Diamond News

Diamond-Covered iPhone 4S: Now The World's Most Expensive Phone!

2012-01-25T01:11:00.000-08:00

Some people say that you are what you eat, and many people say you are what you use. Do you like expensive things? Are you a collector by any chance? How far would you go to own a phone that many people cannot dare to earn even in their lifetime of work and sacrifices?

Introducing the diamond collection iPhone 4, now the world's most expensive mobile phone on the planet!

This ultra expensive handset is brought to you by Stuart Hughes, the same British designer who made the iPhone 3GS Supreme (1.92 million pounds) and the iPad Supreme Gold (129,995 pounds).

What makes this particular iPhone 4 cost too much? Diamonds, of course, and lots of them! Over 500 diamonds can be found on the phone's exterior body, with a total of over 100 carats. It also comes with its own a special granite box.

Other goodies include two interchangeable diamonds which fit over the "home" button - a single cut 7.4 carat pink diamond and a rare 8 carat single cut flawless diamond. The back of the phone is plated in rose gold and the Apple logo glitters with 53 diamonds.

The phone cost $5.5 million pounds or almost $9.5 million US dollars!

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How Diamond-Studded Magma Rises From Earth's Depths

2012-01-21T00:38:00.000-08:00

The recipe for making diamonds is no secret: Take carbon and squeeze it under the extremely high temperatures and pressures found deep inside the Earth.

The mystery lies in how the prized gemstones then get delivered from the depths to parts of Earth's crust that are accessible to miners.

According to a new study, diamonds can be carried up through the lithosphere—the crust and uppermost layer of the mantle—by dense magmas rich in carbonate.

"These melts are really quite special, because they can hold a huge amount of dissolved carbon dioxide, up to 40 to 45 percent by weight," said study leader James "Kelly" Russell, a petrologist from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Previous models had suggested that gases in the magma would increase its buoyancy, helping to push the diamond-laden melt closer to the surface without destroying the precious gems.

The new lab experiments now show how molten carbonate reacts with other chemicals in Earth's lithosphere to release the gas, offering a likely mechanism for speeding up the dense magma.

"Let There Be a Gas Phase"
Natural diamond production begins deep beneath the planet's oldest continents, where Earth's lithosphere can extend to depths of 75 miles (120 kilometers), Russell said.

There, a type of material called kimberlite magma forces its way up from deeper in Earth's mantle, cracking the solid rock.

As it rises, the magma collects fragments of rocks, like floodwaters picking up silt and gravel. Some of these fragments contain diamonds.

But the diamond-containing rocks are heavy, and the magma picks up enough of them that its progress should be substantially slowed, Russell said.

Diamonds, however, have to rise quickly, or they will be destroyed as they pass through zones of intermediate pressure, where the gems can be rapidly consumed by high-temperature oxidation.

The best estimates are that, in order for the diamonds to make it, the magma must travel all the way to the surface in about 10 to 45 hours—moving at about 3 to 13 feet (1 to 4 meters) a second.

The only way for magma to rise so quickly, Russell and others have long believed, is if the melt is supercharged with gas—but nobody knew where such gas might come from.

"Prior models have been [rather] deus ex machina—let there be a gas phase," he said.

Diamonds Caught in Volcano Plumbing
In the new paper, Russell and colleagues found that as carbonate-rich magma passes through overlying rocks on its way toward the surface, it quickly dissolves those rocks' silica-rich minerals.

In high-temperature and high-pressure lab experiments, this process can start happening within tens of minutes.

The resulting mixture of molten silica and carbonate can't carry as much dissolved carbon dioxide as the original magma.

Large quantities of gas therefore bubble out, causing the magma to rise even quicker, until it reaches the surface in an explosive eruption.

More importantly for miners, long after the resulting volcano has been eroded into invisibility on the surface, its interior plumbing remains, leaving behind kimberlite "pipes" that may be rich in diamonds.

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Graff Diamonds Sues Hong Kong Pawn Shop Over Diamond Stolen in 2007 Heist

2012-01-17T05:54:00.000-08:00

Graff Diamonds Ltd. sued a Hong Kong pawn shop seeking the return of a yellow diamond that the jewelry retailer says was stolen from a London store in 2007.

The 16.64 carat diamond was part of more than $20 million in jewelry stolen from Graff’s store on Sloane Street in London on July 5, 2007, according to the complaint in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan.

The pawn shop, Yau On Co., submitted a stone to the Gemological Institute of America, a non-profit group based in Carlsbad, California, that sets standards for gemstone quality, analysis, grading and certification, according to the complaint.

The institute determined that the stone submitted by Yau was the yellow diamond stolen in the robbery, which had at some point been recut and reconstituted as a 16.28 carat modified cushion cut diamond, according to the Jan. 6 complaint. Yau has refused to agree to allow the institute to return the stone, which is being held in a lab in New York pending resolution of the dispute, according to the complaint.

Graff is asking a judge to declare that it’s the true owner of the diamond and to order the jewel immediately returned to the company. It also seeks the costs of the lawsuit and attorney fees.

Pawn Shop Spokesman
Danny Hung, a spokesman for Yau On and the son of the owner, said in a phone interview that he wouldn’t have bought the stone had he known its history.

Hung said he took in the diamond from someone who he didn’t identify and that it was once owned by someone wealthy in mainland China. Hung said he had a certificate for the stone that wasn’t issued by the owner’s company and that he later found out it was a stolen item from London.

Graff is preparing to raise $1 billion in an IPO in Hong Kong next year, a person familiar with the matter said in November. The company’s founder and chairman, Laurence Graff, 73, who was listed at 459 on Forbes magazine’s list of worldwide billionaires in March with a net worth of $2.5 billion, has twice set records buying gems at auction.

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Explore more about wine through San Francisco wine tours

2012-01-10T04:30:00.001-08:00

A northern part of San Francisco is the place for wine tours and most predominately Napa Valley and Sonoma. Usually tourists are picked up from their respective hotels or any given landmarks and the tourist guides used to show them through the wine tour. Wine Tours might vary las some may be a day trip while others are overnight tours.

Napa Valley Wine Country Tour with Lunch

The Napa Experience Tour by the Wine Country Tour Shuttle is the Most Comprehensive Napa Valley Winery Tour from San Francisco! This tour provides many great unique features such as 4 Premium Napa Winery Stops, Goes into the heart of Napa Valley not just nearby, Picnic Lunch, Winery Tours and the best part a 50 minute relaxing Ferry/Bay Cruise from Napa area back to San Francisco (which totally avoids traffic coming home). This tour is truly unbelievable from the expert narration from their Wine Country Guides to the great wineries they visit. At only $99 per person, plus tasting fees (we highly recommend this unique tour). Tour Highlights include: Andretti Winery,V. Sattui Winery (Picnic Lunch Included), Franciscan Estate Winery and White Hall Lane (Winery Tour included) and a unique Ferry/Bay Cruise to the San Francisco that completely avoids going home traffic.

Redwoods and Wine Country tours

Redwoods and Wine Country tours is a one day trip that is accompanied along with hotel pick up and drop facility. This tour makes you travel through the wine country where you get to enjoy the wine samples and also get to learn more about winery. The tour usually takes passenger through the Muir Woods National Monument and over the Golden Gate Bridge. The tour package usually includes three wineries and halts at a winery wind cave.

Wine Country Tour

The Wine Country Redwoods Combo tour combines nature and culture. Heading over San Francisco after you are picked up at your hotel our guide takes you over the Marin headlands down into Muir Woods Valley. In Muir Woods you'll spend around an hour, strolling under the Coastal Redwood Sequoia trees. Then as we head over the headlands again you will see the magnificent views of the valley and learn about historic Wine Country on your way to Sonoma

For more information's visit our site: San Francisco Tours

Most luxurious blue diamond sold by petra diamond Ltd

2012-01-06T02:15:00.000-08:00

Petra Diamond Ltd recognized by its largest Cullinan diamond (507 carats) ever mined in the world, added yet another record to its list of attainments by selling a 4.8-carat blue diamond for a record price ever offered for a raw stone – $1.45 million.

As you may already be aware, blue diamonds are very rear due to the process of their structure. Blue diamonds are not that large as white or yellow and the largest representative of blues is the world-known The Hope Diamond (45.52 carats), which has been recently seen in a new stylish embrace. But a record-holder among blue diamond’s is a smaller gem of just 7.03 carats in size, which has been sold for an dreadful great sum of money - $9.49 million, making $1.3 million per carat.

Such high price tags for fancy colored diamonds are determined mostly by their insufficiency in number, size and of course due to high demand. Indeed, whatever the price is the celebrities are always ready to liberally spare money just to cater for their whims.

But as far as this blog is dedicated to man made diamonds, we are revolving around reasonably priced (yet not very cheap) another for mined diamond – these are man made diamonds. They can be of any color including blue, but not of any size so far. If you like diamonds and blue stone is your dream but the only difficulty on your way to buying it is its high price, then you can view lab grown diamonds as an option that can make your dream come true. With lifetime assurance and pay back, with GIA certificate confirming the 'realness' of man made diamonds, you can be sure your diamond is real.

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Hainan welcomes over 800,000 foreign tourists in 2011

2011-12-30T22:57:00.000-08:00

HAIKOU, China - China's southernmost island province of Hainan is estimated to have received more than 800,000 overseas tourists this year, according to a local tourism official.

Russian tourists were a major group traveling to the island's resorts to enjoy tropical sceneries this year, with a record high of 200,000 in the past eleven months, up 51.9 percent year-on-year, said Sun Ying, deputy head of the Hainan Provincial Tourism Commission.

Tourists from Europe and America reached 390,000 and 40,000, respectively, each showing growth over 20 percent, Sun said.

Meanwhile, with 13 direct round-trip flights between Hainan and Taiwan available each week, the number of tourists from Taiwan exceeded 100,000 this year.

The increase in overseas tourists has been partly attributed to the visa-free entry policy. Travelers from 26 countries, including Russia, Germany, the Republic of Korea and Malaysia, can join tour groups and register with authorities just one day ahead of their scheduled departure times.

Hainan has recently been building itself into a world-class travel destination, and tourism revenues have been bolstered by the increased number of tourists.

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China became 3rd biggest tourism market

2011-12-29T01:15:00.000-08:00

According to a report issued by the National Tourist Administration, China has become the third-largest tourism marketplace in the world. Total income from inbound and outbound sightseeing for the five years leading up to 2010, totals six trillion yuan.

China’s fast-growing tourism industry has become a cash cow for country. In the 16 years from 1994 to 2010, the country’s total tourism income has raised 11-fold. In the 5 years to 2010, China has established 9.3 billion people from at house and abroad. That’s a whooping six trillion yuan in tourism dollars.

According to China National Tourist Administration, the country has not only become the biggest end for tourists in Asian countries, but it also ranks in the top three global destinations for travelers.

During the 11th Five Year Plan, the tourism industry has largely support economic growth in China. It’s contributed over 90 percent to the hotel business, and over 80 percent to the aviation and railway industries. In the process, tourism has created over nearly 14 million jobs in tourism industry, and 60 million jobs in other regions.

During the past five years, China has sign cooperation plans with the U.S., Australia, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. The country is expected to make 100 million new outbound departures each year from now to 2015.

Google Speeds Up Travel Searches, Annoys Travel Search Sites

2011-12-27T22:46:00.000-08:00

Google
Using Google, we simply typed "IAD to LAX" into the search box and immediately (or, as Google would prefer, in 0.22 seconds) got the results in the familiar Google format -- paid ads on the top, then the results, then more results for other pages related to the topic.

As on the other sites, we simply select the flight we want and hit "Book." Unlike Kayak, Google didn't try to direct us to Expedia.com, Cheaptickets.com or any other third party; it took us right into the United Airlines reservation system and brought up a final purchase screen confirming the itinerary and price.

Like Kayak's pages, Google's pages contain advertising, which remains Big G's primary revenue source.

Consumers complain about advertising, of course, but it is the basis of the free press that is in turn the basis of American democracy, so perhaps the less said about that the better.

The problem?
So what's the problem? Well, the other travel sites say the problem is that Google will in short order put them out of business by "favoring" its own searches. It's what they've been saying since Google bought ITA Software Inc. last year.

ITA is the mother lode of flight data. It supplies the information used not only in Google flight searches but also in nearly all of the competing searches, including Kayak, Expedia, etc.

The Justice Department allowed the purchase to go forward after Google promised that it would "build tools that would drive more traffic to airline and online travel agency sites." The other sites are now complaining loudly that Google isn't doing that.

Proper role
The question comes down to whether Google must forever more be nothing but a passive search engine, combing through data posted on the Internet by others or whether it should try to live up to its mandate to "organize the world's information."

Providing comprehensive, impartial flight data quickly seems to fit into Google's mandate and also, just in passing, would seem to be a benefit to consumers. Google is not obligated to think first of consumers, of course, but publishing has traditionally been a public service business -- providing information that meets consumers' needs in a reasonably impartial manner.

If other businesses are damaged by that, it may be what in other venues is called collateral damage. It wasn't many years ago that the online travel agencies were being vilified for running bricks-and-mortar travel agents out of town.

Some of those traditional travel agents found ways to adapt and survive. The Expedias of the world may have to do the same.

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QATAR TOURISM AUTHORITY PARTNERS WTA FOR GRAND FINAL IN DOHA

2011-12-19T04:37:00.000-08:00

World Travel Awards (WTA), “the Oscars of the travel industry”, will host its Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Doha, Qatar, in partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) on January 11, 2012.

The most important decision-makers in global travel and tourism are set to attend the glittering ceremony, which will be staged at Katara Cultural Village, Qatar’s ground-breaking new arts and exhibitions complex.

Created under the leadership of HH Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, Katara Cultural Village was born out of a vision to position the State of Qatar as an international cultural lighthouse through theatre, literature, art, music, conventions and exhibitions. Katara features a remarkable array of attractions, from an opera house and art galleries to world-class restaurants and a beach.

Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) Chairman, Mr. Ahmed Al Nuaimi, said the choice of Doha to host WTA’s Grand Final reflects the country’s growing importance and stature in the industry and that QTA was lending as much support as possible to make the awards the best ever.

“The staging of the ceremony in Doha is an illustration of the confidence the travel and tourism industry has in Qatar as well as the potential it has to develop further,” said Mr. Al. Nuaimi.

“Qatar has allocated more the US$25 billion for the development of tourism infrastructure in preparation for the 2022 World Cup. WTA’s Grand Final forms part of our country’s growing roster of world-class events, ranging from art and music to sport and travel.”

The evening marks the culmination of a year-long search for the very best travel and tourism brands in the world, and will feature the winners from WTA’s regional heats competing head to head.

The regional ceremonies included Middle East (Dubai, UAE), Europe (Antalya, Turkey), Africa and Indian Ocean (Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt), Asia and Australasia (Bangkok, Thailand), and Caribbean and The Americas (Montego Bay, Jamaica).

Graham E. Cooke, President and Founder, World Travel Awards, said: “We are delighted to host our Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Qatar as it is such an exciting place to be right now.”

“Our Grand Final will see the winners of our five regional heats, who represent the cream of the global travel and tourism industry, compete head to head for the ultimate travel accolade.”

WTA has partnered with tourism marketing firm Phenomena to bring the ceremony to Qatar.

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Egypt's Islamists try to calm fears over tourism

2011-12-12T05:17:00.000-08:00

Egypt's main Islamist parties on Sunday launched separate conferences aimed at promoting tourism as they scrambled to allay fears that the lucrative industry is under threat from religious conservatism.

The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) – the political arm of the influential Muslim Brotherhood – announced a conference in Cairo entitled "Let's encourage tourism" that brought together industry leaders and party members.

Meanwhile, Al-Nur, the ultraconservative party representing followers of the fundamentalist Salafi brand of Islam, said it was launching a conference to promote the industry in the Egyptian southern city of Aswan.

About 15 million holidaymakers visited the country last year, attracted by its Pharaonic sites and Red Sea beach resorts. The industry is a key money earner and source of foreign currency.

Islamist parties won a crushing victory in the first stage of parliamentary elections which wrapped up last week, leading to fears they might impose strict Islamic law that could scare off Western holidaymakers.

Some Islamist candidates or religious scholars have advocated destroying ancient monuments – seen as a form of idol worshipping – and bans on alcohol, mixed-sex beaches, gambling and even bikinis.

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On the World’s Largest Cruise Ship, the Sea Is an Afterthought

2011-12-06T01:46:00.000-08:00

I WAS standing in Central Park in the middle of the Caribbean Sea near an Indian mangosteen tree, a Malaysian olive tree, a number of elephant ears and a total of 96 other species of plant. Birds were tweeting and mothers, as diversely global as the plants, pushed strollers along the paths. A little girl twirled in a pink dress.

At the far end of the park was a Coach store and, three decks below, a Starbucks, as if a moment might go by without a chai or a vanilla bean. And I thought: Why am I standing on a land mass on a ship? And: When did ships become less about the water on which they sail and more about the land they have left behind?

Not that ships, going back to the first ocean liners with their ballrooms and bowling alleys, haven’t always appropriated the trappings of land. (Never has a ship tried to adopt the rootless, underwater habitat of a shark or even the loft of a mermaid sitting on a piece of coral).

Yet Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, launched in December at a cost of about $1.4 billion, has taken the concept of land to a point where, on a seven-day western Caribbean voyage, from Dec. 19 to 26, with stops in Labadee, Haiti, and Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico, my Aunt Dorothy and I entirely forgot we were at sea.

Is that a good thing? For romantic sensibilities screaming for the sublime, the metaphysical pondering of the deep — no. For those longing to get lost in a strange, wondrous, digital world of lights and colors that is not unlike the high-pitched energy of Manhattan or any world city — yes.

After hearing about the Allure’s size (1,187 feet long and 16 decks high with a capacity for 6,318 passengers and 2,384 crew members), we did not know what to expect. We were frightened, actually. My aunt has primarily been on smaller luxury ships — Crystal, Regent and the lovely and long-gone Royal Viking — ships with 500 to 1,000 passengers, subtle teak decks and very nice Champagne.

She has been on 30 cruises, and I have known the watery high life only because I have been her guest 12 times, either on short cruises like the one on the Allure, or for brief visits during some of the 10 world voyages she has taken that can last four to five months and cost more than $100,000 a person.

Not that she is incredibly wealthy. She started as a Montgomery Ward stock girl in 1936 and worked her way up to diamond buyer. Cruising is what she does with her savings.

And as part of a cruising group for whom smaller is better (meaning cozy dinners with the ship’s officers, quiet afternoon teas and thoughtful lectures by foreign correspondents), my aunt has always thought bigger meant thousands of passengers atop thousands of deck chairs watching television and eating three pieces of pizza at once. Except for a trip on a Princess Cruise she and I took in 2005, she has avoided ships with capacities of 4,000 or more.

But then she heard about the Allure, and how glamorous it was supposed to be as mega-ships go. And she called Malcolm, one of her luxury-cruise-ship friends, who last year went on the Oasis of the Seas (identical to the Allure but two inches shorter). He told her, “Even though there are 24 elevators and 1,700 children, you’re going to love it.”

For hard-core cruisers who go a few times a year, speed of check-in is paramount, and fetishistically discussed; it is imperative to begin the pleasure immediately. On the Allure, check-in was extraordinarily fast thanks to the huge new 5.5-acre, 240,000-square-foot terminal that Royal Caribbean built in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 2009 to make sure that the thousands of passengers moving on and off the Oasis and the Allure would be able to go “from curb to stateroom in 15 minutes.”

Stepping off the zigzagging gangplank into the enclosed Royal Promenade, we were hit with blinking lights, video screens and shop windows stuffed with jewels and muffins. Where had we come? On smaller ships there is a small area where a social hostess greets you with a little beverage and everyone hugs one another. This place looked like the inside of a shopping mall in Singapore or Dubai, with people from everywhere streaming by — a woman in a Muslim head covering, a tiny wrinkled man speaking Spanish with his arm around a young woman three times taller in bondage shoes, a Japanese couple in formal dress staring up at the top of the Cupcake shop. Still, we were in a crowd of only a few hundred or so; where were the other thousands?

We would feel not only the excitement of being among so many different cultures but also a certain spaciousness the whole week. Never would we be overwhelmed or crowded. One reason for this, it turns out, is that the Allure is not just very long, but hippy in the beam — 215 feet wide, in fact, more than 30 feet wider than Royal Caribbean’s last big ship, Freedom of the Seas.

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Air Arabia reports solid performance for 3Q

2011-11-28T04:29:00.000-08:00

Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, announced today its financial results for the three months ending September 30, 2011, demonstrating sustainable profitability during the third quarter of this year.

Air Arabia’s net profit for the three months ending September 30, 2011, which was in line with analyst forecasts, stood at AED 100 million, a decline of 26 per cent compared to AED 136 million in the corresponding period in 2010. In the third quarter of this year, Air Arabia posted a turnover of AED 691 million, an increase of 22 per cent compared to AED 568 million in the same period of 2010.

The airline served 1,199,973 passengers in the third quarter of 2011, an increase of five per cent compared to 1,147,066 passengers in the same period last year. In the three months ending September 30, 2011, Air Arabia’s average seat load factor – or passengers carried as a percentage of available seats – stood at an impressive 81 per cent.

“Air Arabia is pleased to announce such solid financial performance despite continued challenging market conditions,” said Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia. “Air Arabia’s sustained quarterly profits, high seat load factor and rising passenger traffic reflect the appeal of our services and demonstrates the strength of Air Arabia’s business model.

“The challenging markets conditions we have seen in the second quarter of this year continued in the third quarter, with a further escalation in the political turmoil in several countries and an upward trend in the average fuel bill. Despite these challenging market conditions, Air Arabia’s solid profits and steady growth reflect the airline’s commercial and operational strength.

“After crossing the 20-million passenger mark in the third quarter of 2011, we would like to thank all our customers for choosing to fly with Air Arabia. We look forward to serving many more passengers in the months and years to come.”

In the third quarter of 2011, Air Arabia took delivery of two new A320 aircraft from Airbus. The latest Airbus A320 arrived on schedule from the Airbus facility in Toulouse, France, marking the delivery of a total of six out of 44 A320 aircraft ordered in 2007.

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Luxury jeweller Chow Tai Fook in mega Hong Kong listing

2011-11-24T04:40:00.000-08:00

Its shops are a familiar presence on the streets of many Chinese cities, catering to the region's love of bling - be it spinach-coloured jade pendants, buttery gold wedding bracelets or dazzling diamond rings - but the name is unlikely to register far outside its home market.

The company's global anonymity looks set to disappear as the world's biggest jeweller prepares for what could be one of the world's biggest stock market flotations this year.

It is reportedly seeking to raise up to $3.5bn (£2.2bn; 2.5bn euro) via a Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO), which will likely take place early next month.

It is hoping that investors worldwide will be enticed by the opportunity to tap the growing appetite for luxury goods among China's newly rich.

"It is a very big brand in Hong Kong and it has really built up its network in China over the past few years and is increasingly popular there," said Ben Kwong, chief operating officer at securities firm KGI Asia.

Jewellery sales have been growing at 40% a year in China since 2008 and are a key part of the luxury goods market in China, which is expected to be worth $100bn (£64bn; 74bn euro) by 2020, according to brokerage group CLSA.

Chinese tastes
Chow Tai Fook also caters specifically to Chinese tastes, both with its line of products and customer service.

There is less of the silver and white gold jewellery popular in Europe and the US, but plenty of the high-karat yellow gold used to make traditional Chinese wedding jewellery and vivid green jade pendants that many Chinese believe offer health benefits to the wearer.

Diamonds are also a big part of their business.

Last year, the company purchased the world's most expensive rough diamond for a record-breaking $35.3m (£23.2m; 26m euro).

A Chow Tai Fook store in Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district was busy one recent weekday afternoon.

Customers, mainly from mainland China, tried on diamond rings and gold bracelets.

Staff were attentive, offering jasmine tea in paper cups and presenting name cards to each prospective customer.

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Corporate business secrets getting leaked on social media websites

2011-11-21T03:56:00.000-08:00

NEW DELHI: Corporate espionage has been made easy by social networking websites as a well-devised strategy can result in the leak of valuable business secrets by employees and ex-employees, according to a study by Cyberoam, the security vertical of IT company Elitecore Technology.

"You just need to get into the social network of the company, worse still, you just need to be an Internet search expert to get information that required ages to find," Cyberoam Senior Vice-President for Product Management Abhilash Sonwane told PTI.

He added that by tracking the social networking activities of employees and ex-employees, an intangible set of information about the company -- such as core values, hierarchy, communication patterns, industry environment and employee morale -- can be derived without having to physically enter the organisation.

"Besides the intangibles, the tangible information such as intellectual property, financial information or even trade secrets can be available by monitoring the organisation's social presence," Sonwane said.

Cyberoam conducted a study early this year and selected a random set of 20 small and medium companies and tried to find out what could be derived from their social media and networking presence.

The 20 organisations included eight from the USA, four from India, two from Germany, seven from the UK and a couple from Singapore and Australia.

These firms belonged to the IT, manufacturing, pharma and PR, banking and financial institutions, consultancies and even media and entertainment industry, Sonwane said.

"We could find out information like the employees were not getting their salaries on time, there were cash flow issues in the organisation, salary checks were bouncing. As a result, the employees were looking for new jobs," he said.

Cyberoam extracted and collaged information from linkedin status updates, interactions on Facebook and by following the Twitter accounts of employees.

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Dell expects disk drive shortage to hurt revenue

2011-11-17T01:50:00.000-08:00

Dell is likely to be hampered for a couple quarters by an industry-wide shortage of computer storage drives resulting from the recent flooding in Thailand, the computer maker said Tuesday.

Dell predicted full-year revenue near the low end of the guidance it issued in August, which called for revenue growth of 1 percent to 5 percent over 2010 and was in turn a reduction from a previous forecast.

Dell Inc. cited the uncertain economy, as well as the disk drive shortage. The Thai flood waters, which started spreading in August, are now receding, but they closed many of Thailand's tech-related factories, including a bevy that produce a critical component of personal computers: hard disk drives.

During a conference call with analysts to discuss the company's third-quarter results and outlook, Dell's executive leading manufacturing, procurement and the supply chain, as well as PC engineering, design and development, said the "complexity" of the situation makes it hard to determine the scope and length of hard drive shortages. Jeff Clarke said this means the industry must keep an eye on how it's allocating its resources "at least" throughout the first quarter of next year.

"Our goal is to mitigate any impact to our customers in Dell, and our teams will be working throughout the quarter to do just that," he said.

The shortages come as the personal computer industry already is dealing with decreased demand. Sales have slowed, particularly in the U.S. and Europe, because debt and unemployment fears and the growing popularity of tablet computers have led many consumers delay replacing PCs. In addition, the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan hurt supplies of memory chips.

Hewlett-Packard Co. plans to report Monday on how it fared during the most recent quarter and this should offer more insight into the performance of computer makers overall.

Dell's forecast, lowered in August from a previous estimate of 5 percent to 9 percent growth, translates to $62.1 billion to $64.6 billion. Analysts expect $62.6 billion in revenue.

Also Tuesday, Dell said that its third-quarter net income rose 9 percent though revenue remained flat from last year as the computer maker continued pruning less profitable parts of its business.

For the quarter that ended Oct. 28, Dell earned $893 million, or 49 cents per share. This compares with $822 million, or 42 cents per share, in the same quarter in 2010.

Excluding one-time items, the Round Rock, Texas-based company said Tuesday that it earned 54 cents per share. This is 8 cents higher than what analysts polled by FactSet expected.

Revenue was flat at $15.4 billion — lower than the $16.2 billion analysts expected.

Dell's revenue from large corporations rose 4 percent to $4.5 billion, while its revenue from consumers fell 6 percent to $2.8 billion. Revenue from the public sector fell 2 percent to $4.4 billion, and revenue from small- and medium-sized businesses inched up 1 percent to $3.7 billion.

Brian Gladden, Dell's chief financial officer, said several parts of the company, including its consumer and public sector businesses, felt "challenging demand dynamics" during the quarter.

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Euro NCAP crash test: 5 stars for the BMW 1 Series

2011-11-14T05:30:00.000-08:00

Now in its second generation, the BMW 1 Series is once again the undisputed benchmark for driving dynamics in the compact vehicle segment. Just a few weeks after its market launch it has now been officially certified as a perfect role model in the area of safety.

On the current Euro NCAP crash test, the new BMW 1 Series achieved the top score of 5 stars. After analysis of all the data collected in the course of extensive testing procedures, the testers officially confirmed that the new BMW compact model provides outstanding occupant protection over a range of different collision types.

In addition, the car’s pedestrian protection and its numerous standard safety fittings also attracted a positive rating. Among other things, the new BMW 1 Series can be fitted with the extended emergency call including automatic position finding and accident severity identification – the BMW Assist Advanced eCall. BMW received the special Euro NCAP Advanced Award for this BMW ConnectedDrive service a year ago.

The current Euro NCAP crash test determined the risk of injury as a result of a frontal impact and side impact collision as well as on the so-called side-impact pole crash. In all scenarios the new BMW 1 Series provided both driver and passengers with extensive protection from injury, regardless of their height or seating position. The test verdict on child safety was also positive.

The BMW 1 Series was said to offer excellent protection on both the front impact and the side impact tests. In conjunction with seat systems for children aged three and one and a half, the test dummies with mounted sensors registered a stable position and reduced head movement at the moment of impact.

The effective seat occupant protection in the new BMW 1 Series is the result of an integrated safety concept which includes not just an extremely torsionally stiff passenger cell but also large-format deformation zones and precisely defined bearing structures to absorb and dissipate the forces which take effect when an accident occurs. The new BMW 1 Series is fitted as standard with front airbags, side airbags integrated in the backrests, head airbags for the front and back seats, three-point automatic seatbelts on all seats, belt force limiters and belt tensioners at the front and ISOFIX children’s seat attachments at the rear. It also features the driving stability system DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) and a Run Flat Indicator.

The Euro NCAP crash test attaches particular importance to pedestrian protection, and this has been optimised in the new BMW 1 Series by such elements as selectively modelled body elements with yielding structures on the front of the vehicle. The testers awarded maximum points to the design of the front bumpers in particular, as well as for those elements of the front section which are relevant to the risk of head injury to children in the event of a collision.

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World's most expensive ring

2011-11-09T05:46:00.000-08:00

If you’re an aging bachelor and billionaire looking to wed someone half your age, you may want to look into expensive engagement rings. One such individual’s proposal to an ex-model involved a $1.5 million engagement ring. That may seem way out there, but it’s not even close to the most expensive ring in the world.

The Chopard Blue Diamond Ring is the ring that makes any other diamond ring look bad. Set with an enormous, oval-shaped blue diamond, the expensive ring also has diamond shoulders and an 18k white gold band paved with diamonds.

Blue diamond is among the most expensive diamonds in the world. It is found among boron deposits, from whence it derives its shade. This particular gem weighs in at nine carats.

The world’s most expensive ring is valued at $16.26 million, enough to put a dent in the wallets of even the wealthiest individuals.

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All of us need to reward ourselves over a time for the stress toll taken both physically and mentally by us. One of the best ways to chill out is to take a vacation and here are some amazing worldwide vacation rentals you can consider booking for your vacations

Audi launches 20 unit A1 e-tron pilot program in Munich

2011-10-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

When Audi talks about concentrating on the future of its electric vehicle lineup – it’s not joking. The brand today launched 20 pilot Audi A1 e-tron units on the roads of Munich. Audi, E.ON, the public utility Stadtwerke München and Technische Universität München (TUM) are project partners in this fleet trial.

E.ON and SWM are in charge of expanding and maintaining the charging infrastructure in the Munich metropolitan area.

While some pilot participants received their keys last week, Audi handed over the rest of the A1 e-tron fleet to project partners and other trial participants.

“Audi works relentlessly on comprehensive approaches which maximize benefits to customers. In this era of electric mobility, we will offer our customers a wide range of services which go beyond driving itself. For example, the networking of vehicles with their surroundings and with infrastructure as well as new concepts of mobility will be important,” emphasizes Franciscus van Meel, Head of Electric Mobility Strategy at Audi AG. He adds: “We want to use this fleet trial to learn more about our customers’ usage of electric cars, and their expectations in this regard. We are planning additional fleet endeavors in strategically important markets.”

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Oil gains more than $2 on EU rescue plan

2011-10-27T02:39:00.000-07:00

Oil prices rose more than $2 on Thursday, after European leaders struck a deal with private holders of Greek debt to write down half their holdings and agreed to boost the region's rescue fund.

Euro zone leaders made a pact with private banks and insurers on Thursday for them to accept a 50 percent loss on their Greek government bonds under a plan to lower Greece's debt burden and try to contain the two-year-old euro zone crisis.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said he expected the deal, which will be implemented through a bond exchange, to be wrapped up by the end of the year.

At 0721 GMT (3:21 a.m. EDT), Brent crude was up $1.80 at $110.71 a barrel, after touching a high of $110.96 earlier. U.S. crude gained $1.90 to $92.10 a barrel, down from an intraday high of $92.43.

"The macro event and the financial markets are leading and oil futures are reacting even though the crude inventories in the U.S. have increased substantially," said Victor Shum of Purvin & Gertz.

The Nikkei share average shrugged off concerns about the yen's strength and rose 2 percent on Thursday, on expectations the euro zone leaders' agreement to address Europe's debt will contain the crisis.

The new version of the euro zone's rescue fund will be leveraged four or five times, giving it firepower equivalent to about 1 trillion euros ($1.4 trillion), French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday.

"Investors' optimism and increased risk appetite could result in the rally of risk assets in the short term," said analyst Ong Yi Ling at Phillip Futures Singapore.

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2011 Monaco Cayman Unveiled

2011-10-17T04:44:00.000-07:00

SCOBURG, ORE. (March 15, 2010) - Monaco Press Release – Monaco RV, one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of recreational vehicles, launches it 2011 Monaco Cayman. The Cayman steps up to the 8 air bag proprietary Roadmaster chassis, from the previous 4 air bag model of 2010. The 8 outboard-mounted air bag RR8R Roadmaster chassis provides a wide and stable platform for the coach, improving drivability.

The 2011 Monaco Cayman is powered by a new 360 horsepower engine, standard on 40-foot models, with an ISB 340 horsepower engine standard on 36 models. Four floorplans choices are available including the popular full wall slide 36PFT. The full wall slide model produces expansive interior space as no divider walls of separate slides are present to reduce useable space.

"There wasn’t a feature or creature comfort we left out of the Cayman this year.” Says Mark Kealoha, National Sales Manager for Monaco. “After listening to many RV owners and dealers we responded with designing the Cayman around three very important customer “hot buttons”; King Beds, Stackable Washer/Dryer units and residential refrigerators all options for 2011. Value was the goal in design and value is what you see in the Cayman line.”

Ceramic tile throughout the living area, kitchen and bath come standard in the 2011 Cayman, along with three luxurious décor choices. Other standard well appointed interior features include raised panel cabinet doors with hidden hinges, soft touch padded vinyl ceiling and an arched back wood booth dinette with sliding dinette top

Optional furniture choices include leather Euro-recliners, a sofa bed or sectional. And for the family, an optional hallway bunk option with two fold down dvd players with game hookups is available. The galley boasts a polished solid surface countertop with mosaic tile backsplash with a convenient flip up countertop extension that expands the workspace area. A12 cu. ft. four door refrigerator with hardwood raised panel door, stainless steel sink with high arch faucet complete the residential feel of the kitchen. Behind the wheel, safety and comfort abound. Ultraleather six way power pilot and co-pilot seats, power solar shades, LCD 3-camera rear vision system and Panaview 1-piece windshields are all standard.

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Lenovo passes Dell to become world's No 2 PC maker

2011-10-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

--Lenovo replaces Dell to become world's 2nd-largest PC maker

--Lenovo Chief Executive Yang Yuanqing says the company will keep pursuing acquisitions to boost growth

China's Lenovo Group Ltd. LNVGY +2.40% was named the world's No. 2 personal-computer maker by two research firms on Thursday and Chief Executive Yang Yuanqing said the Chinese company will keep pursuing acquisitions to boost growth.

The firms--Gartner Inc. and International Data Corp.-- also found that global PC shipments rose more slowly than expected in the third quarter, in a sign of consumers' shift away from laptop and desktop computers toward mobile devices as their budgets shrink.

Lenovo will "fully leverage" acquisitions to keep growing, Yang said in an interview, without elaborating on specific acquisition targets. Lenovo, which bought International Business Machines Corp.'s PC business in 2005, passed Dell Inc. DELL -1.23% in the third quarter to take the PC market's second-place rank in terms of shipments, according to separate surveys by data trackers IDC and Gartner.

Yang said Lenovo's new status as the industry's No. 2 makes it a "strong challenger" to become the world's top PC maker, a status currently held by Hewlett-Packard Co.'s (HPQ) PC business. He added Lenovo won't sacrifice its gross margin to boost its market share.

Both research firms said Lenovo's growth came from increased shipments to Japan and European markets. Gartner attributed Lenovo's growth to its aggressive pricing.

Yang declined to comment on whether Lenovo would be interested in buying H-P's PC business, which it has said it is considering selling or spinning off.

Lenovo earlier this year acquired German PC maker Medion AG, for which it had said it would pay up to EUR465 million (about $640 million) in cash and stock. Lenovo during its last quarter also finished forming a joint venture with Japanese PC maker NEC Corp., a deal in which NEC received $175 million in Lenovo shares.

Yang said he is comfortable with his current stake in the company. Yang in June bought about 8% of Lenovo's outstanding shares for around 3.15 billion Hong Kong dollars (US$403.8 million) from the company's biggest shareholder, Legend Holdings Ltd.

Gartner said shipments of PCs around the world climbed 3.2% to 91.8 million units in the third quarter, well below its earlier projection of 5.1% growth. A similar IDC survey pegged the industry's growth rate in the quarter at 3.6%, lower than an earlier projection of 4.5% growth.

Over the past few months, major PC makers such as H-P and Dell have warned that consumer spending appeared to be slipping. Both Gartner and IDC acknowledged that consumer-PC buying during the important back-to-school season was weak. But they also reported that mobile devices, such as Apple Inc.'s iPad, were competing for and often winning consumer attention when making technology purchases.

"For the moment, PCs have taken a backseat to a range of other devices competing for shrinking consumer and business budgets," IDC analyst Jay Chou said in a report.

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Cable cars to link Makkah pilgrims with Grand Mosque

2011-10-09T22:52:00.000-07:00

Plans are being prepared to establish cable car systems linking parking areas to the Grand Mosque in Makkah in a bid to ease the transport of pilgrims.

The 12 cable car routes will pick up pilgrims in Kudai, Rusaifa and Taneem as part of the government's efforts to reduce traffic congestion, Saudi daily Arab News reported on Sunday.

The project is a joint effort between the Centre of Research Excellence at Makkah's Umm Al-Qura University and the Transport and Crowd Management Centre at Toronto University, it said.

Adnan Gutub, director of the Centre of Research Excellence at Umm Al-Qura, was quoted as saying: “Cable car is an economically viable system and will contribute to lessening the congestion on the road.”

A workshop on the project was held at Umm Al-Qura University on Saturday to discuss the subject in detail with the participation of Saudi and foreign experts, the paper said, without giving details of cost or timetable.

“There will be two cable car lines from Kudai, four from Rusaifa and six from Taneem,” added Aamir Al-Shalabi of the University of Toronto.

Umm Al-Qura University president Bakri Assas commended the government’s efforts to improve facilities for the millions of pilgrims coming to Makkah to perform Haj and Umrah.
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'Apple concept stocks' mixed on Jobs' death

2011-10-05T23:19:00.000-07:00

Taipei, Oct. 6 (CNA) Local stocks in Apple Inc.'s supply chain, or the so-called "Apple concept stocks", were mixed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange in Thursday morning trade after the news of the death of Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs surfaced, dealers said. They said there have been fears that Apple will be losing its innovative capability without Jobs and take a detour by entering price competition to attract buying, a change in strategy which may create an impact on contract component makers' bottom lines. As of 11: 30 a.m., cell touch panel maker TPK lost 1.99 percentto NT$543.00 (US$17.7), battery producer Simplo Technology shed 2.49 percent to NT$176.00, and phone camera lens supplier Largan has fallen 3.23 percent to NT$631.00. However, Hon Hai Precision, the flagship company of the world's largest contract electronics maker Hon Hai Group, gained 2.96 percent to NT$69.60. The group churns out iPhones and iPads for Apple. Hon Hai's affiliate Foxconn Technology Co. rose 1.23 percent to NT$98.00. "The launch of iPhone 4S has prompted many investors to worry that innovation at Apple is fading as its new gadget has dashed market expectations of a radically redesigned iPhone 5," Horizon Securities analyst Benson Huang said. Rather than maintaining its innovative capability to win market share, Huang said, the market has been surprised by Apple's announcement that it will cut the prices of iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS dramatically after the iPhone 4S debut. "Now, the death of Steve has further raised such a concern as many investors have feared that Apple will come up with further price cutting measures," Huang said.

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Oracle’s Ellison Introduces Faster System to Challenge SAP, IBM

2011-10-03T01:36:00.000-07:00

Oct. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Oracle Corp. introduced a computer system that works faster by analyzing data within its dynamic random access memory, aiming to boost market share and take on International Business Machines Corp. and SAP AG.

“Everything runs faster if you keep it in DRAM -- if you keep it in main memory,” Chief Executive Officer Larry Ellison said in a keynote address at a conference in San Francisco tonight. “You ask more questions, you get better answers.”

The Exalytics Intelligence Machine Ellison introduced will run Oracle’s Times Ten and Essbase databases, both gained through past acquisitions, in its terabyte of main memory. The system analyzes business data many times faster than on machines that store information on disk drives, Ellison told customers at the company’s OpenWorld event.

Oracle, the world’s largest maker of database software and biggest maker of business applications after SAP, is seeking to keep its database relevant for computing jobs that involve processing increasing amounts of data. Oracle’s $16.6 billion in database and related middleware sales last year also make it the top supplier of software that powers corporate and government computer programs.

Ellison also said that the Redwood City, California-based company plans another update to its Sparc microprocessor next year that’s twice as fast as its recently released T4 chip. The idea is to challenge IBM for more hardware sales through Oracle’s Sun Microsystems unit, gained in a $7.4 billion acquisition last year.

Taking on IBM

“We want to take IBM on in their strongest suit, which is the microprocessor, said Ellison. He said Oracle’s T4 chip runs software written in the Java programming language faster in a benchmark test than a competitive IBM system. The company introduced a new Sparc Supercluster system on Sept. 26 using the Sparc T4.

At least one rival doubted how far Ellison will go with the Sparc chip. Oracle may not make the billions of dollars in investments needed to keep Sparc competitive with IBM and Intel Corp. chips in the future, Steve Mills, IBM senior vice president, said last week in an interview.

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Rolling and roaming in New Zealand by camper van

2011-09-30T02:02:00.000-07:00

My husband, Nolan, and I had pulled in next to a train station to make coffee in our rented Volkswagen Vanagon camper when a wiry, red-haired man ambled over and knocked on our sliding door. It was our first morning in New Zealand, and we assumed he was going to tell us we couldn't park there.

Hands in the pockets of his fleece jacket, he smiled apologetically at interrupting our breakfast, and leaned in.

"What year is it?" he asked, meaning our bright orange van (a 1982). We'd hired it the day before in Christchurch from Classic Campers, which we'd found on the Web as renting "stylish retro campervans."

It was then that we noticed an almost identical orange Vanagon across the parking lot.

Kiwis, as New Zealanders call themselves, are notoriously friendly, but our new friend Dave was more than a Kiwi. He was a member of the club.

Classic Campers owner Bevan Beattie was right:

"It's more than just transport," he said of his collection of eclectic VW vans. "It becomes part of the trip."

Because we're members of the club ourselves, we never considered anything but a VW camper van for exploring New Zealand. Back home, our 1987 Vanagon, Hanz, has taken us from Los Angeles to Maine and back again. And in trips to France, Spain and the Netherlands, we've found that renting VW campers makes even vacations abroad affordable. This was especially true for New Zealand, where, thanks to a favorable exchange rate of 55 cents U.S. to $1 New Zealand, our rental cost just $66 a day.

No taller or longer than an ordinary van, a VW camper -- or Kombi, in Kiwi-speak -- is more fuel-efficient than an RV and far easier to park. And for the price of wheels, you get a bed and meals.

A pop-up top allows room to stand, revealing a loft-like sleeping area. The campers come with a propane-powered stove, a sink with a water tank and a refrigerator with Barbie-sized ice trays.

Friends who favor nice hotels (or at least accommodations with bathrooms) think we are eccentric. But finding a campground with toilets and showers is rarely a problem. And a cabin on wheels allows us to roam at will without worrying about hotel bookings, restaurant hours or timetables.

On the Classic Campers website, we'd coveted a 1966 cherry-red Splitty, the iconic split-windshield model with jalousies and tiny round headlights. But it was taken.

Our orange van wasn't quite old enough to be retro. And, with patches on the canvas sides of the pop-top, it wasn't quite spiffed up enough to be stylish. But Kiwis are known for their make-do ways. Consider the humble bach (pronounced "batch"): an everyman's vacation home, often made of recycled construction materials or old buses. Our van, we decided, would be our mobile bach.

Plus, Beattie had swapped in an Audi engine, which meant we could climb winding mountain roads without a trail of honking cars.

Imagine the most beautiful places you've ever seen -- Grand Teton, Big Sur, Alaska's Inside Passage -- cram them all into a skinny strip of land, and that's New Zealand. We'd wanted to visit the Pacific island nation even before director Peter Jackson made the landscape a star as the setting of the "Lord of the Rings" movies. One friend told us that of all the dream destinations of his childhood, it was the one that proved every bit as glorious as he'd imagined.

Classic Campers is based in the North Island city of Auckland, at 1.3 million people the nation's largest city by far. Because we wanted to spend about two-thirds of our trip on the more rugged, sparsely populated South Island, we arranged to start our adventure at its satellite office in Christchurch.

After a 12-hour flight from Los Angeles to Auckland and an hour and a half hop to Christchurch, we picked up our van near the airport and headed for Arthur's Pass National Park, about two hours west. Kiwis, like their British forebears, drive on the left side of the road, and we decided it would be better to start off on a lonely country lane than in a city, even a small one.

The flat plains gave way to tussock-covered hills, then steep, forested slopes as we made our way to the highest pass in the spine of mountains known as the Southern Alps. The zillion fluffy sheep we passed along the way gave us wide berth.

After breakfasting with Dave, we hiked through a mossy beech forest, a kea -- a rare alpine parrot -- screeching overhead. Then we spread out our map to decide where to go next.

It's easy to overestimate how much you can see and do in New Zealand. The two main islands are deceptively narrow; you are rarely more than a few hours from either the Tasman Sea or the Pacific Ocean or both. But top to bottom, the North and South islands stretch almost 1,100 miles. ( California, by contrast, is 770 miles long.) And the South Island is 65% mountainous, meaning twisting two-lane roads that narrow to one-lane bridges, even on the main highways.

We had a luxurious 19 days for travel, but because we wanted to savor our time, we had agreed on three goals: to hike, to sample New Zealand wines and to soak up the country's culture, be it Maori history or Kiwi kitsch.

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Shanghai subway train crash injures 271

2011-09-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

SHANGHAI - Hundreds of people were injured yesterday when a subway train slammed into the rear of another train in a sprawling transit line that opened just last year. The accident cast new scrutiny on the safety record of China’s rapidly modernizing mass transit rail systems.

The state-run media reported that 271 people were injured during the afternoon accident in the Shanghai Metro system. Xinhua, the official news agency, said that equipment failure was believed to be responsible and that the accident was under investigation.

There were no deaths reported, but the government said late yesterday that about 20 people had serious injuries that were not considered life threatening. Images from the crash site posted on blogs and social networking sites showed some people bloodied and badly injured.

The accident came just two months after a deadly crash involving two trains on China’s high-speed rail network for which officials blamed bad weather and a signal failure. The July 23 crash in the eastern city of Wenzhou killed 40 people and injured nearly 200.

The Wenzhou accident unleashed public criticism of the nation’s high-speed rail program amid concern that the government had not ensured its safety. Since then, the government has slowed the speed of trains and announced a thorough review of its safety program.

As part of its rapid urbanization efforts, China has spent billions of dollars over the past decade on building huge subway systems and a national high-speed rail network.

The pace of construction is unprecedented, with even second-tier but fast-growing cities like Wuhan racing to build underground subway systems to ease congestion.

Up to now, China’s transportation systems have proved to be a boon to its economy, with few fatalities. But there have been increasing reports over the past few years of substandard roads and bridges and worries that subway and high-speed rail construction may be moving too quickly and could pose safety problems.

The accident yesterday in Shanghai occurred around 2:50 p.m. on Metro line 10, which stretches from downtown Shanghai to Hongqiao, one of the city’s airports. The line also travels north, south, east, and west in the vast city of 23 million. The accident was near Yuyuan Gardens, a favorite Shanghai tourist spot.

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Google Travel Site Doesn't Strike Fear Into Competitors

2011-09-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

News flash: Google doesn't have all the answers.

At least that was the response from travel search-engine sites as they caught their first glimpse of a competing product launched by Google last week.

It's never a good sign for your business when one of the world's largest companies buys your chief supplier and seeks to muscle in on your turf.

So it's understandable why many travel engines — including Travelocity, Expedia and Kayak — suffered angst when Google proposed last year to buy ITA Software, the company that developed and provides their fare-search technology.

After the acquisition was approved in April, they were resigned to waiting to see what competitive threat Google Travel would unleash. But when the tech giant finally released its airfare search tool last week, the competitors were left underwhelmed and perplexed.

"We believe our flight search technology is superior," said Robert Birge of Kayak (which has a business relationship with USA TODAY).

Bloggers at FairSearch.org, an anti-Google organization funded by travel search sites, wrote that the new product "raises a lot of questions," including whether Google will favor flights from its advertisers or mix sponsored ads with other search results.

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Mobile technology may affect future work trends

2011-09-23T04:47:00.000-07:00

That new smartphone you just bought? It may well be the "most important technology" in your life.

A survey conducted by Cisco on 2,800 respondents found that 66 per cent of students and 58 per cent of young employees consider mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones or tablets to be the most important technology in their lives.

Part of this stems from the search for information online, according to the second annual Cisco Connected World Technology Report.

The survey reported that mobile technology has overshadowed older devices such as televisions (TVs) and newspapers when it comes to providing information.

Fewer than six per cent of college students and eight per cent of employees polled said TVs were important.

This downward trend is expected to continue as TV programming and movies become available on mobile devices.

Similarly, only four per cent of college students and employees surveyed globally said the newspaper is their most important tool for accessing information.

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Voltas in talks to buy Wipro's water business

2011-09-20T23:40:00.000-07:00

Electro-mechanical projects firm Voltas Ltd is in advanced talks to buy the water purification and treatment business of India's No.3 software services exporter, Wipro Ltd , The Times of India said, citing unnamed sources close to the development.

The soaps-to-software maker has mandated investment bank Anand Rathi to find a suitor for the water treatment business, which it entered about four years ago, the report said.

Voltas, a Tata group firm, may be looking at this acquisition to expand its water treatment business, which undertakes works for local civic bodies and for Tata group firms, the report said.

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Businesses need a creative side

2011-09-19T01:31:00.000-07:00

Recently there has been a lot written about Steve Jobs’ departure as the chief executive of Apple. As of this month, Apple is the largest publicly traded company in the world by market capitalisation and the largest technology company in the world by revenue and profit.

The fascination people have about Jobs is his ability to bounce back and have great breakthrough. He started Apple in 1976 with Steve Wozniak and Mike Markkula, which came with the first commercially successful lines of personal computer in the 1980s. After a tug of war with Mike Sculley, Jobs resigned from Apple.

During the years of his absence the creative output and the share price of Apple went down. In this period Jobs formed Pixar, an animation company, that he eventually sold to Disney. He returned to Apple in 1996 and the rest is history.

Jobs has become iconic as the best second act story in business history.

So my analysis will focus on the ever constant tussle between the creative view versus the accountant’s view of running business.

First, the creative view of running a business beats the accountant’s view of running a business. Without the creative side there is no business to even speak of.

The creative side requires imagination coupled with action to bring about the thing imagined into actual existence.

Accounting then comes into play to measure the impact of the actions taken, which is an after-the-fact phenomenon because the accounting process is focused on reporting factual historical information.

This is why it is easier to look at things based on hindsight about what actions should have been taken to yield the best results. Accounting reporting does not take the risk of predicting results arising from possible actions, which is the domain of the creative part of business.

Second, accounting reporting is a useful accountability tool to use to measure the impact of the creatives in the business in terms of rands and cents. It brings about controls that help to maximise value.

However, the value in a business is mostly attributable to the creative energy that is flowing within the key parts of the business. So this accountability function played by accountants makes them the hated part of the business because they ask the tough questions that affect the final output of the business and the efficient use of the company resources.

This also causes accountants to be risk averse within the organisation because they focus on the bottom line impact of every decision made within the company.

So why is this relevant?

In most companies where you have the creative types running it, great value is created if it is balanced by the proper accounting teams.

If you have one extreme it would be the tech bubble of the 2000s, which showed the impact of creatives being given unfettered freedom in running the business without the proper accounting checks and balances. This led companies to be overvalued even when they had no sustainable tangible revenue potential to speak of, but only showed the creative potential.

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Google announces next Android OS, Jelly Bean

2011-09-13T23:05:00.000-07:00

Close on the heels of GoogleExecutive Chairman Eric Schmidt announcing the arrival of the upcoming version of AndroidOS termed Ice Cream Sandwich in October or November, speculations have started on the next version of Android.

According to a report citing trusted sources in 'This is My Next', Jelly Bean is the working name for next incarnation of Android.

The name follows Google's tradition of calling its Android operating systems after sweets in alphabetical order. Earlier versions of Android follow a typical order -- Cupcake 1.5, Donut 1.6, Eclair 2.1, Froyo 2.2, Gingerbread 2.3,Honeycomb 3.0 and the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich.

The report quotes industry source saying, that the "game-changing stuff" that had originally been scheduled for Ice Cream Sandwich will be being pushed to Jelly Bean. Jelly Bean could be dubbed Android 4.5 or Android 5.0, depending on the amount of features packed, says the report.

Ice Cream Sandwich is expected to be a universal operating system that will work on phones, tablets, TVs, and even phones that transform into laptops. Among other things, the OS is likely to bring an updated app launcher, holographic user interface, interactive and new homescreen widgets and a multi-tasking panel.

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Infosys announces new Executive Council to frame business strategies

2011-07-17T22:04:00.001-07:00

Software major Infosys Technologies on Saturday announced composition of new Executive Council (EC), a high level body that frames its business strategies.

The EC will include the executive board, current EC members, heads of key business units and strategic business enabler units.

"It gives me great pleasure to announce the new executive council of Infosys. The new EC is a group of highly competent professionals who would closely work with the Board in formulating business strategy and framing policies for the organisation," Infosys CEO & MD S Gopalakrishnan said.

"This is one of the most significant announcements that will shape the Infosys of tomorrow," he added.

Infosys rejig: Will it stick to tradition?

The members of the EC are: S Gopalakrishnan, S D Shibulal COO, Srinath Batni, Director and Head, Delivery Excellence, V Balakrishnan, CFO, Ashok Vemuri, Senior VP and Head Banking and Capital Markets and Strategic Global Sourcing, the release said.

Other members are B G Srinivas Senior V-P and Head Manufacturing, Product Engineering, Product Lifecycle and Engineering Solutions, Chandrashekar Kakal, Senior VP Enterprise Solutions, U B Pravin Rao, Senior VP, Retail, CPG & Logistics, Prasad Thrikutam Head, Energy, Utilities, Communications & Services, Infosys Limited Global Head, Systems Integration.

Steve Pratt CEO and MD, Infosys Consulting, Ramadas Kamath U, Senior VP, Administration, Commercial Facilities, Infrastructure, Nandita Gurjar, Senior VP and Group Head, Human Resources and Basab Pradhan, Global Head of Sales, are the other members of the EC, the release added.

Earlier this week, Infosys posted a 15.72 per cent jump in its first quarter consolidated net profit year-on-year at Rs 1,722 crore as against Rs 1,488 crore in the year-ago period, meeting street expectations.

The company's revenues rose to Rs 7,485 crore in the first quarter from Rs 6,198 crore in the year-ago period, up 20.76 per cent.

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Bharti, IBM ink 10-year agreement for IT solutions in Africa

2011-07-12T20:08:00.001-07:00

Extending its partnership with IBM , telecom major Bharti airtel has now awarded a 10-year contract to the technology giant for providing IT solutions to its employees across 16 African countries.

Under the new agreement, IBM will provide end-user services to airtel employees across Africa in French and English.

IBM's 100-year journey, from clocks, scales to...

It will provide a standard operating environment, 'help desk' and 'desk side' support to enhance employee efficiency and convenience, Bharti airtel said in a statement.

However, the value of the deal was not disclosed.

India Inc discovers Africa

The consolidation of airtel's helpdesks is expected to bring about greater cost savings and efficiencies through streamlining of the processes for addressing IT operational issues.

IBM is already managing Bharti airtel's IT operations in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and 16 African countries.

Rise, fall and rise of IBM in India

It will also include an enhanced information enterprise security solution that further strengthens airtel's commitment to customer data privacy.

Last year, Bharti airtel had acquired Kuwait-based Zain Telecom's African business for $10.7 billion.

The announcement builds on the strategic partnership announced by airel and IBM in late 2010 for the management of the computing technology and services powering Airtel's mobile communications network spanning 16 African countries, it added.

Outsourcing of key operational functions has been key to Bharti airtel's low-cost, high-volume business model that has helped it to build a subscriber base of over 140 million customers in India.

IBM will also be responsible for the implementation and maintenance of a standard operating environment, using platforms, tools and management processes.

"This agreement enables us to provide the best IT capabilities to our employees with a focus on making innovative mobile solutions available across Africa," Bharti Airtel Chief Executive Officer (International) and Joint Managing Director Manoj Kohli said.

Bharti airtel and IBM's relationship began in 2004, when the telecom operator selected IBM to handle IT and applications for its entire network in India.

Bharti airtel currently has over 44 million customers across 16 African countries and is targeting 100 million subscribers by 2015.

"This latest agreement will bring enhanced efficiencies to benefit customers, employees and business partners of Bharti airtel," IBM General Manager (Growth Markets) Bruno Di Leo said.

The new agreement was signed in the first quarter of 2011.

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Mobile banking to help 2 billion people by 2020

2011-06-29T02:41:00.001-07:00

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Mobile financial services are expected to improve the lives of around 2 billion people in developing countries within a decade and boost economies, a Boston Consulting Group study found.

"Overall, mobile financial services can reduce financial exclusion by 5 percent to 20 percent through 2020 and increase gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 5 percent, with Pakistan, for instance, potentially seeing a 3 percent uplift," the study said.

It added that improved access to finance fostered entrepreneurship, new business creation and new jobs.

The report, released by Norwegian telecom group Telenor on Tuesday, focused on five countries -- Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and Serbia -- which represented a broad development range, it said.

Some 72 percent of the population in developing countries are without access to banks or credit cards according to the study.

They manage to work around this by borrowing from friends and family, obtaining short-term credit from employers, forming savings clubs or seeking out moneylenders but these options were often risky, costly and with indeterminate results.

Telecom firms such as Telenor, Vodafone , Orange and MTN have begun investing in mobile payment systems in Asia and Africa that allow consumers to make basic payments for utilities for example but also participate in savings, credit and insurance programmes via mobile phones.

Mobile financial services can also help overcome economic shocks such as natural disasters or unexpected medical emergencies, the study said.

In Kenya, Safaricom's M-Pesa's UAP Insurance insures poor farmers through mobile phones against weather-induced crop failures for example.

Norway's Telenor said it was still early days but that the potential for growth was expected to be huge.

Telenor's EasyPaisa programme in Pakistan started with 2,200 retail outlets in October 2009 and now has 12,600 retailers spread over 650 cities across the country.

It has some 10 million estimated users and the total value of money transfers has reached 17.4 billion Pakistan rupees ($167.2 million).

"We believe that mobile financial services will be one of the key drivers for financial inclusion going forward and thus has the potential to be the most powerful tool for economic and social development in emerging economies," Telenor Chief executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas said in a statement on Tuesday.

Toyota launched its new updated version of Corolla Altis

2011-06-24T23:43:00.000-07:00

Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) has launched an updated version of its Corolla Altis saloon.

The refreshed model now comes with new set of headlamps, refreshed grille and bumper, updated rear lamps. The interiors now feature darker mock wood trim.

The petrol engine has been tweaked and will now deliver 138bhp, 7bhp more than the earlier model.The updated Altis now is equipped with new gearbox options; the 5-speed manual is now replaced by a new 6-speed unit while the top-end automatic version gets a new 7-speed CVT unit. Diesel models will feature the same 6-speed manual gearbox.

The prices of the petrol version have gone up by Rs 15,000-24,000 while the diesel prices have been hiked by Rs 15,000-30,000 depending on model. The Altis petrol is now priced from Rs 10.53 lakh to Rs 14.77 lakh while the diesel variant starts at Rs 11.46 lakh to Rs 14.55 lakh; all prices ex-showroom Delhi.

RENAULT TO GIVE BIRTH ITS NEW DUSTER IN 2012

2011-06-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

Renault has confirmed that it's budget SUV the Duster will be launched in the Indian market. The SUV is expected in the second half of next year.

The Duster shares its platform with the Logan (now Verito) saloon. It will feature a 1.5-litre diesel motor which will be updated to deliver 107bhp and will come mated with a six-speed gearbox. Renault recently showcased the Duster at the Buenos Aires Motor Show with upgraded interiors; this should be seen on the Indian-market Duster as well.

Renault has been tightlipped about the Duster as they were targeting an aggressive price tag which required many meetings with suppliers to get parts at the right price. The Duster will be produced at Renault's Chennai plant. The Duster is expected to be priced between Rs 7-8 lakh.

Renault has plans of launching as many as five vehicles in a period of just 15 months. The French car-maker has already launched its flagship; the Fluence last month, the next offering is the Koleos premium SUV that will take on the likes of Honda's CR-V, Mitsubishi’s Outlander and its sibling the Nissan X-Trail. Renault also revealed that it also has plans to manufacture a compact car that will be built on an Alliance platform.

Renault currently has 14 dealerships in India and aims to increase this number to 40 by the end of the year and reach 100 by end of next year.

American Airlines in talks for 100 Airbus planes

2011-06-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

(Reuters) - AMR Corp's (AMR.N) American Airlines, the operator of an all-Boeing (BA.N) jet fleet, is in talks with Airbus (EAD.PA) about buying at least 100 narrow-body planes, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

A decision by the board of AMR, the third-largest U.S. carrier, may come as soon as July, the report said, adding that the jets from Airbus's A320 series would replace less-efficient aircraft such as Boeing 757s and MD-80s.

An A320 has a list price of $85 million, giving a potential American order a value of about $8.5 billion, according to the report.

Representatives of American Airlines and Airbus were not available for comment outside of U.S. business hours.

British Airways expands flights to Rio de Janeiro

2011-05-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

British Airways is increasing its services to Brazil by doubling its weekly frequency to Rio de Janeiro from three to six flights. Flights to Rio de Janeiro will now depart Heathrow for Rio every day, except Mondays. The departure time remains at 12.15pm, landing in Rio at 9.55pm local time. The flight will continue to be served by a three class B777, enabling customers to choose from 3- classes mentioned below:

1. World traveller-Economy class
2. World Traveller Plus-Premier Economy class
3. Airline's fully flat beds in club world- business class

Neil Cottrell, British Airways’ head of network planning, said: “We are experiencing a real increase in demand for Rio and by doubling the number of frequencies, we are able to offer our customers more choice and greater availability. Brazil is also experiencing strong economic growth and this capacity increase is a great opportunity for British Airways to be part of that growth.”

Holidays in Rio de Janeiro offer visitors white sandy beaches, rainforest clad mountains and cultural must-sees including the famous Christ the Redeemer statue. British Airways offers a choice of hotels including the 3 star Center for a comfortable stay or the 5 star InterContinental Rio next to the Gvea Golf Club and the Fashion Mall shopping centre. The 5 star Porto Bay Rio Internacional has a rooftop swimming pool and views of the beach while the 5 star Copacabana Palace offers luxurious accommodation opposite the famous Copacabana Beach.

World's largest model airport opensin knuffingen, Hamburg

2011-05-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

The world's largest model airport opened this week in Hamburg. It's described in nearly every media account as a spectacular display with a stunning attention to detail. The model loosely based on Hamburg's airport -- took more than six years to build. And, the price tag? Around $5 million.

Australian's media report as the model -- dubbed the Knuffingen Airport -- "features 40 model aircraft and 90 vehicles that move and 'fly' around the airport, and 15,000 mini people. Not a single moment of air rage, however." The airport joins the broader exhibit at Germany's Miniatur Wunderland, where the Knuffingen joins a system of model railways and villages.

The incredible model is based on Hamburg Airport and features 40 planes and 90 vehicles that autonomously move around the airport. It took seven years to build and cost a staggering $4.8 million. The model includes a “carsystem” that manoeuvres the vehicles by computer. Meanwhile tiny wires move the planes, making them appear to fly. There are approximately 40,000 lights, 15,000 figurines, 500 cars, 10,000 trees, 50 trains, 1000 wagons, 100 signals, 200 switches and 300 buildings.

Flybe adding fuel surcharge

2011-05-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

Regional airline Flybe is adding a £3 surcharge to bookings for flights departing from the autumn due to increasing fuel costs. The surcharge will apply for bookings made from today for flights departing on or after September 1, but added that the charge would be removed if the price of crude oil dropped below $75 per barrel for a period of 28 consecutive days.

The airline is set to maintain profit levels despite higher fuel costs and a fall in the number of UK leisure travellers in recent months. Flybe admitted that the UK market “remained challenging” with a 4.4 percentage point fall in load factors for the final three months of its financial year which ended in March.

Despite this fall, the airline increased the total number of seats flown by 4.5% to 2.6 million in the three-month period while revenue per seat went up by 2.2% to £46.14 compared to same quarter last year.

Losses cross Rs 100-cr mark

2011-05-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

The strike by Air India pilots entered into its 8th day today, with losses incurred crossing the Rs 100 crore mark. "We haven't received exact figures of losses incurred due to the strike, but the average calculated loss points to approximately Rs 105 crore," a top official in the Civil Aviation Ministry told MiD DAY.

Repeating their demands, ICPA members yesterday wrote a letter to the prime minister asking him to intervene in the deadlock. The letter, written by Rishabh Kapur, the general secretary of ICPA, highlighted the role played by Arvind Jadhav, the Air India CMD, for the present dismal scenario. "We apologise for the inconvenience caused to the general public because of our industrial action in Air India, but it is of extreme importance for the people to understand the circumstances under which the pilots have been forced to take this drastic step. It is open knowledge that Air India is being plundered under the leadership of Mr Arvind Jadhav.

Second Air France Black Box Found

2011-05-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

Brazil's northeast coast have recovered the second of two flight data recorders from the Air France aircraft that crashed into the Atlantic in 2009, investigators said on Tuesday.

The discovery of the audio recorder, two days after the flight data recorder was fished up, brings investigators even closer to the reason for the crash as it should hold recordings of cockpit conversations during the flight's final moments.

"The investigation team localised and identified the Cockpit Voice Recorder at (2150 GMT) on Monday 2 May, 2011," France's BEA air accident inquiry office said. The device was hauled up to the team's ship at 0240 GMT on Tuesday.

A photograph of the recorder on BEA's website shows a bright orange cylindrical device that looks scuffed and battered but otherwise intact. So-called black boxes are painted orange so that they can be spotted more easily in wreckage.

United Begins Nonstop Service Between Los Angeles and Guadalajara, Mexico

2011-05-02T23:27:00.000-07:00

United tomorrow begins daily nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Guadalajara, Mexico (GDL). This service will be operated by Continental Airlines. "We're delighted to add this nonstop Los Angeles – Guadalajara flight, which connects the second-largest cities of two nations and demonstrates our commitment to Mexico," said John Slater, United's vice president Sales – Americas. "United serves 30 destinations in Mexico, more than any other airline from the U.S., and we offer more departures from the U.S. to Mexico than any other airline."

Flight CO672 departs Los Angeles at 8:20 a.m. daily, arriving in Guadalajara at 1:15 p.m. The return flight (CO673) departs Guadalajara at 2:10 p.m. daily, arriving in Los Angeles at 3:30 p.m. The Los Angeles – Guadalajara service is operated with a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with seating for 160 customers.

Strike enters 4th day; Air India to operate 39 flights

2011-04-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

Air India on Saturday further reduced its operations to 39 domestic flights out of its regular 320 as the strike by its pilots entered the fourth day inconveniencing passengers. “We have curtailed more than 52 per cent of our domestic flights and operating on only trunk routes that is too metro cities,” an AI spokesperson said.

“Under the contingency plan, we have reduced the number of flights as we do not have any pilots,” he said. While 21 flights will be operated from the national capital, Air India’s Mumbai operations have almost come to a standstill as the airline may operate just five flights between 9 and 11 30 am, an AI spokeswoman said in Mumbai. The national carrier did not undertake any operations from Mumbai before 9 am.

Air India strike update April 28

2011-04-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

Air India’s scheduled normal operations, on a daily basis, includes 320 flights. In view of the experience yesterday, the Operations Department drew a contingency schedule for 28th April 2011 wherein operations were reduced by 18% - which amounts to a total of 45 flights. Accordingly, the number of flights as per its contingency schedule will be 45 flights less than normal. Till 1200 hrs, the contingency plan has worked as scheduled and Air India has operated 58 flights. The number of flights cancelled since 0001 hrs today is 16.

Meanwhile Air India has strengthened its Call Centre operations with a view to keep its passengers informed and to ensure that minimum inconvenience is caused to them. The numbers of ‘floor walkers’ have also been increased at major airports to assist the passengers being accommodated on other airlines or in revalidation / refund of tickets, as desired by the passengers.

Southwest plane skids off runway

2011-04-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

A Southwest Airlines plane slid off a runway Tuesday during heavy rain at Chicago Midway International Airport. Southwest Flight 1919 had just landed in route from Denver when the Boeing 737-700 ran off the runway, the airline said in a statement. There were no immediate reports of injuries, it said.

The report is the latest in a series of embarrassing incidents for Southwest Airlines, which came under scrutiny earlier this month when a ruptured fuselage ripped a hole in one of its B-737s at 34,000 feet and then again when reports surfaced that one of its planes came within 176 yards of a small aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement it was investigating Tuesday's incident. There were 134 passengers and five crew members on board at the time of the incident, the NTSB said.

JetBlue to add fast-track security option

2011-04-24T21:09:00.001-07:00

JetBlue plans to add a "fast-track" security option that will give top-fare customers access to elite security lanes at airports where such an option exists. To lure more travelers to buy the airline's "Even More Legroom" seats, JetBlue said Thursday it will offer a fast-track security option for those who buy the roomier seats. That benefit, which will let passengers jump to the front of the security line at certain airports, will begin in a few months. Other airlines including American and United Continental offer similar incentives for first and business class passengers and some coach passengers who pay extra. JetBlue doesn't have first or business class.

Southwest, the largest low-cost carrier in the U.S., also offer a similar options. Customers who by its most-expensive "Business Select" fares get access to priority security lanes at airports where they exist.As for JetBlue, its move comes as it -- like other airlines -- tries to increase the amount of revenue it extracts from each of its passengers. Such "ancillary" fees can add as much as $20 or more to the amount an airline collects from passengers above the fares they paid to board the flight.

Flybe reports passenger increase on sun routes

2011-04-21T21:53:00.000-07:00

Flybe, Europe’s leading regional airline and the UK’s Number One Domestic carrier, gives a snapshot on the travel trends emerging within the UK as a result of the Easter break.

Family friendly destinations key for British holidaymakers

Flybe’s seven routes into Paris Charles de Gaulle are particularly busy with passenger numbers up by 19% over Easter 2010, with travellers using them for convenient access to Disneyland Paris and the rest of the world through Flybe’s codeshare with Air France.

Sun routes soaring

Across its extensive network, Flybe’s sun routes, including its service between Exeter and Alicante, are up by 9% over the Easter period last year. In particular, Flybe’s passenger numbers to regional France have also been boosted 72%, enhanced by new routes to Nantes from London Gatwick and Manchester.

TAM reports domestic demand grows 25% in March

2011-04-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) disclosed today the operational data for the month of March 2011.

Domestic market
In the domestic market, which includes Pantanal’s data, we achieved a demand growth (in RPK) of 25.2%, combined with an increase of 14.6% in the supply (in ASKs), compared with March 2010, which led to an increase in the load factor of 5.8 p.p. to 68.7%. Our market share in the domestic market was 41.8%. In March we had high concentration of leisure passengers mainly due to the carnival holiday that, this year, happened in March, which led to an increase in load factor and a consequent mid single digit reduction in yield, since those passengers buy their tickets in advance and use reward tickets from the loyalty program.

International market
In the international market, compared to the same month last year, we saw a rise of 26.7% in demand with a 12.1% increase in supply resulting in an increase of 9.3 p.p. in load factor reaching 80.3%. Our market share among Brazilian carriers in March was 86.1%. In the international market, the demand of passengers traveling between Brazil and abroad remained strong. The international yield in dollars remained stable compared with the previous month.

JetBlue to ease booking flights to Europe, Cape Cod

2011-04-19T21:17:00.001-07:00

JetBlue will make it easier for customers trying to book flights on some of its partner airlines to Europe, Asia, and South America and places in the Northeast, like Cape Cod. The New York carrier, the largest at Logan, says that its website will now offer connections to flights run by American Airlines, Aer Lingus and Cape Air.

In the past couple of years, JetBlue has cut agreements with various airlines to offer customers the convenience of arranging for connecting flights to destinations the airline doesn't serve. For instance a pact with American lets JetBlue customers connect to American flights to Europe, Asia and South America; one with Aer Lingus gives travelers access through Boston or New York's JFK to Ireland; and a third with Cape Air links passengers to Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Provincetown and Hyannis, Mass.

Qatar Airways Cargo adds three new routes

2011-04-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

Qatar Airways Cargo has announced an expansion of its dedicated freighter routes with new services to Hanoi, Kozhikode and Bengaluru. Freighter operations to Kozhikode and onto Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, are served with an Airbus A300 freighter on the route boosting Qatar Airways Cargo freighter capacity in India by an additional 40 metric tonnes a week.

Cargo flights from Doha to Hanoi begin on April 15, stopping in Hong Kong on the return sector. The weekly service is operated with one of the airline’s dedicated Boeing 777 freighters and follows the successful launch of passenger flights to the Vietnamese capital in November 2010. Qatar Airways also operates scheduled services to Ho Chi Minh City and is the only Gulf carrier flying to Vietnam.

Cargo flights from Doha to Hanoi begin on April 15, stopping in Hong Kong on the return sector. The weekly service is operated with one of the airline’s dedicated Boeing 777 freighters and follows the successful launch of passenger flights to the Vietnamese capital in November 2010. Qatar Airways also operates scheduled services to Ho Chi Minh City and is the only Gulf carrier flying to Vietnam.

East Coast reveals surge in passengers

2011-04-17T21:07:00.001-07:00

East Coast is welcoming latest statistics which show how its trains are winning the battle for custom against the airlines on its key Edinburgh and Newcastle to London routes. Figures published today by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) show that in the last five years, East Coast’s market share on the routes linking Edinburgh and Newcastle with London, has risen significantly.

East Coast’s market share on the Edinburgh to London route grew from 21% in 2008 to 27% last year; while its share on the Newcastle to London route grew from 59% in 2008 to 64% last year.

Over the last 18 months, East Coast’s market share on both the Edinburgh and Newcastle to London routes has seen a growing surge, as challenging economic conditions led to increasingnumbers of passengers taking advantage of its value for money advance purchase tickets.

United reinstates fee for last-minute award tickets

2011-04-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

United Airlines announced on Thursday that it will reinstate a fee for frequent-flier tickets booked at the last minute. Beginning June 15, the carrier will charge $75 to customers without elite frequent-flier status when they book an award ticket within 21 days of their departure date. Premier-level frequent fliers will be charged $50 while Premier Executive members will face a $25 fee. United's top-level Global Services and 1K members will still be able to book last-minute award tickets at no charge.

United currently does not charge a fee for close-in award-ticket bookings, though the new fee structure mirrors what merger partner Continental currently charges."As we continue the changes under way at United Airlines and Continental Airlines, we're revising certain Mileage Plus and OnePass award fees to make them consistent across both programs," United said in an e-mail to its frequent-flier members on Thursday.

Elsewhere, United says that "for General members, most award fees are going down or staying the same."For example, the fee will drop to $75 from $150 for non-elite fliers changing their origin or destination cities on award tickets that are issued before June 15. The same change applies to non-elite customers who add, change or remove a connecting city from an award ticket issued prior to June 15. Global Services and 1K members will not be charged.

Sendai: Airport's remarkable reopening aided by U.S. military

2011-04-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

A Japan Airlines flight from Tokyo Haneda landed at Japan's once-battered Sendai Airport on Wednesday, marking the return of commercial passenger flights there for the first time since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.While passenger airline schedules remain limited at Sendai, the service resumption is a striking turnaround for an airport that was seen on video being swallowed up by a tsunami wave just over 30 days ago.

"I didn't think we would be able to restart operations so soon," Shinichiro Ito, All Nippon's CEO, is quoted by Bloomberg News as saying at the airport's reopening ceremony on Wednesday. "The airport was a mountain of debris." Still, Air Transport World writes that Sendai Airport "President Katsuhiko Ito cautioned that the airport isn't likely to fully re-open for at least a year, noting that some facilities are still mud-covered and more debris needs to be cleared."

Air France A380 Collides On JFK Taxiway

2011-04-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

US investigators have impounded an Air France A380 which collided with a smaller jet at New York's John F. Kennedy airport on Monday but the airline says transatlantic A380 flights will be unaffected. The Airbus superjumbo, the world's largest airliner with a wingspan of almost 80 metres (yards), hit the tail section of a Bombardier CRJ regional jet which spun in a quarter turn on the taxiway, according to amateur video. A CNN correspondent on the Air France flight to Paris reported that he felt a "slight rumble akin to hitting a patch of rough pavement" as the plane with over 500 people on board was moving on the ground at about 8.15pm local time on Tuesday.

The correspondent said about a foot of the Air France superjumbo's left wing appeared to be damaged. Air France confirmed the incident and said both aircraft had been "immobilised" pending an investigation. A spokeswoman declined to estimate the time and cost of repairs to the wing. Air France, which flies five times a day to New York including one flight using the Airbus double-decker, will operate its daily A380 flight on Tuesday as normal, she said.

United Airlines Offers Bonus Award Miles When Booking Cruise Travel

2011-04-11T23:37:00.000-07:00

United Airlines is giving customers many reasons to book cruises through the airline's new United Cruises service. Depending on the length of thehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifir stay, customers can earn up to 10,000 miles. When customers book a room using their Mileage Plus Visa Card before April 30, 2011, United Cruises will double the amount of miles earned. Mileage Plus members can also earn up to 20,000 total Mileage Plus award miles when they book a balcony or suite stateroom before the same date, and can earn up to 40,000 award miles if they book a balcony or suite stateroom with their Mileage Plus Visa card for a stay of at least 13 nights.

United launched United Cruises on Jan. 20, 2011, offering customers a convenient way to book travel on 19 different cruise lines to destinations worldwide, including the Caribbean, Bahamas, Alaska, Europe, Mexico and Bermuda. Cruise lines available through United Cruises include name brands like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Celebrity and Disney. Customers receive a 110 percent best price guarantee and savings of up to 75 percent off of the brochure rate on sailings when booking on United Cruises.

Airlines raise fares, offer some deals

2011-04-10T22:31:00.001-07:00

Airlines again are seeking to boost round-trip ticket prices $10 on many domestic routes, while quietly offering huge limited-time discounts between other U.S cities. US Airways on Thursday raised most of its domestic round-trip fares by $10, and three competing airlines — Delta, American and Continental — matched the increase Thursday and Friday. It was the 10th attempted rise in fares this year by airlines, which have been raising prices to meet escalating jet-fuel prices says Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com. On March 1, American Airlines successfully raised most domestic round-trip fares $10 — the sixth successful attempt to raise fares $4 to $10 this year, Seaney says. If the current increase sticks, it would be the seventh since Jan 1.

American, United Airlines and Continental Airlines made three subsequent attempts in March to raise fares $10, but the increases didn’t stick, because other airlines didn’t match the prices, he says. While fares on many routes went up $10 last week, there were huge price reductions on others. Some price drops lasted less than a day, and the number of tickets sold at bargain prices was limited.

Emirates boosts South American services

2011-04-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

Emirates Airlines is set to boost its service to South America with the launch of a new service to Rio de Janeiro and extension to Buenos Aires. Launching early next year, the iconic cities will now offer a faster link to Dubai and over 100 destinations worldwide. Last year Emirates Airlines was recognised by the World Travel Awards Middle East’s Leading Airline Website. His highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman Emirates Airline, said: “Both Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro are rightly renowned as world-class leisure destinations as well as important business and trading centres.

“Our research has shown that there is a high demand for these cities from across our network.”The Dubai-Rio de Janeiro-Buenos Aires service will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft offering eight First Class Private Suites, 42 lie-flat seats in Business and 304 seats in Economy. “Brazil has been part of the Emirates network since 2007 when we began flights from Dubai to Sao Paulo,” added Sheikh Ahmed. “With the country playing host to both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympics, Brazil will be further catapulted into the world’s spotlight, and we will be in a prime position to transport sports enthusiasts to these renowned events.

American Airlines adding more flights in markets

2011-04-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

American Airlines is adding more flights in existing markets and rolling out new international and domestic service to give customers more scheduling options. The airline said Tuesday that it will now have daily nonstop service between Los Angeles and Shanghai. It will have another daily nonstop route between New York and Budapest, Hungary. Flights between Chicago and Helsinki, Finland will start on May 1.

American affiliate American Eagle will provide new nonstop service to Albuquerque, N.M.; Boise, Idaho; El Paso, Texas; Houston Bush Intercontinental; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; Sacramento, Calif. and Tucson, Ariz. All of the flights will depart from Los Angeles. American will increase its daily service from Miami to Madrid from one flight it two flights. It will also raise the number of flights between New York JFK and Barcelona to 11 weekly flights from seven. In addition, American will restart daily seasonal service between Boston and Paris; Chicago and Dublin, Ireland and New York and Manchester, England.

Southwest airlines: US to order emergency checks of older 737s

2011-04-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

The US government will order emergency checks of dozens of Boeing 737s after Southwest airlines was forced to ground planes over safety concerns. Southwest cancelled hundreds of flights after a five-foot tear opened in the fuselage of a plane 20 minutes after taking off from Phoenix on Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration has now ordered fuselage inspections of older 737-300, -400, and -500 models, involving what could be time-consuming and repetitive electromagnetic checks. "This action is designed to detect cracking in a specific part of the aircraft that cannot be spotted with visual inspection," FAA administrator Randy Babbitt said. Boeing will offer its own advice to airlines outlining specific inspection steps. The FAA said most of the 80 jets needing checks in America are planes flown by Southwest, and have accumulated high numbers of take-offs and landings. Foreign regulators are expected to adopt the FAA order for airlines they regulate, covering another 95 planes worldwide. Southwest is already carrying out its own round of voluntary emergency inspections following Friday's emergency in Arizona.

Flight 812 was heading from Phoenix to Sacramento when the tear opened in the fuselage. Southwest has struggled with fatigue cracking on its older aircraft, which safety experts and other industry insiders attribute to the aggressive way it uses those planes. Friday's incident was the second time in two years that a Southwest plane experienced a fuselage rupture soon after takeoff at more than 30,000 feet. Both planes landed safely. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the latest incident andis likely to take a fresh look at Southwest's maintenance practices and FAA oversight of the carrier. "They are going to be pushed very hard on this," said one safety expert familiar with the thinking of transportation investigators. Southwest cancelled 600 flights over the weekend and another 70 yesterday as it worked to inspect planes and get them back into service. Southwest hoped to complete the checks on Tuesday.

Hawaiian Airlines reaffirms commitment to Japan

2011-04-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hawaiian Airlines today reaffirmed its commitment to Japan and its broader plan of expansion in Asia. President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Dunkerley said, “The earthquake and the tsunami which hit Japan on March 11 devastated the littoral communities in North Eastern Japan. All of us at Hawaiian send our deepest sympathy to those who have lost loved ones and who themselves face an uncertain future as the process of rebuilding gets underway. As a company, and as citizens of an ocean side community with close ties to Japan, we have a special connection to those in need in Japan and we are engaged in a broad array of efforts aimed at supporting them as they rebuild their lives. We wish we could do more.

“While other airlines have announced service reductions to Japan, we have no plans to reduce our daily service to Tokyo, and we remain committed to launching new service to Osaka beginning July 12. It is clear from our current results that we are seeing a significantly less severe downturn in traffic than is being reported by other companies in the airline and tourism sectors. At the same time, discussions with our travel partners in Japan indicate that while a downturn is currently upon us, they expect a recovery in bookings after a short interval.”

Ethiopian Airlines receives $40m loan from African Development Bank

2011-04-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

The African Development Bank Board of Directors approved a second lien corporate loan of $40 million to Ethiopian Airlines in Tunis on March 23, 2011. The approved loan is an additional fund for partial financing of the purchased five Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, besides what has been availed by Citibank N.A., African Finance Corporation (AFC) and Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (PTA). “Ethiopian would like to thank the management and Board of the African Development Bank for their support. The support vividly reflects AfDB’s firm commitment to advance the growth of aviation in Africa”, said Ato Tewolde G. Mariam CEO of Ethiopian Airlines.

The African Development bank supports the continent’s economic and social development by promoting investments as well as providing its regional member countries with technical and financial assistance. Ethiopian Airlines has ordered the most modern aircraft direct from the manufacturers to meet the growing demand for increased capacity and additional destinations, ensure the comfort of its customers as well as build an environmentally friendly fleet. The orders include ten 787-Dreamliners and ten 737-800s from the Boeing Company as well as twelve A-350-900s from Airbus. Ethiopian recently has received three of its Boeing 777-200LRs and will receive two more in April and July of this year.

Lufthansa's A380 takes off on maiden flight

2011-03-31T21:46:00.001-07:00

Lufthansa currently flies Boeing 747-400 aircraft on the route. With the new service, Miami joins the following North American airports that have existing or looming A380 service: Los Angeles, Montreal, New York JFK, San Francisco, Toronto and Washington Dulles. For Lufthansa, Miami will be its third A380 destination in the U.S., joining New York JFK and San Francisco.

"We are extremely excited to introduce our new, flagship A380 aircraft as the very first in the Miami market," Jens Bischof, Lufthansa Vice President, The Americas, says in a release. "I applaud Miami International Airport's management team for their determination to become A380-ready." And, as you might expect, the news was enthusiastically received by officials at Miami International. "Lufthansa's announcement of the A380 coming to MIA is a pinnacle moment we have eagerly anticipated for many years," Miami-Dade Aviation Director José Abreu says in the Lufthansa release. "We are honored to be one of the first U.S. airports Lufthansa has chosen for A380 service and we greatly look forward to welcoming the historic first flight from Frankfurt in June."

American Airlines suspends 2 of 6 daily flights to Japan

2011-03-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

American Airlines is suspending two of its six daily flights to Japan next week due to a slump in traffic since the big earthquake and tsunami.American said Wednesday it will suspend the flights on April 6 and resume them on April 26. One goes from New York to Tokyo's Haneda Airport, and the other flies between Dallas and Tokyo's Narita Airport. The move by AMR Corp.'s American Airlines follows Delta Air Lines Inc.'s decision last week to suspend service to Haneda, although Delta continues flying to Narita.
American said it will continue operating the other four daily flights to Tokyo Narita from New York's Kennedy Airport, Dallas, Chicago and Los Angeles. Demand for travel to Japan has been hurt by power shortages and fear about radiation leaking from a damaged nuclear power plant. Japan Airlines said this week that its international traffic had fallen 25 per cent since the March 11 earthquake, and it cut flights to Honolulu and Hong Kong.
American declined to say how much its traffic on U.S.-Japan routes has fallen."I can say demand out of Japan is higher than demand into Japan," said American spokesman Ed Martelle. American said it will go ahead with Friday's scheduled launch of a trans-Pacific joint venture with Japan Airlines, or JAL. American's vice-president for Asia, Theo Panagiotoulias, called it "a difficult decision" but one that would support customers and Japan. AMR, the only big U.S. airline company to lose money last year, has pinned much of its hopes for renewed profit on the American-JAL business deal, which it expects will boost lucrative international ticket sales.

Delta, SkyTeam partners take aim at Florida

2011-03-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

Delta and its SkyTeam partners are beefing up their presence in Florida, combining to add three new trans-Atlantic routes as well as three routes within the state. Delta on Saturday began nonstop service between Miami and London Heathrow with one daily round-trip flight on Boeing 767-400 jets. The London route follows another added from Miami by Delta partner KLM, which on Sunday began flying four nonstop flights a week to its hub in Amsterdam. KLM is using MD-11 jets on that route.

On June 7, Air France -- another of Delta's key partners -- will begin nonstop service between Orlando and Paris Charles de Gaulle. Air France will operate three flights a week on that route using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Delta says in a press release that "the airlines will operate the new Florida flights under their trans-Atlantic joint venture, an agreement, which also includes Alitalia, that allows the partners to coordinate flights and share costs and revenues of the service. For customers, it means more choices for booking, destinations and schedules, additional opportunities to earn and redeem miles and consistent service regardless of which airline operates the flight."

Emirates On Track For 'Record' Year

2011-03-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

Emirates said on Sunday that it had repaid a USD$500 million bond that was due this month and it is on course for a "record breaking" financial year. The bond, listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, was originally issued in 2004 with a seven year term. "The repayment of this bond is part of Emirates overall financing strategy," the airline's chairman and chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum said in a statement. He said the airline would continue to use normal diverse range of options available to finance its growth. Emirates dropped plans for a bond to finance expansion after the uprisings in North Africa made rates more expensive, its president Tim Clark said earlier this month. The carrier is on track for another record breaking financial year, the company said in a statement. "The results for the first half of the 2010-11 financial year are incredibly robust," said Sheikh Ahmed.
"We continue to invest our profits in growing the business and our healthy financial position enables us to successfully meet all of our financial commitments and raise financing for future aircraft deliveries." He said that the 62 new aircraft ordered in the first half of 2010 will help the airline develop its growth plans. The Dubai-based airline last year announced a multi-billion dollar increase in its fleet to include 120 Airbus A380 super jumbos. Emirates is Dubai's flagship company and one of the biggest contributors to a local economy hit hard by a property crisis. The government-owned airline rivals longer established names for traffic between Europe and east Asia.

Eco-friendly Jet Fuel

2011-03-27T21:36:00.001-07:00

In an RV nicknamed after an urban assault vehicle, scientists from NASA's Langley Research Center traveled cross-country this month for an experiment with eco-friendly jet fuel. NASA's DC-8 at Dryden Flight Research Center's Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif. Credit: NASA Dryden/Tom Tschida The Langley team drove 2,600 miles (4,184 km) from Hampton, Va., to meet up with other researchers at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California.

Researchers are testing the biofuel on a NASA DC-8 to measure its performance and emissions as part of the Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment II, or AAFEX II. The fuel is called Hydrotreated Renewable Jet Fuel. "It's made out of chicken fat, actually," said Langley's Bruce Anderson, AAFEX II project scientist. "The Air Force bought many thousands of gallons of this to burn in some of their jets and provided about 8,000 gallons (30,283 liters) to NASA for this experiment." Anderson and his team will test a 50-50 mix of biofuel and regular jet fuel, biofuel only, and jet fuel only. The jet fuel is Jet Propellant 8, or JP-8, a kerosene-like mix of hydrocarbons.

Railways have nearly Rs 200-cr losses due to Jat agitation

2011-03-25T00:42:00.000-07:00

The Northern Railway has registered losses nearly Rs 200 crore due to Jat agitation. The Jat community had blocked railway tracks and also stopped the movement of the trains. Although the exact figure hasn't been released yet. The Jat agitation is still continuing in the neighbouring states.

The freight traffic has witnessed major losses and the transportation of perishables and on-time performance of the railways has got impacted. Moreover, supply of commodities such as vegetables, milk, coal and petroleum products were affected heavily.The Railways has bagged quantitative and qualitative losses. On March 16, 66 trains were cancelled. The Jat community has further stated that they will block all rail links between the city and other cities such as Agra, Kanpur and Ambala, from March 28.

Air India Offers low cost Flights to India

2011-03-24T00:10:00.000-07:00

Air India has announced its special flight fares for flights from London to various cities across the country.By using this offer, Air India customers can book flights to Mumbai from London Airport starting from fares between 220 to 250 GBP approx excl. taxes. Moreover, the national flagship carrier offers direct flights to Bombay hence making the journey more convenient and time saving. The other Indian cities included in this offer are Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmadabad, Kochi, Trivandrum and Goa flights.

Vision airlines-launch more Florida routes

2011-03-22T01:54:00.000-07:00

Vision Airlines, formerly Vision Air, is an airline headquartered in Georgia, United States. One of the fastest-growing airlines in the country is flying just below the radar, catering largely to customers bound for the beaches of northwest Florida.
Discount airline Vision is focusing on funneling flyers to the Florida Panhandle, to the exquisite Emerald Coast. In the wake of the BP oil spill, the beaches on these reaches of Florida are still sugar-sand white, still among the best anywhere.
Ten minutes away from those beaches is Northwest Florida Regional Airport. Problem is, Airport Director Greg Donovan says, “Only three percent of tourists fly to Destin/Fort. Walton Beach. The remainder has been forced to drive hundreds of miles to get here.”
Vision is helping change the equation with nonstop flights to an array of cities, places that haven’t had direct service to the region. Up until recently, air access to Northwest Florida Regional Airport has been via Delta Connection from Atlanta, US Airways Express from Charlotte, American Eagle from Dallas/Fort Worth, Continental Express form Houston, and Delta Connection from Memphis.

Southwest hypes frequent-flier revamp with 10M-point-giveaway

2011-03-18T00:14:00.000-07:00

Southwest Airlines has launched a frequent-flier promotion this week in which the carrier would give as many as 100,000 Rapid Rewards points to 10 different clients.

The airline will give away the points 10 million in total if trick-shot artists "Dude Perfect" hit a stunt shot over a 737, The Arizona Republic reports

So, what's behind the giveaway?

"One of the objectives of this promotion is to drive fresh membership across all demographics," Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz tells Direct Marketing News. "But the promotion is also meant to reward current members."

The Republic adds Southwest is rolling out the promotion as an effort "to celebrate the launch of its revised frequent flier program," which was plagued by technical glitches as well as common discontent from some of the carrier's long-time customers.

Japan disaster to hit premium air travel-IATA

2011-03-17T02:55:00.001-07:00

"It is too soon to judge how the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March will change air travel, but the market is big enough to have a materially adverse impact on the international total for that month," IATA said in a statement.

IATA, which represents over 240 airlines, made the comments in its monthly premium monitor as it said growth in demand for business and first class tickets on international flights increased to 8.1 percent in January from 7.1 percent in December.

"Momentum was strong at the start of 2011 and rising business confidence points to extra gains in the months ahead," IATA said, adding that unrest in the Middle East and the Japanese disaster would likely hit February and March figures.

Southwest raises fares $5 each way

2011-02-22T04:09:00.000-08:00

Southwest Airlines increased fares on the bulk of its routes by $10 roundtrip Friday, encouraging competitors to quickly match prices.

United, American, US Airways, Continental, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue and AirTran followed and raised their fares Friday evening, according to Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com, which narrowly monitors fares.

"I don't expect this hike to fail," he says. "I don't ever recall an airfare hike in which Southwest participated that was not widely winning in raising ticket prices."

Southwest says rising fuel costs forced its move. "We implemented a modest systemwide fare raise of $5 one-way to offset higher fuel costs," says Southwest spokeswoman Ashley Dillon.

Delta Fined $2M For Violating Travel Rules For Disabled

2011-02-18T21:56:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Department of Transportation levied a $2 million civil penalty against Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) for allegedly violating policy protecting air travelers with disabilities.

According to the agency, an investigation found "many violations of the requirement to provide assistance getting on and off the airplane." The airline carrier's complaint records also showed that it frequently "did not provide an adequate written response to disability complaints from passengers."

The Aviation Enforcement Office also found that Delta--the second biggest U.S. airline by revenue failed to properly report each disability complaint in reports filed with the department.

Of the $2 million penalty, $750,000 must be paid by the carrier and up to $1.25 million may be used to develop its service to passengers with disabilities beyond what is required by law. It is the largest civil penalty ever assessed against an airline by the Department of Transportation in a non-safety-related case.

High-speed train system has a long way to go

2011-02-14T22:38:00.000-08:00

The Obama management is proceeding at full speed with plans to create a national high-speed rail system, proposing billions in next year's budget to help lay the groundwork. But political opposition and hefty costs could mean the ambitious program goes nowhere speedy.

President Obama's 2012 budget unveiled Monday includes $8 billion for high-speed rail coming year, part of a planned $53 billion investment in enhanced train service over six years.

The wealth would further Obama's vision of providing high speed train access to 80% of Americans in 25 years.

Egypt still a travel risk for Australians

2011-02-14T01:01:00.003-08:00

Egypt prepare for historic democratic change after President Hosni Mubarak gave in to thousands of protesters and stepped down.

Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd said the Gillard Government had offered to help in the transition to democracy, but said travellers and Australian-Egyptian nationals should continue to follow the Government's travel guidance.

"Public shouldn't just conclude automatically that security concerns have disappeared," Mr Rudd said.

Nokia Joins Forces With Microsoft to Challenge Apple, Google; Shares Slump

2011-02-11T04:44:00.000-08:00

Nokia Oyj, the world’s largest maker of mobile phones, said it’s forming a software corporation with Microsoft Corp, betting that together the two companies can challenge Google Inc. and Apple Inc.

Nokia fell as much as 12 percent, the biggest fall in a almost 10 months, after its plan to make Microsoft’s Windows its primary software was seen as a sign of the extent of its troubles taking on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platforms.

“It’s a clear admission that Nokia’s own platform strategy has faltered,” told Ben Wood, a London-based analyst with CCS Insight. “Microsoft is the big winner in this deal, but there are no silver bullets for either company given strength of iPhone and Android.”

Coke Sales Rise Globally

2011-02-10T01:55:00.000-08:00

Coca-Cola Co. posted solid fourth-quarter worldwide sales growth and continued to take share from rival PepsiCo Inc. in the key North American market.

Coke's growth was fastest in emerging markets like India and Brazil, but the company is seeing stabilization in its biggest markets. In North America, sales volume in juices, sodas and all other beverages rose 3%, excluding the impact of acquisitions and foreign-currency translations. That was the third straight quarter the figure was up. Parts of Europe saw budding signs of recovery.

Significantly, Coke also saw its North American soda sales volume tick up for the third straight quarter, in defiance of a years-long slide across the industry as customers switched to water and other drinks for health and economic reasons.

Dollar falls against euro as China raises rates

2011-02-09T02:03:00.000-08:00

The U.S. dollar fell to the euro in late trading Tuesday after China announced that it would increase rates. Investors have also become less worried about the unrest in Egypt, moving away from the dollar and looking to invest in riskier currencies.

China's central bank said Tuesday that it would increase deposit and lending interest rates by a quarter percentage point, the second time China has raised rates in over a month.

"It was expected, but the time was unknown," said Camilla Sutton, chief currency strategist at Scotia Capital. "Investors are anticipating more interest rate hikes out of China."

Toyota Motor Q3 profit slumps, outlook lifted

2011-02-08T01:42:00.000-08:00

October-December operating profit was 99.07 billion yen ($1.20 billion), down from 189.1 billion yen in the similar period a year earlier. Net profit fell 38.9 percent to 93.63 billion yen.

For the year to March 31 it lifted its working profit forecast to 550 billion yen ($6.68 billion) from 380 billion yen, after profits for the first nine months exceeded that figure.

It increased its global sales forecast to 7.48 million vehicles from 7.41 million, with domestic sales seen at 2.02 million vehicles compared with an earlier prediction of 1.99 million. Its U.S. forecast was unchanged at 2.09 million units

American Airlines-Orbitz-Expedia feud may affect ticket prices

2011-02-07T00:49:00.000-08:00

The recently sparked feud between American Airlines and the travel websites Orbitz and Expedia has business travel managers worried that the dispute may end up making plane tickets charge more money.

It all started previous year when American Airlines yanked its ticket sales from Orbitz to save on the commissions and fees it pays to sell tickets through travel sites. Expedia jumped into the fray by withholding American Airlines ticket information from its web site.

At the heart of the quarrel is a complicated revenue-sharing arrangement between the airline, the travel site and the global distribution systems that dole out ticket information.

Super Bowl XLV: Winter Weather Causing Travel Problems For Fans

2011-02-03T23:02:00.001-08:00

The NFL goes out of their way to make sure that the Super Bowl isn’t played in nasty winter weather to even be considered to host the big game a city has to have decent weather or a domed stadium. Dallas usually has both and just to make sure weather doesn’t play a part in the outcome of the game the retractable roof at Cowboys Stadium will be closed on Sunday. Despite all of their power, however, the NFL can’t handle the weather nationwide and the big winter storm in the Midwest has wreaked havoc on the travel plans of Packers and Steelers fans.

But it’s not just the bad weather conditions in the Midwest Texas was hit by a sizable ice storm previous this week. According to flight tracking service FlightAware at least 1,250 flights to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport have been canceled this week. That’s second only to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, where ‘The Windy City’ has been impacted by one of the most severe blizzards in current memory. The storm in Texas was followed by unseasonably cold weather with high temperatures in the mid-teens.

Dallas Super Freeze delivers power outages,travel problems as sub-freezing temperatures continue

2011-02-03T04:36:00.000-08:00

The Super Freeze held its grip on North Texas on Wednesday, as residents faced mass transit delays and icy roads that again blocked area schools and canceled Super Bowl-related events for students.

And don’t look for much of a break before the weekend. Weather forecasters say temperatures probably will be in the low to mid teens early Thursday at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and might not hit the freezing mark there until noontime Saturday with a chance of snow Thursday night and Friday morning.

“If we get some sunshine there’s a option we could get above freezing Friday afternoon,” said Daniel Huckaby, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Calm Twin Cities weather masks widespread travel disruption

2011-02-02T01:25:00.000-08:00

Impact from the storm's early stages rolled all the way to Minnesota, where 125 Delta Airlines flights to different cities across the country about one-third of the airline's Twin Cities traffic were cancelled. Many more cancellations were expected Wednesday, said Delta spokesman Anthony Black.

5 flights to Chicago were diverted to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, likely stranding those passengers for at least Tuesday night, said Patrick Hogan, Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman.

But the airport was "relatively quiet and calm," Hogan said. That's most likely because airlines have been cancelling flights well ahead of their scheduled departure time, keeping people from showing up at the airport at all.

Google in Talks to Save Travel Deal

2011-02-01T02:42:00.000-08:00

Google is negotiating with the U.S. Department of Justice in move to head off an antitrust lawsuit against its acquisition of ITA, a leading travel information aggregator.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based company freshly agreed to pay $700 million for ITA, a travel service that powers an estimated 65 percent of direct online flight bookings, including sites like Kayak, SideStep and travel results at Microsoft's Bing search engine.

Should the agreement go through, some travel companies like Expedia fear that Google's rankings could be skewed to favor of the its travel service, prompting the Justice Department to look into for possible antitrust violations.

Travel warnings as riots grip Egypt

2011-01-30T22:18:00.000-08:00

Australia has issued travel warning to Egypt as police were ordered back on the streets of the capital, Cairo,

In Australia, the government is urging Australians not to travel to Egypt, after looting and demonstrations in main cities, also including Alexandria and Suez.

Australians who are in Egypt have been advised to stay away from protests.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has also warned Egypt's international airports are currently very busy and those with confirmed flights should allow five or six hours and take their own food and water.

TUI Travel Finally Back on Track Despite a Very Difficult Start to the Year

2011-01-28T03:57:00.000-08:00

TUI Travel has been proving that it has what it takes to make it in a hard travel industry. In fact, TUI has announced that it is back on track despite the very difficult start to 2011. The political uprising in Tunisia and even the snow have caused a lot of travel chaos for the UK this current year. However some companies, like TUI, have overcome the odds to come out on top.

TUI does remain on track to reach its target for winter bookings. However, it is the summer bookings that look actually good for the company. Apparently the summer bookings are very strong as customers seek value.

The company went on to say that bookings since its earlier trading statement in early December were down 1 percent as Arctic conditions led to the closure of a number of British airports. On top of this, the company had to cancel all flights to Tunisia on January 15, following a series of very violent demonstrations and riots across the country.

Fears of fragmented air travel market allayed

2011-01-27T07:09:00.000-08:00

American Airlines and Sabre Holdings have agreed to suspend litigation surrounding their airfare distribution contract.

During the suspension, the organisations have agreed to operate as they had been prior to when the conflict between them began, while they work towards a fresh airfare distribution agreement.

The agreement means travel buyers will benefit from a totally transparent view of airline data on Sabre Holdings, one of the world’s largest global distribution systems, including American Airlines travel information.

Airlines' path for profits: Fly less, charge more

2011-01-24T22:14:00.000-08:00

After a decade of multibillion-dollar losses, U.S. airlines appear to be on course to prosper for years to come for a simple reason: They fly less.

By grounding planes and eliminating flights, airlines have cut expenses and pushed fares higher. As the global economy rebounds, travel demand is rising and planes are as full as they've been in years.

Profit margins at big airlines are the highest in at least a decade, according to the government. The eight major U.S. airlines are forecast to earn more than $5 billion this year and $5.6 billion in 2012.

Orbitz vs. American Airlines: The traveler is the loser

2011-01-21T01:52:00.000-08:00

Maybe you've heard about the little issue between American Airlines and several online travel agencies, including Orbitz and Expedia.

Maybe you've noticed that when you go fare-shopping on those travel websites, you aren't offered any American flights.

Maybe you've told to yourself, "So what?"

"It's truly an inside baseball kind of story," admits William Swelbar, a research engineer in MIT's International Center for Air Transportation.

British Airways strike: time to grow up

2011-01-20T05:12:00.000-08:00

British Airways cabin crew will announce the result of yet another ballot for strike action tomorrow. Most commentators seem to think that they will again vote in favour ,but this time there will be less taking part in the ballot and possibly a smaller majority. There is also a widely held confidence in the management of the airline that they can ensure the majority of flights will operate throughout any action.

As a captain with BA, I have flown freshly with those cabin crew colleagues who trust they must fight on, those who have given up, those who never took up the strike and those who have volunteered from other parts of the airline to break the strike. Sometimes it was all of the above on the same crew – which is no basis for the calm and professional service on which my colleagues and the airline pride themselves.

AMR 4Q Loss Narrows Amid Improved Business Travel, Fare Trends

2011-01-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

The parent of American Airlines on Wednesday reported a narrower fourth-quarter loss and pledged to keep costs flat current year in an effort to narrow the gap with rival U.S. carriers.

American also plans to expand capacity more than its network rivals in what is a crucial year for the country's third-largest airline as it tries to leverage expanded alliances with overseas partners, rejig its domestic network and secure fresh deals with labor and third-party ticket sellers.

"As we focus on the year ahead, we are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to build on our present momentum," told Chairman and Chief Executive Gerard Arpey in a letter to staff. "The economic recovery is real, albeit fragile, and our network is much stronger than it was a year ago."

As American Airlines clashes with Sabre, travel agents suffer

2011-01-13T00:15:00.000-08:00

A fight between the big boys is currently hurting the little guys.

With Sabre Holdings announcing previous week that it would drop American Airlines' fares from its system in August and in the meantime make those fares harder to find, some travel agents say their agencies are paying the price.

"I can't have an agent spending all day long checking airline websites for an airfare," told Debbie Stevenson, owner of Ridgmar Travel in Fort Worth. "I feel totally helpless. I'm at the mercy of two big companies, American and Sabre."

Winter storm moves north and causes more travel headaches

2011-01-12T02:36:00.000-08:00

Travelers all over the southern area of the United States are already experiencing headaches. The Atlanta airport, the busiest in the world, had dozens and dozens of flights canceled as a rare winter snow storm crippled much of the southern United States. Currently, however, the National Weather Service is warning that the same storm is headed north and east.

The cities in the path of the storm, according to the Weather Service, include major travel hubs. Philadelphia, Boston and New York are all expected to take a hit. New York is expected to get between 8 to 14 inches starting Tuesday night and on in to Wednesday. Boston is predicted to get between 9 to 15 inches.

New York’s Governor Cuomo activated the state’s emergency plans on Tuesday. He did so in an effort to ensure that the streets will be cleared and that residents have access to the resources they need.

The National Weather Service has issued a “weather emergency” and is advising motorists and travelers to stay off the roads. Major cities have also initiated parking bans and are allowing snow taking away crews to tow and remove cars parked in snow zone.

American sues Sabre in battle over flight listings

2011-01-11T03:35:00.000-08:00

American Airlines is suing Sabre to prevent the company from downplaying American flights in displays that it provides to travel agents.

American says if Sabre is allowed to favor other airlines in information searches, it will cost American "countless sales."

The lawsuit was filed Monday in state court in Fort Worth, Texas. It's the newest blow in an escalating fight over how airline tickets are sold.

American wants to force travel agents to get information about flights and prices straight from the airline to reduce middleman expenses. Sabre, a travel-data provider, retaliated last week by making it harder for travel agents to find information about American flights and raising fees that it charges American.

American Airlines feud: bad news for consumers

2011-01-10T00:09:00.000-08:00

American Airlines wants travel agents and consumers to buy tickets directly from its online site rather than online travel agencies such as Orbitz, Expedia or Travelocity, which offer a broad choice of airlines, ticket prices and flight times. Podcast: Find low-priced fares as American Airlines fights travel sites.

As anyone who’s bought tickets online knows, those travel agencies offer discounts, plus a convenient means of choosing which flights, and which airlines to fly. We use these websites to make purchases based on price. American wants you to buy based on services.

“American is forcing a situation where you almost have to roll back the clock [to] where it makes it more hard for the consumer to access comprehensive fare and schedule information,” said Mike McCormick, executive director of the National Business Travel Association.

2 Airlines Say They'll Waive Some Fees If Weather Disrupts Travel This Weekend

2011-01-08T00:39:00.000-08:00

JetBlue Airways and American Airlines say they'll waive some change fees if your travel plans are disrupted by bad weather conditions this weekend.

American Airlines is allowing passengers to change their flights to or from Bradley International Airport and other East Coast destination, with Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Pa., and Boston.

If you are traveling to, from or through any of those airports today and your ticket was issued no later than Wednesday, you may change flights as late as Sunday with no penalty.

Latest fare war: Airline vs. online

2011-01-07T01:27:00.000-08:00

Travel industry watchers say a struggle is brewing for manage of the air travel reservations, and that travel websites and even some travel agents are already feeling the effects.

American Airlines and online ticketing sites Orbitz and Expedia are at odds over the airline's efforts to steer more air ticket purchases through its latest reservation system. As a result, American's flights are no longer sold through Orbitz and Expedia.

"American Airlines wants to stop paying the global distribution systems charge and instead have people come to them directly," said Charlie Leocha, director of the nonprofit Consumer Travel Alliance in Washington, D.C., a subscription-supported consumer advocacy group.

Sabre joins American Airlines ticket spat

2011-01-06T00:05:00.000-08:00

Sabre Holdings Group said Wednesday that it will stop distributing American Airlines' inventory of airline tickets and other goods to travel agents this summer, escalating the battle over how air travel is sold by third parties.

Sabre, which runs the world's major clearinghouse for travel transactions, intends to end its contract with American in August, a month ahead of the termination date. In the meantime, Sabre is ending discounts it had provided to the Texas-based carrier, while also making American's fares more hard for travel agents to find than those of other carriers.

The moves turn American's battles to gain greater control over its fare data into an outright war with some of its closest delivery partners, analysts said. Processing more than 1 million transactions per minute during peak times, Sabre's travel network was built by American Airlines in 1960 and spun out of American parent AMR Corp. in 2000.

Global air travel industry will perform well in 2011

2011-01-05T02:51:00.001-08:00

Following the global crunch, which affected severely all aspects of the global market, and air travel in particular, passenger and freight traffic reported healthy growth in 2010, and the forecast is even better for 2011, United Nations website reported on January 5 2010.

In a report compiled yearly for its international members, the UN International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) said "substantial growth in traffic reflects positive economic prospects worldwide – based on a forecast of a four per cent raise in the world’s real gross domestic product".

According to the statement, the healthiest growth was accounted for by the airlines of the Middle East with 21 per cent, followed by those of the Asia/Pacific region with 12.9 per cent, Latin America with 11.4 per cent, and Africa with 10 per cent. Traffic in the mature markets of North America and Europe grew by 6.2 per cent and 6.7 per cent, respectively.