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New Routes / Airlines / Airline News / Frontier / Delta / China Southern Airlines / AirBerlin / Porter Airlines / → All Tags

Porter Airlines, Frontier and Delta Send Planes Here and There This Week

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Porter Airlines:
Last week we were talking about Porter Airlines adding some new routes, and this week the carrier is back in our new route news. The airline—and their cute raccoon mascot—is starting up service between Toronto and Burlington, Vermont. The seasonal service is intended for skiers looking to hit the slopes, and this is the fifth different US city that the airline now visits. Things will run through April 8 before the planes head elsewhere for the summer. Initial fares look to hover around $200 or so, which isn’t too bad if you’re in need of a quick ski—or quick city—jaunt.

· AirBerlin:
No need to stopover if you’re trying to get to Berlin from the Los Angeles area, as there’s a new nonstop route coming soon thanks to the folks—and airplanes—over at AirBerlin. Beginning next May the carrier will do a nonstop flight between California and Germany, and the prices don’t really seem too bad. We did a quick search here and there, and we found a couple options in like the $900 range. Sure it’s not the best airfare deal ever, but it certainly good enough to get you to Europe instead of spending the summer at home.

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Airline News / China Southern Airlines / Airlines / New Routes / Airbus / A380 / Airbus A380 / → All Tags

Every Time a Bell Rings, Another Airline Gets Its A380 Wings (Or Something Like That)

Just last week a new airline just got the keys to its very first A380, and we’re thinking that they’ve got to be pretty pumped—especially the pilots. It’s not a well-known carrier like Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, or Korean Air; however, China Southern has some big plans for its big bird.

At a ceremony in France—home of the Airbus factory—there was plenty of handshaking and celebrating as the plane was officially transferred over to China Southern Airlines. They’ve got like five of the super-jumbo-jets on order, so this is just the first in a hangar filled with A380s. They’re the very first airline in China to get one of the double-decker planes, and to show it off they’re planning to utilize it on mostly domestic routes to and from spots like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

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Meltdownomics / Air China / China Eastern Airlines / China Southern Airlines / → All Tags

China's Airlines Stick Their Hands In The Pot

Airlines in China are queuing up with the rest of the country’s companies for a ladleful of life-saving capital. Looks like now’s the time to see if this communism thing really works!

In addition to China’s already announced 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) economic stimulus package, Air China and the other big Chinese airlines are seeking industry-specific government aid to cope with their losses. Even the mention of the bailout sent shares of China’s three biggest carriers soaring. According to Reuters, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines were each likely to receive 3 billion yuan, or $439 million.

No word on whether the extra cash will prompt these carriers to trade in the rubbery meat they try to pass off as chicken, but we’re guessing, per usual, the passenger will be the last one to reap the benefits of any eventual government infusions of cash.

Related Stories:
· Chinese Airlines Look to Beijing for Help [Reuters, via IHT]
· China Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: msitting]

Flight Attendants / Airlines / Korean Air / China Southern Airlines / → All Tags

Flight Attendants Go On Exchange

We've heard of high school exchange students or even swapping a teacher or two, but this is the first time we've known of a flight attendant exchange program. The ultra-glamorous flight attendants of Korean Air are about to be involved in an exchange program with their counterparts from China Southern Airlines.

Basically, the Korean Air gang has promised to help the China Southern crew learn the ropes; attendants from both airlines will work together on Korean Air routes between South Korea and China. The exchange bit happens when some Korean Air attendants turn up on China Southern flights, with the express purpose to "provide the most attentive service to the Korean passengers".

With the Beijing Olympics around the corner, Korean Air is keen to impress the large Chinese market, although the airline may not be too successful if they give the most attentive service to the Korean passengers. All we want to know is which flight attendants need to trade places to get us the most attentive service.

Related Stories:
· Korean Air Exchanges Flight Attendants [eTravel]
· Korean Air Flight Attendants [Jaunted]

[Photo: John Swords]

China Travel / Airlines / Travel Hell / China Southern Airlines / Air China / → All Tags

China to Airlines: No Flights For You!

Waiting for a deal on plane tickets to China for the 2008 Summer Olympics? Don't wait too long. One year away from the Games, the Chinese government announced plans to cut flights at its busiest airports, and it will not be registering any new airlines until 2010.

China's airspace situation sounds a lot like ours: Massive ground delays and a larger passenger load have made several airports--including Beijing, the world's ninth busiest--experience a dramatic drop in quality of service this year. Rather than redirect flights, the country's aviation authority is asking national carriers like China Southern and Air China to cut some 300 flights from their rosters. (International flights aren't affected... Yet.)

Better to address the problem head on than cover it up, we suppose.

Related Stories:
· China Reduces Flights [Yahoo]
· China Airlines Paints Over Name and Logo of Charred Plane [Jaunted]

[Photo: Stuart Photography]

Airport Security / Smuggling / China Southern Airlines / → All Tags

Smuggle Watch: Cheap and Sweaty Clothing For Sale

While other entrepreneurs/smugglers might try attaching crocodiles to their bodies on long flights, a Kenyan guy this week took a somehow more normal attitude to smuggling. On a flight leaving from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, the main hub of China Southern Airlines, he was stopped at the security counter because he was wearing such a thick suit on a hot day.

When he opened his jacket, security officers didn't find crocs or even chameloens, they just found lots of clothes. The guy had decided that the clothing he wanted to resell in Kenya would be too pricey in excess baggage, so he'd decided to wear it: more than 100 pieces of men's and women's clothing. We definitely don't want the layer closest to the armpits.

Related Stories:
· All Dressed Up [Ananova]
· Travelin' With Crocs [Jaunted]
· Croatian Misunderstands Chameleons [Jaunted]

[Photo: DCF_pics]