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U.S. Customs and Border Protection has advised all airlines that as of Jan. 20 it will be mandatory for all passengers traveling under the Visa Waiver Program to receive approval to travel through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program. British Airways strongly advises all customers traveling to or transferring through the U.S. from this date to apply for an ESTA at least 72 hours in advance of their journey. Silla Maizey, director of customer service, said, "It only takes 15 minutes to complete an ESTA and the vast majority of applicants will receive approval for travel within minutes, although it can take up to 72 hours. Under the new regulations, we will not be able to accept U.S.-bound customers for their flight if they have not received ESTA approval or if they do not hold a valid visa or Green Card. Most of our customers are already familiar with ESTA as it has been in place for more than a year, although not fully implemented." For more information, visit https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Jan 14, 2010 As of January 20, most UK travelers heading to the US will need to get approval before flying. The Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) scheme means passengers must apply online to US Customs and Border Protection before heading to the airport. The process takes around 15 minutes and should be done at least 72 hours before travel. Once granted, ESTA is valid for two years and allows multiple visits without the need to reapply. Travelers can apply for an ESTA even if they have no firm plans to travel to the US. Jan 13, 2010 US airlines canceled 0.5 percent of their scheduled flights in November, improved from 0.8 percent in the year-ago month, while the ontime arrival rate of 88.6 percent set a record and was up 5.3 points year-over-year. The 19 reporting airlines also posted a record mishandled bag rate of 2.78 per 1,000 passengers compared to 3.75 in November 2008. JetBlue Airways and Hawaiian Airlines cancelled just 0.1 percent of their November 2009 flights, followed by Northwest Airlines' 0.2 percent. Mesa Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines had the highest cancellation rate at 0.9 percent, followed by Alaska Airlines at 0.8 percent. Best ontime performers were HA at 93.3 percent, United Airlines at 92.6 percent and Southwest Airlines at 92 percent. Worst were ASA at 80.5 percent, AirTran Airways at 80.6 percent and Comair at 85.1 percent. Jan 11, 2010 The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has mandated new security measures covering inbound flights to the USA effective 4 January. Those measures are the latest response to a foiled attempt on 25 December by a Nigerian national to use explosives to destroy an Airbus A330 operated by Delta Air Lines. The administration's new directive applies to both US and international carriers operating inbound flights, and includes "long-term, sustainable security measures developed in consultation with law enforcement officials and our domestic and international partners", says the TSA. It is mandating enhanced screening for every individual flying into the USA travelling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism and other countries of interest. Jan 11, 2010 AirTran Airways Aruba Airport Authority N.V. (AAA) welcomed passengers of AirTran Airways's first weekly nonstop flight from Orlando to Aruba on Jan. 9. Aruban locals dressed in folkloric costumes handed out island sweets, while greeting arriving passengers at the gate for the inaugural flight. AirTran Airways' new nonstop service will now be available every Saturday to connect passengers to and from Aruba via Orlando's International Airport. AirTran Airways's aircraft is a B737-700 offering 12 seats in business class and 125 seats in economy class. www.airtran.com or www.aruba.com. Jan 14, 2010 Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air have announced that they will be the Official Airlines of the Portland Rose Festival, the area's largest community event. The three-year sponsorship highlights the airlines' renewed commitment to the Portland, Ore., community and their expanded air service from Portland International Airport. For 100 years, the Portland Rose Festival has delighted families and individuals from Oregon and beyond with events and programs that spotlight the riches of the area's Pacific Northwest heritage and environment while also celebrating international cultures. This year's Rose Festival events kick off May 28, 2010, and conclude on June 13, 2010. Attended by more than 2 million people, the festival is one of the top three annual events most highly decorated by the International Festivals & Events Association and in 2007 was named Best Festival in the World. Among the festival's most popular events is the KeyBank Grand Floral Parade, one of the nation's top two all-floral parades. Coinciding with the announcement, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air launched a dedicated website (www.alaskaair.com/PDX and www.horizonair.com/PDX) for information and exclusive deals for Portland-area and Oregon fliers. The site will include Mileage Plan promotions, fare sales, route information from Portland and other useful information. Promotions and offers will change throughout the year. For more information, visit www.alaskaair.com. Jan 15, 2010 American Airlines As of Feb. 1, American Airlines will be cashless onboard all flights. American will accept major credit and debit cards for purchases made in flight, but no cash. In an effort to streamline the in flight sales process, American first implemented cashless cabins on flights within the continental United States, as well as flights to and from Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada in June 2009. Flight attendants use a hand-held Onboard Sales Recorder, devices American has used since May 2006, to charge credit and debit cards, eliminating the need to search for small bills or change. Receipts are provided to passengers upon request. For more information, visit www.aa.com. Jan 15, 2010 American Airlines Twitter was buzzing Thursday morning with news that several airlines are flying doctors and nurses to Haiti free of charge to help with relief efforts there in the wake of Tuesday's devastating earthquake. The only problem: The rumors are false, an American Airlines spokesman says. "Last night's hoax on Twitter about American and JetBlue flying doctors and nurses to Haiti for free was just that -- a hoax. We don't know who is responsible, but it's a very low thing to do," airline spokesman Tim Smith said in e-mails sent Thursday. Twitter users also circulated a rumor that UPS would ship for free any package under 50 lbs. to Haiti. In a blog post Wednesday on UPS's Web site, a spokeswoman debunked the rumor and said that destruction of Haiti's roads and communications networks "means our own shipping services to Haiti are on hold." UPS is donating USD1 million to help the people of Haiti through relief agencies, she said. Jan 14, 2010 Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines will begin charging customers the highest fees in the industry for checked bags this week, setting other carriers up to do the same. The new fees apply to flights within and between the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada and Puerto Rico. Excluded are premium-class fliers, frequent fliers and active U.S. military members. With a recovery in passenger revenue growth projected for later this year, the airlines appear to be taking no chances about the potential for coming up short with cash. Ancillary fees, such as those levied for checked luggage, have become an important driver for revenue growth. Putting pressure on the industry is a recent jump in benchmark crude prices, which hit a 15-month high earlier this week. Jan 12, 2010 Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines raised their fees for first and second checked bags on North American flights to USD25 and USD35 respectively, matching US Airways' fee levels imposed in the second half of last year. The new fees apply to flights within and between the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada and Puerto Rico. United Airlines and American Airlines currently charge USD20 and USD30 respectively. Delta said it now is charging USD23 for a first checked bag and USD32 for a second checked bag if the passenger checks in online, believed to be the highest fees among US carriers for online check-in. Premium passengers and military personnel are exempt from the new Delta and Continental charges. Jan 12, 2010 FedEx FedEx said it has deployed the first of 30 777Fs it is slated to receive by 2019 on Shanghai-Memphis service. It did not reveal flight frequency. The express giant said it will be operating four 777Fs between Asia and the US by April. Jan 15, 2010 Flybe, Virgin Atlantic Passengers using a Flybe service to connect onto a Virgin Atlantic flight can now check in their bags to the end destination. For example, if you're flying from Aberdeen to Gatwick with Flybe, then Gatwick to Las Vegas with Virgin, you can say goodbye to your bags in Aberdeen and pick them up in Las Vegas. The launch of a through-check-in agreement between Virgin and Flybe also means you don't have to check-in for a second time at Gatwick, as boarding cards for both flights can be issued at the very start of your journey. The agreement is only valid on transatlantic routes to the Caribbean, Orlando and Las Vegas via Manchester or Gatwick airports. The service launched at the end of December and Flybe says it "is proving very popular". Jan 12, 2010 Iceland Express Iceland Express will launch twice-weekly Keflavik-Winnipeg service in June. Jan 12, 2010 Japan Airlines Japan Airlines could be declared bankrupt this week, according to news reports in the Far East. The ailing carrier, which is believed to be hemorrhaging millions of pounds everyday, has suffered financial difficulties for more than a decade but has been propped up by the Japanese government. Jan 11, 2010 JetBlue Airways JetBlue Airways Corporation will waive change fees and fare differences to allow customers booked to travel to, from or through Puerto Plata, Santiago or Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Jan. 13 to voluntarily rebook their travel through Jan. 15, due to the earthquake's impact on the island. Customers may rebook their travel online anytime prior to their originally scheduled departure. All customers booked for travel to/from the Dominican Republic are encouraged to check the status of their flight online at www.jetblue.com prior to leaving for the airport. Customers with web-enabled cell phones and PDAs may check the status of their flight via www.mobile.jetblue.com. For more information, call 800-JETBLUE (538-2583) or visit www.jetblue.com. Jan 14, 2010 Qantas Airways Qantas Airways, Australia's biggest carrier, may keep codeshare arrangements with Japan Airlines even if the carrier defects to the rival SkyTeam airline alliance, according to analysts at Macquarie Group Ltd. Qantas shares common flight numbers with airlines such as Air France-KLM, a member of SkyTeam, and similar arrangements may be kept if Tokyo-based Japan Air leaves their Oneworld coalition, analysts led by Russell Shaw said in a client note. Jan 13, 2010 Spirit Airlines Spirit Airlines announced plans for providing relief to the people of Haiti. "Our hearts and prayers go out to all of the people in Haiti during this terrible tragedy," says Spirit Airlines CEO and President Ben Baldanza. "Our initial focus is on raising funds for relief agencies that are best equipped to aid in the overall relief and Spirit stands ready to give a billion miles to those that assist in this effort." Spirit will give 5,000 FREE Spirit miles to everyone who donates at least USD5 to the Red Cross, UNICEF or Yéle Haiti, enough miles for a free flight. The ultra low cost carrier will give up to a billion miles. Those interested in joining Spirit in their fundraising relief efforts for Haiti should visit www.spiritair.com/haiti after making at least a USD5 donation to one of the following organizations: Yéle Haiti (www.yele.org) , Red Cross (www.redcross.org) , and UNICEF (www.unicef.org) Spirit will in turn credit 5,000 miles to their FREE Spirit accounts, enough for a free flight*. For complete details, visit www.spiritair.com/haiti Since Spirit started flying to Haiti in 2007, it has lowered fares over 40 percent, saving Haitians over USD10 million. Spirit also cancelled its Wednesday, Jan. 13 and Thursday, Jan. 14 flights between Fort Lauderdale and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The airline said it will reinstate service to Haiti when the airport is open to commercial traffic. For more information, visit www.spiritair.com . Jan 14, 2010 United Airlines United Airlines will operate a seasonal Chicago O'Hare-Anchorage service weekly May 22-June 8 and eight-times-weekly June 9-Aug. 30. Daily flights to Anchorage from San Francisco and Denver also will operate June 9-Aug. 30. A weekly ORD-ANC flight will continue Sept. 4-Sept. 25. Jan 15, 2010 United Airlines United Airlines said that it will begin seasonal nonstop service to Anchorage, Alaska, connecting the city with the airline's hubs in Chicago, Denver and San Francisco. Anchorage service begins May 22, with once-weekly Saturday service to and from Chicago O'Hare International Airport. From June 9 until Aug. 30, United will offer once-daily roundtrip service linking Anchorage with Chicago, Denver and San Francisco. A second roundtrip flight will operate between Chicago and Anchorage on Saturdays. United will operate Saturday-only roundtrip service between Anchorage and Chicago between Sept. 4 and Sept. 25. For more information, visit www.united.com. Jan 14, 2010 United Airlines Among the several initiatives United Airlines has in place to support the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, the airlines' foundation is matching up to a total of USUSD50,000 to the American Red Cross for monetary donations that United customers and employees are making to the organization through its International Response Fund at united.com. In addition, Mileage Plus® members and employees are donating miles to the airline's nonprofit relief partners as part of its Charity Miles program. United is also working with relief agencies to determine how we can best support air lift humanitarian efforts, including transporting aid workers, food, and water. Jan 14, 2010 United Airlines United Airlines is raising the fee charged for the first checked bag on domestic flights to USD25 from USD20 and on the second bag to USD35 from USD30 for travel from Jan. 21, matching increases announced this week by Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines. Jan 14, 2010 United Airlines, Airbus US National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating Sunday's emergency landing by a United Airlines A319 at Newark after its right landing gear failed to deploy. The aircraft, en route from Chicago O'Hare, reportedly abandoned its initial landing attempt at EWR owing to the landing gear problem. The pilots said that it would not deploy and decided to land the aircraft on a second attempt with just the nose and left main gear deployed. There were no injuries among the 53 passengers and crew. Jan 12, 2010 United Airlines, Airbus United Airlines flight 634 landed safely at Newark Liberty International airport on 10 January after experiencing difficulty with one of three main landing gear on the aircraft, a carrier spokeswoman has confirmed. The Airbus A319 was on a flight to Newark from Chicago O'Hare International airport. United says no injuries have been reported among the 48 passengers and five crew members onboard the aircraft, and "we will work with the authorities to investigate". Jan 11, 2010 ZZ AirGuide
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