news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

On Aug. 3 Mexicana announced that it was seeking bankruptcy protection from creditors in Mexico and the U.S. Mexicana, along with Aeromexico, is one of the two carriers with nationwide reach, and Mexico’s largest by passengers. In addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on July 30 announced that Mexico was not complying with international safety standards.

The bankruptcy marked the beginning of a speedy meltdown that may end with the collapse of Mexicana in the coming weeks. The airline has suspended ticket sales and canceled numerous flights, mainly to international destinations in the Western Hemisphere and Europe. It has been forced to pay in advance for services, and faced problems such as refusals to refuel its planes.

source: Forbes

Kiss Flights has become the latest British travel company to collapse, sparking uncertainty for an estimated 70,000 holidaymakers.

The budget firm sold flights to Greece, Egypt, Turkey and the Canary Islands.

The Civil Aviation Authority said travellers abroad who had flown with Kiss would get home as normal.

source: BBC News

Leading Latin American airlines LAN of Chile and Tam of Brazil have announced merger plans in a bold bid to position themselves for future growth a fast-consolidating global industry.

“‘As the world industry consolidates we cannot stand still,’” said Enrique Cueto, the chief executive of LAN who will also be chief executive of the new parent company, to be called Latam Airline Group.

The new group says it expects to achieve “‘real and achievable’” annual synergies of $400m through alignment of passenger networks, growth in cargo operations in Brazil and internationally and cost savings.

The two airlines carried a combined 45m passengers and 832,000 tons of cargo in 2009. Merged, they will operate 115 destinations to 23 cities, with a fleet of 220 planes and 40,000 employees.

source: FT.com

Thomas Cook delivered more bad news for the travel industry, warning that full-year profits would be “‘at the lower end of market expectations’”, blaming weak demand in the UK.

The announcement came a day after a similar warning from rival Tui Travel, where fewer bookings by Britons and price-cutting led to poor trading in the crucial summer period.

Unlike Tui, which exacerbated some of its problems by boosting capacity earlier this year, Thomas Cook had cut winter capacity and kept summer offerings steady.

The group does not operate in the emerging markets that have helped shore up results for other leisure industry companies and its high exposure to British holidaymakers – who accounted for 40 per cent of operating profits last year – has left it hostage to some of the poorest consumer sentiment in Europe.

source: FT.com

A Ryanair passenger has been arrested after he complained about the quality of a £3.80 sandwich.

The man was detained by police when his flight landed after crew complained he had become disruptive.

But Henrik Ulven (52), from Oslo, said he merely asked for a refund after he bought a sandwich and was unhappy with its quality. He was shocked when arrested upon arrival at Rygge Airport near Oslo on Tuesday.

source: Belfast Telegraph

Debt-ridden airline Mexicana de Aviacion needs a cash injection of at least $100 million to keep flying, the company’s chief executive said on Tuesday.

Time is ticking for troubled Mexicana, which has ceased flying more than a dozen international routes and stopped selling tickets after requesting creditor protection last week under Mexico’s insolvency law, or ‘concurso mercantil’. The company has yet to be declared bankrupt.

Mexico’s air industry was hit hard in 2009 by a severe economic downturn in Mexico and an outbreak of the H1N1 flu that deterred travelers for months.

source: Reuters

The US government is to start charging travellers $14 to apply for permission to enter the country.

The compulsory Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) is free at present, but from 9 September visitors to the US will have to pay for it.

It lasts for two years; people who already have a valid form will not have to pay until their current one expires.

The Electronic System for Travel Authorisation form, which takes up to 72 hours to be approved, gives air passengers prior approval for entry to the US.

source: BBC News

Turkish Airlines has told 28 flight attendants that they must shape up or ship out.

The employees ” 15 men and 13 women ” have been given six months to lose weight. In the meantime, they’ve been placed on unpaid leave.

If the crew members fail to lose sufficient weight, they will be taken off flights and assigned to ground positions.

“‘Weight and height are important factors at all airlines. These criteria are important both in terms of appearance and the ability to move about,’” Turkish Airlines said in a statement.

source: Orlando Sentinel.com

Pressure from Twitter users has made Air Canada fix a terminally ill boy’s wheelchair after it was damaged during a flight, his family has said.

Appeals for help from the aunt of 10-year-old Tanner Bawn went viral on the micro-blogging website.

Air Canada spokesman said the airline had acted as soon as they had heard about the problem. The airline contacted an overnight repair centre after hearing about the boy’s problems from other Twitter users and had the specialised chair returned to Tanner a day later.

source: BBC News

A flight attendant working for Air France has been charged with 26 counts of theft. For more than a year, she operated stealthily as business class passengers slumbered; an apparently comforting flight attendant who poured tea for travellers with one hand and swiped their bank cards with the other.

But the game is finally up for an Air France flight attendant, who allegedly took to rifling through passengers’ pockets in mid-air to solve her money problems. She was arrested on the runway of Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport on Friday, and faces a prison sentence if found guilty of a string of robberies on flights from France to Asia.

Police said the items that the 47-year-old stole ranged from credit cards and cash – in multiple currencies – to jewellery and designer watches.

source: Guardian.co.uk