Festive season continues at Rosewood Corniche

JEDDAH: Rosewood Corniche is offering outstanding culinary promotions for Jeddah residents and visitors, making Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays the best times to enjoy the “finest food in the Red Sea city for a fraction of the price.” Until the end of March, women can enjoy weekly catch up-sessions at Ginza i Chome, dining on healthy yet sumptuous Japanese cuisine. Every Tuesday evening, female diners can take advantage of 25 percent discount on food as well as enjoy a complementary welcome beverage and a chocolate dessert. For seafood lovers, Rosewood Corniche’s Habsburg restaurant is the place to be on a Thursday night. Until the end of March, an array of exquisite seafood cuisine, including crab cakes, butter-poached Canadian lobster and Italian squid mushroom risotto will be available. For families, Habsburg has designed a treat and invites them feast on a unique Friday Brunch in a relaxed yet luxurious atmosphere. In addition to flawless service and breathtaking views of the Corniche and Red Sea, the restaurant will be offering a dazzling assortment of entertainment and delicacies, from shawarmas to irresistible home made ice cream. The Friday Brunch promotions will be available during the February. “The festive season can end up costing everyone a lot of money, but the start of a new year should not be spent at home,” said Hans-Peter Leitzke, managing director at Rosewood Corniche.

Swiss unveil world’s first solar-powered aircraft

ABU DHABI: The delegation attending the World Future Energy Summit from Switzerland unveiled the first solar powered aircraft. Bertrand Piccard, president and Pilot, Solar Impulse, exhibited a model of the solar powered aircraft at the event at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre, which was held in the UAE capital last week. A Swiss pavilion accommodated many of Switzerland’s leading renewable energy companies who showcased the latest products and solutions of the renewable energy sector. Wolfgang Amadeus Bruelhart, Swiss Ambassador in Abu Dhabi, said: “I’m pleased about the strong presence of a Swiss delegation and Swiss Cleantech companies at the WFES 2010. At each major premiere, the adventures of the last century pushed back the limits of the impossible. Today, human and technical inquiry must go on, with a view to improving the quality of life for humanity,” he said recalling Solar Impulse President Bertrand Piccard’s recent statement.

Gulf Air introduces Web Check-in service

BAHRAIN: Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, has launched Web Check-in and advanced seat selection as part of its continuous efforts to enhance the traveling experience of its passengers. Gulf Air passengers flying from Bahrain can now check in online at gulfair.com by selecting the “Check-in” tab on the homepage 24 hours in advance and up to 90 minutes before the scheduled departure of their Gulf Air flight. They can also choose a seat of their choice using the online interactive seat map, change their seat, and print their boarding pass before arriving at the airport. This is particularly beneficial to passengers traveling with no baggage, as they can proceed directly to the boarding gate through airport security. For passengers with check-in baggage, dedicated ‘Web Check-in Baggage drop’ counters are available at the airport. The Gulf Air Web Check-in service also allows passengers to check in additional passengers traveling with them on the same flight, making those hectic and, often stressful, family or group airport check-in processes a thing of the past. The Web Check-in service is currently available for departures from Bahrain and will be rolled out across the rest of the Gulf Air network over the coming weeks. Initially launched in English, the service will also be available in Arabic from April onward.

Lufthansa is planning flights to Iraq

JEDDAH: As Iraq is increasingly opening up to civil aviation, demand for flights to the country is growing. Lufthansa German Airlines is therefore examining the possibility of launching several new services to Iraq and is currently planning to serve the capital, Baghdad, and the city of Erbil in Northern Iraq from Frankfurt and Munich, according to Abdul Aziz Mangera, Lufthansa-SWISS’ regional manager for Western Province. Lufthansa aims to launch the new services in summer, once it has obtained the necessary traffic rights. Further infrastructure requirements are also being examined. With the resumption of flights to Iraq, Lufthansa is pursuing its policy of expanding its route network in the Middle East, which it presently serves with 89 flights per week to 13 destinations in 10 countries.

Bangalore is Qatar Airways’ new Indian destination

DOHA: Qatar Airways has launched Bangalore as its latest Indian destination with daily non-stop scheduled flights from Doha. The vibrant southern Indian city — dubbed as India’s Silicon Valley, being home to the country’s largest IT software industry — becomes the airline’s 11th destination in India and first new route of 2010. With excellent flight connections from Europe, the United States, Africa and the Middle East, the new route is expected be popular among friends and family returning to Bangalore, as well as the international business community with strong commercial links to the city. The airline also provides convenient connections to many destinations across the US through code share flights operated by partner carrier United Airlines. An Airbus A320, featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 132 in Economy, operates the Doha-Bangalore route. Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said the new route demonstrated the airline’s ongoing commitment to the Indian market.

— Compiled by K.S. Ramkumar