I gave the newly launched People Express nine months before it would fold. I was a little optimistic in my predictions. The airline suspended flights on September 26. This is not even three months since launch. They promised to return October 16 (which is next week). Yesterday the airline announced it would be now be some time in November before flights resume. Their website is not accepting any bookings. The airline is promising refunds for all flights. Refunds which will take five to seven business days. Small comfort to anyone who is booked to fly in the next few weeks…
Airline News (Friday)
Category Archives for Airline News (Friday).
Empty Malaysia planes herald “no surprise” restructure
My partner flew Malaysia Airlines two weeks ago and had the choice of four empty rows of five seats per economy passenger to stretch out in. This was how empty the plane was. A photo doing the rounds of the internet shows a starkly empty Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330 operating as flight 146. The service which departed Melbourne at 740am flying direct to Kuala Lumpur arriving at 1415 on Thursday 14 August 2014 had about 60 people on board. My next Malaysia Airlines flight is in two weeks. I called to arrange a “good seat” to find that…
Looking for the World’s Fastest Airline
As a runner, I am really interested in this event taking place next Saturday at Budapest Airport in Hungary. They will play host to a competition between airlines to see who is the fastest airline …on the ground. On Saturday 6 September, a 12 kilometre (8 mile) race involving 1,000 runners will take place on Budapest Airport’s Runway 1 (13R-31L) to raise funds for child cancer charities. The runway is 3km long so I presume teams will run it four times. There will be prizes awarded for: The fastest male and female “The Fastest Airline in the World” “The Fastest Airport…
Air Asia Wifi Flying Soon
120 AirAsia staff last Wednesday (August 13) undertook the first ever user acceptance testing of the airline’s newly installed Wi-Fi service. The team used three popular messaging services – LINE, WhatsApp and WeChat with reportedly positive results for all three services. The team also shared live updates on the company’s official Twitter and Instagram accounts. Instant messaging, emails and content streaming will be gradually rolled out across the entire group starting with flights with the AK code. Sixty AirAsia passengers per flight will be able to participate in a “free user test” of the system for the next two months. I am on…
Etihad WILL buy Alitalia stake
Etihad Airways will buy 49 per cent of the Italian flag carrier Alitalia “as soon as possible“. This is Etihad’s eighth investment in an airline. In Europe, Alitalia joins Air Serbia (ex JAT), Air Berlin, Aer Lingus of Ireland and Switzerland’s Darwin Airline, which is branded as Etihad Regional. Etihad also has stakes in Air Seychelles and Virgin Australia. Etihad, in addition to its own aggressive growth has used these stakes in smaller airlines to feed passengers into its global network. The airline revealed that 2013 first-quarter sales from code-share and equity partners grew to 22% of its total sales. The announcement…
Paris -New York in Business for 30% less- LaCompagnie
Fuel prices must be down because people are launching all business class airlines again. I blogged about London based Odyssey airlines last month. (Still unsure if they have a chance or not). At a Manhattan news conference last Tuesday, LaCompagnie was launched. The company has raised approximately $US41 million) from investors and is the brainchild of a former executive of India’s Jet Airways Peter Luethi and Frantz Yvelin, the founder of a previous all business class airline L’AVION. L’AVION operated between Orly Airport, Paris and Newark in the USA from 3 January 2007 to 2 July 2008 when it was taken over…
Not People’s Express…Puh lease
So it seems the PEOPLExpress name which belonged to a low fare carrier that disappeared in 1987 has been revived. The new PEOPLExpress is selling tickets on its website for flights starting June 30. Their hub is Newport News in Virginia, a city of 180 000 people and the airline will offer one daily Boeing 737 service to the cities of Boston, Newark, Pittsburgh and West Palm Beach. PEOPLEexpress is billing itself as a Low Cost Carrier which will offer better treatment. I am not sure what better treatment will look like because almost everything costs: Check in Baggage starts at $20 for the…
Vincent Aviation Australia Collapses
The airline serving one of the most remote regions of the world: the Australian Northern Territory collapsed this week. Vincent Aviation Australia, based in Darwin, advised its 120 employees by letter that they had lost their jobs, grounded its fleet, advised customers to contact their banks for a refund and closed its doors. Their New Zealand operations are not impacted.
Future Options for Malaysia Airlines?
A friend of mine has just purchased a round trip ticket with Malaysia airlines for travel between Thailand and Australia via Malaysia for a fraction over $US500. This trip of 7 804 km (4,849 miles) normally sits at around $1100 to $1200. A good deal is around $700. Such is the desire to get people onto their planes, that Malaysia Airlines is discounting heavily. The discounts are designed to match arch rival Air Asia and attract passengers “scared off” Malaysia Airlines after the disappearance of Flight 370 on 8th March. The appearance of a Skytrax…
Will Business Class only Odyssey survive?
In Homer’s ancient tale The Odyssey, there are a few themes. One of them is about hospitality and the other is about Perseverance. London City-based startup Odyssey Airlines is attempting a model that has failed many times, despite its predecessors offering the best in hospitality. Odyssey hopes to be a business only carrier that makes it through! Odyssey has raised five million dollars through Crowdcube, a crowdfunding platform and other funding sources. The airline plans to launch flights in 2016 from London City to an unspecified airport in New York. Once the carrier is up…
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