Flights
Gulf Air announces record seat-load factor in October
Gulf Air, the national airline of the Kingdom of Bahrain, continues its record performance this year with the best October aircraft occupancy rate to date. The carrier is set to continue the momentum into 2009. The airline’s seat-load factor in October was an average 74.9% compared with 66.4% last year. The previous record was 71%, set in October 2004.
Qatar Airways launches New York /JFK
Qatar Airways has launched scheduled flights to New York’s JFK International Airport with a new non-stop service linking America’s financial centre with Doha, capital of the State of Qatar. The new route gives Qatar Airways its second daily non-stop service to America, supplementing existing daily services to the capital, Washington DC.
Austrian delivers direct to the slopes
In time for Christmas and the prime ski season Austrian is launching a ‘Skibus’ service that will take passengers from Innsbruck directly to the slopes of the top Alpine resorts. Between 27 November 2008 and 19 April 2009 the Austrian ‘Skibus’ will connect with Austrian flights to Innsbruck to offer passengers a seamless service to the resorts of St. Anton, Ischgl and Soelden.
Ryanair announces fall in profits
Ryanair announced half year profits of €215m, 47% down on last year’s interim profits as half year fuel costs more than doubled from €392.7m to €788.5m. Traffic however grew by 19% to 32m, as average fares fell by 4% to €47, while total revenues grew by 16% to €1.8bn.
Ryanair announces 11 new routes from Bologna
Ryanair has announced seven new international and four new domestic routes for Bologna from March 2009. These new routes, which go on sale today, will slash the cost of flying to/from Bologna as passengers avoid Alitalia’s high fares and fuel surcharges and secure Ryanair’s guaranteed lowest airfares and no fuel surcharge.
Autumn - The coolest time to visit the hottest cities
Skyscanner takes a look at five notoriously hellish summer cities, and tells you why autumn is the coolest time to visit. In the heat of the summer, the city can be a hellish place. Sewers are stinking, shirts are sticking, everyone is hot, everyone is bothered. Crowds line the streets, public transport is a nightmare, and all in all, there are far better places to be.
DFDS Seaways repatriates Sterling passengers for free
DFDS Seaways has responded to the news of the bankruptcy of Danish airline Sterling Airlines A/S with the offer of free repatriation for all Sterling Airline customers stranded in the UK.
British Airways moves Dubai flights into T5
British Airways – the UK’s flagship carrier which operates 56 weekly services from the GCC to London Heathrow – has completed the move of all Middle East flights into Terminal 5, its dedicated £4.3billion home at London Heathrow.
Royal Jet picks up another WTA award
Royal Jet, the Abu Dhabi-headquartered international luxury executive flight services company - chaired by H.E. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan – has once again been honoured by the World Travel Awards by being named the Middle East’s Leading Private Jet Charter at a glittering ceremony at the new Dubai Atlantis Hotel on The Palm.
Austrian Airlines celebrates reintroduction of Saudi flights
Austrian Airlines AG the flag carrier airline of Austria hosted two events in Riyadh and Jeddah in celebration of its new direct routes uniting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with Vienna.
Air Arabia celebrates fifth anniversary
Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, began daily service to its latest destination Hyderabad, India, on October 27, 2008, from the carrier’s main hub in Sharjah, UAE. The launch of this new destination coincides with the carrier’s fifth anniversary celebrations.
Air Arabia introduces new travel insurance service
Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier in the Middle East and North Africa, announced today a new travel insurance service “Travel Secure,” aimed at providing its passengers with greater peace of mind when they travel.
Investors buck aviation trend to launch new airline
A group of businessmen are bucking the troubled aviation industry trend and launching a new high quality, value for money airline operating out of Stansted. Air Sylhet will begin short haul flights to Vienna and Dubai from Stansted and Manchester when it launches next month.
Ryanair announces new Trapani base
Ryanair today (Thursday, 30th October 2008) announced that from May 2009 it will base two aircraft at Trapani and confirmed that it will not open a base at Forli after the airport withdrew the agreement it had reached with Ryanair.
Ryanair launches Sterling rescue fare
Ryanair has launched a €100 rescue fare for Sterling passengers who may have been left stranded by the bankruptcy of the Nordic airline yesterday. This fare applies to flights returning to Aarhus, Billund, Gothenburg, Oslo (Torp) and Stockholm (Skavsta).