Travel easy with Emirates

Purchase your 30-day or 96-hour UAE visa on www.emirates.com DUBAI, U.A.E., 17th May 2010: Emirates airline has introduced yet another initiative to simplify travel with the launch of ‘Purchase your UAE visa online Emirates is the only airline in the Middle East to offer this complete online visa solution to its passengers visiting its hub Dubai, UAE - for business or leisure. The feature an extension of the online flight booking process on www.emirates.com - can be accessed by valid Emirates ticket holders from 35 select countries. Only 30-day and 96-hour visit visas to Dubai, UAE are available through the new feature, subject to all pre-requisites being met. The pre-requisites are defined by Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) as it takes the decision to grant the visa. (www.dnrd.gov.ae ). A 96-hour visa will cost US$ 44 while a 30-day visa will cost US$ 57. Service fees are applied separately. Visas are delivered via email within four international working days. Passengers can continually track the status of their applications via www.emirates.com Richard Vaughan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide noted: “Advancements in aviation are often related to simplifications in the travel process. I’m delighted Emirates is advancing travel convenience by allowing its customers to apply, purchase and track their UAE visa online - another initiative in a series of self-service tools that offer more convenience, flexibility and control to passengers. Taking place from the comfort of one’s home, office or hotel, it requires none of the running around often associated with submitting forms, securing approvals and collecting visas. “It also demonstrates our ongoing commitment to Dubai and its tourism industry. The timely introduction of this feature ahead of the summer rush will facilitate travel for scores of tourists visiting the emirate during the Dubai Summer Surprises. Groups and families stand to gain significantly as the feature accepts multiple requests of up to nine people as long as they are on the same booking. It is available to Emirates ticket holders regardless of whether the booking is facilitated via www.emirates.com, an Emirates office or a travel agent. In its initial phase the facility is being rolled out in 35 countries* in the Far East, Indian sub-continent, Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas. In the second phase, due to roll out in the coming weeks, offline markets will be targeted. These comprise countries that do not have Emirates services, but which connect to nearby gateways of the Dubai-based airline. Passengers click ‘Manage Your Booking on www.emirates.com and proceed with seven simple steps to complete the transaction. Passengers have the flexibility to request visas at the time of or after the flight booking has been completed. Emirates has partnered with VFS Global to introduce this feature. VFS Global - a part of Switzerland-based Kuoni Travel Group is a specialist partner for diplomatic missions worldwide, processing over 7 million (contracted) visa applications per year. It operates the Dubai Visa Processing Centre (DVPC) in 11 countries. DVPC does not process work visas.

Emirates arrives in Amsterdam to Queens birthday celebrations

2nd May 2010: Emirates has touched down in Amsterdam, celebrating its latest European destination while the Netherlands celebrated the Queens Birthday. As the nation buzzed for Koninginnedag, or Queens day, Emirates received a VIP welcome at Schiphol International Airport for its VIP delegation and other passengers aboard the inaugural flight from Dubai. Those making the 1st May trip to open Emirates 23rd route in Europe included Salem Obaidalla, Emirates Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe & Russian Federation; Rob Broere, Vice President, Passenger Services Systems, Emirates Group IT; Jean-Luc Grillet, Emirates Manager France & Benelux; Gilles Beschoor Plug, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Arab Emirates; Kees van Spronsen, Kingdom of the Netherlands Consul-General in Dubai and Eric van Wijk, Managing Director, The Hospitality Company. Ambassador Plug said: The new Emirates service between Dubai and Amsterdam is a positive development in the growing relationship between the United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands. There is a long history of trade between the Netherlands and the Arab region, and trade between the Netherlands and the UAE now runs into billions of Euros annually, while a large number of Dutch companies have a presence in the UAE. Ambassador Plug added: We know new air links stimulate commerce and tourism and we are confident that this daily flight will result in more visitors to our countries, for the purposes of both business and pleasure. Mr Obaidalla said: We are very excited about the product we are bringing to the route - we have the latest 777 aircraft - and we are especially proud that we are the only carrier offering First Class between here and Dubai. We know that many thousands of people from the Netherlands already enjoy flying with Emirates, taking our flights out of Dusseldorf. Our new daily service will make life much more convenient for those heading to Dubai and onwards to our more than 100 destinations. Amongst the welcoming delegation in Amsterdam were Maarten de Groof, Executive Vice President & CCO Schiphol Group and His Excellency Ali Thani Alsuwaidi, UAE Ambassador to the Netherlands. All passengers were given commemorative tulips on arrival. Served by a combination of the latest Boeing 777-300ER and 200LR, EK flight 145 leaves Dubai daily at 0825hrs and arrives in Amsterdam at 1330hrs. From Amsterdam, EK 146 departs at 1530hrs and arrives in Dubai at 2359hrs. Queens Day in the Netherlands falls on 30th April and is the Official Birthday of Queen Beatrix. It is a major public holiday in the country and many take extended breaks to mark the occasion, which includes music concerts, street markets and childrens games. The largest celebrations are in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam.

Start spreading the news - Emirates A380 will return to New York from October

19th May 2010: Emirates A380 superjumbo will make a much-anticipated return to New York on 31st October, the airline has announced. The aircrafts reinstatement on one of Emirates double daily JFK routes comes as the carrier reported a significant increase in revenue for the Americas in 2009-10, representing a year-on-year rise of 8.1 percent. Growth in the Americas helped steer the airline to a net profit of AED 3.5 billion (US$ 964 million), while 27.5 million passengers flew with Emirates over the last financial year, over 20 percent more than in 2008- 09. Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline said: We promised to return the A380 to New York as soon as demand recovered and we have been true to our word. He continued: Against some of the toughest operating conditions ever faced, the results for the Americas have been hugely encouraging. This achievement reflects our success in maintaining our business as usual approach and remaining faithful to our strategy of product and service excellence. As we look to 2010-11 and beyond, Emirates will continue to invest in its products and services to build on the resurgent demand for air travel within the Americas. Our plans for the future also include adding new US cities to our four existing gateways: New York, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Emirates expansion plans for the region will be boosted by a significant increase in capacity. The airline is scheduled to receive 11 new wide-body aircraft in 2010, including Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s. Emirates currently operates eight A380 aircraft, serving London Heathrow, Toronto, Paris, Jeddah, Bangkok, Seoul, Sydney and Auckland. In March 2010, the airline also announced the start of A380 services to Beijing from 1st August and Manchester from September. The much-praised superjumbos offer an Onboard Lounge for First Class and Business Class passengers, with a wide range of drinks and canapés, as well as the space to socialise or simply relax. Passengers in all classes can lose themselves in the quietness of the aircraft and the much-enjoyed ice entertainment system. There are more than 1,000 channels of on-demand entertainment including 200 movies from around the world, 100 TV channels, more than 500 audio channels, 100 video games and news, sports and business headlines. From 31st October, Flight EK201 will be operated by an A380 aircraft departing Dubai (DXB) at 08:30, arriving New York (JFK) at 14:15 the same day. EK202 departs JFK at 23:00, arriving Dubai at 19:45 the following day. The daily A380 service will complement Emirates second daily flight aboard the Boeing 777-300ER.

Press statement - Flight disruptions

25th April 2010 - Emirates continues to look for creative solutions to help passengers across its network complete their journeys following the volcanic ash disruption. In addition to deploying extra services on a number of routes, the airline is maximising its fleet and getting thousands more passengers to their required destination by adding an extra stop on suitable routes. Between 26th to 29th April inclusive, Emirates flight EK347 from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai will be re-routed via Bangkok, picking up passengers and easing the operational backlog in the Thai capital. In a further sign that business is returning to normal, the online check-in service will be back in operation from 08:00 GMT tomorrow. Richard Vaughan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide, said: We are continually assessing every option available as we strive to resume normal service across the network. Re-routing the Kuala Lumpar flight for four days will be a great boost to operations in Bangkok, which also benefited from two extra flights from Dubai yesterday. After several days of additional services to the UK, including three extra flights to Gatwick today, our services to Europe are nearing business as usual. However, there are still pockets of disrupted passengers on the network and we are doing absolutely everything we can to get them to their final destination as soon as possible. We are very grateful for the patience and understanding of these last few passengers. We acknowledge it has been a stressful time and they are now very much the focal point of our global recovery operation. The flight stopping in Bangkok will operate as EK8347, departing Kuala Lumpur at 17:30 and arriving at Bangkok at 18:35, while the onward connection will leave Bangkok at 20:00 arriving in Dubai at 23:05. Emirates will continue to serve the Kuala Lumpur-Dubai route with two daily non-stop services, EK408/409 and EK342/343. Emirates has advised that passengers travelling to and from the UK and Europe via Dubai, who held bookings for travel during the disruption, are now being accepted, provided they hold confirmed bookings on their new flights. All passengers are advised to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport on www.emirates.com. Passengers are asked not to go to the airport unless they have a confirmed seat on a flight. Online check-in is suspended until 08:00 GMT on 26th April for all Emirates flights. Emirates customers affected by the disruption can cancel their booking or change their onward destination without charge. All re-issue and cancellation fees will be waived while the disruption is ongoing.

Tweet your way to the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final with Emirates

DUBAI, U.A.E. 1st June 2010: Wherever you are in the world, Emirates, an Official FIFA Partner, is ensuring you can cheer on your team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and be in with a chance of winning a dream trip to South Africa. Emirates is bringing the 2010 FIFA World Cup to a truly global audience through its search for the longest virtual Mexican Wave - or ‘twexican wave - through the use of Twitter and www.twexicanwave.com Inspired by the Mexican Wave phenomenon that took off at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, the aim is to take the cult celebration from the stadium and put it into the digital space. At www.twexicanwave.com you can change your Twitter profile picture to one with your arms in the air, re-enacting the Mexican wave. To win a chance to be at the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg on 11th July*, you need to be part of the longest Twexican Wave. A new wave starts the second someone with an arms-in-the-air profile picture tweets #twexicanwave. The wave is broken when someone tweets #twexicanwave without a new profile picture. At www.twexicanwave.com the waves length is then logged and visualised from all the different profile pictures that make up the latest Twexican Wave. At the end of the competition the longest wave created wins. If you are part of that wave, you are entered into the prize draw to win a pair of tickets to the 2010 FIFA World Cup final. One winner from each participating country will win a pair of tickets to the 2010 FIFA World Cup final. * - The prize is only open to residents of Brazil, UK, Australia, Germany, India, Japan and the UAE

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation to Strengthen Cooperation in

Ruan Chengfa, the member of standing committee of Hubei Provincial Committee of the CPC and secretary of Wuhan Municipal Committee and Tang Liangzhi, the mayor of Wuhan Municipal Government met with Xu Dazhe, the secretary and general manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation yesterday. It is said that the corporation will strengthen cooperation in Wuhan.

In this March, Wuhan Municipal Government signed strategic cooperative contract with the company in Beijing. And the group will develop 3 businesses including Aeronautic Defense, Information Technology and Equipment Manufacturing in the city.

Paradise of Shopping Wuhan Department Store

Paradise of Shopping
The Shopping Center of Wuhan Department Store: the Giant in Commerce of Wuhan
The shopping center is composed of House Appliances Section of Wuhan Department Store, Wuhan Plaza, and World Trade Plaza, which is funded cooperatively by Wuhan Department Store Group and Dexin Group of Hong Kong. Integrating the functions of shopping, entertainment, business, amusement, and blending oriental and occidental cultures, it is a first class luxurious shopping center throughout China. Covering a business area of 80,000 square meters, there are 200,000 international famous brands and national popular commodities.

Alaska Airlines Inaugurates Sacramento-Maui Service

SACRAMENTO, Calif.Alaska Airlines will launch daily service between Sacramento, Calif., and Kahului, Maui. To mark the occasion, passengers will board the "Follow Apolo to Hawaii" plane, a specially-themed Boeing 737-800 highlighting the opportunity to enter for a chance to win a Maui vacation for two with the celebrated short-track speed skater.

"Customers now will be able to enjoy Alaska's unique brand of service and earn Mileage Plan miles whether they're booking a flight or a complete vacation package to the beautiful islands of Hawaii," said Joe Sprague, Alaska's vice president of marketing. "We invite travelers to enjoy Maui's tropical beaches this summer by entering to win a tropical Hawaiian vacation with Apolo at www.followapolo.com"

Participants can register for the "Follow Apolo to Hawaii" sweepstakes, through April 15, at www.followapolo.com. They can earn up to 33 additional entries by using social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace to share the opportunity with friends who also register. They can also earn five entries by providing their Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan number, joining Mileage Plan, or signing up to receive the Mileage Plan newsletter.

Five sweepstakes winners and their guests will join Ohno in June for a Hawaiian vacation, including roundtrip tickets to Maui on Alaska Airlines, a private luau with Ohno and luxury accommodations for four nights and five days at the Grand Wailea in Maui.
Each registered sweepstakes participant can earn up to 44 entries. Winners will be announced at www.followapolo.com in late-April.

Summary of new service:

Start date

City pair

Departure time Arrival time Day of week Mar 26 Sacramento-Maui 8:15 a.m. 10:50 a.m. Daily Mar 26 Maui-Sacramento 11:50 a.m.* 8 p.m.* Daily

Times are based on local time zones
* Schedule changes April 11, 2010. See alaskaair.com for details.

The new flights are operated with Boeing 737-800 aircraft, accommodating 16 passengers in first class and 141 in the main cabin. All flights to Hawaii offer Hawaiian-themed beverages and meal service. Customers in the main cabin are offered complimentary Mauna Loa macadamia nuts and a complimentary Mai Tai or POG juice, as well as a Hawaiian-themed meal-for-purchase option for $6. Customers in first class enjoy exotic meals such as Polynesian petite beef tenderloin.

Inflight service includes Alaska Airlines' digEplayer, a personal entertainment system offering a variety of movies, television shows, music and other features.

Alaska Airlines Vacations offers a full line of vacation packages for travel to the islands of Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii. Packages include air transportation, hotel accommodations, ground transportation and tours. For more information about Alaska Airlines Vacations, visit www.alasksaair.com/vacations.

The new flights are available for purchase online at www.alasksaair.com or by calling (800) ALASKAAIR (800-252-7522 or TTY/TDD line 800-392-0228).

Note to news media: High quality broadcast footage can be downloaded at www.alaskaair.com/media or by contacting Alaska Airlines Media Relations.

For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom .

Paying the price for a Hong Kong tour | china travel

Li Hau-chun, a Hong Kong tour guide, who was filmed berating a group of mainland visitors for failing to spend enough at a jewellery store. She has since apologised for her outburst. Edmond Tang / China Daily

Hsu Chinyin, an accountant who worked for a Hong Kong travel agency for 10 years, described the business as gambling."Every day is a bet and every tour is a bet," he said.An open letter highlighting some of the issues "people avoid talking about at Tourism Industry Council meetings" was sent to the tourism commission under the city's Commerce and Economic Bureau last month. It was signed: "A tourist industry veteran"."One (shopping) tour calculated at 20 people per group is the equivalent of betting at least HK$30,000," the anonymous author wrote. "Bosses are not doing charity. The actual situation in the industry is very cruel and some tour guides are a little crazy."After facing universal criticism on television and in the press, more than 400 Hong Kong tour guides gathered at a restaurant on July 22 to put their side of the story across and protest about the harsh conditions they face.Many guides complained that they receive no basic salary and must even pay drivers' tips, admission fares and parking fees for agencies, which they sometimes never get back.In the letter by the "tourism industry veteran", the author stated that travel agencies owe guides as much as HK$10 million for charges they have paid up front. This puts intense pressure on guides to wring every penny out of their clients, by fair or foul play."They are totally living on commission," said Wong Ka-ngai, chairman of Hong Kong Tour Guide General Union (TGGU). "So the only way they can make money is to rip off tourists."

The travel agents give guides implicit consent to "cheat" clients should take the blame, he added. "Tour guides are just scapegoats.""Once tour guides get on the coach, companies have already lost HK$1,000 (on transport costs)," explained the retired city guide, who spent two decades working in the industry. "For companies, guides who can rip off tourists are good guides. Today, they are just salespeople."He added that there are far more aggressive guides operating in Hong Kong than Li Qiaozhen, while some companies are famous within the industry for the dirty tactics they employ on tourists.Getting commission on purchases can be extremely lucrative, said accountant Hsu, who revealed that, for every HK$100 spent, about HK$58 will go to the travel agency and about HK$10 to tour guides.Wong at the TGGU said guides generally take a commission of between 1 and 7 percent, with the highest paid on jewelry items.However, because of the need to pay commission, vendors can sell their wares at up to 11 times the cost price, read the letter by the "tourism industry veteran".A statement issued on July 22 by Li Wah-ming, a member of the Legislative Council, said the annual revenue of 60 registered shops (all stores where guides take tourists must register with the Tourism Industry Council) is about HK$20 billion.To ensure great professionalism, tourism board chairman Tien suggested tour guides be licensed by the government, rather than by the industry's regulating body, the Tourism Industry Council. He also questioned the current level of supervision.Taking a cutThe mainland has already banned travel agencies from organizing tours for prices less than the cost, deeming it "unfair competition that disrupts the market", according to Shao Qiwei, director of the National Tourism Administration. However, Hong Kong has yet to rule against the practice.

Guangdong tightens rules on foreigners living and working there | china travel

GUANGZHOU - Guangdong province has tightened up rules governing foreigners living and working there as part of efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.

A provincial regulation, which takes effect on May 1, encourages people to report malpractice involving foreigners, such as illegal entry, overstaying, working without permits or conducting business without a license.

The regulation, approved by the provincial government on Jan 21, was posted on the local government website recently and is the first of its kind concerning management of foreigners on the mainland.

The six-chapter, 67-article regulation stipulates that no one is allowed to provide accommodation for foreigners who have overstayed or are without a valid passport.

Property owners violating the rule will be fined three times the amount of the monthly rent they charge.

The regulation came as the booming province has attracted a growing number of foreigners seeking employment and trade opportunities.

More than 63,000 permanent foreign residents are registered in Guangdong and more than 4 million foreigners visit the province annually. But the province has witnessed a growing number of illegal immigrants working or doing business.

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40 million foreigners learning Chinese
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To tackle the problem, the regulation stipulates that an employer of a foreigner without a valid work or residence permit will be fined of up to 3,000 yuan ($450).

Any firm or individual who provides accommodation or bank accounts to foreigners without valid travel documents, or whose visas have expired, will be fined up to 10,000 yuan.

Max J. Zenglein, regional manager of the German Chamber of Commerce in China (South China), said the new provisions will not affect foreign companies in Guangdong.

"We still have to wait for some time to see whether the new rule will have any impact on foreigners' employment in the province," he told China Daily on Tuesday.

Zheng Fenming, director of the Scientific Development and Public Policy Center at the Guangdong Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, said that the new rule does not discriminate against foreigners.

Zheng said the number of foreigners who come to Guangdong to work and do business will continue to grow because of its rapid economic growth and myriad business opportunities.

According to the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court, one third of fraud cases between 2002 and 2008 involved foreigners.

Many companies in Guangdong have been found illegally using workers from Africa, the Middle East, Vietnam and Myanmar for cheap labor.

Citi, China Life invest more in Guangdong bank | china travel

Citigroup and China Life have fully participated in the $2.2 billion rights issue of Guangdong Development Bank, maintaining their leading stakes in the Chinese lender, China Life said on Friday.

The world's biggest life insurer by market value had invested an additional 3 billion yuan ($450 million) in Guangdong Development Bank, maintaining its 20 percent stake, while Citigroup also kept its holdings at that level through buying newly-issued shares.

Related readings:
Guangdong Development Bank H1 profit up 79.7%
GDB gets shareholders' nod to raise 15b yuan
Guangdong bank aims for IPO next year - source
Lenders shifting forex units to Shanghai

The move would "increase our overall investment returns, improve our asset-liability structure and help maintain our interest in the bank," China Life said in a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

"It would also benefit long-term development of Guangdong Development Bank, and promote cooperation between banks and insurers."

Guangdong Development Bank, which sold controlling stakes to Citigroup, China Life and several other strategic investors in a restructuring in 2006, is preparing for an initial public offering as soon as next year, after turning itself into a profitable business from an insolvent government-controlled lender.

The Guangdong-based bank said in April that it would issue new shares to raise up to 15 billion yuan to boost its capital, with existing shareholders entitled for 2.858 additional shares for every 10 held at 4.38 yuan apiece.

Guangdong Development Bank made a profit of 3.39 billion yuan in 2009, while its capital adequacy ratio stood at 8.98 percent at the end of last year, compared with a regulatory minimum of 8 percent.

Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air Offer Fall Fare Sale

Alaska Airlines (IATA CODE AS) and Horizon Air have launched a fall sale featuring low fares to many of the carriers' destinations in the contiguous United States, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico.

Tickets must be purchased by Aug. 31 for travel from Sept. 8 through Oct. 5, 2010, to Mexico and from Sept. 8 through Dec. 15, 2010, for all other markets. A 14-day advance purchase is required, except for service to Hawaii and Mexico. Day-of-week travel restrictions apply, except for Hawaii, Mexico and intra-Alaska travel.

Sample one-way fares:

Between

One-way fare

Portland, Ore., and Sacramento $59* Seattle and San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland, Calif. $69* Portland, Ore., and Phoenix $79* Spokane, Wash., and Los Angeles $99* Washington, D. C. and Los Angeles $119* San Jose, Calif., and Los Cabos, Mexico $139* Ketchikan, Alaska, and Seattle $189* *See terms and conditions below for more information Flights are available for booking at www.alaskaair.com and www.horizonair.com
or by calling 1-800-ALASKAAIR (800-252-7522 or TTY/TDD line 800-392-0228).

Terms and conditions for one-way fares: Tickets must be purchased by Aug. 31, 2010, for travel starting Sept. 8, 2010. Fares must be purchased 14 days in advance, except for travel to Hawaii and Mexico. All travel must be completed by Dec. 15, except for Mexico, which must be completed by Oct. 5, 2010. Prices listed are good for travel on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday only, except for Mexico, Hawaii and intra-Alaska. Blackout dates for travel are Nov. 20-30, 2010. Some markets may not operate daily service. More information is available on alaskaair.com or horizonair.com.

General terms and conditions: Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or all days. A ticket purchased at an Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air airport location or through a reservation call center will cost $15 more per person than the advertised fare. Travelers are responsible for the following taxes and fees, as applicable: Airport Passenger Facility Charges of up to $9 (amount depends on itinerary), Federal Segment Tax of $3.70 per segment (takeoff and landing) and Sept. 11 Security Fee of $2.50 per enplanement.

Additional fees for Mexico travel: U.S. Immigration User Fee of $7, U.S. Aphis Fee of $5, U.S. International Transportation Tax of $16.10, Mexico International Departure Tax of up to $33 (fluctuates with dollar-peso exchange rate), Mexico Tourism Tax of up to $24 (fluctuates with dollar-peso exchange rate) and Mexico Transportation Tax of 4 percent of the fare (fluctuates with dollar-peso exchange rate). Additional U.S. taxes may apply to itineraries involving a U.S. stopover lasting more than 12 hours.

All taxes and fees shown are based on one-way travel and may be doubled if traveling roundtrip. All fares, taxes and fees are in U.S. dollars and are subject to change without notice and other restrictions apply. Tickets are nonrefundable. Changes made at alaskaair.com or horizonair.com incur a $75 per person change fee and any difference in fare. Ticket changes made through an Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air reservation call center or airport ticket counter incur a $100 per person change fee and any difference in fare. A $20 baggage fee will apply for each of the first three bags. Additional fees apply to check more than three bags and for overweight or oversized items. See checked baggage policy at alaskaair.com for more details.

Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008, 2009 and 2010 North America Airline Satisfaction StudiesSM. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com or www.horizonair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at alaskaair.com/newsroom.

Alaska Airlines Debuts Enhanced Onboard Entertainment System

Alaska Airlines (IATA CODE AS)' advanced new digEplayer devices took to the skies this week, expanding the inflight entertainment option of customers on longer flights. The new system offers touch-screen navigation and is lighter weight and smaller than the previous system.

Alaska's digEplayers boast a varied selection of content, including more new-release movies and television programs, the NFL Network, ReelzChannel Hollywood programming and interactive games. The device can also be connected to the Internet via Alaska Airlines' Gogo inflight Wi-Fi network for an additional fee.

"We're pleased to offer our customers an enhanced entertainment option on our flights," said Joe Sprague, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing. "The new digEplayer is smaller and lighter than a laptop, has a much longer battery life, and provides exciting and unique content for our travelers."

The new digEplayers are available on most Alaska Airlines flights longer than three hours. The price is $14 on flights longer than 4.5 hours and $8 on flights less than 4.5 hours. Customers receive a $2 discount when they reserve a digEplayer in advance via the airline's alaskaair.com website.

Alaska Airlines debuted its custom-designed digEplayer system in 2003, becoming the first carrier in the world to offer customers portable video-on-demand technology from a convenient handheld device.

Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008, 2009 and 2010 North America Airline Satisfaction Studies SM. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

Air China Expands With Second Daily Nonstop Flight From Los Angeles To Beijing

Steady growth of China’s exclusive national carrier continues
with the addition of a second daily nonstop flight in September 2011

More seats will be available for business and leisure travelers to and from the United States and Mainland China as of September 1, 2011 when Air China starts its second daily nonstop flight between Los Angeles and Beijing. The flight, operated by a B747-400, is scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles at 11 a.m., and depart for Beijing at 1:20 p.m. This additional flight will not only double the choices for passengers, especially business travelers destined to Beijing or onward to domestic Chinese cities, but it also creates excellent connections to such important Asian destinations such as India, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand.

“Our second flight out of LAX will allow passengers to conveniently and easily proceed to other cities in China, Asia and elsewhere in the world, effectively increasing our competitiveness, market share and penetration. Beijing and beyond will be well served by this new flight, making China’s capital city a true global hub,” Dr. Zhihang Chi, Air China’s Vice President and General Manger for North America, stated.

Monarch expands its winter flying programme for 2010/2011

10 08 2010

Award winning low fares airline Monarch is expanding its winter flying programme for 2010/2011 and adding additional frequencies to existing routes as well as launching new winter services. All winter flights are now available to book via www.monarch.co.uk.

New to the programme for winter 2010/11 is Palma, with the airline now operating year-round flights to the Balearic Island of Majorca. Thrice-weekly services will operate throughout the winter from both Gatwick and Manchester, offering over 51,000 seats to the Island’s capital, with fares from just £38.99 one way including taxes and charges (£61.99 return).

In addition to the new flights to Majorca, Monarch is also increasing frequencies to mainland Spain and other Spanish Islands throughout the winter. Services to Alicante are being bolstered by additional flights from Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester. These will also be supported by flights from Luton, which will rejoin the winter schedule and offer three new flights a week.

Malaga, Menorca and Gran Canaria will also operate with higher frequencies during the winter months, as will Gibraltar, which will increase to six flights a week from Luton.

Commenting on the expanded flying programme, Managing Director of Monarch Airlines, Tim Jeans said, “Our customers have been requesting year-round flights to Majorca for some time, so it is great news that we are now able to respond to this and offer a winter service. Flights to Palma from Gatwick only launched in July and demand for them has been staggering with almost 15,000 passengers booked to travel already.

“The additional flying across the Monarch network over the winter months is reflective of the booking strength we are already seeing for flights to core destinations such as Alicante and Malaga. Our winter flying programme has been on sale since January 2010 and demand for flights to our Spanish destinations has continued to grow since then.”

Monarch operates scheduled flights to Spain, Gibraltar, Portugal, Cyprus and Turkey from Birmingham, London Gatwick, London Luton and Manchester airports. In addition to year-round low fares, Monarch also offers a unique range of tasty hot and cold meals that can be pre-booked or purchased onboard with prices from £2.00. To enable customers to select where in the cabin they sit and ensure that families and groups sit together, seats can be pre-booked at £7.50 per one-way flight, or from only £15, extra-legroom seats are available, which offer up to six inches of extra space.

Passengers travelling on scheduled flights can also avoid the queues at the airport and take advantage of online check-in which is available between seven days and 4.5 hours prior to departure.

In addition to flights, Monarch also now offers a huge range of great value holidays, accommodation options, car hire and travel insurance.

For further information or to book Monarch flights, Monarch Holidays or Monarch Hotels, please visit www.monarch.co.uk.

- ends -

Notes to editors
New winter flights
• Gatwick – Majorca: three flights per week, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
• Manchester – Majorca: three flights per week: Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
• Luton – Alicante: three flights per week, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday

Additional winter frequencies
• Luton – Gibraltar
• Luton – Mahon
• Gatwick – Alicante
• Gatwick – Malaga
• Gatwick – Gran Canaria
• Birmingham – Alicante
• Manchester – Malaga
• Manchester – Alicante

Chinese Hotels to Have Flexible Check-out Schedules

Sound sleepers will likely to have a privilege of extending sleeping hours in Chinese hotels and not worrying about extra room rate, after the country moves to encourage hotels to have flexible check-out schedules.

In the latest version of professional standards of hotels, which was issued by the the China Tourist Hotels Association(CTHA) recently, hotels are allowed to arrange their own check-out schedules, Saturday's Beijing Times reported.

Previously, hotel guests in China are required to leave their room before midday. The former edition of the professional standards, which was issued in 2002, stipulate that half day room rate is applicable for extended check-out until 18:00 and full rate for late check-out after 18:00.

The new standards, however, is not compulsory and only serves as a reference, according to CTHA.

The new standards stipulate that hotels should inform clients at prominent locations in the lobby of check-out time schedule and room rate if change is made and make sure the clients are informed in an appropriate manner.

Analysts say the move would bring more competition to the hotel industry as giving hotels more decision-making power in forming check-out schedules would help them formulate plans to attract customers.

The revision to the former standards would also bring inconveniences for customers as they may face a variety of check-out schedules and differentiated room rates, a CTHA-affiliated lawyer who only identifies himself as Liu told the newspaper.

In some places of China, practice such as negotiations with hotels on the check-out time and settlement method have already existed. Hotels usually offer a luggage storage service for guests if they are required to leave at noon.

Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed railway put into operation (4)

Passengers buy the tickets of the high speed train from Shanghai to Hangzhou on an automatic ticket machine at Hongqiao Railway Station in east China's Shanghai Municipality, Oct. 26, 2010. The 202km Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed railway, with a design speed of 350km per hour, began its operation on Tuesday morning. (Xinhua/Chen Fei)
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Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail to fully operate at end of June

The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway will open and begin operations by the end of June 2011, and the Beijing Railway Administration will simultaneously launch the telephone booking and Internet booking services, said Huang Guizhang, NPC member and president of the Beijing Railway Administration, during a group discussion at the Fourth Session of the 11th National People's Congress on March 7.

The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway runs through seven provinces and cities, namely Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai. It is 1,318 kilometers long and the laying of the entire line was completed in November 2010. The design speed of the railway stands at 350 kilometers per hour and it is the world's longest high-speed railway line constructed in a single phase.

After the opening of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, the rail travel time between the two cities will be shortened from more than nine hours to about four hours.

Huang said that the Beijing railway service quality will also have profound changes along with the opening of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway. Judging from the operation experience of the Beijing-Tianjin inter-city high-speed railway, passengers prefer self-service, such as vending machines.

Therefore, the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway will simultaneously open telephone booking and Internet booking functions, and comprehensively upgrade services of related stations.

By Li Yancheng, People's Daily Online

（Editor：李艳程?/p> http://posts.people.com.cn/bbs_new/bid=4229556&channel_id=90000&id=7313085

RMB99, Discount Over 87% , Flight Ticket from Zhengzhou to Shanghai

RMB99 only, and you can fly from Zhengzhou to Shanghai, RMB170 to Chongqing, and just RMB270 to Guangzhou...The flight price on sale as that of “Chinese Cabbage” has occurred with the coming of Christmas and the New Year, a season would have seen flight tickets price rise. This situation is estimated to last till the Spring Festival Transportation Peak. Yesterday, the reporter got information from Zhengzhou Branch of Hainan Airlines that tickets of special price at about 80% discount will be available from this day to Jan. 11 of 2010.

●Special price of RMB99 sold online

Flight from Zhengzhou to Shanghai is always a favorite route, but yesterday, Mr. Zheng bought a flight ticket of special price with only RMB99 from a website. He said, he had never got such a cheap ticket before, but yesterday, he tried with a swift imagination and got it out of expectation.

“The 99-series special ticket s account for over 50% of total”, said Lei Zhang, the spokesman of Spring Airlines, especially for the 99-tickets, the final discount of over 87%.

Tickets are cheap not only for flights to Shanghai, but also for those from Zhengzhou to other cities, the reporter investigated and found yesterday. “Since the National Day, the ticket prices mostly have been discounted more than 70%”, according to Chang Minghan from the Zhengzhou Branch of Hainan Airlines, who released the prices for the flight tickets before Jan. 10, 2010, “almost all are discounted more than 70%”, among which, the price for the single ticket from Zhengzhou to Guangzhou is RMB270, a 80% discount, and RMB820 with a 76% discount from Zhengzhou to Haikou.

“We planned to raise the prices during the holidays of Christmas and the New Year, but the plan is ruined”, said a principal from the marketing department of an airline company, if one company began to down-regulate the flight ticket prices, the others would follow suit in order to compete for passengers.

●Over 100 tickets with 80% discount on one flight

“There are more business passengers on the flights of cities like Beijing and Shanghai, and more tourists for routes of cities like Haikou and Hangzhou. This year the economy is in recession, for which the companies are reducing expenses of business trips and the common people are not enthusiastic for trips, subsequently the ticket prices are definitely lower than previous years.” As for the numerous discounted flight tickets, Zhang Lei, the spokesman of Spring Airlines, believed that that was resulted from the relationship between supply and demand, “Less passengers, naturally lower prices”.

The current ticket prices are probably the lowest in history. Several airline companies hold the same opinion, this time is different from the previous price gimmick with a few special-price tickets, there are more. For example, the special-price tickets of 99-series from Zhengzhou to Shanghai, issued by the Spring Airlines, account for more than 50% of the total. Like the flight tickets with 80% discount from Zhengzhou to Guangzhou, issued by the Hainan Airlines, there are about 100 tickets on every flight.

Why the airline companies complain about loss on one side, and down-regulate the ticket prices on the other side to compete for the passengers with railway transport? Insiders said, the airline companies were forced to do so, because if the flight was canceled, the airline company would lose the air routes right on this air line, not to say the market share.

●Special-price tickets will not be canceled, be cautious when booking

The Spring Festival Transportation Peak is around the corner. According to the previous years' experiences, the ticket during Spring Festival would have been sold out one month in advance, with a 30% discount or even no discount. The current flight tickets with an 80% discount, cheaper than train sleeping tickets, should be booked for home-returning during the Spring Festival? “If it has been scheduled when you return home, you may book tickets, and the earlier the ticket booked, the cheaper”, said Qiu Juan, the general manager of the Zhengzhou Branch of Spring Airlines, tickets like the 99-series of special prices, is sold online 45 days in advance.

If the returning date had not been scheduled, you’d better not book tickets eagerly, Chang Minghan said, the special-price tickets could not be canceled or changed. If there were any accident, the flight ticket would be invalid. He believed, judged from the present market situation, it would be very difficult for the flight market to be as popular as previous years during the Spring Festival, and at least that would be like this before Jan. 10, 2010. The citizens might choose to book tickets when the Spring Festival draws near and the schedule has been determined.

Xiamen to Launch Ticket Gift Booklet for Spots

Either in overseas marketing or domestic promotion, the scene of each spot individually performs solo will be over soon. On Jan. 9th, the reporter learnt from the relevant government agency in Xiamen that all spots in Xiamen will be bundled together to be priced in a “Ticket Gift Booklet for Xiamen Spots”.

This year, Spots Society under Xiamen Tourism Association will design a ticket gift booklet for Xiamen’s spots. This ticket gift booklet will imitate Commemorative Stamp Booklet in form, with the most representative scenes of all spots printed on the tickets, and it will include all chargeable spots in Xiamen. Currently, there are 21 chargeable spots and/or attractions in Xiamen, the accumulative admission fee amounts to 1,038 CNY. So, the ticket gift booklet being available this year will be priced at about 1,000 CNY. It’s designed as a gift package to provide customers with convenience, and in the same time the booklet itself is also a valuable collection.

Second Suining Chongqing Railway Line Project to Start on Jan. 18

According to Chengdu railway authority, after the initiation of some railway projects such as Chengdu East Railway Station and Chengdu — Mianyang — Leshan Railway, another major project, the 2nd Suining — Chongqing Railway Line, will be started on Jan. 18, which will be the first railway project started this year. The completion of the project will reduce the travel time between Chengdu and Chongqing to 2 hours.

The total project investment is expected to reach 4,818 billion RMB; the railway line would extend 131.166 km; its average designed speed would be 200 km/h, and the highest, 260 km/h; the construction period of the project would last 3 years. The designed railway starts from Suining, where it links to Dazhou—Chengdu railway currently under expansion, and ends in Chongqing; it basically parallels the existing Suining — Chengdu Railway at almost the same altitude and is part of the Shanghai — Nanjing — Wuhan — Chongqing — Chengdu Express Railway along the Yangtze River, contributing to the convenience of 8-hour-travel from Chengdu to Shanghai.

Songcheng embraces visitors to its temple fair

BEIJING, Jan. 22 -- China's Spring Festival (Lunar New Year), the most important holiday for the nation, is a traditional Chinese festival that has existed for thousands of years. Today a series of customs are spreading far and wide.

In order to continue the traditions of the Chinese culture and let visitors from home and abroad learn more and better understand the customs of the Spring Festival, Songcheng, Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, will put on a series of activities in Songcheng scenic spot to help promote its image during the Festival.

2010 Songcheng Temple Fair is one important part of these activities. There are a number of highlights in this year's temple fair, which will be held in Songcheng scenic spot in Hangzhou from Jan 26 to Feb 9.

The temple fair, usually held outside temples, is a type of folk custom in China. In recent years, visiting the temple fair has become a way for people to appreciate the traditional arts and experience traditional lifestyles. It has become very popular with tourists during the winter.

During the Spring Festival, the Songcheng temple fair provides acrobatics, Wushu (the martial art), shadow show, and many other folk local dramatic performances. Tourists can also enjoy a range of local and traditional snacks.

There's a saying in Chinese "Min yi shi wei tian", which means food is foremost important for people. Both emperors of the past and governors today pay close attention to agriculture production. Thus some folk customs have links to agricultural history.

Among the 24 solar terms, the Beginning of Spring, the first term, represents that a vigorous spring begins. In ancient China and even today, on the early morning of the Beginning of Spring, people gather in front of the gate of the local government to watch the governor whipping the spring ox in a county. No matter what kind of ox, clay, reed, paper or real, an ox would usually be whipped three times. The whipping of the spring ox indicates the beginning of crop cultivation, which, in addition, is regarded as a way of praying for a good harvest based on the hardworking of the whipped oxen.

This custom dates back to the Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-256 BC). Records about the custom also can be found in the files of the Song Dynasty (AD 420-479). Moreover, relevant activities prevailed in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). The latest record of the custom to welcome the beginning of spring - whipping the spring ox was in 1911, some one hundred years ago. Visitors can see a modern version of the old custom in the temple fair.

Other activities include ceremonies of offering sacrifices to ancestors and the gods, praying for seasonable weather for crop raising as well as the country flourishing and people living in peace, and praying for plentiful money and treasures like a river flowing into one's pocket.

Visitors will also be interested in other prayer events in the temple fair. Cai Shen literally translates as God of Wealth or Prosperity. People believe that Cai Shen can bring them wealth if they pray or hold a memorial ceremony during the Festival.

Yue Lao, go-between or matchmaker in English, is the deity living on the moon in charge of marriages. According to the Chinese legend, Yue Lao ties an invisible red string around the ankles of men and women who are destined to be soul mates and will one day marry each other. Therefore, the young people can come to pray for a good company for their life in the temple fair.

Places of worship for Buddhism are also available for Buddhists praying for Buddha's uncountable blessing for the coming year in the temple fair.

Old workshops undergo a facelift to welcome visitors with new decorations. Some new workshops will also be open to the visitors. The workshops in the temple fair include a brewery house, bean curd mill, blacksmith's shop, wax printing shop, and other shops engaged in root carving, stone inscription, paper-cut, facial makeup in operas and others. Craftsman from those workshops will bring people on-site performances making different kinds of crafts.

Wasi Goulan, a place for amusement for common people, came into use in the Song Dynasty (AD 420-479). With the most dangerous, interesting and infrequent shows performed here, Wasi Goulan is a good place for recreation and amusement as well as leisure and a good sport for a vacation in the Song Dynasty. The temple fair will blaze a piece of land for visitors to enjoy some local dramas and performances like Muppet, shadow puppet show, Drum Song of Peking, magic tricks, and some other acrobatics.

Sports events are also highlights of the temple fair. In the Song Dynasty, emperors, empress and their children were all fond of sports. One popular sport, Cuju, an ancient sport played in ancient China, had some resemblance to football (soccer) today. The Northern Song Dynasty saw an unprecedented development of the Cuju game. Visitors can enjoy the sports generated from the past dynasties such as shooting arrows, throwing balls made of colored silk, target practicing, throwing earthbags and spinning top.

Some other traditional performances and custom will be on display in the places like Hefang Street, where people wearing historic costumes as well as dancing and singing in local styles, attracting people's eyes in the temple fair too.

Shanghai to spend US$379m on 3,200 new buses

Shanghai local government is to spend 2.6 billion yuan (US$379.8 million) this year on new buses to service city routes, according to transport administration officials.
The authority also say they will continue to expand bus routes to suburban residential areas, enhance the fare discount policy and raise salaries for bus crews. Shanghai Urban Transport and Port Administration said the government's 2.6-billion-yuan investment would buy more than 3,200 buses costing almost 800,000 yuan each.
"Compared to our previous practice of offering compensation to encourage bus companies to replace old buses, the new plan should work directly and more effectively," said Li Jielin, an administration official.
The new buses will not only ensure better service for passengers but would also reduce emissions, the administration said.
Since early last year, the city's different bus companies have been merging or have been purchased by the government.
Eventually, Pudong New Area and Puxi will each have a bus company in charge of regional routes while the city's seven suburban districts will also have their own bus operator.
All nine companies will be state-owned and managed. Officials believe that with the government in charge of the industry, making improvements will be easier.
Officials said local transit buses carried 4.9 billion passengers last year, accounting for 28 percent of those using the public transport.

New subway line a boost for Beijing

The Beijing municipal government has approved the construction of subway Line 15, which is expected to start within the year.

The approval was confirmed by a document, dated Tuesday and posted on the Website of the Beijing Municipal Committee of Urban Planning.

According to the plan, Line 15 will run west to east over 45.7 kilometers, of which 32 kilometers will be beneath the ground.

Line 15 will be between northern Ring Road 4 and 5. It will start from Xiyuan in Haidian District and end east of Chaobai River in Shunyi District in the eastern suburbs. There will be 21 stops.

It will be built in two stages. The east section of the subway between Wangjing West Station and Hedong Station in Shunyi will be built first.

Line 15 will be finished in 2015.

When it is finished, Line 15 will help alleviate transport pressure on areas around the Olympic Common Domain, where the famous Bird's Nest, or National Stadium, and the Water Cube, or National Aquatic Center, are sited, BMCUP said in the document.

Other details about Line 15, such as the cost and term, are not available at the moment.

Beijing has 200 kilometers of subways in service, most of which are in the northern part of the city.

It is determined to vigorously expand track transport in the years to come and is hoping to form a subway network supported by 19 separate lines totaling 561 kilometers by 2015.

The city's spending on infrastructure projects alone will top 160 billion yuan (US$23.5 billion) this year, and Line 15 is included on the spending list, said Liu Yinchun, deputy chief of the municipal committee of development and reform.

By 2015, a total of 8.8 million daily trips, or a quarter of the total journeys made by residents in downtown areas, will be undertaken by metro, compared to the current 3.8 million daily trips.

The national capital will spend 51.8 billion yuan in track transport development this year.

Line 4, a north-to-south subway under construction, is expected to be completed and put into service this year. This will increase the length of Beijing's subways in service to 230 kilometers.