Posts filed under 'Flights'
In the first of what many believe will be a sustained period of consolidation in the global aviation industry, British Airways confirmed today that it is holding talks on an $8bn merger with fellow oneworld alliance member and Spanish rival Iberia.
BA looks set to structure the proposed merger in a similar way to the KLM/AirFrance linkup in 2004 with an overall holding company operating two distinct airlines according to the guardian
The carriers would be run separately to stay within country specific regulations on the nationality of airlines on specific routes.
Former Aer Lingus CEO and current British Airways chief BA Chief Executive, Dublin-man Willie Walsh told reporters in Madrid today “We will have two airlines, two brands. The day-to-day business of the two airlines will continue as they are today,”
July 29th, 2008
A report on RTE states how the CEO of Ireland based airline Ryanair (Europe’s largest air carrier) forsees major changes in the airline industry in the short term future.
Here’s what he had to say:
Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O’Leary says he believes in the next five years all European airlines will have merged with the big five airlines.
He said there would be no independent airlines such as Aer Lingus.
Mr O’Leary was appearing before the Joint Committee on Transport, which is considering air access to regions outside Dublin and fuel increase charges.
‘It would be better for Aer Lingus to be owned by a man from Mullingar who guarantees no fuel surcharges, than some anonymous person in Frankfurt or Paris’, he said.
July 16th, 2008
I classify myself as an aviation enthusiast so it was with great interest that I recently read about the launch of a new commerical air service for the island of Mull in Scotland. Usually, launching a new air service is met with a mixed response depending upon which side of the environmental protection issue you stand on. This new service, however, is a bit different. Loch Lommond Seaplanes is to serve the Hebridean Isle ofMull from the city center of Glasgow with the quest of resuming commerically viable sea plane service. The service is to be operated by Cessna Aircraft that will leave little impact on the environment and make use of existing infrastructure. The flight will be a delight for frequent visitors to the islands as it will turn a 4 hour trip on country roads and ferry in a relaxing flight that lasts about a half hour. Alas, there is one drawback: flights are seasonal and will only operate during the summer schedule.
April 25th, 2008
These past few days have been a reckoning for the aviation industry as no less than three air carriers have gone belly up, with a few more probably to follow. Apparently, the environment to operate an airline now is pretty tough, with rising fuel prices and a softening economy exacerbating other factors such as aircraft efficiency and labor costs to the point where several carriers have just shut their doors without warning and at least one more (Champion Air) plans to do so shortly.
April 5th, 2008
As someone who has travelled extensively and passed through Dublin Airport a few times a month over the last few years, I certainly welcomed the announcements of the development of Pier D and of the second terminal. While the extension of the baggage hall a few years ago took some pressure off for arriving passengers, here was a real opportunity to solve some of the problems caused by the over-crowding that has been so prevalent for so many years. That’s the theory.
In October of this year, the Dublin Airport Authority acclaimed the opening of Pier D
Finally some progress? I would have thought so.
In my new role with myguideTravel, based in West Cork, I have fewer occasions to use Dublin Airport however the story of one of our valued Guests on Tuesday last, December 11th makes me think that some things never change:
December 13th, 2007
Thursday, November 1st, 2007 was a day of celebration in the myguideTravel offices. It wasn’t that we enjoyed a record haul of candy on Halloween but rather that our contract with the Scottish airline flyGlobespan expired. For those of you unfamiliar with them, please allow me to explain why it was such a joyous occasion. In late 2006, we partnered with Ireland West Airport Knock to establish the first scheduled trans-Atlantic air services from it to the USA. The team at IWA Knock worked tirelessly to get the service up and r
unning and we supported the launch of the non-stop flights to Boston Logan and New York JFK airports by taking a hard block of inventory from flyGlobespan on all their departures. It was a massive financial commitment for us but we felt that it was a prudent investment and that we were entering into a mutually beneficial partnership with the airport authority and airline to ensure the success of the endeavor. There was plenty of enthusiasm on both sides of the Atlantic and, with Tourism Ireland also offering support, we were convinced it was going to be a success. Boy, were we wrong!
November 11th, 2007
Last week saw the launch of the A380 from Airbus. One of the world’s best airlines, Singapore Airlines, were the first company in the world to fly the Superjumbo between Singapore and Sydney. This is despite the fact that Airbus, on their website, are not showing any deliveries yet. No wonder it took so long to launch the A380.
Despite the long delay in launching the A380, it’s a still a fantastic achievement. Up to about two years ago I would have not really considered what type of aircraft I was flying. However, when I teamed up with Jim Kelly last year - I could not help and be infected by his enthusiasm for airlines, airplanes, airports and every detail about aviation. Jim is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to air travel. He does have 40 years of experience in the industry but his passion for the aviation industry is amazing.
October 31st, 2007
