AIR BERLIN IS GERMANY’S second-largest airline, serving 163 destinations with a modern fleet of 170 aircraft. While considered a low-cost carrier, it is not ‘no-frills’, as Air Berlin offers free snacks and drinks on flights, complimentary newspapers, assigned seating and a loyalty scheme. Air Berlin will join Oneworld this year shortly before the opening of major new European hub Berlin Brandenburg International airport. In 2011 the carrier revealed a raft of route and capacity cuts designed to return the airline to profitability. Among the UK routes being cut are Munster/Osnabrück-London, Hanover-
London, and Paderborn-London/Manchester. In March 2011, Air Berlin took delivery of the first B737-700 to feature the new Sky Interior cabin. It has revamped walls and baggage compartments, large window-niches and LED lighting, making it look more open and modern. It also has a noise reduction of two to three decibels. In future, all next-generation Boeing aircraft supplied to the airline will be fitted with the new-style cabin. Air Berlin is the first German carrier scheduled for delivery of
the new B787 Dreamliner, expected in April 2014. A further 17 are due for delivery by August 2019. Visit airberlin.com
A FOUNDING MEMBER of Star Alliance, the airline operates more direct UK-Canada flights than any other carrier, with 84 flights a week to eight Canadian cities. It has also stepped up its domestic frequency, with 30 Montreal-Toronto flights every working day. Investment has resulted in a new-look international fleet featuring the brand’s Executive First Suites. These include fully-flat beds, personal IFE (in-flight entertainment) systems and an upgraded food and drink offering. Long-haul A330s, B777s and B767s all have
nine-inch personal screens and USB ports in economy. Almost all aircraft have in-seat power across both classes. Three B767s, which serve destinations such as Athens, Dublin and Barcelona, are not fitted with Suites, instead having 24 Comfort Plus business seats with a 38-inch pitch. Air Canada will be one of the first carriers to take delivery of the
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new B787 Dreamliner. It has already placed orders for 37 of the new planes, to be delivered from 2013. Visit aircanada.com