Reductions in airfares of 25 per cent and more are being offered by airlines in an attempt to bring customers back to air travel as the effects of the economic downturn are expected to be worsened by a post-holiday slump. British Airways, for example, has announced a return fare to New York for as low  Continue Reading »

British Airways and Qantas have said they are unable to agree on terms for a proposed merger they had hoped would help them cut costs during the downturn in the airline industry and the global economy. “Despite the potential longer term benefits for Qantas and BA, the airlines have not been able to come to  Continue Reading »

Citing the sustained decline in the price of oil, Virgin Atlantic has announced reductions in the fuel surcharges instituted earlier in the year. The carrier follows a move by British Airways to reduce fuel surcharges on all flights. Passengers will save as much as £60 on an economy return ticket on long-haul flights. Virgin said  Continue Reading »

British Airways and easyJet, the two major airlines operating from Gatwick Airport, are demanding an investigation into the closure of the airport’s runway due to weather conditions last week. The failure of the airport operator to de-ice the runway on Friday morning led to hundreds of flights being delayed, diverted or cancelled, as the runway  Continue Reading »

Boeing has announced that the delivery date for its first 787 Dreamliner is delayed, now for the fourth time. The manufacturer has cited production problems as the reason for the most recent delay, which could cost the aircraft company billions in airline compensation claims. First deliveries were originally planned for the first half of this  Continue Reading »

There is conflicting advice regarding the status of Bangkok airports that is causing confusion for UK travellers headed for Thailand. This weekend, flights at both Bangkok’s major airports are set to resume, at the start of the country’s peak holiday season, but at this time the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is advising Britons to  Continue Reading »

During this past summer, British Airways mislaid over 17,000 of its passengers’ bags, ranking it as one of the worst performers among European carriers. BA’s punctuality, most notably on its long-haul services, has been poor, as well, according to statistics from the Association of European Airlines (AEA) obtained by The Daily Telegraph. There had been  Continue Reading »

A Qantas-British Airways merger wouldn’t be approved by Australian officials unless control of the “Flying Kangaroo” remained in Australia, a spokesman said on Wednesday, as shares in Qantas rose significantly on the potential of a deal that would see the carrier emerging with the strength to better compete with regional rivals such as Singapore Airlines.  Continue Reading »

British Airways has revealed that it is in talks with the Australian national airline, Qantas, regarding a potential merger of the two carriers. BA officials are saying, however, that there are no guarantees at this time that a joining-up of the airlines will occur. In a statement released by British Airways, it was said that  Continue Reading »

Airlines and travel operators have reported few cancellations in the wake of the terrorist attacks in India’s financial capital, Mumbai. It seems that plans by travellers from the UK to India have mostly been unaffected by last week’s storming of two major upscale hotels and several other venues, leading to more than 130 dead and  Continue Reading »

Manchester airport has lost five major bmi services to the US and the Caribbean and British Airways services to New York. For 2009, British holidaymakers can expect to see higher airfares as well as fewer destination choices as carriers ditch unprofitable routes. Over the past several months, dozens of routes have been cut at airports  Continue Reading »

Britain’s economy will suffer from a lack of adequate air connections for the next 30 years if the proposed expansion at Heathrow airport is not approved, according to the chief executive at British Airways. The BA boss, Willie Walsh, made his comments before the government has announced its decision on the construction of a third  Continue Reading »