news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

Korean Air has confirmed that it is to launch a new low cost carrier within the next 3 years.

Since 2005, Korean Air organized a special task force to study the feasibility of operating its own low cost carrier. For the new airline, Korean Air is considering using one of its Hanjin Group affiliates, Korea Airport Service, which has charter flight operation experience, rather than setting up a new company. Korean Air is part of the Hanjin Group, one of the world’s largest transportation conglomerates.

source: asiatraveltips.com

U.S. airlines, already taking a beating in surveys of customers, took another hit last week when a guest-satisfaction poll by a California market research company gave them their lowest ratings in four years.

“‘The drop in passenger satisfaction reveals unprecedented angst … caused, in part, by disenchanted employees, increasing fuel costs, bankruptcy and new record levels of lost, delayed and damaged luggage,'” said Jonathan Barsky, chairman of Market Metrix.

Among the 14 airlines in the survey, JetBlue and Midwest Airlines ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, even though they showed the biggest declines over the last survey. US Airways was at the bottom of the overall ratings. United Airlines, the No. 1 carrier at LAX, ranked third from the bottom, just above American Airlines. The top seven spots were all claimed by low-cost carriers.

Alitalia flight attendants were staging a four-hour strike Monday, the latest in a series of protests buffeting the struggling Italian carrier.

Alitalia officials said it was too early to know how many flights would be affected by the protest, scheduled to last until 4 p.m. (1400GMT). Delays and cancellations were expected, the Rome airports authority warned on its Web site.

Thousands of travelers were left stranded last month when protests by flight attendants and air traffic controllers forced Alitalia to cancel nearly 400 flights. Flight attendant unions are trying to keep up the pressure on the carrier over contract negotiations.

source: International Herald Tribune

A Southwest Airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing at an Oakland International Airport after its landing gear collapsed.A spokesperson for the airline said the nose landing gear on the 737 malfunctioned forcing the plane to land on its belly.

Luckily, no passengers or crew were injured.

source: WHDH

Sir Richard Branson’s airline Virgin Atlantic said it is to set up a business class-only carrier flying between Europe and the US.

Virgin issued a statement saying it intends to launch an all-business class airline within the next 12 to 18 months.

The airline will fly initially from cities including Paris, Frankfurt, Milan and Zurich non-stop to New York and other major destinations, as well as between London and the US, Virgin said.

”The new airline, which may also use the Virgin Atlantic name, will offer better quality than existing all-business carriers at the same or lower prices,” Virgin said in a statement.

source: hemscott.com

Virgin Atlantic chairman Sir Richard Branson on Saturday announced a programme aimed at saving elephants in Kenya, as he boarded his airline’s first flight to the east African nation.

He pledged 250,000 dollars (186,000 euros) to help create Virgin Mount Kenya Elephant Corridor that would benefit about 2,000 elephants threatened by human encroachment.

“‘Historically, the African elephant has roamed across the continent from South Africa to the Mediterranean coast but its population is under serious threat,'” Branson told reporters in Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Ryanair came in for renewed criticism from environmental campaigners yesterday after it launched a route in direct competition with Eurostar.

Europe’s largest low-cost carrier reopened its Stansted to Brussels service yesterday, taking on the cross-channel train operator, whose passengers generate a tenth as much carbon dioxide per journey as plane travellers.

source: Guardian.co.uk

Jet2.com, the low cost airline, revealed that it had come top in a punctuality list of low cost airlines operating out of the UK. Flightontime.info, the online flight data specialists, analysed official CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) flight data and 12-months statistics confirmed that Jet2.com had beaten the likes of Ryanair, easyJet and BMIbaby to claim the crown of most punctual low cost airline in the UK.

source: traveldailynews.com

British Airways has confirmed that a staff survey has revealed that less than half its workers think the airline offers passengers value for money.

The study in this week’s edition of the carrier’s staff newspaper found that only 49% agreed that travellers got a good deal for their ticket price.

source: BBC News

Norwegian is Scandinavia’s leading low cost carrier and started its operations 1^st September 2002 with four domestic routes and six aircraft – Boeing 737-300. Today Norwegian has 22 aircraft (all Boeing 737-300) and operates 10 domestic routes and 89 international routes to 60 destinations. The company has 850 employees and the headquarters are located at Fornebu, Oslo.

source: business-traveler.eu