In a significant move, Menzies Aviation has recently announced that it has secured the contract for ramp handling and cabin cleaning by Virgin America at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with effect on 5th August. This move makes it the third awarded location among the seven destinations served at present by Virgin America.

Notably, Menzies Aviation presently offers ground handling & cabin cleaning services for Virgin America in Los Angeles and in San Francisco. Inaugurated in August 2007, Virgin America is a California based airline featuring attractive fare, high-end service and a portfolio of fun, attractive features like mood-lit cabins, custom-made leather seats, power outlets and a video touch-screen at every seatback offering 25 films, video games, live TV, seat-to-seat chat and an on-demand food ordering system in addition to several others.

Vice President Commercial and Corporate Services-Americas at Menzies Aviation, Phil Harnden, observed, "We are delighted to have been chosen by Virgin America for ground handling and cabin cleaning services in Seattle. Since their inception in 2007, Virgin America continues to impress travelers in the domestic airline market with their innovative and high-value customer experience. These values drive Menzies Aviation to partner with Virgin America as a safe, reliable, and trusting provider that they can depend on as they grow their airline to future destinations."

In an interesting move to prepare the ground for the launch of its first ever non-stop air service from Dubai to Los Angeles and San Francisco, Emirates Airline has accomplished a road show stopping at five locations along the west coast of the United States. The scintillating feature of the road show was the newly designed First Class Private suite of the airline that is actually one of the several new products demonstrating the airline's excellent commitment to customer service and comfort.

The event was led by the executives, featuring a presentation centred on Dubai and Emirates Airline with a live entertainment programme and a rare chance to sit in the new Boeing 777-200LR First Class Private Suite. Most notably, the new suite provides a comfortable extra-large fully-reclining seat that can be turned into a flat bed in addition to a 23'' wide LCD screen and more than 1000 entertainment channels. The aircraft is furnished with a coat closet and an individual storage compartment, in addition to a mini-bar and a vanity desk.

Nigel Page, the airline's senior vice president for commercial operations in the Americas said, "The San Francisco Bay Area is undoubtedly one of the most innovative high-tech business centres in the U.S., if not the world. Emirates' direct route will create a new, highly convenient opportunity for Bay Area companies to do business in Dubai. Our new Los Angeles service will connect travellers to the capital of the world's entertainment industry. Coinciding with the establishment of a growing media industry in Dubai, the L.A. route represents excellent access for growing business connections."

After just four weeks of the news that Emirates would start offering its services to Los Angeles, the airline uncovered its plans to introduce one more flight to the U.S. West Coast.

From 26th October 2008, Emirates, one of the world's fastest growing airlines, will operate non-stop flights from Dubai to San Francisco. With the introduction of this service, the total number U.S. destinations served by the airline will reach to four.

The first airline to provide an air link between the two cities, Emirates will use Boeing 777-200LR to serve the route. A total of 266 seats will be available in three classes. Additionally, it will also offer 10 tonnes of cargo capacity in each direction.

Confirm your bookings by 18th March and enjoy discounted flights to a number of locations in Australia and New Zealand. Air New Zealand is presenting cut-priced tickets on its flights to a range of places in both Australia and New Zealand offering one-of-its-kind opportunity to its passengers.

Return tickets to Australia are offered at a price starting from just £945 per head. Ticket prices also include a tax of £267 (an estimated amount) for non-stop journeys. The journey is required to be completed by 31st January, 2009.

And, the return tickets for flight to New Zealand are offered at a price stating from just £797. A tax of £225 (an estimated amount) is also included in the available fare.

United Airlines has uncovered its plans to improve its on-board dining experience for the international passengers traveling with the carrier on a first class ticket. This would be a great improvement for the first-class passengers.

From the month of August, passengers travelling in the first class cabin of the carrier will be able to make their own choice for the items they want to take in their food and the time at which they want it the service-they need to look for a set service schedule for a limited choice of items.

In addition, the carrier will be making more improvements in its in-flight dining for first class passengers by introducing specially produced service tableware and sheets.

American Airlines, US-based carrier, is offering cut-priced tickets on return-journey flights from Manchester, London Heathrow and London Stansted this April. Bookings can be made by the 6th of March.

All the taxes and fees are included in the quoted fares. The offer prices are available for midweek travel (from Monday to Thursday), and for the weekends (Friday and Sunday), seats are available for little higher prices.

For travel between 1st April and 30th April, the fares available in the offer are:

Effective on all bookings made before 29th February, Air Canada offers attractive discounts by cutting the cost of prices for flights to the US for this spring. Discounts will be offered on all outbound travels made until 23rd March and all of the month of April. All the fares noted below are for return flights from London Heathrow. All types of taxes are also included in these prices.

Charges to Atlanta start from £300 and to Baltimore from £274. Prices to Boston start from £274 and to Chicago from £304. The cost of tickets to Dallas Fort Worth starts from £320 and to Denver from £334. To Detroit, the charges are from £304 and to Houston from £310. Flights to La Guardia are priced from £244 and to Los Angeles from £284. The price of tickets to Miami starts from £304 and the Newark from £244. To Orlando, the charges are from £314 and to Philadelphia from £271. The cost of tickets to Phoenix starts from £334 and to San Francisco from £304. To Tampa, the charges are from £310 and the price of tickets to Washington start from £274.

All charges noted above are subject to availability of tickets on the dates of journey. For weekend travels, surcharges may apply. Over and above, the airline states that to avail the offers on return tickets, passengers must stay on minimum a Saturday night, with the maximum stay for three months--overall very good offers. 

Not satisfied with building the world's biggest golf course, Australia has turned up with one more wacky plan to attract visitors down-under. In a recent survey by a travel magazine, Sydney has been chosen as the preferred city, and no wonder that more visitors attraction could further boost the interest of tourists and visitors in Australian tours. Seemingly, Neighbours' sun drenched streets have been drawing fans from the UK so successfully that Tourism Australia is willing to film a Japanese Soap Opera in Australia, in a bit to lure Japanese fans.

The establishment now has one renowned Japanese actor signed up for the plan and is expecting to get the cameras reeling in the coming months. This could be a real enjoying item for the visitors.

Around 55 percent of appreciation is seen in the number of tourists passaging via Australia's airport since last decade. The reason behind this is the craziness of people for traveling and coming up of cheap transport, which has increased the mobility of people to such an extent.

The number of aircrafts would also have increased simultaneously in order to serve the increased number of tourists, but it didn't happened and much of the rush is seen in the larger planes nowadays. The flight frequency has been increased by some air carriers, but there has not been much done to adjust the rush-however, this has ensured all flights to be jam-packed.

The Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics conducted a survey, which proves that the figure of domestic visitors at almost all Australian airports has gone up by 55 per cent, from 56.2 million in 1997 to 87.3 million the previous year. There has been a tremendous traffic between major Australian cities. 

Unimaginable diversity is one of the greatest charms of Australia and the country's official tourism organisation is drawing on this for an advanced drive. A unique itinerary has been put together by Tourism Australia for the months ahead.

Travellers who will be in Australia for a few weeks will be given a trip to the Sydney Opera House, whereas the Panasonic World Solar Challenge is certainly one for daring visitors.

The Beer Nuts Tour is for the kookier holidaymaker, offering a different take on the classic wine tour. Seasoned beer drinkers will get a chance to several very best microbreweries of the Swan Valley, introducing them to flavours that are uncommon in other places.

Sheila McHale, the Tourism Minister today welcomed the announcement made by Tiger Airways that it would begin daily flights between Melbourne and Perth.

The low-cost carrier would offer airfares between the two cities from just $59.95 (one-way) including all the taxes and charges, from December 1, 2007.

She said, Â"This is an exciting opportunity for Western Australian tourism as this route boosts the number of leisure travellers coming into our State from VictoriaÂ".

The biggest hotel expo in the Asia Pacific—Branded Newsletter World of Accor—is an attraction the coming month in Australia in Melbourne (7th August) and Sydney (9th August); a chance of one-shot idea of new in the lodging products and fashion over the zone, for the agents, wholesalers, corporate bookers, and MICE organizers.

In the previous years, near about 50 hotels have been introduced in the Asia Pacific zone by Accor. These hotels provide fresh destinations, products, and services opened to the travel industry.

The delegates over Australia, the Pacific and Asia from Accor's 300 hotels along with delegates surfacing the ample world of Accor will be accompanying, whose international web has now spread to almost 4000 hotels in 92 countries.