Air Ukraine gears up for summer with new services (05/04/97)

Air Ukraine gears up for summer with new services

by Khristina Lew

NEW YORK - Air Ukraine, Ukraine's national airline, is gearing up for the summer season with expanded non-stop service from New York to Lviv, an improved business class and a new in-flight magazine.

Beginning on May 14, Air Ukraine will depart New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesdays at 9 p.m., arriving in Lviv the following afternoon at 12:55 p.m. Flight time is eight hours.

Air Ukraine flights will also now depart from Lviv, with a 1 hour 5 minute layover in Kyiv before continuing on to New York. Passengers boarding in Lviv will clear customs and immigration at the Lviv airport; once in Kyiv, they are free to stretch their legs and browse the duty-free shop before boarding their trans-Atlantic flight. The Lviv flight will depart on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m., arriving in Kyiv at 12:55 p.m., and depart Kyiv at 2 p.m., arriving in New York at 7 p.m.

"We need to fly where it is convenient for our passengers," said Mykola Kravets, Air Ukraine's general manager in the U.S.

In addition to expanding service to Lviv, Air Ukraine flies non-stop between New York and Kyiv on Fridays and Sundays, and between Toronto and Lviv, with continuing service to Kyiv, on Saturdays. Tickets to either Kyiv or Lviv are valid for one year with no restrictions.

In a further effort to improve service for its passengers boarding in Ukraine, Air Ukraine has forged inter-line agreements with Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, Trans World Airlines and Pan American World Airways. In an exclusive arrangement, Delta will provide Air Ukraine passengers continuing service out of New York to all Delta destinations in the U.S. for a reduced fare. Pan Am has agreed to a reduced fare for Air Ukraine passengers whose final destinations are Los Angeles, San Francisco or Miami.

Air Ukraine has taken great pains to improve service for all its passengers. Mr. Kravets said that in addition to installing new seats in its business class, Air Ukraine has focused on improving service in its economy class. Air Ukraine offers Ukraine's famed Obolon beer in economy class and provides children with toys.

Every passenger is given a questionnaire to fill out at the end of an Air Ukraine flight, and Mr. Kravets takes each suggestion seriously. An enhanced menu on Air Ukraine flights has received high marks, and the airline now offers a glossy, in-flight magazine in the Ukrainian and English languages.

The latest issue of the Air Ukraine In-flight Magazine features an article about the reform efforts of Viktor Yuschenko, chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine; interviews with Vasyl Onopenko, head of the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine, and Tetyana Akhekyan, director of the Ballet on Ice Ukrainian State Company; feature-length articles on icon painting and contemporary Ukrainian art; and photo essays on Jerusalem and Nepal. The magazine also offers a guide to hotels, restaurants, cafes and casinos in Kyiv.

Air Ukraine also sponsors Welcome to Ukraine, a glossy magazine promoting tourism in Ukraine that is distributed on Air Ukraine and Lufthansa flights, and is available at Ukraine International Airlines agencies, embassies, hotels or by subscription.

The airline is in the process of being privatized; once privatization is complete, the Ukrainian government will retain a 51 percent stake in the venture. Air Ukraine is also planning to acquire either Airbus or Boeing aircraft to replace the Soviet-built IL-62M that it currently flies. The Ukrainian government has put out a tender for aircraft, and perhaps by the summer of 1998 Air Ukraine passengers will be flying on a Boeing 767-200 or an Airbus A310.

For Air Ukraine reservations and tickets call 1-800-UKRAINE.

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