United, India's Jet Airways start code-share

• As expected, international airline traffic posted a decline in April after showing steady year-over-year growth in the first quarter – but the drop came as no surprise. The International Air Transport Association, a trade group of airlines, had predicted passenger numbers would fall due to the cancellation of large numbers of flights after a volcanic ash cloud forced the closing of many European airports in April. IATA said worldwide passenger numbers on international routes fell by 5.9 percent year-over-year in April. The biggest drop was in Europe, down 15.6 percent after posting first quarter growth of 3.9 percent. Traffic on North Atlantic routes fell by 12.7 percent in April, IATA said.

• India’s Jet Airways and United Airlines have announced a code-sharing partnership that takes effect for travel beginning June 30. The agreement will put United’s UA code on Jet Airways flights between London-Mumbai, Hong Kong-Delhi and Hong Kong-Mumbai, and on domestic services linking Mumbai with Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Goa, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Jet Airways’ code will go onto United’s services linking London Heathrow with ORD, DEN, LAX, SFO and IAD, as well as United’s Hong Kong-San Francisco and Hong Kong-Chicago flights.

• British Airways and CitationAir by Cessna, a private jet provider, said they have formed a new exclusive partnership “to offer premium travel benefits to passengers on both sides of the Atlantic.” Through the new PrivateConnect service, BA customers will be able to book connections on Cessna Citation aircraft at a pay-per-hour rate with no contract or long-term commitment. “PrivateConnect will be available to British Airways Executive Club members, passengers who have flown the airline in the previous 12 months, and organizations that hold a corporate account with the airline,” they said. “All trips going to or from a British Airways flight will include escorted transportation from the British Airways terminal to the CitationAir aircraft, or vice versa.”

• Continental Airlines has announced plans for its first-ever service to Africa. Pending government approvals, Continental set a November 2011 start for non-stop service linking its hub at Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport with Lagos, Nigeria. Continental said it will use the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner for the service.