The nine flight attendants with the now bankrupt Spanish Air Comet airline posed naked or semi-naked for a calendar to “‘continue to publicise their situation and demand a solution'”.
The airline failed to pay staff for up to nine months before it finally filed for bankruptcy last December.
The company had debts of around 160 millions euros (£142m) when it folded including unpaid wages.
source: Telegraph.co.uk
Ryanair Holdings announced a halt to its in-flight phone service after a 13-month contract with OnAir ended, and invited rival providers to bid for the expansion of the service to its entire fleet.
The carrier said it will now invite other providers of in-flight communications to tender for access to its 73 million annual passengers. Considering Ryanair is well known for rapidly dropping initiatives that don’t pay off, news of a tender suggests the airline was happy with the trial it ran on part of is fleet.
OnAir currently works with six airlines and plans to launch services with six more during the course of the year.
source: marketwatch.com
Thousands of customers owed money by failed airline Flyglobespan may only get 5% of their fares back.
About 40,000 people, including hundreds of staff, were owed money or were left with worthless tickets.
PricewaterhouseCoopers said customers who paid by credit card or Visa debit could claim compensation but up to 8,000 others may receive just 5%. It would take up to two years to process all the Flyglobespan claims and called for better regulations to protect customers in future business failures.
source: BBC News
Wizz Air said it would immediately call on the European Commission to investigate the Hungarian government’s decision to yet again waste significant financial resources into Malév, the struggling and massively loss making national airline.
The Malév re-nationalization plan does not solve the issue as the airline will require continuous illegal financial aid from tax payers’ money going forward.
source: Travelio.net
European airport authorities subsidise Ryanair to the tune of at least €11 (£10) per passenger, Air France-KLM claimed this week as it filed a lawsuit in Brussels against the low-cost carrier.
In the latest in a series of legal attacks on Ryanair’s business model, the Franco-Dutch airline accused the Irish company of receiving illegal state aid and distorting competition.
Air France-KLM said that Ryanair obtained at least €660 million a year in financial incentives from regional authorities in Europe, notably in the form of reduced ground-handling fees and other airport charges.
source: Times Online
A Ryanair flight to Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, was forced to land on the neighbouring island of Fuerteventura during a thunderstorm.
When arriving at the airport, around 120 passengers claim they were left ‘’stranded” to organise their own accommodation and travel plans with no word from the airline.
European guidelines state if the flight disruption is outside the control of the airline, no monetary compensation is due.
source: News.com.au
German carrier Air Berlin on Tuesday confirmed that it is planning to raise its stake in its Austrian partner Niki, the airline of Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda. The German budget airline said it is “‘in advanced negotiations'” on increasing its share and indicated that its board of directors would discuss the matter on Tuesday.
So far, Lauda’s budget carrier has profited from the Austrian Airlines takeover last year because the European Commission gave the go-ahead on the condition that the enlarged Lufthansa group hand over landing rights to Niki.
source: earthtimes.org
Ryanair has been officially branded the worst budget airline for hitting customers with hidden charges.
Holiday watchdogs investigated the cost of passengers checking in one piece of luggage each and paying by credit card. Stansted-based Ryanair charges spiralled by 61 per cent – ahead of Bmibaby, Jet2 and easyJet.
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said: “Everybody knows that Ryanair has the lowest fares guaranteed which is why Ryanair will carry 73 million passengers this year.
source: Mirror.co.uk
Air Asia will begin operating from a fourth national base this year after agreeing to buy into and rebrand a Vietnamese airline, even as the local affiliate of rival Jetstar struggles with a barrage of difficulties with the government in Hanoi.
The move strengthens Air Asia’s lead in Southeast Asia over Jetstar and Tiger Airways as the three Asia-Pacific, no-frills groups race to set up multinational franchise chains. For the first time, two of them will have franchised affiliates in the same country.
source: aviationweek.com
It could all be dismissed as just another Ryanair publicity stunt.
Michael O’Leary, chief executive of the budget airline, has challenged Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the largest shareholder in easyJet, its arch-rival, to a race round Trafalgar Square to settle a dispute over insults concerning “‘high fares’†and the portrayal of Sir Stelios as Pinocchio.
But the latest Ryanair insults have provoked a counter-threat. For the first time in the history of their rivalry, easyJet and Sir Stelios are threatening to sue Ryanair ” on two counts.
“‘If Stelios does not want to run, maybe he can go round in a wheelbarrow,’†said Mr O’Leary. “‘Or maybe we could do sumo wrestling.’â€
source: Times Online
