During the promotion, fares are at least 50% off of their regular rates and in some cases near 60% off (Zurich – Sao Paulo). The window for this sale is open until July 14. Departures must take place between July 1 and August 31 and return flights must take place by September 8. A Saturday or Sunday night stay is required as part of the terms/conditions.
Example fares (All fares in Swiss CHF):
Bangkok : 2499.
Delhi: 2499.
Hong Kong 2499.
Beijing – 1999.
Johannesburg – 3499.
Sao Paulo – 2499.
Shanghai – 2499.
Considering the wonderful Business Class product offered by SWISS, fares like this are a great value and do not come up often, at least to this level of discount. I assume these fares will be limited so take advantage of them as soon as possible!
There is also a bit of a sale to USA destinations with most fares ranging between 3200-3700CHF to most East Coast destinations and slightly higher to Chicago and the west coast. Though decent, these fares are obviously not as attractive as fares to Asia and the Middle East. Clicking on the link above, or banner below will take to the the home page for both fare sales.
First off, congrats to the ‘Red Devils’ for advancing to the World Cup Quarter Finals….for a moment I thought we were going to pull off a miracle in the last minutes…Enjoy Messi this weekend! 🙂
Now back to the news…
Brussels has announced an update to their Winter 2014/15 timetable that takes effect on October 26. These changes are already reflected in their reservation systems. In addition to these changes, Brussels also plans to increase service to several African destinations during the Christmas Holiday season so other announcements will be forthcoming.
For now, Brussels has increased their service to Africa by approximately 9 percent by increasing frequencies to some of their more popular destinations. Here is the list of affected cities (all changes take effect October 26, 2014):
Nairobi, Kenya will see service increase from 3 times per week to 5 times per week.
Luanda, Angola will see service increase from 2 times per week to 3 times per week.
Kigali, Rwanda will see service increase from 4 times per week to 5 times per week.
Bujumbura, Burundi will see service increase from 2 times per week to 3 times per week.
Douala, Cameroon will see service increase from 5 times per week to 6 times per week.
Yaounde, Cameroon will see service increase from 4 times per week to 5 times per week.
Brussels – Washington DC Update:
At the same time of the Africa announcements, Brussels also announced that it will be converting it’s Brussels-Washington DC route to a seasonal route with no service during the winter. Service between these cities will end with the Spring/Summer timetable on October 25 and will resume on March 29, 2015.
Given the choice, I would always choose to do my plane spotting during day-light hours. For obvious reasons, its easier to see more aircraft and takes a heck of a lot less effort to capture aircraft when the sun is out. However, Plane Spotting at night done at the right location with the proper equipment can yield some great moments as well.
Paine Field is a perfect example of a place where you can see some very interesting things if you are patient and don’t mind standing outside in the middle of the night staring at an airport. ‘PAE’ has activity 24 hours a day/7 days a week. With Boeing’s operation running day and night, there is ample potential to see things here that you won’t see anywhere else. For example, the Dream Lifter fleet operated by Atlas comes and goes at all hours of the day transporting 787 components to and from Boeing’s Plant.
On this trip, I had the pleasant surprise of seeing an Antonov AN124 land at last light bringing 3 777 engines apparently due to an ’emergency’ need by Boeing. In addition to Boeing, Paine Field hosts companies who have contracts with airlines for fleet maintenance. Due to this, it is not unusual to see a variety of Airbus aircraft coming and going at all hours of the night as well.
On my trip, I dedicated 2 evenings to try and capture some of that activity that takes place after all the other plane watchers go home. I came away with some interesting perspectives including seeing 2 new 787s move through the assembly process and something as unique as a Kenya Airways 777 arriving with little notice. Hopefully the photos below will help show how great Paine Field can be at night…..
Anotonov’s AN124 arriving at 9:20p carrying much needed 777 Engines for Boeing.
Speedbird’s newest 787
This was a last minute surprise, a Kenyan 777 arriving in Paine Field at 9:30pm.
One of several LAN 787 at Paine Field.
Qatar’s 787 shortly before being towed from the factory.
Qatar’s 787 being towed out of the factory. The next stop for her is the paint shop.
LAN’s 787 shortly after being towed into the final assembly position on the 787 line.
Here is a brief video showing LAN’s 787 being brought into the final assembly position on the 787 line. As you’ll see, its a very delibrate and slow process. I wish I had my tripod with me at the time, its not easy to hold still for several minutes while standing on bushes! 🙂
This 787 belongs to the Saudi Government. Specifically for use by their Economic Ministry.
This United 787 is parked in front of Boeing’s Paint Hangars.
What the Paine Field flight line looks like at 10:00pm!
