BA closes JNB lounge for refurbishment BRITISH Airways has temporarily closed its First and Galleries Club Lounge at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport for construction work. All eligible customers are being relocated to the Slow Lounge or the Aspire Lounge until the refurbishments are complete. Work is expected to be finished by November.
Virgin launches Heathrow-Mumbai route VIRGIN Atlantic will launch a new daily flight between London Heathrow and Mumbai from October. The service will complement the existing route between London and Delhi. Flights are on sale, with the first service commencing on October 27.
KLM increases India services KLM will expand its Indian network to include Bangalore, with a thrice-weekly service from Amsterdam from the end of October. This comes at the expense of its Colombo, Sri Lanka, service, which will be suspended from the end of October. KLM already serves Delhi and Mumbai. Passengers with tickets between Amsterdam and Colombo departing on or after October 28 will either be rebooked on the most suitable alternative flights or compensated financially
Lufthansa Group ups distribution cost charge The Lufthansa Group has increased distribution cost charges (DCC) to £14 (R257) from June 1. The airline group, which comprises Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa and Swiss, initially imposed an £11,30 (R207) DCC in 2015. The charge does not apply to travel agents using the group’s online booking tool, or those connected to Lufthansa Group airlines’ NDC. The increase follows IAG-owned British Airways and Iberia increasing their DCCs earlier this month.
TK increases Istanbul-Hanoi service TURKISH Airlines will increase flights from Istanbul to Hanoi, Vietnam, from six a week to daily flights from March 30, 2020. Flight TK164 will depart Istanbul at 02h40, arriving in Hanoi at 16h25. Return flight TK165 will depart Hanoi at 21h35 and arrive in Istanbul at 04h15 the next day. The service will start on March 30 and end on October 25, 2020
AA opens Dallas lounge AMERICAN Airlines has opened its Flagship Lounge at Terminal D at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). Customers travelling in Flagship First and Flagship Business will have access to the lounge, which features lounge-style seating, luxury showers, wireless chargers and a variety of hot and cold entrees. The Flagship dining experience, exclusively for customers travelling in Flagship First, is the sit-down dining experience in the lounge that offers Texas-style food with premium wine, champagne and local craft beer to pair with any meal. Plans are also under way for the development of a sixth terminal at DFW. AA has also eliminated some fees for oversized bags. Customers can now check some sports and music equipment as standard baggage, up to the maximum allowed dimensions and within the weight requirements. Passengers travelling within the US will pay $30 (R430) – the cost of a standard first bag – instead of the oversize-bag cost of $150 (R2 100). The airline said that, due to special handling requirements, it would continue to charge $150 to transport antlers, hang gliders and scuba tanks, as well as kiteboard and windsurfing items.
