30 kgs for Economy Class Passengers

Gulf Air is to increase its free checked baggage allowance from 1 October.  Gulf Air First, Business and Economy baggage allowances will all increase by 10kgs taking them to 50kgs, 40kgs and 30kgs respectively.  The new Gulf Air allowance is 10kgs more than the standard allowance provided by most airlines worldwide. 

Gold and Silver members of Gulf Air’s frequent flyer programme are also entitled to an additional baggage allowance of 20kgs and 15kgs respectively.

Gulf Air’s decision to increase its free checked baggage allowance policy is in direct response to feedback from Gulf Air customers who are looking for greater flexibility in the amount of free-checked luggage they can carry when flying.

The Airline’s new baggage allowance policy will apply to all Gulf Air operated flights across its entire network of over 42 destinations in 26 countries.    Passengers combining their Gulf Air flights with another airlines’ operated service will still be subject to the baggage allowances of that airline.  This includes codeshare flights which are operated by another carrier but have a Gulf Air flight number. Passengers are advised to check online at www.gulfair.com before travelling for a clear explanation on the new rules.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has launched flights from its Abu Dhabi home-base to the American city of Chicago. Flight EY151 took-off on Wednesday 2 September, landing 14 hours later at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

For the inaugural flight, Etihad operated its Airbus A340-600 aircraft in the iconic Formula 1™ livery, with O’Hare airport fire trucks providing the traditional ‘water arch’ for the plane on the runway before it docked at terminal five.

The launch of the new service – Etihad’s third destination in North America after New York and Toronto – brings to 55 the total number of international destinations served by the Abu Dhabi-based airline.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, said: “We are delighted to start services to Chicago which is our third major destination in North America. Chicago is set to become a key part of our global flight programme with strong traffic expected from cities across our Middle East and Indian Sub-Continent network.

“Etihad’s fleet of brand new, fuel-efficient aircraft allows us to launch flights to ultra-long haul destinations, such as Chicago, at the same time providing customers in all three cabins with the most luxurious in-flight experience on offer in the industry.”

Richard Olson, US Ambassador to the UAE, said: “The launch of this new service, enhancing strong established links between the UAE and the US, is another very positive example of the strong and expanding commercial relationship that Emiratis and Americans share.”

With the launch of the three weekly flights to Chicago, Etihad Airways now flies to North America 13 times a week: daily to New York (JFK) and three times weekly to Toronto in Canada. This will increase to 16 flights a week when the Chicago service goes to six per week at the end of October.

In July, Etihad and American Airlines announced a wide ranging code-share agreement. The ‘EY’ code can now be seen on selected domestic and international services operated by American, and the ‘AA’ code has been placed on Etihad services to North America and Europe

60 years ago, TAP Portugal inaugurated international service between Portugal and the United Kingdom, operating a DC4 Skymaster aircraft between Lisbon and Northolt Aerodrome in West London.
Powered by 4 Pratt & Witney R-2000 radial engines with propeller propulsion, the airline operated the service with 4 crew members and up to 86 passengers.  At the time, cruising altitude was only 22,000 feet at an average speed of 227 mph or 365 km/h with all maintenance performed by British European Airways (BEA).  Nowadays the service is operated by a modern Airbus A319/320 fleet, flying twice as fast, carrying twice as many customers and almost double the altitude!Today, TAP Portugal is the leading Portuguese airline and a member of Star Alliance* since March 14, 2005.  Its operational hub at Lisbon is a key European gateway for the crossroads of Africa, North / South America, where TAP stands out as the leading European carrier in operations to Brazil.  The company’s worldwide network comprises of 59 destinations in 26 countries (from June 10th - 62 destinations in 29 countries).  On average, TAP currently operates over 1,850 weekly flights using a modern fleet of 53 Airbus aircraft, to which add another 16 aircraft operating in PGA´s colours, the European regional carrier acquired by TAP in 2007.  Pursuing its customer focused orientation, TAP continuously strives to deliver safe, reliable and superior products & services tailored to meet customers’ expectations.

Gulf Air will commence services from London Heathrow (LHR) to Baghdad (BGW) via its hub in Bahrain on 31 August 2009. The new service will provide the best outbound connection to the Iraqi capital available from the UK with under two and half hours connection time in Bahrain, half the transit time of the main competitor airline flying to Baghdad from LHR.

Gulf Air will offer a five times weekly evening service from London Heathrow departing at 22:30hrs and arriving in Bagdad at 11:30hrs the following day. The return journey departs Baghdad at 12:45hrs and arrive in London at 21:00hrsw with just a one hour 30 minute transit time in Bahrain.

Gulf Air return economy fares from London to Baghdad start from £705 including all taxes and charges (terms and conditions apply).

Gulf Air also plans to add the holy city of Najaf and Erbil in Northern Iraq to its network by the end of September.

Flights to Baghdad will operate five times weekly from London Heathrow on: