news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

Obesity is fast becoming a problem for airlines. A little extra weight means a little extra cost for the airline. The bottom line of many airlines is being hurt by the expanding bottoms of some passengers.

Dr. Andrew Dannenberg, Disease Control and Prevention: “As the average weight of the American public has gone up and airlines are having to fly more weight.”

More weight means higher costs. A survey in 2000 revealed airlines were spending an extra 275 million dollars a year in fuel costs just to carry the extra weight. Doctor Andrew Dannenberg with the Centers for Disease Control says there is no danger to the public, because the FAA has already factored in extra weight.

source: WLNS news

Hurricane John lashed the main city in the southern part of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula with fierce winds and rain early today after sparing the tourist resorts of Los Cabos a direct hit. The storm made landfall as at Category 2 storm about 40 miles northeast of San Jose del Cabo, but slipped to Category 1 status with 85 mph winds this morning.

fuente: CNN

The world’s largest airline said traffic dropped to 12.48 billion revenue passenger miles from 12.65 billion, in the year-ago period. A revenue passenger mile is an industry unit measuring one paying passenger flown one mile.

Capacity declined to 15.21 billion available seat miles, down from last year’s 15.5 billion. Occupancy grew by less than 1 percentage point, to 81.9 percent from 81.5 percent.

fuente: chron.com

An U.S. airline set to enter the low-cost travel market next year from a hub in Columbus, Ohio, has started looking at prospective airports. Skybus Airlines, run by a former partner in IBM Corp.’s travel consulting practice, hopes to fly to up to 25 cities in the United States starting next March.

It will model itself after European low-cost leader Ryanair, the company says. Skybus seeks to undercut discount rivals, such as Southwest Airlines, by offering “ultra-low fares,” says Chief Executive Officer Bill Diffenderffer.

A failure by the U.S. and the European Union to reach a new agreement next month on the provision of passenger data for transatlantic flights could ground up to 105,000 people each week.

The two sides need to reach a new accord by the end of September, after the European Court of Justice ruled in May that the current agreement is unacceptable. That agreement calls for airlines to provide U.S. authorities with the names, addresses, ticket payment details, and telephone numbers of passengers on U.S.-bound flights. The EU’s highest court ruled that there was no “appropriate legal basis” for the deal, and said it would cease to be valid from October.

source: PCworld

Airlines are allowing ticketed passengers affected by Hurricane John to change and rebook their tickets, and in some cases, obtain refunds.Alaska Airlines will waive change fees and other charges for those scheduled to travel through Friday to or from Puerto Vallarta or Los Cabos if travel is rescheduled for on or before Sept. 21. The airline is offering full refunds for those who don’t want to travel or don’t have new dates.
Other airlines were following similar policies.

More info at Seattle Times

Buying an airline ticket has never been a simple task – the rules of the game are always changing. But if you know how the game is played, you’ll have a better chance of saving money.

1. Low cost carriers don’t always have the lowest fares.

2. You may pay more in taxes and fees than you do for your airfare.

3. You can mix and match fares to get better deals.

4. Your computer may be preventing you from getting the best deals.

5. The most popular travel Web sites don’t have the same information — or the best deals.

We hope Trabber will help travelers on their search.

The Government announced its intention to float Aer Lingus on the Dublin and London stock exchanges. Ministers pushed ahead with the plans despite continued opposition to the move by the countryâ??s largest trade union, SIPTU, which represents almost 2,000 staff at the state airline. The shares, primarily targeted at institutional investors, will be available for a minimum investment of â?¬10,000, and are expected to go on sale in late September.

source: Ireland on-line

Ryanair is to allow passengers on its flights to use their mobile phones from the middle of next year.
The low-cost operator will equip its fleet with the OnAir onboard mobile communication system. Passengers wanting to use the service will be charged standard international roaming rates. Passengers will be able to make and receive calls, exchange SMS messages and connect to email via satellite broadband links and a ground network to be supplied by OnAirâ??s telecoms infrastructure partner, Monaco Telecom.
source: VNUnet

In an unforeseen twist, new security rules for carry-on bags are enabling airline passengers to get on and off planes faster, helping flights leave on time.

US Airways is boarding planes five to 10 minutes faster, depending on the size of the plane and how crowded it is, says senior vice president Anthony Mule. Following terror-related arrests in London, the Transportation Security Administration on Aug. 10 banned liquids, creams and gels from the planeâ??s cabin. Airlines say theyâ??re handling up to 25 percent more checked bags now as travelers adjust to the rules.

source: Tonawanda news