Weekly News Roundup

American-Qantas Joint Venture Gets Final Approval
For those traveling to Australia, this is a big breakthrough. The U.S. Department of Transportation has given the final go-ahead for American Airlines and Qantas, Australia’s leading carrier.

The joint venture has been a long time in the making. The two airlines had applied for approval in 2016. But Hawaiian Airlines, which also operated many transatlantic flights, protested the union, slowing down the process.

Qantas said in a news release that final approval means that both airlines can now coordinate “to deliver new routes, more destinations, reduced travel time, lower fares and additional benefits” to frequent fliers.

Qantas will introduce two new routes from Brisbane to Chicago and San Francisco. They will be operated by Qantas’ 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft starting at the end of April 2020.

The two carriers will also add codeshare services to more of each other’s existing flights.

Both are members of the oneworld alliance.

United Resumes Flight from New York/Newark and India
United Airlines is resuming daily nonstop service between Newark Liberty International Airport in the New York City area and Delhi and Mumbai in India in September.

Eastbound flights will begin Sept. 6. Westbound flights will resume Sept. 7.

United has been providing service between the United States and India since 2005. In December, it also became the only U.S. airline to offer nonstop service between the U.S. west coast and Delhi with a San Francisco flight. United said that will mean that travelers in more than 80 U.S. cities will be able to get to India through a connection in San Francisco.

The San Francisco flight will begin Dec. 5 with the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

“We are excited to get back to connecting our customers and our employees to India as our teams prepare to restart our daily service to both Delhi and Mumbai,” said United’s Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella. “We’re looking forward to beginning our third daily nonstop flight to India this December.”

New York Restaurant Week Begins
Dining in New York City can get expensive, even for those on expense accounts.

Today, New York City launches its city-wide Restaurant Week with dining discounts.

NYC & Company, the marketing organization for the city, announced details of its NYC Restaurant Week Summer 2019 program in conjunction with Mastercard.

Discounts run from now to August 15. More than 400 restaurants are participating. Two course prix-fixe lunches will go for $26 and three-course prix-fixe dinners with dessert will cost $46.

“Restaurant Week is a remarkable opportunity to sample New York City’s world-class restaurants and diverse cuisines, while also discovering over 40 vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company.