news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

The owner of British Midland International (BMI), Lufthansa, has said it has not yet decided on a buyer for the carrier.

In November the German airline signed an agreement with BA owner, International Airlines Group (IAG), to work towards a final deal.

However, the agreement was not exclusive and Lufthansa has now said it also has a deal with Virgin.

It means that both carriers still have a chance of buying BMI.

source: BBC.co.uk

Technology that allows aircraft to measure volcanic ash concentrations so they can steer clear of dangerous clouds in mid-flight has been successfully tested by EasyJet.

The system used by the low-cost carrier could improve the mapping of ash clouds, helping regulators avoid shutting down large swathes of commercial airspace in response to volcanic eruptions.

source: FT.com

Pay-as-you-drive electric car rentals are expected to help cut pollution and reduce traffic in Paris, as the new fleet of fully electric Autiolib’ vehicles hits the French capital.

From last week, Parisians could take the bubble cars for a ride from more than 1,200 parking spots where they rest for recharge.

A subscription cost €10 a day or €15 a week, while an annual subscription of €144 subscription allows users to take the car for only half an hour each time for €5, just over the price of two underground tickets.

The Autolib’ system builds on the success of the Velib’ bicycle-sharing service and could provide a shop window for entrepreneur Vincent Bolloré and his nascent car battery business.

source: Guardian.co.uk

Customers flying with bmi, British Midland International, will now enjoy a better inflight dining experience, as the airline has launched a new range of products onboard its flights.

A new bespoke and elegant crockery range, contemporary cutlery and a new set of glassware have been introduced in the Business Class cabin. Customers travelling in Economy will also benefit from new dining ware and cutlery designed to enhance the dining experience.

Ryanair has announced increases in the fees it will charge passengers for checking in baggage during peak travel periods.

The increases will apply to flights in the months of June, July, August, September and at Christmas.

Peak period fees will rise by €5 or £5 to €25 for online bookings made from December 15.

Ryanair will also increase its checked in bag fees paid at call centres and airports by at least €25/£25 (from €35 to €60) per bag.

source: rte.ie

Rental cars in the UK are safer and used more efficiently than some other types of vehicle, new research has revealed.

Conducted by TRL on behalf of the ‘British Vehicle Rental’ and Leasing Association (BVRLA), a study found rented motors emit 12 per cent fewer emissions than their privately-owned counterparts.

Because they are used more frequently they are cost efficient, while they are often newer and better maintained.

source: trl.co.uk

British Airways has launched a new digital magazine for members of its ‘Executive Club’ to celebrate the services relaunch.

Sporting a clean design and simple navigation ‘’The Club” is designed to be easily accessible to millions of Club members.

The Club is published by Cedar Communications, who already oversee BA’s inflight magazines ‘High Life’, ‘Business life’ and ‘First Life.’

source: thedrum.co.uk

Students at the ‘Miami School of Advertising’ have developed a concept for airline Virgin Atlantic that allows people to book holidays according to their weather preferences, rather than by country or city.

The Virgin “‘Book By Weather'” application would allow users to select a holiday destination based on the preferred temperature, cloud cover, average rainfall, wind speed, humidity and UV strength. The students — Otilia Dobrea and Glen Hansen — propose that this could take the form of a dashboard with a sliding scale for each of the weather conditions which customers could use as an alternative to the traditional search functionality.

source: wired.co.uk

Paris is launching an electric car sharing program to cut air and noise pollution on the city’s medieval cobblestone streets and beyond.

‘Autolib’, a project built on the success of the city’s bike rental scheme, makes its debut today and officials want the self-service ‘e-cars’ to be as much a part of Paris life as the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame Cathedral.

While many world cities have been developing greener alternatives to carbon-emitting vehicles, Paris says its program is the biggest of its kind: 250 vehicles hit the road on Monday, 2000 are expected by next summer and 3000 are planned within the next two years.

source: news.smh.com.au

Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have received final approval for their proposed alliance. The two airlines got the go ahead from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) last week, having already received approval from  Singapore’s aviation authorities.

The move means that the two airlines will now be able to coordinate their flight schedules on a range of international and domestic Australian routes. This is likely to give travellers from the UK better connections for flights to Australia, via Singapore.

source: traveldaily.co.uk