news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

British Airways has finally thrashed out an agreement to end a bitter two-year battle with its cabin crew which cost the company £150million.

The conflict, which lasted longer than the miners’ strike of the 1980s, saw the airline and its passengers hit by a total of 22 days of strikes since its start in February 2009.

But a deal has been reached with the militant Unite union, which represents the majority of BA crew, and is already being regarded as a crucial victory for the airline and Willie Walsh who led it for most of the dispute.

source: dailymail.co.uk

Travelport has signed a new deal with Flydubai and renewed its full content agreement with Alitalia.

The deals mean the two airlines will have their fares and schedules available on Travelport’s Galileo and Worldspan global distribution systems (GDS) – a first for the middle eastern carrier.

Flydubai’s listing on the GDS will mean the low-cost airline, launched in June 2009, can tap into Travelport’s worldwide network of more than 60,000 travel agents.

source: abtn.co.uk

Budget airline Ryanair‘s chief executive Michael O’Leary has threatened the Spanish government that it will cut flight plans if fines levied on the company are not lifted. More than 60 fines were imposed at a value of more than €1.23million between 2009 and 2010.

The fines were for a variety of alleged infractions including refusing to accept identity cards and driving licences as ID proof and disputes over luggage.

source: euroweeklynews.com

British Airways’ parent International Airlines Group (IAG) has a potential rival in bidding for TAP Portugal, with Brazilian carrier TAM considering a takeover of the Portuguese carrier.

TAP is a member of the Lufthansa-led Star Alliance, as is TAM, while BA is a leading member of the rival alliance Oneworld. However, TAM is awaiting regulatory approval for a merger with Latin America’s other major carrier, LAN – a Oneworld member.

source: travelweekly.co.uk

US Airways landed at the bottom of the list for overall satisfaction, also receiving the lowest marks for cabin-crew service. The airline was also ranked lowest in 2007, when the last Consumer Reports airline rankings were released.

Southwest Airlines topped the rankings for overall satisfaction, with JetBlue Airways coming in second in the survey of nearly 15,000 passengers.

The pileup of added fees during or after check-in is contributing to many travelers’ decisions to fly less, according to the survey. Of the respondents who said they’ve cut back on flying, 40 percent cited fees as the major reason.

Budget airline easyJet has reported a near-doubling in losses as the company battled higher fuel prices and challenging consumer conditions.

Pre-tax losses increased 94% to £153m in the six months to March 31 after the latest surge in the price of jet fuel cost it an extra £43m and it absorbed an increase in air passenger duty.

source: belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Mystery surrounds a new airline that claims to be establishing a base at the Isle of Man Airport.

According to its website, Ellan Vannin Airways is set to take up residency in EuroManx House at the IOM airport and launch flights in 2012 from the Isle of Man, Cambridge and Oxford airports.

The airline is already advertising  jobs through totaljobs for bases at Oxford, Isle of Man, Cambridge and Liverpool, however, the Isle of Man Examiner reports no approach has been made to the airport managers at Ronaldsway.

source: Reuters

Ryanair is making a third attempt to acquire rival Aer Lingus in a bid to create an all-Irish national champion.

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair chief executive, has approached the Irish government to acquire its 25 per cent stake in Aer Lingus.

The budget airline bought just over 29 per cent of Aer Lingus in 2006, so the government’s stake would give it majority control.

The European Commission has blocked two attempts by Ryanair to acquire Aer Lingus because of competition issues – one in 2006 and the other two years later. And Brussels still says that joining the two airlines would create a monopoly for Dublin flights

source: dailymail.co.uk

Virgin Blue has dropped “‘blue'” from its title and rebranded itself Virgin Australia, as the carrier aims to capture a larger slice of the business travel market.

Sir Richard Branson jetted into Sydney on Wednesday to launch Virgin Australia, alongside the airline’s chief executive John Borghetti.

The carrier now has a new look, with a change of colours on the outside and inside the cabins, new upmarket uniforms and services.

Instead of the all-red Virgin Blue aircraft colour scheme, the carrier’s main colour will be white with a red trim.

source: Yahoo!

Delta is the first airline to let you track checked luggage on its website and smartphone.

When Delta passengers check in luggage online or at an airport’s kiosk or service desk, they’ll receive a unique tracking number. The number can be used on Delta’s website to trace the baggage from check-in all the way to the final destination airport’s luggage carousel. If luggage is lost, that same number can be used to file a claim online rather than through a fax form.

source: consumerreports.org