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Low-cost carrier EasyJet continues to draw customers and delight investors
TransportNo-frills carrier easyJet remains a buy as the rise and rise of its shares shows no sign of stopping. The rise and rise of easyJet shares shows no sign of stopping, with the group revealing last week that it flew more than 60m passengers in the year to March for the first time. In May, [...]
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European low-cost carriers surpass 30 million seats this month
TransportRyanair Holdings Plc, EasyJet Plc and other European discount airlines will offer more than 30 million seats for the first time this month, extending growth that’s seen them boost capacity by 14 percent a year over the past decade. Low-cost carriers have added more than 20 million seats to their market share in 10 years, [...]
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Airlines tease passengers with popular brands to spike in-flight meal buys
TransportAir Baltic is not the only airline that regards innovative meal services as a way to sweeten its passengers. Deploying familiar brands seems to be a favoured approach. At least six carriers…serve Starbucks coffee. Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have both dished up Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. This correspondent’s personal favourite was Japan [...]
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Hong Kong Express pivots from full-service airline to low-cost carrier
TransportHong Kong Express Airways Ltd. plans to transform itself into a budget airline this year, joining the growing ranks of Asian carriers seeking to profit from the region’s boom in low-cost flights. The full-service carrier’s president, Yang Jianhong, told The Wall Street Journal it aims to unveil in late May the details of its plan [...]
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Oman Air considers launching low-cost carrier to attract more domestic flyers
TransportOman’s national carrier Oman Air is planning to launch a low-cost airline, according to local daily Times of Oman. The loss-making airline also is considering opening a cargo carrier and expanding to new destinations including Manila, Jakarta and Casablanca as part of its plan to become profitable. Oman Air chairman Darwish bin Ismail Al Balushi [...]
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Lufthansa considers starting low cost airline for gaining foothold in Asia
TransportDeutsche Lufthansa AG is weighing whether to form a partnership with another carrier or start its own new long-haul, low-cost venture to help it expand in Asia, Chief Financial Officer Simone Menne said. Europe’s second-largest airline won’t be able to keep pace with Persian Gulf-based rivals such as Emirates airline and Etihad Airways PJSC without [...]
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Norwegian Air stays loyal to Boeing 787 for long-term growth
TransportNorwegian Air Shuttle AS Chief Executive Officer Bjoern Kjos said he’s looking to buy more Boeing Co. 787s to add long-haul routes even as the company’s first Dreamliners remain on hold after the model was grounded. Europe’s fourth-biggest discount carrier is starting to map out its needs beyond the eight 787-8s due by 2015, and [...]
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The Middle East’s leading low-cost carrier posts solid yearly profit
TransportAir Arabia PJSC’s full-year profit increased 55 percent as more passengers used the Middle East’s biggest discount airline for travel. Net income climbed to 425 million dirhams ($116 million) from 274 million dirhams a year earlier, the Sharjah, United Arab Emirates-based airline said in an e-mailed statement today, without specifying if the figures included minority [...]
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EasyJet founder Stelios wants someone who hates Airbus running his airline
TransportEasyJet Plc founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou will extend a personal battle with the discount carrier’s management at its annual meeting this month by voting against Chairman Mike Rake even though he already plans to quit. Rake, who will step down this summer, according to an EasyJet statement Jan. 26, has “no long-term accountability for his actions” [...]
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It’s too late for Europe’s legacy airlines to win back the short-haul market
TransportThe rise and rise of low-cost carriers in Europe has been rapid and, it seems, irreversible. The result has been to transform Europe’s short haul market. There is nothing new about that, but the three big legacy ‘flag carrier’ groups in Europe – Air France-KLM, IAG and Lufthansa – have only recently dedicated serious attention to new initiatives [...]
