direct flights from Guam and Honolulu

Continental Airlines going to begin direct flights from Honolulu and Guam to Nadi, Fiji, in December this year.

A release from the airline says Continental Micronesia will operate the new flights using Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 14 seats in business class and 141 seats in economy on the routes.

The flights also will offer connections from Japan and the U.S. mainland to Nadi.

Charles Duncan, the president of Continental Micronesia, says Fiji has been a popular destination for high-end repeat visitors from all over the world and has also had a strong demand as a honeymoon destination.

Continental Micronesia is headquartered in Guam and operates a Pacific hub from the A.B. Won Pat International Airport.

Flights from India to Thailand

India's only Five Star airline rated by Skytrax, Kingfisher Airlines, today announced the launch of daily direct flights between Calcutta and Bangkok from August 14, 2009. After London, Colombo, Dhaka and Dubai, Bangkok will be the fifth international destination on the international flights network of Kingfisher Airlines.

The flights are conveniently timed with the flight from Calcutta, IT 021 leaving at 11:20 am and reaching Bangkok at 3:15 pm, local time. The return flight, IT 022 will take off from Bangkok at 4:30 pm and reach Kolkata at 5:45 pm. Kingfisher Airlines’ flights will operate from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.

The launch of this new route will mark the first time that Kingfisher Airlines will be commencing flights from India to South East Asia. The Calcutta - Bangkok flights will be operated using the A320 family of aircraft featuring Kingfisher Class, the premium economy service from Kingfisher Airlines. The award-winning Kingfisher Experience includes onboard comforts so that guests are able to relax in most comfortable seats in the sky with a wide seat pitch and ample room to stretch their legs. Moreover, the delectable cuisine will ensure that guests have a wide spread of mouth-watering options and a perfect accompaniment from a selection of wines and spirits on board. The In-Flight Entertainment system offers enthralling world-class entertainment with a personal system on every seat featuring the latest blockbuster movies, English and Hindi TV programmes and Kingfisher Radio.

Commenting on the launch of the sixth international route of Kingfisher Airlines since January 2009, Mr. Siva Ramachandran, Vice President - Global Sales, Kingfisher Airlines Limited said, “I am delighted to announce that Kingfisher Airlines will soon be launching flights between Calcutta and Bangkok. Besides catering to entrepreneurs, traders and leisure traffic, the flights on this new route will offer emerging traffic segments like MICE-meetings, incentives, conventions and expositions amongst others. The services on this new route will offer traders and entrepreneurs who frequently travel to Bangkok, a truly world-class flying experience. For travelers flying in from Bangkok, they will now have the added advantage of convenient connectivity to onward destinations in India thanks to the large and unparalleled route network of Kingfisher Airlines.”

direct Beijing-Chicago flights

The world's largest airline, American Airlines, plans to offer daily nonstop flights on the Beijing-Chicago route beginning on Apr. 7, 2010 to meet the demand for flights during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the Shanghai Daily reported on Friday.

AA was set to launch nonstop flights between Beijing and Chicago on April 1, 2009. However, due to high fuel prices and other issues, the company asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to allow a one-year delay.

The carrier said that the new flights will provide more choices for travelers flying between China and the USA and will give it a competitive advantage against other carriers in the Chinese market, according to the report.

The carrier launched its first Chinese route, which links Shanghai and Chicago, in 2006. It operates daily direct flights on the route, using a 245-seat Boeing 777-200 aircraft, the largest in its fleet.

Direct flights between China and Taiwan

It is likely that an agreement is on the way "to double the number of China - Taiwan flights to 216 because there is a mutual need." This is the opinion expressed yesterday by Kong Dong, president of Air China, one of the companies that provide the highly profitable service.

The flights of Air China are currently about 78% full, but Kong maintains that the actual demand is much higher, although it is hampered by a complicated procedure to obtain a visa.

A meeting between the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait and the Taiwanese Strait Exchange Foundation is scheduled for April 26, in part to discuss direct flights.

For decades, there were no direct flights to China - Taiwan, but only flights through Hong Kong and Macau. Direct flights were resumed a few months ago, in the context of better open relations after Ma Yingjeou, a proponent of dialogue and collaboration with Beijing, was elected president of Taiwan.

Kong is one of the Chinese delegates. To those who ask him why direct flights will be increased, he does not speak of the importance of relations and reconciliation between the two sides, but presents a simple economic calculation. He observes that, thanks to the elevated demand compared to the limited supply, with these flights the Chinese airlines will earn much more than they do on other routes. It is estimated that they will earn between 80 fen (yuan cents) and one yuan per passenger kilometer, while the average figure for other flights is between 59 and 63 fen.