AIRLINE INFORMATION

Jetstar

Low fares leader Jetstar recently announced a second international destination from Taipei with daily direct Taipei-Osaka services starting from July 5, 2010 (fights subject to regulatory approval).

Jetstar’s new daily A320 Singapore-Taipei-Osaka return service becomes the frst low fares airline to operate to one of Taiwan’s most popular international destinations—Japan. Jetstar currently fies a daily A320 service between Taipei and its main Asian hub in Singapore.

To celebrate Jetstar’s second international destination from Taiwan, the carrier is offering the lowest airfare ever between Taipei and Osaka of 1,998 New Taiwan dollars for one way JetSaver Light fares, all inclusive of surcharges, fees and taxes.

Jetstar backs its commitment to offering the lowest fares on all the routes it fies with the Jetstar Price Beat Guarantee, whereby Jetstar will beat any competitor by 10 percent in airfare.

Finnair

Finnair intends to reduce its emissions by 24 percent between 2009 and 2017. Emissions have already been substantially reduced, so the total emission reduction from 1999 to 2017 will be 41 percent per passenger seat. The emission reductions are discussed in Finnair’s Corporate Responsibility Report for 2009, which was recently published.

The Corporate Responsibility Report, based on the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines, includes among others, an article by Professor Emeritus Seppo Laine of the Helsinki University of Technology on aviation energy consumption and emissions.“According to the latest research, the climate-warming effect of air transportation is signifcantly smaller than expected. Various emission components may even have cooling effects, so the overall effect is obtained by multiplying the effect of carbon dioxide emissions by the fgure 0.48,” Laine writes.

In addition to key fgures of Finnair’s corporate responsibility, the report also features a column by analyst Damian Ryan of the Climate Group, who discusses the options for reducing air transportation emissions as well as emissions trading plus the effects of tourism, one of the world’s biggest industries.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines’ 2009 consolidated fnancial statements were recently reported to the Istanbul Stock Exchange.

According to the statements, the airlines’ net proft in 2009 stood at $379 million, a 51-percent decrease compared to 2008, and the operating proft increased by 12 percent to $564 million. Sales revenue increased by 15 percent to $4.74 billion. Approximately 79 percent of the scheduled service revenue was obtained from international air routes and 21 percent was from domestic routes.

By the end of 2009, the number of aircraft in the feet was 134. 4 percent higher than at the beginning of 2009. In parallel to the 22-percent increase in available seat kilometer, the number of passengers increased by 11 percent to 25 million. As a result of the mentioned capacity increase, the passenger load factor declined by 3.1 percentage points to 70.9 percent.

On the other hand, as part of Turkish Airlines 2008-2023 feet projection, out of 105 aircraft to be purchased in 2008, Turkish Airlines has placed frm orders for 22 wide-body, 40 narrow-body passenger aircraft and two wide-body cargo aircraft, a total of 64 aircraft to be delivered by the end of 2014.

United Airlines

United Airlines, the world’s largest trans-Pacifc airlines, recently announced the installation of new seats for frst class and business class on all the B747 aircraft fying between China and the United States. Flight 858 from Shanghai to San Francisco and Flight 888 from Beijing to San Francisco completed seat upgrading in the frst class and business class on March 29 and March 30, respectively.

As the frst American airlines to offer complete reclining (fat-lying) seats in the frst class and business class, United Airlines deems the seat upgrading on fights between China and the United States part of its service strategies to satisfy the differentiated demands of its passengers, especially frequent fyers.

Air France

Air France arranged a chartered fight from Beijing to Paris aside from its regular Flight AF125 on April 23 to transport the passengers held up in Europe by the huge cloud of volcanic ash thrown up into the atmosphere by a volcano in Iceland.

The chartered fight was coded AF190 and carried by B777-200 aircraft with a capacity of 263 passengers. It departed from Beijing at 2 p.m. and arrived in Paris at 6:40 p.m. the same day.

Casablanca Restaurant

The Casablanca Restaurant in Beijing is a great place for a quick lunch, a business dinner or a romantic date. It serves Mediterranean cuisine with the warm hospitality that is characteristic of the Mediterranean region.

Mediterranean cuisine refers to a range of foods from the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Mediterranean favor is shaped and shared by countries including Morocco, Italy, Tunisia, Greece, Lebanon, France and Spain. The cuisine is heavily infuenced by the ocean environment, which provides bountiful ingredients and is internationally recognized for its health benefts.

The decorations of the Casablanca Restaurant are also Mediterranean in style. The white ceiling and walls are simplistic, stylish and refreshing. The sofas, sculptures, murals and coffee pots are all expressions of the Mediterranean culture, giving the restaurant an exotic appearance. People can taste the sumptuous foods served in the restaurant, while listening to soft music and enjoying the romantic atmosphere.

Meikong Riverside Cuisine

Meikong Riverside Cuisine, located in Beijing’s Chaoyang District, specializes in Vietnamese food. Southeast Asian foods are generally known for their sweet, sour and mildly hot favors. Compared with Malaysian food, Vietnamese food is lighter and more refreshing.

Because Viet Nam was formerly a French colony, French ingredients and favors have found their way into the Vietnamese cuisine. French-style Vietnamese food is a special feature of Meikong Riverside Cuisine.

Viet Nam is located on the rim of the Pacifc Ocean. The Mekong River fows through the length of the country before exiting into the ocean. A signifcant part of French-style Vietnamese cuisine consists of seafood and fresh-water fsh, which are cooked with rice and special spices produced in Southeast Asia. Fresh tropical vegetables and fruits are also widely used in Vietnamese food. The food, usually not too heavy or oily, retains the original favors of the ingredients and possesses a good balance of sweetness, sourness and hotness. Vietnamese cuisine has become widely popular, with health-conscious people in particular. Viet Nam rice noodles and spring rolls are especially popular.

Fish sauce is one of the favorite seasonings of the Vietnamese people. Made from naturally preserved salted fsh, the sauce looks ordinary, but tastes delicious and is highly nutritious. After a dip in fsh sauce, any food will acquire an alluring favor.

Vietnamese drinks, such as coffee brewed with beans produced in the country, are also served in the restaurant.

Calligraphy and Seal Engraving Exhibition at Sinitude Gallery

On April 9, 2010, an exhibition of the calligraphy and seal engraving works of Wang Yuzhong opened at Sinitude Gallery in the Chaoyang District of Beijing. Famous artists including Fan Zeng, Qian Shaowu, Kang Ning, Jiang Kun, Huang Hong, Lang Kun and Pu Cunxin attended the opening ceremony. Nearly 100 of Wang Yuzhong’s works are on display at the exhibition, which will last for a month.

Wang is a renowned seal-engraving artist in China, and his works are held in high esteem by many people. He has made seals for state leaders such as former Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, and for important occasions such as the meetings of the National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and China’s National Day celebrations.

Wang now works in a studio in Beijing’s Haiwangcun, on the Liulichang Cultural Street. He has studied calligraphy and seal engraving under several famous artists including Liang Yanyu, Kang Yin and Fan Zeng. His works are known for their elegance and strength.