92 IN THE AIR
China Beach Bound
Dragonair commences a new three-times-weekly service between Hong Kong and the Vietnamese beach town of Da Nang this month, the 6th destination added to its network since April last year. The airline presently connects Hong Kong with Hanoi ten times a week, and codeshares with sister airline Cathay Pacific on 16 flights a week to Ho Chi Minh City. Operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, the new Da Nang service will depart Hong Kong every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Da Nang, known for its beautiful coastlines, including the famed Da Nang Beach, is also home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites – Hoi An, My Son and the former imperial city of Hue. The city’ s mix of natural, historical and cultural attractions makes Da Nang an ideal leisure destination. Dragonair has also added services to Zhengzhou, Yangon and Wenzhou in recent months. This month also sees Dragonair adopt Cathay’ s regional business and long-haul economy seats, with its fleet of A330 aircraft being upgraded first. The new seats boast an increase in pitch and seat width and also feature iPhone, USB and laptop power jacks. www. dragonair. com
Asian Expansion
Emirates will increase its frequency between its home hub of Dubai and Bangkok this month. From March 31, 2013, Emirates will operate 35 flights a week between Dubai and Bangkok, plus a daily Airbus A380 service between Bangkok and Hong Kong, and a daily flight between Bangkok and Sydney, which connects on to Christchurch, New Zealand. March will also see a fourth daily service to Kuala Lumpur and a third daily service to the Indonesian capital Jakarta. www. emirates. com
Staying in Touch
United Airlines has introduced onboard satellite-based Wi-Fi internet connectivity on the first of its international widebody aircraft, becoming the first U. S.-based international carrier to offer customers the ability to stay connected while travelling on long-haul routes. The aircraft, a Boeing 747 outfitted with Panasonic Avionics Corporation’ s Ku-band satellite technology, serves trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific routes. United will install satellite-based Wi-Fi on Airbus 319 and 320 aircraft, and on Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, 777 and 787 aircraft. Customers will be able to use their wireless devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets onboard those aircrafts to connect with internet services using the in-flight hotspot. Additional improvements of the airline’ s recent US $ 550 million upgrade include the world’ s largest fleet of aircraft with flat-bed seats, with more than 175 aircraft offering 180-degree flat beds in premium cabins from the second quarter of 2013; and improved inflight entertainment options with streaming video content on the Boeing 747-400 fleet. www. united. com www. jetsetter. hk