Latest Airlines News

"South African Airways Vacations is offering U.S. travelers a cheap vacation package to South Africa.

The package starts at $1,799 and includes airfare from New York or Washington to Johannesburg and Cape Town, four nights stay and breakfast at the Commodore Hotel in Cape Town, and a full-day Cape Peninsula and Table Mountain tour.

The South African Airways vacation also includes a half-day tour and wine tasting session at the Wineland Region in Cape Town, dinner and entertainment at the Gold of Africa Museum, two nights stay and breakfast and dinners at the Bakubung Bush Lodge in Pilanesburg National Park and two game drives to view Africa's Big Five.

The price of $1,799 is based on double occupancy and does not include taxes and surcharges.

Packages must be booked online with South African Airways Jan. 31 and travel must take place between February and May.

"We're pleased at the opportunity to offer this nine-day, air-inclusive vacation at this unheard-of price, fully $200 lower than our least expensive luxury package," said Lucille Sive, President of South African Airways Vacations.

"We understand the need to save, but we also understand the need to live and enjoy life, which is why we strive to offer luxury packages at low rates that travelers would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere." "

At the beautiful Magic Kingdom. While in Orlando, don't miss visiting the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Downtown Disney. Sea World Orlando is an exciting large adventure park that has numerous exciting zoological displays and marine animals. You must also spend some time at the famous Holy Land Experience theme park and museum and the International Trolley and Train Museum. Orlando's other popular attractions include Ripley's Believe It or Not! Wonder Works funhouse, World of Orchids, Wet 'n Wild - Orlando Water Park and many other famous places.

"A US Airways plane crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday afternoon after striking a bird that disabled two engines, sending passengers fleeing for safety in the frigid waters, a government official says. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown says the US Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport enroute to Charlotte, N.C., when the crash occurred in the river near 48th Street in midtown Manhattan. Brown says the plane, an Airbus 320, appears to have hit one or more birds."

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"TOKYO (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines, which merged with rival Northwest Airlines last year, said it expects to let about 2,000 staff go this month through an early retirement program as it aims to trim capacity as much as 8 percent this year.

In December, Delta, now the world's biggest carrier, said it would offer employees severance packages, but it didn't say how many jobs it aimed to cut.

"We are expecting a number of around 2,000 because the capacity reduction is going to be around 6 to 8 percent," Delta CEO Richard Anderson told reporters in Tokyo.

"We will know more toward the end of this month, because we gave employees a wide window so that they can make the right decision."

Major airlines, battered by sagging travel demand and losses on fuel hedging costs, have been working to bolster their profitability by cutting capacity and finding new revenue streams. Capacity reductions affect the number of seats for sale and are achieved by cutting flights or replacing large planes with smaller ones.

Delta said last month its domestic capacity would fall 8 percent to 10 percent in 2009, and international capacity would fall 3 percent to 5 percent as travel demand wanes. Systemwise, that would mean a reduction of 6 to 8 percent.

Delta told reporters on Thursday that it sees a 10 percent decline in industry revenue in 2009 as the economic slowdown hits travel demand.

The airline said, however, it expects to save $5 billion this year from the plunge in oil prices since last summer."