Brand Index: Ryanair is working hard to melt the hearts of UK flyers October 22, 2013 ONE MONTH ago, Ryanair shocked the airline industry by revealing it was going to start being nicer to customers. Our research at the time found that, while French and German customers had a fairly dim view of the discount carrier, its reputation was worse in Britain. Well, one month into its new customer service strategy [...]
Norwegian to offer low-price flights to the US October 17, 2013 NORWEGIAN has become the latest airline to attempt a low-cost service to America, in a coup for Gatwick Airport. The airline will sell flights to New York next summer for just £149 one-way – an offer made possible by the advent of more efficient planes like the new Dreamliner, chief executive Bjorn Kjos said yesterday. [...]
French strike to delay flights October 9, 2013 Flights to and from France face disruption today due to a strike by air traffic controllers that has prompted companies including EasyJet, Ryanair and Lufthansa to scale back their normal schedule. France’s DGAC civil aviation authority said it was urging airlines to cut services by 10 per cent, particularly on links between France and Spain, [...]
Profit upgrade from low-cost airline EasyJet October 3, 2013 LOW-COST airline EasyJet has lifted its annual profit forecasts even further after revenues per seat over the summer rose more than hoped. EasyJet said it now expects to report pre-tax profits of £470m to £480m for the year to the end of September, at the top end of its predictions in July, which had already [...]
French court slaps €10m penalty on Ryanair in worker base case October 2, 2013 RYANAIR yesterday vowed to appeal after a French court imposed penalties totalling almost €10m (£8m) on the airline for breaching labour laws. The budget carrier was fined €200,000 and ordered to pay €9m to cover three years of backdated taxes and pension contributions for staff based in Marseille but employed on Irish contracts. Ryanair closed [...]
Ryanair makes up with AmEx September 25, 2013 Ryanair has made amends with American Express, yesterday announcing it will start accepting payments more than a decade after banning the cards for “excessive charges”. The budget airline said the change of heart is part of its drive to attract more business passengers, which has already seen the carrier introduce some reserved seats. Ryanair also [...]
Brand Index: Ryanair charm offensive may heal its brand reputation September 24, 2013 RYANAIR, the discount airline that people love to hate, has promised to transform its “macho and abrupt culture” and turn over a new leaf as a more friendly and customer-focused business. The new strategy will include an overhaul of its website, a new team to respond to emails and a pledge to stop fining customers [...]
IAG boss stops eyeing Europe for acquisitions September 17, 2013 EUROPEAN airlines will have to cut costs at existing short-haul businesses to compete with budget airlines or struggle to stay aloft, IAG boss Willie Walsh said yesterday, adding that his firm is not looking for further acquisitions in Europe. So-called legacy carriers such as IAG, Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are cutting jobs, renegotiating staff contracts [...]
Ryanair to expand at Stansted as airport agrees to lower its fees September 16, 2013 RYANAIR has called a truce with the new owner of Stansted after persuading the airport to cut its fees, in a deal the budget airline claims will create 7,000 jobs. The Irish carrier has agreed a 10-year growth deal with Manchester Airports Group, which bought Stansted in January, that will see its traffic through the [...]
EasyJet back on the ascent as its traffic over the summer bounces September 5, 2013 SHARES in budget airline EasyJet bounced yesterday as it posted a 3.9 per cent jump in passengers during August to 6.1m. The budget carrier, whose shares had been slammed by a shock profit warning from rival Ryanair on Wednesday, said its planes were 1.1 percentage points more full compared to a year ago. In the [...]