Ryanair’s charm offensive is a breath of fresh air April 10, 2015 It’s no surprise Ryanair reported a 28 per cent increase in passenger number this week. Spokesman Kenny Jacobs put it best, when he attributed it to “not unnecessarily pissing people off”. Don’t get me wrong – I used to love reading chief executive Michael O’Leary’s latest ruse for making press noise: standing room only [...]
Aintree return can see Balder claim another big prize April 9, 2015 TODAY’S Melling Chase (3.25pm) is highly competitive but practically every horse in the line-up has something to prove. Champagne Fever is the one to beat if he’s over the lip-biting from stablemate Un Atout that forced him to miss the Betway Champion Chase. However, he’s always been inconsistent and I wouldn’t put total faith in [...]
EasyJet sees passenger numbers up but falls behind rival’s growth April 8, 2015 EASYJET saw its passenger numbers increase by 7.5 per cent in March compared with the same month last year, but failed to keep up with arch-rival Ryanair. The Luton-based budget airline carried 5.5m passengers last month, up from 5.1m over the same period last year. The moderate growth comes on the back of February’s six [...]
Ma Filleule can silence big guns up at Aintree April 8, 2015 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE OPENING DAY OF THE CRABBIE’S GRAND NATIONAL MEETING AT AINTREE ANYONE who witnessed Holywell’s demolition of the Mildmay Novices’ Chase field at this meeting 12 months ago will find it pretty hard to oppose the AP McCoy-ridden eight-year-old in the Betfred Bowl (2.50pm) at Aintree this afternoon. He jumped and galloped [...]
EasyJet fights back in low-cost airline battle – but is Ryanair’s charm-offensive giving it the edge? April 8, 2015 Is Ryanair’s PR drive giving it the edge over EasyJet? After Ryanair revealed it carried 28 per cent more passengers in March than the same month last year, Easyjet’s solid growth figures paled by comparison. The figures EasyJet carried 5.5m passengers in March, compared to 5.1m during the same month last year, a rise of [...]
Ryanair figures soar as charm offensive works April 7, 2015 Irish low-cost airline Ryanair yesterday reported a 28pc rise in passenger numbers last month, as a charm offensive began to take hold. The carrier, which has been on a mission to revamp its poor customer service image, said passenger numbers reached 6.7m in March – 1.5m more than the same period last year. [...]
Ryanair share price rises as passengers soar more than a quarter in March April 7, 2015 Confirmation Ryanair's attempts to show its softer side are working? Passenger numbers at the airline rose 28 per cent in March, figures published this morning showed. Ryanair said it carried 6.7m passengers during the month, up from 5.2m in March last year. Its load factor – how full its planes were, on average – rose [...]
Germanwings flight 4U9525 crash: Airlines including EasyJet, Monarch Airlines, Virgin and Thomas Cook have just changed their cockpit procedures so two people must always be present March 27, 2015 Following the revelation that Germanwings flight 4U9525 may have been crashed deliberately, some of the world's largest airlines have confirmed plans to change their cockpit procedures so two crew members must always be present. Airlines including EasyJet, Monarch Airlines, Emirates, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Virgin and Thomas Cook all said they have changed their policies. The [...]
Markets rocked as oil price spikes on Yemen violence March 26, 2015 MARKETS were yesterday shaken by the prospect of an end to the era of super-cheap oil after air strikes on rebels in Yemen by Saudi Arabia and its allies threatened to disrupt world oil supplies. Brent crude – a North Sea benchmark – jumped 4.5 per cent to $59 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) [...]
Germanwings flight 4U9525 plane crash poses more airline safety questions March 25, 2015 The crash of Germanwings flight 9525 and the loss of 150 passengers and crew on Tuesday has put aviation safety under renewed scrutiny. Despite robust figures showing rising safety standards in the aviation industry – 2014 was the safest year on record so far, according to the International Air Transport Association – such tragedies spark [...]