2012 flights to Languedoc ...

[peter]

Easyjet continue to move into the more lucrative business travel market ...

EasyJet has signed a new and enhanced deal with Amadeus. The airline has taken this initiative in order to capture a bigger share of the managed corporate travel market. They were among the first few low cost airlines to make its inventory available to business travel bookers through the GDS providers in 2007.

Amadeus and easyJet will work closely together to increase functionality and enhance the booking process for all travel agents using Amadeus. The airline mentioned that it has made great gains in the European corporate travel market in recent years.

Amadeus IT Group is a transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry. The company is structured around two key related areas - its global distribution system and its IT Solutions business area. Acting as an international network, Amadeus provides search, pricing, booking, ticketing and other processing services in real-time to travel providers and travel agencies through its distribution business area. Through its IT Solutions business area, it also offers travel companies software systems which automate processes such as reservations, inventory management and departure control.

http://www.amadeus.com

[peter]

Ryanair are adding additional routes from Knock in 2012, including one to Girona.


Peter

[peter]

RYANAIR EXTENDS RESERVED SEATING TO ALL ROUTES FROM JANUARY 10th 2012 AFTER TRIAL SUCCESS



Ryanair, the world’s favourite airline, today (22nd Nov) announced that it will extend its popular reserved seating service to all its routes, after successfully trialling it on over 100 routes since May. The pre-booked service, which will be bookable on all routes from 10th Jan 2012, costs just €10 (each way) and includes priority boarding. The optional service allows passengers to pre-reserve seats in the front two rows, for a quick getaway on arrival, or in over wing rows (16&17), which provide greater legroom, and has proven to be very popular with Ryanair passengers during its summer 2011 trial.

Ryanair will continue to offer its Priority Boarding service for just €5, with priority and reserved seating passengers allowed to board the aircraft first. Those travelling with passengers under 16 years of age can reserve seats in row 2 only due to safety restrictions.

[Sandra]

Ryanair are adding additional routes from Knock in 2012, including one to Girona.Peter

Seems bizarre that they are adding new flights to Girona, the irish will be happy as there are not many flights around.

[peter]

Thomas Cook has experienced severe trading difficulties and some restructuring is inevitable. In 2011 Languedoc visitors used flights to Toulouse from Belfast, Bristol, Gatwick and Manchester ...

Second largest European travel group Thomas Cook (founded in 1841 when a UK vicar organised a day trip to a temperance meeting, but now German owned) has experienced a huge drop in bookings. The company sold 22m package holidays in 2010. After announcing 3 profit warnings this year the share price has dropped 93% since January to a low of £0.12 (including 75% this week - Monday close was £0.41).

Despite a slight recovery this morning, news that the company is renegotiating bank loans of around €1bn sends shudders throughout the travel industry.

Travel companies typically have negative winter cash flow, switching to positive flows in spring. The drastic reduction in bookings suggests that Thomas Cook will need additional borrowings to survive, as well as favourable renegotiated terms on existing loans.

Bookings have fallen due to the recession, tightened credit facilities, fears surrounding the "Arab spring", collapse of the pound over the last couple of years, UK loss of feel good factor, and fears for the euro.

The global long term trends of self booking travel via the internet and taking fewer but shorter breaks has compounded the problems. It is almost inevitable that Thomas Cook will reduce its UK network of retail outlets, further accelerating the disappearance from the high street of traditional travel agencies.

Other travel companies are expected to make announcements.

More :
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ ... story.html
http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/ ... -woes.html

[gurubarry]

I have used Thomas Cook for bookings for the past 3 years,and found their service excellent. We had problems with our trip this year, and they secured a refund within 6 weeks of our complaint . I hope they ride out the storm...Simon Caulder was on TV this morning , very annoyed at the press whipping up panic over the situation. It is , as you point out, standard buisness practice in the travel trade, and what with all the problems involving Regime changes and volcanic eruptions, holiday bookings are suffering.

[Ian Hanson]

Flights Leeds/Bradford to Montpellier recommence 26 March 2012. Now twice a week on Monday and Thursday but still at a sensible time of day.

[gurubarry]

I thought Bradford closed on Thursdays ?

Does it connect to a Bradford Biggin Hill flight ....I go to Kent ...and Manston isn't always open either !

[Ian Hanson]

I could pick up an IED next time I'm in Bradford if you like, and drop it on you as we come in to land. Cheeky s*d!!

Actually, Bradford is ONLY open on Thursdays, but it's hard to see which parts.

[peter]

Thomas Cook has experienced severe trading difficulties and some restructuring is inevitable. In 2010 Languedoc visitors used Thompson Airways flights to Girona from Birmingham, Gatwick, Manchester and Newcastle ...

Thomas Cook Group, said it will borrow another GBP£100 million (USD$154 million), easing fears about the future of the world's oldest travel company, whose shares slumped earlier in the week when it asked its banks for new funding.

The 170-year-old company said its banks, led by Barclays, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland and UniCredit, had agreed to provide a new GBP£200 million facility available until April 2013, which replaces the GBP£100 million short-term facility announced in October.

The banks have also agreed to relax the terms of an upcoming key test of its financial health, Europe's second-biggest travel company said on Friday.

More : http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1322280061.html

Peter

[peter]

Norwegian - http://www.norwegian.com - is the biggest low cost operator in Scandinavia carrying 13+m passengers in 2010 on 87 routes. Starting in 1993 offering Norwegian domestic flights they have expanded to include Scandinavian, and now European destinations. They also have announced the start-up of long-haul operations in 2012 using Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft. The launch routes will be from the Scandinavian capitals to New York and Bangkok.

They don't fly into LR, but will have services into Barcelona for 2012 including flights from Dublin, Gatwick and Paris Orly.

The mainly summer flights into Barcelona for 2012 be from Aalborg , Ålesund , Alta , Amsterdam , Antalya , Bardufoss , Bergen , Berlin-Schönefeld , Billund , Bodø , Copenhagen , Dublin , Geneva , Gothenburg-Landvetter , Gran Canaria , Harstad/Narvik , Haugesund , Helsinki , Kristiansand , London-Gatwick , Lulea , Malaga , Malmo , Molde , Nice , Oslo-Gardermoen , Oulu , Paris-Orly , Prague , Rome-Fiumicino , Rovaniemi , Stavanger , Stockholm-Arlanda , Tromsø , Trondheim , Turku , Umea , Vilnius , Warsaw.


Peter

[peter]

easyJet and Europcar, the car rental leader in Europe, announce the extension of their exclusive partnership until September 2014.

I'm not sure how this impacts http://www.easycar.com . When I tried to book easycar, I was supplied with a local independent rental company Toyota.

[peter]

I've had a note that someone has experienced "There is no page headers for the 2012 flights, it defaults to the main forum heading"

I haven't been able to reproduce this. Is anyone else having problems ?



Peter

[serge]

Works fine for me.

[alex hampshire]

And me.

[peter]

31 October 2011
Ryanair is dangling carrots in front of Boeing, Airbus and their Russian / Chinese competition.

"Michael O'Leary says he is in the market to buy up to 300 new aircraft to boost passenger numbers to between 120 million and 130 million over the next decade. This would make Ryanair one of the world's biggest airlines, swelling its fleet to more than 500 planes."

Boeing and Airbus have held out against the low prices Ryanair want to pay because they have a backlog of orders for the latest 737 MAX and A320neo. However Boeing is running behind with the airbus and currently has 700 provisional orders compared to the 1450 firm and provisional orders held by Airbus.

Part of the Ryanair philosophy is that they believe some airlines will fail, aircraft prices will have to come down and the cash rich Ryanair will step in ......... at a price.

360 Airbus orders and 100 Boeing orders ( totalling US$40+bn ) were from American Airlines. AMR, AA's parent company, filed for bankruptcy yesterday. The future of the AA aircraft orders is in some doubt and a rapid decision is unlikely.

Michael O'Leary has been spotted listening to a hands free phone and rubbing his hands together in the Boeing car park .... allegedly !

More ; http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/ ... NU20111130

[peter]

Flybe are currently announcing their summer routes :

Birmingham - Perpignan will fly 26-5-2012 to 9-9-2012 on Sundays
Enfin, pour Perpignan, seul un vol sera opéré tout l’été, le dimanche. Il décollera de Birmingham à 14h50 pour se poser à 18h10 dans les Pyrénées Orientales d’où il repartira à 18h35 (arrivée à 20h05).

Exeter - Avignon will start 7-4-2012 on Saturdays and Wednesdays
Le 7 avril verra ensuite Flybe lancer deux vols par semaine entre Exeter et Avignon à bord du même appareil, avec départ le mercredi à 7h10 (arrivée 10h20) et le samedi à 16h40 (arrivée 19h50) les retours décollant respectivement à 10h45 (arrivée 12h05) et 20h15 (arrivée 21h35).

More details will be announced at todays Beziers press conference.




Flybe is committed to expansion, particularly in France, and has recently secured funding of $500 million for 20 new Embraer E175 regional jet aircraft scheduled for delivery between November and July. The Embraer E175 seats approx 85 passengers (subject to seat pitch) and uses 2× GE CF34-8E turbofan engines to provide a cruising speed of 890 km/h and standard range of 3300 kms.

Flybe is hoping to gain European routes that will be rationalised if BMI is acquired by IAG (formerly BA + Iberia).


More : http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-201 ... 05216.html

[peter]

Snippets from todays FlyBe Beziers press conference -

Flybe will add a third weekly flight from Southampton to Beziers running 25-5-2012 to 28-9-2012

2011 will achieve nearly 6000 passengers with a load factor of 70+% generating €1.9m into the local economy
2012 objectives are nearly 10,000 passengers (+73%)

UK economy very difficult and FlyBe are looking to grow the business by acquisition. The Finnair acquisition - http://www.anna.aero/2011/07/05/finnair-flybe-partnership-enters-battle-of-the-baltics - will not generate direct flights to France, but may offer some connections through UK hubs.


Beziers airport expects 195,000 passengers in 2011 and are projecting 225,000 in 2012.

[peter]

Local flight talk :

FlyBe have announced Avignon - Exeter for next summer. Haven't seen the announcements for Avignon to Southampton and Birmingham but both are bookable via the website.

There is talk of a new FlyBe service Avignon - Brussels but it is not yet on their website.

Seems Beziers airport may have a new route up their sleeves. Keep an eye on Ryanair announcements.

Beziers airport expects 195,000 passengers in 2011 and are projecting 225,000 in 2012. The increase will be generated by the additional Flybe flight (4000) and the new Ryanair - Manchester service (+/- 7000). The arithmetic suggests that the additional 19,000 must be contributed by increased loading factors. It could also mask another route?



Peter

[catalanglais]

Larger Icelandic volcano near eruption ?

Experts are warning that an eruption could be imminent at an even more powerful Icelandic volcano than the one that paralysed air traffic last year.

Looks like this may be coming to a head, as it were.

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16122186

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15995845

[Sandra]

The only trouble with Man/Beziers is the landing and take off times. The car hire desks are closed.

I saw the management team of the airport on saturday at Chateau Cassan and they have confirmed that the car hire desks will be open for the manchester flight.

I also had the opportunity of meeting Peter for the first time after 7 years of emails and phone calls, and it was my rochdale accent that gave me away !

[alex hampshire]

Our thoughts are with you Sandra.

[serge]

[peter]

Ryanair announce 4 new summer routes from Prestwick for 2012 including Barcelona.

More : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-g ... t-15987134

[peter]

The ongoing Saga of Reus & Girona v Ryanair

Ryanair and the Generalitat of Catalonia have reached a tentative agreement for the Irish low-cost company to receive about €8 million each year for the next five years (€40 million total) in exchange for continuing to operate at the airports of Girona and Reus, reports in the Catalan media said.

Specifically, the airline is committed to maintain three million passengers a year in Girona and a half million in Reus.

Both figures are far from over the seven million passengers carried by Ryanair in 2009, before there was a change of strategy in Catalonia that has given priority to its operation at the airport of El Prat in Barcelona.

The draft agreement, however, will only be ratified if Aena (the public company that owns both facilities) agrees not to raise rates at these two airports, because otherwise “the draft agreements will be cancelled”.

The tentative agreement comes just 15 days after Ryanair operated its last flight from Reus airport. The Irish low cost carrier, in the last year, cancelled 39 flights from Girona airport, which during the last decade has been its main base of operations in Spain.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp? ... mid=136480