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Travel News
United Plans Daily Newark - Istanbul Service Starting July 1 - Azumano Travel @ 9:21 am PST
United Airlines plans to launch daily nonstop flights between Newark Liberty International Airport, and Istanbul, effective July 1, 2012, subject to government approval. Istanbul will be the 76th international destination that United serves from New York/Newark and the 37th city in United's trans-Atlantic route network. United flight 904 will depart New York/Newark daily at 7:27 p.m. and arrive in Istanbul at 12:20 p.m. the next day. Flight 905 will depart Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport daily at 1:55 p.m. and arrive at New York/Newark at 6:02 p.m. the same day.
The airline will initially operate the services with three-cabin Boeing 767-300 aircraft with 183 seats – six in United Global First, 26 in United BusinessFirst and 151 in United Economy, including 67 Economy Plus seats with added legroom. Both United Global First and United BusinessFirst feature flat-bed seats, along with a wide range of premium-cabin services and amenities.
Source: United Airlines
FRA Ground Workers Extend Strike Through Wednesday - Azumano Travel @ 10:46 am PST
The GdF union, representing air traffic workers, has called for an extended strike through Wednesday at Germany’s Frankfurt Airport. The union indicated it is ready to continue the strike action for several weeks, if necessary. The strike is over wages paid to ground control workers and continues from last Thursday and Friday when nearly 500 flights were canceled at this busy airport. On Monday, Frankfurt airport handled only 230 flights out of 1,250 scheduled, stranding or delaying about 130,000 passengers. 200 of the flights were for Lufthansa, which uses Franfurt heavily as a major hub.
Source: Air Transport World, Lufthansa
Frontier Adds New Flights to Colorado Springs - Azumano Travel @ 9:08 am PST
Frontier Airlines will offer seasonal nonstop service connecting Portland International Airport and Colorado Springs Airport three days each week, May 20-Sept. 16. Nearly 450,000 passengers travel annually between PDX and the Colorado Springs/Denver area.Frontier will operate its 138-seat Airbus A319 aircraft on the route. The Airbus aircraft features leather seats, DirecTV® in every seatback and five rows of comfortable STRETCH seating with 5-7 additional inches of legroom. The flight schedule will be as follows:
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Nonstop to Colorado Springs
Beginning May 20 through Sept. 16, 2012 |
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Departs Portland |
Arrives Colorado Springs |
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4:55 p.m. Tues., Thurs., Sun. |
8:25 p.m. Tues., Thurs., Sun. |
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Nonstop to Portland
Beginning May 20 through Sept. 16, 2012 |
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Departs Colorado Springs |
Arrives Portland |
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2:30 p.m. Tues., Thurs., Sun. |
4:12 p.m. Tues., Thurs., Sun. |
Source: Port of Portland
Strike Action Cancels Flights at Frankfurt Airport - Azumano Travel @ 9:57 am PST
Nearly 300 flights have been cancelled today at Frankfurt’s airport due to strike action from the GdF trade union. Ground workers are demanding pay increases stating their work has become more complicated with the addition of a fourth runway added in October. Most of the cancelled flights were operated by Lufthansa. The carrier has cancelled a number of flights in Germany and other cities in Europe in order to keep long-haul flights operational. The union must give at least 24 hours notice of strike action, and has stated they may continue to strike next week. Frankfurt is Europe’s third busiest airport behind London and Paris.
Source: Airwise, Lufthansa
Airlines set December Record for On-time Arrivals - Azumano Travel @ 10:05 am PST
U.S. airlines set a record for on-time arrivals in December with 84.4% of all domestic flights arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled time. The U.S. Department of Transportation also reported that there were no long tarmac delays exceeding DOT standards, while turning in the lowest flight cancellation rate for December in 17 years. Industry on-time performance for the year was closer to historical norms, but airports benefited from a mild winter across the country in December.
Source: Department of Transportation
Frontier Adds New Flights to PNW - Azumano Travel @ 8:28 am PST
Frontier Airlines announced it is launching new year-round service from its Denver hub to Bellingham, WA and new non-stop flights from Colorado Springs to Portland and Seattle in May. Introductory fares are offered on the new service starting this weekend. Other new flights from Denver include the destinations of Bloomington, IL, Cedar Rapids, IA, Great Falls, MT and Harrisburg, PA. New Colorado Springs flights will fly to Los Angeles and Phoenix. Flights to these new destinations are available for purchase with introductory fares starting as low as $49 each way, including government taxes and airline fees.
Source: Frontier Airlines
Winter Storm Expected in Northeastern U.S. Feb 10-11 - Azumano Travel @ 3:24 pm PST
Winter weather is expected to impact the Northeastern U.S. through February 11, 2012. Weather conditions may lead to the delay or cancellation of certain flights in and out of the following airports:
· Allentown, PA (ABE)
· Boston, MA (BOS)
· Buffalo, NY (BUF)
· Charleston, West Virginia (CRW)
· Cleveland, OH (CLE)
· Detroit, MI (DTW)
· Hartford, CT (BDL)
· Manchester, NH (MHT)
· New York/Newark, NJ (EWR - Liberty)
· New York, NY (LGA - LaGuardia)
· New York, NY (JFK)
· Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
· Portland, ME (PWM)
· Providence, RI (PVD)
· White Plains, NY (HPN)
United-Continental is offering customers on flights to, from or through these airports on February 10 or 11 an opportunity to reschedule their itineraries with a one-time date or time change, and the airlines will waive the change fees, when travel originates before February 13, 2012. Customers may request refunds in the original form of payment for canceled flights. Other airlines may also waive penalties for changes or cancellations as the storm approaches. Please check with the airline or verify your flight status on www.FlightStats.com prior to leaving for the airport.
Source: United-Continental
Air France Cancels Flights Due - Azumano Travel @ 10:15 am PST
Planned strikes by pilots, ground crews and cabin crews have forced Air France to cancel about 30% of its short-haul flights and 40% of its long-haul flights on Tuesday. The airline had earlier claimed that the strike would have minimal effect on flights, but have since announced that they will most likely manage to operate only about 60-70% of its 1,332 scheduled flights. According to the airline's web site, a number of last-minute cancellations was significantly reduced today. The situation is calm at the airports, as a large majority of passengers were provided with alternative travel solutions on another flight operated by Air France or a different airline.
Over the past few days, all Air France staff have being doing all they can to inform their customers as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Thanks to the service Air France Connect, more than 120,000 text messages and e-mails have been sent since Monday to inform customers of a postponed or cancelled flight. Air France apologizes to all its customers for the inconvenience caused by this strike action which is affecting the entire French air transport industry.
Passengers are advised to check their flight status at www.Flightstats.com prior to leaving for the airport; however, Air France is cancelling flights without notice, so be prepared for delays and cancellations.
Source: Air France
Malev Airlines Shuts Down, Stranding 7,000 - Azumano Travel @ 7:52 am PST
Hungary’s national carrier, Malev Hungarian Airlines, on ceased operations stating on its web site that it was no longer financially sustainable. The carrier grounded all its flights a 6 a.m. on Friday, stranding more than 7,000 passengers. A representative of Malev told reporters that in the past few days the airline’s partners lost trust in Malev and began demanding advance payments for their services. This action demanded such an increased outflow of cash that the airline was no longer able to operate. Malev, a OneWorld member, has debts totally $270 and has been unable to find investors to shore up the company. In addition, the EU has demanded Malev repay nearly $400 million in illegal state subsidies received between 2007 and 2010. In fear of having its aircraft seized, the company shut down the carrier returning all planes except two to Hungary. Malev has one plane in Tel Aviv and one in Ireland that have both been seized by creditors and are unable to operate.
According to OneWorld, Malev was put under government regulation on January 31, which is similar to a court protected restructuring bankruptcy. Under this ruling, passengers who purchased tickets before Malev ceased operations and whose travel dates were on Friday, the day Malev ceased operations, or 3 days following, assistance can be provided. The airline’s web site did not say exactly how passengers would be accommodated but did list its phone number for passengers to call.
Source: Malev Airlines, Huffington Post
Update - Winter Storm in Central U.S. - Azumano Travel @ 6:46 am PST
Update – Winter Storm Advisory for Feb 2 - 4, 2012
Winter weather is expected to continue to impact the Denver area through February 4, 2012. Additional airports in Colorado and the central U.S. have also been added. Weather conditions may lead to the delay or cancellation of certain flights in and out of the following airports:
- Aspen, CO (ASE)
- Colorado Springs, CO (COS)
- Denver, CO (DEN)
- Des Moines, IA (DSM)
- Eagle/Vail, CO (EGE)
- Hayden/Steamboat Springs, CO (HDN)
- Omaha, NE (OMA)
Customers on United-Continental flights to, from or through these airports on February 2, 3 or 4 may reschedule their itineraries with a one-time date or time change, and the airlines will waive the change fees, when travel originates before February 11, 2012. Customers may request refunds in the original form of payment for canceled flights.
Other airlines may may also offer waivers of penalties for weather related changes or cancellations. If you need assistance to change your itinerary, please contact the airline or your Azumano agent.
Source: United - Continental
Amsterdam Flights Cancelled Due To Weather - Azumano Travel @ 11:26 am PST
Flights are being delayed and diverted at Amsterdam airport on Friday due to weather conditions. There are also a handful of cancellations reported on the airport's website and delays extend well into this afternoon. Travellers are advised to confirm their flight status before heading to the airport.
Air France Reduces Schedule As Unions Prepare To Strike - Azumano Travel @ 11:31 am PST
Air France will be reducing its flight schedule February 6 - 9 as airline workers, including pilots, take strike action against the airline. Air France states on its web site that it will do its best to adjust its flight schedule depending on how many air transport employees join the strike. However, as union members are not obliged to inform in advance of their intention to strike, some last minute delays and cancellations may arise.
Friday's long-haul flights are operating at 85%; however, it is too early to estimate operations for next week. Air France states it will give its flight forecast for the strike period on Monday.
Unions are striking in an attempt to block passage of a law which will place restrictions on the right to strike. The airlines says those travellers affected by the strike may rebook their flights without penalties. If you need assistance with your itinerary, please contact an Azumano agent.
Source: Air France
American To Cut 13,000 Jobs - Azumano Travel @ 8:39 am PST
American Airlines plans to lay off 13,000 employees as part of its five-year Chapter 11 reorganization plan. American’s mechanics and fleet service workers will be the hardest segment hit by the proposed payroll reduction with 8,600 positions eliminated, or about 65% of the total job losses. With these cuts comes the closure of American’s Fort Worth Alliance widebody maintenance facility as well as a reductin of 2,100 staff at its Kansas MRO base. Little detail on this move has been released except to say that these jobs will be outsourced, reducing the company’s maintenance costs. Another 2,300 job cuts will affect flight attendants. The Transport Union, representing mechanics and fleet service workers, and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants representing in-flight staff, both have made statements that the financial justification for the job losses by American is inaccurate. American has promised more details will be released soon justifying their actions.
Source: Aviation Week
Congress Negotiators Agree On FAA Funding - Azumano Travel @ 8:56 am PST
The U.S. House and Senate negotiators agreed on a $63 billion four-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration for the next four years, which includes funding of the NextGen air navigation modernization project. The bill includes compromises on several difficult issues: a decrease in air service subsidies for rural communities by $20 million; elimination of a provision limiting the shipments of lithium batteries on cargo planes; and rules governing the formation of airline and railroad unions. The committee also agreed to add eight daily long-distance flights into Ronald Regan Washington National Airport.
The FAA’s long-term operating authority expired in 2007 and has been funded under 23 short-term extensions. It experienced a partial shut-down late last year when Congress failed to fund an extension before its expiration.
Final passage of the bill by the House and Senate is expected sometime in the next two weeks.
Source: ASTA Smartbrief, Washington Post
Winter Storm Causes Flight Disruption in Italy - Azumano Travel @ 9:12 am PST
Bologna airport is currently open only for departing flights. The disruption is being caused by on-going snow and sub-zero temperatures which are hitting north and central regions of Italy. Over a hundred flights were grounded at the airport on Wednesday and heavy snowfall is also causing severe disruption to road and rail transport.
Source: Anvil
TSA Announces Additional Advanced Imaging Technology Deployments at U.S. Airports - Azumano Travel @ 7:23 am PST
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) today announced 25 airports which are set to receive recently purchased millimeter wave Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) units. The machines will be deployed with new automated target recognition (ATR) software designed to enhance privacy by eliminating passenger-specific images while improving throughput capabilities and streamlining the checkpoint screening process.
AIT is designed to enhance security by safely screening passengers for metallic and non-metallic threats—including weapons, explosives and other objects concealed under layers of clothing. Imaging technology screening is safe for all travelers, and the technology meets all known national and international health and safety standards. In fact, the energy emitted by millimeter wave technology is 1000 times less than the international limits and guidelines.
Source: Transportation Security Administration
Winter Weather Warning for Denver Area - Azumano Travel @ 3:32 pm PST
Winter weather is expected to impact the Denver area throughout the day February 2 and 3, 2012. Weather conditions may lead to the delay or cancellation of certain flights in and out of the following airports:
· Aspen, CO (ASE)
· Colorado Springs, CO (COS)
· Denver, CO (DEN)
· Eagle/Vail, CO (EGE)
United-Continental customers on flights to, from or through these airports on February 2 or 3 may reschedule their itineraries with a one-time date or time change, and the airlines will waive the change fees, when travel originates before February 10, 2012. Customers may request refunds in the original form of payment for canceled flights. Other carriers may offer penalty waivers as time progresses. If you need assistance changing your flights, please contact your Azumano agent.
We strongly encourage travelers to verify their flight status at www.FlightStats.com before leaving for the airport.
Source: United Airlines
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