news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

Japanese low-cost carrier Skymark could soon be offering cheap flights from Europe to Japan.

Last week, Airbus confirmed that the budget airline had ordered four of its enormous A380 “‘superjumbos'”, signalling a significant gear shift for a carrier which currently operates a fleet of relatively small Boeing 737s within Japan.

According to reports, the new A380s will be used to begin long-haul services between Tokyo and London, Paris and Frankfurt and will be introduced in 2014, potentially providing a cheaper alternative to flights between Japan and Europe currently operated by major airlines such as JAL, ANA, British Airways, Air France.

source: Independent

Ryanair has decided to pull off a route in Spain because of competition from high-speed trains.

The budget giant will cease flying between Valencia and Madrid from April in light of competition from the new AVE high-speed train service operated by Spanish state railway Renfe. The AVE service connects Madrid to Valencia in 90 minutes. Iberia also announced it was ending daily flights on the route last week.

source: travelweekly.co.uk

The UK threatened to pull out of the trans-Atlantic Open Skies air travel agreement if the US government did not approve British Airways’ alliance with American Airlines, according to leaked cables revealed via WikiLeaks.

A British official also warned that Spain might see progress on extending the Open Skies agreement as “‘closely linked’” with the BA/AA alliance, which also includes Spanish flag carrier Iberia.

The warnings centred on discussions around the second stage of the Open Skies agreement, which involved relaxing restrictions on ownership of US airlines and on European carriers’ rights to fly within the US.

source: telegraph.co.uk

Southwest Airlines, the Dallas-based airline that bills itself as the nation’s biggest low-price carrier, announced a $10 round-trip fare increase to offset higher fuel costs. This is the latest of several airfare increases since December.

Several airlines, including Continental, Delta and United, matched the domestic airfare hike of $4 to $10 launched this month by American Airlines.

source: latimes.com

Budget airline Ryanair is to cut 18 routes from its base at Girona, following a disagreement with the Catalonian government.

Ryanair said the new government, which oversees operations at Girona, had “‘refused to honour’” a five-year extension of its agreement to base 11 aircraft at the airport rather than 6.

Five of the 11 aircraft will be relocated to bases elsewhere in Europe, resulting in the loss of 18 routes from Girona. These include London Gatwick, Madrid and Dusseldorf Weeze. 17 more routes will see their frequencies cut.

source: businesstraveller.com

Easyjet is set to become the UK’s first commercial airline to apply nano-paint to its aircraft.

The super-micro technology, which is 100 times thinner than the average human hair, will allow the plane to slide more efficiently through the air, cutting costly fuel bills and giving airline bosses more leeway to cut fares.

The new technology will add 4oz to the weight of the plane but will prevent dust and debris build up.

source: manufacturingdigital.com

Delta Air Lines Inc. must pay a $2 million civil penalty, following a Department of Transportation (DOT) investigation released Thursday that said the airline violated rules protecting passengers with disabilities.

Delta agreed to settle the case”the DOT’s largest fine against an airline in a non-safety-related case”without admitting wrongdoing.

Among the agency’s complaints were that Delta allegedly failed to properly assist passengers with disabilities on and off planes; respond adequately to written complaints; and report each complaint to the DOT.

source: The Wall Street Journal

Ryanair and Maxroam have teamed up to provide Europe’s first free mobile phone roaming service.

Customers will be able to buy a SIM card for €5 which comes loaded with €10 of calling credit. They can then use the new SIM to receive calls and text anywhere in Europe for free.

source: travolution.co.uk

Thanks to the results of a new survey by the Business Travel and Meetings Show, we now know where most of the hot flight attendants are.

Of the 1,000 people who participated in the survey, over half said that the most attractive flight attendants work for Virgin Atlantic.

No other airline in the world even came close to Virgin Atlantic and their “‘red hotties.’”  Here are the top five airlines with the hottest flight attendants according to the results:

1. Virgin Atlantic – 53%
2. Singapore Airlines – 18%
3. Etihad – 12%
4. Emirates – 11%
5. Aer Lingus – 6%

source: Reuters

Flights in the US were more on time in 2010 than in 2009, according to figures released February 10 by the US Department for Transportation, with Hawaiian taking the top spot.

The 18 major carriers in the US reported 79.8 percent of flights were on time last year, compared to 79.5 in 2009, despite several significant disruptions to travel caused by severe weather.

The most on-time airline (92.5 percent) was Hawaiian Airlines, taking the award for the seventh straight year – no doubt helped by nearly-permanent good weather at its hub at Honolulu International Airport.

source: independent.co.uk