India and China are negotiating a bilateral air services treaty, which they hope will be signed by December. On the negotiating table are gateways, fare levels, and the designation of authorised airlines. Air India is expected to get rights to fly beyond Hong Kong, but direct routes to Chinese destinations are possible. On 18 June, Air Europe flew the first direct services from Pisa and Venice in Italy to New York Kennedy. Frequency is six days a week. Iberia has launched a codeshare with German regional Deutsche BA. The immediate result will be increased frequencies on the Madrid-Munich trunk route, but it is intended eventually to open more German airports to Spanish passengers and vice versa. China Airlines is to increase capacity on its Taipei-Abu Dhabi -Rome service by increasing is Boeing MD-11 frequency from two to three a week. Gulf Air is to run a twice weekly summer season service between Geneva, and London Heathrow, using newly delivered Airbus A330-200s, the largest aircraft operating this sector. Air Canada has launched daily non-stop services between San Diego and Toronto. Sabena Belgian World Airlines will begin services five days a week between Washington Dulles and Brussels on 31 October, increasing to daily next year, using an Airbus A330-200. Delta will codeshare on the service. US carrier Reno Air, integrating with American Airlines in August, is to end its frequent flyer programme from 31 December, crediting members' balance to American's AAdvantage programme. Netherlands Antilles carrier ALM has applied to the US Department of Transportation to codeshare with United Airlines on routes out of Atlanta via Miami to three Netherlands Antilles multi-stop routes. Delta Air Lines and Air Jamaica have been cleared to expand their USA-Caribbean codeshares to include services between Atlanta, New York, Miami and Grenada, and between Los Angeles, Antigua and St Lucia.
Source: Flight International
