Special Meals

Special meals such as those for children and diabetics, the vegetarian or low fat, low calories and low sodium meals as well as the choice of seafood or other requests. These are offered by many airline companies, but they should be requested at least twenty-four hours before departure. Travel agents can request these special meals and other services for their client through the computer reservation system or over the telephone directly with the airline.

Effect of the Jet Stream

Do you ever wonder why it takes about half an hour longer to fly from the east coast to the west coast than fly west to east? The answer involves the jet stream. (Winds resembling huge streams circle the hemisphere), usually at altitudes of 30,000 to 40,000 feet. These jet streams are established when cold polar air comes into contact with hot air from the tropical regions. They flow generally from west to east, but may flow from north to south and meander at times. Airlines pilots can ride these streams when flying east, but must necessarily buck them when flying west.

Highways in the sky

Commercial airlines are subject to many regulations than automobiles, and they fly along airways or air corridors just as cars travel on highways on the ground. International rules designed to keep airplanes well apart. planes generally must be at least 1,000 feet above or below one another, with ten minutes flying time between one another, and ten miles on either side. At takeoff, planes are separated by time intervals of one minute when going in different directions and two minutes when going in the same direction.

Aviation Freedoms

The first Freedom :
          The right of an airline to over fly a foreign territory of the partner country without landing. this means the right to over fly one country to get to another without landing.

The Second Freedom :
           The right of the plane to make a non commercial intermediate landing. It might land for instance to take on fuel, make repairs, or change crew members, but not to discharge or take on passengers, freight or mail. This means the right of an airline to land in another country for a technical stopover, but not to pick up or drop off traffic.

The Third Freedom :
          This gives the carrier the right to take passengers, freight and mail in its home country and to discharge them in the territory of a partner country. this means the right of an airline, registered on country x to drop off traffic from country x to country y.

The Fourth Freedom :
           This consists of the right to board passengers, freight and mail of the partner country in order to transport them to the home territory of the domestic carrier concerned.......The right to carry traffic back to country x from country y.

Note: Traffic under the third and fourth freedoms are also called "Neighborhood Traffic".

The Fifth Freedom :
            It Provides the right to transport passengers, freight and mail to and from a third country or countries. The right of an airline registered in country x, to collect traffic in country y and fly onto country z, as long as the flight originates from country x.

Types of trips

One Way Trip :
A one way trip is considered to be a journey which for fare calculation purposes is not a complete round trip.
Travel from one point to another without return to the origin.
The journey consists of one fare component or more.

Example/ Traveling from Cairo (CAI)--------------TO--------------------London (LON).

Round Trip :
(I) Travel from one point to another and return to the point of origin by the same routing and the same fare used on the outbound portion.

Example/ Traveling from Copenhagen (CPH)----------------Vienna (VIE)-------------Cairo (CAI)
               And returning back from Cairo (CAI)....................Vienna (VIE)....................Copenhagen (CPH)

(II) Travel from one point to another and return to the point of origin by a different routing than that of the outbound portion but using the same fare on both the outbound and inbound portions.

Example/ Traveling from Cairo------Rome---------London---------Paris-----------Athen-----------Cairo.

(III) Travel from one point to another and return to the point of origin by the same routing but using a different fare on each portions of the routing due to:
                          (Carrier Variations, Seasonality Variations or Class of service Variations)

Example 1/ Traveling from Cairo-------------Rome--------------London in first class and returning back in economy class.
Example 2/Traveling from    Cairo-------------Rome--------------London in economy class in the low season and returning back economy class but in high season.

Notes for round trip:

1. Travel from one point to another and return back to origin key.
2. Travel must be entirely by air.
3. Final destination must be the same point of origin.
4. Must have two fare components only.