AIRLINE & TRAVEL NEWS

FlyWho appeared at World Travel Market. This new Birmingham-based paper airline as 'Flyblu'. It seems that people in the US are complaining about the name. According to chief executive Aden Murcutt JetBlue, the New York based budget carrier has objected. In any event the airline is anticipating opening its on-line ticket sales on Wednesday 15 December 2004. These will be protected by an ATOL. Flights from Birmingham to Orlando and St Petersburg/Clearwater will come on-line from Easter 2005 and Fort Lauderdale by July next year. http://www.flyblu.co.uk http://flywho.com Nov 15, 2004

Frontier Airlines will cease service from Denver to Washington Dulles Feb. 1 2005. In addition, it will halt its nonstop flights from Los Angeles to both Philadelphia and Kansas City Feb. 23. The airline said the changes are part of its ongoing efforts to "reallocate resources where they can maximize efficiency and enhance profitability." Nov 25, 2004

GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes will expand its Sao Paulo-Rio de Janeiro shuttle service with 10 new daily flights to meet growing demand. Nov 22, 2004

Gulf Air showed for the first time at World Travel Market the impressive new 'EVOLYS' business and first class seats by EADS company Sogerma. The airline's six A330-200s will be fitted out with eight first class seats and 24 in business class. Amongst the many benefits are a 'lay flat' capability, privacy screens, 10" video screens and an ability for two to dine restaurant-style at one table in the first class cabin. The new skybeds are to be installed as part of a complete cabin refurbishment, which starts in February 2005 and will include the enhancement of in- flight entertainment systems. The first refurbished aircraft will be in operation from March, serving destinations including London, Frankfurt and Paris. The full refit program will be complete by July 2005. http://www.gulfairco.com Nov 22, 2004

Gulf Air confirmed that its new first- and business-class Skybed seats are on schedule for rollout in Feb. The airline signed a contract in Sept. with EADS Sogerma to provide fully reclining seats for its first- and business-class cabins as part of a full refit program across its A330 fleet. The refitting of the six A330s represents a $10 million investment and should be completed in June. "We are seeking a very quick introduction of the new seats on our A330 fleet as part of our strategy to win the premium customer back," VP-Sales and Marketing John Butler told ATWOnline at the World Travel Market in London. He noted that premium passenger numbers in the first nine months of the year increased 44% compared to the year-ago period, while passenger totals rose 34%. Frequent-flier membership more than doubled. He added that Gulf Air is still "on track" for breakeven this year and would have posted a "healthy" profit if it were not for the sharp rise in fuel prices. Nov 9, 2004

Japan Airlines and American Airlines will launch a new nonstop daily codeshare flight between Nagoya and Chicago April 4. The service will be operated with an AA 777-200 with 236 seats in a three-class configuration. Nov 22, 2004