news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

Airlines with operations throughout the Far East are reviewing their flights as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan, a situation that has been compounded by the ongoing problems at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.

Airlines have been seriously impacted by declining numbers of passengers traveling to Japan – both on business and for leisure – while the triple-layered disaster has caused staffing and supply concerns for air operators.

The result is likely to be widespread disruption for travelers in the region, although airlines have stated that they hope any inconvenience will be short-lived.

source: Independent.co.uk

US Airways Chief Executive Doug Parker said he wants the airline to be a strong stand-alone carrier but be ready to merge with another major carrier if the opportunity arises.

Speaking at a company media event, Parker, a long-time proponent of airline mergers, said consolidation has made the industry stronger.

source: Reuters

Holidaymakers who fear that the impending strike action by British Airways cabin crew will disrupt their travel plans still have time to take out travel insurance.

Around 5,800 BA employees who are members of the Unite union have voted in favour of a series of strikes over pay and conditions, but Unite has not yet set any dates – meaning insurance that covers strike action will still be valid.

The strike action must take place between 4 April and 25 April – with Easter the most likely time for it – meaning prospective travellers who are worried about their flights have a limited time in which to organise cover for themselves.

Under EU rules, industrial action is categorised under “‘extraordinary circumstances'”, which means BA is not obliged to pay the £600 compensation that would usually be due if a flight is cancelled, though it will pay for meals and refreshments if you find yourself stranded at the airport.

source: Guardian.co.uk

In what could be a thawing in a cold war over how airline tickets are sold, Expedia Inc. settled its dispute with American Airlines Inc. Monday and put the Fort Worth-based carrier’s fares and schedules back on its online travel site.

Expedia had pulled American’s inventory from its Expedia.com travel portal Jan. 1 after American yanked its fares from Expedia rival Orbitz.com. At issue was how the travel sites obtained American’s fare information.
The new agreement, its terms undisclosed, restores American’s flights to Expedia immediately.

In a joint statement, the two said Expedia will use Direct Connect, but by using technology provided by a traditional global distribution system, or GDS.

source: Dallasnews.com

The European low-fare airline easyJet celebrates the royal wedding looking for the best doubles of Will and Kate all over Europe.

Anyone who believes to look like Prince William or Kate Middleton can send a photo to have the opportunity to take part in the celebrations for the wedding. Ten couples (10 William and 10 Kate) will fly to London for the final evaluation and will remain there to attend the celebration. A sole, lucky, couple will win and both will fly free for one year.

To take part in the competition go on the website www.ilooklikearoyal.com

source: avionews.com

Ryanair has announced that it will add 2 euro (£1.76) to the price of all bookings from Monday.

The increase is designed to cover the cost of cancellations and delays.

The budget airline blamed the rise on “‘unfair and discriminatory'” EU legislation which holds airlines responsible for the welfare of passengers during such events.

Ryanair lost over 100m euros (£88.5m) last year due to unexpected events such as the Icelandic ash cloud.

source: BBC.co.uk

Hackers have stolen the email addresses of some of TripAdvisor.com’s 20 million members.

Travel site TripAdvisor sent out an email to its registered users today, announcing that the site had been hacked, and some member emails had been “‘stolen’” by an “‘unauthorized third party’.”  The company says no email passwords were taken by the hackers.

“‘We’ve confirmed the source of the vulnerability and shut it down,’” says TripAdvisor co-founder and CEO Steve Kaufer. “‘We’re taking this incident very seriously and are actively pursuing the matter with law enforcement.’”

source: digitaltrends.com

Lufthansa has reintroduced its service to Tokyo following disruption caused by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami on March 11th.

Flights had been diverted away from Tokyo toward Osaka and Nagoya while Japan battled to overcome the impact of the disaster.

The German flag-carrier had previously stated it would diver flights until Sunday but will now return to normal ahead of schedule.

source: breakingtravelnews.com

JetBlue has formed a partnership with Virgin Atlantic that will allow customers to fly on both airlines with a single ticket.

Travelers on JetBlue will be able to connect through Boston, New York, Washington to catch flights to London Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic. JetBlue customers connecting in Orlando will be able to fly to London’s Gatwick airport, Manchester, England and Glasgow, Scotland.

JetBlue already has similar partnerships with Dubai’s Emirates Airlines, Irish carrier Aer Lingus, South African Airways and American Airlines.

source: msnbc.com

Two more Indian airline pilots have been arrested for using fake qualifications to gain their flying licences, as regulators delve into a growing aviation safety scandal.

After the men were detained yesterday in the western city of Jaipur, local anti-corruption police chief Umesh Mishra said the two men had obtained their licences by “‘submitting forged flying certificates.'”

The two arrested pilots worked for the low-cost airline SpiceJet before they were fired last week for “‘misrepresenting their flying hours in order to obtain their licences,'” according to a statement from the airline.

source: smh.com.au