Airline News

The US Department of Transportation (DoT) has finally given its blessing to closer cooperation between British Airways and American Airlines on their transatlantic route networks.With American regulators no longer blocking the joint venture, BA stands to benefit from synergies of up £230 million each year by coordinating its pricing and flight schedules with AA.The flag carrier...

Bmi is marking the recent launch of its 'bmifriday' cheap flights promotion on Twitter by offering its customers the chance to win a free holiday in Berlin for up to ten people.The airline's new social media campaign was launched last month, giving travellers an easy way to bag discounts of up to 42 per cent on selected fares on the last Friday of every month.To be in with a chance of...

Book by midnight tonight (20 July 2010)Anyone wishing to take advantage of British Airways' worldwide sale has just hours left to place a booking.A raft of cheap flights offered by the airline will be withdrawn from sale at midnight tonight, with featured Economy Class destinations spanning the globe.Within Europe, flights to Jersey from London Gatwick are available from £49 one-way,...

Four out of five budget travellers are unwilling to stand on Ryanair flights, new research by flight deals publisher Cheapflights.co.uk revealsRyanair's pledge to sell standing tickets has been widely dismissed by the travelling public, according to an online survey by Cheapflights.co.uk.Europe's most controversial carrier last month unveiled plans to remove ten rows of seating from...

Book by Sunday, 1 August 2010.Asian no-frills carrier AirAsia X today announced its Premium seat sale, in which it is reducing the cost of Business Class fares to its Kuala Lumpur hub.From today until 1 August, customers can book one-way flights to Kuala Lumpur from London Stansted Airport for as little as £699 including taxes. The travel period covered by the deal is between 2 August...

Iraq is experiencing a surge in interest from global airlines that are keen to capitalise on the improving security situation.Following the collapse of troubled flag carrier Iraqi Airways, which was the subject of legal action by Kuwaiti authorities, Lufthansa announced that it will launch  flights to Baghdad on 30 September 2010.With violence in Iraq falling to its lowest level...

Europe's competition watchdog has given its approval to a merger between British Airways and Spanish flag carrier Iberia, in effect creating Europe's third-largest carrier.The move clears the way for the two airlines to sell tickets on each other's networks, which will collectively operate 419 aircraft flying to more than 200 destinations around the world.In a parallel ruling the EU...

Thomson Airways is reminding passengers that it will soon become the first UK carrier to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Marketing Magazine reports.The no-frills airline has launched a campaign dubbed 'Live the Dreamliner' to publicise its adoption of the new aircraft, expected for delivery later this year.Coinciding with the launch of the campaign will be the 787’s inaugural UK...

Low-cost carrier Flybe has announced that it will be entering into a codeshare agreement with French flag carrier Air France.The British airline, which has previously focused on domestic UK flights, is expected to expand its network by 23 new routes through the deal.With the use of the Air France hub at Paris Charles De Gaulle, Flybe passengers can take advantage of Air France connections...

Flag-carrier British Airways made the landmark announcement today that it is the first UK-based airline to take delivery of a Boeing 777-300ER, the world’s largest twin-jet aircraft.The 777-300ER has a seating capacity of 300 passengers and some models have a range of almost 17,400 kilometres.The new airliner is mooted as being more fuel efficient – and so more...

UK low-cost carrier Jet2.com has revealed a raft of new services at Newcastle Airport that will be operated from this Autumn onwards.New direct flights to Prague, Toulouse, Alicante, Faro and Krakow have gone on sale, with fares for each starting at £29.99 one-way.One-way flights to Prague are available for travel from 5 November 2010 to October 2011, while flights to Alicante commence...

Less than ten per cent of travellers who are offered wireless internet access during their flight take advantage of the technology, according to an investigation by USA Today.What's more, consultant Michael Planey said that the availability of free trial offers and coupons means that the number of people actually paying for Wi-Fi access could be even lower.Mr Planey, an in-flight...

Flag carrier British Airways has announced the arrival of its 50 millionth customer at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5.In construction since 2002 and opened in 2008, the terminal is a global hub used exclusively by the airline.Despite initial difficulties with IT, staff training, and parking facilities  when it was first launched, the terminal has gone on to reach record levels of...

Book by 19 July for Malaysia flights and 25 July for other Southeast Asia flightsMalaysia Airlines has put on sale a selection of cheap flights to Malaysia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia this month.The Malaysian flag carrier is offering Economy Class return flights to Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu, Langkawi and Kuantan from London Heathrow Airport for as little as...

EasyJet yesterday announced that it will expand its winter schedule with the launch of eight new routes.New flights from Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and London Gatwick airports have gone on sale as part of the new route network, which runs from 31 October until March next year.One-way, all-in fares starting at £25.99 are among the 11.5 million seats made available for the...

Low-cost carrier Ryanair launched its new Leeds Bradford Airport winter schedule this week, which includes new routes to several European destinations.Scheduled operations from the northern airport will be expanded to 13 routes – a marked increase on the three serviced during the previous winter.The Dublin-based airline’s timetable from Leeds Bradford includes new flights to...

Book by 19 July 2010Qatar Airways has slashed fares  to 90 long-haul destinations around the world as part of a summer sale on flights from London Heathrow and London Gatwick.The Qatari flag carrier is offering return Economy deals on flights to Bangkok for as little as £479, flights to Dubai from £344, flights to Kuala Lumpur starting at £539 and flights to Hong Kong for £439 and...

It has emerged that several firearms belonging to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security detail have gone missing after American Airlines lost their luggage.The four Glock 9-mm pistols are believed to have been stolen after the baggage was checked in at New York JFK Airport.The guns were intended for Israeli government personnel guarding Mr Netanyahu during Tuesday’s...

EasyJet enjoyed a bumper 9.4 per cent spike in passenger numbers last month, new figures show, even as total volume at British Airways slumped by a worrying 11.1 per cent.The low-cost carrier transported 4.54 million passengers in June – up from 4.15 million one year ago – while the load factor measuring occupancy of its planes rose to 87.2 per cent.By contrast BA saw year-on-year...

Aer Lingus Regional has announced that it will be offering a new range of direct flights from Cork following recent additions to its schedule from Shannon Airport.As of last Thursday the airline has been running daily flights to Glasgow and Manchester from Shannon, in addition to flights to Birmingham and Bristol six times per week.The new routes from Cork will commence on 31 October,...

Ryanair has once again had its plans to take over Aer Lingus scuppered following a ruling by the European General Court, one of the top courts in Europe.The low-cost carrier had been appealing a 2007 decision by the European Commission which said that a merger between the two airlines was anti-competitive.As well as upholding that ruling, the court also dismissed a legal challenge by Aer...

British airports have begun refusing to re-fuel Iranian passenger jets in accordance with new sanctions imposed by US President Barack Obama, it emerged today.Iran's ISNA news agency reports that flights to Tehran operated by Iran Air and Mahan Airlines have been refused fuel in Britain, Germany and the United Arab Emirates.The US sanctions come in response to Iran's ongoing nuclear...

Highly-strung cabin crew at United Airlines last week told a musician he would have to buy a First Class ticket for his cello if he wanted to carry the priceless instrument in the cabin.Greg Beaver had purchased an Economy Class ticket for the cello on a flight to New York in accordance with his normal routine, but was told by airline staff that it was too large for the seat.Mr Beaver...

Ryanair has warned passengers that it will not entertain "back of an envelope" claims over volcanic ash disruption, The Irish Independent reports.In an email send to customers affected by the six-day closure of European airspace in April, Ryanair issued stringent guidelines on how to make a claim.Compensation will only be provided if "all the original VAT-registered receipts" are included...

One of the biggest trade unions representing flight attendants in Australia has demanded that airlines stop depicting female cabin crew as sexual objects.The Flight Attendants Association of Australia (FAAA) singled out two recent marketing campaigns by Russian airlines which it said were "demeaning" to air stewardesses.One TV advert by low-cost carrier Avianova features bikini-clad...

Continental Airlines has announced that it is to begin selling “specialty cocktails” on its flights.The new pre-made mixers include Stirrings brand Pomegranate Martinis and Mojitos, as well as the popular Red Bull energy drink.Cocktails are priced at $9 (£6) each, with a mixer available either on its own for $3 or with alcohol for another $6.Continental Airlines is offering...

Ryanair passengers will from today face higher fees when checking in their baggage as the low-cost carrier's new peak-season surcharges come into force.For the months of July and August customers who check in one item of luggage weighing 15kg or under must pay £20, which is a 33 per cent rise on the standard charge.The fee increases to £40 if paid for at the airport rather than...

The pilot of a US Airways plane had to declare a "minor emergency" on Monday after maggots began falling onto passengers from an overhead luggage bin.Flight 1537 was taxiing down the runway at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport when the incident occurred, prompting chaotic scenes within the cabin.Passenger Barb Develli was quoted by Sky News as saying that the larvae poured out of the...

Spirit Airlines has pulled its controversial advertisement poking fun at the Gulf Coast oil spill after just one day.The web ad featured a bronzed and bikini-clad woman with the tagline "Check Out the Oil on Our Beaches," as well as bottles of sun-tan lotion labelled “Best Protection” – a reference to BP, the company linked to the spill.Spirit Airlines responded to criticism by...

No-frills carrier Ryanair has today announced plans to reduce its UK winter capacity by 16 per cent, blaming Air Passenger Duty (APD) for the decision.The airline's new timetable will start in November and looks set to include a 17 per cent reduction of services at Stansted Airport, as well as cutbacks at several other bases.Some 22 aircraft will be based at Stansted instead of last...

Passengers due to fly with British Airways over the peak summer period look likely to be spared the strike misery that has gripped the flag carrier for the past six months.The Unite union said this weekend it will postpone a fresh ballot of cabin crew members – who were due to vote on further summer walkouts – after BA put a new offer on the table.The flag carrier said its latest...

Book by 6 July: British Airways has unveiled details of its latest sale of Business Class and First Class fares.The flag carrier is offering a selection of Club World premium fares at discounted prices as low as £209 return, including all taxes.Featured European discounts from London Heathrow include flights to Lisbon (from £329), Paris (from £299) and Geneva (from...

Passengers on a Ryanair flight grounded for six hours had to rely on the police to bring them food and water after staff refused to hand out refreshments, it has emerged.The flight to Spain was due to take off from Glasgow Prestwick Airport at 2pm yesterday but encountered a long delay on the tarmac due to air-traffic control strikes in France.Passengers claim that cabin crew working...

British Airways is considering changing its policy of not allowing male passengers to sit next to solo child travellers following a settlement with a customer this week.The flag carrier has agreed to pay businessman Mirko Fischer £750 in damages plus £2,161 in legal costs after he alleged BA cabin crew made him feel like a "child molester".Mr Fischer's complaint centred on BA's...

British Airways has announced that it will extend its recently introduced summer CityFlyer service to Spain into the autumn.The flights to Ibiza from London City Airport were originally due to be suspended in September but will now continue, along with flights to Majorca, until the end of October.The flight time to Balearic party-island Ibiza is less than two and a half hours, making the...

Malaysia Airline has announced that it is the world’s first airline to offer self-service iPad ticket kiosks in a new six-month trial.Using SITA Lab’s MHmobile interface, customers can book flights, make payments and check-in at iPad MHkiosk terminals in the flag-carrier’s ticketing office in Sentral Station, Kuala Lumpur.The kiosks are equipped with passport and card readers...

Low-cost airline Ryanair has added Malaga Airport to its list of European hubs.The Andalusian airport has become the carrier’s 38th base after the opening of other new hubs in Brindisi in February and Oslo in March.Some 19 direct routes operated by Ryanair will be available from Malaga, including flights to Berlin, Gothenburg, Krakow, Oslo, Paris, Santiago, Stockholm, Venice and...

Thai Airways has announced plans to expand its ancillary enterprises by selling a range of ready-made curry sauces at supermarkets.The seven products, which include green curry, Massaman and Penang sauces are due to go on sale under the airline’s new Eurng Luang brand, and will be available at its Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket Puff & Pie Bakery stores.Commenting on the move,...

A new passenger  survey by consumer magazine Which? Holiday has found that many British airlines are being outshone by their counterparts overseas.Thomas Cook came last in the short-haul airline list, while fellow UK carriers Jet2.com, easyJet, Thomson, bmibaby and Monarch ranked in the bottom eight, joining Dublin-based Ryanair.Thomas Cook was criticised heavily for its low seat pitch,...