This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by psa188@xxxxxxxxx /-------------------- advertisement -----------------------\ Explore more of Starbucks at Starbucks.com. http://www.starbucks.com/default.asp?ci=1015 \----------------------------------------------------------/ KLM Delays Start of Baghdad Flights August 6, 2003 By EDWARD WONG Don't count on that window-seat view of Baghdad's palm-lined boulevards just yet. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines said yesterday that it was canceling the flights to Iraq in September that it had put in its reservations system, because American authorities there had told the airline that the security situation was too unstable. More than 20 airlines from around the world have applied to start service to Baghdad, including British Airways and Lufthansa. But KLM has been the most ambitious, accepting reservations for Baghdad-bound flights starting Sept. 1 before any carrier had been given permission to fly there. Now KLM has postponed its anticipated starting date to Oct. 26, and the other carriers will also have to put plans on hold. A KLM spokesman, Bart Koster, said that the Office of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the American-run administrative body in Baghdad, had "let us know that for an indefinite period, flight designation will be postponed," Mr. Koster said. "We agree on that course," he added. "The American authorities have seen, as the rest of the world has, that there is no improvement in improving the situation or improving the safety. Almost every day, there are attacks on American soldiers." Late last week, the Netherlands sent 1,100 peacekeeping troops to southern Iraq, permitting almost that number of American soldiers to return home. Commander Mark Mintz, a spokesman for the provisional authority, said the authority was still reviewing which airlines would be allowed to fly into Baghdad International Airport. Since early July, guerrillas have tried at least twice to attack C-130 military cargo planes with portable surface-to-air missiles. Neither attempt succeeded. Iraqis have also been shooting at American and British soldiers daily, and firing rocket-propelled grenades at convoys. Late last month, the authority asked airlines whether they would be interested in flying into Basra, in southern Iraq close to the border of Kuwait. Captured by British soldiers early in the war, Basra is generally considered more secure than Baghdad, and there is a chance that its airport may be the first to open for commercial flights. When asked about this possibility, Commander Mintz said he knew nothing about it. Skylink Air and Logistic Support, a company based in Washington, said it has a $2.5 million contract from the federal government to renovate five airports in Iraq. The company is supposed to make Baghdad and Basra suitable for international service, a company spokeswoman, Laura Vallis, said. Mr. Koster said KLM had chosen Oct. 26 as the new date for its initial flight to Baghdad because the airline's winter travel season begins that day. He said the airline thinks that passengers who booked tickets for September will be willing to shift their reservations to Oct. 26 or afterward. The company wants to run its flights as code-share partnerships with Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines, he added. Terry Trippler of cheapseats.com, an air ticket booking Web site, said KLM was offering only three fares, all of them round-trip: 990 euros ($1,126) for economy, which requires a stay of at least four days; 1,240 euros ($1,410) for unrestricted coach and 2,890 euros ($3,288) for business class. Mr. Trippler said that it was the first time in several decades working in the industry that he saw no one-way fares offered for a flight. "They don't think anybody's crazy enough," he said. The Oct. 26 flight, he added, was wide open. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/06/business/worldbusiness/06AIR.html?ex=1061176553&ei=1&en=f942a8622e94bd26 --------------------------------- Get Home Delivery of The New York Times Newspaper. Imagine reading The New York Times any time & anywhere you like! Leisurely catch up on events & expand your horizons. Enjoy now for 50% off Home Delivery! Click here: http://www.nytimes.com/ads/nytcirc/index.html HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact onlinesales@xxxxxxxxxxx or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help@xxxxxxxxxxxx Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company