AIRLINE NEWS

EASYJET will operate threetimes weekly routes from Bristol, London Luton and Manchester to Porto from April 19, April 26 and June 16 respectively. It will also launch a thrice-weekly Bristol-Gibraltar service on April 19.

FLYBE AND AER LINGUS have launched a codeshare agreement that allows Flybe passengers travelling from Exeter, Inverness, Southend and Southampton airports to access, via Dublin, Aer Lingus destinations in North America and Canada.

FLYBE IS ALSO to open a base at Bournemouth airport. Using Q400 aircraft, it will fly to Glasgow from March, while routes to Amsterdam, Biarritz, Deauville, Dublin, Jersey, Manchester, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Toulon will be launched in May.

BRITISH AIRWAYS passengers in First, Club World and World Traveller Plus can now preorder meals online between 30 days and 24 hours before departure. The option will initially be available on flights from London Heathrow to Dallas, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Rio de Janeiro, Seattle and Vancouver. More routes will be added early in 2015.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS will add a third daily service to its Mumbai route on February 15 and to Delhi on May 1. Both services will be operated by two-class A320s.

QATAR AIRWAYS has confirmed Frankfurt as the first destination for its A350 when the aircraft enters scheduled service in mid-January.

AIR NEW ZEALAND starts operating out of Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles airport on December 3. The move means the carrier’s connecting passengers will no longer need to remain in a dedicated transit facility and can instead access the wider terminal.