Much of Jet City will be asleep Tuesday when, nine time zones away, at the Jean-Luc Lagardere final assembly site near the airport in Toulouse, France, a new era will dawn in commercial aviation.

ABOUT THE AIRBUS 380 See how the A380 stacks up against Boeing's 747-400ER. :: Click to enlarge image ::

The world's biggest passenger jet, with wings that stretch nearly the length of a football field, will have a coming-out party, the likes of which Europe has not seen since the supersonic Concorde was rolled from a factory on a December day in 1967 at the same Toulouse-Blagnac airfield.

After more than a decade of development, the double-decker A380 represents the crowning achievement for the European airplane maker that as recently as 1995 had only about 20 percent of the market for commercial jetliners with more than 100 seats. Today, Airbus has more than 50 percent of the market, having pushed The Boeing Co. into second place. More...

source = Seattlepi.com

Will Supply America West With Additional Passenger Traffic, Provide Qantas Customers With Convenient Connections From Phoenix and Edmonton

Yesterday, America West Airlines and Qantas Airways announced a new code-share partnership that will offer passengers convenient access to Australia and New Zealand from Phoenix, Ariz. and Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. In Los Angeles, passengers will now be able to easily connect to Qantas Airways flights bound for Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia, as well as Auckland, New Zealand and beyond, offering increased flexibility and choice for travellers to destinations in the South Pacific. More...

Finn air is the only airline in Nordic Countries to soon have lie-flat beds on its whole long-haul fleet. Thanks to the renewal, Business Class passengers will be able to spend their journey in even greater comfort than before. The installations will begin in December this year and be completed in February 2006. More...

Jetstar and TTNQ invest in regional promotion

Jetstar has welcomed the inaugural Cairns-Sydney service when flight JQ 952 touched down at 5.10 pm at Cairns Airport. The new daily service heralds the lowcost carrier's third capital city route, and significant expansion of the Cairns network. More...

Qantas boss Geoff Dixon's warnings of potential calamity in the face of record profits have earned him a reputation as a man who could find a cloud for every silver lining.

In a world where many airlines are either pulling out of the financial mire or are still in it, Qantas has managed to remain fleet-footed enough to stay profitable, delivering a record $648.4 million net result in 2003-2004.

The airline still expects to better that result in 2004-2005 and is in the midst of a multi-billion-dollar aircraft replacement program as its executives earn big bonuses and it continues to grow. More...

Qantas Airways said yesterday it would make aviation history with its first A380 aircraft by operating the longest 500-passenger service in the world, flying between Melbourne and Los Angeles .

The Chief Executive Officer of Qantas, Mr Geoff Dixon, said Qantas would deploy its first four Airbus A380 aircraft, seating 501 passengers, on services between Australia and the United States of America , including both Melbourne- Los Angeles (12,749 km) and Sydney - Los Angeles (12,052). More...

Rotorua's tourism industry is celebrating more good news, with Qantas announcing it will continue its daily jet service to Christchurch and Queenstown. More...

Source = stuff.co.nz

The Westin Resort proudly offers a Valentine's Package from US$ 125++ per room per night. The package offers various inclusions, such as accommodation in a newly refurbished classic garden view room complete with the renowned Heavenly Bed Ò , daily breakfasts for two, exotic welcome drinks upon arrival, complimentary use of Westin Workout Ò , one time romantic dinner by the beach and one time 30 minutes massage for couples, for a minimum stay of three nights valid from 1 – 28 February 2005. More...

Source = The Westin Resort

Alila Hotels & Resorts

Alila Ubud and Alila Manggis win 2004 THK top awards in Bali

The Tri Hita Karana Tourism Awards were created in Bali in recognition of their own tourism industry goals, now internationally recognised by the World Tourism Organisation as a leader in environmentally friendly tourism standards.  It is the umbrella for tourism development in Bali, a cultural identity and system plus globally a fundamental life order for tourism development, space management and strategic development planning as per the Regional Legislation (perda) 3/1991 of Indonesia. More...

“The tour was perfect, but I’d like to have had more time when first getting to Europe”, was a passing comment by a customer upon the conclusion of their Globus tour. Taking feedback as a business opportunity, Globus introduced the Eurostar high speed train crossing as part of their range of Panorama-style tours giving customers greater time in Paris and Brussels. More...

"Many areas of the west coast of Thailand were hit by a large tsunami on 26 December 2004 resulting in widespread flooding and damage. Due to the widespread damage and risk of disease, Australians should not travel to the Khao Lak and Takua Pa areas of Phang Nga province and Phi Phi Island. In addition to health concerns, infrastructure, tourist and public services are severely disrupted, particularly in the Patong and Kamala Beach areas of Phuket Island. Australians travelling to those areas should check that their accommodation has not been affected. Phuket Airport and hospitals are operating normally. The Gulf of Thailand coast, including Koh Samui and Pattaya, was not affected by the tsunami. More...