Australia Travel News - 28 May 2013

Seniors on the Go: Long flight? Try for a stopover Posted: 28 May 2013 02:21 AM PDT I did that on my first trip to Australia in 1958 -- it was also my first visit to Hawaii. Now, although Qantas flies nonstop, Hawaiian features Honolulu stopovers for travelers who use its flights from the mainland to Hawaii to connect with its new ... See all stories on this topic »

E-Jets tally up 10 million flight hours Posted: 28 May 2013 02:21 AM PDT The deployment of E-Jets is not limited to short-haul routes. Virgin Australia schedules E190s on nonstop flights between Perth and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, a leg that is in excess of four hours over water. Air Canada operates its E190s on some ... See all stories on this topic » Australian Aviation

Foreign Investment Review Board signs off Virgin's Tiger stake Posted: 28 May 2013 02:21 AM PDT The airline said the FIRB approval satisfied another condition for the move to give it broader access to the budget aviation market and expedite the growth of Tiger Australia. The deal had already been given the green light by the competition watchdog ... See all stories on this topic »

Qantas to build new Club at Perth Airport as Joyce sees no end to boom Posted: 28 May 2013 02:21 AM PDT Qantas faces competition from Virgin Australia, which recently acquired Perth-based regional and charter airline Skywest, but Mr Joyce said the group continued to have a "big forward-looking agenda'' in WA. Digital Pass $1 for first 28 Days ... See all stories on this topic »

Australia approves airline tie-up Posted: 28 May 2013 02:21 AM PDT Tiger Airways Australia, the loss-making local subsidiary of Singapore's Tiger Airways, has a history of poor financial and operational performance. It was grounded by Australia's air safety regulator for six weeks in 2011 in an unprecedented move over ... See all stories on this topic » Independent Online

MARKETS SPECTATOR: An unflinching ASX bull Posted: 27 May 2013 09:44 PM PDT MARKETS SPECTATOR: Virgin's two minds. Virgin Australia's plans for discount carrier Tiger Airways is a risky strategy for an airline in the midst of trying to rebrand itself as a full service alternative to Qantas. Politics · Australian Election ... See all stories on this topic »

Thai anger over airport escape Posted: 27 May 2013 09:44 PM PDT The man who served three years jail in Queensland was being escorted from Australia to Germany on commercial flights that transited through Bangkok. He disappeared in the early hours of May 16 but Thai authorities did not tell the department in ... See all stories on this topic »

China Southern's Sydney-Guangzhou Airbus A380 flights now on sale Posted: 27 May 2013 09:44 PM PDT Mr He notes that when the A380 service starts on October 28, all of China Southern's Australian ports will be serviced by the airline's latest Airbus aircraft – the A380 Superjumbo in Sydney and brand new A330-200/300 airliners to other ports, "all ... See all stories on this topic » Australian Business Traveller

Virgin Australia says FIRB approves Tiger Australia deal Posted: 27 May 2013 09:44 PM PDT Australia's airline industry has been a battleground for global airlines seeking partnerships in recent months to secure domestic passengers to feed into their global and regional networks. Qantas has established a wide-ranging alliance with Emirates ... See all stories on this topic »

Qantas to built new Club at Perth Airport to cater for miners Posted: 27 May 2013 09:44 PM PDT Details of the previously flagged expansion into Terminal 3 were announced today by Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, who said intra-West Australian business had grown by 22 per cent this year as the airline secured resources contracts. Qantas ... See all stories on this topic »

Weaker dollar won't stop travel rush: Flight Centre Posted: 27 May 2013 09:44 PM PDT Australians are likely to keep flying overseas for holidays in record numbers despite a sharp fall in the value of the Australia dollar against the US greenback. That's the view of Australia's largest travel agency, Flight Centre, which is eager to ... See all stories on this topic »

FIRB approves Virgin's Tiger takeover Posted: 27 May 2013 05:05 PM PDT Virgin Australia is another step closer to taking control of Tiger Airways Australia. The Foreign Investment Review Board's approved Virgin's proposed purchase of a 60 per cent stake in the airline. The deal's already been given the green light by the ... See all stories on this topic » Sky News Australia

China Southern Airlines to launch new Moscow-Guangzhou flight Posted: 27 May 2013 07:30 AM PDT 'Our aim is to link Europe, South Asia and Australia through the hub in Guangzhou, and the launch of direct flights between Moscow and Guangzhou will become a part of our strategy', Zhu Liang said. The carrier is Asia's largest airline in terms of both ... See all stories on this topic »