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British Airways is to launch its biggest ad campaign in 11 years with a £20m push using staff to promote the virtues of the airline – months after finally resolving an acrimonious dispute with cabin crew.

The TV element of the ad campaign, which will debut on the British Airways Facebook page on Wednesday, will be aired in the UK and US before being rolled out to other key international markets.

The supporting press and outdoor campaign will include seven different ads highlighting the experience and skill of British Airways staff.

source: guardian.co.uk

For the second year in a row, American Airlines was ranked among the most innovative companies in the U.S. by InformationWeek, vaulting to No. 11 in this year’s ‘InformationWeek 500’ ranking. The ranking of the top technology innovators in the United States was revealed this week at the exclusive InformationWeek 500 Conference.

source: prnewswire.com

Lufthansa customers could soon have more choice of one-way destinations within Europe, as the airline considers expanding a scheme that currently covers only tickets for flights within Germany, or selected countries such as Poland and Britain.

“‘We are checking at the moment under which conditions, on which routes and at which rates that would make sense,'” said Jens Bischof, sales chief of the passenger airline business at Lufthansa.

Currently, European legacy airlines such as Lufthansa and Air France-KLM sell mostly return tickets and even where one-way tickets are available, they can often cost much more than returns. This has left a gap for low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, EasyJet  and Air Berlin to snap up price-conscious customers.

fuente: Reuters

US Airways, United, Continental and Delta confirmed that they raised prices.

Jamie Baker, an analyst for J.P. Morgan Chase, said the increases of $6 to $10 were applied to last-minute tickets favored by corporate travelers. He said the move, led by US Airways, appeared to back up the company’s comments that demand for business travel has held up.

Baker said the airlines did not increase prices on tickets requiring an advance purchase. Those are usually bought by leisure travelers.

source: msnbc.com

Indian government auditors have criticised the aviation ministry over its decision to buy 111 planes for the national airline, Air India.

In a report submitted to parliament on Thursday, the auditors said the 2005 decision was “‘a recipe for disaster'”.

Air India has been losing millions of dollars in recent years.

The ailing state-run airline wants government money to help turn its fortunes around.

The report also questioned the bilateral agreements the ministry entered into with foreign countries which, it said, favoured international airlines.

source: BBC.co.uk

Transport minister Leo Varadkar said Aer Lingus is ‘”certainly under consideration'” as part of the government’s attempts to raise €2bn (£1.8bn) through asset sales as it desperately battles to cut national debt.

“‘That stake in the past was held for strategic reasons,'” Mr Varadkar told Irish media on Wednesday. “‘I don’t think that really stands anymore.'”

The government had considered Aer Lingus’s slots at Heathrow airport to be vital to Ireland. However, their importance has diminished because of an increase in direct flights to and from Dublin.

source: Telegraph.co.uk

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, and the Formula One Group signed an agreement extending the airline’s title sponsorship of the ‘Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix’ for four years, effective through to the 2015 event.

Etihad has been title sponsor for the event since the inaugural Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009. James Hogan, Etihad Airways CEO, and Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One Group CEO, were on hand to pen the multi-million dollar deal.

source: emirates247.com

International Airlines Group (IAG), the company formed from the merger of Iberia and British Airways, has hired US bank JP Morgan to advise on an offer for Portuguese airline TAP, according to reports in the British financial press.

The reports note that this agreement could help IAG improve earnings in expanding markets, as per plans outlined by company president Willie Walsh in an interview with a news agency in August.

source: sharecast.com

British Airways is inviting users of the carrier to contribute to an online collection of itineraries through their new ‘Perfect Days‘ Facebook app.

Consumers can pick a city the airline flies to and create an itinerary for a 24 hour stay there. Integration with Google Maps allows users to mark each café, museum or bar on a map; other Facebook users can therefore see the precise route and click on each attraction to read information about it.

source: businessrevieweurope.eu

The recent order of 100 Boeing 737-900ERs by Delta Air Lines reflects an urgency by legacy carriers to replace ageing aircraft, but the airline’s decision to go with the -900ER does not preclude it from being an operator of the re-engined 737 Max.

Delta, which first announced the order on 25 August, said separately in a regulatory filing on 30 August that it is cancelling 126 existing options for 737-800s in exchange for an additional 30 options for the -900ER, on top of the 100 firm orders.

The SkyTeam carrier announced the order just days before Boeing rolled out the re-engined 737 Max, which the airframer said has already garnered 496 commitments from five carriers.

source: Flight Global