Open skies between the USA and China

The Chinese and US governments have agreed on an open skies pact that will see the number of daily passenger flights between the two countries more than double. By 2012, 13 new routes are expected to be launched, opening up the US-China route to thousands of travellers.

The pact is expected to benefit US carriers, who are working in a competitive domestic market and are keen to concentrate on lucrative international business, and also Chinese carriers, who have previously been restricted by the limited access available for foreign carriers at US passenger hubs. US Transportation Secretary, Mary Peters, said, “Piece by piece, we’re making it easier, cheaper and more convenient to fly people and ship goods between our two countries.”

New York is readying itself for the proposed expansion. A Port Authority of New York and New Jersey representative said, “We’ll almost certainly see an increase in the frequencies and routes to the New York metro area as this thing unfolds.”

United Airlines, Continental, American Airlines and Northwest are already operating flights to and from China and, at the time of going to press, Delta and American Airlines were expected to bid for additional routes.

Meanwhile, a new non-stop flight from the USA to China started earlier this year.

New routes from Europe to Brazil

With the tourism market booming in Brazil, Portugal’s national airline, TAP Portugal, has announced plans to launch five-times-weekly flights from Lisbon to Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, creating an alternative route for European travellers.

High fares and limited air capacity on international flights have been having a negative effect on the Brazilian tourism market but it is hoped this new service, a main route for UK passengers, will breathe life into the Latin American market. Jose Moreira, TAP’s UK Sales Manager, said, “Brasilia is undergoing substantial growth as a destination and these flights will mean better connections to the north and west of the country.”

TAP has also been given the green light to commence routes from Lisbon to another five Brazilian cities, including Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and more than 10,000 passenger reservations have been made already. According to the company’s website, “the enormous level of customer interest demonstrates that new investments made by the airline respond to market demand and reveal its strategic decision has hit the mark”.

New Singapore terminal completed

The terminal has increased the airport’s capacity to 70 million passengers per year. According to Lim, the new terminus “will help strengthen and consolidate our regional hub position, and at the same time, enhance customer experience.”

The seven-storey terminal has a roof with over 900 skylights and reflector panels, allowing an optimum amount of natural light into the building while excluding the tropical heat from outside. It also houses several aerobridge gates, large enough to handle the new generation of super passenger jumbo jets.

The terminal will now under go extensive trial flights and systems tests preparing for its grand opening in 2008.

According to a preliminary survey conducted by Statistics Canada, more Canadians than ever before travelled overseas last year, taking an estimated 22.7 million overnight trips – where travellers spend at least one night away – in 2006 alone.

The USA remained the most popular destination among Canadians, receiving close to 16 million Canadian tourists in 2006, the highest level since 1993.

Mexico ranked second as a destination and the UK, which fell slightly in terms of popularity, ranked third. However, the report suggests how this decrease may have been a direct result of the security threat in August last year.

Meanwhile, France, Cuba and the Dominican Republic all featured in the top ten list of most popular destinations for Canadians. However, it was China that experienced a huge surge in popularity, up 56 per cent on last year, while Italy saw Canadian visitor numbers drop to 18 per cent.

Travel Update

A recent survey conducted by a consumer watchdog in Australia has revealed that Australian passengers voted Qantas the worst international airline and second least satisfactory airline for domestic travel. The carrier scored the lowest marks in terms of in-flight service, cleanliness, convenience and value for money and generated an overall score of 67 per cent. Singapore Airlines was voted top, achieving a score of 78 per cent.

Plans to launch the first low-cost domestic carrier in New Zealand are finally underway. The Kiwijet Airline Company have proposed an operation plan that would see the launch of domestic services between Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill, with a single priced fare structure. With potential rival Qantas offering a limited service on domestic routes, Patrick Weil, the US aviation investor behind Kiwijet, believes there is certainly room for growth. Long-term plans include trans-Tasman routes from Wellington to Canberra and Rotorua to Sydney. Air New Zealand is also reported to be toying with the idea of developing a no-frills airline.

Budget carrier Ryanair will soon offer several alternative routes to Malta having responded to the Maltese governments call for new European routes to be introduced. As of October, the low-cost airline will start operating three-times-weekly flights to Malta from Girona in Spain and Bari in Italy and twice-weekly flights from Stockholm Nykoping in Sweden. A three-times-weekly flight from Bremen in Germany is also due to commence service in September this year. The new flights will bring an estimated 160,000 passengers to Malta each year and the Maltese Minister for Tourism and Culture, Francis Zammit Dimech, said the expansion was necessary as air links to Malta were “underserved or not served at all”.

According to findings made by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) many tourists are apparently unwilling to alter their travel plans in a bid to counter global warming. Only seven per cent of those polled said they would be “quite likely” to choose an environmentally friendly destination. However, an independent study held by Travel Insurance Web earlier this year indicated that 61 per cent of tourists would be happy to pay a “green tax” to offset the effect of air travel on the environment.

Thailand’s low-cost carrier, Nok Air, has announced plans to launch a daily service between Bangkok and Bangalore in India. It is the airline’s first international route and, according to the Chief Executive Officer, Patee Sarasin, the venture will “make flying simpler, easier [and] fun for everyone”.

A Bulgarian national TV channel has reported how the country has become a popular destination choice for many European holidaymakers and travel agents are expecting a 12 per cent growth in the number of tourists visiting the region this year. Sixty per cent of them are expected to hail from EU-member states.