Five more destinations –two in Australia, one in the U.S., one in the UK and one in West Africa- will join the network served by the Oneworld alliance during the new flying season, which starts at the end of this month. The two new Australian points are both in Queensland-Hervey Bay, gateway to the World Heritage-listed Fraser Island, and Biloela, which provides access to a number of mining projects in the center of the state.

Manchester holidaymakers have a new Caribbean destination on their doorstep thanks to tour operator First Choice starting a direct charter service to Aruba from next year. Aruba Tourism Authority and First Choice announced an additional flight to Aruba from the UK starting on May 8 through October 23, 2007 from Manchester International Airport.

Caribbean Airlines has been launched, signaling what experts believe could be a new era in Caribbean aviation. Sources say Caribbean Airlines will offer the Caribbean a world-class, financially strong carrier dedicated to bringing quality and efficiency to its customers as they travel to, from or within the Caribbean region.

Mexico’s Mexicana de Aviacion has announced a new seasonal service between Denver, Colorado and Zacatecas. The Denver-Zacatecas route has been created to accommodate the high demand of passengers traveling to and from the regions during the holiday season.

Antigua-based Caribbean Star Airlines has been certified as a Category One airline under Antigua & Barbuda’s new civil aviation regulations, opening the way for broader expansion opportunities, according to Skip Barnette, president and CEO of Caribbean Star and its Florida-based sister carrier Caribbean Sun. The move had been anticipated since last March when the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority was upgraded to Category One status by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

In the highly competitive contest for authority to operate a new daily flight to China, American Airlines (AA) has garnered unprecedented public and civic support for its proposed Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Beijing service. The depth and breadth of support reflects the fact that American offers something that none of the other three competitors has proposed –both a new gateway to China and strengthened airline competition.