Record seat occupancy for European airlines

Major European airlines posted record seat occupancy rates for July as passenger load factors reached 82.2 per cent.

Members of the Association of European Airlines (AEA), which include British Airways and bmi, beat the previous highest figure of just over 81 per cent that was reached in April last year.

Figures from the AEA also showed that traffic growth was slightly higher than recent trends, with a notable increase of 7.4 per cent in cross-border European traffic and a four per cent rise on routes across the North Atlantic.

easyJet offers 25 per cent off routes

This deal has expired

Book by Tuesday, September 4: Low-cost carrier easyJet has today launched an "early bird" end-of-summer sale, with up to 25 per cent off 334 routes to 84 destinations.

Every flight, every day on every route, between October 29 and January 31, 2008, is part of the special offer, for which there is no blackout period.

Some of the carrier's newer destinations, such as Sofia, Bucharest, Gdansk and Madeira are included in the sale.

Weekend work on Luton Airport rail link

Major engineering work on Saturday, September 1, and Sunday, September 2, is to disrupt rail services to and from Luton Airport.

The airport has advised that passengers intending to use First Capital Connect Thameslink route services over the weekend should allow extra time for their journeys as no cross-London train services will be operating.

Alternative travel arrangements will be in place during the two-day period, with a limited service of four trains an hour running between Bedford and West Hampstead Thameslink and vice versa.

Celebrations mark Jet2.com's ten millionth passenger

Jet2.com has marked a significant milestone in its almost five-year history by welcoming its ten millionth passenger.

The airline cracked open a bottle of champagne with lucky passenger Nicola Cairns, who was flying from the airline’s base at Belfast International Airport to Murcia with her two children, and also gave her return flights for herself and three of her family or friends.

Philip Meeson, Chairman and Chief Executive of Jet2.com, said: "I am absolutely thrilled to welcome our ten millionth passenger on board our service to Murcia from Belfast International today and this truly is a significant moment for us as an airline.

Air Berlin withdraws from Belfast City Airport

Air Berlin is to end its service to Stansted from the George Best Belfast City Airport, just 18 months after starting the route.

The BBC website reports that the airline will end its link from Northern Ireland to the UK on October 28, although Air Berlin has not officially announced the end of the service.

Airport officials have confirmed that the route will stop but has stressed that flights to Gatwick and Heathrow are available to passengers.

British Airways launches autumn sale

© British Airways

Book by Tuesday, September 25: British Airways has launched its autumn sale with discounted flights to almost 100 destinations.

Return long-haul flights are available between September 1 and December 15, while one-way short-haul flights are available between October 1 and February 7, 2008. Prices for both long-haul and short-haul tickets include all taxes, fees, charges and air passenger duty.

The sale includes six one-way fares from London City Airport: Glasgow, Edinburgh (both from £41) and Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan and Zurich (all from £46).

Lufthansa launches London City to Berlin route

Lufthansa has added a new route from London City Airport to Berlin-Tegel. The German national airline will launch the twice-daily non-stop flights on January 14, 2008. Its regional partner Eurowings will operate the service.

One-way fares in Economy Class will be available from £45, while return fares start from £79. Business Class return fares start at £729 including all taxes and charges.

Outbound flights times are 9:40am (daily, except Sundays) and 6:05pm (daily, except Saturdays) arriving in Berlin at 12:25pm 8:50pm respectively.

Singapore Airlines first outside US for e-tickets

Singapore Airlines is the No. 1 carrier outside of the US region for implementing interline electronic-ticketing, a recent study has found.

According to an e-ticketing implementation status report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the carrier is also third in the aviation industry overall.

With an e-ticket system, travel itineraries and passenger information are both stored electronically in the airlines' reservations systems. As such, it is easy to make any changes to bookings and customers do not have to worry about lost paper tickets.

Germanwings extends flexible ticket scheme

Germanwings has extended its Flex Plus tariff to a number of international routes, giving passengers the option to make alterations at short notice free of charge, or cancel the booking.

Previously the option had only been available on domestic routes operated by the German airline, but the option will now be available for customers heading from Stansted to Cologne, starting at £199, or for flights between Stansted to Stuttgart again starting from £209.

The Flex Plus tariff will also be extended to other business travel destinations in the Germanwings network, including Zurich, Vienna and Milan, with tickets eligible for double points, as part of the airline's Boomerang Club loyalty scheme.

El Al adds new Monday morning flight

El Al is to add a Monday morning flight to its timetable between London Heathrow Airport and Tel Aviv, complementing the existing twice-a-day service.

The new flight will begin in October and operate throughout the winter months until March next year, the Travel Mole website reports.

El Al's new service is designed to appeal to business travellers as it departs Heathrow at 8.05am and arrives in Tel Aviv at 2.50pm, and will use aircraft from the airline's refurbished Boeing 767 fleet.

Ryanair announces new ski routes

Book by Thursday, September 6: Ryanair has today (Thursday, August 30) announced three new ski routes.

The flights are £10 all-in, including taxes and charges, and are from Liverpool to Friedrichshafen (Germany), Stockholm to Grenoble and Bournemouth to Milan Bergamo.

The travel period is from October 1 to February 7, 2008. A blackout period is in operation on routes to or from the UK and Ireland from October 19 to December 18 and on all routes from December 18 to January 8, 2008.

Air France to reduce fuel surcharge

Air France has announced a reduction in its fuel surcharge after a fall in the price of oil.

The airline has said that due to the price of a barrel of oil being less than $75 for 30 consecutive days, it will cut its surcharge by €1 (70p) on each leg of European and medium-haul flights, while €5 (£3.40) will be shaved off each long-haul flight undertaken by its passengers.

Tories consider restrictions on short-haul flights

The Conservative Party is considering plans to halt airport expansion and increase taxes on air travel. Due to be published in a report next month, before the party's conference in Blackpool, the proposals include the introduction of VAT on fuel for domestic flights and airlines being made to give over take-off and landing slots at airports to long-haul routes.

According to The Evening Standard, the report also includes a proposal to restrict short-haul flights and force travellers to use trains instead to free capacity at existing airports, thus reducing the need for airport expansion.

In addition, the Tories have suggested that the air passenger duty on all flights should be replaced by a separate tax based on the amount of CO2 generated per flight, although it is feared that this may result in a rise in ticket prices.

Autumn offers to the sun from GB Airways

Book by Tuesday, September 25: GB Airways, a franchise partner of British Airways, has launched an autumn sale with some flights discounted by 85 per cent.

The special ticket deals include flights from Gatwick to Tunis from £79 one-way. Other North African offers include flights to Marrakech from £60 one-way or flights to Sharm El Sheikh from £99 one-way.

For travellers keen to catch some autumn sunshine, deals are available to any of the three most popular Canary Islands – Tenerife, Lanzarote or Gran Canaria - from £49 one-way.

Second terminal approved for Dublin Airport

© Dublin Airport

Planning permission has been granted for a second terminal and a new runway at Dublin Airport, it was announced last night (Wednesday, August 29).

Known as T2, the second terminal will cover 75,000 square metres and will cater for 15 million passengers every year, bringing the total number of travellers at the Irish hub to 32 million. An Bord Pleanala (the Planning Board) approved the decision because it felt it would be necessary "to meet the foreseeable need for aviation travel at Dublin Airport and to provide for the safe expansion of air traffic at the airport".

As a result, the airport will effectively double in size but low-cost carrier Ryanair has opposed the move, calling it a "gold-plated abusive waste" by a "monopoly", The Irish Independent reports.

Norwegian to purchase 42 next-generation planes

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA has placed an order with Boeing for 42 next-generation aircraft. The new 737-800 aeroplanes are considerably more cost-effective and environmentally friendly than the planes which make up the carrier's existing air-fleet.

Boeing 737-800s consume 33 per cent less fuel, and emit 43 per cent less nitrogen oxide, when compared with the oldest aircraft in the carrier's current fleet. In addition, they have 189 seats, which is 41 more than the Boeing 737-300.

Norwegian's order is the largest placed with Boeing for the company's 737 series in 2007 so far. The 42 planes will be delivered over a five-year period from 2009 to 2014, at a rate of approximately ten per year.

easyJet extends summer sale, from £14.99 one-way

© easyJet

easyJet has extended the travel period of its late summer deals until October 27. Fares start from £14.99 one-way, including taxes and are subject to availability.

Included in the offer are popular city-break destinations such as Edinburgh, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam and Venice. It also features an array of sunny-spots including Ibiza, Malaga, Nice and Alicante.

According to easyJet, the offer has been extended "due to popular demand" and means that "there's even more chance to bag a great deal [with the carrier] during this summer and autumn".

bmi regional: extra Aberdeen-Manchester flight

bmi Regional has announced that it is to add an extra return flight between Aberdeen and Manchester. The new route will be officially launched on September 3 and will operate Monday to Friday.

Outbound flights will depart from Manchester at 1:45pm and arrive in Aberdeen at 2:55pm, while inbound flights will leave Aberdeen at 3:35pm and arrive in Manchester at 4:35pm.

As a result of this new route, bmi regional now offers 14 flights between the two cities every weekday, making it the most frequent scheduled service at Aberdeen.

Sterling offers cut-price ticket deals

Sterling, the Scandinavian low-cost airline, has launched a ticket sale, cutting up to 50 per cent of more than one million flights for travel up to the end of March 2008.

Tickets must be booked by September 7, and Sterling is urging passengers to book early as there will be limited availability on some dates.

The special deals will apply to the recently announced flights to Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo from the East Midlands, and a new link between Gatwick and Oslo, both of which are set to begin later this year.

Bumpy start to Vatican flights as holy water seized

Pilgrims on the first flights operated by the Vatican's new airline got a shock at security when they were told they could not take on board any of the holy water they had brought from Lourdes.

Italy's Il Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that only a few days into the airline's operation, French security personnel at Tarbes-Lourdes Airport seized bottles of water from passengers. Current European anti-terrorism rules forbid more than 100ml of liquids in carry-on baggage.

Lourdes was the first destination on the airline's schedule. Flights are operated by small Italian airline Mistral Air, and there are plans to extend flights to other destinations including the shrine of Fatima in Portugal, the shrine of the Madonna of Guadalupe in Mexico and Santiago di Compostella in Spain.

easyJet helps Liverpool celebrate city's 800th birthday

Liverpool's 800th birthday was marked at John Lennon Airport yesterday (Tuesday) with the help of easyJet.

The celebrations were triggered when the 800th passenger of the day, who was on board an easyJet flight, arrived at the airport. Barbara Strasser flew in on the carrier's morning flight from Geneva and as she was about to reclaim her luggage staff at the airport informed her of the significance of her arrival.

Katie Stitson, easyJet's Marketing Manager, said: "easyJet is delighted to have carried the 800th arriving passenger today to mark Liverpool's special birthday. easyJet began operations at Liverpool nearly ten years ago and has carried millions of passengers into the city from its 19 routes during that time."

Monarch: London and Birmingham flights on sale

© Monarch

Monarch has launched its scheduled programme for summer 2008 from Gatwick, Birmingham and Luton airports.

Passengers are now able to book flights to various destinations, including daily flights from Luton to Gibraltar, twice-daily flights from Birmingham to Malaga and daily flights from Gatwick to Murcia.

The carrier has also increased the number of flights from Luton to Larnaca to six per week, after noting the huge demand for services to the destination since it was launched in March.

Ryanair, Hostelworld.com sign five-year deal

Ryanair has agreed an exclusive five-year contract with Hostelworld.com, which will see the online reservations company provide accommodation deals for travellers via Ryanair's website.

The low-cost carrier announced the new agreement yesterday (Tuesday, August 28). Ryanair passengers will now be able to choose from more than 13,000 hostels, B&B (bed and breakfast) and guesthouses worldwide and more than 5,500 across Europe.

Reservations need to be secured with a 10 per cent deposit via www.ryanair.com, with the balance paid when travellers check-in at their chosen accommodation. Beds are available from just €5 (£3.40) a night.

BAA misled passengers about airport prices, says ASA

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has found that BAA, the airport operator, misled travellers with leaflets stating that food and drink prices in their terminals were the same as on the UK high street. The report revealed that prices are actually the same as retailers in Central London and consequently much higher than BAA had suggested.

One of BAA's leaflets, entitled Guide to Stansted Airport, noted: "The price of all food and drink sold in BAA airports is matched with the UK high street, so you won't pay a penny more than you're used to."

And a second leaflet called Taste stated: "Don't forget, our caterers are committed to matching the price of all the food and drink they sell within their airport stores against their high street equivalents."

Poll results: Big Brother

Aer Arann: passenger record at Edinburgh

Aer Arann has carried 250,000 passengers on its Edinburgh routes. The airline has served the Scottish airport for five years and announced its record number of travellers last Friday (August 24).

Laura Hughes of Lasswade, Edinburgh - on her first trip with the airline - was making her way to Cork, Ireland, for a friend's wedding when she became the 250,000th person to be carried by the regional airline.

She was rewarded with two free return flights for use on any Aer Arann route from Edinburgh, as well as a bottle of champagne.

SAS launches new London City-Oslo service

The inaugural flight of SAS's new route to Oslo took off from London City Airport today (Tuesday, August 28).

Flights will operate twice daily Monday to Friday, and one-way fares start from £83 including taxes.

Passengers can fly from London City at 10am and 6pm, arriving in Oslo at 1:15pm and 9:15pm. Return flights are at 8:10am and 4:10pm, arriving back in London at 9:30am and 5:30pm (all times are local).

MAXjet announces Stansted to LA route

MAXjet Airways, the all-Business-Class airline, has announced a new route from Stansted Airport to Los Angeles. The service will be launched officially on Thursday, August 30, and will be the first direct link from Stansted to California.

Flights will operate four times a week on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Outbound flights will depart from Stansted at 9am and arrive at 1pm while inbound flights will depart from LA at 5pm and arrive at midday (all times are local).

One-way fares between Stansted and LA start from £349 excluding taxes.

Last call for paper airline tickets

The end is in sight for paper airline tickets. The body which oversees their distribution has announced that it will cease issuing them from next year.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said it had placed its last order for paper tickets, which it issues for 60,000 travel agents when they book flights for customers. From June 1, 2008, all tickets will be delivered electronically.

"This is ‘last call’ for paper tickets," said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO. "E-ticketing went from 16 per cent in June 2004 to 84 per cent today. And in just 277 more days the paper ticket will become a collector’s item."

Bidding opens on Singapore Airlines' A380 seats

Singapore Airlines has opened bidding for tickets on the first flight of the A380, the world's largest passenger jet. Current bids stand at more than $10,000 (£4,975) for a pair of Business-Class seats. Starting prices for Economy-Class seats are $3.80. All proceeds will be donated to charity.

The airline said that a majority of seats across all classes on both legs of the first flight will be auctioned on eBay. Interested travellers are required to register in advance and anyone bidding more than $1,000, or for any of the premium packages, will be checked by the airline to ensure that prices are not inflated artificially.

Singapore Airlines is preparing for the double-decker jumbo jet’s first commercial flight on its Singapore to Sydney route in October.

Ryanair and Brussels Charleroi reach agreement

Ryanair has reached an agreement with Brussels Charleroi Airport. The Irish airline has released flights for sale from November, after suspending them over fears of wildcat strikes grounding aircraft.

The airline welcomed a pact between the Belgian government and unions which guarantee that any strikes will be accompanied by a minimum of 48 hours’ notice in order to allow passengers to make alternative arrangements.

Seats for travel after November 12 can now be booked, and Ryanair has said they will work closely with Brussels Charleroi Airport to develop new routes.

Ryanair extends 'Back to School' fare sale

Ryanair has extended its “Back to School” promotion and it will now end on Thursday, August 30. The airline is offering flights for £10 each way (including taxes, fees and charges) across its route network. Travel between October 1, and February 7, 2008. A sample of the routes with £10 each-way fares is as follows:

London Stansted to: Aarhus, Barcelona, Billund, Berlin, Cork, Dublin, Esbjerg, Frankfurt, Kerry, Palma, Newquay, Seville, Turin, Wroclaw and Zadar.

East Midlands to: Alghero, Budapest, Derry, Inverness, Krakow, Limoges, Madrid, Nantes, Riga, Rimini, Salzburg, Valencia and Wroclaw.

BA's cheaper Club-Class flights to Bermuda

Book by Tuesday, September 25: to celebrate its 70th year of flying to Bermuda, British Airways is offering discounted Club-Class flights to the island. Prices start from £1,937 return including taxes and charges.

The flights are for travel – from London Gatwick Airport – between September 13 and March 31, 2008.

British Airways is the only airline that offers direct flights to Bermuda from the UK.

'Back to school' fares from Ryanair

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Book by Monday, August 27: Ryanair is offering a series of £10 all-in one-way flights as part of its Back to School promotion, for travel between October 1, 2007 and February 7, 2008.

Travel days are Monday to Thursday and Sundays. In addition, there is a blackout period on all routes to/from UK and Ireland from October 19 to November 4 and on all routes from December 18 to January 8, 2008.

Passengers are reminded that no holidays, school breaks or major sporting events are included in this offer.

Emirates' tests of A380 successful

Emirates has successfully completed a series of tests on the Airbus A380 aircraft.

The airline conducted 100 checks on the A380 which involved 2,000 people over a one-week period at Dubai International Airport.

According to Adel Al Redha, executive vice president of engineering and operations for Emirates, the airline was "delighted" at how smoothly the four trial flights and the various procedure tests had gone.

Ryanair passengers face check-in charge

Ryanair has announced it is to start charging passengers for using its airport check-in services, on top of the fee it already charges to place bags in the hold.

The airline says it is keen to see passengers use its online check-in service, which will be free for those people travelling with hand luggage, but for those who use its airport desks there will be a fee of £2 (€3).

Ryanair’s Peter Sherrard said: "Ryanair’s web check in and priority boarding service has proven very popular among passengers by freeing them from check-in queues and departure gate queues. However clearly charging for this service has acted as a disincentive.

Additional flights on route to Belfast from Manx2.com

Isle of Man based airline Manx2.com is to increase the frequency of flights if offers from the island to Belfast starting next month.

From September 17 passengers will be able to book a new 10.45am departure from the Isle of Man to George Best Belfast City Airport, and a return flight departing Belfast City at 11.45am will also be available on most weekdays.

The additions to the Manx2.com timetable will allow it to cater for both business customers, with early and late departure times, as well as leisure travellers who now have a choice of times during the day.

New uniforms for airport immigration officers

Immigration officers at Gatwick Airport are now wearing new uniforms to highlight that travellers are entering the UK, with the aim to strengthen security at entry points.

Officers will wear dark blue suits and light blue shirts, there will also be new signs put up to make it clear that people are at a UK border. Similar arrangements are also in place at Stansted Airport and will eventually be rolled out across the country.

Home Office minister Tony McNulty said the measures have been introduced to improve confidence in the immigration system.

Weekly news round-up

This week has been a good one for sales on long-haul flights (the best of which are listed below). Virgin Atlantic has cheaper fares on flights to Africa, while Singapore Airlines is offering discounted tickets to destinations such as Sydney and Bali.

The low-cost airlines have been busy adding new routes, with Ryanair set to begin an important connection between Liverpool and Madrid, and easyJet announcing new East Midlands-Mallorca and London Luton-Hamburg links, which will take flight this winter.

Virgin’s cheaper Upper Class tickets to Nairobi

Offer ends November 11: Virgin Atlantic is offering cheaper Upper Class (business class) tickets from London to Nairobi in late December.

The Kenyan capital is a popular gateway to East Africa, allowing access to attractions such as the Masai Mara wildlife reserve and the vehicle-free Lamu island.

Bank Holiday weekend: Roadworks near Belfast Airport

Holidaymakers travelling to Belfast International Airport by road this Bank Holiday weekend should allow for extra time because of road works.

Due to resurfacing work by the Roads Service, the northbound M2 approaching the airport will be affected on Friday 24, Saturday 25, Sunday 26 and Monday 27.

Between 8pm on Friday and 10am on Saturday, the road will be closed from Junction 4 (Sandyknowes) to Junction 5 (Templepatrick).

Cheaper autumn flights to North America

Book by Thursday, August 30: Air Canada has discounted prices on a number of transatlantic routes for travel this autumn - for example, London to Montreal for £348 (fare is for a return flight, including taxes and charges).

For departures between September 1 and October 31, the following destinations are on offer from London Heathrow.

UK-Ireland record flights for Aer Arann

Irish airline Aer Arann has experienced a record rise in the number of passengers travelling between the UK and Ireland in the last year.

The carrier has announced a 56 per cent year-on-year increase in people flying to the city of Waterford during the first six months of 2007.

In addition, it noted that the number of travellers on its Cork routes had risen by 32 per cent, while its services to Galway had experienced a rise in traffic of 26 per cent.

New smart way to book with Germanwings

Germanwings has launched a new service for passengers to book multi-leg flights.

Travellers using Smart Connect will only need to book one ticket for their entire journey, which the carrier has said will be cheaper than the cost of two separate tickets.

Previously, those people flying with Germanwings had to book a ticket for each leg of their journey.

Stansted to Oslo by Norwegian set to start next year

Norwegian is to open its seventh base at Rygge Airport, 40 minutes south of Oslo, with a new connection to London joining a number of other destinations set to start on February 14, 2008.

The new route will operate between Stansted and Rygge, offering British passengers the chance to discover south west Sweden and provide easy access to cities such as Karlstad, Uddevalla and Gothenburg.

The airline will eventually base two aircraft at the airport and alongside the UK connection, other destinations to be served include Alicante, Athens, Barcelona and Belgrade.

Travel kits for young Lufthansa passengers

Young children flying with Lufthansa on long-haul flights in business or first class will soon be provided with their own travel kit.

The new kit contains warm children's socks, a toothbrush set, an eye mask to help youngsters fall asleep and ear plugs so they sleep tight, all of which is kept in a toiletry bag that can also be used after the flight and hung up anywhere.

Summer 2008 Blackpool flights on sale

Low-cost operator Jet2.com has put tickets for flights from its base at Blackpool Airport in summer 2008 on sale.

The airline, which currently serves seven destinations from Blackpool, is giving travellers the chance to book seats to the sun for next year with flights to Murcia, Alicante, Palma de Mallorca, Faro and Malaga starting from £39.99 one way, including taxes.

Jonathan Alcock, marketing manager of Jet2.com, said: "We decided to make summer 2008 available to book early as we have had such poor weather in the UK this summer and we thought that people would want a little cheering up, hopefully some much needed sun next year can be guaranteed.

Bank holiday flight bookings increase

With the weather likely to be brighter over the coming Bank Holiday weekend, UK airlines are predicting that a record number of Britons will enjoy holidays here in the British Isles, although many have already planned to go abroad.

So far this summer, the miserable weather has caused Brits to purchase record numbers of flights overseas, with Virgin Atlantic experiencing a surge in bookings to destinations such as Los Angeles and Johannesburg. In fact, it is expecting to carry 25 per cent more passengers over the August Bank Holiday period than the same time last year.

Steve Ridgway, the airline's chief executive, said: "August Bank Holiday is traditionally a time when many opt for a holiday but this year's disappointing weather has meant that more Britons than ever are flocking to far-flung destinations worldwide in search of summer sun."

Ryanair suspends Belgium flights

Irish low-coster Ryanair has suspended the sale of tickets on flights to and from Brussels Charleroi from November, calling for a guarantee that there will be no more wildcat strikes.

In June security staff at the Belgian airport carried out a strike, forcing the airline to cancel a slew of flights. Although the airport has promised that the dispute will be resolved, Ryanair has suspended bookings to and from Charleroi from November 12 as a contingency measure.

"Ryanair is determined to ensure that its flights and passengers at Charleroi will not be cancelled again and so there must be an effective contingency plan in place to keep this international airport open and operational even if some staff wish to engage in wildcat strikes in the future," a spokesman for the carrier said.

Air Canada increases flights to Edmonton

Air Canada is to increase the frequency on its flights between London and Edmonton (Alberta, western Canada) later this year.

For the winter season, the airline will up its service from three times weekly to once a day. The route originally began last December.

Air Canada's vice president of network planning, Daniel Shurz, commented: "Air Canada is the first airline to offer year-round, daily international scheduled flights from Edmonton with its non-stop flights to London Heathrow, reflecting global travel demand to and from the robust energy region of Northern Alberta."