JEDDAH, 22 May 2004 — Saudi Arabian Airlines and Gulf Air have signed an agreement to strengthen their operational cooperation. Under the terms of the agreement signed by Omar Abdullah Jefri, Saudia vice president for marketing planning, and Fareed Al Alawi, Gulf Air vice president for network, the two companies will include the expansion of all flights operated by both airlines between Bahrain and Abu Dhabi international airports, and Riyadh and Dammam airports. Also covered are Saudia flights between Bahrain and the Southern Terminal at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, effective June 9. All flights operated by the two carriers between the points will be operated jointly to facilitate sales and marketing activities and the transfer of nationals and residents between both carriers’ flights offering greater choice for passengers. The joint flights will be linked with both carriers’ networks and will be supported by preferential prices between them to allow for an easy transfer between the flights of both airlines. Other areas of co-operation include the use of first and business class lounges owned by the two carriers in operating airports and coordinating flight schedules to offer the best travel services to their passengers. The current co-operation agreement between Gulf Air and Saudia includes code sharing services between Dammam and Katmandu via Abu Dhabi Airport, and code share services between Abu Dhabi and Muscat and between Dammam and Riyadh.
Veteran Assumes Charge at Le Jeddah Meridien
JEDDAH, 22 May 2004 — Roland Svensson is the new general manager of Le Jeddah Meridien. A Swedish national, Svensson has over 20 years of experience with major international hotels in the Asia-Pacific region. He graduated from the Hotel & Tourism School Les Roches in Switzerland and Ealing College of Higher Education in London. Before joining Le Meridien in Jeddah, he was general manager of Novotel Mandalay in Myanmar and the Royal Garden Resort Hua Hin in Thailand. He also worked with Hyatt Regency in Dubai and Macau, and Royal Palms Port Douglas in Australia.
SriLankan Airlines to Open Flights to Calicut
RIYADH, 22 May 2004 — SriLankan Airlines will operate a new flight to Calicut from Colombo beginning July, providing convenient connections to passengers from the Kingdom. This will be the airline’s 10th destination in India with weekly four frequencies — Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The 90-minute flight to Calicut will leave Colombo at 9 a.m. and reach Calicut at 9.50 a.m. local time. “We intend to increase the number of flights to Calicut in the near future to a daily frequency,” said Fayaz Thaha, the airline’s manager in the Kingdom. With the launch of flights to Calicut, the airline will have 66 flights to 10 cities in India, the others being Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Bangalore, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum, Bodh Gaya, Cochin and Hyderabad. The airline has flights to Colombo from Riyadh on Mondays and Wednesdays and from Dammam on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Passengers on Wednesday and Thursday flights will have easy connections to Calicut,” said its manager in the Central Province, Samantha Nagahawatte. Indian passengers are given visas on arrival at the Colombo airport. The Sri Lankan Embassy here also issues visas to Indian nationals on payment of SR15. (Mohammed Rasooldeen)
IA Launches Scheme for Expatriates
RIYADH, 22 May 2004 — Indian Airlines (IA), which operates flights to 59 destinations across India, has launched a scheme to help non-resident Indians (NRIs) and non-Indians to cut their travel costs on the country’s domestic routes. Its “Super Saver” (4 coupons) and “Super Saver Golden Edge” (8 coupons) applicable only on the domestic sector gives an unrestricted choice of travel on IA and Alliance Air flights. “The scheme is available for those who can pay in US dollars or in Saudi riyals,” said Mohammed Quaiser, IA’s sales and marketing manager for Saudi operations. The Kingdom’s expats can now benefit by paying a much lower price and save time. Excluded from the scheme are its services from Delhi to Trivandrum, Kozhikode, Coimbatore and Cochin. The Super Saver is valid for 180 days for $400 in economy class and $550 in executive class. The Super Saver Golden Edge is valid for 270 days for $800 in economy class and $1,040 in executive class. The fares include all taxes. A Super Saver Golden Edge passenger will also be offered two executive class upgrade vouchers. The scheme is valid up to Sept. 30. IA’s international network covers Kuwait, Oman, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain in the Gulf. (M. Ghazafar Ali Khan)
