AIRLINE & TRAVEL NEWS

Continental Airlines says it will add services to Nigeria's largest city, Lagos, making the airline the only US carrier to serve Africa directly. The new service marks the latest announcement of a new international destination for Continental, the airline recently announcing plans to fly to a number of secondary European gateways, including Berlin, Stockholm, Hamburg and Belfast. Continental says it also plans to fly to Moscow, although this will not happen until 2006. http://www.continental.com Dec 20, 2004

Continental Airlines launched daily nonstop service between Los Angeles and three Mexican destinations--Aguascalientes, Guanajuato and Morelia-- and between Laredo and Mexico City. The carrier also was expecting Friday to begin new four-times-weekly service between Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Huatulco. Continental Express will operate the flights with 50-seat Embraer jets. Dec 20, 2004

Continental Airlines received approval to launch nonstop flights between New York and Lagos. The airline said it expects the service to begin in the second quarter of 2005 but an exact launch date as well as further details of the service will be announced at a later date. Dec 10, 2004

Continental Airlines will inaugurate service between Del Rio, Tex., and Houston March 3. The twice-daily service will be operated by SkyWest Airlines under the Continental Connection code share using a Brasilia. Dec 1, 2004

CSA Czech Airlines will start a daily service from Rome to Riga March 3 2005 using 737 Classics. Dec 21, 2004

CSA Czech Airlines will introduce 13 additional weekly frequencies to the UK from Prague in 2005, bringing total weekly flights between the UK and Prague to 96. CSA's weekly flights to Birmingham will go from 10 to 13, Manchester will get four extra weekly flights for a total of 17 and two weekly flights will be added to Glasgow. Dec 7, 2004

Sky Team member CSA, essentially the Czech Republic national airline, says that in 2005 eight airlines will operate over 200 weekly flights from the UK continuing and expanding the tourist boom for the former communist state. CSA also says that in spite of the competition it is still holding 30% of the market and is the only airline to serve Prague from all three major London airports. For the future its sees Prague as a hub for eastern Europe and says that it will continue with its long haul operation and accepts that the Airbus A310 services to New York, Montreal and Toronto are due for an upgrade. http://www.csa.cz Dec 6, 2004

Darwin Airlines, a Swiss Regional carrier based in Lugano, will start a new service from London City via Berne and Lugano to Rome using Saab 2000s by Feb. 2005. Dec 21, 2004

DBA introduced feeder services for Delta Air Lines from five German cities to Munich, Berlin and Stuttgart. Dec 13, 2004

Delta Air Lines clients soon will have more access to India following the announcement of a new service between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Chennai (Madras), with a stop at Paris Charles de Gaulle, beginning 9 May. Customers will benefit from the service and experience of the only US carrier serving two cities in India, Mumbai and Chennai. Expanding international service is a key element of Delta's transformation plan, which will provide customers more access to the world. Delta currently offers passengers daily New York &endash; Paris &endash; Mumbai flights and daily seasonal service from New York &endash; Frankfurt &endash; Mumbai. http://www.delta.com Dec 20, 2004