1. Alaska Airlines joins Asia Miles since 28 Jan 2003. How good the news is! Those travel Alaska Airlines frequently, especially Alaska residents, can get extra miles usable for 13 other partners, including American Airlines!

(http://www.asiamiles.com/am/1,,22535_89468_eng_,00.html)

2. Asiana, however, leaves Asia Miles since 28 Feb 2003, as Asiana joins another alliance, Star Alliance, since then. This is proved by an Asiana B767 having Star Alliance livery.

(http://www.asiamiles.com/am/1,,22535_89542_eng_,00.html)
(http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?id=314667)

3. Spanair of Spain has an A320 in Star Alliance livery. Like Asiana, this means Spanair would be another Star Alliance member, thus competiting with Iberia of OneWorld / Asia Miles.

(http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?id=323108)

4. Airbus is showing an A319 Long Range cabin mock-up section in the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, with all business-class option for intercontinental flights. Airbus also announced the A319 Long Range would be added to the A320 family.

(http://www.airbus.com/airbus4u/articles_detail.asp?ae_id=145)

The A319 Long Range is likely to have MTOW same as A321, and would have range of at least 8,000km, the longest range single aisle ever other than B707 & DC-8, and is the longest range 120-seat aircraft ever. It is also expected to have 3-hour ETOPS rating needed for intercontinental flights, the first A320 member to have 3 hour ETOPS rating.

All these would greatly boost the sales of A320 family, and makes operation of more point-to-point, thin routes possible.

Airbus is also showing innovative equipment in the show, like a stowage area with biometrical locks, a foldable information terminal as well as a multi-functional module.