Economy Class & Beyond

Wizz Air attempts to fill the Malev sized hole at Budapest

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It seems that Wizz Air is racing to try and plug the gaps that have been created by the failure of Malev last Friday morning, with plans to invest money at Budapest, and base two Airbus A320's from March. By some magic means, this will boost a 66% increase of capacity for them. Plans are afoot to launch a three times-weekly service from Budapest-Bucharest. Meanwhile, Wizz … [Read more...]

Air Astana annouces 787/767 purchases

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Air Astana (Based out of Kazakhstan) is on the expansion path with the purchase of  four Boeing 767-300ERs and three 787-8s. The order, at a list value of US$1.3 billion will make it the largest order of aircarft in Kazakhstan’s civil aviation history. For those who love winglets, tthe 767's will have them installed from the outset, and will replace the existing leased … [Read more...]

The Japanese Low Cost Carrier battle is about to go into full swing….

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Well it seems the existing low cost carriers are about to tough it out, as the Air Asia Japan (A Joint Venture between Air Asia and ANA) has been granted it's Air Operators Certificate The certificate will allow Air Asia Japan to operate from Tokyo Narita both international and Japanese domestic services. A target date of August (with no specifics) is the current … [Read more...]

Snow falls in the UK – Cancellations ahoy.

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Well the white stuff has descended on the UK (and outside GhettoIFE Towers, it is white indeed), and as the UK can't cope with a flake a snow falling without panic descending, here is an update on what airlines are planning to do tomorrow. Heathrow is throwing an Emergency Timetable, with tomorrow's schedule cut by 30%. According to the airport: … [Read more...]

From bad to worse? Kingfisher suffers more troubles and holds OneWorld Membership…

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Well if it's one, it's anohter. And it's Kingfisher now in the spotlight with two big things happening to them. For alliance lovers out there and what caps a bad day for OneWorld with Malev falling down, Kingfisher is to suspend it's current ascent into OneWorld to allow it to reorganise its current fiscal position - and if you watch this blog, you'll know the answer to that … [Read more...]

IAG to merge BMI in upon completion of takeover

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From the IAG Traffic Stats document, it seems the British Airways pilots have voted to integrate BMI  Mainline (A319/A320/A321/A330) into the British Airways arm after the merger is approved IAG plans to integrate bmi mainline into British Airways, subject to receiving regulatory approval for the acquisition. This follows agreement by British Airways’ pilots to make … [Read more...]

UK Weather Warning Issued: Snow inbound

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The blanket of snow which has been covering Europe is heading for the UK with some speed with the following warnings in effect from the Met Office: Outbreaks of sleet and snow will spread from the west on Saturday morning. Accumulations of 2 to 5cm are likely, mainly on ground above 150m, with perhaps 10cm on roads above 300m. Snow will turn increasingly to rain on lower … [Read more...]

Malev falls and halts operations

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Well the inevtiatable has happened, and Malev has stopped operating due to liquidity issues. In other words, they haven't got the cash to continue. As of 05:00 GMT (06:00CET), all Malev flights have been grounded. The press release from Malev.com is below “Unfortunately, the event occurred which we had a greatest fear of and we wanted to avoid with might and main. … [Read more...]

Air Berlin confirms its ascent into OneWorld on 20th March 2012

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Air Berlin has formally announced its date of ascent into the OneWorld alliance, and it's the 20th March 2012 according to the PR at http://www.airberlin.com/site/pressnews_dr.php?ID=3613&LANG=eng. After the 20th March, they will be a full members and NIKI will be joining OneWorld as an affiliate member. Already codesharing with some members of the alliance, joining … [Read more...]

BMI Baby saved? Possibly…

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It seems that fortune is smiling on BMI Baby with the announcement that someone is actually interested in buying the little airline. The low cost carrier operating a fleeting Classic Boeing 737-300's and 737-500's, has been sold to a new potential owner who has not disclosed who they are. Financial terms have not been disclosed either. However, the talks are … [Read more...]