Delta Airlines Filed Permit Application for Additional Flight Service Between Heathrow London Airport and Boston

Delta Air Lines today filed applications with the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Transportation requesting permission to operate twice-daily year-round service between London’s Heathrow Airport and Boston, and daily year-round service between Heathrow and Miami.

Delta’s new service would benefit consumers by increasing competition among airlines and airline alliances between the U.S. and Heathrow, which is tightly restricted by airport slot restraints. The oneworld alliance, which includes American Airlines and British Airways, holds 47 percent of Heathrow’s takeoff and landing slots, while the Star Alliance, which includes United Airlines, US Airways, BMI and Lufthansa, accounts for 25 percent of Heathrow’s slots.

SkyTeam, whose members include Delta, Air France-KLM and Alitalia, holds only 5 percent of Heathrow’s slots.

“Delta’s new service would provide more choices and competition for customers traveling between these important U.S. cities and London, one of the most popular destinations in Europe for both business and leisure travelers,” said Glen Hauenstein, Delta’s executive vice president – Network Planning and Revenue Management. “Awarding these slots to Delta and SkyTeam would significantly enhance competition among the major alliances across the Atlantic.”

The slots for the new service are available following the U.S. and E.U. governments’ approval of an immunized trans-Atlantic alliance between American Airlines and British Airways. The government required the airlines to divest some Heathrow slots in order to enhance competition in the most tightly restricted markets.

If approved, Delta’s Heathrow service from Boston and Miami would begin March 27, 2011, and would be offered in cooperation with its trans-Atlantic joint venture partners Air France-KLM and Alitalia.

Boston – Heathrow

Boston is one of the largest markets between the U.S. and Heathrow, with more than 270,000 passengers annually. The route is popular with business travelers in the financial services and technology industries.

Delta, the second-largest carrier in Boston with 75 peak-day departures to 17 cities, would operate two flights daily to Heathrow, using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft equipped with 36 seats in BusinessElite and 180 in Economy.

Delta’s proposed Boston-Heathrow summer 2011 schedule:

Flight Departs Arrives Frequency
270 Boston at 7 p.m. Heathrow at 6:45 a.m. (next day) Daily
144 Boston at 9:50 p.m. Heathrow at 9:35 a.m. (next day) Daily
271 Heathrow at 10:30 a.m. Boston at 1:25 p.m. Daily
145 Heathrow at 1:30 p.m. Boston at 4:25 p.m. Daily

New Delta service between Heathrow and Boston would complement existing trans-Atlantic service offered by the SkyTeam alliance from Boston, including year-round flights to Paris operated by Air France, Rome operated by Alitalia and Amsterdam operated by Delta.

Miami – Heathrow

As Florida’s largest carrier offering international service, and the second-largest carrier in Miami, Delta and its SkyTeam partners are well-positioned to enhance competition between Miami and Heathrow. If approved, Delta would operate one daily flight on the route using Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

Delta’s proposed Miami-Heathrow summer 2011 schedule:

Flight Departs Arrives Frequency
260 Miami at 5:30 p.m. Heathrow at 7:30 a.m. (next day) Daily
261 Heathrow at 10:20 a.m. Miami at 3:25 p.m. Daily

New Delta service between Heathrow and Miami would complement existing trans-Atlantic service offered by the SkyTeam alliance from Miami including year-round flights to Paris operated by Air France and Rome operated by Alitalia.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With its unsurpassed global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 367 destinations in 65 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 75,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline’s service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, the world’s largest airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 45 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

source : Delta Air Lines

Singapore Airlines to Additional Flight to European Airport Service to Help Clear Backlog

Singapore Airlines to Operate Additional Flights to and from Europe

Singapore Airlines will be mounting additional flights over the coming days to help clear the backlog of customers affected by the recent closure of European airspace. The following is a list of additional flights and their respective departure details.

Flight details may be subject to change.
Route Flight number Departure time (local time) Date(s) of operation
Singapore – Manchester SQ8318 2330hrs 23 to 28 April
Singapore – Manchester SQ8328 0800hrs 24 to 28 April
Manchester – Singapore SQ8327 1615hrs 24 to 28 April
Manchester – Singapore SQ8321 1120hrs 24 to 29 April
Singapore – Frankfurt SQ8326 0230hrs 25 to 27 April
Frankfurt – Singapore SQ8325 1045hrs 25 to 27 April
Amsterdam – Singapore SQ8323 1330hrs 23 April
Singapore – Paris SQ8332 2205hrs 23 April
Paris – Singapore SQ8331 0730hrs 24 April
Singapore – Zurich SQ8342 0310hrs 28 April
Zurich – Singapore SQ8341 1400hrs 28 April

Malaysian Airlines (MAS) Flights Services to UK and Europe May Rescheduled

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is monitoring the situation of airport closures across the United Kingdom and Europe as a result of volcanic ash from Iceland and does not rule out the possibility that its flights tomorrow will also be affected.

MAS director of operations, Captain Azharuddin Osman said the national airline is still monitoring the European airspace very closely and is in close touch with the authorities involved.

“Based on the current weather conditions and reports, there is a possibility that tomorrow’’s flights will also be affected. Once the airports are re-opened, we will normalise our schedules,” he said in a statement here today.

In the meantime, he said MAS was keeping in touch with customers who provided their contact details to advise them of flight cancellations as well as travel options.
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American Airlines Started Flight Service From Jacksonville International Airport to O’hare International Airport

American Airlines has begun service between Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) and O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in Chicago with three daily, nonstop flights.

The inaugural flight departed Tuesday at 12:05 p.m. American Airlines’ three new daily flights depart JAX at 7:10 a.m., 12:05 p.m. and 5:10 p.m.

“These three new flights provide more opportunities for Jacksonville business and leisure travelers flying to Chicago,” said Barbara Halverstadt, Jacksonville Aviation Authority’s Manager of Development and Marketing. “We’re thrilled that American Airlines recognizes the potential at Jacksonville International Airport and has decided to add the additional flights.”

JAX now serves 27 markets with 94 average daily departures and 10,308 daily seats.

AirAsia Promotional Sale on Extra AirAsia Flights

Low cost carrier Air Asia announced Wednesday a four-day promotional sale to celebrate additional flights that will be scheduled during the year-end holiday period.

From 19 November 2009, AirAsia will permanently increasing flight frequencies to Johor Bahru and Penang from the Kuala Lumpur hub.
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