Airline to debut new air service to Kabul CHICAGO (Reuters) =97 Air travelers will soon be able to fly from Washington= =20 to Kabul, Afghanistan, via Geneva without changing planes. The new service= =20 provided by Geneva-based transportation company Swiss Skies AG will begin=20 July 14 with flights leaving Washington twice a week, on Mondays and=20 Thursdays. Previously, travelers to Kabul had to change planes or stay=20 overnight in Tashkent, Islamabad, Delhi or Dubai =97 a trip that took nearly= =20 40 hours. Strategic partner Kevin Mitchell said that Swiss Skies' new=20 route, which takes 18 hours, will provide "safe and efficient travel" for=20 government employees, aid workers and business travelers who are helping to= =20 rebuild Kabul. The MD-11 aircraft will be configured for 48 business class seats and 185=20 coach seats, with round-trip fare from Washington to Kabul costing $7,500,= =20 and $3,500 respectively. Each flight will have an air marshall on board,=20 Mitchell said. Swiss Skies also plans to offer special hotel deals and=20 ground services in Kabul that include drivers professionally trained as=20 security guards. Because of strict security checks, most first-time=20 travelers must book at least two weeks in advance, Mitchell said. The=20 aircraft will be operated by World Airways. Based in Peachtree City,=20 Georgia. The company has provided customized transportation services for=20 international passenger and cargo carriers, as well as the U.S. military=20 and leisure tour operators, for 55 years. World Airways was granted=20 conditional approval in April for $27 million in federal loan guarantees.=20 Last month, it applied for government permission to fly to Baghdad. Swiss=20 Skies, which is majority owned by U.S. investors, was founded by Waleed=20 Youssef, a transportation engineer who has helped develop aviation projects= =20 in more than 22 countries. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.natalielaughlin.com/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************