AirAsia X has announced it will offer direct flights between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Beijing, China. The new route will begin on June 22, 2012, with four flights per week.
As a result of this new route, AirAsia X will be suspending its route from Kuala Lumpur to Tianjin, China, which is about 100 km from Beijing, effective June 21, 2012.
American low-cost carrier Allegiant Air has announced they will offer new routes from west coast cities to Honolulu and Maui in Hawaii. The new routes begin in mid-November 2012 with departures from Bellingham, WA; Eugene, OR; Santa Maria, CA; and Stockton, CA.
Introductory fares start from just $159 USD for one-way travel including taxes and fees.
Pacific Air has announced it will be rebranded as Fiji Airways. The transition to new livery and brand will begin later in 2012 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2013. The airline also hopes the changes will allow them to better compete with low-cost airlines like JetStar.
Pacific Air CEO David Pflieger said: “We’re already competing against Jetstar and Virgin, and holding our own. We try to match on price and frequency, and then product”
Air Arabia has announced it will soon offer direct flights from Sharjah, UAE to Taif, Saudi Arabia. The low-cost airline will launch the new route on June 2, 2012, and offer three round-trip flights per week.
Flights between Sharjah and Taif will be available on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Out-bound flights will depart Sharjah International Airport at 12:15pm, arriving at Taif Airport at 2:05pm. Return flights will depart Taif Airport at 2:45pm, arriving in Sharjah at 6:30pm.
Ryanair has launched its newest route from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Szczecin, Poland. The budget airline will operate two round-trip flights per week on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
One-way fares for this new route start from £29.99 including taxes, with additional fees for extras like checked luggage and meals.
Peach Aviation began international operations on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, with its inaugural flight from Osaka to Seoul, South Korea. The low-cost airline will initially offer one round-trip flight per day on its first international route, increasing to three flights per day in July.
One of three Japanese low-cost airlines debuting in 2012, Peach Aviation launched on March 1, 2012, with domestic flights to five major cities across Japan. Later this year the airline will launch more international routes from Japan to Hong Kong and Taipei.
Low-cost carrier Flybe has announced it will be expanding its services from East Midlands and Birmingham airports in the UK. This comes just days after news that BmiBaby will be reducing the frequency of these routes and eventually ceasing all operations later this year.
Flybe will be doubling its weekday flights to from Birminghand to Belfast City Airport to four a day. The airline also plans to operate additional flights from East Midlands to Amsterdam, Paris, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Jersey in the coming months.
AirAsia, the biggest budget airline in Asia, is planning to develop a hub at Changi Airport in Singapore. The airline has been lobbying for years in Singapore to get a air operator’s certificate (AOC) and it will be issued in the near future.
Singapore will be the airline’s fourth hub after Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and Manila. Having canceled long-haul routes to Europe earlier this year, AirAsia plans to develop itself as a regional carrier with long-term plans to have hubs in all of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries.
On May 3, 2012, Cimber Sterling Airlines cancelled all flights, later declaring bankruptcy. All flights are cancelled and travelers have been advised to seek alternative transport.
Budget airlines easyJet and Vueling are offering ‘rescue fares’ for stranded travelers.
Budget airline BMI Baby has announced it will cease all operations by September 2012, with certain routes from Belfast and East Midlands terminated as of June 11. The airline has been looking for a new buyer, but has been unable to find one.
Routes terminated from June 11, 2012 include those from East Midlands airport in central England to Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva, Nice, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Newquay. Routes from Birmingham and Belfast are also affected. Services from London Heathrow are currently unchanged.
Travelers holding tickets for the the canceled routes after June 11 should contact BMI Baby customer service for a refund or alternative travel arrangements.
