Ryanair holidays on the rise but bikinis are out as “cabin crew stunners” calendar paused July 28, 2014 Michael “What part of ‘no refund’ don’t you understand” O’Leary took himself away from the job of airline spokesperson last year, after he announced the company would be replacing its notoriously unhelpful customer service strategy with something of a charm offensive. The secret weapon of said charm offensive was revealed as new chief marketing officer [...]
London Report: Fall in financials brings London’s market down July 28, 2014 THE FTSE 100 yesterday ended down after weak US housing data discouraged investors in America and Europe during a data-light European day. The blue chip index lost 0.1 per cent to close at 6,788.07. Earlier in the day it had traded as high as 6,809.61, but moved lower together with other markets after pending home [...]
Ryanair share price rises after full-year profit expectations revised July 28, 2014 There is the cliche of blue skies ahead for Ryanair, after the budget airline raised the upper limit of its profit expectations to €650m from €620m. Shares climbed on the news and were up 4.6 per cent at pixel time. The revision comes, Ryanair said, because of expectations that full-year traffic will rise by 5 [...]
Macquarie Group may sell its stake in Bristol Airport July 27, 2014 Bristol Airport, the ninth-busiest airport in the UK, may be changing ownership again soon as the Australian bank Macquarie Group is believed to be looking to sell its 50 per cent stake in the airport. Macquarie first bought Bristol Airport from owners FirstGroup and Bristol City Council in 2001 for £198m, together with Cintra, part [...]
EU slaps Ryanair with fine over French aid money July 23, 2014 Ryanair faces having to repay €9.6m (£7.6m) in French state aid, after the European Commission found the airline had gained “an undue advantage” thanks to the money. The repayments relate to operating at three regional French airports, Angouleme, Nimes and Pau Pyrénées. Ryanair said it had instructed its lawyers to appeal against these rulings.
Aer Lingus CEO Christoph Mueller to exit in 2015 July 18, 2014 Aer Lingus chief executive Christoph Mueller is to step down next year after five years at the helm of the Irish airline. The German has overseen the carrier’s return to profit and the rejection of an attempted takeover by rival airline Ryanair. Chairman Colm Barrington said of the departure: “Under Christoph’s strategic leadership, Aer Lingus [...]
Air France KLM joins European peers to warn of lower earnings July 8, 2014 Air France KLM rocked aviation stocks yesterday by warning that a glut of spare seats on its routes would dent its profits this year, just weeks after German rival Lufthansa made a similarly gloomy prediction. The Franco-Dutch airline said that over-capacity on some long-haul routes this summer was dampening ticket and cargo prices, prompting the [...]
Ryanair passenger numbers reach new highs July 4, 2014 Passenger numbers for Europe's biggest low-cost carriers continued to soar in June as Ryanair announced record figures today. Ryanair reported that June traffic grew five per cent to 8.3m travellers, compared to 7.9m last year. With that rise, the budget airline has flown a record 82.7m customers in the year to June 2014, up three [...]
British Airways passenger numbers up 8.8 per cent as summer holidays begin July 3, 2014 The summer getaway has got off to a flying start for British Airways’ parent company IAG, which yesterday said its June passenger numbers were up 8.8 per cent on last year. The airline carried 7.1m customers worldwide last month, rising from 6.7m in May and 6.6m in the same month a year ago. As the [...]
Ryanair finance head Howard Millar is second deputy chief to depart this year June 30, 2014 Ryanair’s finance chief Howard Millar is leaving the airline after 23 years, becoming the second deputy chief executive to quit the low-cost carrier in a year. Millar, 53, is leaving in December “to pursue other career activities”, a statement from Ryanair said yesterday. However he is not cutting all ties, as he will become a [...]