Walsh eyes US airline deal March 25, 2012 THE COMPANY behind British Airways is close to appointing an adviser in an attempt to protect its north Atlantic joint venture with American Airlines. The debt-laden US carrier filed for bankruptcy in November last year and could soon become subject to takeover approaches by US Airways and Delta. Willie Walsh, IAG’s group chief executive, is [...]
RAPID RESPONSES March 25, 2012 Priority boarding [Re: A third runway at Heathrow is essential if London is to be a globally competitive city, Friday] Paul Willis is right that Boris Island is imaginative but twenty years away. The short-term answer is for government to dictate that only strategic business routes are served by Heathrow. New routes to China and [...]
Walsh slams growth plan March 15, 2012 BRITAIN lacks a credible plan to revive its stuttering economy and risks being left behind by fast-moving emerging markets, said the head of British Airways owner IAG, yesterday. Willie Walsh, who is at loggerheads with the government over airport expansion, said the UK was not keeping pace with rival countries that have cut business taxes, [...]
BA drops Kingfisher alliance March 14, 2012 British Airways yesterday said it has suspended its code sharing agreement with India’s troubled Kingfisher Airlines. Kingfisher Airlines is “undergoing a financial restructure,” said Christopher Fordyce, regional commercial manager for south Asia at British Airways, without elaborating the reason for the suspension. Cash-strapped Kingfisher said yesterday it will cut back its overseas flights as the [...]
IAG gives way in an effort to seal BMI deal March 12, 2012 BRITISH Airways owner IAG has offered concessions to EU antitrust regulators in a bid to get regulatory approval for its takeover of BMI, the low-cost British unit of German carrier Lufthansa, the European Commission said yesterday. The Commission, tasked with ensuring a level playing field in the EU, did not provide details of the concessions, [...]
Airlines hire Rothschild to sell off NATS March 11, 2012 A GROUP of seven airlines, under umbrella company The Airline Group, has hired Rothschild to protect its stake in the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) during the government’s sale of its 48.9 per cent share. The deal, which could earn the state £1bn, was announced by chancellor George Osborne last year and is expected to [...]
Aviation groups call for delay to EU carbon rules March 11, 2012 LEADING European aviation companies have warned that European Union plans to charge airlines for carbon pollution could jeopardise jobs and huge trade deals with China. The group of major airlines and plane makers – including Airbus, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, Air Berlin and Iberia – said the EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) for [...]
TRAVEL NOTES March 11, 2012 Boutique boltholes in Bath (and beyond) If you fancy the ultimate romantic getaway, check out the OHH Collection’s newly refurbished handful of boutique hotels and gastro pubs in Bath and England’s “prettiest village”, Castle Coombe. Think ivy-covered period houses, ornate fireplaces and quirky furniture – the properties are decorated by the owner’s mother. The six-bed [...]
Sale of BMI takes its toll on Lufthansa March 7, 2012 DEUTSCHE Lufthansa posted a net loss of €13m (£10.86m) in 2011, after taking a larger-than-expected charge on the sale of its British Midland unit. British Airways owner IAG in December agreed to buy Lufthansa’s British Midland for £172.5m in the race to grab the loss-making unit’s coveted runway slots at London Heathrow. A loss of [...]
OFT won’t open IAG deal probe… March 5, 2012 BRITISH Airways parent IAG has come a step closer to buying loss-making carrier BMI, after the UK consumer watchdog said it will not review the proposed deal. The Office of Fair Trading said there was no need for a fresh investigation, given that the European Commission is already looking into the acquisition, worth up to [...]