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United Airlines plans nonstop service between New York/Newark and Cape Town

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United Airlines today applied with the U.S. Department of Transportation for authority to begin new service between New York/Newark Liberty International Airport and Cape Town International Airport. United plans to operate nonstop three-times weekly flights to Cape Town starting in December 2019.

“We are always looking at ways to expand our industry-leading international route network to offer our customers more convenient options. We’re thrilled to announce the addition of Africa to our global route offering,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s vice president of International Network. “This new flight will provide customers with the only nonstop service between the United States and Cape Town.”

United’s nonstop service between New York/Newark and Cape Town will decrease the current travel time from New York to Cape Town by more than four hours and provide customers from more than 80 U.S. cities with easy one-stop access to Cape Town. If approved, United’s service between New York/Newark and Cape Town will be operated with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft featuring 48 seats in United Polaris business class, 88 seats in United Economy Plus and 116 seats in United Economy.

Proposed Flight Schedule, Beginning December 15, 2019*

From To Depart Arrive Aircraft
New York/Newark Cape Town 8:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. +1 Boeing 787-9
Cape Town New York/Newark 8:50 p.m. 5:45 a.m. +1 Boeing 787-9

*Subject to government approval

Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa and the country’s center of trade and commerce. Located at the shore of Table Bay, the city is home to some of the most popular attractions in South Africa including Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Travelers to South Africa often begin their African journey in Cape Town before touring the Cape Winelands, viewing the African penguins at Boulder Beach or traveling beyond Cape Town to explore South Africa’s natural beauty including its many national parks, game reserves and beautiful coastlines and beaches of the KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces.

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Norwegian Sun returns to Port Canaveral  for second year of Cuba cruises

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Norwegian Cruise Line’s Sun returns to Port Canaveral today for a second season of popular cruises from the Port to Cuba, as well as excursions to the Bahamas.

Starting Monday, April 15, the Norwegian Sun, which in 2018 became the first homeported cruise ship to sail from Port Canaveral to Cuba, will offer four-, five- and seven-day cruises to Havana, Cuba, with select sailings also calling to Key West during its four-day cruises. Ports of call during the Sun’s five- and seven-day voyages include Key West, Nassau, Bahamas, or Norwegian’s private island beach at Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas.

“We are excited that the Norwegian Sun is returning for another season of cruises to Cuba,” Port CEO Capt. John Murray stated. “More than 30,000 guests sailed on cruises from the Port to Havana last year, and we’re pleased to be hosting more sailing opportunities this summer season.”

The 1,936-guest vessel will kick off its summer sailing season this afternoon with a three-night voyage to Key West and Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas.

For its four-night Cuba cruises, the Sun will depart the Port each Monday during the summer sailing season and return each Friday. Three-night cruises to the Bahamas sail on Fridays and return on Mondays.

In Cuba, the Sun will berth in Havana Harbor in the heart of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Guests can experience the culture and history of Cuba with OFAC (U.S.Treasury Office of Foreign Assets)-compliant shore excursions.

Built in 2001, the 78,309 gross-ton Sun underwent an extensive three-week dry-dock refurbishment in May 2018, emerging with updated staterooms, restaurants and public spaces, as well as three new venues – Los Lobos Cantina, Bliss Ultra Lounge and Spinnaker Lounge. The cruise ship offers 14 dining options, bars and lounges, onboard shopping, the Mandara Spa, the Sun Club Casino and entertainment. All guests sailing aboard the Norwegian Sun’s Cuba or Bahamas cruises from Port Canaveral can enjoy unlimited complimentary beverages included in their cruise fare as a part of the ship’s all-inclusive program.

The Sun, which was homeported at Port from 2010 to 2012, will be berthed at Cruise Terminal 10 as it was in 2018. CT-10 recently received more than $35 million in renovations.

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Istanbul New Airport: First flight was to Ankara and a proud Turkish Nation is celebrating

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The Great Move to Istanbul Airport concluded. A proud city, a proud country and a proud airline are celebrating today in Turkey.

Turkish Airlines says that 10,000 pieces of equipment weighing 47,000 tonnes are to be moved to complete the shift later today from Ataturk Airport to the newly built Istanbul Airport

Turkish Airlines’ first flight from its new home, Istanbul Airport, after its final transfer operation, was to the capital, just like the first flight of the flag carrier 86 years ago.

Atatürk Airport was the witness to the flag carrier airline’s steady local and global rise since its founding and Turkish Airlines’ final passenger flight from this transfer hub was the Singapore flight that took place at 02:00 today.

After this significant final flight that will find itself in the annals of Turkish Airlines, another similarly important flight was the first one from Istanbul Airport following the “Great Move” process. Just like the first flight of the national flag carrier 86 years ago, the first flight from Istanbul Airport was bound for the capital. TC-JSY tail coded plane took off from Istanbul Airport at 14:00 to Ankara Esenboğa Airport with its 172 passengers and 8 cabin crew.

Sharing his thoughts about this first flight which followed the final moving operations, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, M. İlker Aycı stated; “As we enter a new era where we will find to great successes as Turkish Airlines, we are happy start with a bit of nostalgia. You may know that, 86 years ago, our first domestic flight was bound for Ankara. Today in our new home, we open the doors of a new adventure and fly to our capital once again for our first flight. In the future, we will leave many 86 years behind us while feeling the pride of flying our flag in every corner of the world as the family of Turkish Airlines with the capabilities offered to us by our new home, this “Monument of Victory.”

After the last passenger flight from Atatürk Airport, which was bound for Singapore, both Atatürk Airport and Istanbul Airport were closed to all passenger flights between 02:00 and 14:00 today. Operations after the move began with the national flag carrier’s first flight from Istanbul Airport to Ankara Esenboğa Airport took off at 14:00. Following this flight, Turkish Airlines operations from Istanbul Airport will be increased in stages according to the set plan.

Earlier Turkish Airlines conducted its last passenger flight from Atatürk Airport with its scheduled Singapore flight on 02:00 today. Atatürk Airport, the longtime transfer hub was the immediate witness of Turkish Airline’s consistent local and global growth since its founding.

The farewell flight that concluded the successful adventure of the global carrier on Atatürk Airport was met with great interest of the passengers. The flag carrier’s TK54 Istanbul – Singapore flight, operated with TC-JJY tail coded aircraft with 319 passengers and 18 cabin crew, has already become a memorable milestone in the history of Turkish Airlines.

Sharing his views about this last flight from the Atatürk Airport, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, M. İlker Aycı said; “As we bid farewell to the place that has been our home for the last 86 years, we send off our passengers on our Singapore flight from this special facility for the last time. They say that some places gain a voice of their own over time. This is exactly what we feel as we stand in Atatürk Airport today. As we experience these moments full of emotion, our singular comfort is that we will host our passengers in a state of the art facility from now and with that opportunity we will experience the unstoppable rise of our brand.”

Besides that, Turkish Airlines passed almost 24-hour mark of its moving process. Turkish Airlines’ move to its new home Istanbul Airport which is the biggest airport project of the world, will continue in the following hours. Unique in global aviation history, the moving operation will take 45 hours in total and it will be concluded on April 6 Saturday night at 23:59.

Ataturk Airport and Istanbul Airport are closed between 02:00 and 14:00 following the Turkish Airlines’ scheduled TK54 Istanbul – Singapore flight from Atatürk Airport which is the last passenger flight from this old home.

Operations with the “Great Move” will begin with the Ankara flight of the national flag carrier, which will depart from Istanbul Airport on April 6 at 14:00. Following that, the flights from Istanbul Airport will be increased in stages according to a set plan.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Emirates flying travelers to Zagreb this summer

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Zagreb is a city with a rich history and culture and is known for its 18th century architecture. It is a major draw for tourists in the summer, and to accommodate the higher demand for travel to this popular tourist destination, Emirates airline will begin service this summer.

The airline will utilize the Boeing 777-300ER for the route that will operate to Zagreb until October 26, 2019. Partner airline flydubai will then begin to operate during the winter season. The strategic partnership between both airlines ensures capacity is deployed to best serve customer demand.

Flight EK 129 will depart Dubai at 8:30 and arrive in Zagreb at 12:35 local time, utilizing a Boeing 777-300ER. The return flight, EK 130 will depart Zagreb at 15:25 and arrive in Dubai at 23:00 local time. Due to the planned upgrade works on the southern runway at DXB from April 16 until May 30, 2019, Emirates’ flights to Zagreb will operate 4 times weekly on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. From May 31, 2019 onwards, the route will be operated as a daily service.

In Zagreb, visitors can discover the upper and lower town areas that hold some of the world’s most iconic cathedrals and museums. Travelers can also discover popular Croatian cities located on the Dalmatian Coast, such as Split and Dubrovnik. Emirates’ partner airline, flydubai, offers travelers flight options to Dubrovnik twice a week on Sunday and Thursday. Flight FZ 719 departs Dubai at 9:00 and arrives in Zagreb at 13:00 local time.

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Thank you for flying TAP Air Portugal: Welcome to Tel Aviv

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Israel has about 9 million inhabitants and annually receives more than 4 million visitors. TAP Air Portugal landed its inaugural flight between Lisbon and Israel on time on Sunday night at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.

With this new route, TAP will offer connecting service from the United States via its Lisbon hub. Like all TAP’s “beyond Portugal” destinations, Tel Aviv qualifies for the airline’s stopover program en route.

TAP’s daily flight leaves Lisbon at 2:20 pm and arrives in Tel Aviv at 9:30 pm. From Tel Aviv, flights depart at 5:05 am, arriving in Lisbon at 9:00 am.

One of Israel’s main tourist attractions is the city of Jerusalem, where one can visit holy sites of various religions. Within walking distance are the Holy Sepulcher (Christian), the Wailing Wall (Jewish) and the Mosque of Al-Aqsa (Muslim).

But Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Nazareth, Tiberias, Caesarea, Haifa, the Dead Sea region, and in the Palestinian part, Bethlehem and Jericho, among other points, also have many attractions.

The Portugal Stopover comprises a network of more than 150 partners who provide exclusive offers for Stopover customers for hotels discounts and complimentary experiences such as tuk-tuk tours, visits to museums, dolphin watching in the River Sado and food tastings – even a free bottle of Portuguese wine in participating restaurants.

Travelers can also enjoy a stopover in Lisbon or Porto even if their final destination is in Portugal, such as: Faro (Algarve); Ponta Delgada or Terceira (the Azores); and, Funchal or Porto Santo (Madeira).

Furthermore, Stopover passengers can also create a multi-destination journey, making it will be possible to travel to one destination and return from another. For example, people may choose to fly to Barcelona then return from Seville, but they will still qualify for a stopover in Lisbon or Porto on either their outbound or return travel. Stopover visits are now also available on just one-way travel to Europe or Africa.

TAP will receive 37 new aircraft by the end of this year — and 71 by 2025 — thus becoming the operator of one of the most modern fleets in the world. This renewal and growth of the fleet has allowed TAP to announce new routes and more frequencies. From the United States, new service from San Francisco, Washington DC, and Chicago start in June. TAP has also announced new routes including Naples, Tenerife, Dublin, Basel and Conakry for 2019.

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