news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

Low-cost airline airline easyJet PLC said it today opened its 17th European base at Madrid’s Barajas airport.

The Luton-based airline says it expects to carry over 2 mln passengers from Madrid in 2007 on 18 routes – three domestic, 13 European and two to North Africa.

Last year easyJet launched 13 new routes to and from Spain and the airline has already announced a further 13 routes to and from Spain to be opened this year.

source: Forbes

Three new nonstop flights from European airports to Boston are starting from this March with Air Lingus opening Dublin-Boston route from March 25, Iberia flying from Madrid to Boston from May 6 and flyglobespan operating the Glasgow-Boston from May 25, 2007.

source: Traveldailynews

British Airways has lowered the cost of tickets on all Middle East routes and as Paul Starrs British Airways’ Commercial Manager, Middle East mentions “‘The tickets represent a substantial saving for  customers when comparing the prices with other airlines operating regionally. This sale will allow new customers to experience our renowned, industry-leading services at an appealingly low price.’”

The fares – which represent the lowest priced tickets the airline has put on the market since for five years – are available on all tickets bought before February 23rd 2007.

source: Traveldailynews

Uk low-cost airline Easyjet opened its 17th base at Madrid’s Barajas airport.

The airline said it expects to carry over 2 million passengers from Madrid this year on 18 routes.

Last year the airline said it carried 8.4 million passengers to and from Spain – a 15% increase on the previous year.

First airlines took away free food. Then blankets and pillows disappeared. And now checked luggage may be on the endangered list.

Spirit Airlines will become the first U.S. carrier to allow passengers to check only one piece of luggage for free. A second bag will cost passengers $10.

“‘I’m surprised it’s taken them this long to get around to doing this,'” aviation analyst Darryl Jenkins said.

Spirit says it’s a way to keep ticket prices low, but passengers worry about other airlines joining in.

source: ABC News

Iran’s national airline will begin direct flights to Venezuela next month in another sign of the two nations’ increasingly close ties.

Iran Air will operate a weekly, commercial flight linking Tehran and Caracas in March, the Venezuelan government said in a statement.

Flights leaving Tehran will stop in Syria’s capital of Damascus on their way to Caracas, it said.

Iran Air opened a new office at the headquarters of Venezuela’s state airline Conviasa in Caracas on Friday, and Convias will soon open a commercial office in Iran, the statement said.

Aer Lingus has signed a strategic partnership with JetBlue, a low-cost American airline, that will allow passengers access to 51 routes across the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Set to launch in August, the deal is designed to give Aer Lingus passengers travelling to New York JFK and Boston the opportunity to connect with JetBlue flights to destinations across the US, to Cancun in Mexico and to the Caribbean islands of Aruba, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.

The deal comes against a backdrop of increased transatlantic competition. Delta and American Airlines are all adding capacity to their Irish routes while Flyglobespan last week agreed a deal to offer services to New York from Knock airport.

source: AMT online

The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics has again put Hawaii’s two biggest airlines at the top of its rankings for good service.

Aloha Airlines logged an on-time record of 93.7 percent for the December reporting period. It had the lowest complaint rate — none at all in December.

Hawaiian Airlines won the 2006 annual on-time tally, and also came in best in the nation on baggage handling. It was second for on-time arrivals in December.

source: Pacific Business News

Brazil’s airline company Gol in January increased the number of passengers it transported by 70% when compared to January 2006. The occupation rate was 77%.

Also when compared with January 2006, domestic passenger traffic increased 61%. International passenger traffic increased 174%. The occupation rate in these flights was 68%.

The information was provided by the company’s press office, which also informed that the average ticket price went down 15% in the last year. When compared to last December, however. ticket had a 1% hike.

source: Brazzilmag.com

Last year ranked among the worst for airline passengers, says a year-end report out Wednesday from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

On-time arrivals in 2006 fell to their lowest levels since the pre-9-11 travel boom, and baggage handling reached its worst level in 16 years, the DOT says.

Airlines operated just over three-quarters of their flights on time, the worst since 2000, DOT figures show.

source: clarionledger.com