Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Chicago flights take off

London got a new gateway to the world yesterday as United Airlines started a twice daily flight service to Chicago The new service is a major breakthrough for London International Airport said airport vice president Mike Seabrook.Chicago is a great hub. United Airlines is one of the largest carriers in the world, he said.

The twice daily flights to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport provide connections to 133 destinations. London Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco Best said the service will be another selling point in attracting new economic development to the city.The more connections we have to the rest of the world the easier it is going to be to bring companies and investment here, said DeCicco Best.London Airport now has service to Detroit with Northwest Airlink but Seabrook said O'Hare is a much bigger hub.

Martin Kammerman, a market analysis manager for United Airlines said the Chicago flights will serve business travellers but also provide an excellent link for destinations such as Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles; The Chicago option is something that customers here have been wanting for a long time, he said.Kammerman said early ticket sales indicate the service will be popular. He said the relatively small size of London airport is seen as an asset to many travellers.

Pearson in Toronto is a beautiful airport but it's a complicated place to get around, said Kammerman.Seabrook said all connections will help convince air travellers in the London area to fly from home instead of driving to Detroit airport to catch a flight.This is another positive move in stopping that cross border leakage, he said.

The flights will depart from London at 6:45 a.m. and 4:52 p.m. on a 50-seat CRJ regional jet manufactured by Bombardier. The incoming flights depart Chicago at 2 p.m. and 6:50 p.m.
Flight time is about one hour and 20 minutes.Travellers taking the Chicago London flights can collect and redeem AeroPlan points because of a partnership between United and Air Canada. Seabrook said there is potential to expand the number of Chicago flights and also expand service to Washington, D.C.London Airport also has flights to Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Detroit, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

Air India flights returning to Kolkata

Kolkata, Sept 30 PTI With the Air India Executive pilots calling off their five day old agitation, flight operations of the airline returned to normal this afternoon at the NSC Bose international airport here.

Scheduled Air India flights to Delhi, Mumbai and other destinations have started leaving NSC Bose international airport from 2:00 pm with the return of normalcy,airport officials said.They said the airline management has opened the booking of its flights while passenger checking and boarding confirmation system began as usual.The officials said Air India authorities were also trying to bring 160 passengers, stranded at Port Blair due to heavy rains, by tomorrow.

Cheap flights to Australia & Bangkok from UK – Cheap Vacation

Australia is one of the favourite holiday destinations among the travelers world wide. It is the only country that has a continent itself. Cheap airline tickets are being offered by many airlines and travel companies. A large number of travel companies are offering cheap flights to Australia from UK.

Famous for its natural wonders and wide open spaces, its beaches, deserts, the bush, and the Outback, it is a beautiful country. Cheap flights to Australia are available with both domestic and international flights. Australia is known for its thriving nightlife, sandy beaches, friendly people and wide cultures.

Cities like Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Cairns, Brisbane, Auckland and many others are most livable cities in Australia. Travelers from all around the world visit Australia and its cities. To visit there, you can look for different online airfare packages catered by various airline companies. It offers a lot to do, see and explore. There are many cheap flights to Australia from UK available search around to find a good deal.

There are various skiing and surfing spots that people enjoy visiting, only in Australia. Uluru in the red centre, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House in Sydney are the cultural icons. Visitors from all over the world visit Australia for enjoyment and relaxation, they are attracted by Sydney Tower, Luna Park, The Royal Botanical Gardens, the Great Barrier Reef and a lot of beaches.

Cheap flights to Australia from UK are available online with various travel companies. You should be very careful while booking flights online. Search the companies providing best deals for your travel and book cheap flights to Australia. Most of the travel companies offer not only cheap flights, but also different hotels, car rentals and city tour activity packages.

On a vacation deciding the destination sometimes become a headache, as there are more than hundred countries in the world with different cities and districts. Recently I visited Bangkok, a lovely and a beautiful city. I’ll suggest you should visit this place once. Cheap flights to Bangkok from UK are available with all leading airlines.

Enjoy Hot Air Ballooning, Rock Climbing, Mountain Biking, Sky Diving, Skiing, Snorkelling, etc. Take a trip to Great Barrier Reef, swim in the beaches, rivers and man made pools. It will be a lovely experience to have a vacation in Australia. To get cheap flights always avoid last minutes flights, peak season visits and prefer cheap holiday packages.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

British Airways launched London and New York flights

LONDON British Airways is launching its pricey new business class service between London and New York.The first flight takes off at 12:50 p.m. Tuesday from London City airport, which was chosen because it is close to the financial district.Return fares start at 1,999.60 pounds $3,172, and rise to 5,326.60 pounds for a fully flexible return.

The flight to New York includes a stop at Shannon in western Ireland, because the 32-bed Airbus A318 can't carry enough fuel to cross the Atlantic against the prevailing winds. There is no Shannon stop on the flight to London.BA is jumping into a tough market. In recent years, attempts by Silverjet, MAXjet and EOS to run business-only services to the U.S. all flopped.

Monday, September 28, 2009

New Flights start from Stavanger to Aberdeen

More flights will be on offer from Aberdeen Airport to Stavanger from October 5, it has been announced.Enhanced services to Stavanger will be introduced at the same time as Eastern Airways' new flights to Bergen in a bid to develop more routes into Norway.New additional early morning flights from Stavanger to Aberdeen will operate between Monday and Thursday.

New York flights to offer new facility

British Airways will offer inflight mobile connectivity on its business class service from London City Airport to New York, which is set to be launched tomorrow September 29th.The facility, which is the first service of its kind on a transatlantic route, will be provided by OnAir.

Users of internet enabled smartphones and mobiles will be able to access the internet and send text messages and emails while travelling between London City Airport and New York.According to OnAir, the launch of the service on the new British Airways route is representative of the increasing take up of inflight mobile connectivity among airlines.

Benoit Debains, chief executive officer of the company, said Mobile OnAir will support British Airways in providing their passengers with the very highest service levels on this long haul route.Willie Walsh, the airline's chief executive, said The UK's first mobile phone access on transatlantic flights means that customers can work and keep in touch with the office between London and New York via email and texts.OnAir currently works with several international carriers, including bmi, Qatar Airways and TAP Air Portugal.

New non-stop service from the Windy City for a limited time

Today, United put select fares between Chicago and U.S. and Canadian cities on sale. The airline is promoting its new non stop service from the Windy City for a limited time.The sale is good for travel through Oct. 31, which gives Chicago flyers the perfect opportunity to get away for a few days this fall and explore a new city, like El Paso or Little Rock.

While there is no book-by date listed, take note that the flights require a 14 or 21-day purchase, depending on the destination. Non-stop service begins Sept. 2 for flights to El Paso, Huntsville and Little Rock. Flights begin on Sept. 29 to London, Ontario.A 3-night, Friday or Saturday night stay is required for U.S. destinations. Sample fares are each way, based on round trip travel. Taxes and fees are not included.

Chicago to El Paso from $124
Chicago to Huntsville from $125
Chicago to Little Rock from $140
Chicago to London, Ontario from $125

Haj flights going to start from Mangalore airport

The Airports Authority of India AAI is gearing up to make arrangements to operate special flights for Haj pilgrims from Mangalore airport for the first time this year.Air India Express flights will be operated between Mangalore and Jeddah International Airport in Saudi Arabia.

V.N. Chandran, director, Mangalore airport, told The Hindu that the departure of flights to Jeddah had been tentatively fixed from October 17 to November 20. The arrivals would be between November 20 and January 1, 2010.Officials of the AAI, office-bearers of the State Haj Committee and other authorities concerned had held three meetings in this regard. One more meeting would be held shortly, he said.

Mr. Chandran said that the AAI would make all arrangements for the arrival and departure of the special flights without affecting normal operations. He said that immigration clearance would be conducted at the transit camp for pilgrims here and customs and security clearances would be conducted at the airport. The director said that according to the list provided by the State Haj Committee, 700 pilgrims would depart from here.Hameed Kandak, member, All India Haj Committee, and special training officer of the committee, told The Hindu that Air India Express had agreed to operate at least six special flights to Jeddah.

Mr. Kandak said that he was going for the Haj pilgrimage for the 29th time this year. Haj celebrations would be held from November 6 to 11 at Makkah, Mina, Arafa and Muzzalifa in Saudi Arabia this year. These places were within a 100 km distance from the Jeddah airport, he said.He said that the 700 pilgrims would be given training in the city on October 13. Another training programme would be held on October 18.

Mr. Kandak said that though the Haj committee had demanded that 14 flights be operated from Mangalore airport, the officials of Air India Express had said that it might not be possible due to lack of aircraft. He said that earlier pilgrims from the State had to go to Bangalore, Mumbai or Kozhikode to take flights to Jeddah.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

jobless the chance to enhance their skills by studying for free with the Open University.

UNEMPLOYED people in Hamilton, Blantyre and Larkhall are being given the chance to study at university for free.Routes to Work South are working in partnership with the Open University and South Lanarkshire Council to offer the jobless the chance to enhance their skills by studying for free with the Open University.

OU Openings is a short first-step programme which offers a gentle introduction to study.To join up you don’t need any qualifications and better still you don't need to sit an exam at the end of the course. The programme lets people develop learning skills without the pressure of exams.

topics on offer include Understanding Health, Starting with Maths and Psychology.All studying is done at home and course materials will be delivered to the student’s door.Students will be supported by a local ‘study buddy’ group at Routes to Work South.Lynn Callaghan of Routes to Work South is currently recruiting for the next Openings programme.Anyone interested in this learning opportunity should telephone Routes to Work South on 0141 646 0500.

A free online education community is offering free AP course

Chicago, IL PRWEB September 14, 2009 The college application process has become much more demanding for students over the past few years as colleges expect students to excel in sports and extracurricular activities, regularly perform community service, in addition to taking rigorous course loads. Under these pressures, there are simply not enough hours in the day for high school students to just be 'teenagers' as students are faced with the challenge of juggling a plethora of academic, social and professional responsibilities. Course-Notes.org, a provider of free academic resources to high school students, seeks to alleviate the stress that students face by giving them materials to study more efficiently and perform better in their classes.

Course-Notes provides outlines, vocabulary terms, practice quizzes and other resources to supplement student’s in class instruction. It’s unique in that it provides review material that directly corresponds to students’ textbooks, such as the American Pageant a service that sets the site apart from other content providers. It also features a very active online community with over 85,000 members that is indispensable to students as they can get help with their homework assignments or concepts that are giving them trouble from other AP students and a team of volunteer moderators that serve as tutors specializing in certain subject areas.

More schools are offering a greater variety of AP courses, so it's not uncommon for students to be taking several AP courses in one year, according to Don Yanek of Chicago's Northside College Prep. It's great that students have a reliable central site for a large assortment of quality preparation materials in addition to the College Board published materials. Having access to this free information takes a little bit of the pressure off the students.

Everyone benefits from Course Notes. including students, teachers and parents. Students are provided with high quality resources to help them in their coursework, teachers are able to refer to the site for supplemental material to their lesson plans and parents can attest to the rise in grades they’ve seen in their children that use the site regularly.

Course Notes is a free and comprehensive online resource for high school students preparing to take AP advanced placement exams. The site offers free resources including AP course outlines, course notes, vocabulary terms, practice tests and a community where students can get help with their homework or concepts giving them trouble from other AP students and the site administrators. The site was launched in December 2002 by Chris Keenan, originally covering only US History. The site now offers resources covering 19 AP courses with recent additions of math, science, and fine arts courses.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Jet Airways India Ltd will launch 10 new international flights

Mumbai: Private carrier Jet Airways India Ltd will launch 10 new international flights in three-six months, said K.G. Vishwanath, vice president, commercial strategy and investor relations. We will increase our routes to South East Asia and West Asia, he said.He added that the carrier is in talks with four five airlines to lease out two Boeing 777 aircraft. Currently, the aircraft to be leased out are with Gulf Air and will come back in October.

Looking for cheap flights to Turkey from UK

If you are looking for cheap flights to Turkey from UK, it might be worth your while considering a package holiday that includes air fare and accommodation. Numerous airlines offer flights from the United Kingdom to Turkey. However, the best deals may be found with the travel agents. Travel agents will have good deals with accommodation included in their prices. So getting cheap flights to Turkey from the UK may be more cost effective if you book the flight ticket as well as your accommodation via the travel agent.

Considered both an Asian and a European destination with Africa also nearby, Turkey's history is steeped in various cultures and the country is well worth a visit. Its ancient ruins, mountainous regions and forested areas make Turkey a great vacation destination for anyone of any age. The amazing mix of cultures and the great food and night life make it a wonderful place for young people, while the excursions and guided tours of ancient sites available also make it a great vacation spot for history as well as pre-history buffs. Its markets and bazaars give an exotic feel to the place, while the relaxed and hospitable atmosphere of its people makes it a welcoming place for visitors.

It is no more than five hours from the UK. Bearing this in mind, there aren't many low cost, no frills airlines running to Istanbul or to any other Turkish destinations. However, with big airlines like British Airways and Lufthansa competing for customers, finding those cheap flights to Turkey from UK shouldn't be too difficult.Cheap Flights to Turkey from UK through Property Management Companies

Although replete with rugged, unspoiled terrain, Turkey is also considered a developed country. With a thriving tourism sector, it is eager to attract visitors and other types of investment. This makes it an attractive opportunity for property developers and investors. Finding cheap flights to Turkey from UK may be the first step towards buying an apartment or house in one of Turkey's cities. You may therefore find yourself shopping for property in Turkey. Numerous property developers based in the UK and other parts of Europe will encourage investors to buy property in Turkey. You should note that since the fall of communism in eastern Europe, the entire region around Turkey has opened up to investment opportunities, causing property prices to rise relative to their prices a decade or more ago.

If you are thinking about buying property in Turkey, you may find a property management firm that will encourage you to view numerous projects that are in development in Turkey. Property management firms may have deals that will allow you to stipulate your requirements for a property and show you a list of properties that you may be interested in before drawing up a list of properties that may interest you.

If you book flights and accommodation, you may get help from the property management company in getting cheap flights to Turkey from UK. Furthermore, they may cover the costs of your trip if and when you decide to buy real estate in Turkey.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Study Abroad program adds to resumes & experiences

College is a time for development and growth. The majority of students who enter college are still maturing and continuing their education beyond high school provides a time to find who they truly are and who they will become.And while major growth can happen within the confines of Charleston, there is an entire planet waiting to be explored a multitude of cultures big and small to be studied, emerged and enjoyed.

Thankfully, Eastern offers a wide array of avenues for students to explore these far off lands. There are study abroad opportunities in most majors, in nearly any country on earth and for many periods of time.Essentially, Eastern offers a vacation package for any student to try. And what better excuse to take a vacation than, I'm a college student?Academically and spiritually, the ability to see and experience another culture is undeniably valuable. It's one thing to hear, read about, or even see photos of another country, but actually diving into a foreign environment cannot be replicated in a classroom.

And as study abroad coordinator Farhan Aziz said in a Sept. 9 Daily Eastern News article, Studying abroad enhances the college experience and shows that you are more flexible and open minded while combining academics and international experience." He went on to mention the benefits of studying abroad to one's resume, setting them apart from others when applying for a job. Employers recognize the benefits that seeing another culture can impress upon someone.

It's all extremely convincing and with the deadline for the spring applications approaching on Oct. 1, all the benefits of studying abroad should be seriously considered.In fact, it would be easy to stop here and say everyone should study abroad, but there are downsides mostly in the form of finances.

IU & ANU to create a Pan-Asian Institute

In continuing to work toward internationalizing IU, the University announced it will partner with Australian National University to create a Pan-Asian institute.On Sept. 4, IU President Michael McRobbie signed the partnership agreement with Ian W. Chubb, vice chancellor and president of ANU, a 16,700-student institution.

The institute will combine academics from both universities that cover a wide range of Asian countries.IU students can access ANU through interactive video starting next semester.
Heidi Ross, professor and director of IU’s East Asian Studies Center is co-director of the program along with a co-director from ANU.She said the program is coming from two strong universities.

IU has long been known for its expertise in Central Asia and East Asia,Ross said.
Australian National University, on the other hand, has great strength in Southeast Asia studies.Ross said the two universities will be able to access each other’s programs.The joint institute, therefore, will enable our faculty and students to benefit from Australian National University’s resources and engage with each other, Ross said.The agreement is in coherence with IU’s international strategic plan. It is another step taken by McRobbie to strengthen the University’s position as a leader in international affairs.

The plan, which calls for global education and service-learning abroad, is an international partnership that supports study abroad, faculty and international research and outreach, as proposed by IU Vice President for International Affairs Patrick O’Meara.We have great interest in Indonesia, Vietnam and part of India, O’Meara said. With this joint institute, students will have the opportunity to do research in Asia and possibly to learn various languages offered by ANU through interactive video.O’Meara said he believes both universities will gain from one another.This is going to be a mutual, beneficial agreement, O’Meara said.

It sets up a three year implementation plan for a variety of academic programming, including establishment of joint language courses, some of which offer teleconferences, extended faculty visits and credit transfers for designated courses.Interactive video courses such as Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese languages at ANU will be available to IU’s students. Students and faculty at ANU will also have access to IU’s courses, such as the languages of Pashto, Uzbek and Uyghur.
Any students of IU who wish to participate can gain benefits from this program, given these volume of resources.

American school to Hire overseas Teachers

Some American school districts have turned increasingly to overseas recruiting to find teachers willing to work in their hard to staff schools, according to a new report by a national teachers union.The report used government data to estimate that 19,000 foreign teachers were working in the United States on temporary visas in 2007, and that the number was rising steadily. There are more than three million teachers in American public schools.

Overseas trained teachers are being recruited from nearly all corners of the globe and are being placed primarily in hard to staff inner city or very rural schools teaching the hard to fill disciplines of math, science and special education, said the report, by the American Federation of Teachers.The report cited the Baltimore Public Schools as a case study. Baltimore hired 108 teachers from the Philippines in 2005, but four years later has more than 600 Filipino teachers working in city classrooms, where they make up more than 10 percent of the teaching force.

Michael Sarbanes, a spokesman for the Baltimore Public Schools, confirmed those numbers but said the report exaggerated the district’s overall reliance on foreign teachers.For Baltimore, the question is how do we get highly qualified teachers into our classrooms, Mr. Sarbanes said. International teacher recruitment has produced some exceptional results for us.

But, he said, the number of foreign teachers the city recruits each year is now dropping because it is finding enough teachers for most hard to staff subjects from other sources, including Teach for America.Still, the city could not find American teachers for about 60 special education jobs this year, he said, and so recruited Filipinos to fill those positions.Foreign instructors usually must show English proficiency to be hired, but sometimes districts inadequately assess them, and in such cases should offer help in improving fluency, the report said.

The union published the report in the hope it would lead to heightened regulation, it said. The report cited the prosecution of several recruiting companies and three Texas school administrators on charges related to smuggling immigrants and visa fraud and other cases as examples of the dangers that can accompany the foreign recruiting of teachers.The top applicants for temporary visas for foreign teachers in 2007 were Texas, Georgia, New York, Maryland and California, the report said.

Each of the foreign instructors recruited to teach in Baltimore paid $5,000 to $8,000 to a recruiting firm in California for their placement, the report said.The report asserted that Baltimore school officials were leaning so heavily on foreign recruiting that they were recruiting less aggressively in the United States.

Rather than attending job fairs throughout the Mid-Atlantic, trying to persuade reluctant American teachers to accept positions in troubled inner city schools, H.R. officials can meet all their hiring needs in one trip, the report says. At a single career fair in Manila, they can interview hundreds of prescreened applicants, each of whom is eager to pay for the opportunity to work in Baltimore city schools.

Mr. Sarbanes disputed that. Our human resources people are everywhere, all the way out to Michigan and Ohio, he said. We’re aggressively recruiting every which way we can.Ligaya Avenida, a former San Francisco school teacher who founded the agency that has supplied hundreds of Filipino teachers to Baltimore, said the report was mostly fair.

Ms. Avenida said it failed however to detail the high costs of applying for foreign teachers visas, reviewing their qualifications and transcripts before interviews with American school officials, and carrying out other services all of which are paid for by fees charged to the recruits.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Tiger Airways to additional weekly flights to Chennai, effective October 25, 2009

Tiger Airways will be offering four additional weekly flight services to Chennai, effective October 25, 2009 in addition to the existing daily flights. As part of the celebration of its increased capacity to this destination, the airline is offering low fares for travel to Chennai, starting USD 160 one way.

In addition to the Chennai flights, the airline also offers flights five times a week to Bengaluru. The increased frequency to Chennai reflects the airline’s focus on India as a key destination. In total, Tiger Airways will have 32 flights per week between Singapore and India. Rosalynn Tay, Managing Director, Tiger Airways Singapore said, We noticed increased demand for our Indian flights. In appreciation of passengers who have chosen to fly with us, we are launching extra flights so that more and more passengers can continue to enjoy our low fares. We are also encouraged by the strong demand of our flights by businessmen, holidaymakers and the Indian community in the region.

Etihad Airways has launched new flights

Etihad Airways has launched flights from Abu Dhabi to the American city of Chicago. Flight EY151 took off on September 2, landing 14 hours later at the city's O’Hare International Airport.
For the inaugural flight, Etihad operated its Airbus A340-600 aircraft in the iconic Formula 1 livery, with O’Hare airport fire trucks providing the traditional ‘water arch’ for the plane on the runway before it docked at terminal five.

The launch of the new service Etihad’s third destination in North America after New York and Toronto brings to 55 the total number of international destinations served by the airline.Chicago is set to become a key part of our global flight programme with strong traffic expected from cities across our Middle East and Indian Sub-Continent network,' stated James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive.

Etihad’s fleet of brand new, fuel efficient aircraft allows us to launch flights to ultra long haul destinations, such as Chicago, at the same time providing customers in all three cabins with the most luxurious in flight experience on offer in the industry.With the launch of the three weekly flights to Chicago, Etihad now flies to North America 13 times a week daily to New York JFK and three times weekly to Toronto in Canada. This will increase to 16 flights a week when the Chicago service goes to six per week at the end of October.

In July, Etihad and American Airlines announced a wide ranging code-share agreement. The ‘EY’ code can now be seen on selected domestic and international services operated by American, and the AA code has been placed on Etihad services to North America and Europe.
Chicago is the third largest US market for air travel to the Middle East and GCC, after New York and Washington, and the state of Illinois is home to one of the largest Arab American communities in the US with an estimated Arab American population of more than 230,000.

The famed 'windy city' is home to 2.5 million residents and the Chicago metropolitan area has a population of more than 9.5 million people.Chicago attracts more than 44 million visitors each year and the city’s main airport, O’Hare, witnessed nearly 70 million passengers in 2008 making it the second busiest airport in the world.-TradeArabia News Service

Increase flights to China

Luanda Angola’s State run Airline TAAG intends to increase from two to three its weekly flights to China, in order to meet the demands, Angop learned from a source.The information was released by the company’s representative to Beijing, António Inácio e Silva.

Speaking to Angop, António Inácio said the rise in demand for TAAG services on the part of Angolans and foreigners is making the two flights a week insufficient.He said the demand is owed to the fact that the flights fares have been levelled to market costs, coupled with improved services, both in the transportation of passengers and cargo.

Traffic tends to increase as a result of the contracts that have been signed between the Governments of Angola and China, and the awakening of Angolan traders and business people who are setting up partnerships with fellows from this Asian country, he stated.António Inácio e Silva added that the number of air companies flying passengers to Angola, with direct flights from other points like South Africa, has made the market too competitive, forcing TAAG to follow suit in terms of fares offered by such companies as China Airline and Lufthansa.With combined China and Dubai flights, the arrival of TAAG in December last year in that Asian country is permitting a coverage of the markets of Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Macau, the official said.