Etihad Airways will buy 49 per cent of the Italian flag carrier Alitalia “as soon as possible“. This is Etihad’s eighth investment in an airline. In Europe, Alitalia joins Air Serbia (ex JAT), Air Berlin, Aer Lingus of Ireland and Switzerland’s Darwin Airline, which is branded as Etihad Regional. Etihad also has stakes in Air Seychelles and Virgin Australia. Etihad, in addition to its own aggressive growth has used these stakes in smaller airlines to feed passengers into its global network. The airline revealed that 2013 first-quarter sales from code-share and equity partners grew to 22% of its total sales. The announcement…
Technicalities with my Blog
There has been a problem with my blog this last weekend. The technicians are working on it and hope it is all resolved soon. Consequently, some draft posts of mine went live before they had been finished. Apologies.
Paris -New York in Business for 30% less- LaCompagnie
Fuel prices must be down because people are launching all business class airlines again. I blogged about London based Odyssey airlines last month. (Still unsure if they have a chance or not). At a Manhattan news conference last Tuesday, LaCompagnie was launched. The company has raised approximately $US41 million) from investors and is the brainchild of a former executive of India’s Jet Airways Peter Luethi and Frantz Yvelin, the founder of a previous all business class airline L’AVION. L’AVION operated between Orly Airport, Paris and Newark in the USA from 3 January 2007 to 2 July 2008 when it was taken over…
Chilling in Chiang Mai
I have been to Thailand a few times now but never to Chiang Mai until now. I am very sorry to have left the city alone for so long. The city is a little more isolated than other parts of Thailand but still attracts approximately five million visitors per year- 40 per cent of whom are from outside Thailand. I soon discovered why it was placed at 24 on TripAdvisor’s “25 Best Destinations in the World” in 2012. Chiang Mai is 700 km (420 miles) from Bangkok. Getting there requires a flight of about an hour or a 12 hour…
All by myself – passenger stranded in Las Vegas
What would you do when stuck overnight in an airport? Overnight at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, Richard Dunn made a video lip syncing to Celine Dion’s All by myself using his ipad, watched by his bemused wife, cleaning staff and security personnel… (so technically, he wasn’t all by himself!) Celine Dion has responded to the video saying she loved it and inviting Richard to see his show next time he is in town.
12 tips to Stay Safe while eating Street Food
One of the guys at work said to me today: “you don’t eat street food do you?: I nodded enthusiastically as I have eaten soup surrounded by rubbish and dogs in Cambodia, squatted with locals in the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, shared falafels in Jordan and snaffled pork rolls in Portland, Oregon. For a couple of dollars I have eaten like a king in cities across the globe! But “I have some rules”…. I take time to adjust to the local cuisine. My mistake is getting off the plane and grabbing something immediately!…
Why has Emirates dropped the A350?
UAE airline Emirates has scrapped a 2–7 deal valued at $US16billion for 70 A350 planes (50 A350-900s and 20 of the larger A350-1000s). The news hit Airbus and engine manufacturer Rolls Royce hard this week. The planes were due for delivery from 2019. Emirates was the second biggest buyer of the new plane so the decision has removed nine per cent of A350 orders. Airbus still holds 742 commitments for the aircraft with Qatar Airlines the largest customer and Singapore Airlines is now the second biggest. The A350 has been designed to compete with the 777 and 787. Why has Emirates…
Thailand curfew lifted
Thailand‘s military government has fully lifted the nationwide curfew it imposed after seizing power last month. They announced that there is no threat of violence and tourism needs to be revived. Good timing for the World Cup! Related Posts Being in Busy Bangkok Thai Curfew Times Relaxed Martial Law in Thailand- Staying Safe [Updated] Thai Army takes full control in Coup -imposes curfew.
Not People’s Express…Puh lease
So it seems the PEOPLExpress name which belonged to a low fare carrier that disappeared in 1987 has been revived. The new PEOPLExpress is selling tickets on its website for flights starting June 30. Their hub is Newport News in Virginia, a city of 180 000 people and the airline will offer one daily Boeing 737 service to the cities of Boston, Newark, Pittsburgh and West Palm Beach. PEOPLEexpress is billing itself as a Low Cost Carrier which will offer better treatment. I am not sure what better treatment will look like because almost everything costs: Check in Baggage starts at $20 for the…
Being in Busy Bangkok
“you’re going to Thailand…in a coup?” My friends were incredulous. After all news of a coup conjures up images of danger, disorder and degeneration. My friends were not alone in their fears. Tourism arrivals fell 20% in the first week after the Thai coup, some airlines have canceled flights into Bangkok and most tourist spots are way less busy. The capital itself is operating pretty normally, the army presence is minimal and apart from the curfew (which has now been lifted in some beach side areas) tourists have been largely unaffected. Remember, this is not the first…
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