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HolidayCheck offers airberlin award miles for hotel reviews

By Budget Airline News

airberlin‘s frequent flyer programme topbonus and the on-line travel service HolidayCheck will be working together in partnership from now on. Members of Germany‘s second-largest airline’s frequent flyer programme will earn 150 topbonus award miles for every hotel review published on the HotelCheck website. By writing hotel reviews holidaymakers will earn miles which can be redeemed on free flights with airberlin or on other exclusive offers. At the same time, by sharing their valuable travel experience, they will help other travellers to choose the right hotel.

About two weeks after the hotel review is published the award miles will be credited to the member’s topbonus mileage account and can be used to book an award flight on airberlin.com.

Marcus Puffer, Vice President Loyalty & Partnerships said: “We are very happy to welcome HolidayCheck as the latest partner on our topbonus frequent flier programme. topbonus members can now collect miles towards award flights, throughout their entire journey: they receive miles for the flight, for staying in a partner hotel, for their rental car booking and now they also get miles for writing a hotel review on HolidayCheck following their stay.“

Georg Ziegler, Manager B2B Marketing & Cooperations said: “We are very pleased about the partnership with airberlin and topbonus, because our website users come a little bit closer to their next holiday experience by sharing their previous one.”

Reserved seating now available on all RyanAir flights

By Budget Airline News

Starting January 10, 2012, reserved seating will be available on all flights operated by RyanAir, Europe’s leading budget airline. This optional service allows passengers to reserve preferred seats and board first for an additional GBP10 (USD15) each way.

“Ryanair is pleased to extend our popular reserved seat service on all our routes from 10th January 2012 when, for just €10, passengers on all routes will be able to pre-reserve their favourite seats in the front two rows, to ensure a prompt exit on arrival, or in over wing exits, for extra legroom.” said Stephen McNamara, RyanAir’s head of communications.

Priority boarding, which allowed passengers to board the aircraft first, is also available for just GBP5 (USD7.50).  Passengers traveling with children under 16 years of age can only reserve seats in row 2 only due to safety restrictions.

RyanAir increases checked luggage fees

By Budget Airline News

Passengers traveling with RyanAir can expect a significant increase in fees for checked luggage, especially for travel during peak holiday seasons like Christmas and summer.

Effective for bookings made from December 15, 2011, the high season fee for checking a 15-kg bag is €25 if booked online or €100 if booked through the call center or at the airport. For a second 15-kg bag per passenger, the fee increases to €45 for online bookings or €135 for call center/airport bookings. These high season rates are in effect for Christmas travel from December 21, 2011 to January 4, 2012, and for all flights from June through September 2012.

For low season travel, the checked luggage fees only increase for bookings made through the call center or at the airport.
The revised fees are £60 for the first 15-kg bag and £105 for a second bag.

“Over 70 per cent of Ryanair passengers will be unaffected by these changes as they already travel with no checked-in bags”, said Ryanair spokesperson Stephen McNamara.

RyanAir allows one free carry-on item weighing up to to 10-kg per passenger. However, if the carry-on bag exceeds this limit it will have to be checked and full fees will apply.

EastJet launches mobile app ‘Speedy Booking’

By Budget Airline News

This week European budget airline EasyJet launches its new mobile app named ‘Speedy Booking’.  The app is designed to give customers a full range services through their mobile devices and can be used to book flights, add luggage, check flight statuses, and manage bookings.

EasyJet claims it will be the fastest airline app and will be an invaluable asset in times of flight disruptions, such as severe weather, as it will give passengers the most current information and allow them to make changes to their flights with a few touches.

The app ‘Speedy Booking’ is completely free and available to download from the Apple Store and Android Market.  The app will cover all of EasyJet’s 580 routes to Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa.

Ryanair announces 10 new routes

By Budget Airline News

Ryanair, the Ireland-based budget airline, has announced the addition of 10 new international routes starting in 2012.

From the Glawgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland, Ryanair is adding 4 new routes to Barcelona (Spain), Bydgoszcz (Poland), Corfu (Greece) and Chania (Crete, Greece). These new routes will begin in April 2012.

From the East Midlands Airport in England, Ryanair is adding 6 new routes to Barcelona (Spain), Almeria (Spain), Chania (Crete), Zadar (Croatia), Corfu (Greece) and Rhodes (Greece). These new routes will begin in June 2012 in time for the summer holiday season.

Ryanair is the leading budget airline in Europe, operating more than 1,400 flights per day to 160 destinations in 27 countries. It is estimated that Ryanair carried over 70 million passengers in 2011.

Ticketing for the new routes is available on the Ryanair from December 2, 2012.

Flybe’s 2012 Hot Summer Schedule planned to keep Britain moving

By Budget Airline News

Leading regional airline offers choice of 141 summer routes with up to 2,938 flights a week including two new summer routes from Manchester and return of popular sun routes.

Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline and the UK’s Number One Domestic carrier, has today announced its full 2012 summer schedule that offers passengers a choice of 141 routes with up to 2,938 flights a week to an extensive range of attractive destinations across the UK and regional Europe. Tickets are on sale now for booking at www.flybe.com from £19.99 one way including taxes and charges and currently available for travel from March 25th through to September 9th 2012.

As well as the return of popular sun and cultural routes such as flights to and from selected airports such as Alicante, Jersey, Guernsey, Dubrovnik, Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Nice, Faro, Bergerac, Malaga and Verona, this year’s extensive 2012 summer schedule also includes two new summer routes from Manchester to Newquay and Knock in Western Ireland.

Flybe has established a strong presence at London Gatwick airport from where it will operate 10 routes during Summer 2012 that, as well as its convenient UK regional services, also includes the return of a twice daily service to Nantes and the ever popular weekend operation to Bergerac. The airline flies over four times more domestic routes than any other airline from London Gatwick and, for the first two reported quarters of 2011, has received its new Gold Award for outstanding punctuality.

In committing to keeping British business moving during these continued economically challenging times, Flybe also offers a comprehensive choice of key routes with convenient schedules designed for business travellers. These, coupled with Flybe’s popular Economy Plus product offering a range of added value bonuses such as extra baggage allowance, access to Flybe’s dedicated Executive Lounges and free flight changes, are designed to ensure that Flybe remains the number one choice for quick and comfortable point-to-point business travel.

Andrew Strong, Managing Director Flybe UK comments: “In continuing to keep Britain on the move, we are confident we have come up with summer travel options that are both extensive and affordable for Summer 2012. We are also pleased that, through our many codeshare partners, we are able to offer our customers even more travel choice that extends further our reach across Europe and the rest of the world.

“Flybe is committed to responding to our customers’ needs and we know that many welcome the opportunity to plan their summer travels as early as possible. We appreciate that this is especially true during these uncertain economic times as families and business travellers look to make their money go further and take advantage of the lowest fares available.”

Air Arabia to Start Direct Flights to Moscow and Yekaterinburg

By Budget Airline News

Air Arabia will introduce direct service to Moscow and Yekaterinburg in Russia, beginning October 14 and 29 respectively. The two new Air Arabia destinations are the first in Russia. Moscow and Yekaterinburg will become the carrier’s fifth and sixth destination in CIS and Russian Federation and its 69th worldwide.

Air Arabia will offer service to Moscow on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sunday, departing from Sharjah International Airport at 09:00AM and arriving at Moscow Domodedova Airport at 14:00PM. Return flights will depart from Moscow on the same days at 15:00PM and arrive in Sharjah at 20:00PM.

The carrier will offer service to Yekaterinburg on Wednesday and Saturday departing from Sharjah International Airport at 10:05AM and arriving at Yekaterinburg Airport at 16:50PM. Return flights will depart from Yekaterinburg on the same days at 17:50PM and arrive in Sharjah at 20:50PM.

“We are extremely pleased to announce the upcoming launch of service to Moscow and Yekaterinburg, which represents a significant milestone in the history of Air Arabia,” said Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia. “Indeed, it seems entirely appropriate that we will introduce service to one of the world’s great cities in October, at a time when we will be celebrating the eighth anniversary of launch of Air Arabia itself.”

Highlighting, in particular, the strong business ties between Russia and the UAE, Ali added that the carrier anticipated strong demand for service to the country. “Based on the high level of business and tourism traffic between the two countries, we are confident that our new service to Moscow and Yekaterinburg will further offer our customers a great value for money option to benefit from.”

Moscow, with a population in excess of 10.5 million, is the most populous city in Russia, the largest nation on earth, and is the country’s economic and political centre. The UAE is home to an increasingly significant Russian expatriate community, and is also one of the preferred holiday destinations for residents of the country.

Monarch launches new flights to Barcelona

By Budget Airline News

Monarch, the scheduled leisure airline, has today launched new scheduled flights to Barcelona, Spain’s most cosmopolitan city. The flights, which start from £36 one way including all taxes and charges (£57 return).

Monarch’s new scheduled flights between Gatwick and Barcelona will operate daily from 21 October 2011, increasing to 11 flights per week from 30 October 2011 and brings the total number of scheduled destinations served by the airline from Gatwick to 13.

Commenting on the launch of this new route, Managing Director of Monarch Airlines, Kevin George said, “Barcelona is one of the UK’s most popular short break destinations and we are delighted to be adding this to our route network from Gatwick in addition to our existing flights from Manchester.

“Barcelona attracts a broad mix of visitors for business, city breaks and leisure for beach goers. During the winter season it is a fantastic gateway to the ski slopes of the Pyrenees. All of these customers will appreciate the convenience and flexibility of up to 11 flights per week in addition to Monarch’s fantastic value fares and innovative ‘build your own class’ service, which offers customers the ability to tailor their flight package to their exact requirements including extra legroom seating and pre-ordered meals.”

Monarch’s scheduled flights are available to book until October 2012. Customers now booking flights will also benefit from zero debit card charge fees and a fixed fee for all credit card bookings, regardless of the transaction value or number of people travelling.

Flybe Doubles Weekday Services Between London Gatwick and Nantes

By Budget Airline News

Leading regional airline increases flight frequency on popular route to key French business city

Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline and the UK’s Number One Domestic carrier is boosting its weekday service between London Gatwick and Nantes from March 28th with an additional evening departure and a new summer Saturday service from April 23rd following the success of the route that started last November.

The additional flight on weekday evenings (departing London Gatwick 1800 arr Nantes 2025 – departing Nantes 2050 arr London Gatwick 2115) will operate through to the end of the summer season on October 28th offering a convenient and affordable day-return service especially attractive for those traveling on business; while the new Saturday service offers additional flexibility.

Flybe already operates more routes from the regional UK to regional France than any other carrier and this increased service between London Gatwick and Nantes means that it now offers up to 446 flights each week to 18 destinations in France from 11 UK airports.

Mike Rutter, Flybe’s Chief Commercial Officer, comments: “We have an established reputation for serving regional France from the UK regions. By doubling our daily flights on this popular route between London Gatwick and Nantes, we are demonstrating our ongoing commitment to growing our regional network to and from France and to providing innovative, quality travel options to key travel destinations for both business and leisure travellers.”

easyJet launches Starbucks coffee on all flights

By Budget Airline News

easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, today announced that following its recent trial at selected bases, passengers will be able to purchase Starbucks VIA Ready Brew on all flights across its European network.

From today, all easyJet customers will be able to purchase a great cup of Starbucks coffee whilst on-the-go. Starbucks VIA Ready Brew is naturally roasted coffee, with no by-products giving coffee lovers the rich flavour they expect from brewed Starbucks coffee, in an instant. The convenient packet of micro-ground beans makes coffee on-the-go a simple and delicious experience. Starbucks VIA is Shared Planet verified, meaning that the coffee comes from farmers and suppliers who follow the company’s exacting sourcing guidelines.

Rob Pickering , easyJet’s Head of In-Flight, said: “We are delighted by the feedback we have received from our passengers over the past few months, and are pleased to roll out this product to all flights across our network. This is a significant step forward for the easyJet in-flight Product and we are proud to be the first European airline to serve such a premium coffee brand as Starbucks, which will ensure that our passengers will never need to be without great coffee or hot drinks.”

Darcy Willson-Rymer, managing director of Starbucks UK and Ireland, added: “With Starbucks VIA you can enjoy the same high-quality coffee you’d find in a Starbucks store – anytime, anywhere. Offering Starbucks VIA to easyJet passengers means that we can give new and existing Starbucks customers the chance to experience great quality coffee whilst travelling.”

Starbucks VIA Ready Brew is available in rich Italian Roast or nutty Colombia. In addition to this, easyJet customers will also be able to purchase a selection of four Tazo teas (English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Refresh and Passion varieties) and Starbucks Gourmet Hot Cocoa.