EgyptAir changes management AVIATION Minister Ahmed Shafiq on Tuesday named a new chairman and CEO for the Holding Comopany EgyptAir. Vice president Hussein Massoud has replaced Captain Tawfiq Assi who occupied the post for 15 months. Captain Alla Ashour has also been named chairman for the affiliated EgyptAir Airlines company to replace Captain Sherif Galal who occupied the post for five years. A statement by the Aviation Minstry justified the shift for "development and improvement". Targeting youth at beaches THE NATIONAL carrier has come to end of a successful summer campaign on Egypt's North Coast beaches. Along the coast, which extends from Alexandria, Alamien and Mersa Matrouh to the west, the carrier activated a youth programme where it offered free tickets and promotional fares for youth who came to attend festivities held on beaches. According to Sahar Emam, EgyptAir MICE manager, the campaign attracted 20,000 young persons who were offered promotional packages to travel through the airlines's expanded domestic and internatioanl network. The carrier sponsored flights to North coast beaches through west Alexandria's Borg Al-Arab airport, Alamein airport and Mersa Matrouh airport. A fat tax SHOULD a larger passenger book two seats? Airlines in the US are busy studying the question. Air travellers complain that over-large passengers invade the space of those who sit beside them. Ryanair said it was considering how to charge a "fat tax" after more than 30,000 passengers allegedly voted in favour of charging excess weight fees for very large passengers. If an exceptionally wide passenger can't fit into a seat without raising the arm-rest,he might be asked to buy a second seat, upgrade if there is space, or take another flight. Southwest Airlines provide extensions to seat belts for those who can fit into a seat but cannot be safely secured by the normal seat belt; and special seat belts for anyone who has purchased two seats. American Airlines, being sensitive to the needs of both "larger passengers and passengers who find that their seating space is intruded upon by a fellow passenger, should raise the issue with one of our flight attendants, who will do their best to ensure the comfort and safety of both passengers." United Airlines says it will charge passengers for a second seat, "if they are too large for a single one". The policy applies to those who cannot fit into a seat with the arm-rests down and with no more than one seatbelt extender. LH adds weight AS of 1 September, passengers enjoy travelling with Lufthansa from Egypt to Europe, the US, Asia, South America, the Middle East and Africa with more baggage than ever, regardless of what class they have booked The free baggage allowance for all booking classes from Egypt to any destination allows first and business class passengers to carry 2 pieces of luggage, 32 kg each, while the economy class passengers will be privileged to carry two pieces 23 kg each. The Piece Concept will apply irrespective of the date of ticket issuance. EgyptAir expands network THE NATIONAL carrier EgyptAir has announced plans to expand its network in the Far East and Europe. Effictive 23 October, the airline is scheduled to launch a new sevice with Kazakhstan, operating a direct flight twice weekly between Cairo and Astana. "The new service is due to operate on Mondays and Fridays. We will operate our new state-of- the-art Boeing 737-800 to enhance the new route, which has proved to be very promising," stated EgyptAir chairman Sherif Galal. According to him, flights to the new destination in Astana are fully booked in advance for two months. The airline has released plans to expand operation to Japanese cities during next year. The current three times weekly flights to Tokoyo will expand in March 2010 to be six flights weekly. "By October 2010, we will increase the frequency to be a daily flight to Tokoyo and five flights weekly to Osaka instead of the current four flights weekly. Within two years, we plan to expand operations to Japan to reach 14 weekly flights, operating a daily flight to Osaka and Tokoyo," Galal concluded. Qatar increases Zurich QATAR Airways will expand its operations in Switzerland, adding an extra flight on the Doha- Zurich route commencing 25 October. The carrier said that the extra service on the Zurich route would offer excellent connections via Doha to a host of cities across the airline's global network covering Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Far East, South East Asia and North America. The Doha-Zurich route is operated with a state-of-the-art Airbus A330, in a two- class cabin configuration and features 24 seats in business class and 236 economy class seats. Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al-Baker explained that the airline's Swiss expansion was part of its growth plans to step up frequencies across an expanding global network. "Qatar Airways has enjoyed five years of success in Switzerland. We are pleased to be able to reinforce our commitment to this important European market through adding capacity and offering our passengers more choice and flexibility on the Zurich route," Al-Baker said. The Zurich upgrade follows recent announcements that the airline's Doha--Paris service will operate twice daily from October. Additional flights to Madrid, Athens and Stockholm will see a near 40 per cent increase in frequency across the four cities later this year. Over the next few months, Qatar Airways will expand its global operations with the launch of 6 new routes -- Amritsar (11 October) and Goa (25 October) in India, Melbourne (6 December) followed soon after by Sydney, marking the airline's entry into the Australian market subject to government approval. It will offer flights to two other cities in Europe as well. Etihad's new Heathrow lounge ETIHAD Airways is to open a new premium lounge at London Heathrow airport as part of the move from Terminal Three to Terminal Four on 30 September. First and business class customers and Etihad Guest Gold and Silver card holders will have access to the new lounge, conveniently located opposite the gates most commonly used by Etihad Airways for flight departures. The lounge gives passengers an opportunity to relax in style and enjoy a range of services and facilities. These include individual treatment rooms where therapists from Six Senses Spa will offer facials, foot and leg massages. Customers can also enjoy five-star dining facilities in the lounge with a selection of foods from around the world, all cooked in an open kitchen. A modern wood-panelled business centre provides individual workstations and privacy for those with laptops. Other features include a prayer room, a relaxation seating area with Poltrona Frau leather chairs and a bathroom and shower facilities for customers to freshen up prior to departure. Shereen Ahmed, Etihad Airways country manager Egypt, said: "We are proud that we will soon be offering one of the best customer lounges available at London Heathrow. Our new premium lounge at the airport represents a major investment and demonstrates the airline's continuing commitment to deliver world-class premium products and services to its first and business class customers on the ground as well as in the air." Lufthansa re-launches Munich TO CATER for the growing demand in the Egyptian aviation market, Lufthansa Airlines will as of 25 October change its schedule to re-launch its direct flights 3 times per week from Cairo to Munich. It is to be noted that the Cairo-Munich flights were cancelled in 2003. The early morning flights will now have 38 per cent more seats, with the new Munich flights offering extra connections to Europe and the Far East. The Cairo-Frankfurt route will also be bolstered by the big A346 which offers 8 seats in first class, 60 seats in business class, and 238 seats in economy class. On its Cairo-Munich flights, Lufthansa will operate the Lufthansa Business Jet with a two-class configuration (24 seats in business class and 84 seats in Economy class), featuring the latest Lufthansa business and economy class product.
