Dragonair Expands Network in Asia

Dragonair on October 12 announced it is planning to launch a new four-time weekly service to Yangon, the largest city and main economic hub of Myanmar, commencing on 9 January 2013. The new service will enhance Dragonair’s presence in the region and provide a significant boost to both leisure and business traffic between Hong Kong and Myanmar, said the airlines.
 

 

Yangon will become the 10th destination to be launched or resumed by Dragonair since April 2012. Rich in history and culture, Yangon is a fascinating city to visit with its hybrid of local, British, Chinese and Indian influences, and it is home to the largest number of original colonial buildings in the region. Most of Myanmar’s commercial activities are centred in Yangon, reinforcing the city’s importance as a business and communications hub.

The press statement read, “The airline will operate the new service with Airbus A321 aircraft, departing Hong Kong every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. As well as connecting passengers from around the world into Myanmar, the latest destination launch will offer passengers from Myanmar greater choice and convenience when connecting to Dragonair’s Mainland China network or the vast international network of its sister airline, Cathay Pacific Airways, through the
Hong Kong hub.”

Dragonair Chief Executive Officer Patrick Yeung said, “Yangon is an important addition to Dragonair’s expanding network in Asia and launching this new destination will further strengthen Hong Kong’s position as a leading aviation hub. We see tremendous potential in this market with both tourism and commercial activities rapidly gaining momentum. We look forward to carrying more passengers between Hong Kong and Myanmar and helping to promote ties between the two places.”

In addition to the new Yangon service, Dragonair also increased frequencies to a number of destinations in its winter schedule, effective from 28 October. Services to Phnom Penh increased from seven to 10 flights per week, while one extra flight was added to Kota Kinabalu, making a total of six weekly flights to this popular Malaysian holiday destination. Dragonair has also been operating 12 flights per week to Phuket since July, up from the previous 10 weekly flights. In addition,
the airline resumed services to Haikou on Hainan Island, with a daily flight commencing 28 October.

Qatar Airways to Join Oneworld Alliance



Qatar Airways is set to join Oneworld®, adding one of the world’s fastest growing and most highly rated airlines to the world’s leading quality
airline alliance. Its election as a Oneworld member designate was announced on October 8 at a press conference in New York – home
of Oneworld’s central alliance management office – with senior executives of Qatar Airways and the alliance’s established member
airlines in attendance.

Qatar Airways, named Airline of the Year for the past two years by the Skytrax independent airline quality rating agency, is the first of the three major airlines based in the Gulf to sign for any of the global airline alliances, says the company. The Dohabased airline’s implementation
into Oneworld is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. The carrier is set to move into a brand new home in 2013 with
the opening of the New Doha International Airport, designed to strengthen its position as a premium global hub with an
eventual capacity for 50 million passengers a year.

According to the press statement, as a member of Oneworld, Qatar Airways will fly alongside some of the biggest and best brands in the airline business. “British Airways will serve as its  sponsor in joining Oneworld, supported by the central Oneworld alliance team, mentoring the recruit through its alliance implementation programme,” read the statement. Qatar Airways will be Oneworld’s second member airline based in the Middle East, alongside Royal Jordanian, which became the first airline from the region to join any of the global alliances when it boarded Oneworld in 2007. “When
Qatar Airways becomes part of Oneworld, its customers will gain access to the alliance’s truly global network. The 2.2 million members of its Privilege Club frequent flyer programme will be  able to earn and redeem rewards on any of Oneworld’s other carriers, with top tier members able
to use any of the group’s 550 plus airport lounges, and its network will be covered by Oneworld’s market leading range of alliance fares,” reads the statement. Qatar Airways offered customers in Kathmandu with unbeatable fares to some of the world's best destinations during the festive season of Dashain and Tihar. The offer was valid until 31st October which offered customers the opportunity to travel to a variety of destinations at very
attractive return and one way fares. According to the airlines, economy class return fare started from Rs 41,300 for London, Rs 47,300 for Paris, Rs 65,300 for Zurich, Rs 47,300 for Frankfurt and Rs 102,000 for New York among other destinations at an attractive fare. Similarly, economy class one way fare started from Rs 23,000 for London, Rs 33,000 for Paris, Rs 44,500 for Zurich, Rs 27,900 for Frankfurt and Rs 61,000 for New York among numerous other destinations.

 

Etihad Offers Discounted Rates for Pearl Business Class

 

UAE’s national airline Etihad is offering specially discounted rates for its award winning Pearl Business Class seats for the travel period between 1st November and 12th December. Pearl Business Class promises dining on demand services, with a Food and Beverage Manager for its customers, along with an award winning 6’1” fully-flat bed that comes with in-seat massage, read the press statement issued by the airlines on October 14. Similarly, the airline also has a luxurious Six Senses Spa at its Pearl Business Class Lounge along with accommodations for a stylish car and an Etihad Chauffeur. The offer rates are valid in terms of ticket sales from 12th October to 30th November and are as follows:

Gulf Air Tops On-time Punctuality Ranking

Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air retained its leading regional position for on-time performance (OTP) in September with 91 per cent flight punctuality. The airline ranked first among its full service competitors and second in the overall list of carriers in the MENA region.  Statistics released by FlightStats Data, the industry leader in flight information services, revealed that Gulf Air registered on-time punctuality of 91 per cent for its flights arrival for the month of September 2012.

Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Samer Majali commented, “Consistently achieving the leading full service on-time punctuality ranking in the region is attributed to the hard work of our operations, and ground staff employees across our network and Gulf Air’s fleet which is now one of the youngest in the region at 4.8 years.”

“We have worked hard to deliver a consistently safe, on-time performance and it is rewarding to see our efforts paying off for our passengers, who enjoy a more efficient travel experience. We look forward to maintaining this excellent record and continuing to operate flights as scheduled providing our customers with the highest levels of service.”

According to the airlines, Gulf Air has been consistently ranked top for OTP in the region holding the leading position for the quarter, July-September 2012 with an average arrival punctuality of 89.16 per cent, ahead of its main regional competitors.FlightStats has been monitoring airlines’ on-time performance since 2004, tracking over 150,000 flights per day, i.e. nearly 80 per cent of all scheduled passenger flights globally.