In an effort to standardise its short- and medium-haul fleet further, the Austrian Airlines Group has ordered a total of seven Airbus A319 aircraft. The first two aircraft were recently integrated into the Austrian fleet.

Chief Executive Officer Vagn Soerensen said the following about the new jet, and the company’s overriding concept of family and size: “The Airbus A319 is the perfect complement to our existing Airbus family for short- and medium-haul routes. With the Airbus A321, we cover the highest-volume flights. Equipped with up to 186 seats, this largest version will take over on our “racetracks” or high volume routes. With up to 150 seats, meanwhile, the Airbus A320 represents the standard size currently used in the European business and holiday sector. Its sister model, the A319, which is slightly smaller with up to 126 seats, primarily complements our routes into Central and Eastern Europe. In acknowledgement of our future in this region, we have named these aircraft – in English, the language of international aviation – after our important destinations in this region. The three Airbus A319 OE-LDA “Sofia”, OE-LDB “Bucharest” and (from the summer onwards) OE-LDC “Kiev” will strengthen our two-way West-East connections via our Vienna hub.”

A fresh new mood in the cabin
The A319 represents a further step towards completing the brand repositioning of the Austrian Airlines Group, which will become visible in a completely redesigned cabin concept. A fresh colour concept and carefully selected accessories will be reflected in interior fittings including the seat cushions, curtains, pillows, blankets and headrests. This new freshness in Economy Class, with its bright colour accents of red, white and yellow, will convey a pleasant, relaxed feeling when travelling. More discreet nuances of colour in Business Class will lend those areas a refined, sublime aesthetic.

The Airbus fleet at Austrian
A total of seven Airbus A319 were ordered in autumn 2002; three of these will be in use from 2004 onwards, three more jets will begin operation in 2005 and the seventh Airbus will be delivered in the first quarter of 2006. The Austrian Airlines Group will be using 25 Airbus models over the 2004 summer schedule: four each of the types Airbus A340 and Airbus A330 on long-haul routes, with the short- and medium-haul fleet composed of six A321, eight A320 and three A319 aircraft. The latter class will use a flexible new cabin configuration for Business and Economy Class.

KLM suspended service on the Atlanta route shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001, responding to a sharp decline in traffic. Now that the economy is recovering slightly and traffic is gaining momentum, the route has become viable once more.

In addition, Atlanta is the main hub of future SkyTeam partner Delta Air Lines. It is expected that traffic will increase sharply on the hub-to-hub connection between Amsterdam and Atlanta.

Atlanta itself is a key business center and home to enterprises such as Coca Cola and CNN. The Netherlands is one of the leading foreign investors in the state of Georgia, with major holdings in the real estate sector, among other things.

16.03.2026
Emirates to launch first-ever non-stop flights from Dubai to Shanghai
Emirates, the world’s fastest growing intercontinental airline, disclosed today that it will launch a new passenger route between Dubai and Shanghai next month.

The new services will be the first-ever direct air passage between Dubai and mainland China, providing business and leisure travellers at both ends with convenient access to two of world’s fastest growing markets today. Emirates’ passengers from Shanghai also will be able to take advantage of Dubai’s excellent connections to other destinations on three continents.

Initially, from 10 April, Emirates will operate three flights a week between the two cities, on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Daily flights will start from 15 May, offering even more convenient travel options between the two metropolises.

Flight EK302 will take off from Dubai International Airport at 02:15 hrs and land at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport at 14:55 hrs. The return flight EK303 from Shanghai will depart on the same day at 23:55 hrs and arrive in Dubai at 05:10 hrs the next morning. All times are local.

Emirates will operate Airbus A340-300 aircraft on the new route, in a three-class configuration with 12, 42 and 213 seats in First, Business and Economy, respectively. Passengers will enjoy personal in-seat entertainment in all classes, meals designed by gourmet chefs, and an award-winning inflight service.

The aim is to combine the programme's established benefits with new elements in order to achieve a stronger differentiation and thus make Miles & More even more competitive. "With the changes to the Miles & More programme, we are reflecting the greater product variety now offered by all participating airlines. We are also responding to the wishes of frequent flyers for better-value awards. In future mileage accrual will be based more strongly on the actual value of the ticket, in order to offer a greater degree of fairness", explains Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing at Lufthansa Passage Airlines.

Mileage accrual within Europe: The introduction of set mileage value will offer a greater overall transparency for miles earned within Europe. In Business Class, passengers will earn 1,500 miles for domestic flights (previously 2,000) and 2,000 miles for international flights (as before). In Economy Class, a greater differentiation means that passengers will earn more miles with the most flexible tickets than with discounted tickets offered in this class. Economy Class passengers will now earn between 125 and 1,250 miles (previously between 500 and 1,000).

Mileage accrual worldwide: Miles & More offers passengers with most flexible Economy Class and Business or First Class tickets special benefits when compared with competitor programme's. As before, Business Class passengers earn double the miles, First Class passengers earn triple. Passengers who buy the most flexible Economy class fares will now earn 50 per cent more miles, while those who buy the most discounted Economy Class fares will earn 50 per cent fewer miles.

Executive Bonus: Senators and Frequent Travellers will continue to receive an Executive Bonus of 25 per cent more miles. This applies to flights with Lufthansa, Air Dolomiti, Air One, the Austrian Airlines Group, LOT Polish Airlines and United Airlines. In future, the bonus will be calculated according to the distance flown or, in Europe, according to the set mileage values.

The number of miles required for Fly Smart flight awards, which may be booked at short notice, will be reduced by 20 per cent worldwide, while the number of miles required for regular intercontinental flight awards will be reduced by up to 20,000 miles -- meaning that Miles & More members may now travel to their dream destination even sooner. As a result, all miles earned before 1 August will effectively increase in value by up to 20 per cent. Passengers booking Fly Smart awards within Europe will be able to choose between Economy and Business Class. As of August, Fly Smart tickets will only be available online. As before, booking online reduces the cost of all other flight awards by 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 miles (for domestic, European or intercontinental flights).

As with mileage accrual, the number of miles for upgrades will in future be based on the fare paid. The mileage amounts required for upgrades in Business Class when holding a most flexible Economy Class ticket will remain unchanged. For all other upgrades, more miles will be required. It will no longer be possible to upgrade from the most discounted Economy Class fares.