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Business class only airline Silverjet saw passenger numbers rise 12pc in December as it benefited from the collapse of rival Maxjet.

In its monthly trading update, Silverjet said it had picked up 800 bookings from passengers with tickets on Maxjet services since the company filed for bankruptcy at the end of last year.

Chief executive Laurence Hunt said: “‘We have booked 800 seats from Maxjet in the past two weeks. Before Maxjet ceased to operate, our average yield was more than 50pc higher than Maxjet’s and revenue per aircraft was two and a half times higher than Maxjet’s in our first half year of operation.'”

source: Telegraph.co.uk

Airline bmi is to terminate its daily return service between Inverness and London Heathrow because of a lack of bookings.

The company said flights on the route, which was launched in March 2004, would end on 29 March.

Lib Dem MP Danny Alexander said it was a “‘disgraceful decision'” to close the city’s only link to Heathrow.

Scottish Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson is seeking a meeting with the airline to urge a rethink on the move.

fuente: BBC

The airline industry’s on-time performance through the first 11 months of this year was the second worst on record, but delays in November fell compared with a year ago and from the previous month.

The nation’s 20 largest carriers reported an on-time arrival rate of 80% in November, up from 76.5% in the same month a year ago and from 78.2% in October, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics said Thursday.

In November, 37.8% of late flights were delayed by weather, down from 40.7% in the same month last year and from 39.8% in October.

Despite the improved results in November, the first 11 months of the year left plenty of room for improvement with 24% of flights arriving late and another 2% were canceled. The industry’s on-time performance of just over 74% so far this year was the second worst since comparable data began being collected in 1995, trailing only the 73.5% arrival rate in 2000.

UAL Corp.’s United Airlines was the least punctual of the pack, with about 24% of its flights delayed by at least 15 minutes in November.

source: USA Today

Last year was 1 of the safest in aviation history. That’s according to an independent watchdog group that recorded the lowest number of crashes in 44 years.

The Aircraft Crashes Record Office in Geneva says there were 965 deaths in air crashes in 2007, a drop of 25% from the previous year. The office tracks all aviation accidents in which planes capable of carrying at least six passengers in addition to the crew are damaged beyond repair.

The worst single accident was in Brazil. Almost 200 people died when a jetliner slammed into a building in Sao Paulo.

source: WhoTV

The international airline Virgin Blue, which operates Polynesian Blue and Pacific Blue, has announced a jump in its fuel surcharge. The surcharge on domestic flights will rise from US$16 to US$21 a passenger, adding US$8 to the cost of a return trip ticket. On international flights operated by Polynesian Blue and Pacific Blue, the fuel surcharge will rise from US$30 to US$39 a flight. The increases will apply to all flights booked after midnight on 01 February.

American airliner US Airways was awarded a license to inaugurate its first US-China air service last week, becoming the sixth US carrier to be granted the permit.

The US Department of Transportation announced last Friday that it had granted the Arizona-headquartered US Airways a permit for US-China passenger flights.

Six American airlines already operate China-bound air services – the other five are American, Continental, Northwest, United and Delta Airlines.

The US Department of Transportation time also awarded additional US-China passenger flights to three other US carriers serving the China routes: American Airlines, Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines.

US Airways will fly between Philadelphia and Beijing, while American, Continental and Northwest each will use their new rights to add a daily flight to their existing US-China services.

American Airlines will begin a Chicago-Beijing service, while Continental will operate a new flight between Newark/New York and Shanghai, and Northwest will fly between Detroit and Shanghai.

All services must begin on or around March 25, 2009, according to the agreement.

source: People’s Daily Online

New York State’s “‘Airline Passenger Bill of Rights'” took effect on Tuesday, mandating airlines to provide water, snacks, fresh air and working restrooms for departing passengers delayed on planes at New York airports for more than three hours.

Airlines found to have broken the “‘Consumer Bill of Rights'” for airline passengers would face penalties of up to 1,000 U.S. dollars per passenger.

New York is the first state in the United States to adopt such a measure, which was created after delays at John F. Kennedy International Airport last February left passengers stranded on planes for more than 10 hours.

source: xinhuanet.com

Sir Richard Branson has angered Virgin Atlantic staff who are threatening to strike by telling them they should “‘consider working elsewhere’”.

The entrepreneur, estimated to be worth £3.1 billion, told 4,800 cabin crew in a letter that he would not meet their pay demands. He said: “‘For some of you, more pay than Virgin Atlantic can afford may be critical to your life-style and if that is the case you should consider working elsewhere.’”

Union members have voted to stage 48-hour strikes on January 9-10 and January 16-17.

Sir Richard said he had drawn a line in the sand in the dispute with staff belonging to the Unite union, which is embroiled in separate negotiations with BAA, the airports operator.

source: Times OnLine

Routes operated by GB Airways for summer 2008 have become available to book online at easyJet’s website.

A total of 32 routes include Sharm El Sheikh, the Canary Islands, Corfu, the Greek Islands and Turkey.

The move follows British Airways terminating the sale of GB Airways flights from March 30 onwards after easyJet acquired the BA franchise partner last October.

source: Travelmole