General News
Below are links to stories of general interest in relation to aviation and airports.
FT LEX comment on airlines and future demand
Last year, airlines cut capacity back to 2007 levels; now it is 10-15% higher. Some airlines have hardly expanded capacity, so there are fuller planes with higher load factors and higher ticket prices. In a few months airlines will have to decide on capacity for summer 2011. They will be tempted to keep adding planes but "with the economic recovery looking more fragile than ever, excessive enthusiasm should be left to the immature".
Click here to view full story...
Sun4u collapse heightens late bookings market fears
The CAA warned that Sun4U-booked travellers arriving overseas may find their airport transfers and booked accommodation unavailable to them. The Birmingham-based company ceased trading on Wednesday night, with about 1,200 UK holidaymakers abroad. It is expected to leave Barclaycard and the CAA picking up most of the bill. The cost to the Air Travel Trust fund that backs the CAA's Atol scheme is expected to be around £500,000. There was not enough demand.
Click here to view full story...
US Airlines have cut jobs 2 straight years and lost 16% of the workforce
The US aviation industry has lost about one quarter of the jobs it had 10 years ago. The level of US airline employment in June was the 2nd-lowest in 20 years. In that same time period, annual passenger traffic has jumped about 65%. The industry lost 54,000 jobs, (16% of its work force) in the last 2 years. For passengers, there are fewer flights to choose from, so planes are more full. The combination of fewer seats and more travelers lets airlines raise fares.
Click here to view full story...
Ryanair review urged after child’s fall from airstairs at Stansted
Air accident investigators have recommended that Ryanair review procedures after a 3-year-old child fell on to the tarmac while boarding a plane. She escaped with only minor injuries after falling through the gap between the handrail and the level platform at the top of the Boeing 737's boarding steps. The AAIB recommended that Ryanair review its current passenger boarding and disembarkation procedures so that assistance is made more available.
Click here to view full story...
July was a record month for Heathrow but other UK airports falter
Heathrow had its busiest ever month for passengers in July, but airports outside London suffered flat or falling traffic. Heathrow passengers were up +3.5% compared to a year earlier. BAA said "Heathrow is definitely more resilient because of the hub nature of the airport for passengers who use London to transfer to other destinations." But the reliance of Stansted on low-cost airlines suggests this was behind a 7.2% slump to 2.02 million. (Indy)
Click here to view full story...
Air fares soar as airlines climb out of recession
In July, Heathrow had an increase in passengers - though BAA'a airports as a whole only had 0.3% more traffic than July 2009. The industry hopes they are now seeing a recovery, and so are adding to their fleets to meet "soaring" demand. Planes which were grounded during the depths of the recession are being pressed back into service and around 400 aircraft have been ordered. Now demand is higher, fares are likely to rise much, much more than APD. (Telegraph)
Click here to view full story...
Tourism industry fears a lower carbon future
A journalist who writes for a "sustainable" tourism journalism says "in the very near future all of us in tourism will wake up to a day where we are facing enormous green taxes that we can do nothing about" and " ... make no mistake, not only is tourism seen as being a major emission culprit, but also tourism is seen as being an ultimately unnecessary luxury." If tourism is to fall in line with carbon cuts, it is going to have to cut its emissions somehow.
Click here to view full story...
Eurostar reports increase in sales and passenger numbers in first half of 2010
Eurostar has seen passenger numbers rise by 6% to 4.6 million and revenues increase by 18% to £404 million. This growth is due in part to the impact of the ash cloud disruption* but also reflects a strengthening of the business market and an underlying increase in both business and leisure travellers. More people have chosen rail instead of short haul air travel, with trips now even faster, and they like the convenience of city centre to city centre travel.
Click here to view full story...
In July Ryanair traffic rose by ? 13%, EasyJet’s grew 7.7%, BA’s fell 2.6%
Click here to view full story...
Rivals poach customers from BA after months of strikes
While all airlines were affected by the ash airspace closures. However, BA also had to contend with protracted strikes by flight crew that some competitors claim have led to a big shift in business away from BA. Virgin Atlantic said it estimated at least 50,000 BA passengers switched to it during the stoppages. EasyJet said it saw "a benefit of about £7m as consumers switched to EasyJet." The BA dispute with its cabin crew contiues. (FT)