Christmas rush helps UK airlines end the year with rising traffic January 7, 2013 THE CHRISTMAS getaway has pushed up ticket sales at some of the country’s biggest airlines, according to figures out yesterday. EasyJet said traffic rose 4.9 per cent on a year ago to 4.34m in December. Its load factor – a measure of how much the firm fills its planes – rose 2.3 percentage points to [...]
The Champ – AP McCoy December 20, 2012 Looking at the William Hill King George VΙ Chase, it’s not a surprise to see Long Run heading the market. If the ground stays testing then he is the one guaranteed to really stay. There are plenty of horses that have won over the three-mile trip, but for some like Finian’s Rainbow and Cue Card [...]
We don’t want gender quotas say high-powered City women December 19, 2012 AN OVERWHELMING majority of City women oppose quotas to encourage greater female representation on company boards, with most saying they are not the answer. A survey from recruitment agency Randstad found that 94 per cent of professional women interviewed oppose EU plans to introduce gender quotas. The research claimed that three in four of the [...]
Ireland to oppose Aer Lingus bid December 18, 2012 The Irish government has decided to oppose Ryanair’s bid to take over Aer Lingus, transport minister Leo Varadkar said yesterday. The country holds a 25 per cent stake in Aer Lingus, and can scupper Ryanair’s €694m (£565m) approach for the firm. The bid is being probed by the European Commission. “The commission will make its [...]
The man with the worst job in PR resigns December 17, 2012 BUDGET Irish airline Ryanair has announced that head of communications Stephen McNamara is resigning after four years of “being battered and abused by Michael O’Leary on one side and the European media on the other”. A press release sent by the airline revealed that McNamara has decided to pursue an easier life as director of [...]
Ryanair appeal over Aer Lingus bid hit by court rejection in UK December 13, 2012 EUROPE’S largest budget carrier, Ryanair, yesterday lost its appeal to block an investigation into its near-30 per cent stake in rival Aer Lingus. The UK’s Court of Appeal ruled that it is within the jurisdiction of the Competition Commission (CC) to investigate Ryanair’s ownership. The CC is investigating the case after the Office of Fair [...]
Ryanair bullish on Aer Lingus buy December 11, 2012 Ryanair chief exec Michael O’Leary said yesterday he is confident the European Commission will accept a new package of remedies offered to win approval for its bid to buy Irish rival Aer Lingus. The concessions to EU antitrust regulators were submitted on Friday. O’Leary said that if the proposed deal is reviewed “on the same [...]
EasyJet’s November traffic rises as strike threat dents Aer Lingus December 6, 2012 EASYJET yesterday posted a jump in traffic for November alongside news that it will start flying to Newquay, while low-cost rival Aer Lingus said its traffic was hit by the threat of industrial action. Passenger numbers for EasyJet last month were up 7.7 per cent on a year ago to 4.12m. In the 12 months [...]
First winter snowstorm shuts airports and causes rail havoc December 5, 2012 THE FIRST big snowstorm of the winter forced Stansted Airport to close for around two hours this morning and caused disruption on train routes into London. Stansted re-opened its runway shortly after 8am, having cleared two inches of snow, but the closure caused around 40 cancellations and delays for frustrated passengers for the rest of [...]
Ryanair blames watchdog for a hike in charges November 29, 2012 RYANAIR will today introduce two surcharges on its online flight bookings, blaming an Office of Fair Trading ruling for the hike in fees. The low-cost airline, which has been on the receiving end of several OFT complaints over surprise booking fees, said it is adding the levies after the watchdog’s crackdown on air tickets over [...]