Long-haul helps Aer Lingus with 19pc profit rise November 5, 2014 Irish airline Aer Lingus yesterday revealed a 34 per cent increase in fare revenues from its long-haul routes, contributing to a 19 per cent overall operating profit boost at the carrier for the third quarter. Short-haul revenue was also up, by 5.5 per cent, helping the group to its strongest third quarter period since the [...]
EU holiday pay ruling: Vince Cable vows to tackle “timebomb” set to ruin small businesses November 4, 2014 Business secretary Vince Cable has set up a task force to calculate the impact of an EU ruling which will force some employers to pay staff more money in holiday entitlement. The change, which has been described by the Institute of Directors (IoD) as a “timebomb”, will also mean some workers are entitled to claim [...]
David Cameron criticised for wanting to restrict Europe immigration November 3, 2014 Business leaders have hit out at David Cameron for opposing freedom of movement across the EU, warning yesterday that he is ignoring the real issues facing Britain. The Prime Minister has previously said that freedom of movement will be “at the very heart of my renegotiation strategy for Europe”, with his chancellor George Osborne hinting [...]
Being nice pays off for Ryanair as profit soars by 32 per cent November 3, 2014 Budget airline Ryanair is finding that being nice really does pay off, after it revealed its half-year net profit rose a whopping 32 per cent to €795m (£621.6m) The company embarked on a customer service overhaul about a year ago, when chief executive Michael O’Leary vowed to stop “unnecessarily pissing people off”. Since then the [...]
Jim Murphy resigns from Labour front bench to focus on Scotland November 3, 2014 Labour MP Jim Murphy has resigned his post as shadow international development secretary on Ed Miliband’s front bench team in order to focus on his campaign to become the next Labour leader in Scotland. The move follows the resignation of Johann Lamont, who quit the post last month and accused the Labour party in Westminster [...]
Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye wants the City to speak up for airport expansion November 3, 2014 For most of us, airports are a necessary headache a couple of times a year. For others, they are the root of all evil. Which is probably why the debate over airport expansion has rumbled on for so long and become one of the most divisive in modern British politics. Somehow along the way, the [...]
Chancellor George Osborne tells EU: Slash UK’s £1.7bn bill now October 29, 2014 Chancellor George Osborne yesterday expressed confidence that he would win a reduction in the £1.7bn bill that the UK had been asked to pay by Brussels. However, his comments, made after a meeting with European financial chiefs, suggested that Britain would stump up some of the cash, which would concern backbench Tory MPs who want [...]
Profits take off at Heathrow as passengers rise October 29, 2014 HEATHROW airport has seen passenger numbers rise, helping it to achieve an 8.2 per cent increase in revenue for the third quarter, the company said in a statement yesterday. Airport chief executive John Holland-Kaye said the increase in passenger numbers would lend additional weight to Heathrow’s bid for expansion, adding that the results represented “a [...]
London buses help Stagecoach drive up revenue by 14 per cent October 29, 2014 London bus contracts have boosted revenue at Stagecoach by 14.5 per cent, the company said in a trading update yesterday. Revenue grew across the board, with UK rail providing the second biggest contribution at 7.4 per cent in the six months to mid-October this year. Overall, the bus and rail company said in a statement, [...]
Liberal Democrats accuse Tories of blocking their own EU bill October 28, 2014 The Liberal Democrats have accused the Conservative party of deliberately scuppering their own European referendum bill, a key issue for David Cameron in his battle against Ukip. The private member’s bill, which was being taken through the House of Commons by Tory backbench MP Bob Neill and would have offered the UK an in/out vote, [...]
