news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

Austrian Airlines AG said Thursday it will eliminate its fleet of four Airbus A330 long-haul jetliners in 2007, a move the national carrier said will save it about $40 million (US$51 million) a year.

The airline’s board held a special meeting Wednesday to approve the plan to phase out the A330s, along with both of its Airbus A340-300 aircraft.

The reduction of the long-haul fleet means scheduled service to Shanghai will end on Jan. 7, flights to Phuket, Thailand, Mauritius and Colombo/Male, Sri Lanka, will stop at the end of April, and service to Katmandu, Nepal, will cease in May, Austrian Airlines said in a statement.

source: International Herald Tribune

Europe’s largest budget airline Ryanair Holdings Plc said Wednesday it has forged a partnership with internet bingo group Jackpotjoy.com to enable its passengers to play bingo while booking their flights and hotels and finalizing car hire on its website.

The carrier said this will become a new revenue source and help create cash flow from areas other than selling tickets.

source: Earthtimes.org

Germanwings, the low-cost airline belonging to Germany’s Lufthansa group, is poised to expand further into central and eastern Europe, CEO Thomas Winkelmann said Wednesday. “‘The most important goal we now have is eastern Europe’,” said Winkelmann in a briefing to business reporters.

The region is key to expansion plans because of its strong growth and large number of people keen to travel following the lifting of old restrictions, he said.

source: therawstory

The airline whose unpressurized 737 crashed last year in Greece, killing 121, is going out of business.

Ajet, the new name given Cyprus-based airline Helios Airways after the accident, had been struggling ever since to recover its reputation and revenues.