news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced it will install new technology on its long haul aircraft that will monitor in detail the condition of ill passengers.

The system, called ‘Tempus IC’, will allow cabin crew to gather vital information about a passenger’s health quickly. Information gathered by the system will be transmitted to a medical team of experts around the world who specialise in assisting in-flight medical situations.

The technology, designed and manufactured by UK-based company RDT, will be installed on Etihad’s A340 and Boeing 777 aircraft, and then across the remaining long and extra long haul fleet.

source: theaustralian.com.au

Hungary’s Government has stepped in to rescue struggling flag-carrier Malev, retaking control of the airline three years after its privatisation.

The Government, via state holding company MNV, has agreed to acquire a 95% stake in Malev through a Ft25.2 billion ($127 million) investment funded partly by cash and partly by debt conversion.

The finance ministry says that the acquisition will clear the way towards creating stability for the troubled airline. But the ministry warns that “‘intensive'” restructuring is required in order to minimise the burden on taxpayers and ensure that the rescue does not constitute illegal state aid.

source: flightglobal.com

A ”hotel in the sky” powered by renewable energy could be the future of green travel, according to its designers.

The Aircruise, a gigantic vertical airship, would use hydrogen gas to keep it aloft and solar energy to power its engines.

Mega-corporation Samsung has embraced the concept that fits well with the emerging South Korean dream of rebuilding its economy in a greener shade, and has appointed designers Seymourpowell to refine the idea and produce a detailed computer animation of the proposed experience to illustrate it.

The initial design proposes a bar/lounge zone, four large apartments, a penthouse and five smaller apartments. Although only a conceptual proposal, Seymourpowell has developed detailed and, it claims, achievable technical specification for the craft.

source: edie.net

The year 2009 saw the biggest decline in air passenger traffic in the post-war era, according to the International Air Transport Association (Iata).

Passenger traffic dropped by 3.5% from a year earlier, while freight traffic fell 10.1% as the downturn hit demand.

Despite the improvement at the end of 2009, Iata said 2010 would be a tough year for airlines the world over.

Iata has estimated that airlines collectively lost $11bn (£6.8bn) last year, and stand to lose a further $5.6bn this year.

source: BBC News

Scientists have proposed an unusual method for cutting aircraft fuel consumption – they want to fly jumbo jets in formation like geese.

The prospect of ‘flotillas ‘of airliners soaring across the sky in V-shaped flocks, like migrating birds, is startling. Nevertheless, research by aviation experts has shown that it could lead to major reductions in aircraft fuel consumption.

The work follows research carried out almost 100 years ago by a German researcher, Carl Wieselsberger. In 1914, he published a paper in which he calculated that birds flying in V-formations use less energy to flap their wings than those on solo flights. Birds in flocks can therefore fly for longer periods than those travelling on their own.

source: Guardian.co.uk

Spanish airline Air Comet said on today it had suspended all its flights because of financial difficulties that are preventing it from paying its debts, ruining travel plans for thousands of passengers.

Air Comet, which specialises in flights to Latin America, attributed its problems to a decision on Friday by a commercial court in London that enabled Nord Bank of Germany to undertake a foreclosure procedure against the airline.

The airline said the court decision meant that the carrier was unable to operate its aircraft. The decision has also forced the airline to prepare staff lay-offs and to declare itself unable to meet its financial obligations, the company said.

source: channelnewsasia.com

World airline passenger traffic fell 3.1 percent in 2009, the biggest drop in aviation industry history, fueled by the global financial downturn, the International Civil Aviation Organization said.

Preliminary figures for airline travel this year showed that international traffic declined by about 3.9 percent and domestic traffic by 1.8 percent, despite sharp growth in some regions.

Total passenger traffic — both domestic and international — fell in all regions except the Middle East, which posted 10 percent growth. All other regions recorded negative growth, with Africa hardest hit at minus 9.6 percent overall.

source: AFP

Extending the reach of his ambitious Virgin Galactic venture, businessman Richard Branson has this week whipped the covers off the eagerly anticipated SpaceShipTwo, which is expected to become the world’s first commercial spacecraft.

The unveiling ceremony was held at the futuristic New Mexico Spaceport, which will serve as a hub for Virgin Galactic’s fleet of spacecraft.

When officially ready to carry commercial passengers, the Enterprise will be carried to an altitude of 50,000 feet slung centrally beneath the wing of its twin-fuselage EVE mothership, at which point it will propel its two pilots and six paying passengers on a tantalising sub-orbital journey.

source: thetechherald.com

The recession has put travel budgets under pressure at most companies and easyJet said that it had benefited from passengers trading down from traditional, full-service carriers.

Its strong performance in this market was reflected in its results for the year: Revenues rose 13 per cent to £2.67 billion and passenger numbers were 3.4 per cent up at £45.2 million. Profits fell 65 per cent to £43.7 million largely thanks to an £86 million increase in its fuel bill.

EasyJet also warned of a “‘tough winter’” as rising unemployment hits demand for travel. It has sold about 45 per cent of its winter schedule, but yield ” the amount of money it makes from each seat ” has fallen as it cuts prices to fill flights.

source: Times Online

All Nippon Airways (ANA) says if half its travelers used the bathroom before hopping on the plane, it would reduce carbon dioxide by 4.2 tons per month.

The unorthodox request is all part of the airline’s “‘e-Flight'” promotional program to reduce the amount of carbon that is expelled each day on its twice-a-day international flights to Singapore and its 38 domestic routes.

As another part of the program, the airline is using recycled paper cups and plastic bottles, and eliminating glass bottles. In-flight educational films also will be shown, and passengers are encouraged to pack light.

source: nydailynews.com