European cheap flight updates

A very short post. An easyJet memo circulated at the time of pay negotiations with the airline pilot's union BALPA had Mike Szucs, CEO of the low cost airline advising employees that they would "would be better off putting their money in the building society" than buying easyJet shares. The memo was witnessed by a Times reporter. Full Times article
The airline is operating in extremely challenging trading conditions with margins being cut by rising fuel charges and competition from rival carriers. An earlier post highlighted proposed job cuts, although not as drastic as BA.

BA is to halve the number of Senior Managers in the company from 414 to 207. In all 35% of its 1,715 managers will be cut as the airline slims down to compete in a cut throat market. The target date for the cuts is the move to Heathrow's Terminal 5 which is currently under construction.

The staff cuts should provide savings of £50m ($86.3m) as part of an overall target of £300m - the estimated cost of the airline's move to Terminal Five. The transfer to Terminal 5 will be accompanied by a restructuring aimed at removing duplication and increasing efficiency

Every third booking on a Wizzair flight will win a free seat voucher. This sounds like a good deal but be aware of the terms and conditions.
Firstly one booking for three passengers only qualifies as one transaction, not three. The free seat voucher does not cover taxes and charges.

It is still a good incentive to fly so if you book between 29 November and 5 December 2005 you might win a seat. The vouchers are valid for travel between 29 November and 5 December 2005.

Lucky passengers will be informed between 6 December and 9 December and will receive a voucher by e mail.


Conditions of the free seat, check full rules with Wizzair Website before booking:

- Vouchers pay for one return flight for one passenger.
- You only have to pay taxes and charges.
- Travel period: 10 January - 10 April 2006.
- Flights must be booked at least 30 days before departure via our Call Centre. For local numbers please check wizzair.com.
- Promotional seats are subject to availability and are restricted around public holidays and special events.

Flybe the Exeter based low cost airline has today released its Summer 2006 timetable. It has added some new routes from Southampton to Avignon and Angers. The Avignon route will put it into competition with Eurostar who also serve the historic city in the Summer months. In all Flybe serves 10 French destinations from Southampton International, the largest number of French regional routes from any regional UK airport. Flybe is also introducing a new service from Southampton to Faro on Portugal’s Algarve.

The airline is also adding Bergerac to its Exeter and Leeds line up and a Norwich to Bordeaux route.

The new routes for summer 2006 now available for booking at www.flybe.com include routes to:
• Southampton to Avignon, Angers and Faro
• Exeter to Bergerac and Norwich
• Norwich to Bordeaux and Exeter
• Leeds Bradford to Bergerac

Simon Lilley, Director of Marketing, Flybe said “Our increased summer schedule for 2006 is the result of us listening to, and responding to customer demands. The popularity of our routes to sunshine hotspots across France, Spain and Portugal in 2005, prompted us to look at the gaps in the market and fill these with exciting new routes to the destinations consumers are asking for.”

In a further bid to save money, easyJet is to lose about 50 of its 500 staff from the management and administration division. The low cost airline's staff were told of the cuts last Thursday and Friday, when the company released its trading results. The cuts will come about by combining some roles and losing others.
Ray Webster the departing CEO of easyJet informed the staff of the plans through an internal memo. He compared easyJet's profits of about £1.70 per seat in the last financial year with those of Ryanair, which made profits of £5.80 per seat.

Negotiations between the United States and the European Union to remove the current restrictions on airlines from each area operating in the other looks set to fail. It was hoped that agreement could have been reached at a meeting of EU Transport Ministers on December 5. The deal would have allowed EU airlines to operate on US domestic routes and vice versa. A draft agreement had been prepared but Alistair Darling, the UK's Transport Secretary, believes that the US would need to open up their market even more before it can be adopted.

BA also doubts the agreement will be a success at it would open up the lucrative Heathrow to United States to other operators other than BA, Virgin Atlantic from the UK and American Airlines and United Airlines from the USA. It would allow US airlines to fly to Heathrow and pick up passengers and fly them to another EU destination. It would not allow BA to pick passengers up in New York and fly them to another US city.

XL Airways are selling their 2006 routes from £69 return including all taxes and charges. A look in their last minute flights reveals flights from £41 return (inclusive). For example Gatwick to Arrecife, departing 08/12/2005 returning 15/12/2005 for £41. XL offer high levels of service when compared with other low cost airlines.
All excelairways aircraft are fully fitted with ergonomically designed leather seats, pitch of between 29" and 30". Complimentary tea, coffee or squash is served on flights. There is even in-flight entertainment available ranging from comedy shorts to pop music, documentaries to cartoons. On longer flights the latest movies are screened. In addition there are eight channels of audio entertainment provided. Finally on UK inbound flights a free newspaper is provided.

A poll carried out by Mintel for First Choice, one of the UK's largest tour companies revealed that many travellers care less about the environment on holiday than they do at home. Only 28% of respondents would pay to offset the carbon emissions generated by their flight. Organisations such as ClimateCare.org offer schemes that calculate the amount of carbon dioxide generated by your journey. They then can work out how much you would need to pay to offset that damage by investing in renewable energy sources or capturing methane from abandoned coal mines. Paying a fee to offset the carbon dioxide adds very little to the cost of the flight.
The rest of the poll reveals that 80% of those polled recycle waste at home but only 8% check their tour companies' environmental policies.

Today's Independent newspaper has an article highlighting how BA no longer restrict the availability of low fares. It is even selling one way flights on its cheapest routes. Before the cheap flight boom ushered in by easyJet, Ryanair etc European airlines would make it very difficult for passengers to get a cheap flight. They would only sell return tickets and insist on a Saturday night away. This ensured that business travellers paid the highest fares. The rational being that the business travellers weren't concerned as the flights were paid for on expenses.
EasyJet though offered no restrictions on to length of stay and only sold single tickets. What's more they were a fraction of the cost. The business community took notice and started sending their employees on EasyJet and the other 'no frills' airlines.

BA saw the writing on the wall and four years ago removed the Saturday night stay stipulation on many of its flights. The latest move is to abandon the absurd charging regime, whereby it is more expensive to buy a single ticket than a return ticket. This has not yet been extended to all routes though but you can now fly many of BA's routes at comparable prices to the low cost carriers with the added bonus of BA's level of passenger service. Other traditional airlines operating into the UK are likely to follow BA. BMI introduced the low cost airline model on most of its routes last year.

BA at present has a sale on its Spain and Portugal routes. The flight I checked was from London Gatwick to Madrid in mid January which was available for £37 each way including all taxes and charges, making them a realistic alternative to easyJet, Monarch and Thomsonfly.

Independent article
BA photo licensed to Eurapart, copyright T Silgrim

SkyEurope are at it again. Two more routes have been announced for Summer 2006.
They are Amsterdam to Poznan in Poland and Krakow to Brussels (from 9 euros before taxes / charges). In addition they have restart the Amsterdam - Innsbruck route to serve the ski market starting Dec 1 05.

SkyEurope Airlines will base its first new Boeing 737-700 Next Generation aircraft - that will be delivered in March 2006 - at Balice airport.

SkyEurope Airlines operate 64 routes from Central Europe using a fleet of Boeing 737's.

Monarch Airlines have an offer on at present. They are selling the folowing routes at 40% off their lowest fares:
Birmingham to:
Alicante, Malaga or Murcia

Blackpool to:
Malaga

London Gatwick to:
Alicante or Lisbon

London Luton to:
Faro

Manchester to:
Barcelona


Book before midnight Tuesday 29 November 2005. Fly from 05 December 2005 to 31 March 2006 (excluding peak Christmas and New Year flights).

Ryanair today flew its first domestic flight in Ireland, its home country. The Cork to Dublin service started today along with its Cork to London Gatwick service.

The strike scheduled for Birmingham International Airport between 06h00 and 18h00 on the 28th of November has been called off. AMICUS and the airport authority are in negotiations with ACAS.
If the talks do not resolve the dispute then the following dates will be subject to industrial action that will close the airport:

Thursday 8th December
Saturday 10th December
Monday 12th December
Monday 19th December
Saturday 24th December
Monday 26th December
Saturday 31st December
Friday 6th January 2006

Despite difficult market conditions, including strong competition and rising fuels prices EasyJet has recorded an increase in passenger numbers of 21% in the last year. They have even increased their load factor by 0.7% in the same period.
Profits are up 11% in the second half of the year. This was achieved when the fuel cost per seat went up 68% in the last 6 months (47% for the year).


EasyJet added a total of 72 routes in the year bringing their total to 212.

EasyJet was one the first budget airlines in the UK, with their cheap flight model being adopted by numerous 'no frills' airlines. Now their emphasis has been on cost cutting and efficiency to counteract the effect of rising oil prices.

Ray Webster, Chief Executive, said:

"We'��ve made sound progress in the year with good growth in passenger numbers and revenue. Despite the fuel price increases we’ve minimised the rise in costs and, excluding fuel, our cost base per seat has fallen by a useful 4.4%: indeed we accelerated our reduction in ex-fuel costs during the year, clearly benefiting our profits. I’m pleased also with the expansion of our network and with 72 new routes added we are in good shape for future growth.

In the current financial year we expect to deliver capacity growth, measured by available seats, of 15%. Our strong focus on controllable costs will continue and should result in a 3-5% reduction in cost per seat, before fuel. While we anticipate a slight reduction in total revenue per seat, ancillary revenues will improve with double digit percentage growth supported by a series of new initiatives. Overall, we therefore expect to achieve mid to high single-digit percentage profit growth." Ray Webster, Chief Executive, said:

“We’ve made sound progress in the year with good growth in passenger numbers and revenue. Despite the fuel price increases we’ve minimised the rise in costs and, excluding fuel, our cost base per seat has fallen by a useful 4.4%: indeed we accelerated our reduction in ex-fuel costs during the year, clearly benefiting our profits. I’m pleased also with the expansion of our network and with 72 new routes added we are in good shape for future growth.

"In the current financial year we expect to deliver capacity growth, measured by available seats, of 15%. Our strong focus on controllable costs will continue and should result in a 3-5% reduction in cost per seat, before fuel. While we anticipate a slight reduction in total revenue per seat, ancillary revenues will improve with double digit percentage growth supported by a series of new initiatives. Overall, we therefore expect to achieve mid to high single-digit percentage profit growth."

It is amazing how EasyJet can achieve results like this in the present climate. I suppose their secret is to be brave and avoid fuel surcharges annd wait for customers to defect from the airlines levying the charge.

Following on from commitments made at a European finance minister's meeting in May, the French Government has approved a new air tax. The proposal now needs parliamentary approval before it is levied. The proceeds which are expected to be about 200 m euros per year will be used to fight world poverty.
The tax adds one euro to the price of a European economy class flight ticket and four euros for log haul flights.
Business Class and First Class passengers will be charged 10 euros for European flights and 40 euros for long haul flights.

The European finance minister's meeting agreed the air travel tax but not all EU member countries will be adopting it. The air tax is an EU idea targeted at meeting United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, which aim to halve world poverty and improve health and sanitation worldwide by 2015.

A few euros on the price of an air ticket which is already very cheap, will in my view not deter passengers from flying. I would also be prepared to pay a tax to mitigate the environmental damage caused by the flight.
What are your views?

"#1 - The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Flight Club.

#2 - The second rule of Fight Club is, you DO NOT talk about Flight Club."

OK, I think I have spelt this wrong, It should be Fight Club, so perhaps I can tell you something about Flight Club after all.
In October of this year Virgin Express (that airline again!) launched an online loyalty programme called Flight Club. Within six weeks 120, 000 Virgin Express customers had joined up.

Flight Club claims to be the unique among European Budget Airlines. The scheme rewards a member who has flown 15 one way trips with a free one way Virgin Express flight. A one way flight earns 5 bonus points (a return earns 10), when 75 points have been amassed they can be exchanged for a free one way flight on Virgin Express. Points can also be collected for family and friends is the member makes the booking for them.

To join visit the Virgin Express Website and register.

This Thursday evening (24th November) between 19h00 and 24h00 Bruxelles time, Virgin Express will be selling tickets to all of there destinations for 49 Euros one way (including all taxes).

You can book flights for January, February and March 2006, with the exception of the school holiday periods.* 49 EUR (one way) including taxes.
Tickets are subject to availability.

Look up www.virgin-express.com

Jet2.com are to offer three more destinations from Newcastle. Amsterdam is unrivalled for its open minded approach to enjoyment, Pisa, a stones throw away from Florence and the rest of Tuscany. The popular Spanish island, Menorca. These routes are in addition to Murcia, Spain and Cork in Ireland announced earlier in the year.

Leeds / Bradford remains Jet2.com's spiritual home while Manchester also serves a very large number of destinations.
Full route list (prices are one way and exclude taxes and charges):
BELFAST INTL. to
Leeds Bradford from £1
Barcelona from £9
Blackpool from £1
Murcia from £29
Prague from £9
BLACKPOOL to
Belfast Intl from £1
Murcia from £17
Palma from £17
EDINBURGH to
Manchester from £1
Murcia from £17
LEEDS BRADFORD to
Alicante from £19
Amsterdam from £1
Barcelona from £9
Belfast Intl. from £1
Chambery from £9
Faro from £19
Geneva from £9
Ibiza from £9
Malaga from £19
Menorca from £19
Murcia from £19
Nice from £9
Palma from £19
Paris CDG from £9
Pisa (Florence) from £19
Prague from £9
Rome from £14
Tenerife South from £39
Venice Marco Polo from £9
MANCHESTER to
Alicante from £16
Amsterdam from £1
Budapest from £9
Chambery from £6
Edinburgh from £1
Faro from £16
Geneva from £6
Ibiza from £5
London Gatwick from £1
Malaga from £16
Murcia from £16
Nice £5
Palma from £15
Pisa (Florence) from £15
Rome from £14
Valencia from £5
Venice Marco Polo from £5
NEWCASTLE to
Amsterdam from £1
Cork from £1
Menorca from £19
Murcia from £19
Pisa from £19

The Trade Union Amicus has threatened top strike in support of two sacked union members. The first strike is due on 28 November, then 8, 10, 12, 19, 24, 26, 31 December and 6 January. Birmimgham Airport's fire service, security and engineering are some of the services that will be affected by the proposed strikes. The airport will be forced to shut for safety reasons if the strikes go ahead.

Jet2.com will start flights from Manchester to Pisa and Rome next year. BA is vacating these slots to concentrate on long haul. Jet2.com have been operating from Manchester for a year now after using Leeds / Bradford as its main UK base.
The Manchester - Pisa, Manchester - Rome flights will start at £29 one way (inclusive of taxes).
The other routes operated from Manchester are:
Nice (£21)
Venice (£21)
Amsterdam (£16) - dropped by BA in 2005
London Gatwick (£16)

SkyEurope the budget airline operating from Ferihegy International Airport, Budapest, Hungary celebrated two years operations on 14th November 05. It has now carried 800,000 passengers to and from Hungary.
At the same time it is adding new routes for the Winter Ski Season. The new winter 2005 /2006 routes are:

Krakow - Dublin from Sep 2, 3 flights/week from 25 EUR
Warsaw - Milan Bergamo from Dec 3, 1 flight per week, 14 EUR / 59 PLN
Warsaw - Salzburg from Dec 3,1 flight per week, 14 EUR / 99 PLN
Bratislava / Vienna - Dublin from Oct 14, 3 flights/week from 25 EUR /990 SKK
Bratislava / Vienna - Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg from Oct 30, 4 flights/week from 14 EUR 21 CHF / 590 SKK
Bratislava / Vienna - Cologne/Bonn from Oct 31, 4 flights/week from 14 EUR / 590 SKK
Bratislava / Vienna - Sofia from Dec 9, 4 flights/week from 25 EUR / 990 SKK
Bratislava / Vienna -Bucharest from Dec 12, 3 flights/week from 25 EUR /990 SKK
Poprad / Zakopane - London Stansted from Dec 3, 2 flights/week from 25 EUR /990 SKK
Innsbruck - Amsterdam from Dec 1, 3 flights/week from 25 EUR
Innsbruck - Paris-Orly from Dec 2, 4 flights/week from 25 EUR
Salzburg - Barcelona from Dec 3, 2 flights/week from 25 EUR
Salzburg - Manchester from Dec 3, 2 flights/week from 25 EUR

The Manchester - Salzburg route should prove popular with Winter Sports fans.

Ryanair have recently been in a wrangle with Scope, a Charity serving the disabled, following a flight where disabled passengers were evicted from a flight because the quota was full. It is good then to hear some good news as far as visually impaired passengers goes. Up until now a maximum of four visually impaired passengers were allowed per flight. Now (subject to approval by the IAA), Ryanair will allow a vision impaired passenger to fly with a sighted companion without affecting the four person quota for reduced mobility passengers per flight.
Safety is paramount and in my opinion the four person limit for reduced mobility passengers will stay. In an emergency an increase of a few seconds in an evacuation can mean the difference between life and death. However a visually impaired person may well fare better than average in a smoke filled cabin. Ryanair now lead other European airlines in taking this step. I await a response from other airlines.
How do you feel about Ryanair's move?
Ryanair Press Release
John

bmibaby has today (17 November 05), released the seats on its Summer 2006 routes from Birmingham International Airport. bmi baby will serve eleven routes from the airport. These will be:

1. Edinburgh (3 times daily)
2. Alicante
3. Amsterdam
4. Belfast International
5. Bordeaux
6. Cork
7. Knock
8. Malaga
9. Nice
10. Palma
11. Prague

David Byron of bmibaby said "bmibaby has already carried close on one million passengers from Birmingham International Airport in its first year. Further growth in 2006 is likely to result in bmibaby being the largest carrier at Birmingham.

The seats, which start at £16.99 one way, including taxes and charges can be booked at www.bmibaby.com for the Summer flights between 26 March 06 and 28 October 06.

Here goes with a trial of Blogger for posting budget airline news. This should help visitors to the Eurapart site find up to date information on the following:

1. New routes
2. New operators / airlines ceasing operations
3. Cheap flight sales
4. Release of batches of seats
5. Aviation industry news

In all it should prove useful to anyone looking for a very cheap flight.