news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

America’s airline shrinkage has landed at Stewart International Airport again. JetBlue Airways is downsizing its flights to just two a day after Sept. 2, the carrier says.

The last flight to West Palm Beach, Fla., will be Sept. 2.

That same day, JetBlue will drop one of its two daily flights to Orlando and one of the two to Fort Lauderdale. But according to travelers and the airline’s Web site, there’s only one Fort Lauderdale flight now.

source: poughkeepsiejournal.com

Deutsch Lufthansa launched its maiden Pune-Frankfurt, all-business class, flight today with a Airbus 319 carrier, reconfigured to provide a seating arrangement of 48 seats. Announcing the launch of this 6-days-a-week flight, Lufthansa south east Asia director, Werner Heesen, said the company plans to attract only “‘corporate'” fliers through this flight.

source: Domain-b

Passengers who flew across the Atlantic between August 2004 and March 2006 with British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic are entitled to a refund as part of a £100 million settlement pending in California.

The deal was struck by American lawyers in US courts but the lion’s share – £73.5million – has been reserved for British passengers.

That equates to a refund of between £4 and £20 for each return ticket and up to £10 for a one-way ticket. Frequent flyers and corporate customers could pick up hundreds of pounds.

The refund applies not only to transatlantic flights but to any long haul journey operated by the airline between the specified period.

source: telegraph.co.uk

With the high price of fuel raising the cost of flying, Air France is looking into replacing some of its short-haul European flights with high-speed rail service in partnership with a French train operator, a move that analysts said could lead to significant savings.

Air France spokeswoman Brigitte Barrand said the French flag carrier and Veolia Transport “‘are examining the possibility of concluding a strategic partnership aimed at introducing a new player in the European high-speed rail sector.”‘

fuente: IHT.com

Undeterred by a raft of airline bankruptcies caused by the record fuel price, British Airways brought the world’s newest airline into being yesterday.

The inaugural service, which took off from Paris Orly destined for New York, launched just a day after Penelope Butcher of Morgan Stanley warned that the aviation industry was flying into a period that, because of soaring oil price and rapidly slowing economies, would be worse than the fraught years after 9/11, when several major carriers went bust, as well as the 1992-93 recession.

source: The Independent

German airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG said Wednesday it has raised passenger fuel surcharges on European and long-haul routes to combat its rising costs for oil.

The company said in a statement the fuel surcharge on domestic German and intra-European routes will increase by €3 to €24 per flight segment. On long-haul routes the corresponding fuel surcharge will be raised by €10 to €92 per flight segment.

The Cologne-based airline said the increases will apply to all Lufthansa tickets issued on or after June 16.

source: iht.com

German airline Lufthansa on Monday said it had launched two routes from China and Singapore to Munich, despite soaring oil prices which have seen other airlines cutting routes and capacity.

Lufthansa said it would run five flights a week between Singapore’s Changi Airport and Munich Airport as well as thrice weekly flights from Shenyang in China to Munich via Seoul.

source: The Economic Times

Continental Airlines said it is cutting 3,000 jobs and reducing capacity by 11 percent, citing record fuel costs that have pushed the industry into its worst crisis since 2001.

Continental will begin pulling back on flights in September, when departures on its mainline operations will drop about 16 percent below September 2007 levels. Fourth-quarter capacity will fall 11 percent. The company said it plans to offer details on flight and destination reductions and eliminations by the end of next week.

source: washingtonpost.com

American Airlines is to axe its daily flights from Stansted to New York amid growing concern about the cost of fuel.

The carrier said the last flight would depart from Stansted on July 2, less than a year after it started the service.

American said it would continue its flights between New York’s JFK airport and Heathrow, but added it was looking to reduce its costs in face of “‘skyrocketing fuel prices and a softening economy'”.

source: edp24.co.uk

America’s largest carrier American Airlines has said it will soon start charging passengers $15 to check their first bag each way, or $30 round-trip, if they are flying on a discounted fare.

The airline’s new policy, which comes into effect on June 15 hits fliers hard, as only two weeks ago many major carriers, including American, began charging $25 each way for checking a second bag.

source: galwayfirst.ie