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Tags: New Routes / Etihad Airways / Abu Dhabi Travel / → All Tags

Etihad Slowly But Surely Getting The Word Out About Abu Dhabi

Dubai, Dubai, Dubai. The Middle Eastern city on everyone's lips these days is still Dubai, despite the economic beating they're currently taking. Nonetheless, inch by inch Abu Dhabi is eeking its way up there, and Etihad Airways is majorly helping the Emirati capital to capture the world's attention.

In the last few years, Etihad has scrambled up to serving 58 destinations, with a goal of 70 worldwide by 2010. Is it a ploy for world domination or what? Our guess is that Etihad just wants to make a profit, since they haven't yet. Here's the next few routes we can expect from this growing Abu Dhabi giant:

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Tags: New Routes / Caribbean Travel / Cuba Travel / St Maarten Travel / WestJet / Canada Travel / Toronto Travel / Airlines / Airline News / → All Tags

WestJet Launches Cuba And St. Maarten, Non-Stops Away From Canadian Winter

Starting from last Sunday, Toronto travelers in search of warmth have had two new options courtesy of Canadian low cost carrier WestJet. Last week the airline announced they were launching nonstops to Varadero, Cuba and St Maarten, and the first flights duly took off over the weekend.

The company issued separate press releases for the St Maarten and Cuba routes, each identical except for the obviously made up location-specific quotes from Hugh Dunleavy, WestJet Executive Vice-President of Strategy and Planning. That doesn't make WestJet's announcement any less exciting. It just kind of made us giggle.

Both new routes have flights three times per week, and both last only until April 29, 2010. Presumably that's the date they expect Toronto to thaw, with all the consequences for demand that would portend. They're promising more "sun destination" announcements in the coming days though, so maybe those will last past the winter months.

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Tags: Porter Airlines / Airlines / Airline News / New Routes / → All Tags

Porter Airlines Is Looking To Expand...To Myrtle Beach?

We kind of knew that Porter Airlines would be eyeing new routes, but we expected that they’d be looking somewhere in the northern part of the US or elsewhere in Canada. Well we were wrong and the airline is looking to head south in search of warmer weather and Waffle House. Their shortlist for new routes now includes Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, among other destinations in the US.

Apparently there hasn’t been an official decision or announcement, but according to the head honcho at Porter, Robert Deluce, his company is in “serious discussions” with some places in the US. Besides the tourist traps of Myrtle Beach, the little airline that could also has its eyes on Washington, DC and Philadelphia. It looks like they want to expand before Air Canada Jazz restarts service on their home turf.

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Tags: Air China / New Routes / China Travel / → All Tags

Air China Looks Like They're Going For World Domination

Air China last came to our attention with their cheap and lucky tours; now they want to make us happy (and make themselves some money, no doubt) with a bunch of new domestic and international routes.

China-side, there are now flights between Beijing and Daqing, Chengdu and Zhuhai, and Shenzhen and Dazhou, making it easier to get around this large land. And to get there in the first place, Air China has started new routes between Beijing and Tokyo's Haneda Airport, and from Hangzhou to Frankfurt, Germany.

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Tags: New Routes / Southwest Airlines / Airline News / Airlines / Florida Travel / → All Tags

Southwest Announces 10 Hot New Routes For 2010

While we are all whittling down the last few hours of the work day, Southwest Airlines is throwing a full-blown airline party down at their headquarters in Dallas for their annual Media Day. For those who aren't airline dorks, that means that the low-cost carrier invites members of the press down to Texas to show off new innovations and annouce new routes in person, versus the usual Twitter blast.

Today's news is sure a doozy too: aside from their new "green plane" (more on that tomorrow), Southwest has announced a full 10 new routes beginning in 2010. 10 for 1010; that's cute. Let's break them down, shall we?

Where you'll be flying Southwest to next year, after the jump.

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Tags: New Routes / Asia Travel / Air Asia / India Travel / → All Tags

Let's Go Thiruvananthapuram! Asian Airlines Loving India Right Now

While we're busy being happy for the winner of the CN Traveler Awards, plenty of other airlines around the world have news of their own, and mainly in the new routes area. For those of you chilling around Asia like our own Claire Duffett, here's the need-to-know new routes coming your way:

· Air Asia begins low-cost direct flights from their base in Kuala Lumpur to Calcutta, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) in India in November. One-way flights (including tax) begin as low as $32, and these new routes compliment Air Asia's current India destination of Trichy, effectively quadrupling their Indian routes.

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Tags: Air Asia / Air Asia X / LCCs / Budget Travel / Nicolas Sarkozy / New Routes / → All Tags

Sarkozy Approves Air Asia X's Low-Cost Flights To Paris

Go get 'em low-cost carrier Air Asia X is taking another step towards world domination—well, their words were "global expansion"—with the big announcement that they have now received approval to start up cheap long-haul flights from Kuala Lumpur to Paris.

None other than French president Nicolas Sarkozy himself informed Malaysian Prime Minister Razak this week that Air Asia X would be allowed to land at the Orly Airport in Paris. Air Asia X hasn't yet made more details public; we're in the dark on how soon this service will start, and what it will cost, but they launched their Kuala Lumpur to London service earlier this year, and you can grab those flights for around $250 one way.

We figure it's only reasonable to guess that the Paris version won't be too different. These low-cost long-hauls are certainly giving us ideas for some amazing budget around-the-world trips—we might go start loading up our backpacks while Air Asia decides on Paris airfares.

Related Stories:
· Air Asia To Start Paris Flights [AFP]
· Air Asia X Wants to Long-Haul You From New York and California [Jaunted]
· Air Asia X Launches Low-Cost, Long-Haul Service [Jaunted]

[Photo: Deanster1983]

Tags: WestJet / New Routes / Airline News / Hawaii Travel / Canada Travel / → All Tags

'Mele Kalikimaka' Is The Thing To Say On WestJet's New Hawaii Routes

Cold Canadians have had their prayers answered. Just in time for the long cold winter ahead, WestJet has announced some new routes to Hawaii. It’s pretty much seasonal service for the snow season, but at least it’s a new option to escape to paradise when you need it most.

For those sick of shoveling snow in Calgary there will be non-stop routes to both Honolulu and Maui. Starting in March there will be an escape route flying once a week. The introductory rates will start at $329 CAD each way not including taxes, fees, and anything else they want to throw at you. If Maui is more of your style, getting there will set you back about $40 CAD more each way.

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Tags: Lufthansa / Brussels Airlines / Africa Travel / New Routes / → All Tags

Find Your Way To Africa's Nooks and Crannies With Lufthansa and Brussels Air

Want to vacation in Gambia, Burundi or Liberia? Lufthansa and its subsidiary Brussels Airlines have just announced some codeshare flight combos which make getting from Europe into many different corners of Africa quite a bit easier.

Basically, the increased routes are all heading out of either Frankfurt or Brussels, and it doesn't matter whether you book your ticket with Lufthansa or Brussels Airlines. There is a huge range of African destinations; from Brussels you could get to exotic spots like Douala und Yaunde in Cameroon, or into Nairobi for a spot of safari adventure in Kenya. From Frankfurt, options include Ghana's capital Accra (where you can retrace the trip Barack Obama took earlier this year) and the more traditional destinations of Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa. Basically, if you've got the travel bug bad and want to see Africa, there are now a few more ways to do it, and that's gotta be good.

Related Stories:
· Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines Expand Flights To Africa [TravelTips]
· The Obamas Make A Solemn Stop At A Ghana Slave Castle [Jaunted]

[Photo: openDemocracy]

Tags: Porter Airlines / Airline News / New Routes / Toronto Travel / Air Canada Jazz / → All Tags

Porter Airlines Preparing To Battle It Out With Air Canada Jazz

Throughout the economic downturn, Porter Airlines has been doing everything right. They’ve impressed travelers with their service, expanded to new routes, and have served Toronto City Centre Airport without too much competition. Well that’s about to end as another airline wants to get a chunk of the air traffic from the city’s smaller airport. After all, the airport is a little more convenient to all that downtown business.

Air Canada Jazz is looking to return to end Porter’s dominance over the airport’s commercial traffic. Jazz used to come and go from the downtown airport until early in 2006 when they suspended their service, claiming they had been evicted by a firm that was in cahoots with the CEO at Porter Airlines. However, the exclusivity agreement between Porter Airlines and the airport ends early next year, and Jazz is ready to once again roll down the runway.

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Tags: New Routes / Brussels Travel / Airline News / American Airlines / United / → All Tags

Brussels Sprouts Air Routes To Go Up Against Eurostar

If you're looking to make a tour of European capitals, or just have business that takes you from London to Brussels, what is the typical route you'd take between the two capitals? Thanks to the English Channel Tunnel, the answer is easy: the Eurostar from London's St. Pancras Station straight to Brussels Midi Station. There are also ferries that get the job done, but rest assured that the Eurostar is the fastest and most convenient way.

If this is the case, then why are American Airlines and United joining a bevy of other low-cost carriers and European airlines in flying between London and Brussels? The new routes, which at 218 miles are slightly shorter than a hop between Chicago and Toledo, are obviously for the convenience of American and United passengers making a switch in London.

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Tags: New Routes / Hawaiian Airlines / Airline News / Hawaii Travel / → All Tags

Hawaiian Airlines Eager To Bring Cali Tourists To The Islands

Hawaiian Airlines must know something about the economy that we don’t. First, they were hiring all kinds of new people to share a slice of Aloha with the rest of us, then they were buying some new shiny planes, and now they are announcing new routes. With their new Airbus A330-200s being delivered next April, they are already hot and bothered about where they will get to fly them. The secret’s out and they want to bring Angelenos to Hawaii.

The first of the airline’s new planes will be used for seasonal summer service from Los Angeles to Honolulu, and it will run through September of 2010. The new planes hold about 30 more tourists than the Boeing 767-300s that are currently used, so you might want to get to the beach or hotel pool a little earlier to place dibs on the best spot in the sun.

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