Airline News - Europe.

For more airline news, data and analysis, please go to: http://www.airguideonline.com/order_formsubs.htm Aug 14, 2006

Airline Luggage Restrictions Seen Staying In Place. Draconian restrictions on carry-on baggage may stay in place for months, even years, after British authorities thwarted a suspected plot to blow up planes in mid-air using liquid explosives, security analysts said. This week's critical alerts in both Britain and the United States caused massive disruption to air travelers and highlighted the need to invest in new airport checkpoint technology to screen passengers and hand luggage for explosives. Aug 11, 2006

Association of European Airlines said yesterday that competition issues in Italy and Austria have highlighted the need for European regulators to take a closer look at fuel companies' relationships with airlines. AEA said Italian authorities fined fuel suppliers [euro]315 million ($405.4 million) in June for anticompetitive practices and that Austrian Airlines has asked national authorities to investigate OMV, the state-owned company that supplies both the airline and fuel companies operating in the country. "The industry is suffering already from today's exceptionally high fuel costs," AEA Secretary General Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus said. "The last thing we need is for those costs to be further inflated by unfair commercial practices." Aug 8, 2006

European Commission is formally investigating the restrictions placed on flights between Sardinia and mainland Italy by the Italian Transport Ministry and Civil Aviation Authority, which have designated the routes PSO protected and therefore unavailable to non-Italian carriers. Airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet have complained about the restrictions, which they claim violate EU rules that grant EU-based carriers liberal route access. In launching the investigation, the EC said it has "serious doubts" as to whether the restrictions imposed by Italy conform with regulations. "The European Commission must ensure that public services are not used to close a profitable market from competition," EC VP-Transport Jacques Barrot said. Aug 7, 2006

Air France-KLM

Air France and KLM are hiking their fuel surcharges. KLM will increase its surcharge by [euro]5 ($6.40) per segment to [euro]65 on all intercontinental flights and by [euro]1 per segment to [euro]24 on all European flights on tickets issued as of Aug. 10. AF will impose further fuel surcharges of [euro]7 to each long-haul flight, [euro]1 on domestic flights and [euro]2 on medium-haul flights. Aug 9, 2006

Air France-KLM

Airlines globally are scrambling to find new ways of increasing non-ticket sales and getting more passengers onto planes with the promise of more luxurious and fun ways to pass the time in the air. However, texting mates from your own mobile phone is still some way off. Air France KLM is running a trial of technology that will enable passengers to use their mobile phones while flying from next year. Low-cost carriers like Ryanair plan to introduce in-flight gambling to earn extra passenger dollars and hopes the use of mobile phones on planes will eventually boost its coffers. Aug 8, 2006

Belair

Belair, a Swiss charter carrier, will launch 757-200 flights from Zurich to Zanzibar and Abu Dhabi during the winter season. Aug 8, 2006

Bmi

Bmi, the second-largest carrier at Heathrow, said it operated more than 66% of its normal LHR schedule. Out of 170 daily services it cancelled 58 flights. It said it anticipated that all airlines within the bmi group would be operating a full program of flights today. Most European carriers operating short-haul flights into Heathrow started canceling flights from midday and warned of further possible cancellations today. Aug 11, 2006

British Airways

British Airways canceled 30 percent of its flights from London's Heathrow Airport on Sunday in a growing row with airport authorities over how to handle tougher security. Four days after police said they had thwarted the alleged plot, airlines warned that cancellations and disruptions showed no sign of easing. In the blame game that erupted, British Airways called on airport owners BAA to increase resources with chief executive Willie Walsh complaining: "BAA is unable to provide a robust security search process and baggage operation." Aug 13, 2006

British Airways

British Airways has gone one step further than the vast majority of airlines with a facility to actually get refunds for cancelled flights online. Customers are told of flight problems using a "disruption notification tool", which sends emails and text messages on cancelled services and it includes their BA booking reference and requests that they go online or contact the airline or travel agent. It comes at a particularly good time with the Heathrow disruptions as some passengers on flights cancelled more than 48 hours before departure are automatically booked on to the nearest available service. Unlike some similar offerings from competitors, with the BA scheme you can actually get your money back! http://www.ba.com Aug 12, 2006

British Airways

British Airways says it has complied with a BAA directive to cancel 20% of its flights today (Monday August 14) at Heathrow. The instruction, which applies to all airlines operating at the airport, is a result of continuing congestion following last week's security problems. BA anticipates that it will operate a full European and long haul schedule from Gatwick. However all 26 domestic flights departing today, excluding those to Jersey, are cancelled. On Sunday CEO Willie Walsh issued a statement in which he strongly criticised the BAA Heathrow performance. Ryanair was also in the blaming mood the Irish airline complaining that the UK government has been heavy handed. easyJet (on Sunday evening) said that they planned to operate a full schedule today. British Airways web site states the flight situation but the two budget carriers seem to be less forthcoming with news. The BAA site sets out very clearly the restrictions regarding what you can or cannot carry on board. http://www.baa.com Aug 12, 2006

British Airways

BA Expects Most Short-Haul Flights To Operate. British Airways said on Friday most of its short-haul services to and from Heathrow Airport were expected to operate, a day after it canceled all short-haul flights to and from the airport due to heightened security after a bomb threat. Aug 11, 2006

KLM

KLM said it no longer will operate flights to "loss-making" Amman and Damascus from Oct. 29. From that date, KLM passengers will have to travel via Paris Charles de Gaulle with Air France. Aug 10, 2006 London Heathrow

Major delays are occurring at London Heathrow and at airports throughout the UK as strict security measures, including a ban on all carry-on luggage, are imposed by the UK Dept. of Transport. Heathrow quickly degenerated into chaos not only at check-in but airside, where inbound flights had nowhere to park as outbound flights were delayed or cancelled. This situation resulted in UK authorities at mid-morning canceling all inbound flights that were not already airborne. Aug 10, 2006

LTU 

LTU International is having difficulty returning to the black and is expecting a [euro]15-[euro]20 million loss for the current business year. According to a spokesperson, LTU is generating around [euro]30 million in savings through synergies with parent dba, new contracts with suppliers and other initiatives but will not reach its [euro]45 million target because of high fuel prices. Other financial details were not released, but a spokesperson said the carrier expects a 10% increase in annual turnover to [euro]1 billion and a 1.2-point rise in 2006 load factor to 85%. It remains focused on extending its long-haul network and plans to add more A330s. "We have a strategic goal to offer more business destinations from Germany," the spokesperson said. Aug 9, 2006

Lufthansa

Lufthansa Cancels UK Flights. Lufthansa said on Thursday it had canceled flights to the UK, after UK police said they thwarted a plot to blow up aircraft and banned all hand luggage on flights from Britain. Flights were canceled until 1200 GMT (14:00 CET), the carrier said. Aug 10, 2006

Manx2

Isle of Man to Leeds Bradford flight are 75 years old this year, the route first flown in 1931, but dormant in recent times. Manx2.com is today re-introducing a service that will be double daily making a day trip in each direction a practical possibility. Last month the airline introduced services from Blackpool and Belfast to the island. Nineteen-seat LET 410 turboprop are used on all services. Chairman is Noel Hayes, founder of what is now blueislands.com, based in Jersey. http://www.manx2.com Aug 12, 2006

TAP Portugal

TAP Portugal suspended acceptance of Varig tickets. "Responsibility of the new company [Volo do Brasil] for tickets issued in advance has not yet been clearly defined or declared," TAP noted in a statement. "This is reflected in increased financial risk to TAP that is worsening by the day." TAP added it will continue to pursue negotiations with Varig on the potential resumption of commercial agreements between the carriers. Aug 9, 2006

Virgin Atlantic Airways

Virgin Atlantic Airways is introducing a new inflight texting service allowing passengers to send a question via their seatback IFE and receive an answer within minutes. The new feature, dubbed AQA (Any Question Answered), will be offered in cooperation with IssueBits of London. First there were movies, masseurs and meditation, but Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways says it has found a new answer to beating the boredom on long flights. Virgin said on Tuesday it planned to introduce the world's first in-flight texting service, which will allow passengers to have questions answered on any topic at 35,000 feet. Passengers will be able to text questions from their seat-back television screens to an existing land-based text answer service which promises to answer any question within minutes. Aug 10, 2006