news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

Australia’s Qantas Airways has grounded its A380 fleet for at least another three days as it investigates oil leaks as a possible cause of the explosion which tore apart one of the superjumbo’s engines last week.

Qantas shares fell as its reputation as one of the world’s safest airlines came under the spotlight and investors started counting the financial cost of grounding aircraft and compensating passengers.

The incident has rattled the global aviation industry which is recovering from heavy losses during the global economic downturn and has been damaging for Rolls-Royce  which is developing new engines for the next generation of commercial jets.

source: Reuters

Ryanair announced it will cancel nine routes from Frankfurt-Hahn airport beginning next summer due to an air passenger tax agreed upon by the federal government this year.

The number of flights flying from Hahn will fall from 532 per week to 382, the Irish low-cost carrier said on Wednesday, as services to cities including Seville, Danzig, Prague and Gothenburg are slashed.

The controversial tax, or “‘ecological air travel levy,'” was included in a package of public spending cuts introduced by Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier this year.

source: dw-world.de

LAN has unveiled plans to acquire Colombian carrier Aires, only hours after it informed analysts of its plans to exercise its option to buy Colombian start-up AerOasis.

The Chile-based airline group in a statement issued late on 27 October says it has forged an agreement to acquire 99% of Aires for about $32.5 million. It says the deal is subject to regulatory approvals and due diligence, which it estimates will take 30 to 60 days.

source: flightglobal.com

British Airways‘ top executives are poised to receive hefty pay rises once the airline’s planned merger with Iberia is finalised.

Willie Walsh, chief executive, will see his base pay rise from £735,000 to £825,000 ($1.3m) a year, according to merger documents released as part of the deal, which will be voted on by shareholders in each airline on November 29.

Mr Walsh is to leave BA to become chief executive of the new International Airlines Group holding company, which will own BA and Iberia

source: FT.com

Virgin America is the best airline in the USA. At least that’s according to ‘Condé Nast Traveler’ magazine. The publication revealed this week that the California-based low-cost carrier was named the top North American airline in its 2010 Readers’ Choice Awards. It was the third-consecutive year Virgin America took the top spot in ‘Condé Nast Traveler”s rankings.

Virgin America beat out rival discounter JetBlue to take the top spot. Rounding out the North America top 10 (in order) are Hawaiian, Alaska Airlines, Frontier, Continental, USA 3000, Southwest, Horizon Air and AirTran. Continental is the only legacy carrier to have made the top 10.

source: USA Today

Qatar Airways spelled out its commitment to the Spanish market helping strengthen commercial and economic ties with the recently-introduced flights to Barcelona – its second route in Spain.

Celebrating five years of flying to the capital Madrid, the addition of services to Barcelona in June acknowledges the importance Qatar Airways places in the Spanish market.

Since the June 7 launch of daily non-stop flights between Barcelona and the airline’s operational hub in Doha, capital of the State of Qatar, Qatar Airways reports the new service proving to be strong. The route was introduced just in time for the busy summer holiday season.

source: travelio.net

Iberia is growing in Barcelona. In the next summer season, the Spanish airline will operate direct transatlantic flights from the city to Miami and São Paulo. To bring traffic to these flights, Iberia is transforming El Prat airport into a genuine hub for flights by Vueling and Iberia Regional Air Nostrum.

In addition, for passengers on the new flights from Barcelona to Miami and São Paulo, Iberia has a thick web of connections to distribute this traffic throughout the Americas: from Miami to other U.S. and Central American cities via code shares with American Airlines; and from São Paulo to the rest of Brazil and cites of the southern cone of South American with the Gol company, under a new code share agreement that is now being negotiated, and with other airlines in the region.

source: travelio.net

AirAsia’s latest print advertisement inside two Singaporean newspapers has been interpreted as a competitive swipe at rival airline.

The full page ad in The Straits Times and Business Times was perceived as a dig at Thai Tiger Airways recent flight cancellations where hundreds of passengers were left stranded.

The ad featured a tiger cub crying accompanied with the tag line, ‘’If Tigers were meant to fly, they would be born with wings”.

The ad also said AirAsia ‘’guaranteed to fly every day”.

source: etravelblackboardasia.com

With the October 31 start of its winter timetable, Lufthansa will add destinations and frequencies to its network schedule. The airline will provide service to 197 destinations in 85 countries (previous year: 191 destinations in 78 countries), with the average number of flights per week increasing from 11,803 to 12,218 (+3.5 percent).

Lufthansa’s ongoing fleet renewal program, which replaces existing aircrafts with larger and more fuel efficient ones, and the addition of a fourth A380, the airline’s new flagship, are contributing to an overall 9.1 percent increase in seat capacity.

source: travelagentcentral.com

In the first study of its kind, researchers from the University of Manchester have found that high levels of background noise, such as the low engine roar we hear while flying, can diminish the sensitivity of our palates.

It seems that when people listen to loud white noise, like that heard on planes, they have a dulled ability to taste sweetness and saltiness, and are more likely to report their food tasting bland.

On the flip side, the research, published in the journal Food Quality and Preference, also reveals that pleasant sounds can actually increase people’s enjoyment of meals.

For the study, researchers led by Dr. Andy Woods blindfolded 48 volunteers from the University of Manchester and then gave them a range of foods, including crackers, potato chips, cookies and rice cakes.

source: CTV.ca