News from Star Alliance

Lufthansa is now operating flights to Tripoli, Libya, flying three times a week from Frankfurt. Austrian will resume operations to Tripoli March 25 with flights five times each week. more

AviancaTaca, soon to join Star Alliance, has purchased 33 A320neo aircraft, the largest order for the aircraft in Latin America. The airline has also ordered 18 aircraft in the A320 family. more

Spanair issued the following press release today. Spanair regrets to announce that the company has taken the decision to cease operations as of this evening. The last flight will land at around 2200 on the 27th of January 2012.  more

United and the Houston Airport System broke ground this week on the first of a three-phase redevelopment project at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Phase one of the project, to be completed in 2013, will create a new Terminal B south concourse dedicated to regional jet operations. more

ANA’s punctuality has been honoured by Flight Stats in its annual on-time arrival awards. The airline was judged the best for on-time arrival in 2011 in two categories - Arrival Performance among Major International Airlines and Arrival Performance among Major Asian Airlines.  more

Star Alliance has become the first global airline alliance to offer online booking and ticketing to convention delegates. The new booking tool allows the convention organisers to direct their participants to a dedicated online booking and ticketing site for all air travel contracted under Star Alliance Conventions Plus. more

Scandinavian Airlines has been named Europe's most punctual airline for the third year in a row by the independent source Flightstats. SAS was also the world's third most punctual airline after Japanese airlines ANA and JAL. For 2011, 88.2% of all SAS flights arrived on time. more

Turkish Airlines, together with Panasonic Avionics Corporation, has added high-speed Wi-Fi broadband Internet access to its existing live, inflight television service on transatlantic flights using its IFE platform, PLANET. more

The plan sees an increase in international and domestic passenger flights and seat kilometers, and the launch of several new routes from Japan to the U.S., China and other Asian countries. ANA also intends to use its network carrier business model to attract more traffic between Asia and North America and leverage the value of its existing joint ventures with United Airlines (including Continental Airlines) and Lufthansa. more

ANA and Hawaiian Airlines will expand their marketing and operational partnership with the signing of a codeshare agreement for passenger flights within Japan and Hawaii. Hawaiian and ANA started cargo codesharing in December 2010. Under this agreement, ANA placed its “NH” code on Hawaiian’s daily Haneda-Honolulu service. more

Scandinavian Airlines and Singapore Airlines have agreed to boost air services between Singapore and destinations in Scandinavia, including Stockholm. The Star Alliance members plan to co-operate on existing as well as new flights. Subject to regulatory approval, the airlines will participate in joint operations, including the co-ordination of flight schedules and joint sales activities.  more

Brussels Airlines plans to invest 30 million euros this year to provide flatbed seats in business class, improved seats in economy class, a redesigned interior and improved entertainment technology. The passenger cabins of the seven A330 aircraft will undergo a makeover in 2012, focused on design, innovation, comfort and quality. more

After a six-month trial involving biosynthetic fuel, Lufthansa reports that 1,187 biofuel flights were operated between Hamburg and Frankfurt. According to initial calculations, CO2 emissions were reduced by 1,471 tonnes. Total consumption of the biokerosene mix amounted to 1,556 tonnes.  more

US Airways plans to start service to 11 new destinations March 25 and add flights to three existing destinations at Reagan National Airport following the closing of its slot transaction agreement with Delta Air Lines. Eight of the 11 communities that the airline will serve have no service to Washington's downtown airport. The new flights are the next step in US Airways' plan to focus on its core service areas of Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Phoenix and Charlotte, N.C. more

LOT is introducing new touches to its cabin crew uniform. LOT’s stewardesses are wearing newly designed pillbox hats adorned with a metal badge displaying the wings of the LOT Polish Airlines logo, while the stewards are wearing the same badge pinned to their uniform jackets. more

Lufthansa, which owns bmi, and International Airlines Group (IAG) have signed an agreement for the sale of British Midland (bmi) to IAG. The price is GBP172.5 million (approx. EUR207 million) in cash for bmi. The price is subject to certain reductions. Both parties aim for a closing of the transaction by the end of the first quarter 2012.  more

New Star Alliance member Ethiopian Airlines has started flying from Addis Ababa to Muscat, the capital of Oman. more

Turkish Airlines and TAM have signed a codeshare agreement that increases the destinations for their customers who fly between South America and Europe. The destinations will be available for reservation and purchase on the companies’ websites in 2012, after approval by the aeronautical authorities of both countries. more

Air New Zealand ANA will establish a closer partnership in Japan starting March 25 providing travellers with improved access to destinations in Japan and New Zealand. The partnership coverers areas such as codeshare and ground handling services in Japan. more

Brazil's anti-trust organisation, known as CADE, approved the merger between the two airlines, which will create one of the top three airline groups in the world in market value, LATAM Airlines Group. This was the last approval needed for the merger to proceed.  more