Hungarian ground crews at Budapest’s Ferihegy International airport went on strike Thursday to support demands for higher pay.
It was the third strike in just over one week, airport officials said.
The strike of the ground service crews, who belong to an independent trade union of air traffic employees, is scheduled to last until Saturday, the Hungarian news agency MTI reported.
source: postchronicle.com
The European Commission has stepped up efforts to protect air passengers facing delays and cancellations, giving airlines and EU member states a six month ultimatum to fall in line with EU law or face legal action.
“‘We must make sure that airlines and member states fully comply with their obligations,'” EU transport commissioner Jacques Barrot said on Wednesday (4 April), stressing “‘the commission will give them six months to make the air passengers regulation work.'”
The legislation – meant to protect passengers in cases of denied boarding, cancellations, long delays and involuntary downgrading – came into force two years ago but airlines keep dragging their feet on implementation.
source: BusinessWeek
Air Canada will become the official airline of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the airline and the Vancouver organizing committee announced Thursday.
The six-year partnership also includes sponsorship rights and transportation for Canadian Olympic teams to next year’s summer games in Beijing and the 2012 London Olympics.
“‘All of us at Air Canada are honoured to support the Olympic and Paralympic spirit,'” Air Canada president and CEO Montie Brewer said in a news release.
source: CBC News
Zoom Airlines has expanded its schedule of flights from Glasgow Airport.
The low-cost airline has introduced an additional weekly flight from Glasgow to Toronto which increases the frequency on the route to two a week.
In March 2004, Zoom began offering flights to Vancouver and Toronto in the winter after a successful summer season.
source: eveningtimes.co.uk
Wizz Air, the largest low fare-low cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe carried six million passengers since its May 2004 launch, the airline has announced on Tuesday.
Within one year the carrier has doubled its passenger numbers and has outperformed its competitors.
The airline has targeted to carry the next one million passengers within only three months.
source: Porfolio.hu
Brazil’s civil aviation authority said on Wednesday that it gave low-cost airline Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes the green light to buy rival air carrier Varig.
The National Civil Aviation Agency or ANAC said it gave Gol “advance authorization” for the deal. Gol now still requires approval from Brazil’s anti-trust agency Cade, ANAC said in an on-line statement.
source: Reuters
Low-cost carrier Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, has started commercial operations with ticket prices as low as $US2.60 ($3.19).
Its first passengers flew out of the island resort of Penang, officials said.
Firefly, Malaysia’s second low-cost airline after AirAsia, will use two 50-seater Fokker Friendship aircraft.
Initially, the airline will fly from its base in Penang to the Malaysian cities of Kota Baru, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan and Langkawi. From April 13, the airline will also fly daily to the Thai resort islands of Phuket and Koh Samui.
source: theage.com.au
The Dallas-based low-cost carrier said it flew 6.1 billion revenue passenger miles last month compared to March 2006 when the airline flew 5.8 billion revenue passenger miles. A revenue passenger mile is one paying passenger flown 1 mile.
Load factor, however, dropped in March as its percentage of seats filled slipped to 73.3 percent from 75.5 percent a year ago.
The European Commission has stepped up efforts to protect air passengers facing delays and cancellations, giving airlines and EU member states a six month ultimatum to fall in line with EU law or face legal action.
“‘We must make sure that airlines and member states fully comply with their obligations,'” EU transport commissioner Jacques Barrot said on Wednesday (4 April), stressing “‘the commission will give them six months to make the air passengers regulation work.'”
The legislation – meant to protect passengers in cases of denied boarding, cancellations, long delays and involuntary downgrading – came into force two years ago but airlines keep dragging their feet on implementation.
source: EU Observer
Air Pacific we revert to its scheduled Nadi/Honolulu/Vancouver flights from 06 April following the cancellation of a code-share deal with Canada’s Harmony Airlines.
Harmony Airways, a five-year-old Canadian full-service airline, announced it would end scheduled flights, blaming rising costs and competition from larger rivals, and only operate chartered flights.
source: MICE BTN
