BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union on Monday opened the way for air travelers to use mobile phones to talk, text or send e-mails on planes throughout Europe’s airspace.

Midair service may be available as soon as this year on some airlines for passengers using European GSM technology. The United States and many other countries bar mobile devices in the air because of concern they could disrupt a plane’s instruments.

Under the plan approved Monday, cell phone users could make and receive calls through an onboard base station. They will be allowed to turn their phones on after the plane reaches 10,000 feet, when other electronic devices such as portable music players and laptops are permitted.

But a host of issues remain, from the cost of mid-flight phone service, to backlash from those who dread the thought of being trapped for hours listening to one-sided conversations.

“In-flight mobile phone services can be a very interesting new service especially for those business travelers who need to be ready to communicate wherever they are,” said Viviane Reding, the EU’s telecommunications commissioner. “However, if consumers receive shock phone bills, the service will not take off.”

The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, said it will monitor pricing.

The EU also urged airlines to set in-flight phone etiquette.

“Almost everybody will want to use this service. We hope that also some people will still use the aircraft as a moment of tranquility and not disturb other passengers,” EU spokesman Martin Selmayr said.

Several airlines, including Air France-KLM, have already launched a trial of in-flight mobile phone services on some European routes.

Germany’s Lufthansa, however, said Monday it does not want to introduce the service because its surveys show that a large majority of customers were against it, spokesman Jan Baerwalde said.

“People don’t want to be disturbed,” Baerwalde said. Lufthansa, however, wants to relaunch Internet access on its planes, a service it had offered from 2004 until the end of 2006.

The EU regulation sets a common standard by which passengers can use mobile phones during flights and airlines will only need to get one license that will apply across the entire 27-nation bloc.

The equipment airlines install must be approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency to ensure the onboard cellular network will not conflict with other in-flight systems.

Selmayr, the EU spokesman, said the phone service will not be available during takeoff, landing or during turbulence. He said the captain and crew of the plane can determine when the system is shut down. Networks would also prevent linkages to ground-based cell stations, providing added security for the flight.

“It doesn’t mean you can leave your mobile phones switched on now during the flight, we have to make that absolutely clear,” Selmayr said. “First wait what your airline tells you when you board the plane. Until further notice the usual reminders to switch off your mobile phone on the aircraft will remain in place.”

Most services that are being rolled out this year are being provided by OnAir, a unit of planemaker Airbus.

CRC one-visit pass to go from $25 to $30
Unaccompanied Minor fee to go from $50 nonstop/$100 connecting to $100 for all
Pets in cabin fee from $75 to $100
Pets as checked luggage to go from $150 to $200
Curbside checked bags as per other threads ($3 vs. free, exemptions include medallions, premium cabin, etc.)
Oversize bag fee from $100 to $150, I believe as discussed elsewhere
Direct Ticketing Charge goes from $20 to $25
“ASC” for reissues, etc of non-refundable tix goes from $75 to $100 (only for tickets originally issued after 4/1)
Award ticket re-issues and redeposits go from $75 to $100, with PM waiver still in place

And the most “industry leading” revolutionary change
“Handling charge” for any award that includes a segment on another airline: $25

Caution: I may have some details off, as I was just scribbling stuff down that an agent read to me. (I wasn’t even flying DL, but was at the airport and saying hello to a friendly agent who provided the scoop)

There were a few others ones, but nothing major (something about plastic bags and stuff like that).

With the darkness of winter giving way to lighter, brighter skies, why not celebrate with our spring weekend breaks offer? Enjoy 2 nights for the price of 1 in selected hotels in the UK and the rest of Europe. Whichever hotel you choose, a relaxing getaway is bound to put a spring in your step…

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/6c/…-EMEA-_-HEADER

Offer applicable for stays to 30th April 2008. This offer is available on the Best Flexible Rate. When booking your hotel please select 2 nights’ accommodation - your discount will be applied automatically.

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/…0News/1220015/

BEIJING, Mar 19, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX) — AIDIF | news | PowerRating | PR Charts — BOC Aviation, the aviation leasing unit of the Bank of China, said on Wednesday that it had signed a contract to lease two Boeing 777-300ERs to Air Canada.

The planes will be delivered before the end of April. This deal means that BOC’s Boeing 777 fleet will rise to 12, the company said in a statement. The leasing division was established in 1993.

The lease is for 12 years, according to BOC Aviation.

http://www.atwonline.com/news/other….=3%2F19%2F2008

DELTA is the 3rd US carrier announcing they’ll be charging $25 for 2nd checked bag, starting 01MAY08.

In fact it’ll be the first US carrier to implement this policy as UA/US’ begins 05MAY08

Did anyone else get this email from Orbitz yesterday? I think it’s targeted, because it says in the rules that you have to sign in with the same email address that the offer was sent to.

Here’s the link with the T&C:

United Airlines: Save 10% on Flights to Honolulu

The problem is, I’ve been trying since yesterday and everytime I do a search (LAX=>HNL), nothing comes up with an “orange arrow” that shows the 10% discount. It just brings up the flights at the regular price (the cheapest around $400AI; the same as on .bomb) .

Am I missing something?

MARCH 10, 2008 — A merger between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines appeared hindered in the past week, but UBS airline analyst Kevin Crissey in a research note today said, “We still expect a DAL/NWA merger announcement in the near term.”

Crissey said investors—who have salivated at whiffs of a deal—are growing frustrated at perceptions of a lack of progress toward consolidation, as detailed in media reports. For investors, mergers “may be the only way to soften the blow from the bear case which is playing out—high fuel prices and a weakening economy,” Crissey said.

According to press reports, Delta and Northwest are awaiting the resolution of labor issues, notably pilot seniority lists, before entering into an agreement. Crissey noted several possible explanations for management being so resolute about labor support—from the belief that a lack of support would undermine financial synergies of a deal to the thought that union support will make Department of Justice approval more palatable. Crissey noted another theory: “It is possible that Delta and/or Northwest management have made seniority a deal breaker solely to give the appearance to shareholders and their boards that they’ve made an effort to merge.” To that theory, Crissey wrote, “It is possible, but not our view.”

Crissey noted another possible justification for delaying an agreement. “Upon the announcement (not closing) of a merger, Northwest would effectively sacrifice its Golden Share over Continental, which currently prevents Continental from merging without Northwest’s consent (under most reasonable circumstances). Therefore, Northwest needs to be certain that whatever deal it announces will close.”

Crissey said that even if labor groups throw their support behind Delta and Northwest, other forces could undo an agreement, including DOJ or political pressure. Still, Crissey said, “We believe the window for these deals to be announced is closing and that, given the upward move in fuel prices, labor may want to view the current proposal in a more favorable light.”

We’re pleased to announce on 1 April 2008 Turkish Airlines will become the newest member of the Star Alliance network. This means it’s now even easier for you to do more international business in one of the world’s largest emerging markets.

Plus when you fly with Turkish Airlines you’ll be able to enjoy the usual frequent flyer benefits, including earning and spending miles. You’ll earn miles as follows :

This latest addition means the Star Alliance network has now grown to 20 airline members, giving you not only the most convenient access into and around Turkey but, with nearly 18,000 daily flights serving 965 airports in 162 countries, the rest of the world too.

Shorter transfer times

The Star Alliance member airlines are now closer than ever before as they move together into one terminal. This gives you closer boarding gates and faster connections between flights.

So far, this has made transfers between carriers faster in Miami, Bangkok and Narita, with Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, London, Paris and Singapore to follow by the end of 2008.

Plus, if you’re a Star Alliance Gold member, you’ll also benefit from convenient access to member carrier lounges, where you can relax in-between connecting flights. 

To find out more, visit www.staralliance.com

http://www.emeraldclubpromos.com/aeroplan/Edvantage

My guess, is you can earn 1000 aeroplan miles to join as a new Emerald Club member and select aeroplan as your preferred miles earning parter in the profile area?

* One-time Bonus Aeroplan Miles available to new Emerald Club members only. Only applies to online enrollments via this special Web site. Enrollment must be completed by June 30, 2008. Aeroplan Miles are only awarded when you select Aeroplan Miles as your award choice on your Emerald Club profile.

** One-time Bonus Aeroplan Miles automatically applied to new Emerald Club accounts that have enrolled via this special Web site. Renter must meet standard age, driver and credit requirements as required on the National Car Rental® Master Rental Agreement. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Rental must be picked up by June 30, 2008. Aeroplan Miles are only awarded when you select Aeroplan Miles as your award choice on your Emerald Club profile.

† Aeroplan members receive Aeroplan Miles with every qualifying rental at participating locations only. Miles will be awarded on time and mileage charges only in North America. Rentals outside North America will be awarded 500 miles per rental.

® Registered Trademark of National Car Rental (Canada) Inc.
® Aeroplan is a Registered Trademark of Aeroplan Limited Partnership.

© 2007 Vanguard Car Rental USA Inc. All rights reserved.

February 21, 2008: Sabre Travel Network today announced plans to launch by mid-2008 a social networking platform that delivers a communication forum for corporate travel programs, initially through American Express Business Travel.

The application, called Cubeless, will reside in Sabre’s GetThere online booking tool as an application module, as do its meetings and ground transportation booking applications.

Sabre has been using Cubeless internally for about six months. According to Sabre, more than 10,000 user profiles have been loaded into the system. Sabre Travel Studios, the company’s emerging technology research and development team, developed the platform.

American Express in the coming months will test the platform with a small group of clients before more widescale deployment, said head of public affairs Alicia Tillman. Although Amex is using the Sabre application as a starting point, it is not the “exclusive route” to the TMC’s social networking strategy nor will it solely collaborate with GetThere to deliver similar platforms through online booking tools.