Geoffrey Thomas

Qantas Airways Ltd's regional operator QantasLink will increase its fleet of Boeing 717s from eight to 11 aircraft as part of a renewed operating agreement with National Jet Systems for another five years.

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has increased services and has a new schedule on its radar for Perth in 2008.

The launch of Ozjet’s Perth-Derby service last month is another example of the resource industry working with local authorities to introduce passenger service to Western Australian country towns.

Emirates is hoping to capitalise on expected growth in the Australian travel market by increasing its capacity and doubling the frequency of its flights to 98 a week over the next seven years.

Westralia Airports Corporation continues to enjoy the state's boom conditions with passenger numbers climbing more than 12 per cent to 4 million in the half year to 31st December 2006.

In the most significant management move of the past 10 turbulent years in Western Australia’s airline industry, Skywest Airlines has lured National Jet Systems Western Australian chief Hugh Davin to lead its drive into the resource sector.

Hugh Davin has returned to Skywest Airlines to head its aggressive push into the resource contract market, after being lured from his position as head of business development at National Jet Systems in Western Australia.

The Red Bull Air Race world series, which is expected to develop into a major drawcard for tourists to Perth, will take flight this Sunday on the Perth foreshore.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) draft decision to deny authorisation of the planned code share between Qantas and Air New Zealand late last month is baffling and appears to ignore the global evidence that alliances benefit consum

Singapore Airlines has lifted the standard in passenger comfort with its latest, $477 million, cabin upgrade.

Next month, Singapore Airlines will become the first airline operating into Perth to carry 500,000 international passengers in a year. The new benchmark underscores the incredible growth of air travel into and out of Perth Airport, with Singapore Airlines

Virgin Blue has opened up a range of fascinating possibilities for intra-state air services in Western Australia with its order for 20 Embraer 170 and 190 jets placed late last month.

A new report on liberalisation has supported Emirates’ efforts to lift weekly services into Australia from 42 to 84.

The airline industry is being squeezed yet again, but this time it is by vastly differing passenger views, economics and political correctness over the issue of overweight travellers.

Last month, Air Transport World’s airline of the year winner, Cathay Pacific Airways, used the occasion of its 60th anniversary celebration in Hong Kong to unveil a radical upgrade of its first, business and economy class products.

Qantas recently announced that one of its Boeing 767s will be fitted to allow mobile phone use in-flight.

Virgin Blue is morphing into a business airline and the results are on the board.

It has been a long, long time coming but Bangkok’s new state-of-the-art Suvarnabhumi Airport will finally open for business next week, replacing the overloaded and hopelessly out-of-date Don Muang Bangkok International Airport.

It’s not the most powerful or glamorous jet at Perth Airport – that honour lies with Emirates’ and Singapore Airline’s 777s – but a real workhorse and the wings behind Western Australia’s V8 economy taking thousands of resource industry personnel to work

As Europe’s old guard or legacy airlines struggle to reduce costs to combat the rising tide of low-cost airlines (LCA), these new players are arming themselves with the legacy carriers’ last weapon in their armory – frills.

Unique? Now that’s a bold claim. But whether it’s the value for money, the style of the hotel, the location, the magnificent beaches or the friendliness of the staff, the hotel Cap Club at Capbreton on the southern tip of France’s Atlantic coast certainly

The skies over Western Australia are set to be the most hotly contested in Australia as the lure of fly-in /fly-out contracts adds new operators and larger aircraft.

Need more space?

EasyJet is the name – and the promise. And right now the airline is delivering on that promise.

Perth to London with no jet lag? Fantastic and true on Emirates’ new daylight flight to Europe.

Finding value in European cities can be a real challenge, particularly with our weak dollar, but when you find it the feeling’s a bit like striking gold, or any other precious metal for that matter.

China offers enormous potential for WA in terms of tourist numbers. But has the state missed the boat?

Singapore Changi Airport’s new Terminal 3 (T3), which will open its doors in early 2008, will give passengers a whole new travel experience.

There are some spectacular cruise specials on offer but you will have to be quick to snap up some bargains. The cruises cover some of the favourites for ‘cruiseophiles’ and a couple that are quite different.

South African Airways is setting new standards in comfort.

Options for getting into the Kimberley have never been better. Qantas, Skywest Airlines and Virgin Blue all offer differing flight and pricing packages that cover all budgets.

Air New Zealand has the package and attitude to redefine its place in the market.