Corporate Travel News

Delta Air Lines and airBaltic announced (15-Nov-2023) the launch of a codeshare partnership effective 22-Nov-2023. Delta will codeshare on 20 airBaltic-operated routes serving the carrier's leading cities including Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius. airBaltic president and CEO Martin Gauss stated the partnership will "not only attract new passengers to airBaltic, but also elevate the Baltics' global visibility and connectivity". This follows US FAA awarding Latvia an International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 rating in Jul-2023, enabling Latvian carriers to provide service to/from the US and enter into codeshare agreements with US carriers. [more - original PR - Delta] [more - original PR - airBaltic]

Tourism Council Western Australia (WA) announced (15-Nov-2023) Jetstar Airways plans to launch three times weekly Sydney-Busselton Margaret River service from 26-Mar-2024 with A320 aircraft. Tourism Council WA CEO Evan Hall said the new service is expected to bring 50,000 passengers to the region p/a. Mr Hall added: "The flight creates opportunities for new itineraries for interstate travellers, such as road trip circuits from Busselton, taking in Albany and the Great Southern". Jetstar Airways also operates four times weekly Melbourne Tullamarine-Busselton Margaret River service, according to OAG. [more - original PR] [more - original PR - II]

Lufthansa Group, via its official website, announced (15-Nov-2023) several lounges at Frankfurt Airport will be undergoing renovation work between Nov-2023 and Feb-2024. Each lounge will be closed for approximately one month at a time while work is carried out. The overview of all affected lounges is as follows:

• Business lounge A13: From Nov-2023;
• Business lounge Z: from Dec-2023;
• Senator lounge A: from Jan-2024;
• Senator lounge Z: from Feb-2024.

Lufthansa Group, via its official website, announced (15-Nov-2023) its 'Senator Lounge' in Düsseldorf Airport will be temporarily closed due to renovation work from 20-Nov-2023. The group will welcome guests in the business lounge, located in Terminal A near gate A50, until the reopening on 02-Jan-2024.

Asiana Airlines announced (15-Nov-2023) plans to commence twice weekly Seoul Incheon-Melbourne Tullamarine service on 26-Dec-2023, subject to government approval. The airline will be the sole scheduled operator on the route, according to OAG. [more - original PR]

Condor Flugdienst and Emirates Airline activated (14-Nov-2023) their reciprocal interline agreement, expanding connectivity for customers to 70 routes operated by both airlines across Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. The two carriers also signed a frequent flyer programme agreement, enabling Emirates Skywards members to earn and redeem miles on all Condor operated flights. Effective immediately, Emirates' passengers will receive access to European and Caribbean destinations operated by Condor including 24 regional points via Frankfurt, 12 via Dusseldorf, nine via Hamburg and 12 via Munich. The agreement will also provide Condor's customers access to Emirates operated services between Frankfurt and Dubai, as well as beyond Dubai to 12 points across Asia, Australasia, Africa and the Middle East including Auckland, Bangkok, Male, Muscat and Mauritius. [more - original PR] [more - original PR - German]

WestJet cancelled plans to resume seasonal daily Calgary-London Gatwick service from Apr-2024, as per a 13-Nov-2023 GDS inventory and timetable display.

Hainan Airlines plans to commence three times weekly Haikou-Auckland service with Boeing 787-9 equipment on 08-Dec-2023, as per a 13-Nov-2023 GDS inventory and timetable display. The airline will be the sole scheduled operator on the route, according to OAG.

Seabury Capital Group announced (08-Nov-2023) it served as restructuring advisor to SAS, in the process of reaching an investment agreement with the winning bidder consortium in the carrier's exit financing solicitation process. As previously reported by CAPA, the winning bidder consisted of Castlelake, Air France-KLM and Lind Invest, together with the Danish state. [more - original PR]

Iberia announced (08-Nov-2023) it is moving from check-in zone A/B to zone H at Terminal 5 at London Heathrow Airport, effective 09-Nov-2023. Customers will have six counters for economy class and two for business class. Additionally, business class customers and holders of the Iberia Plus Gold, Platinum and Infinita cards will benefit from better access to the fast track document control area in Zone J and the 'Emerald' and 'Galleries' VIP rooms. [more - original PR]