news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have received final approval for their proposed alliance. The two airlines got the go ahead from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) last week, having already received approval from  Singapore’s aviation authorities.

The move means that the two airlines will now be able to coordinate their flight schedules on a range of international and domestic Australian routes. This is likely to give travellers from the UK better connections for flights to Australia, via Singapore.

source: traveldaily.co.uk

Reports from Singapore suggest flag-carrier Singapore Airlines will launch its highly anticipated low-cost carrier in April next year.

The carrier will be called Scoot Airlines and will wow guests with in-flight wi-fi as well as a host of other attractions.

The new airline will start off with just one Boeing 777-200 before increasing its fleet to four aircraft within three months.

source: breakingtravelnews.com

Singapore Airlines has confirmed the imminent arrival of a new series of Airbus A380s with an extended business class cabin running the entire length of the upper deck.

The carrier has listed its second-gen A380 on the new Singapore Airlines website unveilled today and released a seatmap for the new-look superjumbo which shows the upper deck will be exclusive to business class passengers, with 86 seats spread over 22 rows.

This is sub-divided into four cabin areas, including the oddity of a single row cabin (row 96) with just four seats with the rearmost exit in front and the toilet, galley and stairs to the lower deck below.

US Airways Group Inc. filed an antitrust suit against Sabre Holdings, a global airfare distributor that acts as a middleman between airlines and travel agents.

According to the complaint, Sabre threatened to bar US Airways’ access to its distribution channel if the airline didn’t agree in a new contract to exclusionary restrictions that would protect Sabre from competition.

The new contract was signed in February after US Airways was “‘forced to acquiesce,’” the filing said.

Sabre “‘imposes significant economic penalties’” on travel agents if they try to book tickets outside its channel, the airline said.

source: marketwatch.com

A BBC radio presenter is allegedly considering suing Singapore Airlines after he suffered a heart attack mid-flight, according to reports.

The airline apparently refused to carry out an emergency landing so that presenter Max Pearson, aged 51, could be taken to hospital, forcing him to endure a 14-hour flight back to London.

Pearson had been covering the tsunami in Japan for the BBC World Service and later flew from Tokyo to Singapore, where he boarded a flight back to the UK.

source: travelmole.com

Emirates Airline is expected to post record results next month despite regional political turbulence and the rising price of oil.

The Dubai Government-owned carrier is expected to achieve a net profit of about US$2 billion (Dh7.34bn), analysts say.

The airline recorded a first-half result of $925 million in earnings after a 19.4 per cent jump in passenger traffic during the period, running from April to September, compared with the same period in 2009. Its fiscal year closes at the end of this month.

source: thenational.ae

iPhone is about to hit Singapore and the country’s airline announced iPod and iPhone connectivity on its newly reconfigured, all-Business Class Airbus A340-500 flights between New York and Singapore, and between Los Angeles and Singapore. According to the official release, passengers are able to enjoy their personal audio and video content from their iPod or iPhone on Singapore Airlines’ KrisWorld in-flight entertainment system. Each seat features a 15.4-inch wide LCD screen as well as active noise-cancellation headphones.

source: Intomobile

Singapore Airlines has informed travellers that there will be a strict ban on any sexual liaisons onboard its Airbus A380 flights.

Singapore Airlines has taken the unusual step of placing a pre-emptive ban on any sexual activity onboard its Airbus A380 flights.

Fears that some passengers could get a little too comfortable on flights were based on the fact that first-class suites on the superjumbo will include a double bed and be separated from the main part of the plane.

However Singapore Airlines stressed that the suites are not soundproofed and activities of a certain volume would be noticeable to other passengers.

Buoyant travel demand has raised net profits at Singapore Airlines (SIA) by 73.2 percent in the three months to September compared with the same period a year ago, the airline said Wednesday.

But despite the second quarter figures, Singapore Airlines (SIA), which is the first carrier to commercially operate the Airbus A380 superjumbo, said slowing economic growth had cast a cloud over prospects.

Net profit totalled 507.8 million Singapore dollars (350.66 million US), up from 293.2 million dollars a year ago, the company said in a statement to the stock exchange.

source: Yahoo!

Beginning this June, US Airways customers will be able to enjoy seamless travel between the United States, the island of Singapore and exciting southeast Asia destinations, thanks to a codeshare cooperation between Singapore Airlines and US Airways subject to both United States and foreign government approval.

source: travelvideo.tv