route – The News Desk

China Southern Airlines to launch new Budapest route – Business Traveller

13Apr

By adminNo Comments

Travel

China Southern Airlines to launch new Budapest route – Business Traveller

Starting 27 June, China Southern Airlines will launch a four-times weekly service from Guangzhou to Budapest, the Hungarian capital airport has confirmed. The route will be operated with China Southern’s two-class Boeing 787-8 aircraft. These seat just 18 passengers in a 2-2-2 configuration in business class and 248 across a 3-3-3 configuration in economy class. “It’s a great pleasure to welcome China Southern Airlines to Budapest Airport and to introduce Guangzhou, one of China’s major hubs, as a new and exciting destination,” says Balázs Bogáts, CCO, Budapest Airport. The new China Southern Guangzhou route marks the fifth nonstop service from Budapest airport to China, with China Eastern Airlines and its Shanghai Airlines offshoot flying to Budapest alongside Air China and HNA carr...

Virgin Atlantic launches Bengaluru route and goes double daily on Mumbai – Business Traveller

4Apr

By adminNo Comments

Travel

Virgin Atlantic launches Bengaluru route and goes double daily on Mumbai – Business Traveller

Virgin Atlantic is increasing its services to India, launching a new route to Bengaluru and confirming a second daily service to Mumbai from October 2024. While Virgin celebrates its 40th anniversary in June, next year will mark another milestone – 25 years of operations to India. The airline added that it will offer over one million seats to the country from 2025, representing a 350 per cent capacity growth since 2019. The Bengaluru route was first announced in June 2023, with the carrier aiming to meet burgeoning business travel demand from India’s Silicon Valley as well as connecting families, friends and students. Virgin competes with British Airways’ existing daily service, while Air India is also set to launch a route from Gatwick in May. Business Traveller flew with Virgin Atlanti...

Philippine Airlines to launch Seattle route – Business Traveller

3Apr

By adminNo Comments

Travel

Philippine Airlines to launch Seattle route – Business Traveller

Philippine Airlines (PAL) will launch nonstop flights between its Manila base and Seattle from 2 October 2024. PAL will be the first carrier to link the Philippines and the U.S. Pacific Northwest region. More than 900,000 Americans visited the Philippines in 2023, making the U.S. the country’s second largest source of inbound tourists. The Philippine flag carrier will also serve the growing number of Filipinos visiting family and friends in Washington and Oregon, which are home to more than 240,000 Filipino Americans. The PAL Manila-Seattle service will initially operate three times weekly – on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The airline will deploy a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on the Seattle route, with 42 in 2-3-2 lie-flat business class, and 328 in 3-4-3 economy class. PAL recently...

ITA Airways to launch London City-Rome Fiumicino route – Business Traveller

14Dec

By adminNo Comments

Travel

ITA Airways to launch London City-Rome Fiumicino route – Business Traveller

ITA Airways has announced plans to serve the London City-Rome Fiumicino route next year. As flagged on our forum the carrier will operate twice-daily weekday flights and daily weekend services from the end of March 2024, with the following schedules: Monday to Friday Departs Rome Fiumicino at 0925 and 1435, arriving into London City at 1100 and 1610 Departs London City at 0830 and 1640, arriving into Rome Fiumicino at 1200 and 2010 respectively Saturday Departs Rome Fiumicino at 0925, arriving into London City at 1100 Departs London City at 1135, arriving into Rome Fiumicino at 1505 Sunday Departs Rome Fiumicino at 1435, arriving into London City at 1610 Departs London City at 1640, arriving into Rome Fiumicino at 2010 ITA will be the first carrier to operate the route since BA Cit...

Turkish Airlines to expand Birmingham-Istanbul route – Business Traveller

13Dec

By adminNo Comments

Travel

Turkish Airlines to expand Birmingham-Istanbul route – Business Traveller

Turkish Airlines has announced plans to operate 18 weekly flights between Birmingham and Istanbul next summer. This winter the carrier is maintaining a twice-daily service between the two cities – rather than dropping down to ten flights per week as it has done previously – and the airline said that “forecasts of even greater demand next year” have led it to add a further four weekly flights from June 2024. Turkish Airlines will operate three flights per day on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with a twice daily service continuing on other days. Last month Pegasus Airlines announced plan to launch flights between Birmingham and Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen International airport from 21 December – Turkish Airlines operates its flights into Istanbul airport. Pegasus Airlines launch...

China Eastern Airlines launches Perth route – Business Traveller

6Dec

By adminNo Comments

Travel

China Eastern Airlines launches Perth route – Business Traveller

SkyTeam member China Eastern Airlines will launch a seasonal direct service between Perth (PER) and Shanghai Pudong International airport (PVG) over Chinese New Year celebrating the Year of the Dragon. The nonstop Airbus A330-200 service will operate three times a week for a four-week period between 20 January and 18 February 2024. Perth airport acting chief executive officer, Kate Holsgrove, said the service gives Western Australians a perfect opportunity to experience Chinese New Year celebrations in Shanghai. “We are delighted to see China Eastern Airlines back in Perth adding more seats to the market during this busy holiday period,” said Holsgrove. China Eastern Airlines launched a trial service between Perth and Shanghai in January 2020 – which was suspended once Covid hit. “B...

LATAM launches only direct route from London to Peru – Business Traveller

4Dec

By adminNo Comments

Travel

LATAM launches only direct route from London to Peru – Business Traveller

Business Traveller also enquired about the lack of premium economy onboard. “At the moment, analysing our customers and the demand for South America, we consider that there is no need for premium economy. We have premium seats within economy, called LATAM+, with a little bit more comfort, legroom, a specific compartment for luggage and premium boarding. It’s located in the front rows of the economy cabin.” The flight was largely smooth, although there was an hour delay on the tarmac at Heathrow due to ice conditions as a result of the cold weather in London. As such, we took off at 2255 and landed at 1205 local time. Ioppolo also spoke of additional routes planned for the next year: “We’ve been opening up a lot of new routes this year and will do the same next year, especially within cou...

ITA Airways to offer fully flat business class on Heathrow-Rome route – Business Traveller

30Nov

By adminNo Comments

Travel

ITA Airways to offer fully flat business class on Heathrow-Rome route – Business Traveller

ITA Airways has announced plans to temporarily serve its Rome Fiumicino-London Heathrow route with the carrier’s new A321neo. The aircraft will operate daily flights on the route between 1 December and the end of January, departing Rome at 1400 and arriving into Heathrow at 1630, before returning at 1700 and landing back into the Italian capital at 2100. ITA’s A321neo is configured in three classes, with 12 business class seats offering a fully flat bed, a further 12 premium economy seats, and 141 economy seats (12 of which are designated as Comfort Economy). In addition to Heathrow the aircraft will also operate thrice daily flights between Rome and Paris CDG during the busy festive period between 22 December and 9 January. The airline had originally intended to roster the A321neo on it...

Etihad adds third daily A380 service on London route – Business Traveller

3Nov

By adminNo Comments

Travel

Etihad adds third daily A380 service on London route – Business Traveller

Etihad Airways has further increased capacity on its London route, by adding a third daily A380 service. Effective 1 November, three of the carrier’s four daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Heathrow are now being operated by the superjumbo. It means that Etihad is now offering a total of 1,726 seats per day on the key London route. Flights EY17 (departing Abu Dhabi at 1405) and EY18 (departing Heathrow at 2055) join existing A380 services EY11/12 and EY19/20. Etihad announced plans to bring four of its superjumbos back into service in December 2022, with A380 flights returning to the Abu Dhabi-Heathrow route in July this year. Etihad’s A380 returns to London Heathrow The carrier’s superjumbos are configured with 337 Economy Smart seats, 68 Economy Space seats, 70 Business Studios, nine...

Air India to launch Melbourne-Mumbai route – Business Traveller

2Nov

By adminNo Comments

Travel

Air India to launch Melbourne-Mumbai route – Business Traveller

Star Alliance carrier Air India will launch a new Mumbai-Melbourne route in December, Melbourne airport has confirmed. This will be the first nonstop route between Victoria and Mumbai. Air India confirmed it would operate three flights a week beginning on 15 December, with potential to increase as demand grows. The new Mumbai service will be operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft and will supplement Air India’s existing daily flights between Melbourne and Delhi. Last financial year Melbourne welcomed more Indian visitors than any other Australian city with 433,000 Indian residents flying in and out of Victoria’s international gateway in the 12 months to June. Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos said the announcement highlighted the benefits of open skies agreement...