U.S. officials say people from countries that do not need visas to enter the United States must begin registering under a new travel authorization program before making their journey.
Travelers from the 35 countries are asked to obtain an authorization from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at least 72 hours before their flight departs to the U.S.
The program has been voluntary since August and becomes mandatory Monday.
U.S. Embassy spokesman Dick Custin in Britain said Friday that approval has been granted in nearly all of the cases involving voluntary participants.
The online application form asks tourists to say if they are drug users and divulge certain criminals convictions or past terror activities.
Flights to New York coming soon!
British Airways revealed plans last year to start transatlantic services from the airport using two Airbus A318s in an all-business class configuration with just 32 seats. Due to the prevailing winds and length of runway (just 1,508 metres), outbound flights will have to make a refuelling stop in
Ireland. Returning flights from the US will operate non-stop. The flights will be operated by British Airways mainline operation and are expected to start in September.
While British Airways spent much of 2008 dealing with the negative publicity surrounding the disastrous launch of Heathrow Terminal 5, it has quietly been building its presence at another London airport. The UK flag carrier’s market share at London’s second biggest airport (Gatwick) continues to fall, and the airline has no presence at all at either of London’s northern airports (Luton and Stansted). However, during 2008 it doubled the number of routes served from London City airport (from six to 12) and has increased its share of capacity at the airport from 21% last winter to 31% at present. BA operates under the Cityflyer brand at the airport. This was the only part of BA’s regional services (known then as BA Connect) that was not sold to Flybe in November 2006.
Filed under: airlines news, cheap flights, main | Tags: flights, news, travel
easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, today launched its biggest ever flights sale, with up to 25% off flights between 1 March and 30 June, including Easter and Half-Term, which means massive discounts on 16 million seats for early summer travel. All you have to do is log onto easyJet.com between Friday 9th January and Tuesday 13th January to seal the deal.
If that’s not enough to tempt you, easyJetHotels is also offering up to 75% off accommodation throughout Europe for stays until 31 October 2009, across a full range of over 15,000 fantastic hotels and apartments.
Europcar, easyJet’s car hire partner is offering a free upgrade from economy to compact rentals booked for collection between 1 March and 30 June 2009.
Flights, car hire and hotels are all available at your finger tips on easyJet.com.
Filed under: airlines news, cheap flights, main | Tags: flights, news, travel
Seasonal non-stop flights from Memphis (MEM) to Sarasota/Bradenton (SRQ) are on the way. Northwest Airlines will launch the once-daily Memphis-Sarasota route on March 2 and fly through April 20.
Memphis continues to be a major hub for Northwest Airlines, who is currently in the process of merging with Delta Air Lines. Commuter/regional carrier Northwest Airlink will actually fly the route.
Meanwhile, as the Delta-Northwest merger gains momentum, Northwest announced plans to move terminals in Salt Lake City.
Northwest Airlines will move from Terminal One to Terminal Two, Concourse C at Salt Lake City’s airport. Passengers on Northwest’s Salt Lake City flights will claim their luggage in Terminal Two. However, the Northwest Ticket counter remains in Terminal One at SLC – at least until January 26.
If you’re not checking bags for your Salt Lake City flight, you can check in with Delta Air Lines in Terminal Two.
To help you keep up with all this, the folks who run Salt Lake City International are changing signs, and briefing personnel to help passengers.
Look for this sort of terminal shift to happen at airports across the world as Northwest merges into Delta over the next few months. The combined carrier is the largest on the planet.
Filed under: airlines news, cheap flights, main | Tags: flights, news, travel
Virgin Atlantic is set to make an attempt to secure its premium passengers by reducing its fares for premium services, according to reports.
The airline is expected to cut its business class fares by as much as 40% as it continues to grapple with British Airways (BA), its main rival, in the UK aviation market.
Return flights to New York in business class are expected to be reduced by 40% to £1,099, while services to Boston will be available from £1,199, representing a price cut of 38%.
BA is expected to follow suit by reducing its business class prices, despite stating in the past that it is opposed to cut-price premium services, according to Reuters.
Cheaper business class flights could provide a welcome boost for the airline, which recently announced that it saw a 12.1 per cent fall in its premium passenger numbers in December 2008.
At the end of last year, BA predicted that Cape Town, Johannesburg, Dubai, San Francisco and New York would be its top ten long-haul destinations in 2009.
