news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

EU regulators said last week they had opened an in-depth investigation into the financing of Beauvais airport in France, to determine whether it was in line with EU state aid rules.

The European Commission, which acts as the competition regulator in the 27-member European Union, said in a statement it was also looking into rebates and marketing deals between the airport and its client airlines, to ensure those too met the regulations.

The Commission did not identify the airlines, but those with flights to Beauvais, which is 75 km (46 miles) north of Paris, include Ryanair, Wizz Air and Blue Air.

source: Reuters

Low-cost airline easyJet has extended its relationship with Sabre Travel Network to distribute its fares and services to travel agencies.

The agreement has been expanded to provide further distribution to Sabre-connected travel agencies with access to easyJet fares through the global distribution system (GDS).

Agents will soon be able to take advantage of easyJet’s allocated seating trial, which is currently running on selected routes across the network.

source: breakingtravelnews.com

Budget airline Ryanair reported record profits Monday as its recession-resistant business model continued to attract passengers from higher-fare carriers amid Europe’s debt crisis.

The Dublin-based airline said its net profit for the fiscal year ending March 31 rose nearly 50 percent to €560.4 million ($715 million), the highest figure ever for the 27-year-old airline.

Ryanair ” known for its brash boss and its in-your-face advertising style ” did offer a typically cautious outlook. It forecast that passenger numbers in the current fiscal year would rise a further 5 percent to 79 million, chiefly in the peak April-September period, but rising fuel costs were likely to weaken profits to an annual net figure of between €400 million and €440 million.

source: Associated Press

Starting today, Air Berlin will connect the German capital Berlin with the American city of Los Angeles on the west coast of the United States. The summer schedule features 3 weekly flights with an Airbus 330-200 from Berlin towards Hollywood. The inaugural flight was celebrated this morning in Terminal B at Berlin-Tegel.

source: rustourismnews.com

All Germanwings flights between Germany and Austria will in future also bear an Austrian OS flight number. The airlines’ codesharing is part of their strategy to further connect the services offered by both brands in order to create added benefits to the clients of both airlines.

source: traveldailynews.com

Low fare carrier bmibaby is set to close later this year, threatening the loss of hundreds of jobs and the ending of its flights.

The carrier transferred to International Airlines Group, the owners of British Airways, last month, but consultations have now started with unions about its closure in September.

With bmi Regional, bmibaby transferred to International Airlines Group ownership on completion of the purchase from Lufthansa. IAG has consistently said that bmibaby and bmi Regional are not part of its long-term plans.

source: Press Association

The woman at the centre of a ‘too fat to fly’ controversy has announced that she is suing Southwest Airlines, who refused to allow her on a flight in April 2011.

New Orleans resident Kenlie Tiggeman is taking on the airlines controversial ”Customers of Size” policy which requires passengers to buy a second seat if they can’t fit between the 17-inch wide armrests.

In her quest to seek an injunction against the Dallas headquartered carrier, Tiggeman alleges that Southwest ignored her ”constitutional rights” and is involved in ”discriminatory actions towards obese customers”.

source: Dailymail.co.uk

Ryanair, the Ireland-based budget airline, has announced an addition to its service to Munich, Germany, from London Stansted Airport.

The airline is offering additional flight from London Stansted Airport to Munich for the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League final to be played on May 19, 2012, between English club, Chelsea, and German club, Bayern Munich, at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

source: travel-news.co.uk

Spirit Airlines refuses to refund tickets for a man who learned that he has terminal cancer and can’t fly on a plane after he purchased the trip.

Jerry Meekins, 76, of St. Petersburg, Florida asked the airline for his money back after doctors told him that he only had months to live from esophageal cancer he is battling.

But Spirit officials say that they won’t return the funds because the company has a non-refundable policy and it wouldn’t be right to adjust the rules for one person.

source: dailymail.co.uk

German airline Deutsche Lufthansa said a project to bring together its Germanwings unit and point-to-point services in Europe was one option being considered under plans to cope better with low-cost competition.

“‘It is just a business case at the moment,'” a spokesman for Germany’s largest airline said Lufthansa was planning a new low-cost airline called Direct 4 You.

While Lufthansa is strong in intercontinental and hub traffic, it has suffered in Europe from the rise of low-cost carriers such as easyJet and Ryanair.

source: Reuters