Travel News
New Airline Routes and Route Changes
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Cartagena, Colombia
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South America
Bolivian national carrier Boliviana de Aviacion will launch its first service to the U.S. on June 6, with a round-trip Cochabamba - Santa Cruz - Miami route, with a refueling stop in Panama City, Panama. The service between Miami (Florida) and the Bolivian cities will run four times a week.
On July 17, Avianca will begin a new route: Pereira, Colombia - Cartagena, Colombia - New York John F. Kennedy International Airport. The route will run three times per week, and Cartagena - New York service will be non-stop.
Central America
Delta Air Lines will begin daily, non-stop round-trip service between San Salvador, El Salvador and Los Angeles, California (U.S.) on July 2.
Caribbean
U.S.-based carrier Southwest Airlines will begin flying internationally on July 1, with daily nonstop flights between Atlanta, Georgia and Aruba; Atlanta and Montego Bay, Jamaica; Baltimore-Washington International Airport (Maryland) and Aruba; and Baltimore and Nassau, Bahamas. It will also begin twice-daily flights between Baltimore and Montego Bay. In July, It will begin Saturday service between Montego Bay and Orlando, Florida, and between Aruba and Orlando.
International Connections
Air Canada will fly six weekly round-trip flights between Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and Madrid from July 1 through August 6. However, four of those six flights will be onboard EuroAtlantic Boeing 767 aircraft, which have Premium Economy service instead of Business Class.
Airline Alliance News
Beginning June 6, Singapore Airlines and Virgin America expanded will add trans-continental U.S. flights operated by Virgin America to their codeshare agreement.
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Air Canada
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Other Airline News
Air Canada will convert the interior of the Boeing 777-300 ER and Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft that it uses for international flights to match the interior design of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The airline will add a premium economy cabin and refurbish International Business Class, beginning in late 2015 and lasting through the end of 2016. International Business Class will include lie-flat "executive pods," while all seats will include seat-back touch screens, power outlets and U.S.B ports.
Other Air Travel News
Spain-based airline Iberia and Air France have reportedly restricted sales of tickets to and from Venezuela.
The Venezuelan government has agreed to pay the U.S. dollar debt of six airlines, in a bid to stop carriers from pulling out of the country entirely. It will pay Colombia-based Avianca Holdings (Avianca and TACA) for dollar debt accumulated during 2012, and will pay Aeromexico, Curacao-based Insel Air, Ecuador-based Tame and Aruba Airlines for debt accumulated during 2013. Reports also say that the government has decided that, beginning in July, airfares will be converted from bolivars to U.S. dollars at the weaker SICAD II rate of around 50 bolivars per dollar; they are currently converted at a special rate of around 10 bolivars per U.S. dollar.
Loyalty Program Updates
InterContinental Hotels Group's "Reel Summer" promotion allows IHG Rewards Club members to enter online contests to win movie-themed prizes, from June 2 through September 2.
Choice Hotels International is offering a $50 gift card to U.S. and Canadian members of its Choice Privileges rewards program for completing two separate qualifying trips through August 20.
Hotel News
The 50-room Vintro Hotel & Kitchen will open in the South Beach area of Miami Beach, Florida (U.S.) in July, on the site of the former Lido Park Hotel. The hotel includes a restaurant, and all rooms have free Wi-Fi and Nespresso machines.
The King & Grove hotels in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York (U.S.) have changed their names to the Martha Washington (Manhattan) and the McCarren Hotel + Pool (Brooklyn).