Global warming debate heats up
▼ As the argument rages as to the relative merits of the European Commission's proposed Emissions Trading Scheme versus the UK's Airline Passenger Duty charge, due to double next month, transatlantic premium startup Silverjet has come up with another idea.
In an open letter to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Silverjet chief executive Lawrence Hunt outlines how his airline plans to become the first carbon-neutral carrier when it begins service from London to New York on 25 January.
Posted Monday, January 15, 2007 4:11PM by Jackie Thompson
Virgin boosts beauty bank
▼ While other fast-growing carriers are busily recruiting flight crew - in some cases poaching them from rival carriers - Virgin Atlantic is advertising for 100 in-flight beauty therapists to join the 250 currently working alongside the cabin crew in the carrier's Upper Class cabin.
Passengers enjoying the Upper Class experience with Virgin can choose between treatments such as Back in the Clouds, Hot Hands and Handsome Hands Manicure. Treatment takes place behind a curtain at the front of the forward cabin, where there is a dedicated seat.
Posted Wednesday, January 10, 2007 5:20PM by Jackie Thompson
Another 50 A320s for Tony Fernandes
▼ Airbus can't build A320s fast enough for AirAsia. Earlier this week the Malaysia-based low-cost carrier ordered another 50 A320s, lifting its total firm order to 150 aircraft.
That may seem ambitious for an airline that now only operates 50 aircraft, including 15 A320s and 35 Boeing 737-300s which will be phased out before the 150th A320 arrives in 2013. But chief executive and co-founder Tony Fernandes is quick to point out that at 500 million people, South-east Asia has a population bigger than the USA - and Southwest Airlines already operates over 400 aircraft.
Posted Wednesday, January 10, 2007 12:32PM by Brendan Sobie
EasyJet: can in-flight sales go overboard?
▼ Has the drive for ancillary revenues gone too far? On a two-hour easyJet flight I was on four days ago, I was offered for sale not only snacks and beverages but gaming cards, train tickets, take-away small champagne bottles and a teddy bear the flight attendant promised can be sold for a profit on eBay.
I'm all for low-cost carriers keeping air fares low by selling goods on their website and on board aircraft. But the non-stop peddling of items can become annoying, especially on a flight where you can't drown out all the hawking with in-flight entertainment.
Posted Thursday, January 04, 2007 3:14PM by Brendan Sobie
Lufthansa - this airline wants you!
▼ It is becoming something of a tradition for Lufthansa to announce major recruitment drives at the turn of the year. This year is no exception and proves once again the resilience of the German flag carrier and its determination to expand even as the industry's growth globally begins to brake.
It is taking on 3,000 new staff this year. This is on top of the 2,500 new employees it recruited in 2006, and will take its global workforce to some 94,000 people, with a staggering 34,000 of them outside Germany.
Posted Wednesday, January 03, 2007 4:53PM by Mark Pilling
Source: Airline Business
