news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

US Airways has revealed plans to offer in-flight Wi-Fi across its entire domestic fleet “‘within the next couple of years'”, and said it is likely to announce its choice of provider – either Gogo or Row 44 – before the end of 2011.

For about a year-and-a-half the carrier has offered Gogo’s domestic air-to-ground (ATG)-supported connectivity service on its 51-strong Airbus A321 fleet. It recently confirmed its intent to fit new-delivery Airbus narrowbodies with Gogo.

source: flightglobal.com

Flight-information provider Travelport says a federal judge tossed out most of American Airlines‘ antitrust lawsuit against the company and online travel agent Orbitz.

Travelport Ltd. said that the judge dismissed American’s claims that Travelport monopolizes distribution of airline fare and flight information to travel agents.

American Airlines officials did not immediately comment.

source: businessweek.com

Astraeus Airlines, which is based in Crawley, Sussex, announced it had ceased operations.

The company, which leased aeroplanes to other carriers, had singer Bruce Dickinson on its books as a pilot and marketing director.

Chief executive Hugh Parry blamed “‘lower than expected'” business during the summer for the decision.

source: BBC.co.uk

Southwest Airlines is giving its most loyal customers a double whammy of deals starting this week through its newly launched Rapid Rewards Shopping program with Cartera Commerce Inc. that rewards its frequent fliers for online shopping. This marks the first time that Southwest, one of the biggest airlines in the US, is offering rewards for shopping at online retailers.

Similar to its competitors, Southwest now has a sort of online mall where shoppers can sign in with their Southwest Rapid Rewards login information and shop with around 700 online retailers. Consumers will receive discounts off products and also be rewarded with loyalty points they can use toward the purchase of airline tickets.

source: internetretailer.com

Spirit Airlines‘s agreement to buy 75 single-aisle jets from Airbus SAS, with list prices totaling $6.7 billion, would triple the carrier’s existing fleet within the next decade.

The non-binding memorandum of understanding includes 45 upgraded A320neos with new, more fuel-efficient engines and 30 of the existing model.

Spirit focuses on leisure travelers who fly to beach destinations, and offers low base fares with higher add-on fees, such as $35 to bring a piece of luggage aboard a plane.

source: businessweek.com

Four airlines from the UK and Irish Republic are calling for the UK government to scrap ‘Air Passenger Duty (APD)’.

The tax, which is applied to almost every ticket on a flight originating in the UK, has risen sharply since it was introduced in 1994.

When APD was introduced, passengers whose journey originated in the UK paid between £5 and £40 per ticket. They now have to pay from £24 to £170.

It is opposed by Easyjet, Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways.

The airlines say it penalises British holidaymakers and makes the UK a less attractive destination.

source: BBC.co.uk

Dutch airline KLM will start the installation of full flat beds in its Business Class long-haul fleets in May 2013.

The airline’s Boeing 747 fleet will be the first planes to be retrofitted with full flat beds, to be followed by B777s and Airbuses. Each full flat bed will be equipped with inflight entertainment (IFE) screens in portable tablets.

The new flat beds will allow passengers to fully recline their seats horizontally, mirroring the comfort of a real bed.

fuente: flightcentric.com

EasyJet is breaking with one of the key principles of low-cost airlines as it begins a trial of allocating seats on some routes.

Starting this spring, the budget carrier will allow passengers on some flights to pay a surcharge to choose a seat in advance. Carolyn McCall, chief executive, said it was too early to say how much this option would cost travellers, nor how many or which routes would be included in the trial. She added that “‘if it increases boarding time we won’t do it’”.

source: FT.com

British airline passengers were forced to stage a giant whip-round and hand over £20,000 in cash after being ‘’held to ransom” by their airline.

More than 180 were left stranded on their Boeing 757 when cabin crew announced during a refuelling stop that the Austrian carrier Comtel Air had ‘’run out of money”.

The plane from Amritsar, in India, was on a stopover at Vienna en route to Birmingham. Passengers were told that the flight would continue only if 23,400 euros (£20,005) was handed over. Otherwise they and their luggage would be removed from the aircraft.

Police were called in when they refused to get off. A six-hour stand-off ended only when passengers were escorted to cashpoint machines. These eventually ran out of money and many of those on board had no funds anyway.

source: dailymail.co.uk

Airport workers are being paid bonuses to crack down on travellers with bulky hand luggage.

Ryanair passengers are among those who could face particularly eagle-eyed attention as a result, but other budget airlines are thought to use similar tactics.

Airlines often have contracts giving companies that provide check-in staff a financial incentive to detect passengers with excess baggage.

But yesterday it emerged that the firm providing baggage services for Ryanair at Liverpool John Lennon Airport is passing a cut directly to workers.

source: dailymail.co.uk