Airlines, manufacturers announce new services, deals

Hainan Airlines

Hainan Airlines said on Saturday that it will open a route from Xi’an, Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, to Sydney, Australia, on September 14, making it the first airline to have a direct flight between the two cities. The route will have two flights a week.

The carrier flies more than 700 routes to nearly 100 cities around the world.

British Airways

British Airways said on Friday that China Eastern passengers can buy tickets through British Airways for onward connections to seven cities in the UK: Aberdeen, Belfast City, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle.

In addition, British Airways passengers heading to China can connect to Kunming, Xi’an, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Chongqing through the Shanghai- based airline.

British Airways customers flying to the five Chinese cities leveraging the new code- sharing facilitation will have the additional benefit of earning Avios loyalty points on China Eastern flights.

Rolls- Royce

Rolls- Royce said on Wednesday that it has won a $ 1.5 billion order from China Eastern Airlines for enough Trent 700 engines to power 15 Airbus A330s.

The Trent 700 has won 70 percent of new orders over the last five years and accounts for a similar percentage on future A330 deliveries.

Rolls- Royce has more than 1,600 engines installed on the A330s worldwide, giving it about 90 percent of the Chinese market.

China Eastern also has 20 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft on order. Those aircraft are powered by Rolls- Royce’s Trent XWB.

Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair

Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair recently announced that starting on September 15 all passengers, regardless of class, will be eligible for an extra 10 kilograms of baggage allowance for their checked bags.

Marco Polo Club Silver, Gold and Diamond members will receive an extra 10 kilograms, 15 kilograms and 20 kilograms of baggage allowance, respectively.

Beside of the additional baggage allowances, Dragonair will also raise its carry- on baggage allowance, which currently stands at five kilograms for all passengers, to match Cathay Pacific’s carry- on baggage allowance of seven kilograms.