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EasyJet, the largest UK low cost airline, on Tuesday reported a sharp increase in full-year profits and forecast a further significant rise in profits in the current year to next September despite record oil prices.

EasyJet forecast a further increase of around 20 per cent in underlying pre-tax profits in the current year excluding the impact of its proposed acquisition of GB Airways, the largely Gatwick-based franchise carrier of British Airways, which is due to be completed by the end of January.

EasyJet has put flights from summer 2008 on sale from Belfast, Liverpool and Newcastle.

These include new routes from Belfast to Barcelona, Gdansk, Prague and Venice and Liverpool-Lisbon, as well as increased frequencies on others.

source: travelmole.com

Travel management companies savaged today’s announcement by EasyJet that it will become the first major European low-cost carrier to distribute through global distribution systems by selling seats through both Amadeus and Galileo by year-end.

The sting in the tail is that EasyJet will apply a point-of-sale fee for all GDS bookings. This will be €7.50 ($10.80) per segment for a one-segment booking, €6 per segment for a two-segment booking and €5 per segment for bookings of three or more segments.

source: BTNOnline

EasyJet, the budget airline, has agreed to pay £103.5m in cash to buy GB Airways from the privately held Bland Group. The deal means that easyJet will operate 24 per cent of the landing slots at Gatwick airport and make it the airport’s largest carrier.

GB Airways operates as a franchise of British Airways, a deal that ends in March next year, although the easyJet acquisition is expected to finalise in January. British Airways plans to begin its own services to compete with GB Airways, which flies mainly to southern Europe and North Africa.

source: The Independent

UK-based airline easyJet said it will invest 600 mln eur to create two new bases in France by 2011, at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and the Lyon-Saint-Exupery airport in Lyon.

It expects passenger traffic from France to rise from 8 mln passengers in 2008 to 12 mln in 2011, by which time it will have 80 destinations.

source: Hemscott

EasyJet is stepping up calls to scrap aviation tax in its present form by launching a campaign to encourage politicians to “‘adopt a more intelligent approach to air travel'”. It claims that its plans will also reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

The low-cost carrier is launching an advertising push today (September 18) to inform consumers of its new tax proposal, which suggests that Air Passenger Duty (APD) should be replaced with a tax based on aircraft types and the distance travelled.

source: marketingweek.co.uk

EasyJet is launching what it claims is a first for UK airlines by offering a free text message service to update passengers with information ahead of their departure the airport.

The series of SMS messages – up to four per passenger – will start with a “‘reassurance’” bulletin four hours ahead of departure with a customer booking reference, flight time and check-in details.

A notification will be sent shortly before check-in closes as well as a boarding reminder once passengers are in the departure lounge.

From November 5th 2007 holidaymakers will be able to fly to Hamburg, Germany’s second city, from London Luton airport. The service will be daily, with return fares starting from £33.98 including taxes.

Also new are flights from East Midlands airport to Palma, the capital of the Spanish Balearics on the island of Mallorca.

The route will start from February 7th 2008 and will operate three times per week, increasing to a daily service for the summer season. Fares will start from £35.98 return.

source: travelbite.co.uk

easyJet would launch a further two new routes this winter, connecting East Midlands with Palma (Mallorca) and London Luton with Hamburg, bringing the total number of new routes to be launched by the airline this winter to 46 and representing a growth of 14% year on year.

source: Boarding.no

The airline’s expansion to Bucharest and Gdansk represents the airline’s commitment to growth in Central Eastern Europe, whilst the addition of Innsbruck to the network will continue to position the airline as the first choice for independent skiers.

This announcement follows the recent news that the airline will also expand with new services from; Bristol to Madiera and Lisbon (starts 29 October and 31 October respectively); Gatwick to Lisbon (starts 1 October); Stansted to Madiera (starts 29 October); Edinburgh and Bournemouth to Krakow (starts 29 October and 30 October respectively).

source: Boarding.no