When you win the Lotto… January 10, 2011
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, UK & Europe.Tags: airlines, aviation, flying, Lufthansa, luxury travel, Singapore Airlines, Travel
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Two of the world’s best flying experiences, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa Private Jet, have joined forces to create a seamless journey for cashed-up travellers to Europe.
Passengers can stretch out in Singapore Airlines’ first class suites on the A380 superjumbo – some of the most spacious first class suites of any commercial airline – then connect to Lufthansa’s private jet services to more than 1000 airports around Europe and the Russian Federation.
A ‘private jet event manager’ puts together a tailor-made itinerary, including limousine services, baggage transfers and personalised inflight catering. They even take responsibility for (more…)
Plants fuelling planes December 16, 2010
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel technology, Travel tips & trends.Tags: airlines, aviation, biofuel, green travel, Lufthansa, responsible travel, Travel
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Biofuel will be used on commercial flights for the first time next year.
In a step towards more sustainable flying, Lufthansa has announced it will begin a six-month trial of biofuel on scheduled flights within Germany from April. It will use a 50-50 mix of biofuel – which is being touted as a more sustainable alternative to standard fuel – and kerosene, on an Airbus aircraft operating the Hamburg-Frankfurt route.
Lufthansa says the trial will save about 1500 tonnes of CO2 emissions and will use biofuel procured from sustainable sources. “No rainforest will be deforested for Lufthansa biofuel,” says Lufthansa chief executive Wolfgang Mayrhuber. “Our licensed suppliers must provide proof of the sustainability of their processes.”
Lufthansa says the primary purpose of the trial is to (more…)
Which airlines get you there on time? November 19, 2010
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: airlines, aviation, flying, Jetstar, Qantas, Tiger Airways, Travel, Virgin Blue
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It seems the more you pay, the more likely you are to get there on time.
The latest government figures show budget carrier Tiger Airways managed to get just 65 per cent of its flights in the air on time in September, compared to 84 per cent for Qantas. Virgin Blue and Jetstar came in at 79 per cent and 76 per cent respectively for their on-time departures, leaving Tiger as the clear loser of the four main carriers.
Regional airlines, which have far fewer flights, are the best performers for on-time departures, with Regional Express (Rex) and the Western Australian airline Skywest getting nearly nine out of ten flights in the air on time.
Those who got caught up in the Virgin Blue chaos that followed the collapse of its computer system in late September will (more…)
The great tax grab November 3, 2010
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: airlines, aviation, Flight Centre, Jetstar, tax reform, Tiger Airways, Travel
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We all like to imagine a world with fewer taxes but for some in the travel industry, it’s much more than a passing thought. With taxes now accounting for more than half the ticket price of some flights, industry leaders say it’s time to pull back on the government grab in order to grow passenger numbers. Could removing some taxes result in economic benefits that outweigh the income collected?
Services between Australia and New Zealand are a prime target, with the potential for the two governments to agree to drop many of the restrictions and taxes that apply to international flights. While experts say it would be too much to hope for trans-Tasman flights to be reclassified as domestic services, there is potential for a “common border” approach that would reduce customs and quarantine costs – and therefore charges to passengers. Qantas and Jetstar are among those actively lobbying for this to occur, although it has been discussed for many years with little progress.
Flight Centre carried out an analysis of the cheapest Sydney-Auckland fare and found that the $251 return ticket would drop to $121 if government taxes and levies were removed. The taxes, which made up 52 per cent of the fare price, included an Australian departure tax of $47, an Australian security levy of $51.16, a New Zealand security levy of $9 and a New Zealand “passenger services charge” (departure tax) of $23.
The managing director of Flight Centre, Graham Turner, says millions of dollars of revenue is generated each year on that route alone and the removal of some taxes would represent significant savings for travellers. “Undoubtedly, this will stimulate further growth in passenger traffic between the two countries and create further economic benefits,” he says.
Tiger Airways has been drawing attention to air taxes by… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
A solution for noisy kids on planes? October 1, 2010
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: airlines, aviation, Skyscanner, Travel
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No, you can’t put noisy children in the cargo hold – but there might be another solution.
Nearly 60 per cent of travellers would like children to be contained to a ‘families only’ section on flights, according to a survey by airfare comparison site Skyscanner. Not surprisingly, non-parents were the biggest proponents of the idea, with just eight per cent saying families should be able to sit wherever they like and the majority saying they wanted to sit ‘as far away as possible from children’.
A quarter of non-parents went as far as saying they would prefer their flights to be completely child-free. But nearly half of the parents surveyed rejected the idea, saying they didn’t want to sit next to ‘other people’s horrors’.
The survey follows a recent furore over a woman who complained a child made her ears bleed on a Qantas flight. The complaint went all the way to court, with Qantas reaching a confidential settlement with the passenger.
Suggestions put forward by Skyscanner users included the provision of a baby nursery, only allowing well-behaved children to fly and (presumably in jest) putting children “in the hold”. Skyscanner itself suggests airlines could charge a premium for an adults-only area.
This article is an excerpt from Jane E. Fraser’s weekly travel column in The Sun Herald, Sydney
Who really wins with frequent flyer programs? September 21, 2010
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: airlines, aviation, frequent flyer, loyalty programs, Qantas, travlel
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When Qantas announced profit results last month, it revealed it had earned $328 million, before tax, from its frequent-flyer program. The program was one of the standout performers for the airline group, raising the question: for whose benefit is it designed?
Are frequent-flyer programs really about loyalty and benefits for travellers or just another money-spinner for airlines? And if the airlines are making so much money from them, who is ultimately paying?
Clifford Reichlin, who runs the popular online forum frequentflyer.com.au, says frequent-flyer programs have little to do with loyalty – or even flying. “It’s nothing to do with flying, it’s a promotional and marketing currency,” Reichlin says. “You can earn points without flying and you can spend points without flying. “It’s a promotional currency which is linked to the whole aspirational quality of flying.”
Reichlin says frequent-flyer programs are hugely profitable for airlines due to a combination of “enormous demand” and having control over supply. “They get cash for the points [from banks] and then they control the supply of seats,” he says. Reichlin says while the benefits of frequent-flyer programs are clear for the airlines, the benefits for consumers can be patchy. While some do very well out of the programs, for others it may not be worth the bother. “It depends on… (please click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
Say goodbye to inflight magazines August 20, 2010
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel technology, Travel tips & trends.Tags: airlines, aviation, environment, green travel, Singapore Airlines, Travel
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Singapore Airlines is trialling electronic versions of its inflight magazines as it moves towards a paperless cabin. The airline also plans to get rid of menu cards and more than 100 international and local magazines that it carries on its aircraft around the world, replacing them with electronic menus, e-magazines and e-books.
Aside from saving a huge amount of paper, removing hard copies of magazines from flights will reduce weight and save on fuel costs. Singapore Airlines, like many carriers, currently provides each passenger with three inflight publications: an inflight magazine, an entertainment guide and a duty free catalogue.
Many airlines already have (more…)
Would you pay to board early? August 12, 2010
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel.Tags: airlines, American Airlines, aviation, Delta Airlines, Qantas, Travel, United Airlines
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Just when you thought airlines had exhausted all possibilities for charging extra fees, American Airlines has come up with a fee for boarding ahead of the crush.
Ranging from US$9 ($10) to $US19 ($21), depending on the route, the ‘boarding and flexibility package’ allows passengers on domestic US flights to skip ahead of the general boarding call and board with first and business class passengers.
It is an option with particular relevance in the US, where airline passengers are notorious for taking too much carry-on baggage, resulting in jostling and shoving for space in the overhead lockers.
The fee also gives travellers more flexibility with their flights, allowing them to standby for an earlier flight (an option usually only available to those on more expensive, fully-flexible tickets) and to pay a lower fee if they need to change a flight.
The new charge comes as (more…)
Few comforts in future flying July 7, 2010
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: airlines, aviation, Travel, travel trends
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Have you wondered whether no-frills airlines are a fad? If one day we’ll decide we’ve had enough of having to pay to take our baggage, and paying for meals, entertainment and basic comforts such as pillows and blankets? Could the market go full circle and bring a return to the services and inclusions on flights we once took for granted?
If that day is coming, it’s a long way off. Low-cost carriers, or those that offer few or no frills, continue to grow at a rapid rate, servicing both domestic and international routes. And while they are expanding total market size by making travel more affordable, much of their growth has come at the expense of the “legacy carriers” – traditional, full-service airlines. We might like to complain about having to pay for a coffee or to check in a bag, yet the lure of cheap fares wins time and again.
Federal government statistics show low-cost carriers AirAsia X, Indonesia AirAsia, Jetstar, Pacific Blue, Polynesian Blue and Tiger Airways now account for almost 20 per cent of international traffic in and out of Australia. Qantas remains the biggest player but its market share has fallen, dipping below 20 per cent. Qantas’s low-cost offshoot, Jetstar, now accounts for slightly more than 8 per cent of the international market, ahead of Air New Zealand and Emirates and snapping at the heels of Singapore Airlines.
AirAsia X, a no-frills airline from Malaysia, remains a small player but has almost closed the gap on the well-established Malaysia Airlines, despite failing to win approval to operate flights from Sydney Airport. AirAsia X has temporarily turned its focus elsewhere, boosting its capacity from Melbourne and Perth airports, but its chief executive, Azran Osman-Rani, says… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
