p26 Air Dec4 1/12/09 15:00 Page 26
news air
ttglive.com
EasyJet seeks
Bmibaby defends
carbon laws
EASYJET has called for global £2.50 Galileo fee
standards for new aircraft that it
claims could lead to a 40% cut
Chris Gray.
in aviation’s carbon emissions. BMIBABY has promised the airline will not make
Chief executive Andy Harrison any money from the fee it will charge agents for
(pictured) said setting environ- booking flights on a GDS.
mental standards for new air- Commercial director Julian Carr said the
craft would have a much bigger £2.50 fee per flight was introduced only to
impact than taxing the industry. cover bmibaby’s costs in providing its inventory
“We need tough legislation on on Travelport’s Galileo system.
emission standards,” he said. The airline estimates agents now account for
“Wartime has led to the biggest leaps in less than 5% of bookings, which, until now, had
aviation technology. Governments must ensure to made through its website, and believes it
that the war on climate change delivers the next could be losing customers because agents are
big leap in technology. put off by the booking process.
“We demand legislation for cleaner aircraft to It hopes the proportion of trade business Bmibaby went on to Galileo less than a month
stop the industry flying old, inefficient aircraft.” could rise once agents find it easier to make a after it announced 100 redundancies, and a
Harrison said tough emissions standards at booking using the GDS. restructure of its network that sees routes cut
the manufacturing stage would deliver global Although the airline might gain more at Birmingham, Manchester and Cardiff airports
environmental benefits as most aircraft were customers from the move, Carr said it would not but some expansion at East Midlands.
made in Europe or the US before being exported be able to gain ancillary revenue such as car Carr said forward bookings for summer 2010
to growing markets in China and India. hire, hotel bookings or insurance as it would on key southern Spain routes were ahead of the
EasyJet’s proposal is for the standards to be from direct customers using its website. same time last year.
set up by the International Civil Aviation Organi- “We have to cover our costs and have to make He claimed the airline was also seeing some
sation and apply to all developed countries. sure we do not add any burden to our business. benefit from business travellers trading down
We feel it is a reasonable fee,” he said. from legacy carriers.
Gulf Air axes links
in strategic drive
GULF AIR is dropping 15 routes as it changes
strategy to stand on its own commercially rather
than relying on government support.
Flights between Bahrain and Shanghai,
Hyderabad and Bangalore will be dropped as
part of the Bahrain carrier’s change in direction.
But a spokeswoman for the airline said it
would continue flying to its strategic European
points, including London, Frankfurt and Paris, and
planned to strengthen its presence by connecting
Bahrain to Europe’s leading financial centres.
ONE IN (HALF) A MILLION: Business carrier CityJet has carried its 500,000th passenger
between Luxembourg and London City airport. Lucky passenger Martin Flint, a director
at Risk Analysis, was welcomed at Luxembourg by CityJet chief executive Geoffrey O’Byrne
White. He said passenger numbers since August had been increasing year-on-year.
26 04.12.2009
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64