88 cross strait flights added for Lunar New Year

The Civil Aeronautics Administration CAA yesterday confirmed that an additional 88 cross strait flights will be available on each side of the strait for the Lunar New Year holidays, between January 31 and February 28.According to participating airlines, the prices for flights to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shenzhen will have a 15 percent discount on the price of the original holiday ticket, whilst remaining destinations, including flights to Beijing, will be priced with a 30 percent discount.

Of all the extra flights, those heading to Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are restricted in terms of destination.According to the flight allocation of the CAA, during those four weeks, 12 will be Shanghai-bound flights from China Airlines and EVA Air three extra flights per week.TransAsia Airways will have eight.For Beijing and Guangzhou, 10 additional flights will be available at China Airlines and EVA. For Shenzhen, China Airlines and Uni Air will each have eight.

Other destinations are not limited regarding routes and frequency of additional flights; hence the Civil Aviation Authority said individual airlines on both sides can request additional flights depending on the demand.As many are most concerned about the cross-strait passenger fares, the CAA has enforced a rule of refusing additional flights if airlines refused to cut flight rates, hence all five airlines have committed to cutting prices for the holiday.

The airlines promised that the ticket fares to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shenzhen will have but not exceed a 15 percent discount. In other words, flights to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Ningbo will cost around NT$20,400, whilst those to Shenzhen will cost around NT$16,000.The remaining airlines will reduce the cost of flights by 30 percent; meaning flights to Beijing will cost approximately NT$23,500 (not including non-airport service charges and fuel surcharges).

However, prices are still much higher than those of direct fares on weekdays. During non holidays, a month long round-trip ticket to Shanghai costs between NT$12,000 to NT$15,000 depending on the airline.It may appear that the fare is discounted, but it is still a lot more than the usual NT$8,000.According to the CAA, tickets will become available in mid January, 2010.

Flights to South America

Iberia has announced a number of forthcoming schedule changes that will provide increased capacity on its flights to South America from the carrier's base in Madrid.Due to take effect from mid-January, the adjustments will include the launch of four new weekly flights to Lima, Peru, which will represent a capacity increase of 40 per cent.

The airline's service between Madrid and Buenos Aires, Argentina will be upped from 14 to 17 weekly return flights.As part of a codeshare agreement with LAN Airlines, Iberia will add three weekly return services to its schedule of flights to Quito, Ecuador from the Spanish capital.Other changes next year will see the carrier offering extra seats on links to Havana, Cuba and Bogota, Colombia.Overall, Iberia's increased supply to destinations in Latin America will raise total capacity on the routes by around 20,000 seats per month.The airline claims to be the market leader in air travel to the region from Europe, with an average of 250 weekly return flights.

chance for students to benefit opening their eyes to the world

Christian A. Gonzalez formerly of San Saba, Texas has been invited to study abroad his senior year with People to People. He will travel and study with others from the Eastern Phoenix area. He will travel to England, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland to study.

This educational group was founded by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956. It's a chance for students to benefit by opening their eyes to the world. It also sets the student apart on college applications, and in consideration for honors.While on his time abroad, Chris will discover and enjoy his travels, develop new skills, serve a greater purpose in the world.

Christian is a former resident and student from San Saba having attended both elementary and middle school. He now attends a private high school located in the pine foothills of the Pinal Mountains in the Globe, Arizona area. Christians parents are Karon Gonzalez of Globe, Arizona, formerly of San Saba and Victor Gonzales of San Saba; his grandparents are Ofelia Gonzalez and the late Juan Gonzalez; his brother is David Allan Fowler from Brownwood, Texas. Way to go Chris, we are all so proud.

Flight to Sialkot

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines PIA has sought government’s intervention to resolve a tug of war with the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, which is not allowing PIA to operate flights from Sialkot, a senior airline official told The News.PIA’s first flight from Sialkot scheduled for November 30 was cancelled after the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority DCAA refused to issue permission to Pakistan’s national flag carrier.

As per ASA air services agreement with DCAA, PIA can operate flights from any city, says Aijaz Haroon, Managing Director of PIA. The government must react immediately. Otherwise, they will continue to do this in future.It has been a month but the Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority CAA and the defence ministry, which oversees commercial aviation matters, have not come up with any response.

DCAA has not given any clear reason for delaying the issuance of permission. Yet at the same time, it has asked Pakistan to allow Dubai-based Emirates airline more flights to Islamabad and Lahore.ASA, which is an agreement between the two governments, says Pakistani airlines can operate indefinite number of flights from anywhere to Dubai.

PIA operates 34 weekly flights from different Pakistani cities to Dubai. Two flights from Sialkot would have increased weekly average to 36. Out of 39 flights of Emirates, 28 are destined for Karachi, four to Lahore, five to Islamabad and two to Peshawar.Gulf carriers including Emirates have been trying to get more frequency from Peshawar and Islamabad for the past few years as most of the international traffic generates there.

The management of PIA will resist tooth and nail any move to grant more flights to the Gulf carriers to the northern part of the country, airline officials say.Already the Gulf carriers are taking most of the international traffic from Pakistan. According to a recent survey done by PIA, these airlines are taking 77 per cent of such passengers, who are destined for cities in Europe and the US.

PIA officials fear that the national flag carrier’s summer schedule will be badly affected if the Sialkot flight issue is not settled.We want to increase flights to twice daily from Karachi to Dubai and from elsewhere. We had been planning to do that from March. After all this, it is clear they won’t allow us, a senior official said.Junaid Amin, Director General of CAA, said the aviation regulator could not say anything on the issue between PIA and DCAA as ASA had been signed at the government level.

CAA has long played the role of a facilitator for Pakistani passengers. Barring foreign carriers accused of eating into PIA’s market share has never figured on its radar as an issue.But Haroon says he is pushing the matter hard with elected representatives. Standing committee of the National Assembly, special committee on PIA and senators are all on board with us. Some steps need to be taken to control increasing influence of these carriers.

Flight to Russia

This Monday, the Russian Government gave permission to a Georgian commercial carrier to carry out the first flight to Russia since the two nations wet through a short war last year, although officials at Georgian Airways claimed that the authorization arrived too late to properly prep the flights.Last month, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev revealed several moves which would promote the restoration of a amicable relationship between the people of Georgia and Russia, but stressed that as long as Mikheil Saakashvili remained president, there would be no further official contacts possible between the two countries.

Last Monday, it emerged that the transport ministry of Russia had agreed to charter flights being flown by Georgian Airways on December 29 and 30. Timur Khikmatov, a transport ministry representative, said these would represent the first commercial passenger flights since the war.But an official with the Georgian airline said the announcement arrived too late, only allowing 48 hours to organise the flights and sell tickets.

Through a statement, Russia’s Foreign Ministry claimed that the responsibility for this matter would fall on the shoulders of Georgian Government authorities because they themselves took five days before agreeing to the air routes.No officials at the Georgian Government were available for comment on this matter.Last week, Moscow initiated a softening of its stance towards its neighbour by announcing, for the first time since the war, the opening of a major border point between the countries.

Flights to Cairns

THE Land of the Long White Cloud has moved that little bit closer to Far North Queensland with the announcement Virgin Blue is starting a new Cairns to Auckland service.Starting from March 23, Virgin Blue’s New Zealand based carrier, Pacific Blue, will operate twice weekly flights from Cairns on Tuesdays and Saturdays.Combined with Air New Zealand’s existing service from Cairns to Auckland, this will increase seat capacity on the route by close to 80 per cent.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland and Tourism Australia will launch a $400,000 campaign to market Cairns to New Zealanders within the next six months to increase patronage along the route.It is estimated more than 30,000 people from New Zealand visit the Far North each year.
Virgin Blue CEO Brett Godfrey said the new services would not only provide an alternative travel option, but would also help grow the market.We’re particularly excited about this new service as it’s our first international route to and from Cairns, Mr Godfrey said.

Furthermore, the non stop services will negate the need for travellers in either direction to connect via other ports, so a trip across the ditch will be a much quicker, more convenient and affordable option for everyone.Cairns Airport CEO Stephen Gregg described the announcement as a breakthrough for the city’s tourism industry.It follows announcements earlier this month of Jetstar adding extra services from Cairns to Japan, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, and Qantas upgrading six flights a week from Brisbane.

We’ve got all the right natural attributes, because to get to Cairns from New Zealand in the past you’ve had to fly over Brisbane or the Gold Coast, which has constraints upon travellers, Mr Gregg said,An increase in capacity for direct services means the destination becomes a lot more prominent in the travel industry over there as well.TTNQ CEO Rob Giason said Virgin Blue's announcement was sensational news.He said TTNQ would team with Tourism Australia to launch a $300,000-$400,000 campaign to market Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef to New Zealanders.

Flights to Paris

Emirates is now using the Airbus A380 to operate flights to Paris from Dubai.The carrier launched the superjumbo on the route yesterday December 29th and will further extend its A380 network on February 1st 2010 when it deploys the aircraft on a route to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.Emirates serves six other destinations from Dubai using the Airbus A380 London Heathrow, Toronto, Seoul, Sydney, Auckland and Bangkok.The new flights to Paris, which will have a daily frequency from January 17th, replace the previous morning service operated by a Boeing 777 aircraft.

Salem Obaidalla, the carrier's senior vice-president of commercial operations in Europe, said: The demand for Emirates' services on this route has always been extremely high and it is fitting that one of our Airbus A380s is being deployed to serve France, the headquarters of Airbus, and from where the A380 story unfolded.For us, the A380 has come full circle and what a wonderful way this is to end 2009.There will be another change to Emirates' network in France this week when the airline introduces daily flights to Nice.

Flights to Turkey from Manchester

Low cost ailrine Monarch today announced new flights to Turkey from Manchester Airport. Starting next May there will be two flights per week on a new service to Antalya on the Mediterranean coast.Two existing routes are adding frequency, with the service to Dalaman going up to eight flights per week from the current five and the service to Bodrum increasing two flights per week from the current one.

Liz Savage, managing director of Monarch Flights and Holidays, said Demand for Monarch holidays to Turkey grew over 200 per cent in 2009 and is set to increase further in 2010. Luton based Monarch has responded angrily to being named as the airline most likely to go bust by Irish bookmaker Paddy Power.The company denied it was in any financial difficulty and said the bookmaker was behaving irresponsibly.

Tim Jeans, Monarch's managing director, said For people to make a game out of betting when an enterprise that's been around for 40 years will go bust is irresponsible. It's not funny either because we employ nearly 3,000 people and they don't want to be reading this.Paddy Power cut the odds on Monarch going bust from 50-1 to 4-1 favourite after taking more than 100 bets over Christmas. It would have to pay out £7,000 if the company collapsed.

JMU study abroad programs

james Madison University's emphasis on the importance of international education has resulted in three rankings in the annual Open Doors report.MU ranked second in the country for masters level institutions for mid length programs, third for short term programs and 16th for long term programs, according to the school's Web site.

The Institute of International Education compiled the report, which measured study abroad in 2007-08. For reporting purposes, mid length programs are semester-long international education programs, while long term programs are a year of study abroad.

Study abroad in germany

Four spaces remain in a summer study abroad program in Germany, Bavaria and Austria offered by the Reich College of Education. The program is for graduate students only. Students will participate in a three-hour online course during spring 2010 and then conduct research at the International Youth Library in Blutenburg Castle in Munich, Germany. The library houses children’s literature from 140 different countries.The trip dates are June 16-July 15, 2010. Students will also visit Bavaria and Salzburg, Austria. Cost is $2,770 plus airfare and graduate tuition.

Flights from Canada to the United States

As a result of the new security measures imposed by Canadian and U.S. government authorities, flights from Canada to the United States continue to experience significant delays and cancellations. Northbound flights from the U.S. to Canada are also being impacted due to late inbound aircraft. Customers can also expect potential delays on other domestic and international flights due to airport congestion and delayed aircraft.

Due to protracted waits for customer security clearance at Canadian airports, Air Canada and Jazz are being forced to cancel select short-haul flights to the U.S. beginning today. These cancellations will be implemented primarily on short haul transborder routes with multiple daily flights between Toronto and the north-east U.S. Air Canada plans to consolidate affected flights and operate larger aircraft on these routes in order to minimize the impact on passengers. Air Canada is making all efforts to protect passengers affected by cancelled flights so they can travel as soon as possible. Due to high call volumes customers may find response times are longer than normal at call centres.

Customers from Canada to the United States are limited to one personal carry on item such as a purse, computer bag, diaper bag or small backpack. All other baggage must be checked in. In order to facilitate these new security measures, Air Canada is waiving excess baggage charges for checked baggage on a temporary basis for U.S.-bound customers travelling from Canada. Air Canada recommends passengers travelling to the U.S. from Canada arrive early at the airport for their flight in order to allow adequate time for additional personal searches.

Air Canada staff are doing everything possible to ensure that flights operate as closely to their schedules as possible and we are reprotecting passengers affected by cancellations as quickly as we can, including by adding larger aircraft on key routes, said Duncan Dee, Air Canada's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Our number one priority is the safety and security of our customers and staff. Unfortunately, the delays are being caused by matters entirely outside our control. We appreciate the cooperation and understanding of our customers during this challenging time.

Air Canada recommends passengers travelling to the U.S. from Canada check the status of their flight before going to the airport and arrive early for their flight in order to allow adequate time for additional personal searches. Under new rules enacted by Transport Canada and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, passengers and their carry on baggage will be subject to full searches at airport screening points.

Southwest Airlines to add more flights

Southwest Airlines will restore nonstop service between Oakland and Nashville, Tenn., and add new flights to three airports it already services starting May 9.Southwest already has two daily flights to Albuquerque, N.M., three to Denver and six to Seattle Tacoma. The airline will add one additional daily flight to each airport.A Vino Volo has opened at Oakland International Airport's Terminal 2 next to gate 25. The store features a wine lounge and restaurant, tasting bar and boutique wine retail area.Casting call for Global Scavenger Hunt

Applications are due Jan. 9 for teams interested in participating in the sixth Global Scavenger Hunt. The Amazing Race like competition takes 25 teams of two people each on an around the world adventure.Teams selected from the entries will not know which 10 countries they will be traveling to. The event starts April 9 somewhere on the West Coast and concludes May 1 somewhere on the East Coast.

National Geographic has called the event like Survivor, The Amazing Race' and the Eco Challenge all rolled into one, except with much more cultural interaction. Experiences include things such as swimming with baby elephants, learning to cook from a Michelin starred chef, partnering on an authentic archeological dig and helping out at a Tibetan refugee camp.

New flights for 2010

Qatar Airways has announced that it will launch three new routes from its hub in Doha, Qatar next year.Travellers will be offered new daily flights to Bangalore from February, bringing the carrier's total Indian capacity to 71 weekly services to 11 cities.A new route to Ankara, the capital of Turkey, will be added to Qatar Airways' network in April, joining the carrier's existing route to Istanbul.

The third new service will be introduced at the end of April, with flights to Tokyo set to be operated from Doha via Osaka in Japan.Akbar Al Baker, chief executive of Qatar Airways, said the airline is expanding at a time when most carriers are cutting capacity and cancelling aircraft orders.He added Our planning department continues to work actively to identify new route opportunities worldwide.

With more than one new aircraft joining our growing fleet every month, we carefully deploy our capacity on existing routes and new routes to meet market needs.Qatar Airways boosted its presence in India earlier this year with the launch of flights to Goa and Amritsar and also expanded into Australia with a new service to Melbourne.

Travel to Manila

underscores its thrice weekly frequency from Osaka as the most convenient way to travel to Manila, especially for business and leisure travelers looking for great value fares.CEB currently operates a Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday Airbus service from Osaka to Manila, leaving Osaka at 7:20pm and the return flight departing Manila at 2pm. The lowest possible year-round fare for the Osaka-Manila route is JPY 12,299.

From Manila, CEB’s network connects to the airline’s 32 Philippine destinations, including the metropolitan cities of Cebu and Davao, and major tourist beach destinations like Boracay Kalibo, Palawan Puerto Princesa and Bohol Tagbilaran.With the economy today, we see most business and leisure travelers’ need for more great value products. CEB is a high quality low-cost carrier that can bring passengers to the Philippines with the utmost convenience and ease, for the least expensive fare, said CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog.

CEB also flies to key ASEAN destinations such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, among others. This way, Osaka passengers can proceed to onward international destinations after Manila on the lowest fare alternative available, she added.Iyog said passengers who wish to book flights can do so via www.cebupacificair.com or Air System Inc. with telephone number 06-6265-2535 in Hommachi Hua Tong Bldg., 5F 5-16, 4-chome, Hommachi chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0053 Japan.

Cheap Flights to Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe, formerly known as Republic of Rhodesia has capital city Harare, which is a hub to many international arrivals each single day. During the peak seasons, as in December or July, Hare Airport becomes one of the busiest airports in the African Continent. The reason is not only the arrival of Zimbabwean natives scattered round the world and especially UK,but also a large number of tourists and bag packers also visit Harare due to its significant Victoria Falls

Another reason for being a central attraction for many international arrivals is the fact that Harare is a landlocked country. Where this might be a set back for beach lovers, it is also an advantage for the natives as they can not only get flights direct to Harare but also various cheap connections are available from the neighboring countries. Zimbabwe is surrounded by South Africa to the south, Zambia to the northwest, Mozambique to the east and north. The Zambezi river forms the natural boundary with Zambia and when in full flood during the month of February-April the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water. The Victoria Falls are a major tourist attraction. Once known as the Breadbasket of Africa, since 2000 Zimbabwe has undergone an economic collapse.

The country’s national flagship carrier, Air Zimbabwe is the only direct flight to Harare and beside the collapse of economy, the airline unlike other flagship carriers of African Continent, has continued its operations steadily. There had been rumors though, as there were schedule changes and some flight delays that the country is at verge of losing its flagship carrier. Yet, the airline managed to make its way out of the turmoil and still operates proudly is the only choice as the cheapest direct flight to Harare. Air Zimbabwe is also the first choice to fly to Bualwayo and other domestic connections are available at the cheapest rates. The major cause why air Zimbabwe is the cheapest is the competitor it self. The competitor in domestic flights, South African Airways is the most expensive airline and stands in the first row with KLM, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. The rates are so high usually that Air Zimbabwe easily soars through and gets good business in domestic flights.

In international flights, having the big advantage of being a landlocked country counts again. As connecting flight through Johannesburg and even some land journeys from neighboring countries are available at fairly low prices. The only hindrance in making a good connection and buying a cheap flight is to get a good agent who can make some good connections or sells Air Zimbabwe as a GSA on Gross rates. It is obviously necessary, where connections are required. As only agents do connections and not the airlines directly. For more details on how you can get your cheap flights to Zimbabwe , the smart way visit.

Flights from Flint to Atlanta

FLINT, Mich. Flint's Bishop International Airport says Delta Air Lines is adding flights from Flint to Detroit and Atlanta.Bishop spokeswoman Pat Corfman tells The Flint Journal the expansion starts in February.Delta and its Northwest Airlines unit now account for about 42 percent of Bishop's departures.Corfman says with the expansion, Delta will have eight daily flights to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, one to Minneapolis St. Paul and six to Atlanta.

Scholarships for Study Abroad

Two Colorado College students have been awarded Gilman Scholarships for study abroad. Anjali Desai ’12 will study Spanish in Salamanca, Spain, for six weeks next summer, where she will live with a family. Nguyen Nguyen ’11 will study at the University of Botswana during the spring semester. She will take courses in political science, history, and Setswana, the local language, as well as work on a yet to be determined independent research project.
The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards for undergraduate study abroad. The program, established by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000, allows undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding to participate in study abroad programs worldwide.

Flights To Aruba

AirTran Airways has added new weekly service between Atlanta and the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba. The discount carrier says the weekly nonstop route began Saturday between Atlanta and the tourism-dependent island off Venezuela's coast.Otmar Oduber is Aruba's minister of tourism, transportation and labor. He says the new direct service will be a boon for the people of Aruba, "for whom tourism is so important.Florida based AirTran also announced Saturday that it plans to introduce weekly nonstop flights between Orlando and Aruba on Jan. 9.The airline is a unit of Orlando, Florida-based AirTran Holdings Inc.

Flights to Bangladesh

Dhaka, Bangladesh AHN India's premier international airline, Jet Airways is going to introduce new direct flights on the Mumbai,Dhaka,Mumbai routes from December 23 this year, the company has said.

The flight will be Jet Airways' third flight to Bangladesh from India, and will connect Dhaka with several destinations across North America, Europe and the ASEAN region, as well as eight destinations across the Gulf, over the airline's New Delhi and Mumbai hubs.The airline currently flies daily from Delhi and Kolkata to Dhaka.

The new Mumbai,Dhaka flight will initially operate 6 days a week, with the exception of Tuesdays. Effective March 29, 2010, it will be a daily flight, a company announcement said. Flight 9W 276 will depart Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 0830 hrs, arriving in Dhaka's Zia International Airport at 1300 hrs. Flight 9W 275 will then depart Dhaka at 1430 hrs, arriving in Mumbai at 1610 hrs.

The launch of our new Mumbai-Dhaka service will thus connect Dhaka to the world, via Mumbai, while further enhancing air connectivity on the busy India-Bangladesh sector, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Jet Airways Nikos Kardassis said in the announcement.The Jet Airways currently operates a fleet of 88 aircraft, which includes 10 Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, 12 Airbus A330-200 aircraft, 52 next generation Boeing 737-700/800/900 aircraft and 14 modern ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft.

Flights to Mysore

While commercial operators are shying away from the ready to operate Mysore Airport, stakeholders meeting here have decided to constitute a coordination committee to initiate action towards operation of flights.They also decided to meet the chief minister in this regard and also ensure that the state government fulfills its part of the responsibility. Mysore MP A H Viswanath, who presided over the meeting, said at the meeting attended by representatives of different sectors of the city he would take up the issue with the Union minister for civil aviation on inaugurating the airport. He had broached the matter with him. The state government, however, was yet to fulfill its responsibilities, he said.

The upgraded Mandakalli Airport was ready in mid September. Supported by the state government, Kingfisher Airlines operated a few special flights during the Dasara. Subsequently, none of the commercial operators have shown interest in operating regular flights.Mysore based Airports Authority of India AAI general manager Rajiv Gupta said the operators had not responded positively to the letters from the AAI so far. It had suggested linking a few other centres with Mysore for viable operation. The operators expected support from the state government by way of a cut in tax on aviation fuel. Mysore Chamber of Commerce & Industry secretary Raghavendra said the VAT levy was about 20 per cent.

Infosys HRD head (Mysore) Arun Nayar said a large number of their employees preferred to travel by air. Around 800 of them traveled from Mysore to other centres every week.Similarly, a large number of clients visited the Bangalore centre. For the lack of regular air link, the employees took to other modes of transport while the clients were not visiting Mysore.Software Paradigms India vice-president V Madhukar endorsed the views of Nayar and said stakeholders should back the operators. Operation of regular flights linking prominent places in South India like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mangalore would benefit the operators.

Travel consultant G B Panth said the Kingfisher Airlines had shown interest in Mysore Chennai operation, while the Jet Airways between Mysore Delhi with a stopover at Bangalore.On the tourism potential, Karnataka Tourism Department assistant director NJayaram said, around 2.5 million tourists visited Mysore annually. They included over 50,000 visitors from abroad. Around 100,000 people depended on the tourism industry, which had a turnover of about Rs 250 crore.The issue would be taken up with the State Principal Secretary of Tourism during a meeting next week, added Mysore Chamber of Commerce & Industry president R Krishna.

Flights to Europe

Garuda Indonesia plans to re-introduce services to Europe under a five year plan to transform the once troubled airline.Indonesia's national carrier will introduce daily services from Jakarta to Amsterdam via Dubai from June, 2010, after the European Union lifted its ban on the airline, citing significant improvements in safety.

All Indonesia registered aircraft were banned from flying to Europe in June 2007 after a string of fatal crashes, including the Yogyakarta crash-landing in March, 2007 that killed 21 people.The Yogyakarta High Court recently overturned a criminal negligence conviction and the two-year prison sentence of pilot Marwoto Komar and ordered he be returned to his position. However, Garuda has ruled out reinstating the pilot.

Garuda chief executive Emirsyah Satar said the return of the carrier to Europe was a significant milestone after an absence of five years from the continent.Satar, who has been President and CEO of Garuda Indonesia since 2005, has been responsible for transforming the airline using a five-year corporate development strategy known as Quantum Leap.

We have set an aggressive five year growth strategy for the airline that will allow Garuda to take its place alongside other leading international airlines in the Asia Pacific region, Satar said.
Establishing a strong presence in Europe is an important element of meeting these targets. Amsterdam will be the first of a number of European cities including Frankfurt, Paris and London that the airline plans to service over the next few years.

The route will initially be serviced by the airline's fleet of A330-200, but Garuda says it has 10 Boeing 777-300ERs on order for 2011, which will then allow the airline to operate non stop from Jakarta into Europe.The expansion aims to increase international departures by 300 per cent to 1222 per week by 2014.There are plans to more than double Garuda's fleet to 116 aircraft over the next five years.

Indonesia's flagship carrier has also introduced new direct flights to Jakarta from Sydney and Melbourne to service business travellers.The non-stop services to the Indonesian capital began operating three days a week from August, 2009 using new Airbus A330-200 wide-bodied aircraft.Garuda Pacific head Poerwoko Soeparyono said the direct flights were an important part of the company's transformation strategy.Garuda has long been known in the Australian market and others predominantly as a leisure carrier, servicing destinations such as Bali, Soeparyono said.

While our leisure business will remain a critical segment of our operations into the future, the airline is now also looking to place increased emphasis on the corporate sector.Garuda's turnaround strategy became evident when the carrier booked a net profit of IRD669 billion $US65.2 million for the 2008 financial year, despite the severe economic conditions affecting the global airline industry.Profits for 2009 are expected to exceed the previous year and a stock market listing by the middle of next year is now on the cards for the carrier.

UNH developes Ghana study abroad program

Students interested in studying abroad in Africa should look no farther than the Center for Humanities at UNH. The Center for Humanities has developed a summer study abroad program at the University of Ghana in Legon, Ghana, an affluent suburb located in West Africa. Currently the Ghana program is just a summer program. However, UNH is in the process of building connections with the University of Ghana in hopes of developing programs for the academic year.

The current program offers a new approach for a summer study abroad option. Students can choose to take part in one or two of the three different course options offered different times during the week.Choosing to study in Ghana will help those students who wish to minor in Africana and African American Studies. Courses in Ghana are six credits, and Burt Feintuch, who is a professor of folklore and English, said that it would be likely for students to include an independent study with their course, which would give them eight credits for one course.
The cost of studying in Ghana for the summer is comparable to studying at UNH for the summer while staying in campus housing. The cost of the program includes housing, but students will have to pay for their plane tickets and personal expenses.

Two UNH faculty groups have traveled to Ghana and are very excited about the development of this program.While in Ghana, Feintuch said the faculty felt “safe and well received.” Feintuch also said there was a sense of being overwhelmed while in Ghana - but not overwhelming in the sense of feeling unsafe. He felt it was more like being overwhelmed about how much one doesn’t know about other cultures until they experience it.

Due to the fact that this program is so new, students who wish to study in Ghana will have to petition the Center for International Education. This means that this program is not currently managed by UNH, that it is not an exchange or approved UNH study abroad program. The petition is available to students who meet the UNH study abroad eligibility requirements and an academic advisor should support petitions. Petitions are reviewed based on academic needs of the student.

A representative from the study abroad program said the Center for International Education is willing to work with students who are interested in studying in Ghana, and also excited about the program that will hopefully someday be managed be UNH.To complete a study abroad petition students must; attend a study abroad information session: make an appointment and meet with a study abroad advisor, complete and submit a study abroad one-time approval petition with all required documentation study abroad one time approval form, academic rationale, program information, study-away eligibility form, study abroad one-time approval consent and agreement form, have the petition form signed by an academic advisor, and submit the completed form to the study abroad office.

New York–Istanbul Flights

Turkish Airlines has launched the industry's only nonstop First Class service between New York's JFK and Istanbul's Ataturk International IST airports. The daily nonstop Boeing 777-300ER service features 312 seats in a three class configuration eight in First, 30 in Business and 274 in Economy departing JFK every day seven days a week at 4:15 p.m., and arriving IST at 9:25 a.m. the following morning. The return flight departs Istanbul at 10:30 a.m., arriving flights New York at 2:45 p.m. that day.

Exclusive airport services for first class passengers include a dedicated private lounge and a check-in counter, and in Istanbul meet and greet from check in to boarding. Travelers can kick back and enjoy the trip across the Atlantic Ocean in their own 26 square foot suite, with a sliding door that ensures total privacy. Seats recline to a fully flat 180 degrees and 6.8-foot length with massage from eight different points. Exclusive in-flight offerings include: unlimited caviar an assortment of authentic Turkish meze and hors d'oeuvres from international cuisines a choice of meat, fish, and vegetable dishes as a main course a complimentary Bvlgari amenity kit, with razor blades and shaving foam for men on request. Entertainment options abound with more than 200 hours of movies, music and games on a 23-inch flat screen in seat monitor.

Flights to London

Tafa Air, a new budget airline, launches flights from Albania and Kosovo to Germany on December 1.The operator has two Airbus A320 jets to ply its daily routes to Berlin Neubrandenburg, Dortmund and Friedrichshafen.The company later plans to fly to to Austria and Switzerland, with services to Geneva due next summer. Flights to London are also a future possibility, management said in a statement.Tirana-based Tafa Air was set up by domestic construction entrepreneur Taf Tafa with backing from enterprises in Albania and Kosovo.

Haj Flights to Start Today

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI/ Special haj flights will start from December 2 and all returning pilgrims will be checked for swine flu by thermal scanners.The federal health ministry is looking after the arrangements made at Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi airports. Doctors and the emergency response centre of Pakistan International Airlines PIA and Civil Aviation Authority CAA are all set to take care of the situation, and have special equipment including thermometers, gloves and masks to avoid direct contact with those infected with the disease.

We will check the body temperature of each passenger and look out for symptoms like sneezing or coughing, Allama Iqbal airport health officer Dr Rubina Naz said.Usually, pilgrims catch a cold or a fever during the haj season, which is why they would be checked before the immigration counters.People with fever would be examined thoroughly, and if there is a threat they will be shifted to the Services Hospital, she said.

The first flight carrying pilgrims that included journalists and bureaucrats arrived in Islamabad on November 30.According to PIA, the airline’s post-haj operation will commence from December 2, 2009 and conclude on January 1, 2010.Flights will leave Jeddah for Pakistan on December 2, 2009 bringing back around 2,062 hajis on the first post haj flights to Quetta, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Karachi.

On December 2, 2009, PK 2702 will be reaching Quetta at 7:25 am with 329 passengers, PK 4502 to Lahore at 10:00 am with 468 passengers, PK 2604 will reach Islamabad at 4:00 pm with 468 passengers and PK 2804 will arrive Peshawar at 6:00 pm with 329 passengers. The first post haj flight for Karachi PK 2004 will arrive early on December 3, 2009.

Passengers for Faisalabad, Rahim Yar Khan and Sukkur will be transported by PIA from Karachi through connecting flights.Civil Aviation Authorities of King Abdul Aziz International Airport have appreciated the PIA pre-haj operations at Jeddah and Madina for speedy handling of passengers to avoid congestion at the terminal building.

Flights to Rome

Passengers travelling on China Airlines flights to Rome from Taiwan will benefit from a faster journey time from today December 1st thanks to a new stop-off destination.The carrier will now be making scheduled stops in Delhi instead of Bangkok, which will save travellers one hour of travel time.

A specially fitted A330-300 aircraft will be used on the route from Taoyuan International Airport, which will feature a two class configuration.China Airlines will operate three weekly round trips between Taiwan and Rome via the Indian capital, making it the first carrier to operate flights between Delhi and the Italian capital.

Italian-speaking cabin crew will be onboard each flight, as will more attendants from India, with the airline said will allow it to provide a better service.In addition to boosting China Airlines' international network, the route is expected to provide great commercial benefits.In October, the carrier announced that its 2010 summer schedule will include an increased number of flights to New York and Frankfurt.