RIYADH, 28 January 2003 — Lufthansa claims to be the first airline to offer free Internet and e-mail service onboard its aircraft. The service is also expected to be made available to passengers from the Kingdom in due course. "The first aircraft operating from Frankfurt to Washington had already been equipped with the service, enabling passengers to transmit the world’s first e-mail messages via broadband Internet connection from a scheduled airliner," Uwe Wilck, Lufthansa’s general manager for the Kingdom and director of the airline’s operations for Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, said. "We’re pleased at this pioneering demonstration of the airborne communication service, particularly useful for our business travellers who like to communicate while being on board. After further test runs, the public test for all passengers will follow." The airline is currently in contact with Saudi Arabian Airlines to restructure the agreement regarding bilateral flight operations. "We’re considering an option to restart direct flights from Jeddah to Frankfurt instead of operating flights via Riyadh," he said. The airline currently operates six flights a week from the Kingdom, including three on the Jeddah-Riyadh, Frankfurt sector. According to him, passenger loads on Lufthansa flights from the Kingdom are satisfactory despite the fact that the German national carrier has grounded 36 aircraft in the post-Sept. 11 period. It has a ‘miles and more program’ with a total of 35,000 members on its rolls. "The visa regulations introduced by the Schengen states, of which Germany is a member, have not affected tourist traffic between the Kingdom and Germany," he added. (MGAK)
Group of 20 ladies joins package tour to Kerala
DAMMAM, 28 January 2003 — A group of 20 ladies recently returned from a weeklong tour of the southern Indian state of Kerala. This was the first group that took advantage of a package tour jointly organized by the Dammam-based Delmon Travel & Tour Co. (DTTC) and Kadavu Resort of Calicut. "The group stayed for four days in Kadavu Resort and experienced a boat cruise, cultural events and visits to nearby tourist attractions including Wynad-Greeshmam Resorts, and spice plantations," A.K. Sidhik, general manager of DTTC, said. The group also covered historical places and shopped antiques and handicrafts, he said, hoping that the group tour would further boost tourism to India from this part of the world.
