British Airways is serving Saudi Arabia again with five times weekly flights to Riyadh and Jeddah.
Cathay Pacific offers new American Express Cathay Pacific card members up to 7,000 bonus Asia Miles in welcome. They receive 1,000 Asia Miles upon successful application, 5,000 when they make their first purchase of US$100 or more and an extra 1,000 when basic card members apply for two supplementary cards at the same time. Elite card members also get one Asia Mile for every HK$4 (51 cents) in local spending and two Asia Miles for every HK$4 spent overseas.
Continental Airlines awards customers double the Elite Qualifying Miles on flights operated by Continental Airlines, Continental Micronesia, Continental Connection or Continental Express up to June 15.
Etihad Airways has completed the move into Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Terminal 3 with the transfer of the final four long- haul services from Terminal 1. This involved Etihad services to Beijing, New Delhi, Johannesburg and Mumbai. T3 now links the UAE gateway to 31 destinations.
GoAir is expanding its services to south and north India. The low-cost carrier will add Amritsar, Chandigarh and Bengaluru to its eight-destination network.
Jeju Air launched flights to Kansai and Kitakyushu from Incheon International Airport recently. The flights will run seven and three times a week respectively using Boeing B737-800s.
Korean Air has teamed up with the Preferred Hotel Group to allow its Skypass members to earn 500 miles at eligible hotels and resorts from Preferred’s four participating brands – Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Preferred Boutique, Summit Hotels & Resorts and Sterling Hotels. Until April 30, double miles are offered.
All Nippon Airways is working with Accor to afford ANA Mileage Club members frequent flyer miles each time they stay in an Accor property. They can earn 500 miles per stay with Sofitel, Pullman and MGallery hotels, and 250 miles with Novotel, Grand Mercure and Mercure Hotels. Meanwhile, those staying for two consecutive nights or more between April 1 and June 30 will get 1,500 miles per stay with Sofitel, Pullman and MGallery hotels and 500 miles with Novotel, Grand Mercure and Mercure Hotels.
One-Two-Go Airlines of Thailand will now fly twice daily to Surat Thani and Phitsanulok starting April 3 and 10 respectively.
Qantas is offering daily services from Auckland to New York with a stopover in Los Angeles starting June 10.
Qatar Airways and Global Hotel Alliance are giving the airline's Privilege Club Members the chance to earn Qmiles when staying at any of GHA’s 180 hotels worldwide. To redeem the Qmiles, members need to provide their Privilege Card number when booking or checking in at their chosen hotels. Qatar Airways is also offering members double Qmiles when they stay at any GHA-affiliated hotel between April 1 and May 30.
The airline has also cut its fares between Thailand and Europe by almost 20 percent. Flights now cost from 27,465 baht (US$787) for a round trip in Economy Class until March 31, and in April will go down further to 26,890 (US$770). Bookings should be made by March 31 for travel on or before May 31 for Business Class and June 15 for Economy Class. In addition, return trips between Bangkok and Africa are priced at 35,000 baht (US$1,002) until October.
United Airlines offers Mileage Plus members who book and complete travel by June 15 double the Elite Qualifying Miles.
Joshua Tan
