Airline News - Europe

7/7/2008

Perhaps it comes as no surprise, but a recent survey by LateRooms.com shows that 25m Brits are unable to recognize even the most basic of phrases in a foreign language when abroad. In the nature of British culture, words they do pick up are beer (79%), swimming pool (80%) and beach (77%), although anything else normally resorts to speaking loudly or more slowly. I have a French phrase book called A widow in every room, after a French hotel that clearly meant [sup.3]window,[sup.2] but as anyone who has tried to decipher a menu in that country, even a good grasp of the lingo can leave the diner hugely perplexed. 6/30/2008

Aegean Airlines

Aegean Airlines of Greece said on Friday it will raise ticket surcharges by up to three euros for domestic and international flights, due to the increasing cost of jet fuel. The carrier, which competes with state-owned Olympic Airlines flying domestic and international routes, reported a loss of EUR4.4 million (USD$6.91 million) in the first quarter citing a 57 percent jump in energy costs. Fuel costs account for 35 percent of total company costs, despite the ongoing investment in new A320/321 Airbus planes, which reduce fuel consumption," the company said. The airline has been renewing its fleet, wanting to add more destinations, and has taken delivery of four new A320 aircraft. Traffic rose 10 percent to 1.1 million passengers in the first quarter. Crude oil futures dropped below USD$145 a barrel on Friday, but remained within sight of record highs reached in the previous session. The price neared USD$146 this week, due to escalation in tensions between Iran and Israel. 7/4/2008

Air France KLM

Air France KLM confirmed on Friday it was considering offering high-speed rail travel and will adjust its winter seat capacity in the face of rising jet fuel costs. The Franco-Dutch airline pulled out of a bid to rescue Italy's Alitalia earlier this year and competes with the emerging transatlantic partnership of British Airways, American Airlines and Spain's Iberia. On Friday, it confirmed media reports it was discussing a high-speed rail alliance with Veolia -- a French utility that runs several rail connections but is not yet active in high-speed travel, which is dominated by state-owned SNCF, Deutsche Bahn and the equally state controlled Thalys and Eurostar firms. "As part of the opening to competition of rail transport in 2010, Air France and Veolia are looking into the possibility of a partnership to create a new high-speed rail player on the European scene," an Air France KLM spokesman said. Veolia Transport, part of French water utility Veolia, could run trains under the Air France brand from the airline's hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to destinations across Europe, the Financial Times said on Friday. 7/4/2008

Air One

Air One yesterday launched a mobile check-in service available on Internet-capable phones and PDAs. 7/1/2008

Bmi

Bmi is planning to boost services to Saudi Arabia following a new bilateral agreement providing for an increase in weekly flights between the UK and Saudi Arabia to 35. "Bmi intends to take full advantage of the opportunity this provides and will seek to add to its existing services from Heathrow to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam," it said. 7/2/2008

British Airways

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways will launch an advertising campaign this weekend informing consumers of their right to claim refunds following the carriers' admission that they colluded on transatlantic fuel surcharges between August 2004 and March 2006. The refund campaign comes after a law firm acting on behalf of consumers won rulings from a US court forcing the airlines to finance the ads, which will run in the national press, Sunday television broadcasts, key travel trade press and on the Internet, according to Marketing Week. 7/4/2008

British Airways

British Airways said on Thursday its traffic fell 3.7 percent in June, as a ticket price increase and the UK economic slowdown put passengers off traveling on both business and economy flights. The figures compared with a 0.7 percent fall in May, and were worse than the 1.5 percent drop forecast by analysts last week. "UK consumers are reluctant to spend more, and seeing as fares have risen there will be some effect (from that), but it's hard to attribute (the decline) to one or the other," British Air Head of Investor Relations George Stinnes told reporters. Gert Zonneveld, transport analyst at Panmure Gordon, said a general fall in traffic had been anticipated by the market. British Air said the group's core premium, or business class, passengers fell 3.1 percent year on year, while economy fares were down 3.8 percent. 7/4/2008

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic are offering "premium economy" seats to customers who want more legroom than economy but do not want to pay business or first-class fares. The option also appeals to corporate travelers on scaled-back travel budgets. No American carriers have followed suit, but Qantas Airways and Japan Airlines plan to roll out similar programs later this year. 7/1/2008