Economy Class & Beyond

Air Passenger Duty to be axed for younger passengers

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Earlier this week, The Right Honourable George Osborne, Chancellor the Exchequer made his autumn statement to House of Parliament. The Famous Budget Red Box - Image HM Government - www.gov.uk Buried in the announcements he made, there was an important detail for those of you who have children and enjoy taking them on your travels. From 1st May 2015, children under 12 years … [Read more...]

Air Canada focuses on getting people home for Christmas*

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It seems airlines continue to find different ways to pull at emotional heart-strings. Air Canada is trying a very different idea for Christmas holidays... ... by going to an ex-pat public house, and offering to buy a round - just not the sort of round you'd expect at a pub.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5YvVB1FJrs It's a great gesture by Air Canada - like all … [Read more...]

Finnair adds extra A350s to its order list

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Finnair have upped their order of Airbus A350-900 aircraft, with the airline exercising its purchasing rights for an additional eight aircraft. Finnair Airbus A350 - Rendering, Airbus These aircraft will be delivered in a two-classs configuration holding a total of 297 passengers aboard, to be used on their long haul network to the Americas and Asia. The airline now has a … [Read more...]

Guess who’s out on strike AGAIN? Ja… it’s Lufthansa!

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I'm taking a break from my Trip Report to note that Lufthansa is going to suffer its 2nd strike in a week, this time affecting Intercontinental services Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 at Chicago O'Hare, Image Economy Class and Beyond The strike will run on the 4th December 2014 from 03:00 to 23:59 Central European Time, with Lufthansa able to operate around half of its … [Read more...]

Azul goes bigger body – orders Airbus A320neos

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Azul's intentions have been clear recently with the announcement and commencement (due to begin on the 2nd December 2014) of its long haul services from Brazil to the USA - adding Airbus A330s into its fleet, with the future long haul fleet to include Airbus A350s. However, there is the matter of domestic services. These are currently made of Embraer E-190s, E-195s and ATR … [Read more...]

Oneworld boosts Emerald and Sapphire luggage benefits

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It seems the oneworld airline alliance has boosted some of its benefits for those of us who check luggage in when flying around the world. oneworld's tiers are : Base Ruby (lowest elite tier) Sapphire (the mid-tier) Emerald (the top tier) Today's changes are for Emeralds and Sapphires. Emeralds will now get Priority Luggage handling on any cabin on all … [Read more...]

Trip Report: Adventures with Lufthansa – To FTU Amsterdam

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Adventures with Lufthansa - To FTU Amsterdam Would I like to speak at FTU? Umm. Yes! (This section) To the airport, LH953 Birmingham to Frankfurt An (un)expected extended layover LH996 Frankfurt to Birmingham (Business Class) The Park Inn Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Speaking at FTU Amsterdam LH997 Amsterdam Schiphol to Frankfurt Main What is the … [Read more...]

Last Week on Economy Class and Beyond

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Time for a quick look back at what happened on Economy Class and Beyond. I'll fess up I've been having a very busy week in the real world (as I explained... along with a fair bit of gaming too). In route news, it has been a royal ding-dong with Delta announcing a route from Philadelphia to London, and American striking straight back. Meanwhile for those who seek … [Read more...]

Airplane Art – Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A340-300

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It's Sunday again, so it must be time for some more airplane art. This week we have a Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A340-300, parked up at Chicago O'Hare International Airport awaiting its return journey to Zürich. Swiss operates fifteen Airbus A340-300s in its fleet, with some of these to be replaced with Boeing 777-300ERs. Six of these aircraft will join the … [Read more...]