During the January to June period of this year, utilization of Singapore’s Changi Airport increased compared to the first six months of 2006. Airport traffic showed both increases in passenger traffic and improvements in the number of connections available.

Changi had 5.4% growth over the period, handling over 17.7 million passengers. They flew on 4,180 weekly flights by 79 airlines serving 185 cities in 59 countries. During the June school holiday period, more than 100,000 passengers passed through the airport on a nearly daily basis. Both March and June had traffic in excess of 3 million. [Read more…]

Qatar Airways now flies daily non-stop between Doha, Qatar’s capital, to Washington DC’s Dulles International Airport. The Washington route is operated with the Airbus A340 aircraft in a three-class configuration, with First Class offering eight seats convert into flat beds and the 42 Business Class seats providing a 160 degree recline. Economy Class has 216 seats. [Read more…]

On October 18, 2007 Cathay Pacific Airways will inaugurate its second non-stop flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong. The new flight will have a daytime departure to give passengers a choice of both a day and evening flight on Cathay Pacific. The airline also increased the number of flights on its Vancouver-Hong Kong route from fourteen to seventeen last week, adding three morning departures. [Read more…]

The Sheraton Shenzhen Futian Hotel has opened in the Futian central business district of Shenzhen, at the Great China International Exchange Square. The Exchange Square, a multi-purpose landmark building, is located between the Shenzhen Civic Center and the Shenzhen Convention Center and is within easy walking distance of the convention center.

Tomas Hansson, the hotel’s General Manager, cited “the rapid economic growth of Shenzhen city and development of Shenzhen’s central business district in Futian” in remarks about the new hotel. [Read more…]

Virgin America, a new U.S. domestic carrier has begun selling tickets for travel between August 8 and February 12.The airline plans to begin service with two flights per day to JFK International Airport in New York and five flights per day to Los Angeles International Airport. Additional flights to these cities and to Washington DC and Las Vegas will be rolled out over the next two months. Service to San Diego will be added at a later date. [Read more…]

Kingdom Hotel Investments, of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, has acquired two Cambodian hotels, the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor and the Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh, for about US $35 million. The hotels will continue to operate under Raffles Hotels and Resorts management. [Read more…]

The long-haul business carrier Eos Airlines has opened a new departure lounge at London’s Stanstead Airport. The new lounge, called Club 48, is located gate-side. In addition to a guest services counter and circulating attendants, Club 48 offers two 50-inch wide screen televisions, WiFi access, and computer workstations along with bar and food services. The club’s seating area features translucent dividers for additional privacy. [Read more…]

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide plans to build three new aloft brand hotels, in Beijing, Bangkok, and Sydney. The aloft brand has loft-style rooms with nine-foot ceilings, oversized windows, and large bathrooms with extra-large walk-in showers. Technical amenities include wireless internet access, plug & play connectivity for PDAs, cell phones, mp3 players, and laptops, linking these devices to a large flat panel HDTV ready screen. The hotels will feature shared spaces including a communal lobby area and bar, fitness centers, swimming pool, and a 24-hour one-stop food and beverage area. [Read more…]

Lufthansa will move its Moscow passenger and cargo operations from Sheremetyevo Airport to Domodedovo Airport at the start of the 2008 summer timetable. Star Alliance partners Swiss, Austrian Airlines, bmi, Singapore Airlines, Spanair and Thai Airways. already use the newer, more modern facility. The move will facilitate connections with Lufthansa’s partner airlines and domestic and regional carriers using Domodedovo, as well as allow for improved ground services. [Read more…]

Budget airline Viva Macau will fly non-stop between Macau and Sydney three times weekly starting August 15, 2007. The route will use wide-body Boeing 767 aircraft in a two-class configuration. Introductory one-way fares for economy, or Star Class, start at MOP 1,155 (approximately AUD 158) exclusive of taxes and surcharges. Superstar Class fares start at MOP 7,035 (approximately AUD 1000) during the initial promotion. [Read more…]