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Newsletter - December 2011 Gibraltar (GIB) The schedule for January 2012 is as follows-
Málaga (AGP) As reported previously, Delta Airlines (DL) has confirmed that it will recommence flights from New York JFK (JFK) on 01 June 2012. However the plan to increase the flights to a daily frequency has been shelved and in fact the service will now operate five times per week (instead of six weekly in summer 2011). The airline has also revised the timings for the flights. The new schedule – MLN-AGP H9139 1735-1815 Mon-Fri, Sun Seville (SVQ) In conjunction with its new flights to Málaga, Air France (AF) will also launch flights from Toulouse (TLS) to Seville on 01 April 2012. The new service will operate four times weekly – Ryanair and Allocated Seating - Yet another Update Regular readers will recall that last month I discussed Ryanair’s widening of its allocated seating programme to 80 of its most profitable routes. Those words had barely been written when the airline announced that the facility would be extended to all of its routes from 10 January 2012. The optional service allows passengers to pre-reserve seats in the front two rows of the aircraft along with over-wing emergency exit rows which provide enhanced legroom. These seats can be reserved in advance of travel for €10 per flight. This fee also includes the airline’s priority boarding fee. Ryanair Increases Charges Again The Irish low cost airline has also been winning some less positive headlines by announcing hefty increases in a number of charges it levies on passengers for checked luggage from December 15. The airline has announced that it is increasing the charges for checked luggage for travel at Christmas and during the peak travel months of June, July, August and September. During these periods, the fee for a checked bag weighing up to 15kg will increase from £15 to £25 with an overweight fee of £15 per kg. The fee will remain at £15 per 15kg bag outside these peak periods. These fees will apply to online bookings. If you have to pay for luggage to be checked in at the airport will increase to £100 for peak travel periods (up £60) and £60 (up £25) at other times. Gatwick Express Update With effect from 12 December, passengers using the Gatwick Express train service from either London Victoria or Gatwick Airport stations will have to purchase a ticket before boarding the train. New electronic ticket gates have been installed in both locations and the facility to buy tickets onboard trains has therefore been withdrawn. Passengers will be still be able to beat queues at ticket offices by buying tickets in-flight with a number of airlines or from a new team of ‘roving customer service advisors’ who will be standing close to the barriers. UK Air Passenger Duty (APD) The United Kingdom already has the highest rate of Air Passenger Duty in the world. The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 06 December that the rates would increase again by 8% from April 2012. The government is expected to raise £2.2billion from the tax in 2012 and it is estimated that this will rise to £3.8billion by 2016. And Finally... Question – How does this happen in 2011?
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Newsletter - November 2011 Gibraltar (GIB) The schedule for December 2011 is as follows-
Seasonal Flight Reductions easyJet (EZY) has announced that it will increase the number of flights it operates to Gibraltar (GIB) from London Gatwick (LGW) next summer. The airline is to add additional services on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The new flights will operate with effect from 11 June 2012 at the following times - Airport Terminal Update Málaga (AGP) Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has announced changes to its operation for Summer 2012. Seville (SVQ) Brussels Airlines (SN) is to discontinue its four weekly flights to Brussels (BRU) with effect from 16 April 2012. Jerez de la Frontera (XRY) Germanwings (4U) is to introduce a new weekly flight to Cologne-Bonn (CGN) with effect from 25 March 2012 – Vueling Expands in Barcelona Spanish low cost airline Vueling (VY) has announced the launch of 11 new routes from its Barcelona (BCN) base at the start of the 2012 peak season. Flights will operate from 25 March and, as the airline allows flight connections, should be available as through fares from Málaga. The new routes are –
Vueling's Duo In line with its stated policy of trying to attract the lucrative business travel market, the airline has launched a new product. Duo will be offered in the front row (i.e. row 1) of its fleet of Airbus aircraft and will offer a range of services designed with business travellers in mind –
The one way supplement for the new product will be €60 on domestic flights and €70 on European services. easyJet to trial Seat Allocation In a major announcement which had an air of inevitability about it easyJet (EZY) has confirmed that it will trial allocated seating on selected routes from Spring 2012. The airline currently operates an open (unreserved) seating policy which allows passengers to choose their seats once on board. Passengers can pay for Speedy Boarding to allow them to be the first to board. With the trial, all passengers will be allocated a specific seat but will be able to pre-assign the seats of their choice for a fee which will vary depending upon the chosen seat. This pre-allocation will include the sought after seats in the emergency exits at the front of the aircraft and over the wings – these seats will be allocated at a premium charge. Ryanair and Seat Allocation As regular readers of this newsletter will recall, Ryanair (FR) introduced reserved seating on routes from Dublin (DUB) to London Gatwick (LGW) and Málaga (AGP) earlier this year. It has now confirmed that the facility is now available on a total of 80 routes and that it will be extended if successful. Passengers can pre-book the service for €10 each way for seats in the front two rows or the over-wing emergency exits. All remaining seats remain unallocated and passengers make their choice once on board. And Finally... What follows is a brief moan from this air traveller who finds himself turning reluctantly into Victor Meldrew. Picture the scene, a fog bound Inverness airport, 27 passengers holding reservations for FlyBe’s flight to Amsterdam and a coach hired to take us the 100 miles to Aberdeen airport where our aircraft has been diverted. We arrive at our thankfully fog free destination just under three hours later. All passengers with luggage have it efficiently re-checked in and we are rushed through security as a group to the waiting aircraft. On the aircraft we wait – there are only 26 of us. And we wait. And we wait. Eventually, after thirty minutes, the captain receives permission from Head Office to leave without the missing passenger and his luggage. My question is a simple one – where is he? Is he still wandering the duty free shops of Aberdeen Airport, has he been whisked to an offshore oil rig on one of the based helicopters or did he simply get waylaid and then turn up at the Flybe customer service desk to have a rant and rave? We’ll never know the answer. It does however push the argument for electronic tagging of passengers at check-in or would a lead be more appropriate?????
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Newsletter - October 2011 Gibraltar (GIB) The schedule for November 2011 is as follows-
Málaga (AGP) Delta Airlines (DL) has confirmed that it is to resume direct flights from New York (JFK) next summer. The airline has also announced that the service will be increased to offer a daily flight between the two cities (it operated six weekly in 2011). Flights will commence on 01 June 2012 and will be operated once again by Boeing 757-200 aircraft. The schedule is as follows: AGP-JFK DL163 1040-1320 Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat With effect from the start of the winter schedule at the end of October, Royal Air Maroc (AT) is to increase its flights to Casablanca (CMN) to a daily frequency. Services will operate as follows using turboprop ATR72 aircraft of subsidiary RAM Express – AGP-CMN AT985 1250-1320 Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat Russian national airline Aeroflot (SU) has announced a substantial increase to the frequency of its flights to Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) next summer. In the 2011 peak, the airline operated five weekly services, this will increase to nine for 2012. All flights will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft offering business and economy class accommodation. The schedule with effect from 30 April – AGP-SVO SU2521 1125-1845 Daily As in previous years, easyJet (EZY) will be offering a substantially reduced timetable from Málaga during the winter period. (Figures based on week of 21 November).
Manchester Terminal Moves With thanks to my local correspondent (Mike Humphries). Iberia's New Low Cost Airline Following lengthy speculation, Willie Walsh, Chief Executive of IAG (the parent company of both British Airways and Iberia) confirmed that the Spanish national airline is to launch a new low cost airline in 2012. Iberia Express will be based at Madrid Barajas airport and will initially commence operations with four Airbus A320 aircraft transferred from Iberia. It is expected that this will rise to a fleet of 13 aircraft by the end of the year. Stelios' New Airline Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has thrown confusion into the market having announced that he is considering setting up a new airline. Stelios, who founded low cost carrier easyJet in 1995, has been involved in several highly publicized arguments with the board of the airline on which he still sits. It is understood that easyJet has confirmed that it has been notified by Stelios of some initial plans and that it would ‘take necessary action to protect the rights of easyJet and the interests of its shareholders’. With a fairly hefty hint or two, the entrepreneur has registered the internet address www.fastjet.com which bears a simple message – ‘Fastjet.com. By Stelios. Coming soon!’ And Finally... Question - When does adding more seats to an aircraft increase legroom? |
Newsletter - September 2011 Gibraltar (GIB) The winter timetable comes into effect on Sunday 30 October. Because of the wholesale changes I have split the month into two. The schedule until Saturday 29 October is as follows-
The schedule for 30 and 31 October is
Málaga (AGP) Airmel Líneas Aéreas has decided not to launch operations on the route to Melilla (MLN) owing to competition from existing carrier Iberia (Air Nostrum) and planned newcomer Helit Líneas Aéreas. The latter has now taken delivery of a third ATR72 turboprop aircraft and according to its website ‘will start flying in the coming months, after completing the long and complex start-up process necessary to create an airline.’ The airline, headquartered in Málaga plans operations throughout Spain, France and Portugal. We await developments with interest. Seville (SVQ) Vueling (VY) is to withdraw its four weekly flights to London Heathrow (LHR) with effect from 30 October 2011. This cancellation leaves the London link in the hands of easyJet (EZY) and Ryanair (FR). Airline Profile - Norwegian Air Shuttle A Summer Saturday morning at Málaga Airport sees the arrival in a short time frame of a host of new Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by an airline which has made a big impact in the travel market to Scandinavia. Branching out from its Norwegian routes, the low cost airline now has bases in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki. In 2010 the airline transported some 13 million passengers making it the region’s second largest airline after multi-national Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). The airline currently flies to 91 destinations in 32 countries. In addition to an extensive network of routes within the Nordic countries and to business centres in northern Europe the airline also flies to an expanding selection of cities around the Mediterranean. In 2012 Norwegian expects to take delivery of its first Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’ with which it expects to launch services from Oslo to New York and Bangkok. Norwegian operates scheduled flights to Málaga from –
The tails of most of Norwegian’s 737 aircraft feature the images of famous Scandinavian figures. In this example, Norwegian figure skater Sonja Henie lifts off from Málaga in October 2009. easyJet In-flight Entertainment According to press reports, easyJet is to offer in-flight entertainment for the first time. The airline has established a partnership with travel service provider Mezzo to offer the hire of Dell Android OS tablet devices loaded with a range of films, TV programmes, music and games. Hire of the machines will cost £7.50 and they will be available on ‘selected flights’ initially from Manchester. Ryanair's Pre-Paid Cash Card From 04 October there will only be one way to avoid Ryanair’s fee for using credit or debit cards. The airline is introducing its own pre-paid ‘Cash Passport’ card through its website. There are problems with the new offering however; the card will cost £6, although purchasers will receive a £6 voucher against flights; if passengers don’t use the card for six months, users will incur a £2.50 rolling charge and although it can be used for other transactions, these will incur a 50p charge. As I reported in the July newsletter, the UK Office of Fair Trading is examining the controversial issue of fees levied by airlines for the use of credit and debit cards in payment for tickets. And Finally... With thanks to AERBT During a recent early morning ‘rush hour’ at London City Airport a flight was delayed due to technical problems. Since they needed the gate for another service, the aircraft was towed away whilst the engineering crew worked on it. The passengers were then told a new gate number. Everyone moved to this gate, only to find a third gate had been designated for them. |
Newsletter - August 2011 Gibraltar (GIB) The Gibraltar Airport timetable for September 2011 is set out below -
Málaga (AGP) British Airways (BA) is to operate just 11 weekly flights to London airports from Málaga this winter. The airline has scheduled a single daily flight to London Gatwick (LGW) along with four weekly services to London City (LCY). Flights will operate as follows – Jerez de la Frontera (XRY) Air Berlin (AB) is to terminate its weekly flight to Berlin Tegel (TXL) with effect from 14 October 2011. easyJet Winter 2011/12 Low cost airline easyJet (EZY) has confirmed its complete winter schedule and will operate a total of 89 weekly flights to local airports, the vast bulk (76) will serve Málaga, with 10 using Gibraltar (GIB) and just 3 operating to Seville (SVQ). In summary – (based on week of 14 November 2011)
Trains to Málaga Airport With effect from Sunday 11 September trains on the Cercanías suburban line between Málaga and Fuengirola will run every 20 minutes, an increase from the current half hourly service. It is estimated that the new timetable will provide an extra 48% seats each day. Whilst the new timings were not available at the time of writing, the journey between Fuengirola and the airport takes 32 minutes with a single fare of €2.20 on most days of operation (there is a slight increase at weekends and public holidays). And Finally... Skytrax markets itself as ‘the world’s largest airline review site’. There is of course a whole host of positive feedback on its www.airlinequality.com but for sheer entertainment the equally voluminous ‘less than complimentary’ postings provide hours of fun! A few of recent reviews give a taste of what is on offer – Posted by a UK based traveller on 15 August – Ryanair Another UK reviewer writing about Virgin Atlantic on 12 July One final UK passenger reporting a trip from Orlando Sanford to Manchester with Thomson Airways – 15 August |
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Newsletter - July 2011 Gibraltar (GIB) The Gibraltar Airport timetable for August 2011 is set out below -
In a move which will affect its flights to both Gibraltar and Málaga among others, Monarch (ZB) will relocate its operations from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport (MAN) with effect from 08 November 2011. Málaga (AGP) In the wake of strong demand, Russian airline Aeroflot (SU) has confirmed that it is to double the number of flights it operates this winter. With effect from Sunday 30 October, the airline will operate four weekly flights to Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) using Airbus A320 aircraft. The schedule is as follows: Those recently checking the Spanish airport operator AENA’s website may have noticed a change to the name of Málaga airport. The government has agreed that from now on the airport will be known as ‘Aeropuerto de Málaga – Costa Del Sol’. The change was prompted by requests from various bodies including hoteliers keen to promote tourism and the profile of the Málaga region. It is understood that an application will also be made to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to change the airport three letter code from ‘AGP’ to ‘SOL’. Seville (SVQ) Ryanair (FR) has announced that it is to close its base at Reus (REU) from the end of October; the airline currently bases three aircraft at the airport and operates a total of 28 routes. Of these, its four weekly flights to Seville will cease with effect from 26 October 2011. The Irish low-cost airline has been unsuccessful in seeking additional government subsidy to retain operations from both Reus and Girona (GRO) following its move to the main Barcelona airport last year. Airlines and Credit/Debit Card Fees In March this year, the UK consumer organization ‘Which’ complained to the Office of Fair Trading about ‘hidden’ fees for using credit and debit cards on a number of transactions including the purchase of airline tickets. At the end of June the OFT upheld the complaint and the body has confirmed that it will introduce enforcement measures under the Consumer Protection Regulations to take action against companies who are not transparent about their surcharges for paying by card in the headline price. The lack of transparency issue stacks up against other consumer complaints including
We await the OFT recommendations with interest. BAA Airport Sale And Finally...
What happens when a Spanish Army Chinook helicopter kicks up a dust storm when lifting off. (Málaga Airport 01 July 2011)
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Newsletter - June 2011 Gibraltar (GIB) The Gibraltar Airport timetable for July 2011 is set out below -
Winter Schedule 2011/2012 The following reflects the winter schedule (based on week commencing 07 November 2011) -
Málaga (AGP) Following encouraging passenger volumes, Turkish Airlines (TK) has confirmed that it is to increase its flights to Istanbul (IST). The airline will add a fourth weekly flight to operate each Tuesday with effect from 28 June. The new schedule – easyJet Flexi Fares In a move to attract more business travelers, easyJet has launched new ‘flexi fares’ on all its routes. The new fares provide passengers with the ability to change the date of travel up to two hours before the scheduled departure of their flight. The new tariffs also include automatic speedy boarding, one piece of hold luggage and no booking fees. As a comparison I checked one-way fares for a flight from Gibraltar to London Gatwick on 01 July – easyJet's 200th Airbus This summer you may see an easyJet aircraft that looks somewhat different to the rest. In a ceremony at the manufacturer’s plant in Toulouse at the end of May, the low-cost airline accepted delivery of its 200th Airbus. To mark this milestone the aircraft (A320 registered G-EZUI) has been painted in a special overall orange colourscheme with additional ‘200th’ stickers prominently displayed. easyJet now boasts Europe’s largest fleet of Airbus aircraft, a mixture of A319 and larger A320 models and is in fact the world’s largest operator of the A319.
The specially painted Airbus A320 pictured landing at Málaga on 29 May 2011 a few days after being delivered to London Gatwick. And Finally... In a third easyJet story this month, the airline announced on 16 June that it is to open a base at a fourth ‘London’ airport. The low cost airline is to base three aircraft at Southend airport (SEN) from April 2012 and intends to carry 800,000 passengers in the first year of operation. It is expected that 70 weekly flights will operate initially to a batch of ten European destinations including Barcelona, Ibiza and Faro and it is to be hoped that the Costa Del Sol will also feature. Tickets for the new routes will go on sale from July. easyJet have entered into a 10 year agreement with the airport’s owners, the Stobart Group. Southend Airport has received considerable investment in the last few years with a new control tower in operation and a new terminal due to open in the autumn, Additionally, a new railway station will open this summer with up to eight trains per hour to Stratford, home of the 2012 Olympics.
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Newsletter - May 2011 Gibraltar (GIB) The Gibraltar Airport timetable for June 2011 is set out below -
In a boost to the destinations available from Gibraltar airport, low cost UK airline bmibaby (WW) announced the launch of flights to Nottingham East Midlands (EMA) from the start of the summer 2012 schedule. Flights will operate three times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and will be operated by Boeing 737-300 aircraft. Nottingham East Midlands airport is located in Central England in north-west Leicestershire and lies between the cities of Derby, Leicester and Nottingham. WW5472 GIB-EMA 1230-1445 Tue Málaga (AGP) Alitalia (AZ) has announced that it will increase its weekly flights to Rome Fiumicino (FCO) for the July and August peak season. Flights will increase from seven to ten weekly from 01 July with a further flight to be operated from 01 August. Seville (SVQ) Airport Security Regulations Confusion I reported several months ago that a change in EU regulations regarding what can and cannot be taken into the security area at an airport was due to come into place at the end of April. In a surprise move however the European Commission changed its mind and has left the situation unchanged. At least ten of the 27 EU member countries (including the UK, France and the Netherlands) confirmed that they would continue to maintain restrictions on gels, aerosols and liquids in defiance of any EU regulation change. Several countries, including Germany were keen to see the ban lifted as they had invested heavily in new scanning equipment. By the same token, airport operators had opposed the partial lifting of the ban warning that it would lead to longer delays at security checkpoints. Ryanair and Reserved Seating In a surprise move, Ryanair (FR) announced that it is to trial reserved seating on two of its busiest routes from May 16. Passengers travelling between Dublin and London Gatwick and between Dublin and Malaga will be able to pre-book seats for €10 each way; this fee will include the existing Priority Boarding charge. The facility to pre-book will only apply to seats in rows 1 and 2 along with emergency exit rows 16 and 17 on the airline’s fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft. If the trial proves a success, the airline plans to roll it out to other routes later in the year. Lufthansa - New Baggage Allowances And Finally... Regular readers of these footnotes will recall a number of reports on the new lease of life given to time expired airliners as luxury hotels and hostels. In a new venture, one of two venerable Douglas DC-6 airliners until recently hauling freight for Air Atlantique out of Coventry Airport in the UK (G-SIXC for the anoraks among us) has been finally grounded. It has found new life as what is claimed to be Europe’s first and only aircraft diner. It is part of the Air Base ‘Living Air Museum’ recently launched at the Midlands airport. Built in 1958, the aircraft saw service in the Far East and Central America before being purchased by Mike Collett, Chairman of Air Atlantique. Mike is an unashamed enthusiast for piston powered airliners and it was almost inevitable that he should see an opportunity to keep the DC6 in the public eye. The airliner has been converted into a restaurant/diner seating 40 covers with additional space at the bar. The aircraft’s interior has kept much of the original features and equipment including the cockpit. The menu keeps true to the aviation theme and includes Meteor Marinated Fillet Steak, Bomber T-Bone Steak, Cloudmaster Mixed Grill and Captain’s Lasagna For more details of this unique diner check out www.classicflight.com
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Newsletter - April 2011 Gibraltar (GIB) The Gibraltar Airport timetable for May 2011 is set out below -
With the start of the summer timetable at the end of March, British Airways (BA) has increased the capacity available on its daily flight to London Heathrow (LHR). The service is now operated by Airbus A320 aircraft offering up to 154 seats in comparison to the maximum 132 available on the Airbus A319 previously used. Málaga (AGP) Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizzair (W6) has launched a weekly flight from Bucharest Baneasa (BBU). The flight operates during Saturday night – Seville (SVQ) Granada-Jaén (GRX) Blu Express (BV) the subsidiary of Italian carrier Blue Panorama Airlines will commence two weekly flights to Rome Fiumicino (FCO) with effect from 22 April. Ryanair and Alicante In an announcement which bears echoes of previous disputes with airports through Europe, Ryanair (FR) announced that it will be making drastic cuts to its operation from Alicante (ALC). The airline claims that airport operator AENA’s decision to force low-cost airlines to use airbridges to deplane and board passengers will cost it an additional €2million per annum. The airline currently bases 11 aircraft at Alicante and from the end of October 2011 this will reduce to just two. A total of 31 routes will be cancelled (50% of the current total) and other routes will see drastic reductions in frequency – weekly flights will dip below 200 compared to the current tally of over 600. It is further estimated that the airline’s annual passengers will fall to below 1.5 million from the current 4 million.
Iberia Goes Long Haul From Barcelona With effect from June 19, Iberia will also commence two weekly flights to Sao Paulo (GRU) again using Airbus A340-300. This new flight will directly compete with Singapore Airlines (SQ) three weekly flights which pick up passengers in Barcelona en route from Singapore to Sao Paulo. The Singapore flights started on 28 March and use Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. With these new long haul routes, Iberia has changed its long held strategy of operating all such flights from Madrid and feeding passengers to them on domestic services. And Finally... Ryanair’s 2011 ‘April fool’ was to announce that it was introducing ‘Child Free’ flights from October and the start of the winter schedule. It cited a genuine Europe-wide survey of 1,000 passengers which found that half would pay higher fares to avoid other people’s children. The survey further indicated that a third of passengers (36%) have had flights ‘ruined’ by other people’s noisy kids with one in five passengers (18%) urging Ryanair to restrict the number of children on flights. The airline subsequently admitted that it had no intention of offering these flights, no doubt to the disappointment of a significant number of those travellers! |
Newsletter - March 2011 Gibraltar (GIB) The Gibraltar Airport timetable for April 2011 is set out below -
Monarch Airlines (ZB) has announced an increase in the number of flights it is to operate to Gibraltar this summer. From the end of May the airline will be operating a total of 16 weekly flights to the UK (11 to London Luton and five to Manchester). According to press reports the airline cited ‘soaring demand’ on the routes along with the ‘significant factor’ of the opening of the new airport terminal.
Manchester (MAN)
Málaga (AGP) Hungarian national airline Malev (MA) will operate a once weekly flight to Budapest (BUD) with effect from 04 June 2011. The flight is scheduled to operate each Saturday Seville (SVQ) A Summer of Industrial Action at Spanish Airports In protest at the proposed part privatization of airport operator AENA, three major trade unions representing workers employed at the currently state run airports have announced 22 days of strikes from April to September. The unions are worried about rights, conditions and job security following transfer of airport operations to private sector entities. Coming in the wake of crippling industrial action by air traffic controllers at the beginning of December last year, commentators have expressed alarm at the impact this industrial action will have on the tourism industry and wider image of Spain as a destination. Gibraltar Airport Regular Visitors - Aircraft Profile 3 easyJet Airbus A319
easyJet marked a strategic move away from its early operation of Boeing 737 aircraft when it placed an order for A319s in October 2002. The low cost airline now boasts the world’s largest fleet of the Airbus twin engine airliner including those operated by its subsidiary easyJet Switzerland. easyJet was the first airline to specify a revised toilet and galley layout which allowed it to increase seating capacity to 156 (from the typical 140 seat layout used by other airlines). As a result and to satisfy safety requirements aircraft were delivered with an additional over-wing emergency exit. And Finally... With the delivery of its new fleet of long haul Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, Air New Zealand is introducing a ground breaking new economy class seat. The Sky Couch, designed by the airline and built by Recaro offers a way to fly lying down. The Sky Couch is a set of three seats which create what the airline describes as a ‘flexible space’. Arm rests disappear into the back of the seat and with the touch of a button large flip-up cushions fill the space between the end of the seat and the next row. Passengers will have to buy the three seats together, even if only two are travelling. Pricing will be announced when the seats go on sale in April, the airline said, but the plan is that two adults would purchase two seats and the third seat at half-price. Of course, the seats can be used as regular economy seats without flipping up the cushions. The airline has confirmed that 22 sets of Sky Couch seats will be available on each of the new aircraft. The 777-300ER are expected to enter service on the airline’s routes from Auckland to Los Angeles and London later this year. |
Newsletter - February 2011 Gibraltar (GIB) The summer schedule comes into effect on Sunday 27 March with wholesale changes to the timings. I have therefore split the timetable into two. The Gibraltar Airport timetable for 01-26 March 2011 is set out below -
The schedule from Sunday 27 March to Thursday 31 March follows:
Málaga (AGP) Turkish Airlines (TK) will launch three weekly flights to Istanbul (IST) with effect from 27 April. The timetable is as follows: Ryanair and Seville - Summer 2011
The Turkish Airlines Connection The launch of thrice weekly flights between Málaga (AGP) and Istanbul (IST) will open up a host of possible connections with Turkish Airlines (TK). The Star Alliance member is implementing a strategy of rapid growth both in terms of aircraft fleet and destinations served. To provide some an idea of possible destinations reached via Istanbul, I have looked at departures from Istanbul following the arrival of the Málaga flights on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Adana (ADA) Gibraltar Airport Regular Visitors - Aircraft Profile 2 Monarch Airlines Airbus A320
And Finally... Ryanair has again hit the international headlines after a ‘mutiny’ on board one of its flights. |
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Newsletter - January 2011 Gibraltar (GIB) The Gibraltar Airport timetable for February 2011 is set out below.
Málaga (AGP) Ryanair (FR) is to start twice weekly flights to the former Soviet air base of Magdeburg-Cochstedt (CSO) with effect from 01 April. Ryanair is the first (and currently only) airline to use the airfield located 190km west of Berlin. Jerez de la Frontera (XRY) Ryanair and easyJet - Málaga Summer 2011
Ryanair's Boarding Pass Charge If you arrive at the airport without having printed your boarding pass, Ryanair levy a charge of €40 (£34). A judge in Barcelona has now ruled that, under international air travel conventions, the airline can neither demand passengers arrive at the airport with their boarding pass, nor charge them if they do not. Judge Barbara Cordoba ruled that ‘The customary practice over the years has been that the obligation to provide the boarding pass has always fallen on the airline.’ Ryanair noted that it would appeal against the decision, which threatens its model of scrapping check-in desks and replacing them with online boarding cards and airport bag drops. Gibraltar Airport Regular Visitors - Aircraft Profile 1 British Airways Airbus A319 I am often told that ‘no one really cares what type of plane they’re flying on, they just want to get from A to B’. Whilst that may be true of some travellers, I think it is time for my readers to dust off their anoraks as I provide some basic information about the aircraft on which they are likely to fly on from Gibraltar. I begin with the aircraft used by British Airways on its daily flight to London Heathrow.
And Finally... With thanks to the Travel section of ‘The Sunday Times’ |
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| i | Newsletter - December 2010 Gibraltar (GIB) The Gibraltar Airport timetable for January 2011 is set out below.
easyJet (EZY) has announced that it will start serving a second UK destination from Gibraltar. Flights to Liverpool (LPL) will start on 29 March 2011 and will operate thrice weekly. The schedule – The 2011 Summer Schedule
Málaga (AGP) US carrier Delta Airlines (DL) has confirmed that it will resume its non-stop flights from New York (JFK) from 01 June 2011. The service will operate six times weekly (an increase from five weekly in 2010) and will be flown as before by Boeing 757-200 aircraft. Flights will operate as a code share operation with SkyTeam partner Air France. The schedule – Seville (SVQ) Irish Airport Tax Liquids Ban To Be Relaxed The UK Government has confirmed that the ban on liquids being carried in hand luggage onto aircraft is to be removed. Philip Hammond announced that from April 2011 aerosols, gels and liquids in containers larger than 100ml will be allowed to be carried in the cabin. The change in policy is in line with the EU member states also removing the small container rule at the same time. Passengers travelling from outside the European Union will be able to carry duty-free liquid purchases on connecting flights throughout Europe, but the items still have to be put in clear plastic bags and be screened. And Finally... Not an anecdote but simple observation. |
| i | Newsletter - November 2010 Gibraltar (GIB) The Gibraltar Airport timetable for December 2010 is set out below.
While British Airways (BA) has announced that its flights from London will transfer to Gatwick with the start of the summer season at the end of March 2011, the airline has confirmed that its flights to Gibraltar will continue to use Heathrow. Málaga (AGP) British Airways (BA) is to transfer its London flights from Heathrow (LHR) to Gatwick (LGW) from the start of the summer timetable (Sunday 27 March 2011). The current 14 weekly flights to Heathrow will be replaced by 25 to Gatwick, which will in turn increase to 28 weekly from 06 June. The Gatwick flights will be operated by Boeing 737-400 aircraft. The timetable is as follows: BA2712 LGW-AGP 0650-1035 Daily BA2713 AGP-LGW 1130-1310 Daily Ryanair Base Changes In addition the airline has also announced the closure of its base at Marseille (MRS) from 11 January 2011. The airline currently operates 23 routes from the airport and the closure will see the cancellation of 13 of them. The remaining 10 routes will continue to be served by aircraft based at point of origin. The four Marseille based aircraft will be relocated to other airports in Spain and Italy. More Air Passenger Duty easyJet - Is the end in sight for Speedy Boarding? To those of us who travel to the UK and throughout Europe, easyJet’s priority system ‘Speedy Boarding’ is a well known concept. For a fee, passengers can ‘be among the first to board the aircraft’ and in some locations can also use separate check in desks. Numerous surveys of passenger opinion have made it clear that in spite of such paid for services, the majority of customers would prefer to have an allocated seat on an aircraft. The familiar scrum to board low cost flights caused by the lack of allocation has changed the way we board flights and causes fractious queues at boarding gates often before the aircraft has landed. It has been widely reported that easyJet is now looking at alternatives which would still allow it to offer quick aircraft turn round times. All aspects of the airline’s operation were recently assessed by management consultants BGC. Under the plans, customers would pay to choose their seats either to sit together or have extra leg room next to emergency exits. All seats would be allocated and customers who did not pay would be given what was left. Such a change would mark a major shift in the airline’s business model but would bring it into line with a number of its competitors (such as Vueling and Air Berlin). Any move to allocated seating would be made amid a storm of publicity and I will ensure that my readers get to hear about it first. RegisterAnAircraft.com I have recently been acting as a consultant for a new Gibraltar based venture into the world of corporate and private aviation. RegisterAnAircraft.com (or ‘RANA’ to its friends) is the aviation division of The Sovereign Group. RANA offers a number of services of potential interest to corporate aircraft owners, operators and their advisors –
For more information take a look at www.RegisterAnAircraft.com or call +350 200 44620 And Finally... (with thanks to Aerbt) |
| i | Newsletter - October 2010 Gibraltar (GIB) The Gibraltar Airport timetable for November 2010 is set out below.
(a) Operates on 01 November only (b) Operates until 14 November With three flights scheduled to land within 20 minutes of each other, it looks like Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings in the terminal are set to be more than a little crowded! Málaga (AGP) Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY) has announced that it will open a new base in the Finnish capital Helsinki (HEL) in April 2011 equipped with three Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Málaga is among the 13 routes that the airline will offer and will operate three times per week with effect from 14 April.
Sevilla
(SVQ)
Málaga Airport's New Railway Station For further information and schedules for the suburban railway serving the airport, check this link - http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/cercanias/malaga/index.html German Air Passenger Duty The German federal government approved a new air passenger duty on 01 September. The new tax will be applied to all bookings made for travel from 01 January 2011. The ‘green’ air travel levy was included in a package of government austerity measures introduced earlier this year by Chancellor Angela Merkel and is expected to raise €1 billion annually. The duty will only apply to passengers on flights departing from German airports; passengers transitting through German hubs will not be affected, neither will cargo flights. Passengers boarding flights in Germany will be charged: The airlines have roundly criticized the new measures with the low cost sector making the greatest noise. These airlines argue that their point to point business (without transitting passengers) will feel far greater impact than that of airlines such as Lufthansa for whom transfer clients are a core part of their traffic. British Airways, American Airlines & Iberia Launch Transatlantic Venture Air Berlin (AB) will join the OneWorld Alliance in early 2012. One of three major airline alliances, OneWorld’s members include American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and LAN Chile. The move is set to ease connections and add a host of short, medium and long haul destinations to those already served by member carriers. British Airways & Virgin Atlantic Industrial Relations Update British Airways, American Airlines & Iberia Launch Transatlantic Venture
British Airways Turns Back Time
On 30 October 2010, the Boeing 757 will finally end 27 years of service with British Airways. One of the three remaining aircraft has been repainted to wear the original colourscheme introduced when the type started its life with the airline in 1983. Designed by Negus and Negus, the colours were a common sight at airports throughout Europe and beyond. Boeing 757, registration number G-CPET will spend the last three weeks in service operating in the ‘retro’ colourscheme and is along with its two sisterships to operate to Barcelona, Madrid, Vienna and Málaga until 29 October. The aircraft’s final day in service, Saturday 30 October, will see commemorative visits to a number of UK airports including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle. The majority of the fleet of 757 aircraft have been sold for conversion to freighters. I was fortunate to capture an image of G-CPET at Málaga airport on Sunday 10 October. For those interested, the aircraft will make one further flight for enthusiasts from London Heathrow on Saturday 06 November. And Finally... A sign of the times? |
| i | Newsletter - September 2010 Gibraltar (GIB) The Gibraltar Airport timetable for October 2010 is set out below. The winter schedule begins on Sunday 31 October therefore this timetable is effective until Saturday 30th. The schedule for Sunday 31 is shown below and the full winter timetable will be detailed in next month’s newsletter.
(a) Operates until 18 October (b) Operates from 25 October
Monarch (ZB) has added a further additional flight to London Luton (LTN) – the extra flight will operate on Monday evenings from 04 to 18 October. ZB062 will arrive at 18.55 and depart at 19.40. On Monday 25 October, the airline will use one aircraft for both the Manchester (MAN) and Luton (LTN) flights with the aircraft routing MAN-GIB-LTN-GIB-MAN. Málaga (AGP) Delta Airlines (DL) will discontinue its five weekly services to New York (JFK) with the start of the winter timetable. The last flight will depart from Málaga on Saturday 30 October. It is to be hoped that the service will resume next year. Sevilla
(SVQ)
Jerez de la Frontera (XRY) Ándalus Líneas Aéreas As a follow on from my note last month, it has been confirmed that the airline has ceased all operations after its Air Operator Certificate was withdrawn by the Spanish civil aviation authority because of well publicized financial difficulties. Air Berlin Air Berlin (AB) will join the OneWorld Alliance in early 2012. One of three major airline alliances, OneWorld’s members include American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and LAN Chile. The move is set to ease connections and add a host of short, medium and long haul destinations to those already served by member carriers. British Airways & Virgin Atlantic Industrial Relations Update British Airways cabin crew have voted in favour of another ballot over industrial action. If the strike(s) go ahead, it could hit passengers travelling over the Christmas holiday period. A meeting at Kempton Park Racecourse attracted more than 1,000 members of the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association (BASSA), which is Unite’s main cabin crew branch. Although the BASSA members have voted for the ballot, it would have to be endorsed by Unite. Unite Joint General Secretaries Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley are said to be hoping to hold further talks with BA in Manchester this week, where the TUC’s annual congress will be held. Willie Walsh, BA Chief Executive, said the airline has contingency plans to fly 100% of long haul and a high proportion of short haul services in the event of another walkout. At Virgin Atlantic, a possible strike by flight deck crew has been averted. After a series of long drawn out discussions between the management and the pilots union a compromise has been reached which appears to suit all parties. Under a deal, pilots will now receive at least 120 days off per annum, which is believed to equal holidays and weekends that employees in other sectors receive. BALPA General Secretary Jim McAuslan said: “In our discussions with the company, we have identified a range of relationships and processes that can be improved. We are looking forward to working with Virgin Atlantic on these matters to ensure that our industrial relations is on a more professional and progressive footing.” Boeing Dreamliner - Another Delay At the end of August, Boeing announced yet another delay to the service entry for its new 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Delivery of the first aircraft will move from the end of this year to the first quarter of 2011. The revolutionary 787, which has been in development since 2004 has suffered a series of delays and has seen orders cancelled by a number of airlines worldwide. The first major airliner to be built of composite carbon fiber materials, the Dreamliner aims to set records in fuel efficiency, flight range, and passenger comfort. Seating between 210 and 330 passengers, the Dreamliner has been ordered by 56 customers. A test aircraft was recently exhibited albeit briefly at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK and the flight programme continues from Boeing’s plant in Seattle. The first customer to take delivery of the 787 will be Japan’s ANA (All Nippon Airways). Ryanair's Single Pilot It is a headline grabbing story with distinct echoes of the film ‘Airport 75’ where a plucky stewardess has to try and fly a Boeing 747 after the pilot is incapacitated. Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary has suggested that he would ask regulators for permission to staff flights with only one pilot – in an effort to save money. As a replacement, O’Leary suggests that a senior member of cabin crew could be trained to fly the aircraft in an emergency. Thankfully, for nervous flyers everywhere, it will not happen. Like his plan to offer standing room for lower fares, it is impossible and equally ill-advised. The Boeing 737s that Ryanair flies are certified for two pilots at a minimum, and Boeing certainly isn’t going to redesign, re-equip and try to re-certify the plane to be flown with only a single pilot. Similarly, the standing-room-only idea is just as impossible because the 737-800 is certified for a maximum 189 passengers, based on emergency exits and evacuation times. Ryanair already has 189 seats on its 737-800s, and Boeing says it won’t be redesigning or recertifying the plane.) Even if Boeing did reconfigure and recertify the 737 (at great expense, by the way, likely negating any savings for Ryanair), would Ryanair’s insurance company agree, or perhaps run Mr. O’Leary’s rates so much higher than it would cancel out any crew savings? And Finally... I am sure that some of my discerning readers will be familiar with Fascinating Aida; three British female singers who have an uncanny knack of bringing biting satire to the seemingly mundane. Their latest target is low fare airlines and their host of additional charges. The airline in their sights can’t be too upset as they have put a link to this performance on their website! I am sure that anyone who has travelled with this particular airline (with a recently much enhanced presence at Málaga airport) will identify with the sentiments in ‘Cheap Flights’. |
| i | Newsletter - August 2010 Gibraltar (GIB) The Gibraltar Airport timetable for September 2010 is set out below -
(a) Operates from 24 September (b) Operates from 12 September Monarch Airlines (ZB) has announced that it will increase its Manchester (MAN) flights to four weekly with effect from 12 September 2010. The additional flight will operate every Sunday until 31 October. In addition, the airline is also adding an extra flight to Luton (LTN) which will operate each Friday from 24 September to 29 October. Málaga (AGP) Ryanair (FR) has announced that it will suspend its six weekly flights to Bournemouth for the winter. Flights will not operate between 01 November and 31 January 2011. Sevilla
(SVQ) Ándalus Líneas Aéreas According to reports, the airline’s single remaining aircraft appears grounded at Málaga Airport. Although the carrier’s website remains online, all attempts to book tickets are met with an error message which states ‘your request can not be processed at this time. Please try after some minutes.’ Farnborough Air Show 2010 In contrast to previous years dominated by the defence industry, the 2010 Farnborough Air Show provided a number of headlines of interest to the airline passenger. The biennial trade show, this year held between 19 and 25 July in Farnborough, Hants. showcased displays of significant new aircraft types as a backdrop to some equally significant orders by airlines and leasing companies. On its first international outing, Boeing briefly displayed one of the prototypes of its new 787 ‘Dreamliner’ model. Designed for long haul routes, the mid size, twin-engined aircraft is the first commercial airliner to be largely constructed from composite materials. Seating between 210 and 330 passengers, the aircraft will enter service with Japan’s All Nippon Airlines in 2011. The first European operator will be Thomson Airways, to be followed by Polish airline LOT. In a major order for Brazilian manufacturer Embraer, UK airline FlyBe announced the purchase of up to 140 EMB175 regional jets. Seating 88 passengers in a single class layout, the aircraft which will start appearing in 2011 are should appear on the airline’s services to Málaga from both Southampton and Exeter. Another airline with a substantial operation in Málaga, Norwegian Air Shuttle, continued its plan to modernize its fleet of Boeing 737 by ordering another 15 of the manufacturer’s series 800 aircraft. The 189 seat aircraft will be used on the carrier’s expanding network which stretches as far as Dubai. This year’s Farnborough was judged to be a great success with over 1,400 exhibitors and more than 120,000 visitors over the five trade days. The next show will be held just prior to the opening of the London Olympics – from 09 to 15 July 2012. Granada-Jaén - summer 2010
Travelling To The USA Without A Visa - New Charges From 01 January 2009 the US government introduced a new system for citizens of countries covered by the visa waiver scheme (including the UK and Spain). Travellers from these countries would have to apply for advance authorization before departure. The Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) must be completed at least 72 hours before travel and lasts for two years (or until passport expiration if sooner). Until now, application via the US government website HTTPS://esta.cbp.dhs.gov has been free of charge however from 08 September 2010 a fee of $14 (approx. £9) will be levied for each application. And Finally... |
Newsletter - July 2010 Gibraltar (GIB) The Gibraltar Airport timetable for August 2010 is set out below -
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