news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

AirTran Airways, whose aggressive expansion in 2005 and early 2006 bucked an industry trend toward capacity cuts, is scaling back its growth strategy because of uncertain market conditions.Although the low-cost carrier, a unit of AirTran Holdings, remains one of the fastest growing U.S. airlines, factors such as volatility in jet fuel prices have caused it to trim its 2007 growth outlook, according to a senior company executive.

source: Reuters

A low-cost airline planning flights from Liverpool in England to New York has announced that it will be flying to John F. Kennedy International instead of Newark Liberty.

Flyglobespan is set to begin direct daily service between the two cities next May’, ‘but has altered its destination airport stateside because it will provide greater convenience for passengers.

source: Cheapflight.com

Low-cost airline Ryanair has unveiled an offer worth £1 billion to buy the Irish carrier Aer Lingus.

Chief executive Michael O’Leary said the move represented a “unique opportunity” to form a strong airline for Ireland with more than 50 million passengers annually.

Ryanair has already acquired a 16% stake in Aer Lingus – which was listed on the stock market last month – and will make an offer for the rest in a move valuing the carrier at £1 billion.

source: SouthLondon.co.uk

JetBlue Airways, a low-cost airline known for its passenger amenities, has made no secret that it would like to serve Chicago. Now it’s taking steps to make that happen.

The New York-based carrier has asked the Federal Aviation Administration for landing rights at O’Hare International Airport, offering to bring lower fares to an airport dominated by the nation’s two largest airlines.

source: Chicago Tribune

The European Commission said Greece must apply ‘quickly’ a ruling made by the EU’s highest court that the government recover aid illegally paid out to flag carrier Olympic Airlines ‘quickly’ or face further court action.

The 161Mâ?¬ of illegal aid given to Olympic since December 2002 comprised 41Mâ?¬ of restructuring aid and another 120 Mâ?¬ of operational aid, including granting the company exemption from payment of various sums the company owed to the Greek state such as VAT on fuel and airport charges.

source: Forbes

Budget airline Ryanair is extending its operation at Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport with 11 new destinations.
Routes to Santiago, Inverness, Wroclaw, Aberdeen, Kaunas and Ancona officially launched from the airport of Liverpool.

A further five routes – Poznan, Krakow, Tampere, Alghero and Santander – are being launched later in the week.

source: BBC

Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana’s new low cost airline Clickair said it expects to book 260 M euros in revenues in 2007.

The airline, which recently began operations out of Barcelona’s El Prat airport, will have a fleet of 20 airplanes by end-2007, and 30 planes by end-2008, a Clickair spokeswoman said.

fuente: Forbes

Rescuers recovered the first two bodies from the wreckage of a crashed Brazilian passenger plane in the Amazon jungle on Sunday and reported that none of the 155 people on board had survived, the Brazilian Airforce said.

The crash of the brand-new Boeing 737-800 belonging to low-cost airline Gol is Brazil’s worst aviation disaster.

Search and rescue teams had to rappel down from helicopters while others hacked their way through thick jungle to reach the wreckage after the plane went down in remote Mato Grosso state on Friday.

source: Sidney Morning Herald

Low-fare carrier AirTran Airways Inc. said Wednesday it plans to delay the delivery of eight Boeing 737 aircraft that were scheduled to be delivered in 2007 and 2008.

The Orlando, Fla.-based airline, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings Inc., said it is pushing back the delivery of five of the 19 aircrafts scheduled for delivery in 2007 and three of the 18 aircrafts planned for 2008. They will now be delivered between 2009 and 2011.

Brazil’s Gol said on Monday it will provide low-cost flights for up to 200,000 Chile-based passengers in its first year, but does not aim to compete with regional giant LAN Airlines for Chile’s domestic market, of which LAN has 73 percent.

Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes has launched two daily flights between Rio de Janeiro and Santiago with stop-overs in Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, and another between Florianopolis and Santiago via Porto Alegre and Buenos Aires.

source: Reuters