth in recent years has made the airline a key partner in London Luton Airport's drive to offer low cost air travel within easy reach of passengers from London, the Midlands and the South East.”

For further information or to book flights visit www.wizzair.com

Monarch flights to corfu from london Luton airport

Monarch has started cheap flights to Corfu.
This service will operate from London Luton to Corfu International Airport on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Prices start from just £68.99 one way including taxes and charges.

New to Summer 2011, Monarch are offering the chance to escape to the summer sun of this popular Greek island for less. Low-cost flights to Corfu from London Luton start from just £59.99 one way, including all taxes and charges. The sunshine route will operate three times a week from 23/05/2011 until 10/09/2011, allowing you to plan a convenient and great value holiday to Corfu.

"It is great to announce the start of this new scheduled service to Corfu with one of our trusted partners, Monarch, which has built on the success of its charter flights last year. With excellent weather, beautiful beaches, a wealth of historical sites and other tourist attractions, Greece is one of the sunshine destinations of choice for discerning travellers. Corfu even has the added advantage for sports lovers of being the home of Greek cricket!”

This route is the 12th scheduled destination operated by Monarch from London Luton Airport and summer 2011 will see a further 20,000 passengers attracted by low cost affordable air travel within easy reach of London, the South East and the Midlands.

GMG Airlines Dhaka airport to Chittagong shuttle bus

Bangladesh’s largest private carrier, GMG Airlines has introduced a shuttle bus service between Hazrat Shahjalal Internal Airport in Dhaka and Chittagong offering its passengers the option to take a direct route to the port city.

The shuttle bus service will facilitate the GMG passengers who are travelling to and from Jeddah and Riyadh to reach Chittagong without waiting long time at the airport. The bus will also provide service to the GMG’s Chittagong passenger to catch their Jeddah and Riyadh flight.
The 32-seat fully air-conditioned bus started its journey at 10.00 pm on 1st February from the airport and reached Chittagong at 8.00 am 2nd February. The passengers wishing to catch GMG’s Saudi Arabia flights from Chittagong can avail the GMG bus from Shyamoli bus counter in the port city at 10.00am everyday.


With 8 international and 5 domestic destinations, GMG Airlines has got a total number of 234 flights per week. GMG’s international route consists of Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Karachi, Dubai, Jeddah and Riyadh. In Domestic operation it serves Dhaka, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazaar, Sylhet and Jessore.

GMG Airlines now operates with three Canadian Bombardier Dash-8 on domestic and Kolkata routes. Besides it has two Boeing 767-300 and three McDonnell Douglas aircraft for the regional operation.

GMG Airlines City Bank amex fare discount

GMG Airlines has taken its first loyalty flight with City Bank American Express to add value to our customers by opening up more channels for them so that they can derive extra benefits by being a GMG Airlines customer. Considering the fact, that today’s consumers want more from their loyalty programs and thus GMG’s valuable partnership with the City Bank American Express will offer them premium rewards.

GMG Airlines have already signed a deal with Amex and the deal is in effect with proper backend approvals. The benefits our flyers will avail through this loyalty program are stated below:

•City Bank American Express Corporate & Consumer Card Holders will enjoy 7% discount on the base fare (excluding Tax & Surcharges) for all Domestic and International flights to be available only if they buy tickets from GMG Airlines sales counters countrywide.
•One free ticket for City Bank American Express Corporate Card member on purchase of every 10 ticket(s) within a calendar month for any route or a combination of different routes.
•Express Check In and Boarding facilities at Dhaka and other airport.
•This offer will be valid from 9th October 2010 to 8th October, 2011 and the free ticket must be claimed and utilized within 8th January 2012. All taxes will be applicable on the free ticket.
•Not combinable with any other discount or promotional scheme.

Aer Lingus Shannon to london Gatwick service

Aer Lingus start fly to London Gatwick airport from Shannon,This addition of a new Gatwick service is part of Shannon Airport’s move to build a network of sustainable passenger services for the region with excellent connectivity to key hubs.

The service will originate in Gatwick with a 6.50 a.m. departure and will be the earliest daily London service to Shannon, arriving at 8.15 am. The return-leg from Shannon departs at 9 a.m., arriving in Gatwick at 10.25. Bookings for the flight can be made from today on the Aer Lingus website www.aerlingus.com.

“In addition, we were delighted to see Ryanair last month announce the establishment of a new Fuerteventura service from February as well as reinstate Nantes, Malaga and Palma-Mallorca services. On top of all this, we also have the new incentive scheme launched by the DAA in December for all three state airports, which will see passenger charges waived once an overall threshold for the airports of 23.5 million passengers is reached. We believe that this will be a key incentive for airlines to expand their services and this can only be good for Shannon and, indeed, for the region if targets are reached.”

Responding to the Aer Lingus announcement, Shannon Airport Authority Chairman Brian O’Connell said: “The last quarter has again shown Shannon Airport’s resilience despite the difficult economic climate. It is clear that airlines continue to recognise the strong market there is for services at Shannon Airport and it is extremely encouraging to see us starting off 2011 in the same vein as we finished 2010, which is very much on the up.

Continental add Shannon New York direct flights

Continental Airlines added an additional summer flights from Shannon to its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport from this month.

The second daily Boeing 757-200 service will operate four times per week throughout the summer months until September 6, 2011. The additional service will bring the total number of Continental flights to Shannon to 11 during this period.

The second service, CO67, will depart Shannon at 1:15 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and arrive at New York/Newark at 3:30 p.m. on the same days. The returning flight, CO66, will depart New York/Newark at 10:00 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and arrive in Shannon at 9:20 a.m. the following days. Continental's existing daily service, CO25, departs Shannon at 9:00 a.m., arriving at New York/Newark at 11:15 a.m. the same day. The return flight, CO24, departs New York/Newark at 7:30 p.m., arriving in Shannon at 7:00 a.m. the following day.

“These new Continental services to New York for the busy summer season are a significant vote of confidence for Shannon Airport and the West of Ireland. They add to the range of new services secured by the airport across UK and European destinations over what has been a very successful past six months in terms of route development.

Yvonne Muldoon, Continental's Sales Manager Ireland and Northern Ireland, said: "The summer service will provide an additional 636 economy seats and 64 BusinessFirst seats to and from the Shannon region each week. It provides excellent business and leisure opportunities for visitors on both sides of the Atlantic."

SAA Voyager Hyatt George triple miles promo code

The beautiful Hyatt George Airport hotel Oubaai Golf Resort & Spa, overlooking the Indian Ocean on Herolds Bay, offers South African airways Voyager members a very special treat this summer.
When booking a three night stay between 01 April and 30 September 2011, South African airways Voyager frequent flyer will get the third night free for every stay at the Hyatt Daily Rate. On top of that, you will also receive triple miles and a Spa credit worth 250.00 ZAR per stay. To book this fantastic offer, please quote offer code SA327 at time of reservation and check-in.

The 100-room Hyatt Regency Oubaai Golf Resort & Spa in George, South Africa, is a 316-acre upscale residential and golf development on the Garden Route that extends along the Western Cape from Mossel Bay to Port Elizabeth. Overlooking the Indian Ocean on Herolds Bay, the development also features Ernie Els’ first signature 18-hole golf course in South Africa, complete with a Golf Academy.

The resort is located 7 minutes from South African George Airport in an area renowned for its pristine beaches and indigenous forests and nature reserves. The development consists of residential villas and apartments and a Village Market.

Guest must request promotion code SA327 at time of reservation and check-in to receive 1.000 bonus miles, free breakfast for two andR250.00 credit for the Freesia Spa. The R250.00 hotel credit is not transferable or refundable for cash. Guest must choose miles for their stay. Guest must present a valid South African airways Voyager membership card at check-in and pay the Hyatt Daily Rate. Allow 6-8 weeks after your stay for your bonus miles to be posted to your airline account.

10% Hyatt rate discount for AARP Members

For AARP members who plan to stay at Hyatt hotels, they can enjoy a 10 percent savings off hotel Rate plus 50 percent off of the third night of their stay with offer code AARP for stays through September 6, 2011.
Enjoy 10% off the Hyatt Daily Rate plus your third night free at participating Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in the U.S., Canada and Caribbean from May 16, 2011 through September 6, 2011. Or choose Hyatt Place or Hyatt Summerfield Suites and take advantage of 10% off the Hyatt Daily Rate and an additional 50% off the third night. Hyatt looks forward to your next visit, wherever your travels may take you.
AARP members can enjoy these discounts at many new or renovated Hyatt destinations, including Hyatt Place Pittsburgh-North Shore, Grand Hyatt New York, Park Hyatt Aviara, among others.
“As part of our relationship with AARP, we’re pleased to offer discounts and special promotions to AARP members at a range of Hyatt properties that suit a variety of travel interests and lifestyles,” said Rob Sarmiento, vice president of sales for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. “We’ve had the privilege of welcoming many AARP members to our hotels and look forward to welcoming them back this summer with this exclusive promotion.” 10% Discount and 3rd night free offer is valid at participating Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Andaz, Park Hyatt and Grand Hyatt hotels and will be deducted at the time of checkout. Additional 50% off rate for third night offer is valid at participating Hyatt Place and Hyatt Summerfield Suites hotels and will be deducted at the time of checkout.