When online companies feel compelled to point out that they are still growing faster than their offline counterparts.
Some online travel executives and a few of the remaining bullish securities analysts resorted to this line of reasoning recently, pointing out that Internet travel bookings in the first three months of this year grew about 20 percent across the world from a year earlier, compared with about 4 percent for travel bookings over all.
Virgin Atlantic Airways today announced its expansion plans for the next year which will see the launch of direct services from London to Montego Bay, Jamaica. Services between London Gatwick and Jamaica will operate twice a week on a Boeing 747-400 aircraft from July 2006.
Virgin Atlantic Airways plans to launch services to Jamaica following successful bilateral air services talks earlier this month in Kingston between the UK and Jamaican governments.
The Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB) and the islands government have announced that after negotiations with American Eagle, effective July 2 through September 5, 2005, the airline will offer daily flights from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Bonaire.
During this time period the southbound flight to Bonaire will operate on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while the northbound flight to San Juan will operate on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Daily flights from Saint Lucia are now offering new opportunities for US and Canadian visitors to Martinique.
Travelers from New York, Miami, Atlanta and Toronto are now able to just transit via Saint Lucia and fly to Martinique, from the same airport, Vieux-Fort/Hewanorra.
Thanks to Take Air Lines, travelling to Martinique from North America will be easier. With two Dorniers 228, one Caravan 208 and a pair of Embraer 120 due to be added by July 2005, Take Air Lines operate under a franchise agreement with Air Caraïbes.
In a bid to cut labor cost, Northwest Airlines said earlier this week it is negotiating a labor deal for mechanics, and is seeking temporary workers to hire in case of a strike.
Northwest proposed to cut an additional 2031 jobs to the 4400 it earlier announced and is currently implementing.
The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) said the airline had also asked its remaining mechanics to take a 26 percent cut in their base pay.
Brazil´s largest domestic airline, TAM SA, is looking to place 20 more orders for aircraft with Airbus, local financial daily Valor Economico reported earlier this week.
The company is in "final negotiations" to buy 20 of Airbus´ A320 aircraft, the newspaper said, quoting TAM President Marco Antonio Bologna.
The 20 planes are currently options from a previous agreement signed in July 2004, under which TAM placed firm orders for 10 A320s. Those 10 aircraft are scheduled to start arriving this year, with deliveries continuing over the next four years.