London
Flybe celebrate as Newquay passengers get free flights
Flybe has today marked the third anniversary of its popular Newquay to London Gatwick service with a presentation of free flights to those passengers on the morning flight seated in Row 3!
Korean Air add direct flights between Gatwick Airport and Seoul
Korean Air has confirmed that commencing on the 29th April 2012 it will add to its daily service between London’s Heathrow Airport and Seoul, South Korea. These flights will depart London Gatwick, which will initially be three times a week, from the newly renovated North Terminal.
Etihad Airways take off with chefs onboard for Diamond First Class
Fly with Etihad Airways in their Diamond First Class cabin and you will now have a fully-qualified chef prepare your meal and personalise your dish. After their announcement several months ago chefs are now part of the crew! Read more
Flybe extends ‘Free Extras’ offer for online bookings but only for 2 weeks
The recent Flybe online booking offer for free extras, including free 20kg baggage allowance is to continue for another two weeks. Read more
Gatwick Airport to be new AirAsia X base for Kuala Lumpur - London route
AirAsia X, the Malaysian based long haul, low fare affiliate of AirAsia has announced that beginning on the 24th October, 2011, AirAsia X will commence flights from Gatwick Airport to Kuala Lumpur Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT).
The new base for the airline is set to further increase passenger traffic from London to South East Asia with six flights weekly from Gatwick Airport by mid December. Read more
Continental Airlines celebrates 25 years flying to the UK
Continental Airlines today celebrates the 25th anniversary of its first flight from the United Kingdom. The inaugural flight from London Gatwick to Houston on the 29th April 1985 began a quarter of a century of growth in the UK, as the airline expanded its operations to seven airports and up to 14 daily flights – 12 to its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport, and two to Houston.
Continental has become the only trans-Atlantic carrier with a significant presence in the UK regions, while the Open Skies treaty in March 2008 gave the carrier access to London Heathrow for the first time, and heralded the start of a significant expansion into that market. Indeed, by October 31, 2010 when Continental begins a fifth daily service to New York, the airline will have seven daily trans-Atlantic flights from Heathrow (two to Houston).
Continental was also the first-ever airline to offer scheduled non-stop trans-Atlantic flights from Edinburgh, Bristol and Belfast, and has now operated services to New York from Glasgow for almost 12 years, from Birmingham for almost 13 years and from Manchester for almost 15 years. For many of the UK cities that the airline serves, it offers the only direct route to New York.
Bob Schumacher, Senior Director – UK & Ireland, said: “Although we’re an American carrier, the UK is one of our most important markets. The last 25 years have seen us grow from being a small player at London Gatwick to operating trans-Atlantic flights from more UK airports than any other airline and now being a major operator at Heathrow. People often talk about the ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the US and the Continental success story here is strong evidence of this bond. We look forward to another successful 25 years and helping many more people fly between the two countries for business and leisure.”
Continental Airlines’ UK milestones
o April 1985 – Inaugural flight from London Gatwick to Houston
o June 1987 – Inaugural flight from London Gatwick to New York
o 1992 – Introduction of BusinessFirst on UK services
o July 1995 – Inaugural flight from Manchester to New York
o July 1997 – Inaugural flight from Birmingham to New York
o July 1998 – Inaugural flight from Glasgow to New York
o January 1999 – Introduction of Boeing 777 on London Gatwick-New York route
o June 2004 – Inaugural flight from Edinburgh to New York
o May 2005 – Inaugural flight from Bristol to New York
o May 2005 – Inaugural flight from Belfast to New York
o March 2008 – Inaugural flights from London Heathrow to New York and Houston
o October 2009 – Continental joins Star Alliance, the world’s largest and most comprehensive airline alliance
o November 2009 – Aircraft featuring new BusinessFirst flat-bed seat start serving the UK
Malaysia Airlines expects to mount 6 additional flights on 23 April
Malaysia Airlines expects to mount 6 additional flights, subject to approval of airport authorities, on 23 April to enable stranded customers to get to their destinations as soon as possible.
The additional flights on 23 April 2010 are:
- Kuala Lumpur to London via Gatwick and vice versa
- Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam and vice versa
- Kuala Lumpur to Sydney and vice versa
Its additional flight to London Gatwick scheduled to depart on 23 April at 12.00 noon is already full booked.
Priority for these flights will be given to special needs or elderly customers, and those with infants or young children. Following that, customers who have booked for travel from April 15 to 17 will be given priority.
For scheduled flights, priority will be given to customers with confirmed bookings. Bookings will also be accepted, on a first come, first serve basis.
Malaysia Airlines Director of Operations, Captain Azharuddin Osman said, “As of today, we have managed to clear over 2,500 passengers. However, there are still some 11,000 passengers still stranded system-wide with most of these in Kuala Lumpur.
‘With airspace opened at destinations where we operate, all scheduled flights to and from Europe have resumed. We are also mounting additional flights, and using aircraft with larger capacity, where possible.
“Passengers are also urged to remember that the situation remains fluid and any changes to this plan or updates will be provided under the Book/Flight Status section on www.malaysiaairlines.com,” he added.
To secure seats, stranded passengers can contact 03-7884 1234, MAS Call Center 1300-88-3000 (within Malaysia) or 603-7843 3000 (outside Malaysia). They can also visit Malaysia Airlines’ ticket offices at KL Sentral or KL International Airport to re-book flights, subject to seat availability.
Customers without confirmed seats are advised not to travel to the airport.
As there have been a high volume of calls to the Call Centre and waiting times may be longer than usual, Malaysia Airlines encourages customers with other travel related questions to refer to the ‘Ask MAS/Travel Advisory’ section on the website.