Air Senegal is ending partnership with its shareholder, Royal Air Maroc. As a result, Royal Air Marco has taken back its two aircraft. Air Senegal’s services are temporally suspended.

Senegalese government is in control of the airline and future services is expecting to be announced in coming few days. Passengers who is holding Air Senegal’s ticket can be submitted for refund.

Delta announced that a second check-in luggage on international flight will be charged from 1 July. A $50 fee will be charged for a second check-in luggage. This will be generated $100 million to the airline, Delta says.

The UK government is increasing Air Passenger Duty on all fright departure from UK in November. The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, says the increasing duty will help the environment.

The duty on economy class will be started at ₤11 for destinations within 2000 miles, ₤45 for destinations within 6000 miles and ₤55 for travel far than 6000 miles. For example, the flight to Cape Town will be added the duty up to ₤60.

A further increasing will be expected in 2010/11 financial year.

Emirates is offering a special fare from Cape Town and Johannesburg to selected routes. From Cape Town to London Gatwick return R4575 and Heathrow return R4716, New York return R10404, Hong Kong return R5901 and Perth return R9297. From Johannesburg to London Gatwick return R4575 and Heathrow R4716, New Yark return R9404, Hong Kong return R5007 and Perth return R8297. Booking and travel by 30 Jun.

This Qantas special deals are available for travel in Economy and Premium Economy on selected Qantas International airfares to Australia and New Zealand for travel 8 May to 31 August 2009. This is a 2-for-1 offer but a third person can purchase a ticket at the special 50% discount – all three passengers must travel together on all sectors. All prices quoted are return Economy fares exclusive of taxes, fees and airport related charges.

Hurry! Sale ends midnight Tuesday 21 April 2009.

“The airline has decided to begin flights to Cape Town from October once a week and has also indicated that it would consider increasing these flights to twice-weekly frequencies during the peak of the high season.” Says David Frandsen, executive manager of International Marketing, the marketing partner of the route.

From 10 April, China Southern Airlines became the first Chinese carrier to offer mobile boarding pass, another innovative step for the airline that sold the country’s first e-ticket in 2000 and introduced the first common-use self-service kiosk in 2005 and the country’s first online check-in option in 2006.

The service is currently available to China Mobile users in the Guangzhou area and is under trial format on flight CZ3157 from Guangzhou to Zhengzhou. China Southern plans to expand to the service to other routes progressively.

The barcodes sent to passengers’ phones become their boarding passes and can be read by scanners at security checkpoints and at the boarding gate.

According to a leaked internal memo from the carrier, which cannot yet be named due to a pending court interdict, says: passengers flying on one of South Africa’s major carriers may soon be charged different airfares based on their bodily weight — and those passengers who look like they are too heavy could be subjected to a humiliating weigh-in at the check-in counter and charged for every extra kilo.

The memo, issued by one of the airline’s top executives, goes on to say that AviationSOS recommends the passenger weight categories be divided as follows: 0 – 30 kilograms (male and female infants and children under six years); 30 – 60 kilograms (male and female children over six-years and teenagers); 40 – 60 kilograms (adult females); and 60 – 80 kilograms (adult males).

Ticket prices for each class will be based on the weight and gender category the passenger falls under, with those exceeding the weight allowance “paying between R15 and R20 per kilogram over the specified weight restriction”.

Don’t you think this totally and uncontrollably ridiculous?

Dubai-based carrier Emirates will commence a three-times weekly service to Angola this autumn.

The airline will begin flights from Dubai to Angola’s capital Luanda on August 2. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, EK 791 will depart Dubai at 10:50, arriving at 4 de Fevereiro International Airport in Luanda, Angola at 15:50.

EK792 departs Luanda on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 18:00, touching down in Dubai at 05:00 the following day. The A330-200 to be deployed on the route offers 237-seats across Economy, Business and First Class accommodation.

British Airways, TAP Portugal and Air France currently offer direct services from Europe to Angola, while South African Airways offers flights connecting in Johannesburg.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) of United States has approved the application of Continental Airlines to join the Star Alliance.

This will allowed Continental, Lufthansa, United Airlines and Air Canada to act as a single airline and pool sales, revenues and marketing operations on transatlantic routes.

Under the conditions of this approval, the airlines must implement the alliance within 18 months and provide annual reports for regulators.