Flights
Ryanair takes a gamble
Ryanair has announced that it will give away 1 million free seats if the Ryanair horse wins the Ryanair Chase. The Ryanair Chase will take place on Thursday afternoon and Mossbank, the Ryanair horse is 3 to 1 favourite to win. If he wins, Ryanair will release 1 million free seats until midnight Monday (no taxes, no charges) for travel in April.
European Court hears Ryanair’s appeal
Ryanair has confirmed that the European Court of First Instance (CFI) had heard its appeal against the EU Commission’s anti competitive decision in the Charleroi case in 2004. The Commission ignored 30 years of Market Economy Investor Principal precedent cases and changed its own (MEIP) rules in the Charleroi case in order to find against Ryanair.
SAS orders new aircraft for fleet replacement
SAS has agreed a settlement with Bombardier and Goodrich regarding the incidents involving the Dash aircraft in the autumn of 2007. The details of the agreement are confidential but SAS Group confirms the total financial compensation is slightly more than SEK 1 billion in the form of a cash payment and credits for future firm and optional aircraft orders.
SWISS announces fuel surcharge adjustment
The prices of crude oil and jet fuel have seen further steep rises to record levels over the last few weeks. A number of major European airlines have already increased their fuel surcharges in the light of these developments.
Star Alliance introduces “Round the World” tariff
Star Alliance has improved the options offered by the “Round the World” mileage calculator (RTW MC) launched on the Internet in 2006. Customers are now able to access the following new functions to help plan their trips: Dynamic Mapping, Seven-Day Look-Up, Historical Weather Look-Up and the Airport Finder.
Team up, fly and win on United Airlines
It pays to be one of United Airlines’ best customers, and United is giving customers 50 million more reasons to become one. Premier Mileage Plus members are teaming up with friends, family members, and co-workers to win their share of 50 1-million-mile prizes in a first-of-its-kind contest.
United Airlines flies the open skies to London
Open Skies is bringing United’s Denver customers about two and a half hours closer to London. Customers will save at least that much time by taking United’s new, non-stop service between Denver and London, and the airline is now offering special, low fares and up to 7,500 bonus Mileage Plus miles to celebrate.
Loganair announces Dundee to Birmingham schedule
Loganair, Scotland’s airline, has announced that tickets are on sale for its first scheduled flights from Dundee to Birmingham. The new route, which will be introduced on May 21, 2008, is expected to bring a welcome boost for the region while marking the beginning of an expansion drive that will see Loganair introduce more and new services from Dundee airport in the coming years.
Personal assistants for Lufthansa’s elite
Following a successful three month trial, Lufthansa has introduced a dedicated Personal Assistant service for its First Class customers and HON Circle members at London-Heathrow, the very first Lufthansa station in Europe to benefit from this unique service. A similar service is also being introduced at London City Airport.
Resorthoppa launches new transfer routes in Bulgaria
Resorthoppa, the leading holiday transfer company, has announced the launch of transfers in Bulgaria, from the 1st May and running all through the summer season until the 15th October 2008.
Aer Lingus announces transatlantic winter schedule
Aer Lingus today announced details of its winter schedule from Dublin and Shannon airports. From the end of October Aer Lingus will operate double daily flights from Dublin to New York, daily flights from Dublin to Boston, four flights a week from Dublin to Washington and from Dublin to San Francisco and three flights a week from Dublin to Los Angeles and from Dublin to Orlando.
airBaltic plans substantial fleet expansion
Over the next three years, the Latvian airline airBaltic will acquire new aircraft, experiencing the largest fleet expansion in the company’s history. Following a deal in the weekend with Bombardier Aerospace, the airline will see deliveries of at least 8 new, fresh-from-factory Q400 NextGen aircraft.
airBaltic to launch direct flights from Riga to Norrköping
On April 30 of this year, the Latvian airline airBaltic will begin to offer direct flights from Riga to the Swedish city of Norrköping. During the summer season, this will be the 47th route offered by airBaltic from Riga. Altogether, the airline plans 10 new destinations from Riga during the summer of 2008.
Skyteam unveils plans for co-branded lounge at Heathrow
As SkyTeam carriers plan new service and operational relocation to Terminal 4 at London Heathrow International Airport (LHR), the alliance is augmenting its customer-focused presence at LHR – including the previously announced co-location project – with plans for the first co-branded SkyTeam alliance lounge.
Air France and KLM to increase summer capacity
The summer schedule of Air France and KLM posts a 4.6% increase in capacity for summer 2008 in terms of available seat-km compared with summer 2007. This breaks down into 5.1% for the long-haul network and 3.2% for short and medium-haul routes.