Get all the latest news from the airlines this week in the Big Fat Airline Wrap.

SOLOMON AIRLINES TO TEMPORARILY SUSPEND SYDNEY SERVICE

Solomon Airlines has temporarily suspended its weekly Sydney service from 17 May 2016.

Announcing the news, General Manager Operations & Commercial, Gus Kraus cited economic slowdowns in Australia and the Solomon Islands and the impact this has had on the airline’s passenger loadings ex-Sydney as a leading factor.

Mr Kraus said the situation had been further compounded by the carrier’s absence on the Honiara-Sydney route since 19 February due to its flagship Airbus A320 undergoing planned maintenance in Singapore which had taken longer than expected.

“This decision has not been taken lightly,” Kraus said.

“But I do need to stress this is a temporary measure and we are intending to re-enter the market at a later date once we see that market conditions are on the improve.

“In the interim period we already have plans in place to re-introduce the Sydney service based on seasonal demand.”

The review, Kraus said, would be undertaken by Solomon Airlines and its partners as well as Solomon Islands Department of Tourism and the Visitors Bureau and local stakeholders.

“We will be advising further as soon as our review process has been undertaken,” Kraus said.

ANA Launches Routes to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport from New York and Chicago

Japanese airline also announces new direct daily route between Mexico and Japan starting February 2017.

ANA was awarded three daylight hour slots at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND) and has decided to use two of those slots for its direct flights from New York (JFK) and Chicago (ORD) to increase the convenience for its passengers.

Haneda Airport is located less than 30 minutes south of central Tokyo, considerably closer to the city center than Narita Airport, Tokyo’s other international airport. The new Haneda Airport routes will begin in the 2016 winter timetable.

With services already operating from Los Angeles, Honolulu and Vancouver to Haneda Airport, this will increase the total number of flights to the central airport from North American cities to five.

Emirates Airline offers Visa Checkout to book flight tickets

Emirates Airline customers in 15 countries can now use Visa Checkout with any Visa debit or credit card or other branded cards to purchase Emirates travel products

Emirates Airline will now offer Visa Checkout, the online checkout service by Visa, a global payments technology company, allowing shoppers to pay with their cards online and on any device, with just a few clicks.

Visa Checkout is now available to Emirates Airline customers in 15 countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, the UAE and the USA. Enrolling in Visa Checkout is a simple, one-time process, taking only a few minutes. Consumers simply store their shipping and payment information in a secure account with Visa once, and they never have to re-enter it again when shopping online at all merchants globally who offer Visa Checkout.

Emirates customers can now conveniently use Visa Checkout with any Visa debit or credit card to make Emirates Airline ticket purchases to its global network spanning six continents directly from the emirates.com website. The service solves the frustration that many online shoppers face in having to submit large amounts of information – such as their name, card numbers and billing address – each time they want to make an online purchase.

Book Air Canada’s new Premium Economy and receive a $100 gift voucher

Air Canada is celebrating the arrival this week of its new Premium Economy Class cabin on its non-stop Sydney-Vancouver service by giving away $100 gift vouchers with the first 50 Premium Economy bookings made during May 2016.

Air Canada’s daily B777-200 service from Sydney now offers 24 seats in Premium Economy Class, with passengers enjoying greater legroom and recline, wider seats, intuitive touch personal entertainment screens, premium meals and priority check-in and baggage delivery.

To receive a $100 shopping voucher, travel agents must book and ticket a Premium Economy seat on Air Canada’s Sydney to Vancouver service between 11 May and 31 May 2016, for travel before 31 May 2016.

To claim the shopping voucher agents simply submit their booking details, including ticket number and itinerary, to SydneyFare.Agent1@aircanada.ca.

Hong Kong Airlines to Launch Its First Daily Flight to New Zealand

Hong Kong Airlines will launch its first daily direct service to Auckland, New Zealand on 10 November 2016. Airbus A332 aircraft with 283 seats, including 24 business class seats will be deployed on the route.

Located in the North Island of New Zealand, Auckland is surrounded by two different harbours on the east and west side of the city. Thanks to the love of sailing by its citizens, Auckland also bears a nickname, “City of Sails”.

Not only is it the most populous area in the North Island, Auckland has various spectacular natural sceneries in close proximity, such as volcanoes and islands; and together with the mild weather, it has been repeatedly named one of the world’s most liveable cities.

You can be almost anywhere in just half an hour from the city centre, including sailing to an island, bungee jumping from the Auckland Bridge, trekking through the rainforest, sampling wines at a vineyard and enjoying the Art Gallery or Aquarium.