‘Free’ flights, new websites, and enough aviation news to make any AV geek quiver with excitement. What a wonderful start to your Tuesday!

Fly for FREE to celebrate Jetstar’s 13th birthday

To celebrate 13 years young, Jetstar is offering sale fares to more destinations than ever before, including hundreds of thousands Return for FREE* seats. With more than 300,000 Return for FREE seats available to 83 domestic and international destinations, customers can book a return flight to popular holiday hotspots right across the network and fly home for free, paying only for the departing flight on a return trip.

Some of the routes available on Return for FREE include: Sydney to Ho Chi Minh return from $249; Melbourne to Honolulu return from $339; Melbourne to Gold Coast return from $89.

Solomon Airlines launches new website

Further building on its online customer service delivery, Solomon Airlines has launched a new website employing the latest in web-based flight, shopping and booking technology. Located at www.flysolomons.com, the technology being utilised for the upgraded website is based on Amadeus’ e-Retail DX platform, the most widely used and up to date online booking engine now available on the international aviation scene.

“It provides a quicker booking flow (four steps versus the previous five) and a far more persistent ‘shopping basket’ allowing customers to refer to their selected flights,” Solomon Airlines’ Manager Commercial, Colin Sigimanu said.

“The new website is far more user friendly for those of our passengers with disabilities via the inclusion of US DOT regulations and Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).”

“We have also made it easier to find location based content and promotions which mean a passenger travelling from Brisbane can easily find any specials before they book while passengers travelling from Honiara can also locate deals originating from the Solomon Islands just as readily.”

Air New Zealand launches global search for All Blacks Apprentices

Air New Zealand and New Zealand Rugby are searching the world for two truly crazy-about-rugby All Blacks Apprentices to join the All Blacks as they take on Manu Samoa in Auckland on 16 June. These volunteer positions are the first of their kind within the All Blacks camp.

The apprentices will stay at the All Blacks’ hotel and assist the team both in preparation for the match and on game day. One lucky apprentice will also be responsible for running the ball on to the field for kick-off.

Air New Zealand will provide transport to Auckland from anywhere across New Zealand or around the world for the successful applicants along with up to three friends or family members each. They will also receive accommodation and apprentices will wear special custom-made uniforms.

All Blacks Head Coach Steve Hansen says true fans of any age should apply. The apprentices will volunteer their services for 48 hours – from 8am Thursday 15 June to 8am Saturday 17 June 2017.

All Blacks supporters can apply now at www.airnz.co.nz/blackout. Fans are encouraged to provide any supporting evidence of their suitability for this position – for example video, photos, written material or artwork. Applications close 11.59pm Monday 5 June 2017 (NZT).

Cathay Pacific boosts European connectivity through Iberia codeshare agreement

New partnership between the two oneworld airlines will provide more options for Cathay Pacific customers travelling between Hong Kong, Spain and Portugal.

The codeshare agreement signed by the two leading oneworld carriers will see Cathay Pacific place its “CX” code on selected services operated by Iberia between Madrid and five popular destinations in Spain: Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Palma and Valencia. The “CX” code will also be placed on Iberia’s scheduled flights between Madrid and Lisbon, Portugal’s capital and largest city.

Cathay Pacific currently operates four weekly flights between Hong Kong and Madrid with its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The airline will launch a new seasonal summer service to Barcelona with the Airbus A350-900 aircraft from July. Cathay Pacific customers travelling on Iberia codeshare flights from Madrid will enjoy the convenience of checked-through baggage service to their final destination, in addition to being eligible to earn Asia Miles on their trip.

Tickets will be available for sale from 24 May 2017 at both www.cathaypacific.com and www.iberia.com for flights departing from 7 June 2017.

Singapore Airlines full-year operating profit down 9% to $623 million

The SIA Group reported an operating profit of $623 million in the 2016-17 financial year, $58 million or 8.5% lower compared to the same period last year. Full-year net profit fell by 55.2%, attributable in part to the net loss recorded in the fourth quarter.

Group revenue fell $370 million year-on-year to $14,869 million (-2.4%). Passenger flown revenue declined $382 million (-3.2%) despite traffic growth (+2.6%) as yields continued to come under intense pressure. Cargo revenue was also down $87 million on the back of cargo yield erosion, notwithstanding higher freight carriage. Other revenue was lower with the absence of income earned upon the release to Airbus of seven aircraft delivery slots recorded in the last financial year. These were mitigated by a one-time credit upon a change in the timing of recognising revenue from unutilised tickets.

Group expenditure decreased $312 million to $14,246 million (-2.1%). Net fuel costs contracted by $780 million (-17.2%), largely due to an $827 million reduction in fuel hedging loss. Fuel costs before hedging increased $47 million, mainly due to higher fuel volume uplifted (+$102 million) and a stronger US Dollar against the Singapore Dollar (+$10 million), partially offset by a dip in average jet fuel price (-$65 million).

Ex-fuel costs increased $468 million or 4.7%, partly attributable to double-digit capacity expansion by Budget Aviation Holdings, comprising Scoot and Tiger Airways, and SilkAir.

Qantas introduce mobile check-in and digital boarding passes for Aus – NZ flights

Qantas has introduced mobile check-in and digital boarding passes for customers travelling between Australia and New Zealand, the first step towards more seamless travel across the Tasman.

The technology is being rolled out as part of the airline’s strategy to speed up the journey through the airport for customers travelling internationally. It is expected to be completed across all relevant airports by early 2018.

Until now, customers travelling across the Tasman were typically required to queue up for a printed boarding pass. The new technology allows eligible customers travelling between Australia and New Zealand to finalise check-in and passport checks online and head straight to the lounge or boarding gate after passing through immigration and security – all with the digital boarding pass on their mobile device.

The offering will be initially made through web and mobile (Qantas.com) before being extended to the Qantas app in June 2017. From this time, Qantas will also look to extend the service from its trans-Tasman routes to other destinations on its international network.

South African Airway’s May Business Class Companion Deal + Economy Specials

South African Airways have special deals on until the 26 May. The deals are valid for departures effective immediately to 31 March 2018, and are required to be non-seasonal with no advance purchase requirements and should be booked for 2 travellers and more. Children pay adult fares.

For the sale details head to South African Airway’s website.

Chile Stopovers made Easy with new direct Flights to Santiago

Amazing culture, food, architecture and flair – Santiago is a bucket list destination that will soon be even more accessible to Australian travellers when LATAM starts operating direct flights between Melbourne and Santiago three times a week from October 2017.

Chad Carey, co-founder of Australia’s leading Latin America specialist Chimu Adventures, says the new non-stop service will take airline capacity between Australia and South America to record heights.

Currently, economy airfares sell for as little as AU$ 1,149*. According to Carey, the new route will give travellers more reasons than ever to stop over in the South American metropole cutting flying time from Melbourne to Santiago by over four hours.

“Add a day or two and you will see that Santiago is so much more than just a convenient way to set foot in Latin America, that it is, in fact, an immensely interesting city with its incredible culture and food scene.”

Malindo Air is the world’s first to fly Boeing 737 MAX 8 

Malindo Air has become the first airline to take delivery and operate the Boeing 737 MAX 8. They have announced that Malindo Air will be undergoing a re-branding to Batik Malaysia in the second half of the year, and believe that the 737 MAX 8 will be the new centre piece of their fleet.

The first commercial flight to Singapore is estimated to land at Changi Airport at 11:30a.m. followed by a ceremony from the airport to welcome the arrival. Malindo Air Boeing 737 MAX 8s are configured with a mono-class layout with a total of 180 seats. The airline will received a total of four 737 MAX 8s this year and the aircrafts will be deployed mostly for chartered flights, beginning with its first commercial services from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore

“Today marks another milestone for Malaysia aviation. We are proud to be the first to operate one of the world’s most technologically advanced single-aisle airplane. The fuel-efficient airplane is better for the environment and quieter for our communities, and we hope to have more people flying to and within Malaysia given the enhanced flying experience with the aircraft,” said Dato’ Sri Azharuddin, Director General of Civil Aviation in KLIA.

New CanBorder eDECLARATION app saves time for travellers to Canada 

Australian travellers to Canada can now save time when they arrive at Vancouver airport using the new eDeclaration (Beta) mobile app. The app allows you to create a declaration for up to five travellers with the same place of residence and reduces processing time by up to 50 per cent upon arrival.

After creating your traveller profiles on the app, select ‘My Declaration’ and answer the questions to create your Quick Response (QR) code. Scan your QR code and travel document at a Primary Inspection Kiosk, take your photo and confirm your declaration on-screen. From there, travellers take the kiosk receipt to a border services officer.

The eDeclaration app operates entirely in airplane mode and can be used safely during flights. Most travellers, including returning residents and foreign nationals, can use the eDeclaration app. Unaccompanied minors and travellers with a non-machine-readable travel document will be directed to a border service officer for processing.

The Primary Inspection Kiosks are available at Vancouver International Airport and Ottawa International Airport, with Toronto International Airport to follow suit shortly.

Australian and New Zealand passport holders flying or transiting through a Canadian airport must apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) before flying to Canada, with the easy online application process costing just $7 Canadian. The eTA is electronically linked to the traveller’s passport and is valid for five years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. 

Dual Canadian citizens cannot apply for an eTA and will need a valid Canadian passport to board their flight. Even if the Australian government needs them to enter and exit Australia using their Australian passport, they will still need a valid Canadian passport to board a flight to Canada. This means that people with dual Australian/Canadian citizenship must ensure they carry both passports when they travel.

Entry requirements for other methods of travel, such as land and sea, have not changed. Travellers are urged to use the official website to register for an eTA. There have been reports of ‘scam’ websites charging up to $122 for the application.