The new south wing of the five-star Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel, owned by Al Khozama Management Company (AKMC), was opened by Prince Bandar bin Saud bin Khalid, chairman of AKMC and deputy managing director of the King Faisal Foundation, and senior dignitaries. Al Faisaliah Hotel-South adds 106 deluxe rooms and suites, claimed to be the largest room size in the Kingdom, La Cucina restaurant and a ladies-only spa and wellness center slated to open later this year. Musaed Al-Said, CEO, AKMC said: “With the Kingdom at the center of economic growth in this fast-growing region, it is important to be prepared for increasing demands even before they are present.” The $50 million expansion project designed by Ritaj Design complements the elegance of the original property with a stylish, upscale residential, contemporary design. Each of the 106 new guestrooms and suites features one of 13 unique design aesthetics and is outfitted with the finest furnishings and highly advanced communication and entertainment systems available. The Royal Penthouse offers 576 m of luxury, while the sumptuous Oasis Suite features its own personal spa. Every room in the hotel enjoys Al Faisaliah’s signature 24-hour butler service. Robert Boulogne, COO, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts said: “Al Faisaliah Hotel-South is a true reflection of the Rosewood brand, offering our signature ‘Sense of Place’ philosophy with its elegance, luxury, privacy, exclusivity, unrivaled personal attention."
 

Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, will start flying to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, from June 15 with four weekly flights. The announcement follows the airline’s recent launch of services to Addis Ababa, Isfahan in Iran, Basra in Iraq, Milan, and Geneva, which brings the number of new destinations opened in 2011 to six. Moving ahead with the new strategy, the announcement reinforces the airline’s leadership position as the carrier with the largest network in the region. Gulf Air will be the first ‘full service’ scheduled commercial carrier in the Middle East to connect Afghanistan. Gulf Air CEO Samer Majali said: “The launching of our service to Kabul follows extensive safety and security audits, and further demonstrates our strategy to connect Bahrain with niche and under-served markets within the region that have high growth potential.” He added: “By connecting Kabul with Bahrain we are opening a huge commercial opportunity for Afghanistan’s traditional industries such as carpets and gems, and the industrial sectors namely construction and engineering, IT/telecommunications, mining and transportation. We also foresee a huge opportunity for Bahrain’s private sector businesses in Afghanistan.” The airline will be operating initially an Airbus A320 aircraft offering 16 Falcon Gold seats and 120 Economy Class seats between Bahrain and Kabul. “We are confident that our service to Kabul will be as successful as our recently launched routes,” Majali said.
 

Air Arabia, described as the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in MENA, has announced the expansion of service to the Kenyan capital Nairobi from its Sharjah hub. The airline will now offer daily flights from the Kenyan city making it easier and more convenient for passengers to visit this vibrant city. It flies to over 65 destinations spreading across the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and Europe, and operates from three hubs - the UAE, Morocco and Egypt. The LCC currently offers four flights a week to Nairobi. Starting April 7, the carrier will offer direct flights seven times a week, departing Sharjah International Airport daily at 9:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, flights depart Sharjah at 6 p.m. Return flights depart Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 2:05 p.m. and 11:25 p.m., respectively. “Our service between Sharjah and Nairobi will further enhance the air travel options for the residents of both Countries,” said A.K. Nizar, head of commercial department, Air Arabia. Nizar said that the region had also shown a lot of potential, especially for traders. Also, Nairobi has become a business hub for the East African region and proven to be a very lucrative market for trade in the Middle East. Air Arabia started operations in Kenya in October 2008 with three flights a week to the UAE. Since then, the airline has seen increasing demand for the “appealing value for money product it offers.”
 

Award-winning Jazeera Airways has added more flights to the summer schedule to include flights to Istanbul and additional flights to Dubai, Jeddah and Damascus, giving travelers more options, flexibility, and frequency. It offers to Dubai a “perfect weekend schedule” with four flights per day on Thursdays and Saturdays, to Istanbul two flights a week for the perfect getaway, to Jeddah now daily except Fridays, and to Damascus two additional flights, now 12 flights a week. Effective March 27, the Kuwait-based carrier will have a new schedule for business, same-day shopping, or short visits to friends and family in Dubai, Damascus, Jeddah, Istanbul or any of the airline’s 17 destinations. The schedule will include seasonal flights to Istanbul two times a week between April and October, giving travelers more options for their summer holidays and getaways. In addition to more frequencies and convenient flight timings, Jazeera Airways offers the “best value for money fares,” a free baggage allowance of 40 kg for all passengers, and free on-board meals for all guests in Economy Class and an a la carte menu for Business Class guests. The carrier claims to have a leading ‘On Time Performance’ among airlines in the Middle East with a year round of 95 percent. The airline is the winner of the Arabian Business Magazine’s ‘Best in Aviation 2010’ award and is a Gold Winner of Magnum Opus 2010 awards. The airline has flown over 7.3 million passengers since commencing operations in October 2005.
 

Lincoln received the highest score for long-term durability among all vehicle brands in the annual J.D. Power and Associates’ 2011 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS). The Lincoln MKZ is the second highest performing model in long-term durability in the entire study. Ford Motor Company vehicles received awards in four segments: Lincoln MKZ, Entry Premium Car; Ford Fusion, Midsize Car; Ford Mustang, Midsize Sporty; Lincoln Navigator, Large Premium Crossover/SUV. In total, Ford had nine vehicles ranking in the top three of their respective segments. They include Ford Edge, Ford Explorer Sport Trac, Ford Taurus, Ford F-150 and Ford Ranger. The study asks owners about problems they have experienced in the past 12 months with their three-year-old vehicles. For the 2011 study, 2008 model-year cars and trucks were surveyed. Survey respondents were asked to indicate any problems they experienced with their vehicle in the past 12 months, choosing from a list of more than 200 issues in eight diverse categories. “This is another great testament to Lincoln,” said Scott Tobin, director, Lincoln product development.

“Long-term durability is the perfect foundation upon which to build the resurgence of the Lincoln brand. We have the dependability that’s important to consumers, and now we have great new products like the innovative new Lincoln MKX.”

Bennie Fowler, VP for Ford Group’s global quality and new model launches, said: “The results demonstrate the company’s dedication to continually raising the bar on the quality for all Ford customers.