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SAS introduces new daily service between Boston and Copenhagen

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Air & Sea Air & Sea; Published: 09 October 2015 09 October 2015

Starting with its summer 2016 program, SAS is launching yet another year round service between the US and Scandinavia. From late March 2016, SAS will operate daily nonstop flights between Copenhagen and Boston. As such, SAS will be the first carrier to fly directly to Boston from Scandinavia.

As part of its determination to further strengthen its offer to frequent travelers to and from Scandinavia, SAS is now launching a year round nonstop daily service from Copenhagen to Boston. In 2016, SAS will offer approx 500 flights between Boston and Copenhagen and 6,600 flights between Scandinavia and the US – a total of 1.6 million seats between USA and Scandinavia. This further reinforces SAS’s position as the number one Scandinavian carrier:

"SAS is the absolute strongest carrier between Scandinavia and the US, a market where we are seeing growing demand amongst frequent travelers. Boston has long been high on our wish list of nonstop destinations and we are therefore delighted to start selling tickets for this direct daily service from Copenhagen. It is especially important for our customers who travel for business purposes that we offer flexible travel options, and this is why this route is aimed at these frequent travelers in particular," said SAS Group CEO Rickard Gustafson.

The route will be operated by an 86 seat Boeing 737-700 BBJ (Boeing Business Jet) and is primarily aimed at customers traveling for business purposes to meet growing demand on this route from the business segment in particular. Companies in the high tech, finance and Life Science industries plus the various top colleges and universities in both regions have long sought a nonstop daily connection with Copenhagen. With timetables that provide good connections, SAS also expects to attract a large number of passengers via Copenhagen to/from major points in Scandinavia and Northern Europe.

"The new SAS route to Boston provides daily flights between two key metropolises, benefiting both Scandinavian and North American travelers, and the strong US dollar may make even more Americans want to go to Denmark, which would benefit the entire Danish economy. The new route also strengthens Copenhagen Airport’s position as a northern European airport with some of the best connections to the important North American market," said Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports A/S.

Also Boston Airport applauds the route launch: "Boston Logan has become a terrific gateway for those traveling to Europe and beyond. We are honoured that Scandinavian Airlines added this flight and a new airline to our roster, providing yet another way for our customers to enjoy Scandinavia and Europe," Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn said.

Tickets for the new SAS route to Boston go on sale on 9 October. The route opens on 29 March 2016 and will be operated by PrivatAir with a Boeing 737 configured with 20 Business and 66 Go seats. Departure and arrival times are scheduled to connect with flights to and from Copenhagen to major airports in Scandinavia and Northern Europe.

SAS currently offers long haul flights from Scandinavian to New York, Washington DC, Chicago and San Francisco and recently launched new direct routes to the US in 2016: From Stockholm to Los Angeles, from Oslo to Miami and from Copenhagen to Miami.

Timetables Copenhagen-Boston
From Copenhagen: SK927 will depart daily at 12:50 arriving in Boston at 15:20.
From Boston: SK928 will depart daily at 17:30 arriving at 07.00 the following day.

Carnival Cruise Line launches new 'Fly2Fun' air program

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Air & Sea Air & Sea; Published: 07 October 2015 07 October 2015

Carnival Cruise Line is launching a new air program that is designed to provide guests with maximum value, choice and convenience when making their air arrangements in conjunction with their cruise.

The new Fly2Fun program is highly flexible as it allows guests to customize their air reservations with a wide array of options, including the ability to specify their preferred air carrier, departure point, specific flight schedule, and type of accommodation (coach, business, etc.). Immediate confirmation is received once the reservation is made, thus streamlining the vacation-planning process. Flights can also be customized for those who wish to extend their vacation with a pre- or post-cruise stay.

Fly2Fun also includes the Flight Protection Program that ensures guests will be flown to the next port of call to begin their cruise should they miss their departure due to airline mechanical or weather-related issues. Carnival will cover air, hotel, transportation and meal costs for guests to meet the ship in the next port of call.

“Our new Fly2Fun program is a convenient tool that saves our guests valuable time when booking their flights while offering attractive features like the Flight Protection Program that provides peace of mind knowing we’ll fly them to the next port should they miss their cruise,” said Vicky Blanch, Carnival’s director of travel operations.

Two different options are available within Fly2Fun – Flexible Air and Restricted Air. With Flexible Air, guests or their travel agent can book travel on major carriers up to four days prior to sailing with an attractive “Book Now – Pay Later” feature in which payment for air is collected with the final cruise payment. Additionally, there are no change fees if modifications are made outside of 60 days of departure. With the Restricted Air option, tickets are non-refundable. Air tickets must be paid at the time of booking and change fees are based on the airlines’ policies once the ticket is issued.

Fly2Fun must be booked via phone. Once a cruise reservation is in place, guests can call 1-800-CARNIVAL to make the air reservation. Travel agents making air reservations for their clients can call 1-800-327-5782.

Finnair takes delivery of Europe's first Airbus A350 XWB

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Air & Sea Air & Sea; Published: 07 October 2015 07 October 2015

The first of Finnair's next-generation Airbus A350 XWB aircraft has been unveiled today at a special delivery ceremony at the Airbus delivery center in Toulouse, France. Finnair is the first European airline to fly the Airbus A350 XWB.

"This moment heralds a new and exciting chapter in Finnair's 92 year history. The A350 is the future of flying and will give our passengers a completely new and enhanced travel experience," said Finnair CEO, Pekka Vauramo.

"This is also a proud moment for all Finnair employees who have worked relentlessly on the Finnair A350 program. From route planning to pilots and cabin crew, from technical services to marketing, this is the moment we have worked for. With the A350, we get the fleet that our strategy requires, and we can start building our growth," Vauramo continued.

"At Airbus, we're proud and delighted to see Finnair, one of the world’s longest-standing and most respected airlines, become the first European carrier to fly the A350,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO. “The A350's unrivalled fuel efficiency and passenger comfort make it the perfect aircraft to spearhead Finnair's Asian expansion."

Finnair intends to double its Asian traffic by 2020 from the 2010 baseline, and the A350 fleet investment is the backbone of this strategy. The company has ordered a total of 19 A350 aircraft, making it the largest investment in Finnair's history. The first four aircraft are expected to arrive in 2015, with another seven being delivered in 2016 and 2017. The complete order will be fulfilled by 2023.

The new A350 aircraft also plays a key role in Finnair's cargo strategy, providing up to 50% more cargo capacity by 2020.

The A350's first scheduled commercial flight, from Helsinki to Amsterdam and Oslo will be on October 9, 2015 as part of its crew familiarization tour. The first Finnair Airbus A350 XWB will enter into long-haul service on November 21, 2015 on Finnair's Helsinki-Shanghai route.

Finnair extends Miami route to summer season

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Air & Sea Air & Sea; Published: 25 September 2015 25 September 2015

Starting from April 2016, Finnair will extend its Miami service to be year-round, and will operate to Miami with three weekly frequencies in summer 2016.

"We are excited about extending our Miami route to cover the whole season," says Juha Järvinen, Chief Commercial Officer, Finnair.

"The Miami route has proven to be popular both for our Northern European customers as well as for Miami based customers, for whom we offer excellent connections to Scandinavia via Helsinki. The new schedule will also enable excellent connections from Miami to our Asian destinations. Our oneworld partner, American Airlines, has a large hub in Miami, which enables good connections further to the Caribbean, Central and South America."

Finnair also adds frequencies to its Chicago service, increasing the weekly flights from three in summer 2015 to five in summer 2016. This will further improve connectivity beyond Chicago to American Airlines' extensive network in the Americas. This five-weekly service connects well also to Finnair’s Asian network beyond Helsinki.

Both destinations are served with Finnair Airbus A330 aircraft. The flights to Miami International Airport are operated on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays, and the flights to Chicago O'Hare are operated from Helsinki on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Finnair’s Chicago and Miami services are included in the joint business on transatlantic traffic with fellow oneworld alliance partners British Airways, Iberia, American Airlines and American’s merger partner US Airways. Miami and Chicago are hubs for American, which allows Finnair’s customers quick codeshare connections to destinations throughout the United States, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Miami and Chicago timetables connect well with passengers transferring to and from Finnair destinations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and the Baltics, including Stockholm, Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, St Petersburg, Moscow and Warsaw as well as with Finnair's Asian destinations, including Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Seoul, Chongqing, Xi’an, Beijing, Shanghai, Delhi and Bangkok.

In addition to Miami and Chicago, Finnair operates daily to New York JFK and, together with its joint business partners, offers over 120 daily departures over the Atlantic.

The joint business between the cooperating airlines also gives customers the possibility to mix and match flights on different carriers and connecting cities for the best pricing and scheduling.

SAS expands with new direct routes to USA

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Air & Sea Air & Sea; Published: 20 August 2015 20 August 2015

SAS is expanding and opening three new direct routes to USA in 2016. The new routes being launched are Los Angeles from Stockholm, Miami from Oslo and Miami from Copenhagen. SAS is also increasing the number of departures from Stockholm to New York and Chicago and between Copenhagen and Shanghai. That means that SAS will now offer over 330,000 additional seats on its intercontinental routes in 2016.

SAS is investing in the future and strengthening its offer to Scandinavia’s frequent flyers. In line with already published plans to expand its long haul fleet, SAS is today announcing three new direct routes; Los Angeles from Stockholm, Miami from Oslo and Miami from Copenhagen.

“We know that our frequent flyers want flexible travel with a good timetable and daily departures. These new direct routes together with the renewal of our long haul fleet and our broad network, mean we have far and away the strongest offer between Scandinavia and the USA. We are looking forward to offering our customers new travel opportunities and giving them a warm welcome onboard our aircraft,” says Rickard Gustafson, President and CEO of SAS.

Los Angeles is a popular destination for Scandinavian travelers wishing to visit Southern California or onwards to destinations such as Hawaii. The first flight to Los Angeles will leave on 14 March and SAS will have daily departures from Stockholm to Los Angeles throughout the summer season and five-six departures a week in the winter season.

Miami is an attractive destination for Scandinavian travelers, especially in the winter months. Miami is also a large hub for traffic to Caribbean and Latin America. Furthermore Miami is also the number one cruise liner port in the world and an important trade center. The first flights to Miami are expected to lift off in fall 2016 and the Miami route will have a daily departure from Scandinavia.