Lufthansa is launching an on-line reservation service that can be accessed through either a CD-ROM format or through the Internet or other on-line services. Distribution of the CD-ROM is in conjunction with travel agents, who will be able to customse their own versions of the disc.
South African Airways and British Midland have joined the German carrier's frequent flyer programme Miles & More.
British Airways is set to launch a thrice-weekly B737-200 service to Kiev from London/Gatwick in June and a daily service to Phoenix and San Diego from July. The UK carrier has also began double-daily Gatwick services to Stockholm and Zurich and linked Aberdeen with Paris eleven times a week. BA Engineering has taken the first step to eliminate paper from its operation with a £6.3 million ($9.5 million) investment to develop a document management system.
Austrian Airlines has started a twice-weekly A340 service between Vienna and Osaka in cooperation with All Nippon Airways. The carrier is offering similar frequencies to Seoul and was set to start a daily service to Atlanta in May in cooperation with Delta Air Lines. The carrier has also started thrice-weekly services to Skopje, Macedonia, using a F70 and twice-weekly services to Kosice, Slovakia in cooperation with Tyrolean Airways. Austrian is also awaiting approval to serve Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.
Edelweiss Air has launched five weekly flights between Zurich and London/Luton using an MD83.
VLM has become the first operator at Dusseldorf Express Airport/Moenchengladbach with four daily services to London/City.
Transbrasil will start twice weekly services from Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Munich from early May.
Cubana Airlines was set to start a weekly service between Havana, Cayo Largo del Sur and Munich.
UPS is to consolidate its European operation in Brussels, resulting in the closure of its two head offices in Germany and the UK.
USAir will start a daily Philadelphia-Munich service from the end of May using a B767-200.
Northwest Airlines is to extend its Seattle-Osaka service to Jakarta from July. The thrice-weekly service is the first by a US carrier.
China Eastern is starting a weekly Shanghai-Beijing-Munich service.
EVA Air is to split its Taipei-Seattle-New York service to give both US cities direct daily services from mid-May. The carrier will split its New York operation between JFK (three flights weekly) and Newark.
Royal Brunei Airlines will link Yangon, Myanmar with Europe for the first time from October with a twice weekly B767-300ER service to London, originating in Brunei and routed via Abu Dhabi.
Royal Air Cambodge is to market the Abacus CRS in Cambodia.
South African has switched its twice-weekly Johannesburg-Paris service from Orly to Charles de Gaulle.
Tunisair has become an Amadeus partner and formed a national marketing company with the European CRS.
Source: Airline Business
