Travellers can now tap into their trusted network of Facebook friends for inspiration and ideas to plan and make the most of a holiday in Australia thanks to a new app launched this week by Tourism Australia on its Facebook page.

Austrian Airlines has confirmed that it is to cease operating flights to the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) from 1 March 2009 onwards.

The airline said that as a result of drastic overcapacity between European airports and the city in southwestern India, the weakening Indian economy and the consequences of the crisis in financial markets, it is no longer possible for it to operate this route profitably in the medium term.

The measure means that one more of the airline’s total of six Boeing 767 aircraft will no longer be deployed on long-haul routes. The question of how to use the aircraft freed up by the decision remains open at present.

This necessary capacity reduction on the Mumbai route can be compensated with minor medium-haul network adjustments, without any need for further reductions in staff numbers. Services from London City Airport, Luxembourg and Riga, as well as the long-haul destination of Chicago, have already been cancelled this year.

29/10/08 ASIATravelTips.com, Thailand