p28 Air feb13 10/2/09 18:52 Page 28
Air
Chris Gray
020 7921 8003
cgray@ttglive.com
For the latest news about flights, airlines and airports, visit ttglive.com/air
In brief
■ Qantas forecasts 65% profit drop to A$500m
Qantas made a pre-tax profit of A$288 million
(£131 million) for the six months to the end
of December, a 68% drop on the same period in
2007. For the full year, it forecast a pre-tax profit
of A$500m, a 65% drop on the previous year.
■ Air Berlin revenue rises 23% in January
Air Berlin saw a 23% rise in revenue in January
compared with January 2008. Revenue per
available seat kilometre increased by 23% on last
Fares war erupts
year. Capacity fell 4.9% during the month, while
passenger numbers fell by 4.5%, to 1.7 million. Enda Corneille, Aer Lingus corporate affairs
Chris Gray.
EASYJET and Aer Lingus have started a price war director, said it would take prices as low as they
■ Kiss Flights adds Tenerife for the summer as they go head to head on a series of routes could go to convince UK customers to try an
Kiss Flights has added its first regional departure from Gatwick. airline they might associate only with Dublin,
for its first programme this summer, with a Bristol- Aer Lingus will launch eight routes in April, Cork or Belfast.
Tenerife service on a Viking Airlines Boeing 737 with three – Malaga, Nice and Faro – duplicating He claimed Aer Lingus would have the edge
aircraft starting on July 5. The seat-only operator easyJet services. It also aims to double its over easyJet as prices included allocated seating.
has also added five routes due to start in April, Gatwick fleet within a year and take on other Corneille said Aer Lingus was committed to
flying from Gatwick and Manchester to Lanzarote, carriers, such as Monarch, on leisure routes. Gatwick for the long term and claimed easyJet’s
Fuerteventura, Tenerife, Hurghada and Sharm EasyJet has responded by starting flights in move into Munich, Zurich and Vienna was a
el Sheikh. April between Gatwick and Munich, Vienna “sign of panic”.
and Zurich – duplicating three of Aer Lingus’s EasyJet claimed Aer Lingus’s £9.99 offer was
■ Star Alliance launches new air pass Gatwick routes. a “desperate sign of panic from an airline set
Star Alliance has unveiled a Middle East air pass It means that Aer Lingus now goes head to to lose ¤20m this year”. It insisted it had been
covering 28 destinations in 14 countries. The head with easyJet on six of its eight Gatwick looking at Munich, Zurich and Vienna before the
pass became possible after Egyptair joined the routes and with Ryanair on a seventh to Dublin – Irish carrier announced it would fly there.
alliance last year. It can be bought by travellers leaving only Knock without direct competition. Meanwhile, new routes from Norwegian Air
living outside the Middle East who also buy an in- Aer Lingus initially offered single fares from Shuttle will start in March from Gatwick.
ternational return ticket or round the world fare £24.99 on its Gatwick routes but on Tuesday cut They are a three-times-a-day service to Oslo,
on any Star Alliance carrier. them to £9.99 to five destinations. twice-daily to Copenhagen and daily services
EasyJet offered starting fares of £29.99, but to Bergen, Stavanger and Aalborg, as well as a
■ Heathrow/Luton help communities they were severe pressure. twice-weekly service to Tromso.
Staff at Heathrow and Luton airports
have launched two schemes to help com-
munities in the areas around the airports.
BAA employees at Heathrow aim to raise
Dublin waives fee
must be a flight of more than 2,500 miles.
To qualify, airlines must run at least a twice-
£200,000 for Age Concern and Help the Aged, as
part of a Connecting Communities campaign. for new routes
weekly service on a seasonal or yearly operation.
The airport is specifically encouraging airlines
Luton has started the next phase of its Commu- to start short-haul routes to EU states where
nity Trust Fund programme by offering £50,000 DUBLIN airport is offering discounts on airport links with Ireland are underdeveloped.
to give in grants to groups in Luton, Stevenage, charges to airlines that start new routes from It is particularly interested in routes to Greece,
Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Aylesbury Vale and the Irish capital this year. Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, Estonia, Bulgaria,
St Albans. Grants of between £250 and £3,000 The Dublin Airport Authority will give airlines Romania and Cyprus.
per organisation are available. Applications must starting long-haul routes discounts on airport The incentives are being offered ahead of a
be in by February 23. Go to tinyurl.com/b3zx4g charges over five years, starting with 100% off in new terminal building that is due to open next
year one, and declining to 25% in the fifth year. year.
ttglive.com
For the very latest flights, airline and It will also offer support for marketing for the
airport news, go to ttglive.com/air
first two years of a new long-haul route, which ■ UK & Ireland feature, p55
28 13.02.2009
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