Well the long march continues, with Miles and More Members now able to earn Executive bonus and HON Circle miles on BMI.
Normally, earning these bonuses is restricted to fully integrated (ie fully owned) members of Miles and More. FTL and SEN can earn 25% too (expect on BMI Baby flights).
So for all Miles and more Members, this is good news.
BMI announced that it would offer 35% bonus on miles flown for Diamond Club Gold members when flying Lufthansa as well (so Diamond Club members are disadvantaged by 10% if they choose to fly Swiss, Austrian or LOT).
Tigher integration is happening slowly. It's only a matter of time alas till the fat lady begins the opening aria for Diamond Club...
Friday, 30 July 2010
BA/VS: Both post losses.
Earnings season is in full swing at the moment, with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic releasing their numbers today.
And for both, neither is good reading.
BA reported a pre-tax loss of £164m, larger than the £148m loss it made in the same period last year, whilst Virgin Atlantic announced a pre-tax operating loss of £132m in the 12 months to February.
BA of course has been through strike actions and Volcano's, whilst Virgin Atlantic has just suffered volcano fun.
Again, both airlines are recovering from the downturn, but there will be challenges ahead for both if a double dip recession comes about...
More at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10813680
And for both, neither is good reading.
BA reported a pre-tax loss of £164m, larger than the £148m loss it made in the same period last year, whilst Virgin Atlantic announced a pre-tax operating loss of £132m in the 12 months to February.
BA of course has been through strike actions and Volcano's, whilst Virgin Atlantic has just suffered volcano fun.
Again, both airlines are recovering from the downturn, but there will be challenges ahead for both if a double dip recession comes about...
More at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10813680
AZ: Wha? You actually *FLY* Alitalia? How does £20 off sound?
Let it not be said I pay attention to my inbox, as I had a lovely public voucher drop through it today for Alitalia.
Providing you book between now and 31st August, and flying 1st November to 15th December, you can get £20 off using code AUTUMN2010 at the checkout providing you do it via www.alitalia.co.uk. Usefully, it's also valid across the network, apart from domestic and one way exceptions.
T&C's:
Providing you book between now and 31st August, and flying 1st November to 15th December, you can get £20 off using code AUTUMN2010 at the checkout providing you do it via www.alitalia.co.uk. Usefully, it's also valid across the network, apart from domestic and one way exceptions.
T&C's:
- E‐coupon vouchers can only be redeemed on Alitalia.co.uk
- Discount vouchers are valid for return tickets purchased until 31 August 2010, for travel between 01 November and 15 December 2010
- Discounts cannot be used on one-way tickets, Italian domestic flights and children and infant tickets
FM: Confirmed - Shanghai Airlines to leave Star Alliance
In a not too unexpected move, Shanghai Airlines will be leaving Star Alliance.
Recently, Shanghai Airlines have merged with China Eastern Airlines - who themselves are joining SkyTeam and as such keeping one airline in two alliances is a no-no.
This opens up one hell of a hole in China for Star Alliance and leaves Air China as the sole partner within China, and a bigger hole of comparatively limited coverage at Shanghai-PuDong/Shanghai Hongqiao.
Both Star Alliance and Shanghai Airlines have agreed to terminate it's membership by 31 October 2010, marking the end of 3 years of membership.
Whilst not the shortest membership of Star Alliance, it is damaging enough - and will force Star to find a new partner out in the area.
Recently, Shanghai Airlines have merged with China Eastern Airlines - who themselves are joining SkyTeam and as such keeping one airline in two alliances is a no-no.
This opens up one hell of a hole in China for Star Alliance and leaves Air China as the sole partner within China, and a bigger hole of comparatively limited coverage at Shanghai-PuDong/Shanghai Hongqiao.
Both Star Alliance and Shanghai Airlines have agreed to terminate it's membership by 31 October 2010, marking the end of 3 years of membership.
Whilst not the shortest membership of Star Alliance, it is damaging enough - and will force Star to find a new partner out in the area.
Thursday, 29 July 2010
LH: Lufty post a loss - no thanks to the ash....
Another day, another set of account out. This time, it's the Lufthansa group posting another loss of of €104m for the first half of 2010, an improvement of the loss made last year.
Of course, it's time to trot out the reasons why, and in no particular order:
Revenues across the group rose by 24% to €12.6bn, with positive demand for freight and intercontinental passenger transit, and perhaps more importantly, First Class and Business Class passengers are starting to book again.
Now, if First and Business class passenger traffic is picking up, there is a sign of a recovery - but also, it could be a case of traffic poaching from one carrier that has had a few issues recently.
Neither the less - it's a sign on the ongoing recovery.
GhettoIFE.com will be flying on Lufthansa's Intra-EU product next month, so keep an eye out when the big trip report comes out in September....
Of course, it's time to trot out the reasons why, and in no particular order:
- Pilots strikes
- Costs of integrating BMI
- Costs of integrating Austrian
- "That" Volcanic ash cloud causing EU Airspace to be shut.
Revenues across the group rose by 24% to €12.6bn, with positive demand for freight and intercontinental passenger transit, and perhaps more importantly, First Class and Business Class passengers are starting to book again.
Now, if First and Business class passenger traffic is picking up, there is a sign of a recovery - but also, it could be a case of traffic poaching from one carrier that has had a few issues recently.
Neither the less - it's a sign on the ongoing recovery.
GhettoIFE.com will be flying on Lufthansa's Intra-EU product next month, so keep an eye out when the big trip report comes out in September....
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Airblue A321 Crash in Pakistan:
Unlike yesterday's crash where the pilots survived, a crash today did not have same fortunate results.
An AirBlue Flight 202 (a private Pakistani Airline) Airbus A321 crashed today, at around 10:00hr on the outskirts of Islamabad, running a a Karachi to Islamabad service, with 146 passengers and6 6 crew aboard. The Aircraft left left Karachi at 0750 local.
The aircraft crashed into the Margalla Hills, where it is heavy forest, making access hard.
At least 45 bodies recovered, however there it is now confirmed with no survivors of the crash.
Weather conditions have been reported as poor, and fog is lying over the rescue area.
Another sad day in aviation, and the fragilely of life.
Updated: 12:41 to note no survivors.
An AirBlue Flight 202 (a private Pakistani Airline) Airbus A321 crashed today, at around 10:00hr on the outskirts of Islamabad, running a a Karachi to Islamabad service, with 146 passengers and6 6 crew aboard. The Aircraft left left Karachi at 0750 local.
The aircraft crashed into the Margalla Hills, where it is heavy forest, making access hard.
At least 45 bodies recovered, however there it is now confirmed with no survivors of the crash.
Weather conditions have been reported as poor, and fog is lying over the rescue area.
Another sad day in aviation, and the fragilely of life.
Updated: 12:41 to note no survivors.
SQ: Singapore Airlines has a good quarter....
Well, the upturn is in full effect, with the news from Singapore Airlines has made a first-quarter profit of 253 million Singapore dollars ($184.7m; £119m).
Singapore Airlines put this down to a rise of passenger and freight traffic - which is good to see, and are expecting these numbers to hold for the remainder of the year.
Passenger numbers climbed by 5.5% in the first quarter, while cargo space usage rose from 60.6% a year ago to 65%.
Well, maybe the recovery has arrived. Let's just hope we don't hit a double-dip recession...
Singapore Airlines put this down to a rise of passenger and freight traffic - which is good to see, and are expecting these numbers to hold for the remainder of the year.
Passenger numbers climbed by 5.5% in the first quarter, while cargo space usage rose from 60.6% a year ago to 65%.
Well, maybe the recovery has arrived. Let's just hope we don't hit a double-dip recession...
AB: Confirmed - Air Berlin to Join Oneworld in 2012.
So as revealed yesterday, Air Berlin has formally invited to join OneWorld with a memorandum of understanding signed.
So lets take a deeper look.
Air Berlin itself will join OneWorld as a full member, with Niki joining as well as a OneWorld affiliate (as at is owned partially by Air Berlin).
They will both be joining OneWorld in early 2012 (with no defined actual date yet), although they are trying to join just before the new Berlin Airport is opened.
Air Berlin is more "the friendly face of Low Cost Carriers", with some better features like free luggage and full on board service (including their long haul services which they obtained when purchasing LTU). In short haul, it's the usual single class cabin, whilst on longer haul services, they offer two-class services onboard their A330's.
Air Berlin carriers 28 million passengers a year, with 165 aircraft, to a total of 160 destinations over 40 countries, and when it joins OneWorld - this will expand its coverage to 900 destinations in 150 countries. Nearly all OneWorld members serve Air Berlin Germany, and the interlining and codesharing will increase access to the world.
Which increases the coverage of the alliance by a fair amount.
Air Berlin now has the hard task of preparing its systems to move over to OneWorld, and developing the codeshare and bilatteral agreements to make this work - that's why there's a minimum of 18 months before they formally join OneWorld (and typical of most airlines - save Air India who is still dawdling over it's Star Alliance membership)
British Airways (who is also looking after S7 and Kingfisher) as they complete their joining of OneWorld) will be supporting it's membership and it's implementation.
This is a very interesting play, and there are two things to look at carefully (and neither directly related to Air Berlin.
Firstly - LCC's (or "better class" LCC's) are now serious contenders for major alliance memberships. As some major legacy carriers scrape the barrel and try to cut costs, they're looking more looking like LCC's.
And that puts JetBlue sharply into focus - again, a single class airline, but again - an acceptable face of LCC's. With it's recent tie up with American Airlines, could alliance membership be around the corner for it?
And will that push some of the legacy carriers that own LCC's to push them into the major alliances? I'm not sure at this point, but surely, this is causing minor concern in Star Alliance HQ/SkyTeam HQ, and will force them to consider their future membership plans....
Secondly, I can't help thinking that the about to be formed "International Airlines Group" is paying very close attention. A ready made footprint like that, combined with the might of BA and Iberia would really allow it to go toe-to-toe with Lufthansa and Air France-KLM in Europe...
So lets take a deeper look.
Air Berlin itself will join OneWorld as a full member, with Niki joining as well as a OneWorld affiliate (as at is owned partially by Air Berlin).
They will both be joining OneWorld in early 2012 (with no defined actual date yet), although they are trying to join just before the new Berlin Airport is opened.
Air Berlin is more "the friendly face of Low Cost Carriers", with some better features like free luggage and full on board service (including their long haul services which they obtained when purchasing LTU). In short haul, it's the usual single class cabin, whilst on longer haul services, they offer two-class services onboard their A330's.
Air Berlin carriers 28 million passengers a year, with 165 aircraft, to a total of 160 destinations over 40 countries, and when it joins OneWorld - this will expand its coverage to 900 destinations in 150 countries. Nearly all OneWorld members serve Air Berlin Germany, and the interlining and codesharing will increase access to the world.
Which increases the coverage of the alliance by a fair amount.
Air Berlin now has the hard task of preparing its systems to move over to OneWorld, and developing the codeshare and bilatteral agreements to make this work - that's why there's a minimum of 18 months before they formally join OneWorld (and typical of most airlines - save Air India who is still dawdling over it's Star Alliance membership)
British Airways (who is also looking after S7 and Kingfisher) as they complete their joining of OneWorld) will be supporting it's membership and it's implementation.
This is a very interesting play, and there are two things to look at carefully (and neither directly related to Air Berlin.
Firstly - LCC's (or "better class" LCC's) are now serious contenders for major alliance memberships. As some major legacy carriers scrape the barrel and try to cut costs, they're looking more looking like LCC's.
And that puts JetBlue sharply into focus - again, a single class airline, but again - an acceptable face of LCC's. With it's recent tie up with American Airlines, could alliance membership be around the corner for it?
And will that push some of the legacy carriers that own LCC's to push them into the major alliances? I'm not sure at this point, but surely, this is causing minor concern in Star Alliance HQ/SkyTeam HQ, and will force them to consider their future membership plans....
Secondly, I can't help thinking that the about to be formed "International Airlines Group" is paying very close attention. A ready made footprint like that, combined with the might of BA and Iberia would really allow it to go toe-to-toe with Lufthansa and Air France-KLM in Europe...
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
LH: Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 crash at Riyadh
Not good news coming from Riyadh airport, with reports of a Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 Flight LH 8460 crashing at King Khaled International Airport in Saudi Arabia.
The plane was piloted by a two-man crew, according to initial reports. Both pilots are being treated in hospital.
On board Flight LH 8460 were 80 tonnes of freight. It is not yet known exactly what type of freight it was or which customers are affected.
On crashing, it appears the aircraft separated in two, with a possible fire within the plane on approach.
Thankfully, there are no deaths, but the two pilots are being treated in hospital.
The fire on the plane is ongoing, and is being attempted to be put out by the local teams.
Whilst it is sad to see a plane go up in smoke, it is a small miracle that the crew have survived - even though they are in hospital.
More later.
The plane was piloted by a two-man crew, according to initial reports. Both pilots are being treated in hospital.
On board Flight LH 8460 were 80 tonnes of freight. It is not yet known exactly what type of freight it was or which customers are affected.
On crashing, it appears the aircraft separated in two, with a possible fire within the plane on approach.
Thankfully, there are no deaths, but the two pilots are being treated in hospital.
The fire on the plane is ongoing, and is being attempted to be put out by the local teams.
Whilst it is sad to see a plane go up in smoke, it is a small miracle that the crew have survived - even though they are in hospital.
More later.
Monday, 26 July 2010
iPhone American Airlines boarding pass? There's an AApp for that.
American Airlines have released an iPhone app, with mobile boarding pass built in and AA AAdvantage built in.
It's downloadable free at the Apple Appstore, but before you head there, you might want to head over to my list of iPhone Airline Apps if your airline has an app for that.
Happy Apping!
It's downloadable free at the Apple Appstore, but before you head there, you might want to head over to my list of iPhone Airline Apps if your airline has an app for that.
Happy Apping!
Wrapping up Farnborough - last orders please...
Well Farnborough is over for another 2 years (as next year, we're back to Paris), so lets look at the which carriers have decided to splurge some pennies at equipment makers.
Okay? We can have airplanes!
China's Okay Airways has ordered 10 Boeing 737-800s which will be delivered from 2014. Previously just a lessee, this will be the first purchase directly from Boeing.
This will be in the addition to the 4 they currently lease, along with a variety of other aircraft.
Royal Jordan goes for a full replacement - adds follow-on's for 787's
Royal Jordan Airlines has submitted a order for an additional 3 787-8s, to complete a long haul fleet renewal.
Deliveries are due to be complete by the end of 2016
This will replace the exist A310s and A340s and in the longer term - the A330s it flies.
And that's your lot. No doubt there will be more orders agreed, more haggling done and a few surprises soon. GhettoIFE.com will continue to monitor and report the fun that is the civil aviation industry when new planes are being ordered - and more importantly - when they're up in the air with passengers bums on seats.
Okay? We can have airplanes!
China's Okay Airways has ordered 10 Boeing 737-800s which will be delivered from 2014. Previously just a lessee, this will be the first purchase directly from Boeing.
This will be in the addition to the 4 they currently lease, along with a variety of other aircraft.
Royal Jordan goes for a full replacement - adds follow-on's for 787's
Royal Jordan Airlines has submitted a order for an additional 3 787-8s, to complete a long haul fleet renewal.
Deliveries are due to be complete by the end of 2016
This will replace the exist A310s and A340s and in the longer term - the A330s it flies.
And that's your lot. No doubt there will be more orders agreed, more haggling done and a few surprises soon. GhettoIFE.com will continue to monitor and report the fun that is the civil aviation industry when new planes are being ordered - and more importantly - when they're up in the air with passengers bums on seats.
BA and Unite: Unite to go to the courts to get back rights...
In the continuing battle of the odd couple, Unite is taking a pop at BA by taking it to court over the withdrawn travel concessions of striked cabin crew, claiming a breach of the European Human rights legislation.
It belives that these privlages were withdrawn without proper disciplinary procedures being followed.
With Unite trying the publicity drive with Unite providing additional assistance for crew who have suffered fiscal hardship
BA and Unite are due to meet next week to attempt to solve the dispute, but these actions aren't going to help in the long run.
Unless both are in a kamikaze mood to oblivion...
It belives that these privlages were withdrawn without proper disciplinary procedures being followed.
With Unite trying the publicity drive with Unite providing additional assistance for crew who have suffered fiscal hardship
BA and Unite are due to meet next week to attempt to solve the dispute, but these actions aren't going to help in the long run.
Unless both are in a kamikaze mood to oblivion...
AB: Air Berlin puts the cat amongst the pigeons: To join OneWorld....
Now here's something that is completely out of the blue - Air Berlin - a Low Cost Carrier based in Germany has accepted an invitation to join OneWorld!
Appearing on the Oneworld website, a full statement is to be released Tuesday afternoon, and will be a development routes with AA and Finnair - with British Airways acting as a mentor.
Could this be the starting pistol some have waited for - LCC's to join major alliances?
And will this lead to BA, Iberia, and Finnair cowering in fear - or is International Airlines Group quietly watching and waiting?
More details tomorrow evening!
Appearing on the Oneworld website, a full statement is to be released Tuesday afternoon, and will be a development routes with AA and Finnair - with British Airways acting as a mentor.
Could this be the starting pistol some have waited for - LCC's to join major alliances?
And will this lead to BA, Iberia, and Finnair cowering in fear - or is International Airlines Group quietly watching and waiting?
More details tomorrow evening!
Sunday, 25 July 2010
BMI Diamond Club to Miles and More - The Whole Debacle.
As information is slowly filling in month by month about the changes to Diamond Club and how it will or will not be merging into Miles and More, GhettoIFE.com will be keeping a very close eye on events (as a reporter, analyst and customer).
NOTE as of 9th February, there will be no movement into Miles and More during 2011. See most recent post
Most Recent Post:
Past Posts
The one that set this thing into full swing...
Ukraine, The Netherlands and Israel fall first....
This post can be found in the left-hand bar, or if something important has happened, this post re-dated and reposted.
You can also access this via an RSS feed - http://www.ghettoife.com/search/DCMigration will lead you to the latest posts on this affair.
NOTE as of 9th February, there will be no movement into Miles and More during 2011. See most recent post
Most Recent Post:
Past Posts
- The Long Road to Miles and More: German press announces possible date, more questions than answers - http://www.ghettoife.com/2010/08/long-road-to-miles-and-more-german.html
- Another step towards Miles and More - HON Circle and Excutive Bonus miles now earnable on BMI. - http://www.ghettoife.com/2010/07/another-step-towards-miles-and-more-hon.htm
- Nope - We don't know what's going on! http://www.ghettoife.com/2010/07/bmi-diamond-club-nope-we-dont-know.html
The one that set this thing into full swing...
- Anaysis: Upcoming changes (with advice) - http://www.ghettoife.com/2010/06/analysis-diamond-club-upcoming-changes.html
Ukraine, The Netherlands and Israel fall first....
- The oncoming storm on hold: http://www.ghettoife.com/2010/04/oncoming-storm-is-breifly-put-on-hold.html
- The Diamond Club Party coming to an end? http://www.ghettoife.com/2010/04/more-evidence-diamond-club-party-is.html
This post can be found in the left-hand bar, or if something important has happened, this post re-dated and reposted.
You can also access this via an RSS feed - http://www.ghettoife.com/search/DCMigration will lead you to the latest posts on this affair.
Airplane p0rn - United A320
It's another Sunday, so that must logically mean time it's time for some Airplane p0rn.
This week, it's an "ex-Ted" United Airlines Airbus A320 coming into the gate at Washington Dulles International
More next week!
This week, it's an "ex-Ted" United Airlines Airbus A320 coming into the gate at Washington Dulles International
More next week!
Friday, 23 July 2010
Farnborough Day 5
Well it's close to the wrapping up point at Farnborough, but there's still a few low hanging fruit to get. Lets see who's buying what...
Air Austral opts for 777-200LR's
Air Austral wants to run fully loaded planes from Reunion to Paris on a very short, and is ordering 2 777-200LR's to help.
Air Austral runs three 777-200ERs and two 777-300ERs, and also has the A380 in the mad 800+ configuration on order.
SuperJet Interests grow: Orient Thai Airlines signs tentative order for 12 Superjets
It seems Orient Thai Airlines are very interested in the Superjets, putting in an order for for 12 and options for an another 12, and if anything is one of the more intresting bits of news of Farnborough this year. GhettoIFE.com will be looking at the superjet in a few weeks and ask the question... WTF?
More Pam Ann Happiness - ANA and Hainan to get... Winglets!
ANA and Haian are in the mood to try and save some fuel, and equip their new aircraft with blended winglets.
Hainan Airlines will install blended winglets on 45 737-800s, with All Nippon Airways purchasing them for their 5 new 767-300ERs
TRIP leases more aircraft, more E-Jet's to head to Brasil (or is it from Brasil?)
Brazilian regional carrier TRIP has agreed to lease three Embraer E-175s from GECAS, and is also on the warpath to try and get hold of anohter two in 2011. This puts TRIP on a very nice expansion plan - not enough to take on Azul, but enough to be an annoyance....
Well, day five over, and most of the deals are done. Now the public can invade the field...
Comming tommorow - stats and numbers...
Air Austral opts for 777-200LR's
Air Austral wants to run fully loaded planes from Reunion to Paris on a very short, and is ordering 2 777-200LR's to help.
Air Austral runs three 777-200ERs and two 777-300ERs, and also has the A380 in the mad 800+ configuration on order.
SuperJet Interests grow: Orient Thai Airlines signs tentative order for 12 Superjets
It seems Orient Thai Airlines are very interested in the Superjets, putting in an order for for 12 and options for an another 12, and if anything is one of the more intresting bits of news of Farnborough this year. GhettoIFE.com will be looking at the superjet in a few weeks and ask the question... WTF?
More Pam Ann Happiness - ANA and Hainan to get... Winglets!
ANA and Haian are in the mood to try and save some fuel, and equip their new aircraft with blended winglets.
Hainan Airlines will install blended winglets on 45 737-800s, with All Nippon Airways purchasing them for their 5 new 767-300ERs
TRIP leases more aircraft, more E-Jet's to head to Brasil (or is it from Brasil?)
Brazilian regional carrier TRIP has agreed to lease three Embraer E-175s from GECAS, and is also on the warpath to try and get hold of anohter two in 2011. This puts TRIP on a very nice expansion plan - not enough to take on Azul, but enough to be an annoyance....
Well, day five over, and most of the deals are done. Now the public can invade the field...
Comming tommorow - stats and numbers...
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Farnborough Day 4
Well maybe I was lieing. There are some orders about today, so lets see what the manufacturers and others are doing today:
Virgin America signs for up to 60 Airbus A320s - with sharklets.
Virgin America is on a push for expansion, and has opted for more A320's - 40 firm and 20 options
If the Memo turns into an order, they would start arriving in 2013.
Pam Ann would just love the sharklets I suspect...
Azerbaijan dumps 737 order and switches to 767s
Azerbaijan Airlines dumped an order for 2 Boeing 737, and instead taking one 767-300ER and two 767F's in a Freighter configuration to develop it's cargo wing.
Well, you've got to shift stuff around somehow - a 767 is a good platform - if it could actually hold ULD's...
Boeing 787 escapes evacuation trials
One of the key verification stages of a aircraft is for an emergency exit drill so that people can escape a plane in a set time.
Boeing will not be required to run a cabin evacuation trial due to the similarity of it compared to the 767 trials which have the similar amount of people.
Of course, all the escape systems need to work, and thus demonstrated.
In Russia - Gas Jet flys you! - Gazprom signs letter of intent for SuperJets
Gazprom has signed on for 10 Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft. This is to replace the exisiting Yakovlev Yak-42 tri-jets
Deliveries are scheduled to take place in 2013-15, to be used as the in-house airline "Gazpromavia", and subject to financing - more could be ordered.
Still in Russia, Aeroflot confirms A330-300 order - beware Wrath of Putin...
Aeroflot confirmed an order it has made for 11 Airbus A330-300s, having recently disclosed it to the public.
As is typlical for an A330, the aircraft will be in a two-class layout with 300 seats with a target delivery for 2011-13.
However, all is not well at Aeroflot, as a certain Mr Putin has been putting pressure on Aeroflot to "buy Russian". The fact that Russia no longer makes a widebody jet is of course, besides the point...
As the show winds down, orders will now dry out, but I'm sure there's room for a couple more suprises along the way....
Virgin America signs for up to 60 Airbus A320s - with sharklets.
Virgin America is on a push for expansion, and has opted for more A320's - 40 firm and 20 options
If the Memo turns into an order, they would start arriving in 2013.
Pam Ann would just love the sharklets I suspect...
Azerbaijan dumps 737 order and switches to 767s
Azerbaijan Airlines dumped an order for 2 Boeing 737, and instead taking one 767-300ER and two 767F's in a Freighter configuration to develop it's cargo wing.
Well, you've got to shift stuff around somehow - a 767 is a good platform - if it could actually hold ULD's...
Boeing 787 escapes evacuation trials
One of the key verification stages of a aircraft is for an emergency exit drill so that people can escape a plane in a set time.
Boeing will not be required to run a cabin evacuation trial due to the similarity of it compared to the 767 trials which have the similar amount of people.
Of course, all the escape systems need to work, and thus demonstrated.
In Russia - Gas Jet flys you! - Gazprom signs letter of intent for SuperJets
Gazprom has signed on for 10 Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft. This is to replace the exisiting Yakovlev Yak-42 tri-jets
Deliveries are scheduled to take place in 2013-15, to be used as the in-house airline "Gazpromavia", and subject to financing - more could be ordered.
Still in Russia, Aeroflot confirms A330-300 order - beware Wrath of Putin...
Aeroflot confirmed an order it has made for 11 Airbus A330-300s, having recently disclosed it to the public.
As is typlical for an A330, the aircraft will be in a two-class layout with 300 seats with a target delivery for 2011-13.
However, all is not well at Aeroflot, as a certain Mr Putin has been putting pressure on Aeroflot to "buy Russian". The fact that Russia no longer makes a widebody jet is of course, besides the point...
As the show winds down, orders will now dry out, but I'm sure there's room for a couple more suprises along the way....
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Farnborough Day 3
So as we end Day 3 of Farnborough, a lot of the big deals have been done. Lets see what's rocking and rolling today.....
RBS Aviation buys a selection of planes.
Yes - lessors are doing a lot of trade this show, and it's RBS Aviation turn to make an order.
This time RBS Aviation Capital is purchasing 95 frames - 52 Airbus A320-family and 43 Boeing 737 family aircraft (although actual subtypes have yet to be agreed).
This will keep the lines at Renton and Toulouse running quite nicely. Leased aircraft of course go to a variety of operators.
Garuda Indonesia expands fleet - order A330-200.
Garuda Indonesia has ordered 6 Airbus A330-200s, that will be delivered during 2012. For this little order Garuda is upgrading its fleet. Which is nice.
Germania confirms order for 5 A319's.
Germania is in a mood to swap aircraft, and is purchasing five A319's, swapping them for the existing Boeing 737 fleet, replacing them for Charter and Scheduled/Subleased routes.
Deliveries begin in 2011.
Republic further commits itself to more E-Jets
The mega-regional airline (and wannabe mainline player) Republic Airlines has signed a memo with Embraer for more E-Jet's, in particular the E-190 (convertible to E-195's), with an eye to deploying them with Frontier as they are very suitable for use in Denver and other hot and high airports (Denver being Frontier's base)
AA gets the Boeing Bug and orders more 737-800's
American Airlines announced today will take up the options it has with Boeing for an addiitonal 35 737-800 aircraft
Delivery is to take place in 2011 and 2012, in a bid to start replacing the ageing MD-80's that AA insists on keeping in the air - and with a 35% fuel advantage, it's no small cost.
Right - that's your lot for today - as most of the big deals have been done, it's now a slow wind down for the public to start visiting Farnborough. Who knows, there might be some big game out there still....
RBS Aviation buys a selection of planes.
Yes - lessors are doing a lot of trade this show, and it's RBS Aviation turn to make an order.
This time RBS Aviation Capital is purchasing 95 frames - 52 Airbus A320-family and 43 Boeing 737 family aircraft (although actual subtypes have yet to be agreed).
This will keep the lines at Renton and Toulouse running quite nicely. Leased aircraft of course go to a variety of operators.
Garuda Indonesia expands fleet - order A330-200.
Garuda Indonesia has ordered 6 Airbus A330-200s, that will be delivered during 2012. For this little order Garuda is upgrading its fleet. Which is nice.
Germania confirms order for 5 A319's.
Germania is in a mood to swap aircraft, and is purchasing five A319's, swapping them for the existing Boeing 737 fleet, replacing them for Charter and Scheduled/Subleased routes.
Deliveries begin in 2011.
Republic further commits itself to more E-Jets
The mega-regional airline (and wannabe mainline player) Republic Airlines has signed a memo with Embraer for more E-Jet's, in particular the E-190 (convertible to E-195's), with an eye to deploying them with Frontier as they are very suitable for use in Denver and other hot and high airports (Denver being Frontier's base)
AA gets the Boeing Bug and orders more 737-800's
American Airlines announced today will take up the options it has with Boeing for an addiitonal 35 737-800 aircraft
Delivery is to take place in 2011 and 2012, in a bid to start replacing the ageing MD-80's that AA insists on keeping in the air - and with a 35% fuel advantage, it's no small cost.
Right - that's your lot for today - as most of the big deals have been done, it's now a slow wind down for the public to start visiting Farnborough. Who knows, there might be some big game out there still....
BMI Diamond Club: Nope, We don't know anything still.
Cofunsion still reigns regarding the migration of Diamond Club to Miles and More.
BMI have popped a little statement on FaceBook, but for clarity, here it is in word and form:
So what can we take away from this?
They know don't know what the plan is - or they're unwilling to tell us what it actually will be.
The general advice however remains the same:
BMI have popped a little statement on FaceBook, but for clarity, here it is in word and form:
We have communicated all of the comments on this thread internally and would like to thank everyone who has taken part so far. Your comments are all being taken on board internally and are highly valued. At the moment as no decision has been made over DC/M+M there is nothing else to communicate for the time being. Rest assured that as soon as we have any further information on the subject it will be posted here.
So what can we take away from this?
They know don't know what the plan is - or they're unwilling to tell us what it actually will be.
The general advice however remains the same:
- Burn those miles if possible
- Pool those miles
- Consider re-aligning if Star Alliance Gold is your number 1 priority.
AA/BA/IB - The TATL Joint Venture is Go!
Some minor good news for the three operators - American Airways, British Airways and Ibera have recivied clearance from US anti-trust authorities regarding their proposed Transatlantic (TATL) Joint venture,
This will allow carriers in the Oneworld Alliance to coordinate scheduling, pricing, and other services (as is done by the other two alliances - Star Alliance on the same agreement, SkyTeam with the old KLM/Northwest Agreement).
Finnair and Royal Jordanian Airlines are also covered in this agreement.
As part of the offer, the 4 pairs of slots will be released (for lease) at Heathrow to competitors if they wish to launch services to certain cities
Meanwhile in Heathrow T3, a certain bearded airline is fuming, and now let in the feeling the pinch of all three major alliances pooling their resources together. Whilst there may be argument over fares being anti-competitive, there are still three major groupings. All they have to do is fight.
And make Virgin suffer.
This will allow carriers in the Oneworld Alliance to coordinate scheduling, pricing, and other services (as is done by the other two alliances - Star Alliance on the same agreement, SkyTeam with the old KLM/Northwest Agreement).
Finnair and Royal Jordanian Airlines are also covered in this agreement.
As part of the offer, the 4 pairs of slots will be released (for lease) at Heathrow to competitors if they wish to launch services to certain cities
Meanwhile in Heathrow T3, a certain bearded airline is fuming, and now let in the feeling the pinch of all three major alliances pooling their resources together. Whilst there may be argument over fares being anti-competitive, there are still three major groupings. All they have to do is fight.
And make Virgin suffer.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Farnborough Day 2
Well Day 2 of Farnborough is coming to close, so lets look at what's hot in the world of Civil Aviation
Flybe goes for 35 E-175's and options for more, but calls on industry for new designs.
Heading up the megafleet expansions, Flybe is in the mood to order new planes for an expansion.
UK regional carrier Flybe is to order up to 140 Embraer E-Jet's of which 35 will initially be 35 firm, with options for 65 united, and purchase rights for another 40 jets.
However, Flybe laid down a challenge to the regional jet airframers - in 7 years time they'll be ordering again, but want to look at combining turboprop and jet performance - could it be an impetus to start looking at Open Rotor designs again?
Interesting times..
LAN close to ordering 50 A320's.
LAN Airlines has signed a tentative agreement for 50 Airbus A320-family aircraft in a memo of understanding with Airbus. This will be a mix of aircraft, including 10 A321's
LAN of course OneWorld's South American partner. In addition, they'll be removing the A318's they have in service. So if you're in South America and want so slightly used A318's...
Azul diverges from a pure E-Jet Fleet, picks up 20 ATR's with options for a fleet of 40
Azul who yesterday signed with Embraer for some more E-Jets is going to dip its toes into props for regional services, wit the purchase of 20 ATR 72-600s, with options on a further 20 aircraft.
Deliveries will begin in late 2011, and will make Azul the launch operator of ATR -600 series... and being a launch operator has some benefits on knocking off the list price down a bit...
Udvar-Hazy's ALC buys a few more planes...
Not one for standing still, Steven Udvar-Hazy's Air Lease Corporation has signed letters of intent with Embraer and ATR for delivery of regional aircraft.
With Embraer, it once again the E-Jet series that is benefiting with 10 E-190's with options for 5 more. Even Udvar-Hazy is happy with the economics of these E-Jets, which will be configured in a 106 seats, and marketed as a mainline aircraft (which in an E-190 is very capable of)
Air Lease has also signed for 10 ATR 72-600 series aircraft. A busy two days so far for Air Lease Corporation.
Hong Kong Airlines to go wide....
Hong Kong Airlines are starting their expansion, and have tentatively agreed to purchase 15 Airbus A350s and 10 A330-200 series, in a bid to develop it's long haul services.
Subject to paperwork, A330-200's start arriving in 2012.
TRIP to go narrow...
Brazilian TRIP Linhas Aereas is going narrow and large with an order for two Embraer E-190 jets, to add to its fleet of six Embraer E-175s.
The E-190s, which will be configured with 106 seats (a common configuration it seems), and deliveries will beging in 2011
Another day, another lessor...
Another lessor has popped up, called Avolon.
They have committed to buying 12 Boeing 737-800's for lease from 2012-2014.
There's going to be a lot of aircraft floating around from 2012 onwards....
787 - First to fly in Europe is....
And finally, who is going to be the first European operator of Boeing's 787 in Europe? A major flag carrier?
Nope.
Step forward Thomson Airways! (part of the TUI Group)
Yes, the charter carrier will be the first to fly the 787 in Europe (and the UK), beating LOT to the punch - mainly due to the issues with the 787 project itself.
Configuration will be (what I consider) a generous 33" in economy, with a decision open on a premium product once the UK government has decided how to rip more people off with aviation taxes.
That's your lot for Day 2. As Day 3 approaches, it'll be interesting to see what orders are left to be signed...
Flybe goes for 35 E-175's and options for more, but calls on industry for new designs.
Heading up the megafleet expansions, Flybe is in the mood to order new planes for an expansion.
UK regional carrier Flybe is to order up to 140 Embraer E-Jet's of which 35 will initially be 35 firm, with options for 65 united, and purchase rights for another 40 jets.
However, Flybe laid down a challenge to the regional jet airframers - in 7 years time they'll be ordering again, but want to look at combining turboprop and jet performance - could it be an impetus to start looking at Open Rotor designs again?
Interesting times..
LAN close to ordering 50 A320's.
LAN Airlines has signed a tentative agreement for 50 Airbus A320-family aircraft in a memo of understanding with Airbus. This will be a mix of aircraft, including 10 A321's
LAN of course OneWorld's South American partner. In addition, they'll be removing the A318's they have in service. So if you're in South America and want so slightly used A318's...
Azul diverges from a pure E-Jet Fleet, picks up 20 ATR's with options for a fleet of 40
Azul who yesterday signed with Embraer for some more E-Jets is going to dip its toes into props for regional services, wit the purchase of 20 ATR 72-600s, with options on a further 20 aircraft.
Deliveries will begin in late 2011, and will make Azul the launch operator of ATR -600 series... and being a launch operator has some benefits on knocking off the list price down a bit...
Udvar-Hazy's ALC buys a few more planes...
Not one for standing still, Steven Udvar-Hazy's Air Lease Corporation has signed letters of intent with Embraer and ATR for delivery of regional aircraft.
With Embraer, it once again the E-Jet series that is benefiting with 10 E-190's with options for 5 more. Even Udvar-Hazy is happy with the economics of these E-Jets, which will be configured in a 106 seats, and marketed as a mainline aircraft (which in an E-190 is very capable of)
Air Lease has also signed for 10 ATR 72-600 series aircraft. A busy two days so far for Air Lease Corporation.
Hong Kong Airlines to go wide....
Hong Kong Airlines are starting their expansion, and have tentatively agreed to purchase 15 Airbus A350s and 10 A330-200 series, in a bid to develop it's long haul services.
Subject to paperwork, A330-200's start arriving in 2012.
TRIP to go narrow...
Brazilian TRIP Linhas Aereas is going narrow and large with an order for two Embraer E-190 jets, to add to its fleet of six Embraer E-175s.
The E-190s, which will be configured with 106 seats (a common configuration it seems), and deliveries will beging in 2011
Another day, another lessor...
Another lessor has popped up, called Avolon.
They have committed to buying 12 Boeing 737-800's for lease from 2012-2014.
There's going to be a lot of aircraft floating around from 2012 onwards....
787 - First to fly in Europe is....
And finally, who is going to be the first European operator of Boeing's 787 in Europe? A major flag carrier?
Nope.
Step forward Thomson Airways! (part of the TUI Group)
Yes, the charter carrier will be the first to fly the 787 in Europe (and the UK), beating LOT to the punch - mainly due to the issues with the 787 project itself.
Configuration will be (what I consider) a generous 33" in economy, with a decision open on a premium product once the UK government has decided how to rip more people off with aviation taxes.
That's your lot for Day 2. As Day 3 approaches, it'll be interesting to see what orders are left to be signed...
BA: *** BREAKING *** BA Cabin Crew reject latest offer.
Here we go again.
It seems the BA Cabin Crew represented by Unite have rejected the latest offer from BA by 67%.
Whilst a lower number than before, it paves the way for more industrial action soon.
More later.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=11204642 (ABC/Reuters)
It seems the BA Cabin Crew represented by Unite have rejected the latest offer from BA by 67%.
Whilst a lower number than before, it paves the way for more industrial action soon.
More later.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=11204642 (ABC/Reuters)
Diamond Club shows more of it's friendship of Mother Lufthansa - Earning Loyalty Bonuses up!
In another sign of the oncoming storm, BMI is bumping up its loyalty bonuses upwards for segments flown with Lufthansa.
Whilst the current Gold Loyalty bonus is 35% for BMI flights and 25% for everyone else, this is now extended to Lufthansa as well.
Why other Lufthansa Group airlines have not been extended this privilege, who knows. But if you find a Lufthansa Regional or Lufthansa Mainline flight coming up, and it earns some miles (which in cheap economy, is a odd concept in itself), you should be getting more for you coin.
Changes take effect 1st August - expect to see the bonuses arrive per flight as currently.
GhettoIFE.com will be continuing to monitor the slow manoeuvring of Diamond Club as the merger to Lufthansa's Miles and More continues - and keep an eye out on the left hand bar for a Special Section coming shortly....
Whilst the current Gold Loyalty bonus is 35% for BMI flights and 25% for everyone else, this is now extended to Lufthansa as well.
Why other Lufthansa Group airlines have not been extended this privilege, who knows. But if you find a Lufthansa Regional or Lufthansa Mainline flight coming up, and it earns some miles (which in cheap economy, is a odd concept in itself), you should be getting more for you coin.
Changes take effect 1st August - expect to see the bonuses arrive per flight as currently.
GhettoIFE.com will be continuing to monitor the slow manoeuvring of Diamond Club as the merger to Lufthansa's Miles and More continues - and keep an eye out on the left hand bar for a Special Section coming shortly....
Monday, 19 July 2010
Farnborough 2010 - Day 1 - The orders start flowing...
It's day 1 of Farnborough 2010 air show, and the orders are off and running. So lets get down with the civil aviation big news...
GE goes on a spending spree and buys 100 Aircraft
(And I thought the Emirates story would be top today - I was wrong by a long shot).
GE Commercial Aviation Services has been shopping today, signing up for for 60 Airbus A320s and 40 Boeing 737-800s. Which are a lot of aircraft it has to be said.
Dates for delivery have not been given, although it's expect they will appear in due time. And it seems Airbus has done slightly better out of the deals than Boeing, both have come off very well from it.
GECAS has one of the biggest fleets around, with over 1,800 aircraft owned and managed aircraft. Which means these 100 are a drop in the ocean...
Emirates expand their fleet further - more 777-300ER's on the books
Emirates are on their war path to fleet expansion with an order for another 30 777-300ER aircraft to be delivered in a Three-Class configuration.
This will take Emirates fleet into big numbers, with a projected total of 71 777-300ER Class aircraft, with a total of 116 777 frames (all subtypes)
It's a lot of aircraft...
The return of Steven Udvar-Hazy - 51 A32x's please
IFLC's ex Boss Steven Udvar-Hazy has returned with a new company - simply called the "Air Lease Corporation". And with this company, he's off a-ordering 51 Airbus A320 family aircraft.
The order make up of the order is which covers 31 A320s and 20 A321s, so a not inconsiderable order.
It's good to see him back after he left ILFC when AIG had it's troubles - least of all this is the person who can force Airbus to head to back the drawing board or tell Boeing to design an aircraft.
Kartika firms up order for 30 Sukhoi Superjets
An Indonesian company - Kartika Airlines has firmed up an agreement to by 30 Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft, with a firm order signed today, adding more of the 75 seat Russian Regional Jets out there.
This is another positive move for the SuperJet programme - which is now up to 131 frames awaiting construction and built.
Kartika Airlines could be on the warpath and one to watch with ambitions of of a 160 strong fleet....
Norwegian order 15 737-800's - and looks to the 787.
Norwegian - a Scandinavian budget carrier has ordered 15 more Boeing 737-800s for short haul services, and is closing in on a decision of long-haul services that could spell more fun for Boeing, with possible orders for 787's in the autumn (vs the A350XWB).
Norwegian is in the market for up to 15 widebodies for a long-haul operation it wants to launch during 2011, operating to New York and Bangkok in the first phase.
This will be an interesting play as at the momentum, there is a very limited SAS service. If Norwegian goes in guns a blazing, it spell real trouble for SAS.
Azul orders 5 more Embraer E-195's.
Azul has signed a deal for a five more E-195's increasing it's commitment to 41 aircraft. This in addition to the order made last year for 5 E-190s and 31 E-195s, whilst retaining options for and purchase rights, extending it's partnership with Embraer.
Aircraft are due to be delivered by end of the year, taking it to a total of 26 aircraft - all Embraer E-Series, in a 118 seats.
As we all know, the E-Series is a lovely jet to sit in, and lets face it, it's better than Bombardier's CRJ's...
Yeminia selects an engine for it's A320's - IAE's V2500 Select Ones going in
Why should you care? Engines make planes go forward, and consume fuel.
And who pays for the fuel? Look in the mirror....
China Southern and Malaysia Airlines opt for winglets on 737 - Pan Am gets happy
China Southern Airlines has committed to the winglets for 55 737s to be delivered between 2011 and 2015, whilst Malaysia Airlines is also fitting the winglets to 35 737-800s that it is taking from the US airframer.
This means another 90 wingletted Boeing 737's will be taking to the skies which when wigletted can have improved take off performance - and consume less fuel.
And of course, we all know who pays for that fuel...
That's it from Day 1 and what a busy day it's been. No doubt, there will be more fun tomorrow...
GE goes on a spending spree and buys 100 Aircraft
(And I thought the Emirates story would be top today - I was wrong by a long shot).
GE Commercial Aviation Services has been shopping today, signing up for for 60 Airbus A320s and 40 Boeing 737-800s. Which are a lot of aircraft it has to be said.
Dates for delivery have not been given, although it's expect they will appear in due time. And it seems Airbus has done slightly better out of the deals than Boeing, both have come off very well from it.
GECAS has one of the biggest fleets around, with over 1,800 aircraft owned and managed aircraft. Which means these 100 are a drop in the ocean...
Emirates expand their fleet further - more 777-300ER's on the books
Emirates are on their war path to fleet expansion with an order for another 30 777-300ER aircraft to be delivered in a Three-Class configuration.
This will take Emirates fleet into big numbers, with a projected total of 71 777-300ER Class aircraft, with a total of 116 777 frames (all subtypes)
It's a lot of aircraft...
The return of Steven Udvar-Hazy - 51 A32x's please
IFLC's ex Boss Steven Udvar-Hazy has returned with a new company - simply called the "Air Lease Corporation". And with this company, he's off a-ordering 51 Airbus A320 family aircraft.
The order make up of the order is which covers 31 A320s and 20 A321s, so a not inconsiderable order.
It's good to see him back after he left ILFC when AIG had it's troubles - least of all this is the person who can force Airbus to head to back the drawing board or tell Boeing to design an aircraft.
Kartika firms up order for 30 Sukhoi Superjets
An Indonesian company - Kartika Airlines has firmed up an agreement to by 30 Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft, with a firm order signed today, adding more of the 75 seat Russian Regional Jets out there.
This is another positive move for the SuperJet programme - which is now up to 131 frames awaiting construction and built.
Kartika Airlines could be on the warpath and one to watch with ambitions of of a 160 strong fleet....
Norwegian order 15 737-800's - and looks to the 787.
Norwegian - a Scandinavian budget carrier has ordered 15 more Boeing 737-800s for short haul services, and is closing in on a decision of long-haul services that could spell more fun for Boeing, with possible orders for 787's in the autumn (vs the A350XWB).
Norwegian is in the market for up to 15 widebodies for a long-haul operation it wants to launch during 2011, operating to New York and Bangkok in the first phase.
This will be an interesting play as at the momentum, there is a very limited SAS service. If Norwegian goes in guns a blazing, it spell real trouble for SAS.
Azul orders 5 more Embraer E-195's.
Azul has signed a deal for a five more E-195's increasing it's commitment to 41 aircraft. This in addition to the order made last year for 5 E-190s and 31 E-195s, whilst retaining options for and purchase rights, extending it's partnership with Embraer.
Aircraft are due to be delivered by end of the year, taking it to a total of 26 aircraft - all Embraer E-Series, in a 118 seats.
As we all know, the E-Series is a lovely jet to sit in, and lets face it, it's better than Bombardier's CRJ's...
Yeminia selects an engine for it's A320's - IAE's V2500 Select Ones going in
Why should you care? Engines make planes go forward, and consume fuel.
And who pays for the fuel? Look in the mirror....
China Southern and Malaysia Airlines opt for winglets on 737 - Pan Am gets happy
China Southern Airlines has committed to the winglets for 55 737s to be delivered between 2011 and 2015, whilst Malaysia Airlines is also fitting the winglets to 35 737-800s that it is taking from the US airframer.
This means another 90 wingletted Boeing 737's will be taking to the skies which when wigletted can have improved take off performance - and consume less fuel.
And of course, we all know who pays for that fuel...
That's it from Day 1 and what a busy day it's been. No doubt, there will be more fun tomorrow...
Sunday, 18 July 2010
Going inside the 787
Jon Ostrower reports inside the Boeing 787 and what we can expect from it, both in terms of crew and passenger experience.
Looking nice - it'll be interesting to see the completed units once they start going into real revenue earning flights, and how the seating is configured.
Much more coverage from Farnborough this week later, with an end of day round up at 19:00 each day from Monday.
Looking nice - it'll be interesting to see the completed units once they start going into real revenue earning flights, and how the seating is configured.
Much more coverage from Farnborough this week later, with an end of day round up at 19:00 each day from Monday.
Airplane p0rn - JetBlue A320
Another Saturday rolls past, therefore it must be time for some Airplane p0rn.
Today, it's a JetBlue Airbus A320 at Washington Dulles International
More Airplane p0rn of course - next week!
Today, it's a JetBlue Airbus A320 at Washington Dulles International
More Airplane p0rn of course - next week!
Unite is picks another fight - this time with BAA.
What's the term? It never rains, it pours. Unite is getting busy, with them to ballot workers on the most recently pay offer from BAA.
With the usual lines of "Derisory and paltry pay rises".
Unite is to ballot more than 6,000 members about possible strike action at BAA's six UK airports in a dispute over pay due to to a 1% pay rise, with a possible 0.5% more (which more than some sectors will get this year I should add).
BAA staff accepted a freeze in 2009, and have been offered this rise for 2010.
BAA is disappointed has, and released a load of fluff, but for the passengers, there's no action yet - until the strike has been approved.
The ballot to the membership will open on 23 July and close on 12 August.
As I said earlier - it never rains... it pours...
With the usual lines of "Derisory and paltry pay rises".
Unite is to ballot more than 6,000 members about possible strike action at BAA's six UK airports in a dispute over pay due to to a 1% pay rise, with a possible 0.5% more (which more than some sectors will get this year I should add).
BAA staff accepted a freeze in 2009, and have been offered this rise for 2010.
BAA is disappointed has, and released a load of fluff, but for the passengers, there's no action yet - until the strike has been approved.
The ballot to the membership will open on 23 July and close on 12 August.
As I said earlier - it never rains... it pours...
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Dealing with Call Centres - Phonetics 101
At some time or another we have to deal with a call centre - either to secure a reservation, set a seat... or sometime to spell our names.
Therefore, it's good to use a common alphabet when dealing with them - and the "gold standard" is the ICAO Spelling Alphabet.
Letters become words which are pronounceable by all, and understandable by all - which makes the ICAO Spelling alphabet standard - anywhere in the world (with some regional variations).
Wikipedia has an excellent article on it, but lets get down to practicalities.
Firstly, the actual alphabet:
And it if you need to spell something, then use the phonetics. For example, if I was to spell the name Zarkov*, you'd spell that as Zulu, Alpha, Romeo, Kilo, Oscar, Victor.
If you were spelling out an airport code, for example Chicago O'Hare, that would be Oscar, Romeo, Delta (ORD).
And so on. It's a useful tool if you have to spend hours sitting on a phone to call centre.....
* Yes, I was watching Flash Gordon last night - doesn't show does it?
Therefore, it's good to use a common alphabet when dealing with them - and the "gold standard" is the ICAO Spelling Alphabet.
Letters become words which are pronounceable by all, and understandable by all - which makes the ICAO Spelling alphabet standard - anywhere in the world (with some regional variations).
Wikipedia has an excellent article on it, but lets get down to practicalities.
Firstly, the actual alphabet:
| Letter | Code word | Letter | Code word | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Alpha | N | November | |
| B | Bravo | O | Oscar | |
| C | Charlie | P | Papa | |
| D | Delta | Q | Quebec | |
| E | Echo | R | Romeo | |
| F | Foxtrot | S | Sierra | |
| G | Golf | T | Tango | |
| H | Hotel | U | Uniform | |
| I | India | V | Victor | |
| J | Juliett | W | Whiskey | |
| K | Kilo | X | X-ray | |
| L | Lima | Y | Yankee | |
| M | Mike | Z | Zulu |
And it if you need to spell something, then use the phonetics. For example, if I was to spell the name Zarkov*, you'd spell that as Zulu, Alpha, Romeo, Kilo, Oscar, Victor.
If you were spelling out an airport code, for example Chicago O'Hare, that would be Oscar, Romeo, Delta (ORD).
And so on. It's a useful tool if you have to spend hours sitting on a phone to call centre.....
* Yes, I was watching Flash Gordon last night - doesn't show does it?
Friday, 16 July 2010
LH: The year of crazy deployments continues: LH to run 747's DOMESTICLY.
It seems the year of crazy aircraft deployments is continuing apace, this time with Lufthansa putting some of it's spare 747 capacity to use, by putting on some domestic services with 747's.
The deployment takes place over a three week period, with flight from Frankfurt to Hamburg, Berlin and Munich.
Why? Who knows. It could be training runs or it could be an adversing wheeze.
But anyway, onto the routes
Frankfurt - Berlin-Tegel
3 rotations -
Outbound LH170 Depart FRA 06:50, returning as LH177 from TXL,at 08:45
Outbound LH178 Depart FRA 11:50, returning as LH185 from TXL at 13:45.
Operated every Tuesday and Thursday between September 7 and September 28.
Outbound LH188 Depart FRA 17:05, returning as LH195 from TXL at 1900.
Operated every Monday between September 6 and September 27.
Frankfurt-Hamburg
Outbound LH22 Depart FRA 17:50, returning as LH27 from HAM at 1945.
Operated from September 8 to September 29 every Wednesday and Friday.
Frankfurt-Munich
Outbound LH960 Departs FRA 07:05, returning as LH965 from MUC at 0845.
Operates every Saturday between September 11 and September 25.
All of these flights are bookable on the Lufthansa Website in Business Class and Economy Class, subject to equipment being available.
Now I mentioned it was a mad deployment, and whilst there will be opportunity for some travellers to try the enhanced long haul products in comparison to a beated up 737-300 or a soon to be refitted A320, but there are some very odd patterns with these deployments.
Personally, if it's flying - go for it. However, with the oddness of some the patterns, I wouldn't rely on the plane turning up.....
The deployment takes place over a three week period, with flight from Frankfurt to Hamburg, Berlin and Munich.
Why? Who knows. It could be training runs or it could be an adversing wheeze.
But anyway, onto the routes
Frankfurt - Berlin-Tegel
3 rotations -
Outbound LH170 Depart FRA 06:50, returning as LH177 from TXL,at 08:45
Outbound LH178 Depart FRA 11:50, returning as LH185 from TXL at 13:45.
Operated every Tuesday and Thursday between September 7 and September 28.
Outbound LH188 Depart FRA 17:05, returning as LH195 from TXL at 1900.
Operated every Monday between September 6 and September 27.
Frankfurt-Hamburg
Outbound LH22 Depart FRA 17:50, returning as LH27 from HAM at 1945.
Operated from September 8 to September 29 every Wednesday and Friday.
Frankfurt-Munich
Outbound LH960 Departs FRA 07:05, returning as LH965 from MUC at 0845.
Operates every Saturday between September 11 and September 25.
All of these flights are bookable on the Lufthansa Website in Business Class and Economy Class, subject to equipment being available.
Now I mentioned it was a mad deployment, and whilst there will be opportunity for some travellers to try the enhanced long haul products in comparison to a beated up 737-300 or a soon to be refitted A320, but there are some very odd patterns with these deployments.
Personally, if it's flying - go for it. However, with the oddness of some the patterns, I wouldn't rely on the plane turning up.....
Backside. My Camera has brought the farm.
Regular readers know of my love of photography, and today, my camera gave up the ghost today.
And that's all there is too it.
Backside.
Something aviation related will appear later.
And that's all there is too it.
Backside.
Something aviation related will appear later.
FR/U2: Ryanair in shock action - Makes an apology.
When you're going to put an advert out, always make sure your backside isn't going to be sued. Although Ryanair tends to "Shove 'em out, worry about it later" attitude doesn't overly help in this direction.
Yesterday Michael O'Leary had apologised "unreservedly" to Easyjet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou.
Ryanair decided it would be good for business to run adverts depicting Stelios as Pinocchio - and implying he was lying about Easyjet's punctuality.
O'Leary has apologised to Stelious as he is not personally responsible for Easyjet not publishing weekly details of their on-time performance.
The libel suit was settled out of court.
Or to put in a blunt way from Stelios himself:
Of course, O'Leary was in court to apologise for once. To quote to ODM:
Will it stop Ryanair's behaviour though? I very much doubt it...
Yesterday Michael O'Leary had apologised "unreservedly" to Easyjet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou.
Ryanair decided it would be good for business to run adverts depicting Stelios as Pinocchio - and implying he was lying about Easyjet's punctuality.
O'Leary has apologised to Stelious as he is not personally responsible for Easyjet not publishing weekly details of their on-time performance.
The libel suit was settled out of court.
Or to put in a blunt way from Stelios himself:
"It is not very often that someone as arrogant and as powerful as O'Leary is forced to apologise to someone else in public and in writing”Ryanair ran of series of Pinocchio adverts regarding EasyJets's ontime performance stats, calling him "Easyjet's - Mr Late Again" in the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian during the beginning of the year. In the end, Ryanair has been forced to to run full page apologies, and not use this advert again
"I took this legal action to protect my reputation. I am not a liar and that statement was libellous.
Of course, O'Leary was in court to apologise for once. To quote to ODM:
"We are happy to apologise to Stelios for including his photograph and referring to him personally in the advert about Easyjet's missing weekly punctuality stats,"
"Since he was not responsible for Easyjet's decision to stop publishing these on-time statistics, I think it is only fair and reasonable that we say sorry and pay him damages and his legal costs, rather than waste court time on this issue."Sometimes, people have to remember that sorry is the hardest word - especially in the spats that they enjoy having in the airline industry between two of it's eagerest rivals.
Will it stop Ryanair's behaviour though? I very much doubt it...
Project 787.. Possibly delayed?
And here's a clanger you don't want to drop the week before Farnborough.
Boeing has issued a "cautionary note" that the first 787 delivery could slip into early 2011, citing slower than anticipated instrumentation configuration changes and inspections of the horizontal stabiliser.
It seems the test programme has ran into little issues and they have stacked up, which could see first delivery move into 2011. Whilst not an official slip, Boeing will provide more information as flight testing concludes.
Boeing also state that airplane performance has been unaffected, with 2400 hours of inflight testing to be completed with the Rolls Royce Trent engines, but with additional frames ZA006 being delayed for some time, the test effort may slow down whilst the instrumentation and horizontal stabiliser issues are addressed.
ANA have been long preparing for this, with 787 services commencing in 2011. Looks like ANA will still have to wait for Boeing to get their finger out again.
But to do this 3 days before one of the biggest airshows... is a clanger. Certainly if I was 787 customer, I would be asking what the heck is going on right now...
However, as we now roll up to the 6th delay in the Dreamliner project, perhaps we're all feeling the delay now...
Boeing has issued a "cautionary note" that the first 787 delivery could slip into early 2011, citing slower than anticipated instrumentation configuration changes and inspections of the horizontal stabiliser.
It seems the test programme has ran into little issues and they have stacked up, which could see first delivery move into 2011. Whilst not an official slip, Boeing will provide more information as flight testing concludes.
Boeing also state that airplane performance has been unaffected, with 2400 hours of inflight testing to be completed with the Rolls Royce Trent engines, but with additional frames ZA006 being delayed for some time, the test effort may slow down whilst the instrumentation and horizontal stabiliser issues are addressed.
ANA have been long preparing for this, with 787 services commencing in 2011. Looks like ANA will still have to wait for Boeing to get their finger out again.
But to do this 3 days before one of the biggest airshows... is a clanger. Certainly if I was 787 customer, I would be asking what the heck is going on right now...
However, as we now roll up to the 6th delay in the Dreamliner project, perhaps we're all feeling the delay now...
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
JQ: What's that Skippy? JetStar are getting 787-8's early? Down by Renton you say?
It seems that JetStar is getting an early gift - 8 new Boeing 787's that will be delivered from the middle of 2012 onwards.
This is part of the Qantas order, that has been brought forward some two years as some delivery slots have been made available of which 25 are going to Qantas itself, whilst the 25 are going off to JetStar.
The first 8 will be assigned to Jetstar which plans to use the aircraft for international flights to Asia and southern Europe and to replace its Airbus A330s, with the remaining 787's being delivered from 2014.
With this, JetStar will be taking a very early lead, and early deployment.
If that is the 787 programme bears fruit of production aircraft in the air....
This is part of the Qantas order, that has been brought forward some two years as some delivery slots have been made available of which 25 are going to Qantas itself, whilst the 25 are going off to JetStar.
The first 8 will be assigned to Jetstar which plans to use the aircraft for international flights to Asia and southern Europe and to replace its Airbus A330s, with the remaining 787's being delivered from 2014.
With this, JetStar will be taking a very early lead, and early deployment.
If that is the 787 programme bears fruit of production aircraft in the air....
International Airlines Group: Cleared for Business!
It's a continuing good day from British Airways it seems today with the European Commission green-lighting the proposed BA and Iberia Merger to form International Airlines Group.
As usual, the deal is to cut costs, with both BA and Iberia bleeding money.
The new company will be called International Airlines Group (based in Spain) with the classic British Airways& and Iberia brands to continue operating as normal.
In terms of anti-competition concerns, there was no issues expected due to the amount of competition that exists on core routes, and routes on its periphery - The European Commission said it did not have any anti-competition concerns over the merger because the enlarged airline would continue to face competition from rivals, even on routes such as London-Madrid and London-Barcelona.
When the merger was confirmed, BA said the group would operate 419 aircraft, flying to more than 200 destinations, and carry a total of 62 million passengers a year.
With IAG now confirmed, it can begin the work of reducing costs, or dread the thought - expanding its sphere of influence....
As usual, the deal is to cut costs, with both BA and Iberia bleeding money.
The new company will be called International Airlines Group (based in Spain) with the classic British Airways& and Iberia brands to continue operating as normal.
In terms of anti-competition concerns, there was no issues expected due to the amount of competition that exists on core routes, and routes on its periphery - The European Commission said it did not have any anti-competition concerns over the merger because the enlarged airline would continue to face competition from rivals, even on routes such as London-Madrid and London-Barcelona.
When the merger was confirmed, BA said the group would operate 419 aircraft, flying to more than 200 destinations, and carry a total of 62 million passengers a year.
With IAG now confirmed, it can begin the work of reducing costs, or dread the thought - expanding its sphere of influence....
BA/IB/AA JV Tie up - Cleared.
Final approval has been given for British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia has been given for the upcoming Transatlantic Joint Venture from the European Union, and will allow them to work together more closely.
This gives them immunity from anti-trust laws that prevent price and schedule coordination.
For this plan to work, there has been one major concession - the removal of 4 slot pairs from the JV to allow competition on routes between New York, Boston, Dallas and Miami from London Heathrow.
For BA, AA and IB, this is good news, leaving only the US Authorities to please.
However, a certain other airline has now been manoeuvred into a corner.
Virgin Atlantic has opposed the deal from the outset, saying consumers will loss out, where in fact it will be fighting for the scraps on the table, as Virgin Atlantic will now squeezed by all three alliances who have anti-trust immunity and can compete with Virgin harder.
Who knows, this could be the final straw for Virgin Atlantic to stop playing by itself to actually go an join an alliance....
This gives them immunity from anti-trust laws that prevent price and schedule coordination.
For this plan to work, there has been one major concession - the removal of 4 slot pairs from the JV to allow competition on routes between New York, Boston, Dallas and Miami from London Heathrow.
For BA, AA and IB, this is good news, leaving only the US Authorities to please.
However, a certain other airline has now been manoeuvred into a corner.
Virgin Atlantic has opposed the deal from the outset, saying consumers will loss out, where in fact it will be fighting for the scraps on the table, as Virgin Atlantic will now squeezed by all three alliances who have anti-trust immunity and can compete with Virgin harder.
Who knows, this could be the final straw for Virgin Atlantic to stop playing by itself to actually go an join an alliance....
FR: Ryanair gets slapped with another Advertising Standards Authority complaint, FR moans about EasyJet instead
Well another day, another advertising complaint has been upheld against Ryanair by the UK Advertising Standards Authority.
This time, Ryanair has again been reprimanded for misleading customers with low fare offers, in particular two newspaper adverts for the airline offered £10 one-way fares to Gothenburg and Dusseldorf. The small print said that the offer was subject to availability and excluded fees and charge, with the challenge that the availability of the fares and queried if they included taxes, charges and check-in fees or were misleading because the advert did not state the relevant travel dates.
Ryanair informed the Advertising Standards Authority that more than 10,000 seats were available to Gothenburg and more than 22,000 seats were on offer to Dusseldorf, with no requirements to specify dates. However, in the report, it indicated that readers were likely to believe the £10 deal was a fixed price, rather than for specific dates, leading to the following quote:
And who created this complaint? EasyJet.
Ryanair has not commented about this case, but when doing a rear guard action like this, it spits out a moan about EasyJet telling on it, and then a moan about EasyJet not publishing punctuality statistics.
This turns into a typical playground "he said - she said" palaver. Like two children moaning when a teacher stops a playground fight.
It's a simple reminder however to the consumer - never just read the headline fare. Cost your fare carefully. You could find that your £10 trip may cost a hell of a lot more....
This time, Ryanair has again been reprimanded for misleading customers with low fare offers, in particular two newspaper adverts for the airline offered £10 one-way fares to Gothenburg and Dusseldorf. The small print said that the offer was subject to availability and excluded fees and charge, with the challenge that the availability of the fares and queried if they included taxes, charges and check-in fees or were misleading because the advert did not state the relevant travel dates.
Ryanair informed the Advertising Standards Authority that more than 10,000 seats were available to Gothenburg and more than 22,000 seats were on offer to Dusseldorf, with no requirements to specify dates. However, in the report, it indicated that readers were likely to believe the £10 deal was a fixed price, rather than for specific dates, leading to the following quote:
"Because we considered that consumers would understand '£10 one way' to mean that all flights to Gothenburg and Dusseldorf-Weeze were available at £10, and because we had not seen evidence to support that claim, we concluded that the ads were likely to mislead."
And who created this complaint? EasyJet.
Ryanair has not commented about this case, but when doing a rear guard action like this, it spits out a moan about EasyJet telling on it, and then a moan about EasyJet not publishing punctuality statistics.
This turns into a typical playground "he said - she said" palaver. Like two children moaning when a teacher stops a playground fight.
It's a simple reminder however to the consumer - never just read the headline fare. Cost your fare carefully. You could find that your £10 trip may cost a hell of a lot more....
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
LX: Swiss joins the world of Bloggers....
It seems Swiss is getting all "new media", and has set up a blog at http://blog.swiss.com
And unlike a certain other airline within the Lufthansa group, they seem to be making an excellent effort in delivering content, reasonable articles and managing their new media output.
Worth a browse...
And unlike a certain other airline within the Lufthansa group, they seem to be making an excellent effort in delivering content, reasonable articles and managing their new media output.
Worth a browse...
BBC talks about Regional Jets, I fall about laughing.
Good olde BBC today released an article on Regional Jets and their trip to the Bombardier factory in Canada.
It will be like this as we head towards Farnborough Air Show 2010, so expect more claptrap like this over the next few days.
Except some of the quotes are instant fall about laughing.
Firstly, the strapline.
Excuse me? Beauty, yes is in the eye of the beholder, but a Regional Jet "BEAUTIFUL"? Oh get away...
Elegant? Sigh.
That's a winglet dear. And it's probably speedtape too. And small overhead bins? A fact of life on a CRJ-200....
The article goes on to talk about the economics of the Bombardier CRJ series and the upcoming C Series Regional Jets, as well as the challenges.
Not a bad article, but less of the fluff please...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10476908.stm
Whilst GhettoIFE won't be at Farnborough (as some of us have jobs that won't get us in on Trade days), I'll be doing an end of day wrap up based on the civil aviation news floating around looking mainly at who makes what order, and if there is any interesting IFE news around.
Farnborough coverage begins Monday 19th!
It will be like this as we head towards Farnborough Air Show 2010, so expect more claptrap like this over the next few days.
Except some of the quotes are instant fall about laughing.
Firstly, the strapline.
Resembling a space rocket, with its pointed nose and the engines fixed to the back of the fuselage, the regional jet is perhaps the most beautiful airliner in the sky.
Excuse me? Beauty, yes is in the eye of the beholder, but a Regional Jet "BEAUTIFUL"? Oh get away...
Since then, the regional jets have grown larger, so these days they tend to seat between 70 and 110 people.Yes - that's the size of an Regional Jet these days.
And as their slim fuselages have been stretched ever further their appearance has become ever more elegant.
Elegant? Sigh.
"It looks like its got duct tape wrapped around the tip of the wing," giggles one passenger as she drops her hand luggage on a small trolley.
Apparently the overhead bins are too small so only tiny bags are allowed onboard.
That's a winglet dear. And it's probably speedtape too. And small overhead bins? A fact of life on a CRJ-200....
The view from a cramped seat at the back of the barrel of a Bombardier CRJ is equally unimpressive.And what did you expect? A view of The Sydney Opera House? Wilderbeasts roaming across the Savannah? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? A small metal tube is just that - a metal tube.
From here, the windows appear small, the aisle seems too tight for the Air Canada flight attendants and the odour from the toilet is unpleasant.Because they've had ages since the aircraft landed for the turnaround needed.. and probably you didn't have the cleanest people on the planet in flight maybe?
The article goes on to talk about the economics of the Bombardier CRJ series and the upcoming C Series Regional Jets, as well as the challenges.
Not a bad article, but less of the fluff please...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10476908.stm
Whilst GhettoIFE won't be at Farnborough (as some of us have jobs that won't get us in on Trade days), I'll be doing an end of day wrap up based on the civil aviation news floating around looking mainly at who makes what order, and if there is any interesting IFE news around.
Farnborough coverage begins Monday 19th!
Monday, 12 July 2010
Yes, it's Concorde Night. Why?
Because I can.
And it's for those who can't see the 4OD broadcast from the post below.
And it's for those who can't see the 4OD broadcast from the post below.
Channel 4 Documentary: Concorde's Last Flight
Ok, another week, anohter semi reasonable documentary - this time about the Concorde and it's history - including its development, its success, a lot on the investigation and down to the last flight.
Should be available on 4OD http://www.channel4.com/programmes/concordes-last-flight
Recommended viewing.
Should be available on 4OD http://www.channel4.com/programmes/concordes-last-flight
Recommended viewing.
BA: British Airways First 777-300ER - Delivered
Time for some good news from BA, and that it's had the first of it's 777-300ER series aircraft delivered from Boeing.
Now whilst we could go on about the green credentials, lets get down to the messy parts - on board product.
The BA 777-300ER's will be in Four Class configuration (14 First Class 56 Club World, 44 World Traveller Plus and 183 Economy seats - a total of 297), with the "new" World Traveller/World Traveller Plus IFE systems Thales product - and seats to go with it.
Airline routes have an indication of what routes the 777-300ER, and it's going to have a fairly busy life to start with until the other 777-300ER's are joining it - a total of 5 in total.
Now there is a video of it arriving at Cardiff (BA's Maintenance Base), but it's exceedingly geeky - and there's a lawnmower in the backgroup - see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-1awUoYmjM and of course, BA have loaded a video too.
Although some may lament the beginning of the passing of the 747-400's (and their upper decks that make them so popular), its a sad fact that these new aircraft are a lot more economic to run. So expect to see more of them.
But still - it's good news for the airline.
Now whilst we could go on about the green credentials, lets get down to the messy parts - on board product.
The BA 777-300ER's will be in Four Class configuration (14 First Class 56 Club World, 44 World Traveller Plus and 183 Economy seats - a total of 297), with the "new" World Traveller/World Traveller Plus IFE systems Thales product - and seats to go with it.
Airline routes have an indication of what routes the 777-300ER, and it's going to have a fairly busy life to start with until the other 777-300ER's are joining it - a total of 5 in total.
Now there is a video of it arriving at Cardiff (BA's Maintenance Base), but it's exceedingly geeky - and there's a lawnmower in the backgroup - see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-1awUoYmjM and of course, BA have loaded a video too.
Although some may lament the beginning of the passing of the 747-400's (and their upper decks that make them so popular), its a sad fact that these new aircraft are a lot more economic to run. So expect to see more of them.
But still - it's good news for the airline.
Sunday, 11 July 2010
Airplane p0rn - Delta 757-200
It's Sunday once again, which means it's time for some more Airplane p0rn!
This week, it's a Delta 757-200 turning at it's hub of Atlanta.
More next week!
This week, it's a Delta 757-200 turning at it's hub of Atlanta.
More next week!
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Want your APD back if you don't fly? Good luck...
Which has gone again on the attack by claiming most airlines are charging too much in administration fees when attempting to reclaim tax elements of the fare.
Or to put it blunt from Which?'s Rochelle Turner.:
If you miss a flight from the United Kingdom, you unless you've booked the ticket in a particular way (i.e. full fare ticket), there's no chance of recovering the fare element of the ticket. However our good "friend" Air Passenger Duty is reclaimable.
However, airlines will make you pay an "Administration fee" to reclaim these taxes. And this is where this gets intresting.
Let's take a Zone 1 APD fare with a value of £11 APD. Who charges what?
Ryanair - £17
FlyBe - £25
BA - £30
EasyJet - £0.
So for a short haul flight, it's going to cost more than the actual tax is worth.
Looking at longer haul routes, BA and Virgin still charge £30 to refund APD - which whilst on a long haul fare recovers some of the APD, it does not recover all of it.
Of course, this goes straight to the bottom line of the airlines, with airlines bemoaning the costs of paying people to click a few buttons to refund a tax.
So what can you do if you have to cancel a ticket and reclaim? Not a lot. Whatever the government does with APD and its future moves you can be sure the airline industry will find a way to make more money on it.
Or to put it blunt from Which?'s Rochelle Turner.:
"In some cases it costs at least twice as much to reclaim the tax as the tax itself,"Ouch.
If you miss a flight from the United Kingdom, you unless you've booked the ticket in a particular way (i.e. full fare ticket), there's no chance of recovering the fare element of the ticket. However our good "friend" Air Passenger Duty is reclaimable.
However, airlines will make you pay an "Administration fee" to reclaim these taxes. And this is where this gets intresting.
Let's take a Zone 1 APD fare with a value of £11 APD. Who charges what?
Ryanair - £17
FlyBe - £25
BA - £30
EasyJet - £0.
So for a short haul flight, it's going to cost more than the actual tax is worth.
Looking at longer haul routes, BA and Virgin still charge £30 to refund APD - which whilst on a long haul fare recovers some of the APD, it does not recover all of it.
Of course, this goes straight to the bottom line of the airlines, with airlines bemoaning the costs of paying people to click a few buttons to refund a tax.
So what can you do if you have to cancel a ticket and reclaim? Not a lot. Whatever the government does with APD and its future moves you can be sure the airline industry will find a way to make more money on it.
Thursday, 8 July 2010
OS: Where Mother Lufthansa goes, it's children follow - Austrian to install slimline seats too.
Well it seems Austrian are treading in Lufthansa's footsteps with the installation of slimline seats, in the blind direction of increasing seat capactiy on their planes.
The change to the fleet will be made at the same time as Lufthansa reconfigures their planes, and will be reconfigured for the European fleet.
The quote that Austrian are throwing around is:
Austrian, like BMI is a little basketcase of an airline, and has been chasing yield and passengers recently, and has been trying to go after the low cost carriers. And failing. By keeping the yield up using the smallest aircraft on the highest volume aircraft. Which lets face it - isn't clever at all.
Austrian will therefore be deploying more larger aircraft on heavy routes, snubbing the smaller regional jets which could be redeployed.
But the fact is this. Sitting in a refurbished Lufthansa or Austrian aircraft may not be good for your posterior....
The change to the fleet will be made at the same time as Lufthansa reconfigures their planes, and will be reconfigured for the European fleet.
The quote that Austrian are throwing around is:
"The most important thing is that passenger comfort will stay the same, but there will be more seats - The leg-room will still be the same as before."Which is nice except there's less padding - so you feel the plastic/metal more easily against your posterior. Lovely.
Austrian, like BMI is a little basketcase of an airline, and has been chasing yield and passengers recently, and has been trying to go after the low cost carriers. And failing. By keeping the yield up using the smallest aircraft on the highest volume aircraft. Which lets face it - isn't clever at all.
Austrian will therefore be deploying more larger aircraft on heavy routes, snubbing the smaller regional jets which could be redeployed.
But the fact is this. Sitting in a refurbished Lufthansa or Austrian aircraft may not be good for your posterior....
Section 44 - Suspended.
One of my bugbears has been the awful implementation of Section 44 of the Terrorism Act within the United Kingdom.
This has been used to chase and hound people, and photographers in particular have felt the long arm of the law when taking pictures, and then being searched and questioned under Section 44.
Here are a few classic examples:
Here is the statement from the Home Secretary Theresa May
And from a personal viewpoint - About Bloody Time.
See also:
- I'm a Photographer, not a Terrorist - http://photographernotaterrorist.org/
This has been used to chase and hound people, and photographers in particular have felt the long arm of the law when taking pictures, and then being searched and questioned under Section 44.
Here are a few classic examples:
- - City Police still using Terror Act to bother photographers
- - Homeless photographer stopped under anti-terror law
- - Sussex Police searched hundreds of people illegally
- - Warning: Do Not take this picture (BBC Photographer stopped)
- And many more (written about in this blog)
Here is the statement from the Home Secretary Theresa May
Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a statement on stop and search powers under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
On Wednesday of last week, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that its judgment in the case of Gillan and Quinton is final. This judgment found that the stop and search powers granted under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 amount to the violation of the right to a private life.
The Court found that the powers are drawn too broadly – at the time of their initial authorisation and when they are used. It also found that the powers contain insufficient safeguards to protect civil liberties.
The Government cannot appeal this judgment – although we would not have done so had we been able. We have always been clear in our concerns about these powers, and they will be included as part of our review of counter-terrorism legislation.
I can therefore tell the House that I will not allow the continued use of section 44 in contravention of the European Court’s ruling and, more importantly, in contravention of the civil liberties of every one of us. But neither will I leave the police without the powers they need to protect us.
Since last Wednesday, I have sought urgent legal advice and consulted police forces. In order to comply with the judgment – but avoid pre-empting the review of counter-terrorism legislation – I have decided to introduce interim guidelines for the police.
I am therefore changing the test for authorisation for the use of section 44 powers from requiring a search to be ‘expedient’ for the prevention of terrorism, to the stricter test of it being ‘necessary’ for that purpose. And, most importantly, I am introducing a new suspicion threshold.
Officers will no longer be able to search individuals using section 44 powers. Instead, they will have to rely on section 43 powers – which require officers to reasonably suspect the person to be a terrorist.
And officers will only be able to use section 44 in relation to the searches of vehicles. I will only confirm these authorisations where they are considered to be necessary, and officers will only be able to use them when they have ‘reasonable suspicion’.
These interim measures will bring section 44 stop and search powers fully into line with the European Court’s judgment. They will provide operational clarity for the police. And they will last until we have completed our review of counter-terrorism laws.
Mr Speaker, the first duty of government is to protect the public. But that duty must never be used as a reason to ride roughshod over our civil liberties. I believe that the interim proposals I have set out today give the police the support they need and protect those ancient rights.
I commend this statement to the House.
And from a personal viewpoint - About Bloody Time.
See also:
- I'm a Photographer, not a Terrorist - http://photographernotaterrorist.org/
EK: Emirates to do anohter short A380 deployment to Delhi...
The other master of the publicity stunt, Emirates is going to deploy an A380 for a day to Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport as part of the launch of the airports Terminal 3.
The service will be EK516 on July 15, leaving Dubai at 1010 and arriving at 1450, returning as EK517, departing at 1750.
India is one of the few places where an A380 has yet to touch down on a scheduled service, with Emirates and Lufthansa examining operating services in the future.
Prices to fly are a a very cheap AED380 plus taxes, or AED990 return plus taxes, bookable on Emirates.com
With Emirates doing these flight, it's again a nice publicity drive for the airline, and when the big batch of A380's arrive for them, this could work well in their favour to provide "regional" routes using an A380 if the volume and revenue numbers work out well.
But for now, it's a big plane visiting a new airport terminal. Not as larish as some publicity stunts, but still....
The service will be EK516 on July 15, leaving Dubai at 1010 and arriving at 1450, returning as EK517, departing at 1750.
India is one of the few places where an A380 has yet to touch down on a scheduled service, with Emirates and Lufthansa examining operating services in the future.
Prices to fly are a a very cheap AED380 plus taxes, or AED990 return plus taxes, bookable on Emirates.com
With Emirates doing these flight, it's again a nice publicity drive for the airline, and when the big batch of A380's arrive for them, this could work well in their favour to provide "regional" routes using an A380 if the volume and revenue numbers work out well.
But for now, it's a big plane visiting a new airport terminal. Not as larish as some publicity stunts, but still....
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
FR/EI: EU to Ryanair. Hands off the Aer Lingus!
Well sometimes Ryanair can't have everything it wants.
The European Court of Justice has ruled that Ryanair's bid for Aer Lingus should be blocked on the grounds it would create a monopoly for flights from Dublin airport - both of which have dominant positions in the airport.
On Tuesday the court ruled that Ryanair could keep its 29.9% stake, however Aer Lingus had wanted Ryanair to be forced to offload its shares in the company.
Ryanair initially tried to take over Aer Lingus when it went public in 2006, buying 29.9% of the shares. Even if the Irish government chooses to sell its 25% stake in Aer Lingus, Ryanair are now blocked from purchasing the rest and having a controlling interest in the airline.
If anything, this will strengthen Aer Lingus, as an independent airline that can buddy up to a global alliance when it's ready
The European Court of Justice has ruled that Ryanair's bid for Aer Lingus should be blocked on the grounds it would create a monopoly for flights from Dublin airport - both of which have dominant positions in the airport.
On Tuesday the court ruled that Ryanair could keep its 29.9% stake, however Aer Lingus had wanted Ryanair to be forced to offload its shares in the company.
Ryanair initially tried to take over Aer Lingus when it went public in 2006, buying 29.9% of the shares. Even if the Irish government chooses to sell its 25% stake in Aer Lingus, Ryanair are now blocked from purchasing the rest and having a controlling interest in the airline.
If anything, this will strengthen Aer Lingus, as an independent airline that can buddy up to a global alliance when it's ready
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
LH: Lufthansa Euro Seating. Or.. it's going to get tighter....
Lufthansa has revealed the "upgrade" of it A320 fleet, and it's named it 'Neue Europa Kabine' - Or in English - New European Cabin.
(Slight definition matter - A320 fleet refers to family aircraft based on the A320 model, inculding the A319, A320 and A321)
And the bad news is - more seats are going in the aircraft. The semi good news is howeverm these will be slimline seats that weigh less, have less padding, and less depth, so they can squeeze 5% to 10% more seats (one or two rows) depending on the aircraft whilst trying to not encroach on current seat space.
The reconfiguration along with Lufthansa's fleet size will give the equivelent of 12 A320's worth of capacity with out spending the outlay on the phsyical hardware.
The refurbs of the A320 fleet will begin in December 2010 according to Lufthansa's deputy chairman, Christoph Franz, with the project lasting about a year. .
Quoting him:
(Slight definition matter - A320 fleet refers to family aircraft based on the A320 model, inculding the A319, A320 and A321)
And the bad news is - more seats are going in the aircraft. The semi good news is howeverm these will be slimline seats that weigh less, have less padding, and less depth, so they can squeeze 5% to 10% more seats (one or two rows) depending on the aircraft whilst trying to not encroach on current seat space.
The reconfiguration along with Lufthansa's fleet size will give the equivelent of 12 A320's worth of capacity with out spending the outlay on the phsyical hardware.
The refurbs of the A320 fleet will begin in December 2010 according to Lufthansa's deputy chairman, Christoph Franz, with the project lasting about a year. .
Quoting him:
"We'll have not only a very nice new cabin, with lighter seats, but also with more seats available for the same living space for customers."He also stresses that the increased capacity of the aircraft does not
"take anything away from passengers but will lower unit costs on the European fleet quite substantially".No matter how you dress it up, even with new slimline seats with near enough no padding you can feel the metal on your backside, it's going to get an awful lot tighter on the A320's soon.....
SU: Aeroflot to buy 11 A330's, Yakov Smirnoff without Joke*
Aeroflot is gearing up to purchase 11 new A330-300 frames, all to be delivered in 2011-13.
This will increase their A330 series fleet to 20 (a mix of A330-200 and A330-300 series aircraft), which will hopefully tide them over until the A350XWB's begin delivery.
For those who are still asleep, the A330 is a twin-engined widebody aircraft capable of 335 seats (2-class) or
295 seats (3-class) over a range of 6,730 miles when fully loaded (and a particular favourite of GhettoIFE.com).
It's an increasing sign that the Airline industry is starting to get more confident in the recovery and are preparing for the long term future, and will also secure more jobs along the line.
* Wha? You've never heard of a "In Soviet Russia..." joke? Shame on you...
This will increase their A330 series fleet to 20 (a mix of A330-200 and A330-300 series aircraft), which will hopefully tide them over until the A350XWB's begin delivery.
For those who are still asleep, the A330 is a twin-engined widebody aircraft capable of 335 seats (2-class) or
295 seats (3-class) over a range of 6,730 miles when fully loaded (and a particular favourite of GhettoIFE.com).
It's an increasing sign that the Airline industry is starting to get more confident in the recovery and are preparing for the long term future, and will also secure more jobs along the line.
* Wha? You've never heard of a "In Soviet Russia..." joke? Shame on you...
Monday, 5 July 2010
AZ: Alitalia join SkyTeam TATL Combined Service Alliance.
It seems Alitalia is slowly getting back into gear after ceeding into new ownership, with it joining the Air France, KLM and Delta Transatlantic Joint Venutre programme where airlines share transatlantic revenues and costs to run Trans Atlantic flights (or TATL flights)
Alitalia being late to the party of course will have it's membership of this Joint Venture backdated to 1st April.
This increases the Joint link by 20 services a day to Rome and Milan, linking up with Paris and Amsterdam in Europe - whilst in the USA feeding to New York, Detroit, Minneapolis and (my favourite airport in the world) Atlanta.
Alitalia hopes this will increase growth in this long term venture, which now includes 250 flights a day across the Atlantic with these 4 carriers, putting SkyTeam into a very powerful position. With the other alliances pooling resources together, this will squeeze out the smaller players, or force them to buddy up with a bigger alliance.
This expands on the orignal KLM/Northwest Airlines Anti-trust immuntity rulings (which is what the pact is based on) as opposed to the codeshare immunity (which is what most of SkyTeam runs on).
It's good news for Alitalia, who have had their fair share of troubles over the years, and hopefully will improve their product as a result to at least match their fellow members in the alliance.
Alitalia being late to the party of course will have it's membership of this Joint Venture backdated to 1st April.
This increases the Joint link by 20 services a day to Rome and Milan, linking up with Paris and Amsterdam in Europe - whilst in the USA feeding to New York, Detroit, Minneapolis and (my favourite airport in the world) Atlanta.
Alitalia hopes this will increase growth in this long term venture, which now includes 250 flights a day across the Atlantic with these 4 carriers, putting SkyTeam into a very powerful position. With the other alliances pooling resources together, this will squeeze out the smaller players, or force them to buddy up with a bigger alliance.
This expands on the orignal KLM/Northwest Airlines Anti-trust immuntity rulings (which is what the pact is based on) as opposed to the codeshare immunity (which is what most of SkyTeam runs on).
It's good news for Alitalia, who have had their fair share of troubles over the years, and hopefully will improve their product as a result to at least match their fellow members in the alliance.
Horrendously geeky: How to build a plane engine
Whilst the BBC laughably calls this "How to build a Jumbo Jet Engine" (and they feature no 747's - the traditional jumbo jet), it actually gives a very geeky insight and the sheer work that goes into the construction of a Rolls Royce Trent Engine, some peeks at the 787 and some of the first engine parts of the A350XWB.
Worth the 60 minutes it's on for.
UK Users can access it from BBC iPlayer or at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sz49v. Those outside the UK can't view this as it's restricted to UK Licence fee payers only...
Worth the 60 minutes it's on for.
UK Users can access it from BBC iPlayer or at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sz49v. Those outside the UK can't view this as it's restricted to UK Licence fee payers only...
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Airplan p0rn - Lufthansa Boeing 747-400
It's Sunday, so it must be time for some more Airplane p0rn.
This week, it's back to Frankfurt Airport, and a Lufthansa 747-400 on taxi.
More next week!
This week, it's back to Frankfurt Airport, and a Lufthansa 747-400 on taxi.
More next week!
Friday, 2 July 2010
Drinks in Belfast with the BMI Board (BHX-BFS,DUB-BHX) Heading into LCC territory with BMI Baby and Aer Lingus, and a ride on the Enterprise Service.
Drinks in Belfast with the BMI Board (BHX-BFS,DUB-BHX)
Heading into LCC territory with BMI Baby and Aer Lingus, and a ride on the Enterprise Service.
Previous witterings:
LHR-BRU-LHR ... or "How do you burn a £50 BMI voucher without too much pain?"
MAN-ORD on BMI (29/10 ... or Did Kevin Make it to ORD?)
Kevin goes for a little mileage run on UA - ORD/CHM/IAD/EWR/ORD
ORD-MAN in BMI Premium Economy (with Pictures)
Kevin’s American Adventure – MAN-ORD-SEA-ORD-MAN (4 flights, 2 weeks) in Y..
ORD - MAN in BMI Premium Economy: How hard can a PE product drop? (also random moans)
LHR-PHL-SEA, SEA-PHX-ORD, ORD-PHL-LHR - In Y, Come and be scared with US!
LHR-SFO-LHR - If you're going to San Francisco - SFO MegaDO Trip report
Gold Run - Mr Kevincm goes to Washington with EI and US
Long Haul Commuter Run - LHR-IAD-ORD and back with UA
Saying Goodbye to a Friend - Travelling for the wrong reasons - LHR-PHL with UA (Also on GhettoIFE.com - expanded)
The BA Y+/Y Class Long Haul Experience LHR-BKK/SIN-SYD and back on a bargain fare (Also on GhettoIFE.com -Expanded)
The Autumn Run - Mixing Business with Pleasure (C/F/Y adventures with UA and US) (Also on GhettoIFE.com -Expanded)
Long Way Home - The Spring Commute with UA and CO (Also on GhettoIFE.com - Expanded)
Atlanta or Bust (and Frankfurt too!) - (Also on GhettoIFE.com - Expanded)
Ok kids. Something a bit different from the usual wittering of United's food, Ghetto IFE systems and Star Alliance Carriers. This time, it's travel for the sheer pleasure of it, and catching up with good people. That's the point of a Do!
And this trip report is surprisingly short in comparison to some of my normal epics
The price of being a social butterfly (Yes, it's the intro)
Believe or not, I can be quite social when the mood takes me. It's extended in the past when the BMI Board used to meet for drinks in Manchester (except for me bailing out late - thanks to the joy of trains and me not wanting to overnight) or the odd trip to San Francisco to catch up with a big bunch of Flyertalkers..
And there was a Do announced in Belfast, I decided (for a change) to be social, and get my backside in the air over there.
Firstly, for the sake of a few miles, I checked out BMI's laughable fares (£100's for basic fares, with nothing making sense), so that was scrubbed off the list. So it was back to the local carriers for local people, and BMI Baby (the LCC side of BMI) had a 4p fare
4p you think to yourself. What's the catch?
How about £25.95 for taxes and £4 for the privilege of using a debit card? Ah yes, the joys of LCC's - either play by their rules - or get stung.
With the outbound successfully booked, I looked at the return... and oh dear. FlyBe had been jacking up their prices to a stonking £71.99 return before any fees, which throws the idea of a cheap weekend clean out of the window.
But thankfully, Dublin Airport is across the border - which opens up RyanAir, BMI and Aer Lingus back home. With BMI being the most expensive at €43 to LHR, EI coming next at €30 and RyanAir coming in at €15, one would had thought Ryanair would be the logical choice.
Except it gets home at 23:10 at night, and it's a £25 cab back to central Birmingham, or the 900 Bus with whatever drunks are aboard. So it's a simple decision of EI, and to be honest, at least EI feels like a real airline still in comparison to some of it's LCC competition (and besides, there's an office leaving Do I have to attend too, so a reasonable return time is helpful).
Of course, getting across the border is another challenge. I could either take the bus, or take the train. As I'm geek for trains still, I opted for the Enterprise service. Booking online, a voucher arrived in the post for £8.99
Miles? Oh I should talk about them I suppose. How does "Nothing" sound? Well almost nothing as BMI Baby will give me 150 destination miles and booking the EI on my credit card gave me a small smattering of miles - not even status miles (and not a single QF mile as it's a cheap fare). Woopeedo.
There is a fair bit of cashback going on thanks to QuidCo, however, I'm still waiting for most of it to get to me...
As OLCI was mandatory for the BMI Baby flight, I had checked in at work when it opened and secured a nice window seat near the front of the plane.
Right. Off we go again!
To BHX.
Morning wait for the bus
5:20am morning to the airport. I love them. Honestly. I really don't. After dragging myself and my trash out for this little tripette, it was a walk to to Mordor Hauptbahnhof (Birmingham New Street Station) and then off Birmingham International on the train.
As I had checked in online, I got off the Airlink, to be confronted with the queue from Hades, extending well from the security zone and halfway round the food court - between 6am and 8am being the rush hour at BHX. However although the queue was there, it was moving at a remarkable quick pace.
Within 10 minutes, my place queue had moved from the back of it to the outside to inside the security area, with Ryanair passengers being turned away often when they’ve worked out they’re in the wrong terminal.
Bag was scanned, with the hi-tech scanners indicating that my camera was needed to be scanned. A quick wipe and it was cleared to go, with security helping me with put my stuff away even though it was busy.
After exiting the security zone, a quick look at the screens indicated the gate had been called for the flight. At gate 60, this meant a hike to the end of old international pier, to be confronted with another queue. After a wait, I was seen to, my boarding pass was beeped, and I was directed to the tarmac and over to the plane of the day
BMI Baby, WW1021, Birmingham International Airport- Belfast International Airport
Boeing 737-500, Seat 4A
239 miles flown, 150 BMI Destination Miles Earned (if they ever post that is),
£29.95 paid, £6 Cashback
The Pictures: http://www.photoblog.com/kevincm/2010/06/25/bmi-baby-birmingham-to-belfast-international.html
Was greeted aboard, and the clicker was clicked, and I made my way to 4A selected – not for exit row reasons, but as a possible easy exit later. For a LCC, yes, tight seat pitch of the day is in order, but it felt 30”ish as opposed to some of the tighter densities out there.
Some people complain this is all they ever see of me. Others may think this is not the worst thing in the world...
Whilst this plane was clean and tidy, there were signs of its various lifes for British Airway, Go, JetLite and finally BMI Baby (who seem to think of themselves as a Midlands Niche LCC carrier (Not my words - that goes to Mr Prock-Schauer of BMI/Lufthansa) - little things like odd coloured armrests.
The other sign of course, is the BMI Mainline sick bags
The plane itself didn’t fill up that much with 50 people on the service, so there was room to spread out once the doors went to close and after a few minutes, the plane was pushed back.
The safety demo was carried out manually, and hot food orders were taken on the ground for those who wanted hot food. Speaking of the menu - whilst the menu wasn’t comprehensive, but it had the basis. However BMI Baby must learn the lesson that Aer Lingus has learned – provide a variable high quality food service. The limited choices that were aboard were... limited.
Pushback was 5 minutes late, and then the captain it seemed wanted to race to the runway (which seems common for BHX in my recent experiences).
After a short wait for a Ryanair 737-800 cleared the runway, it was our turn to perform a rolling takeoff. Now, as I have a new iPhone4 . I’d thought I’d try out the HD Video recording on it. Comments are very welcome how badly it’s been shot as well as the quality!
The plane took off into the sky, turning right slightly, and giving al lovely view of Birmingham
The plane continued to climb, and the crew were released after a while to commence in-flight service.
Over the countryside
As this is a short hop, and anything extra is payable – I chose not to pay, and just sit back and watch the sky and the ground as it was clear until reaching the coast – where cloud cover begun
Over the Irish Sea
The three crew were in a happy mood, even though it was the first flight of the day (And being slightly cruel – I didn’t release that orange skin was the fashion still). The crew completed service about 2/3rds of the way of the flight, and then began the process of cleaning down (which the bacon roll people in 4DEF weren't overly happy about as they were halfway through...).
Of course, this being an LCC the announcement was made to hand in any papers we did not wish to keep as no cleaners were boarding, and the crew had to clean down the plane – bless these poor LCC’s.
Over Belfast
The plane broke through the cloud and skipped its way down, and after a few turns, it lined up for Belfast International, finally kissing the ground.
Or have a look at video Yes- two vids so far. I am sad. It's going to get worse
The plane pulled up at a stand, and Servisair came along with the stairs, and we were all bussed to the terminal and into Domestic Arrivals.
Overall: There's not much you can do in a 50 minute flight, and this just shows that sometimes if an LCC product fits the bill, it can be better value than other products. The crew whilst friendly and smiley seemed to miss a "mainline" feel to them (and the shade of orange on one of them.. well...). Perhaps on the these short sectors, it's so important to remember that there is so little time to carry out service, that the whole thing can feel overly rushed.
After sorting my junk out and getting some water, I made my way out of what can be described as a glorified shed of a terminal (International Airport - Really? You could had fooled me), and wasted £7 on the biggest con of the whole trip – the bus ride into town. No, not a posh coach, a BUS for 20 miles.
Glorified Shed
I ask you. Seven notes.....
After handing over the money and waiting for others to board, the bus proceeded into Belfast City Centre, dropping off at the main strip, and finally at Europa bus station, where I went out and explored the city for a bit.
As the day progressed, I wanted to dump my main bag, and get a bit of rest before the evening fun occurred, so I checked in at my hotel of the day.
Hotel: Hotel Ibis, Belfast City Centre,
Rate Paid: £42 via Accor.com (£1.89 Cashback), 73 AClub points earned
The Pictures: http://www.photoblog.com/kevincm/2010/06/26/hotel-ibis-belfast-city-centre.html
This hotel was chosen purely on price-point - as much as I would had loved to stay at the Hilton, I'm by nature tightfisted when I just need a place to crash overnight before heading off the somewhere the next day. Of course, as a recently minted A-Club Gold (and lets face it - who isn't these days with all the free A-Club Gold offers that are around) it seemed to make sense at the time to book an Accor room (least of all for other reasons that will become apparent at the end of this trip report).
That and a small slug of cash via Quidco is always appreciated.
Booking was made online and the reference texted to me (now there's a lovely and non expensive touch). I was checked in, and no credit card was requested as guarantee as the room were paid for already. My key cards were issued, and I placed in a high floor.
Shot after dinner
I then wandered up to the room itself. Whilst small, it is functional, with a nice view over the city. However I quickly learned to switch anything on in the room I needed to drop my keycard into a slot within the room.
Outside the room
and inside...
Pop in to switch on. How Green...
The room had a flat screen TV, walk in shower that was nice and powerful, the bed of reasonable size and firmness, however, this was during one of the warmer weekends that the British Isles has experienced - and the air conditioner wasn't up to it.
Or to put it bluntly, it was akin to a nat blowing hard - in other words, not good at all even when set to high fan and cool mode.
----
Of course, there were drinks and random going ons - such is the joy of a BMI Do as well as food.
A good chance to catch up with people, and meet people for the first time. There may had been some watching of planes at the waterside and trains involved as well as drinks... but this is the BMI Board. We do things differently
I wandered back into the hotel after the festivities, and let myself in with my keycard and wandered upstairs to sleep as I would need to be awake by 7:00 to go off for the next part of this trip.
Upon arriving at reception to check out, my receipt was issued, and no further charges were issued against the account. The cab company (conveniently over the road from the hotel) had a waiting and I was sped to Belfast Central to catch the train.....
At Belfast Central (which is more akin to a Belfast Parkway - the running joke in the UK that a Parkway station is in the middle of nowhere - and that's where Belfast Central feels like), I went to the ticket office, and had my voucher exchanged for a ticket.
20 minutes before departure, the train was called and everyone lined up to go through the barrier and board.
Enterprise Service: Belfast Central - Dublin Connolly
Operated by NI Railways/Iarnrod Eireann, £8.99 advance fare.
The Pictures - http://www.photoblog.com/kevincm/2010/06/27/enterprise-train-service-belfast-to-dublin.html
Yes, it was £8.99.. you can also get day returns for £10. Bargain!
This is a link that's intrigued me on and off, and I used to enjoy rail travel an awful lot when I was a student (the fact that I've swapped trains for planes as I've grown up is of course besides the point).
Branding dear...
My first impressions were the train comfortable seats, all in a 2 x 2 setting in standard class as opposed to some train companies (in fact lots) on the British Isles who insist on having "Airline style" seating (to remove tables and instead cram more seats in. However, the seats were starting to look worn, and seeing better days, doing a maroon velour style.
Seats
Even useful information screens
The train pulled out at 8:00am on the dot, with a drinks and food trolley service beginning to the rounds straight after the train had pulled out.
As the service stopped at Portadown and Newry, the train loaded up, but didn't feel "packed" and certainly no sense of "standing room only" unlike some services I've had the misfortune of being on.
The route itself is very scenic, and as the train crossed into Ireland, the train sped up, passing near the coast, over the Broadmeadow viaduct and finally, into Dublin Connolly Station
...and at Dublin
Overall This is a very good service, but there are some obvious improvements needed two of which are an hourly service that is sorely needed to compete with coaches and cars, and really the speed of the service needs to be improved (and I was aboard a "fast" service).
With 9 cars a train, it is certainly "Intercity" standard, but an internal train refresh could be a idea to tidy up the coaching stock.
As a method to crossing the border – if you’re not in a hurry, and you’ve got time between your connections, I can’t think of a better way to go.
----
With a good 3 hours or so in the city, I took my time getting from Connolly to the airport, wandering around the lovely city of Dublin, and succumbing to the need to get more Guinness Glasses for the flat.
Eventually my legs got the better of me, and I caught the 747 to Dublin Airport
The new T2
Seeing Dublin Airport year on year, you get to see the big changes as they've been happening, and the biggest one of all is the almost near completion of Terminal 2, with its own architecture style. I'm sure it will be a lovely facility when finished, but for now Dublin Airport is a mass of construction work.
As usual, the bus dropped me off at arrivals, and I made my way up to the left hand side of T1, and straight into a Self Service kiosk, where I was placed in 16C. I had a fiddle with the machine, and placed myself again infront of the engines in 6A.
Security was very quick, however Dublin has caught the bad habit that BHX has caught - which is selling liquids bags. Seems like any old excuse to cash in these days.
After clearing security, I wandered around, noting that all the gate numbers had changed completely (from A-D piers to 100-300 gates), and wandered through the refurbished parts of the airport (in comparison to the year before when it was a building yard in the A-D Dock). I worked out that I was heading to the D pier (the low cost carrier pier where there isn't a jet-bridge in sight, and you can get two aircraft to a gate).
I found a perch for a bit and watch the hell that was a Ryanair flight completing its boarding (and thanking myself that I didn't bother to fly with them).
Soon enough, the Birmingham flight was called, and I found myself at the head of the queue, and first aboard.
Aer Lingus EI0272, Dublin International Airport - Birmingham International Airport
Airbus A320, Seat 6A, Economy Class
200 Miles Flown, 0 QF miles earned, 39 BMI destination miles earned
£26.43 PAID, £0.73 Cashback
The Pictures: http://www.photoblog.com/kevincm/2010/06/28/aer-lingus-a320-dublin-to-birmingham.html
I greeted the crew who were in jovial spirits and in a very talkative mood as boarding made its slow way. Again, with assigned seats, there was no fighting for who was to sit where.
Inflight branding, check.
Pushback was delayed slightly due to a passenger requiring extra assistance was boarding (as well as fuelling needed).
The safety demo was done again at a reasonable speed, and the plane begun the long trundle to the runway, and after waiting for another Ryanair 737 and a FedEx A300 to do its thing, our A320 took to the skies
Awaiting to turn onto the active....
Take off
(yes, I'm still "testing" the iPhone4...)
Very quickly, the crew were released and commenced their BOB service. Again, with a 40 minute flight, it hardly seemed worth getting anything to me. Meanwhile the crew were still smiling and chatting away to passengers whilst doing a brisk trade both in food, drink and in-flight sales.
Leaving Ireland
And the crew were actively talking to passengers, expressing interests and offering opinions when it came to onboard sales.
By the time we had crossed over Wales, service had pretty much complete and we were beginning our decent into Birmingham.
Over Wales
On decent
A cabin tidyup was done, the cabin secured, and well. Yes, there's a long landing video.
Landing -
After taxing onto gate, an airbridge was driven over, and I thanked the crew and made my way home to crash for an hour before going to what seems to be more office leaving dos...
At the gate in Birmingham
Overall: And this is the big difference between the flights - the happiness of the crew which seemed to had lifted the spirits of people aboard, and the willingness of the crew to engage. If the attitude of this crew is representative (and I can't remember a duff Aer Lingus crew I've encountered on short legs), then they will be a credit to any alliance they choose to join.
--------------------------
Thoughts
So, a worthless weekend for mileage earning?
Not necessary. It's taught me
And that it's still good to go and catch up with people and swap ideas occasionally.
Or to put it blunt, being social
-------------
That's it for now (and I kept my promise - short and sweet
) - and to be honest I wasn't going to write this TR for what seems like a non-event. However, it's a precursor to one of the biggest trips I'm ever going to undertake (and with the happenings within BMI, pretty timely too).
And it won't be in the class I'm traditionally associated with!
Next up (Sometime in September!): Kevin gets a little Seoul in his life with Asiana and Thai
Heading into LCC territory with BMI Baby and Aer Lingus, and a ride on the Enterprise Service.
Previous witterings:
LHR-BRU-LHR ... or "How do you burn a £50 BMI voucher without too much pain?"
MAN-ORD on BMI (29/10 ... or Did Kevin Make it to ORD?)
Kevin goes for a little mileage run on UA - ORD/CHM/IAD/EWR/ORD
ORD-MAN in BMI Premium Economy (with Pictures)
Kevin’s American Adventure – MAN-ORD-SEA-ORD-MAN (4 flights, 2 weeks) in Y..
ORD - MAN in BMI Premium Economy: How hard can a PE product drop? (also random moans)
LHR-PHL-SEA, SEA-PHX-ORD, ORD-PHL-LHR - In Y, Come and be scared with US!
LHR-SFO-LHR - If you're going to San Francisco - SFO MegaDO Trip report
Gold Run - Mr Kevincm goes to Washington with EI and US
Long Haul Commuter Run - LHR-IAD-ORD and back with UA
Saying Goodbye to a Friend - Travelling for the wrong reasons - LHR-PHL with UA (Also on GhettoIFE.com - expanded)
The BA Y+/Y Class Long Haul Experience LHR-BKK/SIN-SYD and back on a bargain fare (Also on GhettoIFE.com -Expanded)
The Autumn Run - Mixing Business with Pleasure (C/F/Y adventures with UA and US) (Also on GhettoIFE.com -Expanded)
Long Way Home - The Spring Commute with UA and CO (Also on GhettoIFE.com - Expanded)
Atlanta or Bust (and Frankfurt too!) - (Also on GhettoIFE.com - Expanded)
Ok kids. Something a bit different from the usual wittering of United's food, Ghetto IFE systems and Star Alliance Carriers. This time, it's travel for the sheer pleasure of it, and catching up with good people. That's the point of a Do!
And this trip report is surprisingly short in comparison to some of my normal epics
The price of being a social butterfly (Yes, it's the intro)
Believe or not, I can be quite social when the mood takes me. It's extended in the past when the BMI Board used to meet for drinks in Manchester (except for me bailing out late - thanks to the joy of trains and me not wanting to overnight) or the odd trip to San Francisco to catch up with a big bunch of Flyertalkers..
And there was a Do announced in Belfast, I decided (for a change) to be social, and get my backside in the air over there.
Firstly, for the sake of a few miles, I checked out BMI's laughable fares (£100's for basic fares, with nothing making sense), so that was scrubbed off the list. So it was back to the local carriers for local people, and BMI Baby (the LCC side of BMI) had a 4p fare
4p you think to yourself. What's the catch?
How about £25.95 for taxes and £4 for the privilege of using a debit card? Ah yes, the joys of LCC's - either play by their rules - or get stung.
With the outbound successfully booked, I looked at the return... and oh dear. FlyBe had been jacking up their prices to a stonking £71.99 return before any fees, which throws the idea of a cheap weekend clean out of the window.
But thankfully, Dublin Airport is across the border - which opens up RyanAir, BMI and Aer Lingus back home. With BMI being the most expensive at €43 to LHR, EI coming next at €30 and RyanAir coming in at €15, one would had thought Ryanair would be the logical choice.
Except it gets home at 23:10 at night, and it's a £25 cab back to central Birmingham, or the 900 Bus with whatever drunks are aboard. So it's a simple decision of EI, and to be honest, at least EI feels like a real airline still in comparison to some of it's LCC competition (and besides, there's an office leaving Do I have to attend too, so a reasonable return time is helpful).
Of course, getting across the border is another challenge. I could either take the bus, or take the train. As I'm geek for trains still, I opted for the Enterprise service. Booking online, a voucher arrived in the post for £8.99
Miles? Oh I should talk about them I suppose. How does "Nothing" sound? Well almost nothing as BMI Baby will give me 150 destination miles and booking the EI on my credit card gave me a small smattering of miles - not even status miles (and not a single QF mile as it's a cheap fare). Woopeedo.
There is a fair bit of cashback going on thanks to QuidCo, however, I'm still waiting for most of it to get to me...
As OLCI was mandatory for the BMI Baby flight, I had checked in at work when it opened and secured a nice window seat near the front of the plane.
Right. Off we go again!
To BHX.
Morning wait for the bus
5:20am morning to the airport. I love them. Honestly. I really don't. After dragging myself and my trash out for this little tripette, it was a walk to to Mordor Hauptbahnhof (Birmingham New Street Station) and then off Birmingham International on the train.
As I had checked in online, I got off the Airlink, to be confronted with the queue from Hades, extending well from the security zone and halfway round the food court - between 6am and 8am being the rush hour at BHX. However although the queue was there, it was moving at a remarkable quick pace.
Within 10 minutes, my place queue had moved from the back of it to the outside to inside the security area, with Ryanair passengers being turned away often when they’ve worked out they’re in the wrong terminal.
Bag was scanned, with the hi-tech scanners indicating that my camera was needed to be scanned. A quick wipe and it was cleared to go, with security helping me with put my stuff away even though it was busy.
After exiting the security zone, a quick look at the screens indicated the gate had been called for the flight. At gate 60, this meant a hike to the end of old international pier, to be confronted with another queue. After a wait, I was seen to, my boarding pass was beeped, and I was directed to the tarmac and over to the plane of the day
BMI Baby, WW1021, Birmingham International Airport- Belfast International Airport
Boeing 737-500, Seat 4A
239 miles flown, 150 BMI Destination Miles Earned (if they ever post that is),
£29.95 paid, £6 Cashback
The Pictures: http://www.photoblog.com/kevincm/2010/06/25/bmi-baby-birmingham-to-belfast-international.html
Was greeted aboard, and the clicker was clicked, and I made my way to 4A selected – not for exit row reasons, but as a possible easy exit later. For a LCC, yes, tight seat pitch of the day is in order, but it felt 30”ish as opposed to some of the tighter densities out there.
Some people complain this is all they ever see of me. Others may think this is not the worst thing in the world...
Whilst this plane was clean and tidy, there were signs of its various lifes for British Airway, Go, JetLite and finally BMI Baby (who seem to think of themselves as a Midlands Niche LCC carrier (Not my words - that goes to Mr Prock-Schauer of BMI/Lufthansa) - little things like odd coloured armrests.
The other sign of course, is the BMI Mainline sick bags
The plane itself didn’t fill up that much with 50 people on the service, so there was room to spread out once the doors went to close and after a few minutes, the plane was pushed back.
The safety demo was carried out manually, and hot food orders were taken on the ground for those who wanted hot food. Speaking of the menu - whilst the menu wasn’t comprehensive, but it had the basis. However BMI Baby must learn the lesson that Aer Lingus has learned – provide a variable high quality food service. The limited choices that were aboard were... limited.
Pushback was 5 minutes late, and then the captain it seemed wanted to race to the runway (which seems common for BHX in my recent experiences).
After a short wait for a Ryanair 737-800 cleared the runway, it was our turn to perform a rolling takeoff. Now, as I have a new iPhone4 . I’d thought I’d try out the HD Video recording on it. Comments are very welcome how badly it’s been shot as well as the quality!
The plane took off into the sky, turning right slightly, and giving al lovely view of Birmingham
The plane continued to climb, and the crew were released after a while to commence in-flight service.
Over the countryside
As this is a short hop, and anything extra is payable – I chose not to pay, and just sit back and watch the sky and the ground as it was clear until reaching the coast – where cloud cover begun
Over the Irish Sea
The three crew were in a happy mood, even though it was the first flight of the day (And being slightly cruel – I didn’t release that orange skin was the fashion still). The crew completed service about 2/3rds of the way of the flight, and then began the process of cleaning down (which the bacon roll people in 4DEF weren't overly happy about as they were halfway through...).
Of course, this being an LCC the announcement was made to hand in any papers we did not wish to keep as no cleaners were boarding, and the crew had to clean down the plane – bless these poor LCC’s.
Over Belfast
The plane broke through the cloud and skipped its way down, and after a few turns, it lined up for Belfast International, finally kissing the ground.
Or have a look at video Yes- two vids so far. I am sad. It's going to get worse
The plane pulled up at a stand, and Servisair came along with the stairs, and we were all bussed to the terminal and into Domestic Arrivals.
Overall: There's not much you can do in a 50 minute flight, and this just shows that sometimes if an LCC product fits the bill, it can be better value than other products. The crew whilst friendly and smiley seemed to miss a "mainline" feel to them (and the shade of orange on one of them.. well...). Perhaps on the these short sectors, it's so important to remember that there is so little time to carry out service, that the whole thing can feel overly rushed.
After sorting my junk out and getting some water, I made my way out of what can be described as a glorified shed of a terminal (International Airport - Really? You could had fooled me), and wasted £7 on the biggest con of the whole trip – the bus ride into town. No, not a posh coach, a BUS for 20 miles.
Glorified Shed
I ask you. Seven notes.....
After handing over the money and waiting for others to board, the bus proceeded into Belfast City Centre, dropping off at the main strip, and finally at Europa bus station, where I went out and explored the city for a bit.
As the day progressed, I wanted to dump my main bag, and get a bit of rest before the evening fun occurred, so I checked in at my hotel of the day.
Hotel: Hotel Ibis, Belfast City Centre,
Rate Paid: £42 via Accor.com (£1.89 Cashback), 73 AClub points earned
The Pictures: http://www.photoblog.com/kevincm/2010/06/26/hotel-ibis-belfast-city-centre.html
This hotel was chosen purely on price-point - as much as I would had loved to stay at the Hilton, I'm by nature tightfisted when I just need a place to crash overnight before heading off the somewhere the next day. Of course, as a recently minted A-Club Gold (and lets face it - who isn't these days with all the free A-Club Gold offers that are around) it seemed to make sense at the time to book an Accor room (least of all for other reasons that will become apparent at the end of this trip report).
That and a small slug of cash via Quidco is always appreciated.
Booking was made online and the reference texted to me (now there's a lovely and non expensive touch). I was checked in, and no credit card was requested as guarantee as the room were paid for already. My key cards were issued, and I placed in a high floor.
Shot after dinner
I then wandered up to the room itself. Whilst small, it is functional, with a nice view over the city. However I quickly learned to switch anything on in the room I needed to drop my keycard into a slot within the room.
Outside the room
and inside...
Pop in to switch on. How Green...
The room had a flat screen TV, walk in shower that was nice and powerful, the bed of reasonable size and firmness, however, this was during one of the warmer weekends that the British Isles has experienced - and the air conditioner wasn't up to it.
Or to put it bluntly, it was akin to a nat blowing hard - in other words, not good at all even when set to high fan and cool mode.
----
Of course, there were drinks and random going ons - such is the joy of a BMI Do as well as food.
A good chance to catch up with people, and meet people for the first time. There may had been some watching of planes at the waterside and trains involved as well as drinks... but this is the BMI Board. We do things differently
I wandered back into the hotel after the festivities, and let myself in with my keycard and wandered upstairs to sleep as I would need to be awake by 7:00 to go off for the next part of this trip.
Upon arriving at reception to check out, my receipt was issued, and no further charges were issued against the account. The cab company (conveniently over the road from the hotel) had a waiting and I was sped to Belfast Central to catch the train.....
At Belfast Central (which is more akin to a Belfast Parkway - the running joke in the UK that a Parkway station is in the middle of nowhere - and that's where Belfast Central feels like), I went to the ticket office, and had my voucher exchanged for a ticket.
20 minutes before departure, the train was called and everyone lined up to go through the barrier and board.
Enterprise Service: Belfast Central - Dublin Connolly
Operated by NI Railways/Iarnrod Eireann, £8.99 advance fare.
The Pictures - http://www.photoblog.com/kevincm/2010/06/27/enterprise-train-service-belfast-to-dublin.html
Yes, it was £8.99.. you can also get day returns for £10. Bargain!
This is a link that's intrigued me on and off, and I used to enjoy rail travel an awful lot when I was a student (the fact that I've swapped trains for planes as I've grown up is of course besides the point).
Branding dear...
My first impressions were the train comfortable seats, all in a 2 x 2 setting in standard class as opposed to some train companies (in fact lots) on the British Isles who insist on having "Airline style" seating (to remove tables and instead cram more seats in. However, the seats were starting to look worn, and seeing better days, doing a maroon velour style.
Seats
Even useful information screens
The train pulled out at 8:00am on the dot, with a drinks and food trolley service beginning to the rounds straight after the train had pulled out.
As the service stopped at Portadown and Newry, the train loaded up, but didn't feel "packed" and certainly no sense of "standing room only" unlike some services I've had the misfortune of being on.
The route itself is very scenic, and as the train crossed into Ireland, the train sped up, passing near the coast, over the Broadmeadow viaduct and finally, into Dublin Connolly Station
...and at Dublin
Overall This is a very good service, but there are some obvious improvements needed two of which are an hourly service that is sorely needed to compete with coaches and cars, and really the speed of the service needs to be improved (and I was aboard a "fast" service).
With 9 cars a train, it is certainly "Intercity" standard, but an internal train refresh could be a idea to tidy up the coaching stock.
As a method to crossing the border – if you’re not in a hurry, and you’ve got time between your connections, I can’t think of a better way to go.
----
With a good 3 hours or so in the city, I took my time getting from Connolly to the airport, wandering around the lovely city of Dublin, and succumbing to the need to get more Guinness Glasses for the flat.
Eventually my legs got the better of me, and I caught the 747 to Dublin Airport
The new T2
Seeing Dublin Airport year on year, you get to see the big changes as they've been happening, and the biggest one of all is the almost near completion of Terminal 2, with its own architecture style. I'm sure it will be a lovely facility when finished, but for now Dublin Airport is a mass of construction work.
As usual, the bus dropped me off at arrivals, and I made my way up to the left hand side of T1, and straight into a Self Service kiosk, where I was placed in 16C. I had a fiddle with the machine, and placed myself again infront of the engines in 6A.
Security was very quick, however Dublin has caught the bad habit that BHX has caught - which is selling liquids bags. Seems like any old excuse to cash in these days.
After clearing security, I wandered around, noting that all the gate numbers had changed completely (from A-D piers to 100-300 gates), and wandered through the refurbished parts of the airport (in comparison to the year before when it was a building yard in the A-D Dock). I worked out that I was heading to the D pier (the low cost carrier pier where there isn't a jet-bridge in sight, and you can get two aircraft to a gate).
I found a perch for a bit and watch the hell that was a Ryanair flight completing its boarding (and thanking myself that I didn't bother to fly with them).
Soon enough, the Birmingham flight was called, and I found myself at the head of the queue, and first aboard.
Aer Lingus EI0272, Dublin International Airport - Birmingham International Airport
Airbus A320, Seat 6A, Economy Class
200 Miles Flown, 0 QF miles earned, 39 BMI destination miles earned
£26.43 PAID, £0.73 Cashback
The Pictures: http://www.photoblog.com/kevincm/2010/06/28/aer-lingus-a320-dublin-to-birmingham.html
I greeted the crew who were in jovial spirits and in a very talkative mood as boarding made its slow way. Again, with assigned seats, there was no fighting for who was to sit where.
Inflight branding, check.
Pushback was delayed slightly due to a passenger requiring extra assistance was boarding (as well as fuelling needed).
The safety demo was done again at a reasonable speed, and the plane begun the long trundle to the runway, and after waiting for another Ryanair 737 and a FedEx A300 to do its thing, our A320 took to the skies
Awaiting to turn onto the active....
Take off
(yes, I'm still "testing" the iPhone4...)
Very quickly, the crew were released and commenced their BOB service. Again, with a 40 minute flight, it hardly seemed worth getting anything to me. Meanwhile the crew were still smiling and chatting away to passengers whilst doing a brisk trade both in food, drink and in-flight sales.
Leaving Ireland
And the crew were actively talking to passengers, expressing interests and offering opinions when it came to onboard sales.
By the time we had crossed over Wales, service had pretty much complete and we were beginning our decent into Birmingham.
Over Wales
On decent
A cabin tidyup was done, the cabin secured, and well. Yes, there's a long landing video.
Landing -
After taxing onto gate, an airbridge was driven over, and I thanked the crew and made my way home to crash for an hour before going to what seems to be more office leaving dos...
At the gate in Birmingham
Overall: And this is the big difference between the flights - the happiness of the crew which seemed to had lifted the spirits of people aboard, and the willingness of the crew to engage. If the attitude of this crew is representative (and I can't remember a duff Aer Lingus crew I've encountered on short legs), then they will be a credit to any alliance they choose to join.
--------------------------
Thoughts
So, a worthless weekend for mileage earning?
Not necessary. It's taught me
- That getting QF miles without stepping on a OneWorld carrier is nigh on impossible
- That LCC's aren't that bad (but when presented with a full service carrier, I'd go with them first)
- That my A-Club Gold will be ready for my next trip
- The train sometimes is the only way to go
- That if Aer Lingus had duplicates of that crew on every flight I'd want them back in an alliance pronto
And that it's still good to go and catch up with people and swap ideas occasionally.
Or to put it blunt, being social
-------------
That's it for now (and I kept my promise - short and sweet
) - and to be honest I wasn't going to write this TR for what seems like a non-event. However, it's a precursor to one of the biggest trips I'm ever going to undertake (and with the happenings within BMI, pretty timely too).And it won't be in the class I'm traditionally associated with!
Next up (Sometime in September!): Kevin gets a little Seoul in his life with Asiana and Thai
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