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Alaska Airlines will open two nonstop transcontinental markets from Portland beginning Sept. 9, the airline announced Friday.

Seattle-based Alaska began selling seats Friday for Portland’s only daily nonstop flights to Boston and Orlando.

To start the new service, Alaska is offering introductory one-way fares of $99, plus fees, for Portland-Boston and Portland-Orlando flights. Customers must purchase their tickets by Feb. 8 and travel by Dec. 14.

source: Oregon Live

Malaysia’s low-cost airline AirAsia today launched a new long-haul budget airline named AirAsia X which will begin flying to destinations in China, India and Europe in July.AirAsia X will be a collaboration between AirAsia, owned by Tony Fernandes, and Fly Asian Express, or FAX, a small airline serving rural routes in Malaysia.

“‘The launch of AirAsia X will bring independence to the long haul low-cost traveller, by providing a choice of service for their long haul travel requirements,'” Fernandes said at the launch of the newairline.

The airline has received approval to fly to several destinations in Europe, China, India and Australia, he said.

source: Sun2surf

easyJet, Europe’s leading low-fares airline, has announced it would be adding the beautiful and vibrant island of Ibiza to its choice of destinations from Belfast, Bristol and Glasgow for summer 2007.

David Osborne, UK General Manager for easyJet, said: “To kick off easyJet’s expansion plans for 2007, we are delighted to be announcing three new routes from Belfast, Bristol and Glasgow to Ibiza bringing even more low-fares to these regions. Ibiza has already proved a popular summer destination from many of our other UK bases and now even more holiday-makers seeking fun in the sun or a relaxing break on the famous White Isle can do so easily from their local airport“.

source: Easier

China’s Southern Airlines will launch the first airline connecting Beijing with Lagos, former capital of Nigeria, on Saturday, according to the airline’s Beijing office.

This will be the first regular flight offered by a Chinese airline between China and an African country, said deputy manager Zhao Fengsheng.

Flight CZ331 will take off at 11:40 p.m. from Capital International Airport in Beijing, fly via Dubai, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and land at 11:10 a.m. local time in Lagos. The total flight time is around 16 hours.

source: People.com

AirAsia will be strengthening and enhancing its route network by connecting all the existing cities it flies to and expanding to new destinations, group chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes said.

The budget carrier plans to expand further in Indochina, Indonesia, Southern China and India next year with the delivery of more new Airbus A320s.

source: the star online

Spirit Airlines has received approval from the U.S. government to fly to Haiti from Fort Lauderdale, the local low-cost carrier’s president and CEO said Friday.

Spirit plans to start daily flights to Port-au-Prince in April, Ben Baldanza said during an interview with The Miami Herald on Friday.

source: MiamiHerald.com

Baer Air, a mostly charter airline business based at Melbourne International Airport (Florida), said Wednesday it will begin offering regular non-stop service to Freeport, Bahamas, beginning next month.

The approximately one-hour flights to Freeport will cost about $400 roundtrip. Freeport is the second-largest city in the Bahamas.

Italian low-cost airline MyAir, which has been operating on the domestic market for around two years, plans to introduce some internal flights next year, being the first foreign airline to announce such intentions.

In the wake of EU integration and owing to the “open sky” regulation, foreign companies will be allowed to operate flights on any destinations inside the EU.

Thus, whereas so far an Italian airline could only operate flights from or to Italy, the “open sky” regulation will allow it to operate flights between any of the EU member states, as well as internal flights.

Budget airline easyJet said it will expand its Edinburgh Airport operation by adding three low-cost direct flights to Italy and Spain.

The flights – daily to Madrid and Milan, and twice weekly to Palma in Spain – are scheduled to begin early next year.

They bring to 12 the number of destinations served by easyJet from Edinburgh, a capacity increase of 10 pct, the airline said.

source: Forbes

Spain and Britain have been squabbling over Gibraltar for the past 300 years, but two simple one-hour flights could be the first practical signs that all three parties are willing to say goodbye to all that.

Shortly before 1 p.m. (1200 GMT) Saturday, an Iberia Airlines Airbus A319 became the first-ever direct passenger flight from Spain to land at the disputed British colony on Europe’s southern tip. Almost simultaneously, a GB Airways flight landed in Madrid.

source: CNN