news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

Fifty-six pilots working for Indian airlines have failed alcohol tests in the last two years, according to a list issued by the civil aviation ministry.

Ten pilots were fired after they failed tests, including one who was found over the limit on two occasions, according to the list released by Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi in parliament on Thursday.

The fifty-six pilots worked for the state-owned national carrier Air India, as well as private airlines Jet Airways, Indigo, SpiceJet, GoAir, and Kingfisher.

source: smh.com.au

The study of airline efficiency was conducted by Atmosfair, a carbon offsetting company, and looked into factors such as how efficient an airline’s fleet was and how full its planes normally fly.

Monarch was judged the world’s most efficient airline, with Atmosfair praising its efficient aircraft and high seating density.

German carrier Condor, owned by holiday giant Thomas Cook, won second place thanks to its high occupancy and Canadian Air Transat was ranked third, making it the most efficient long-haul carrier.

Some of the world’s better-known airlines fared less well, with Emirates in 30th place, Delta in 33rd, Air France in 37th, Lufthansa 52nd, British Airways in 61st, American Airlines in 63rd and Virgin Atlantic in 99th place.

source: independent.co.uk

The walkouts, starting in the run-up to Easter, would ground hundreds of flights and wreck the holiday plans of families hoping to grab some spring sunshine.

22 days of strikes are planned, starting on April 20 and continuing through May and June until the end of July.
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The Spanish dispute involves 12,500 ground staff employed by Aena, the state-controlled airports authority, which has been earmarked for privatisation.

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It threatens to shut down nearly every airport in the country, including those in the Canary Islands, a particularly popular destination at Easter.

source: telegraph.co.uk

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The International Air Transport Association trimmed its forecast for airlines’ net profits this year due to a surge in fuel costs, which is being exacerbated by the political unrest in the Middle East.

IATA, which represents some 230 airlines comprising 93% of scheduled international traffic, said Wednesday that it now expects carriers’ combined 2011 net profit of $8.6 billion, down from a previous forecast of $9.1 billion, on revenues of $594 billion.

The industry earned $16 billion in net profits last year as it rebounded from a withering downturn in the global economy that saw dozens of airlines world-wide go out of business.

source: wsj.com

Online travel spend in January soared by 31% over the same peak booking month last year.

The average basket value of holidays booked was £886, the highest recorded by the ‘IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index’ since its launch in December 2008.

The year-on-year increase of 31% and represented a “‘massive’” 173% rise on December 2010’s online sales. Despite limited disposable income available, it appears that rather than blitzing the high street January sales, shoppers opted instead for seasonal discounts on furniture and early bookings of annual holidays, according to the research company.

source: travelweekly.co.uk

Thanks to the results of a new survey by the Business Travel and Meetings Show, we now know where most of the hot flight attendants are.

Of the 1,000 people who participated in the survey, over half said that the most attractive flight attendants work for Virgin Atlantic.

No other airline in the world even came close to Virgin Atlantic and their “‘red hotties.’”  Here are the top five airlines with the hottest flight attendants according to the results:

1. Virgin Atlantic – 53%
2. Singapore Airlines – 18%
3. Etihad – 12%
4. Emirates – 11%
5. Aer Lingus – 6%

source: Reuters

The private equity firms Axa and Permira are buying the online travel agent Opodo for €500m (£424m) from the Spanish travel reservations group Amadeus.

Following the acquisition, Axa and Permira plan to merge Opodo with their two rival online travel firms, the French Go Voyages and Spain’s eDream.

Opodo, which was set up in 2001 by a consortium of European airlines including British Airways, Air France, KLM and Iberia, is based in the UK and operates websites across Europe.

source: independent.co.uk

Starting today, seven major airlines are giving away the social network on their Wi-Fi networks all month, just as they would soft drinks and peanuts. It’s part of a promotion with Gogo Inflight Internet.

The free Facebook service will be available on North American flights for Virgin America, United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, AirTran, US Airways and Alaska Airlines. Those who wish to use services other than Facebook must pay extra.

Facebook is the most-visited site via Gogo, which serves 1,100 commercial aircraft (or about 3,800 flights a day) and 5,000 private planes.

source: US Today

A former manse close to Loch Ness has been voted the best bed-and-breakfast establishment in the world.

The Old Manse at Invermoriston in the Highlands received the accolade from world travellers in the annual travellers’ choice hotel awards organised by the TripAdvisor company.

source: The Press Association

German sculptor H.A. Shult used 12 tonnes of recycled junk to build the hotel in central Madrid’s Callao Square and draw attention to the amount of flotsam spoiling Europe’s beaches.

His Corona Extra Save the Beach Hotel opened its doors on Jan. 19 and operators say its five double rooms have been fully booked for the four days in which it will be taking guests.

Schult has been getting support from some pretty famous patrons, including Danish model Helena Christensen — who has spent a night in the hotel — French explorer Alexandra Cousteau and jewellery designer Jade Jagger.

source: Reuters