news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

JetBlue Airways has been named Best Low Cost/No Frills Airline by OAG, the global travel and transport information company, as part of their 2007 OAG Airline of the Year Awards. This marks the second year running that JetBlue has been named top airline in this category. The New York-based low-fare, low-cost carrier was among 42 airlines and airports that received nominations in 15 regional and global categories during the 25th Anniversary ceremony this week in London.

source: Webwire

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its annual Safety Report, which says that 2006 was the safest year on record. There were 77 accidents in 2006, compared to 111 in 2005. Of these 77 accidents, 46 involved jet aircraft and 31 involved turbo-props.

“‘The safety results for 2006 are impressive. Air transport remains the safest form of travel. But we must do even better. With demand for air travel increasing at 5-6% per year, the accident rate must decrease just to keep the actual number of accidents in check. The goal will always be zero accidents. And the interim target is to reduce the industry rate to 0.49 accidents per million flights in 2008-a 25% improvement,'” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s director general and CEO.

source: domain-B

The Czech low-cost carrier Smart Wings will start a service between Prague and Dubai, the airline said Tuesday.

The airline will operate one flight a week from May 15, it said in a statement.

The airline, which flies regularly to several Mediterranean and European destinations, claims to have carried 1.8 million passengers last year.

source: iht

British Airways has shrugged off its recent difficulties to be named airline of the year for the first time in almost 20 years.

The company was also voted top airline in three other categories – best transatlantic airline, best Europe to Asia and Australasia carrier, and best airline based in western Europe in the Airline of the Year Awards organised by travel information company OAG.

Last month figures showed that BA had lost more bags in 2006 than any other major European carrier.

The airline was also the hardest hit by the counter-terrorist measures introduced for passengers’ luggage last August, which led to BA having to cancel hundreds of flights. And last Christmas, the carrier had to put up with thick fog which wrecked schedules at Heathrow.

source: Guardian

Four days after acquiring Sahara Airlines, the Naresh Goyal promoted Jet Airways India Ltd. announced on Monday that it will operate the troubled rival as a separate company, which will be profitable in its first year.

New Delhi-based Air Sahara will be renamed Jet Lite, Goyal said on the sidelines of a news conference in Mumbai yesterday to unveil a new corporate identity of Jet.

source: indiainfoline.com

Ryanair is due to outline its opposition to the planned new terminal at Dublin Airport during an oral hearing in the city today.

The airline is one of seven objectors making submissions to An Bord Pleanala in relation to the planned development.

Yesterday, the Dublin Airport Authority made its case in favour of the terminal, which its plans to build for just under €400m.

source: belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Virgin America Inc., based in Burlingame, said Monday a report in London’s Daily Mail newspaper incorrectly stated the upstart carrier plans flights between the United States and England. Virgin America is only planning domestic service, said spokesman Gareth Edmondson-Jones.

“‘Our focus is to bring more travel choices and fare competition to U.S. travelers, beginning with flights between San Francisco and New York,'” Edmondson-Jones said.

source: bizJournal.com

UK regional airline Flybe said it has closed one of the operating bases of BA Connect, the loss-making former UK regional operation of British Airways PLC that it purchased last month, as it announced the appointment of a new chief financial officer.

Flybe said last month that it plans to cut about 200 jobs as part of the integration of BA Connect, which will lead to the closures of BA Connect’s head office in Manchester and an engineering centre on the Isle of Man.

The reductions are part of a plan to make cost savings and revenue gains of more than 40 mln stg a year to staunch similar annual losses accumulated by BA Connect in its last 12 months of operations, the FT said.

source: Forbes

German airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG has shown renewed interest in Spanish carrier Iberia and may make an offer this month, according to a German weekly, WirtschaftsWoche.

The German company declined to comment on the report saying it has nothing more than its previous comments — made by its chief executive Wolfgang Mayrhuber — that the Spanish carrier is of strategic interest, but it is too expensive.

source: earthtimes.org

Brazil’s TAM said it is about to become the first airline to promote itself in the Second Life online virtual world by offering cyberspace flights that correspond to its real-world international service.

Second Life, created by US-based Linden Lab, has millions of registered users and its own economy and currency, known as the Linden dollar, which can be exchanged for US dollars.

Several companies are already active in Second Life, including car maker Toyota, IBM and Reuters Group, which has a virtual news bureau there.