news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

The woman at the centre of a ‘too fat to fly’ controversy has announced that she is suing Southwest Airlines, who refused to allow her on a flight in April 2011.

New Orleans resident Kenlie Tiggeman is taking on the airlines controversial ”Customers of Size” policy which requires passengers to buy a second seat if they can’t fit between the 17-inch wide armrests.

In her quest to seek an injunction against the Dallas headquartered carrier, Tiggeman alleges that Southwest ignored her ”constitutional rights” and is involved in ”discriminatory actions towards obese customers”.

source: Dailymail.co.uk

Ryanair, the Ireland-based budget airline, has announced an addition to its service to Munich, Germany, from London Stansted Airport.

The airline is offering additional flight from London Stansted Airport to Munich for the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League final to be played on May 19, 2012, between English club, Chelsea, and German club, Bayern Munich, at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

source: travel-news.co.uk

Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad has quietly acquired 2.987 per cent of Aer Lingus‘s shares over the past couple of months.

Aer Lingus last night confirmed it was in discussions with Etihad in relation to reciprocal code-sharing arrangements. The two airlines are also investigating the possibility of joint procurement opportunities.

Aer Lingus said Etihad had given an undertaking it does not intend to increase its shareholding pending the outcome of these discussions. Aer Lingus said: “‘There is no certainty as to the outcome of these discussions.’”

source: irishtimes.com

Delta Air Lines is buying a refinery in a novel — and some say risky — attempt to slice $300 million a year from its escalating jet fuel bill.

The airline said Monday that it is buying the refinery near Philadelphia for $150 million from Phillips 66, a refining company being spun off from ConocoPhillips. The refinery has struggled to make money, and ConocoPhillips planned to shut it down if it couldn’t find a buyer.

Fuel is the largest and most volatile expense for the major airlines. They paid an average of $2.86 a gallon for jet fuel last year, up from $2.09 in 2007, according to statistics from the Bureau of Transportation.

source: businessweek.com

British Airways and Iberia boss Willie Walsh warned of further airline bankruptcies in the coming year and said he envied the economic model of major Gulf carriers that have managed to redraw the aviation map efficiently around the Middle East.

The chief executive of International Airlines Group (ICAG.L) joined the head of Dubai’s Emirates and other industry leaders in predicting further retrenchment, as weaker airlines struggle to generate the cash needed to ride out high oil prices.

“‘I expect to see significant moves on the subject of consolidation as we move through the year and into next year,'” Walsh told the AFCA aircraft finance conference in Barcelona.

source: Reuters

Spirit Airlines refuses to refund tickets for a man who learned that he has terminal cancer and can’t fly on a plane after he purchased the trip.

Jerry Meekins, 76, of St. Petersburg, Florida asked the airline for his money back after doctors told him that he only had months to live from esophageal cancer he is battling.

But Spirit officials say that they won’t return the funds because the company has a non-refundable policy and it wouldn’t be right to adjust the rules for one person.

source: dailymail.co.uk

German airline Deutsche Lufthansa said a project to bring together its Germanwings unit and point-to-point services in Europe was one option being considered under plans to cope better with low-cost competition.

“‘It is just a business case at the moment,'” a spokesman for Germany’s largest airline said Lufthansa was planning a new low-cost airline called Direct 4 You.

While Lufthansa is strong in intercontinental and hub traffic, it has suffered in Europe from the rise of low-cost carriers such as easyJet and Ryanair.

source: Reuters

New Spanish budget airline Iberia Express is considering entering the German market, and could be flying from Berlin or Frankfurt to Spanish coastal resorts before the end of this year.

Pilots from parent airline Iberia have been striking since December in protest at what they see as a piecemeal outsourcing of their jobs.

The budget airline is projected to save Iberia company €100 million by 2015, much of it recouped from staff costs that will see Iberia Express pilots pocket on average €4,000 a month less than their colleagues at the main airline.

source: thelocal.de

Europe’s competition watchdog has started its latest probe into whether Ryanair benefits from illegal state subsidies to airports.

The European Commission is to investigate the carrier’s deals with Nimes airport in France, which allegedly gave Ryanair “‘undue economic advantage’” over its competitors at the expense of French taxpayers.

The regulator will probe rebates and marketing agreements between Ryanair and the airport that may have given the airline an “‘undue economic advantage,’” as well as financial arrangements between French authorities and Nimes airport.

EU regulators opened a similar probe into Ryanair’s agreements with Carcassonne airport earlier this month, adding to several reviews of discounts and subsidies offered by small, regional airports across Europe to attract budget airlines.

source: travelweekly.co.uk

The airline that pioneered charges for checked-in baggage has abandoned its £9 flat fee for paying with debit cards.

Flybe, Eeurope’s largest regional carrier, says it has removed the charge as part of “‘A fair, open and transparent approach to sales and service policies'”.

Until its removal today, the fee earned Flybe an average of £4.50 for each passenger flown. But the airline’s UK managing director, Andrew Strong said “‘I’m not looking to put up fares to offset the removal. People will choose us because we offer a better product.'”

source: belfasttelegraph.co.uk