Flights Direct

An old terminal which was once known as the symbol of the jet-age glamour is to reopen in the fall as an entrance to a new terminal at John F Kennedy airport.

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey’s board has decided to go ahead with the $19 million renovations for the 1962 Trans World Airlines terminal, which was closed in 2001.

The terminal was originally designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen, and the new terminal will be built around the old structure, leaving the old terminal as the entrance to the new one.

The new terminal is being built by JetBlue Airways, who say that passenger will have the option to check in at the new premises or in the old terminal marked by dramatic curves and many wing-like projections. The new terminal is due to open later this year.

Flight routes over southeast England may be changed to reduce delays and cut the disturbance caused by noise by airplanes.

National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has introduced a new plan which it says will reduce the number of people affected by noise from airplanes flying below 4,000ft, by 20%.

Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and London City airports could be affected by the route changes, as well as smaller airports like Southend and RAF Northolt.

The airspace in southeast England is one of the busiest and most complex in the world with so many major airports in the region.

Operations director Ian Hall said: “All these airports have grown considerably in the past 20 years. London City has grown from virtually nothing since the early 1990s - and we have simply accommodated this growth within the existing airspace infrastructure.

“Just like bottlenecks on roads, increased air traffic causes congestion in the airways meaning delay and extra fuel burn - and that has an impact on the environment.”

Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd. (MIAL) will be the first airport in India to start using self-service kiosks. MIAL has signed a new contract with SITA to implement the new technology to the airport over the next five years.

This will make MIAL one of the most modern airports in the world, and make travel from Mumbai easier.

“The agreement has many innovative features which will benefit both airlines and passengers including the first-ever remote deployment of self-service kiosks for an airport in India.

“It will also allow for the first time in India complete integration of the overall airport management system with the check-in platform being used by the airlines,” said Francesco Violante SITA CEO.

The self-service check-in kiosks will have the potential to handle all airlines operating from the international terminal at MIAL.

Brussels Airport has decided to build a new terminal dedicated to operating low-cost airlines’ flights. To accommodate the new airlines, the airport will open an old part of the passenger terminal which will be modularly extended.

The new terminal means more cheap flights to Brussels from many European destinations. At first the low-cost terminal will be able to handle six aircrafts at a time, but will later expand its capacity to 15.

“Low Cost is the fastest-growing segment in intra-European air traffic. It is expected that by 2015 low cost will account for half of the traffic within Europe.

“Low-cost carriers are increasingly opting for large international airports, on the condition that they can use facilities tailored to their specific needs.

“Today three percent of the flights to and from Brussels Airport are operated by low-cost carriers, whereas the low-cost share at comparable large European airports is over 10 percent.” says Wilfried Van Assche, CEO of Brussels Airport.

Air travel will grow considerably in the next 20 years despite worries of the effect of air travel on the environment. It is estimated that Britain alone will need 1,100 new airliners in the next 20 years to be able to respond to the demand for flights.

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus also predicts that over a 100 seat aircrafts will double in numbers by 2025; from 14,980 to 33,000. In total 24,300 passenger and freight planes will be ordered, worth $2.8 trillion, Airbus estimates.

“Air transportation is definitely a growing industry contributing to economic development and generating wealth around the world,” said Airbus chief operating officer John Leahy.

“We are committed to being a key player in making this industry eco-efficient by providing the most technologically advanced products.”

Two new routes are taking off from East Midlands airport; bmi will fly to Cologne starting Febryary 11 and easyJet has already started flying people to Palma.

The route to Mallorca operates three times a week at the moment, but starting in April easyJet will fly there and back daily. “Palma is a favourite destination for families looking to explore the island of Mallorca, as well as a popular city break destination,” David Osborne, easyJet UK General Manager said.

The bmi flights to Cologne can be expected to be popular with both business travellers and holidaymakers. “It will provide the quickest link between the Midlands and Germany”, said commercial director Peter Kenworthy.

The new Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport will impose a 45 minute deadline before the flight to check in. This is despite the fact that the terminal is equipped with state-of-the-art security and luggage handling systems.

This deadline is applied to all passengers. British Airways, who operates from Terminal 5, promises check-in will be done in five minutes and security checks won’t take more than ten minutes.

But to insure all passengers can make it to the departure gate in time, the check-in will be closed 45 minutes before flight departure.

British Airways will start a new service for business-class passengers only. Flights will run from London City airport to New York. It’s a part of BA’s nine month plan, and flights are due to start next year.

BA has bought an Airbus A318 for the service, and the plane will be equipped with 31 business class seats with lie down beds.

“This niche service will fly passengers between the heart of the two largest financial centres in the world,” said Robin Hayes, BA executive vice president of the Americas, in a statement.

“London City airport is located minutes away from some of our key corporate customers and is in one of the fastest growing areas of the British capital.”