news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

Sir Richard Branson has angered Virgin Atlantic staff who are threatening to strike by telling them they should “‘consider working elsewhere’”.

The entrepreneur, estimated to be worth £3.1 billion, told 4,800 cabin crew in a letter that he would not meet their pay demands. He said: “‘For some of you, more pay than Virgin Atlantic can afford may be critical to your life-style and if that is the case you should consider working elsewhere.’”

Union members have voted to stage 48-hour strikes on January 9-10 and January 16-17.

Sir Richard said he had drawn a line in the sand in the dispute with staff belonging to the Unite union, which is embroiled in separate negotiations with BAA, the airports operator.

source: Times OnLine

Routes operated by GB Airways for summer 2008 have become available to book online at easyJet’s website.

A total of 32 routes include Sharm El Sheikh, the Canary Islands, Corfu, the Greek Islands and Turkey.

The move follows British Airways terminating the sale of GB Airways flights from March 30 onwards after easyJet acquired the BA franchise partner last October.

source: Travelmole

Ultra low cost carrier Spirit Airlines is launching new daily non-stop service from Orlando to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Located on the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Aguadilla is known for its beaches, crystal clear waters, and excellent surfing. This new service compliments Spirit‘s existing connecting service from Orlando and non-stop service from Fort Lauderdale to Aguadilla.

source: PR-USA.net

budget airline Flyglobespan has reviewed its prices across all routes for next summer.

The airline, which has headquarters in Colinton, said it could now offer passengers its “‘biggest ever sale'” of cheap seats.

Flyglobespan chief executive Rick Green said: “‘As soon as the Christmas presents are unwrapped, people’s thoughts turn towards their holidays.'”

source: scotsman.com

All Skybus Airlines Inc. flights are back in business after damage to two planes in the discount airline’s fleet sparked cancellations for more than 1,000 travelers during the holiday.

Problems surfaced Christmas Day when the Columbus-based company cut its seven-plane fleet down to five after one airliner’s rear door was damaged when stairs were being set in place, Skybus spokesman Bob Tenenbaum said. A second plane’s fuselage was damaged while on the ground, an event whose cause is still unknown. The door damage was repaired in Columbus while the second plane was flown to Alabama for repairs and returned before Thursday morning.

source: Columbus Business First

After some 250 travelers were stranded Christmas Day, discount airline Skybus has canceled more flights out of Columbus, where the company is based.

Flights to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Bellingham, Washington, were scrubbed Wednesday morning.

The problems began a day earlier when a Skybus plane that flies to multiple cities each day was found to have a mechanical problem.

That triggered a chain of Christmas cancellations, sending customers scrambling to make alternative travel arrangements.

source: WTOL

Low-cost airline easyJet PLC has said it will start a new four-times weekly service from London Gatwick airport to Biarritz, in the south of France, from July 4, 2008.

The service will run every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, easyJet said. The carrier also launched a six-times weekly service from London Gatwick to Innsbruck earlier today.

source: Hemscott

GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A., the parent company of Brazil’s low-cost airlines GOL Transportes Aereos S.A. and VRG Linhas Aereas S.A., announces that GOL has begun daily operations to Presidente Prudente, located in western Sao Paulo state.

The route will connect Presidente Prudente to both Sao Paulo’s capital and Cuiaba, in Mato Grosso. Presidente Prudente has one of Brazil’s leading cattle ranching industries and is known as a center for the quarter horse and the Nelore Mocho cattle. The Animal Exposition held during the first two weeks of September is one of the largest events in Brazil, attracting thousands of business and leisure travelers. The city is also recognized as home to a number of important universities and other educational institutions.

source: Fox Business

Premier domestic airline Kingfisher and low-cost carrier Air Deccan will merge soon and operate as a single entity from April 1, 2008.

At a joint press conference later, Gopinath and Mallya told reporters the merger would be based on the recommendations of Accenture, the global consulting firm, which was commissioned to prepare a comprehensive report on the pros and cons of such an exercise.

source: andhracafe.com

While low-cost carriers (LCC), also known as no-frills airlines, have since long been successfully operating throughout the U.S., Europe, and southern Asia, Japan has so far seen very little of the low-price action.

The concept behind the LCC is as simple as it has been proved successful – bring prices down by keeping services to a minimum and cutting corners wherever possible.

One of the reasons Japan has seen so few low-cost airlines is that one of the basic concepts is to operate only on shorter stretches to keep expenses at a minimum. Ideal travel time is less than 5-6 hours. For LCCs operating out of Thailand or Singapore, Japan is simply too far away. It is also questionable whether spending more time than that on a no-frills airplane would be a very enjoyable experience.

Japanese travelers should however expect this situation to change in the near future because of a recent surge of interest in the Japanese market from foreign airlines. A big leap forward is expected in 2010 when Tokyo’s Haneda Airport’s fourth runway is expected to stand completed, allowing the airport to open up for more international airlines.

source: Japan News Review