Air Service from India a Little Closer (in Time) to USA: Outbound service from India to international markets, including the United States, should improve with the recent and pending increases in “seamless hubs” at several major airports worldwide. This is due to the entry last year into the Star Alliance by Air India. And now, the 27-member Star Alliance, which includes both Air India and United Airlines will soon have hubs in both Mumbai and New Delhi. Currently, the Star Alliance’s Asian hubs are in Beijing and Bangkok; it has nine other hubs across the globe at airports in Frankfurt, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Newark, Toronto, Istanbul, Johannesburg and Cairo.. An example of the savings in time travelers save through the hubs is illustrated in the Case of London’s Heathrow Airport, where Air India is shifting from the airport’s Terminal 4 to Star Alliance’s new hub at Terminal 2, reducing transit times from two hours to one.
AIRLINES–Flight Watch
Delta Air Lines plans to begin daily nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport and Shanghai-Pudong Airport on July 9, 2015, pending U.S. Department of Transportation and foreign government approval. Delta’s Los Angeles-Shanghai flight will connect customers to more than 25 cities in China, while the Los Angeles-bound Shanghai flight will offer connections to 40 markets throughout the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Daily nonstop service between Los Angeles and Shanghai:
| Flight | Departs | Arrives | Flight Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| DL56 | Los Angeles 1:15 PM | Shanghai 6:15 PM* | 14 hours |
| DL57 | Shanghai 8:55 PM | Los Angeles 6:15 PM | 12 hours, 20 mins. |
* Next Day
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Thomas Cook Airlines is adding another three flights to Florida for Summer 2015 direct from Belfast International Airport on June 26, July 3 and Sept 4 in addition to the existing flights from Belfast to Orlando on June 30 and July 7.
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American Airlineswill launch daily service from Dallas to Beijing Capital International Airport beginning May 7, 2015, marking the airline’s sixth daily flight to Asia from Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW) and the only nonstop flight connecting DFW and Beijing. With the addition of this service, American will offer 11 routes between the U.S. and Asia.
Southwest Airlines has announced plans to launch direct flight service between Washington, D.C., and Costa Rica beginning March 7, 2015. Southwest also announced its plan to launch flights from Houston later this year, pending final approval.
