JEDDAH: Travelers can now book flights on a Lufthansa A380 and experience the airline’s new flagship at first hand. Bookings for the intercontinental routes on which the world’s largest passenger aircraft will be operated are now being taken. The A380 will commence scheduled flights on June 11 on the Frankfurt-Tokyo route, replacing the current Boeing 747-400 service. The first Airbus A380 to be delivered to Lufthansa will depart from Frankfurt — initially on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays — for Tokyo’s Narita International Airport. The aircraft, bearing the name “Frankfurt am Main” will operate under flight number LH 710. The return flight to Frankfurt (LH 711) is scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Once Lufthansa takes delivery of its second A380, the service will then operate daily starting Aug. 4 as planned. From Aug. 25, according to the latest planning, Lufthansa’s third A380 will fly from Frankfurt to Beijing three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The return flight from the Chinese capital is scheduled in each case for the following day. A daily connection is planned from the end of October, when the fourth A380 joins the Lufthansa fleet. From Oct.25, the Lufthansa flagship is expected to be deployed thrice weekly (on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays) on the Frankfurt-Johannesburg route. The return flight from South Africa to Frankfurt will depart the following day. The Airbus A380 has 526 seats in the best and most modern service classes offered by Lufthansa. The completely revamped First Class, with eight generous seats on the upper deck, promotes a sense of individuality. Business Class, with 98 seats on the upper deck, and Economy Class, with 420 seats on the main deck, provide unprecedented comfort and an impressive feeling of space.
JEDDAH: Jet Airways, India’s premier airline, has been adjudged the ‘Best International Airline’ at the Conde Nast Traveller India Awards. At a ceremony in Mumbai recently, India’s international carrier was honored with the award over several other leading international airlines. This award has been introduced by British Conde Nast Traveller magazine, together with Vogue.com and cntraveller.in to celebrate the launch of Conde Nast Traveller in India in October 2010. Sudheer Raghavan, chief commercial officer, Jet Airways, said: “The award is testimony to our commitment to focus on the needs of the passenger and to enhance the Jet Airways experience for our customers. We will persist in our endeavor to exceed customer expectations and create benchmarks in service standards for others to follow.” With 23 international destinations and 85 daily international flights, Jet Airways along with Jetlite is the largest private airline operator in the country. Jet Airways currently flies to Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, New York (both JFK and Newark), Toronto, Brussels, London (Heathrow), Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Bangkok, Katmandu, Dhaka, Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. Johannesburg is the 23rd destination recently added in the airline’s international network. For the domestic market Jet Airways recently launched the all-new ‘Konnect Select’, a premium cabin on several domestic routes. ‘Konnect Select’ is specifically targeted at the business and leisure travelers who desire more flexibility, comfort and benefits. Conde Nast Traveller is an internationally renowned magazine for travel and leisure. Conde Nast Traveller India Awards is a digital Readers’ India Travel Awards. People responded with 15 categories to vote for — including favorite cities, states, hotels, airports, airlines and more.
