After a long delay, the much-awaited public offering of Poland's public carrier will take place in late 2009, with the airline restructuring itself to return to profitability. The chief executive confirmed this on Wednesday. Earlier during this month, LOT warned that the state-controlled airline was in dire need of restructuring in order to avoid an impending cash crunch amidst the soaring prices of fuel and mounting competition from no frills carriers, Ryanair for instance.

Commenting in this regard, the recently appointed CEO of LOT, Dariusz Nowak noted, "After the third quarter of 2009, if we find the level of restructuring as satisfactory, it will allow us to move to other strategic targets, including an IPO (initial public offering). I wouldn't see it before the end of the second quarter of 2009.”

He too noted that the new management would decide on this matter within a year to affirm if LOT is "floatable".

Posting a first-half loss on Wednesday, Macquarie Airports (MAP), a fund managed by Australian investment bank Macquarie has said that it will significantly reduce its stakes in two airports to cut debt. If implemented, this move is expected to send up the shares up nearly 10 percent.

According to MAP, the said plan would assist in funding a share buyback of up to AUD$1 billion (USD$872 million) and considerably help the firm further boost up its share price, which had miserably fallen so far by around one-third during this year.

The present initiatives by the firm simply meant MAP is not after chasing any upcoming privatization efforts pertaining to airports in the short term. The company cited the examples of the lease of Chicago's Midway Airport and Prague Airport in this regard.

In a statement made on Wednesday, the civil aviation secretary noted that India is not presently considering the sale of stakes in Air India, the state-run carrier and the helicopter services provider Pawan Hans Helicopters.

Earlier in the month of December, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel had noted that Air India had planned to sell not less than 15 percent of its equity through an initial public offering in a move to raise funds required for its further expansion.

However due to the present turmoil in the local and international share markets, investors are losing their appetite for new issues. This condition has forced not less than 10 Indian firms to significantly delay or shelve their IPOs that value about USD$4 billion during this year. Notably, this outlook seems to remain constantly downbeat for the rest of this year.

With DHL, the German parcel carrier planning to stop using the services of Air Transport Services Group, the group said on Wednesday that it will have to force its main air cargo operator ABX Air shed about 6,000 or more jobs, if DHL does so. Most notably, the number noted by the airline works out to not less than 75 percent of the total staff forming part of the unit.On the other hand, DHL, the firm owned by German mail group Deutsche Post, has decided to make use of the services of United Parcel Service, one of the main rivals of Air Transport Services Group. The move from DHL comes forth as part of a USD$2 billion restructuring of its business that is making a loss in the United States.

The company has said recently that the carrying cargo for DHL provided not less than 73 percent of the revenue ensuing from the Air Transport Services for the first six months of this year. In the month of May, DHL noted that it had decided to terminate the services of 55 DC-9 aircraft operated by ABX on behalf of DHL during the course of the next 12 months.

With euro becoming stronger, thousands of Brits are looking out for holiday destinations that offer better value for their pounds. Most interestingly, Turkey has recently emerged as one of the top spots in the list of such destinations. The most attractive feature of turkey combines the alluring seaside experience with reasonable prices over accommodation and dining in addition to an exclusive range of shopping options. A recent report published in M&S Money has ably captured this aspect.

The figures published in the M&S Money reveal that there is a sharp 53 percent increase in sales of Turkish Lira. Most notably, next only to Russians and Germans, the travellers from the UK top the list comprising visitors to this wonderful destination. ABTA notes that last year alone not less than two million UK tourists visited Turkey. Over and above, it has also observed that this number can further go up by not less than 20 percent during this year.

Commenting on the present trend, Fraser Millar, the head of travel services at M&S observed, "The huge increase in sales of Turkish currency is not surprising, with the relative power of the euro against the pound meaning Brits are getting more for their money by opting for destinations like Turkey. This trend is confirmed by the fact that there has also been a large increase in sales of Egyptian currency this year.”

Recently, British Airways has raised a serious concern over the state of affairs at UK Airports while urging the Competition Commission and the UK authorities to devise a system that gives way for a thorough regulation of airports and airport operators. The insistence from BAA follows the recommendation of Competition Commission that BAA needs to leave any two of the three airports owned and operated by it because of falling performance and declining customer satisfaction. Notably, BAA presently owns and operates Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. When Ryanair is explicitly forcing the government to force BAA to give up two of these airports, British Airways has the notion that the goal of the government needs to be improving the condition of regulations at the airports rather than calling for a change of ownership. 

Among several suggestions forwarded by British Airlines, one of the potential suggestions to ensure better regulations at the airports is to introduce a licensing system that would put the owners of the airports in a position where they are more accountable to anything that goes wrong within their airport. In other words, if BAA is not able to meet the customer satisfaction in addition to satisfying the government authorities that would eventually give way for the authorities to impose a series of sanctions and any other appropriate punitive measures to penalize the operator. However, the principal factor in implementing the system is that the public authorities must be able to closely monitor the state of affairs at the airports and decide the appropriate action as and when necessary.

A recent report published by ABTN has noted that Japan Airlines (JAL) has decided to withdraw its Heathrow - Osaka service. The present move is coming into effect next spring. Once this service is withdrawn, there will not be any direct connection to the city. In addition to this, the daily service to Kansai offered by Boeing 777 aircraft is to be stopped on 29th March 2009. Once this is done, it will leave the airline with a single service operated between Heathrow and Tokyo.

Most notably, the Heathrow - Osaka flights are one among the three long-haul routes that are to be cut by the carrier. The cut is necessitated by the high oil prices. Notably, this move is part of the biggest operational review made by the airline since the year 2002. On the whole, the carrier is suspending more than 12 routes in addition to considerably decreasing the frequency on four other routes.

Commenting on the present move contemplated by the airline, a spokeswoman for the airline noted that it would offer good connections departing from Tokyo to both Kansai and Itami Airports of Osaka. She too noted that she did not know what the airline has decided to do with the seven daily slots reserved for the airline's carriers at the Heathrow Airport that are left unused due to the present withdrawal of services. The present moves by the airline are part of the carrier's strategy to combat the challenges faced by the airline amidst the present crisis in the industry.

July 2008 turned out to be a record-breaking month for Monarch. Celebrating this overwhelming success story, the airline has confirmed that it has transported over 460,000 passengers on scheduled flights in July 2008. This figure is notably 5 percent up over the figures noted during the same time last year. In addition, the carrier has also said that this number is the highest that the carrier has seen in any single month. A close analysis of the scenario reveals the fact that the record numbers have been made possible by the new launches made by the carrier during the recent months. Notably, this list comprises the service launched by the airline from the hubs of Manchester and Gatwick to Larnaca (Cyprus) and from Gatwick to Menorca.

During the month of July 2008, the scheduled services of Monarch carried not less than 459,914 passengers. Notably, this figure is about 5.09 percent up by the figures obtained during the same time last year. For this month, the load factor for the airline was 86.15 percent, which is up by 2.67 percentage points over the figures obtained last year. Interestingly, the Internet sales percentage of Monarch was 89 percent. Considering both scheduled services and charter services put together, Monarch carried a total number of 826,815 passengers during the month of July. The said achievement by the airline has been greatly appreciated by the industry circles during a time when several other major airlines are struggling for their survival amidst soaring oil prices and economic crunch.

In a highly welcomed move, Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific have decided to expand their capacity on their Hong Kong services that are departing from Heathrow. The present move by these airlines is in response to the significant demand created by the collapse of the no-frills carrier Oasis Hong Kong Airlines. The above said routes are said to be highly lucrative and the two airlines are now significantly increasing the number of seats on these routes.

Most notably, after the collapse of the Hong Kong airline in the month of April, the number of weekly flights operated between these two cities fell from 80 to 70, thereby significantly increasing the demand for the said route. According to the recent decision made by the airline, it is noted that the airline will add a second daily flight flying three times a week starting from 28th October. Eventually with effect from 4th December, the airline will extend its service to all days of the week. Now Virgin is adding a second daily flight operated three times a week from October 28, before extending the service to all days of the week with effect from 4th December.

Over and above, according to the announcement made by Cathay Pacific, it appears that the airline will replace the two Airbus A340-300s that are being currently deployed on the long-haul route, drafting in Boeing 747s. This move is expected to add 288 seats on the route every week.

A recent survey has revealed that more than 10,000 customers have made use of the brand new SMS Flight Tracker service after it was introduced for the first time in June 2008. This particular mobile phone service delivers the flight information pertaining to Ryanair directly to UK and Irish mobiles. To obtain the necessary information in this regard, the mobile phone users just need to call or text the Flight Tracker numbers.

Those passengers awaiting a Ryanair flight can keep track of a given Ryanair flight arriving at or departing from the UK and Ireland for a price of £1.50 or €2. According to a spokesperson for the airline, this charge is in fact less than the cost for a 30-minute stay in most of the airport car parks. In addition, this service proves to be far more easy, useful and convenient.

Director of Commercial Revenue, Sinead Finn, noted, "We were always confident that the Ryanair SMS Flight Tracker service would be popular. We are delighted that so many people have used the service in its first month. Our SMS Flight Tracker service has already helped over 10,000 people minimise the time and expense of collecting family and friends from high cost airports like Dublin or Stansted where short term car parking is a complete rip off.”

Addressing Crain's an aviation industry expert has pointed out that the recent decision by Singapore Airlines (SIA) to bring down the number of its services from Manchester Airport is a clear example of the danger faced by the regional airports by the arrival of giant new Airbus A380.

According to the recent move, SIA has decided to bring down the number of direct flights operated between Manchester and Singapore from seven services a week to five services a week. This move comes into effect on 5th November, which will see the scrapping of the outbound flights operated on Tuesdays and Thursdays. As an alternative, those passengers who wish to fly between the two cities on Tuesdays and Thursdays need to take a bmi shuttle to Heathrow to get a connection from there.

The entire scenario follows the increase of capacity by SIA on its Heathrow to Singapore route by introducing the Airbus A380 aircraft with effect from September. The gigantic double-decker A380, that can carry 471 passengers, will offer two flights every day from London. In addition, a Boeing 747 will offer a third daily flight.

In a surprising move, the three biggest airports of Scotland have posted significantly falling passenger numbers for the month of July. According to a recent statement made by their owner BAA, the said condition is a symptom of soaring fuel prices and pressing credit crunch. Across the globe, factors like the economic slowdown and an alarming rise in the price of oil have been wrecking havoc, leading to capacity cuts, suspension of routes and termination of employees, in addition to the breaking up of several airlines.

Most notably when compared to the passenger numbers recorded during the same month last year, the figures for this year showed a 2.3 percent drop. During the month of July, not less than 2.2 million passengers passed through Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen Airport. Considering that July is the peak month for summer getaways, the figures noted prove to be remarkably lower than the actual figures expected. For the month of July, the international traffic was up by 2.3 percent. However, the domestic business was down by about 6.8 percent.

According to the opinion of experts, the above said numbers go in to suggest that among several other problems haunting the industry at present, BAA and its airline customers are facing new and really tough competition from the passengers of rail that travel within Britain.

With the Manchester Airport planning to join the proposed industry action next week, those Britons heading on with their late summer holidays might face misery during this period. Following the voting by the baggage handlers and check-in staff for action, two 24-hour strikes have been called at the airport scheduled on Wednesday, the 27th of August and Monday, the 1st of September.

At the outset, the staff under these two segments has been appointed by ground services company Swissport. The stoppage announcement at the Manchester Airport follows the two 24-hour strikes that have been already called by Unite at Gatwick and Stansted. Most notably, those strikes have been scheduled to take place on Monday, the 25th of August and Friday, the 29th of August.

The principal reason behind these demonstrations is that Unite is totally unhappy with the 'paltry' pay offer of Swissport and is not ready to accept the new arrangements pertaining to sick-pay. Things are highly probable that action could eventually and rapidly escalate across the nation, with the members of the Unite at Swissport also to be balloted at Birmingham and Newcastle airports very shortly.

Reporting the serious concern and warning issued by the head of the Environment Agency, the Independent has reported that a third runway at the Heathrow Airport would certainly give way to 'unavoidable' rises in air pollution and noise pollution in addition to causing traffic jams. Over and above, while commenting on the plans for a third runway, former Labour Culture Secretary Lord Smith of Finsbury has noted that approving the expansion of the airport would surely prove to be a grave mistake on part of the government, which has come as a serious blow to the plans put forward by the government.

Most notably, according to the promise made by Gordon Brown and Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly, it appears that the government wants the environmental concerns to be a central element in considering a decision on the further expansion of Heathrow, which is expected later during this year. But Lord Smith, the recently appointed chairman of the Environment Agency has clearly stated yesterday that even as per the conclusions forwarded by its own experts, there was never a green case that could be put forth as a matter of support for the above said proposals.

While dismissing the opinion of the Department of Transport that a new runway at Heathrow Airport is environmentally sustainable, Lord Smith noted, "The increases in volume of air traffic and in congestion on the ground are, from the analysis that we've done, pretty unavoidable. I think the Government is making a mistake and I will carry on telling them that I think they are making a mistake.”

In an important milestone at enhancing the security process and reducing the passenger congestion at the Manchester Airport, the airport is trialling facial recognition scanners. This move also comes as part of the initiatives taken by the government in this regard. Most notably, adult biometric passport holders from the UK and the Europe can effectively use this system. The system works by scanning the faces of passengers and comparing them to the photographs digitally stored on their passports. On the other hand, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) have raised a concern that the technology is untested and untried.

It is important to note that the facial recognition technology is part of the e-Borders programme of the Home Office, which aims at significantly enhancing the border control at UK besides ensuring greater efficiency and security. According to the ministers, the facial recognition technology will help in identifying criminals and terrorists attempting to enter the UK illegally.

Analysing the efficiency of the process, the machines require only 13-15 seconds per passenger, while a human takes about 20 seconds for the same process. Provided the trail run comes our successfully, the ministers would like to see that the machines replace the majority of front line airport immigration officers over the next five years.

A series of factors like slowing economy, capacity cuts, rising fares and a serious credit crunch have been accounting for a significant drop in the number of passengers at several UK airports. Notably, BAA, the operator of seven airports across the UK including Gatwick and Stansted have seen the fall of passenger numbers by 1.7% during July when compared to the figures recorded during last year. Most remarkably, last year around 14.8m passengers passed through the hubs.

Above all, Stansted Airport witnessed the biggest drop in the number of passengers among all the airports operated by BAA, with 5.3% fewer people using the airport when compared to the figures noted last year. All the three BAA airports at Scotland have also seen a notable reduction with the rate of reduction recorded as 3.2% at Glasgow, 1.3% at Edinburgh and 2.6% at Aberdeen.

Possibly as a result of the Open Skies Agreement, Heathrow was virtually unchanged when compared to last year. In fact, the airport has remarkably shown a significant increase of about 6.5% on long haul routes. However, the loss of Gatwick from the same source is said to be on account of the shift of long-haul traffic to Heathrow that has contributed to an overall drop of 1.8% despite an increase of 11.9% in the European Scheduled Traffic. In fact, the Southampton airport witnessed a drop of passengers by about 1.8%. Among the key markets affected the most by the slowdown noted during last month were the European Flights that saw a 1.4% drop and UK domestic, that saw a 4.5 percent drop.

According to a report published in the Guardian, it appears that the EU has serious concerns regarding the development of a third runway at Heathrow, which it strongly feels would give way to a 'significant' breach of permitted air pollution limits. Based on a letter from European Commissioner Stavros Dimas, the newspaper says that he is most likely to contact the Government to express his serious concern over this issue that the plans will certainly lead to the airport missing nitrogen oxide targets imposed by the EU.

The letter from Mr Dimas reads thus, "Technical reports underpinning the Heathrow expansion suggest that nitrogen limit values near the airport will be significantly exceeded in 2010, the year in which those limit values become mandatory, and that this will be the case even after 2015.”

Notably, the above said news is a further blow to the proposed plans that have been put forward for constructing a third runway at the sixth terminal at the busiest international airport across the globe. Over and above, it also appears that a final decision on the said plans is likely to be taken before the end of this year following the review of more than 70,000 responses received by the government in response to its recent public consultation.

Recently, bmibaby has commenced the sale of tickets for flights to a number of winter destinations offered by the airline. As part of the winter schedule, the low-cost carrier is offering seats to a range of interesting and highly popular holiday spots including Murcia and Alicante, with the charges starting from as little as £18.99 one way, with the price including all taxes and additional charges. Availing these attractive offers, passengers can travel from a number of UK airports, with the list including Manchester, Birmingham and East Midlands. The period of travel stretches between 26th October and 28th March 2009. There are only limited seats available during school holidays. Over and above, no cancellations are permitted when the seats are booked under this attractive discount offer. Also, all bookings made by a credit or debit card involve a handling fee of £3 and £2 respectively. Most interestingly, the airline is to announce more number of winter destinations in the near future.

With departures from Birmingham, charges for flights to Prague starts from £24.99; to Milan - Bergamo starts from £24.99; to Alicante, the prices start from £34.99; to Malaga, the charges start from £34.99; and to Nice, the charges are from £34.99.

With departures from Cardiff, flights to Belfast start from £18.99; to Edinburgh from £18.99; to Warsaw from £21.99; to Barcelona from £24.99 and to Faro from £39.99.

With effect over bookings made by Monday, the 25th of August, Sterling is offering attractive savings of up to 50 per cent on over 900,000 seats to Scandinavia. Introduced on 18th August, the deal covers flights from the UK operated to destinations including Norway, Denmark and Sweden. To avail these offers, the travels must be scheduled between 18th August 2008 and 28th March 2009, with the Norwegian routes made available only until 25th October.

The tickets are made available from www.sterling.com. The airline notifies the passengers that early booking is needed to avoid disappointments as the forthcoming school holidays and other peak holidays are bound to significantly affect the availability of seats.

While commenting on the offers presently made available by the airline, Carole Arnaud-Battandier, the international marketing manager at Sterling Airlines, strongly believed that this new travel offer would certainly have a broader appeal among the passengers since the present offers greatly outshine any other offer that was announced in the route so far.

With the strong possibilities of the break up of BAA remaining on the horizon, the rumours centred on the creation of a second runway at the Gatwick Airport are significantly growing. Later during this week, it is expected that the Competition Commission is most likely to publish a report to the airport operator, which is expected to feature a suggestion regarding the breakup of the firm in a move to remove the relative monopoly of BAA over UK airports.

According to a statement made by The Observer, it appears that the commission is most likely to make a criticism of the government for favouring an idea related to the expansion of Heathrow and Stansted over Gatwick. It is also expected that the said report will also include a recommendation to sell away Gatwick Airport. In this connection, BAA has stated that already several parties have expressed their interest in buying it, though officially it is not yet ready for sale.

As per the note made in the newspaper, it is most likely that a new owner of Gatwick will be genuinely interested in a second runway at least in a bid to boost the competition with other airports that are based in the south-east.

With effect on bookings made before 10 pm on 20th August, Virgin Atlantic has announced attractive discounts over economy class seats with the scheme applicable over a range of destinations in the US. The notable destinations in the discounted offer includes a wide range of top holiday spots including Orlando, Miami, New York and Chicago, with the prices fixed at as little as £349.

To avail this offer, the travels must be scheduled between 23rd August and 14th December. Most notably, the fares include all taxes, surcharges and additional charges. The seats are subject to availability and the availability is expected to be affected by school holidays and peak travel times. One of the conditions for availing this offer requires a minimum stay on one Saturday night with a maximum stay of not later than 12 months. Though the tickets booked under this offer cannot be cancelled, changes with regard to travel dates can be availed with a charge of £100 per ticket. Most interestingly, for travel on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, a weekend supplement is offered for travel in both directions on some routes.

Flights from Heathrow to New York (JFK) and Washington between 24th August and 31st August are priced from £369. Travel to Los Angeles between 1st November and 14th December is priced from £409, while flights between 24th August and 31st October to Miami start from £377.

On Monday, the airlines" trade organization has predicated that major US airlines will witness a 6 percent drop in passenger number during the period of eight-day Labor Day holiday with the record high fuel prices haunting the industry.

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) has also stated that though the fuel prices have declined during the recent weeks, the price of jet fuel has averaged around USD$160.47 per barrel during this summer, which is around 79 percent higher than the price noted during last summer.

The price of crude oil was around USD$147 a barrel on July 11th, which significantly recoiled to around USD$114 on Monday. However, this compares to roughly USD$72 that was recorded during this time last year. Therefore, the present oil prices prove still too high for the US airline industry that is struggling at the face of unforeseen crisis.

The sources that are very close to the situation have stated on Monday that the merger talks between German charter airline Condor and TUIfly in addition to Lufthansa budget unit Germanwings have got significantly delayed.

The source that is very close to the issue noted that a merger of Lufthansa's Germanwings and Condor could be viewed as one of the highly potential options to the three-way merger. The source stated, "The culture would match, and it would make sense.”

When asked the details in this regard, TUI, TUIfly, Lufthansa and Germanwings all were not ready to make any comments in this regard. The reasons for their silence is however not quite clear.

A recent report published by the Sunday Times notes the statement made by Willie Walsh, the British Airways chief executive who has clearly vowed that the airline has firmly decided not to surrender the runway slots presently enjoyed by the airline at Heathrow. This move by the airline follows its proposal to initiate an alliance with American Airlines.

While addressing the personnel from the newspaper, Walsh said that BA would never be ready to give up any of the slots that have been obtained by paying a good sum. Notably, the prized slots have changed hands with the charge of GBP20 million pounds (USD$37.45 million) for a pair. Over and above, during the present state of things at the airport, the competition regulators are tipped to a heavy demand. The demand is so heavy that the two carriers need to forego up to not less than 10 slot pairs on an average day.

Willie Walsh observed, "There should be no slot remedy, I don't see how it could be justified.”

Recently, International infrastructure groups have held talks with BAA offering to sell London's Gatwick Airport. The deal as initiated by the groups is fixed at around GBP3 billion pounds (USD$5.62 billion). This information has been reported in the Sunday Times. However, the newspaper has not cited any sources. When asked about this, a BAA spokeswoman did not come forward to comment anything in this connection.

The paper has also stated that several other firms like Germany's Hochtief, Global Infrastructure Partners, Australia's Macquarie, the GE-Credit Suisse investment fund, and Britain's Manchester Airport Group have all voiced out their sincere interest to Ferrovial-owned BAA. Their interest has been conveyed even ahead of the Competition Commission's report that is expected to be published during this week.

Most notably, the report has also added further that the competition watchdog is expected to declare a serious concern that the group's ownership of London's three largest airports namely Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted is against the public interest. In fact experts strongly believe that it could be asked to sell two of the London hubs in addition to one of its largest airports in Scotland.

For the third consecutive month in July, the passenger traffic volume of Air China significantly fell low. Most notably, the reason cited for this drop is the strict airport safety checks implemented by the airport in face of the Beijing Olympic Games.

In a recent statement, the airline has also observed that there was an alarming jump of 58.05 percent jump year-on-year in its average jet fuel purchase. Air China has handled around 2.98 million passengers during the month of July, which is significantly down by about 6.8 percent from the figures recorded last year. Over and above, the passenger volume on the international routes fell by 19.4 percent numbering around 435,900. On the other hand, the volume on its domestic services was down by 3.5 percent numbering around 2.48 million, as stated by the airline.

It is important to note that the deadly earthquake that struck the southwest of China during May, eventually led to the cancellation of most of the conferences and other important events. In fact, this fact was also told as one of the principal reasons for the weak passenger traffic during the past three months. The earthquake at large appears to have broken the steady growth of the industry in addition to drastically affecting the economic boom of China. Industry experts strongly believe that the data pertaining to air traffic is most likely to pick up significantly in the month of September when the airport checks will become normal following the Olympics.

While reporting the net profit for the second quarter, Malaysia Airlines, the state controlled airline has reported a sharp drop of 64.6 percent drop. The airline has stated that the drop follows on account of surging fuel prices that have wrecked havoc in the industry on the whole.

During last year alone, MAS has transported not less than 14 million passengers earning a MYR39.98 million ringgit (USD$12 million) in the second quarter that ended with 30th June. On the other hand, the airline has made a net profit of MYR112.85 million during the same period last year.

Interestingly, MAS has launched a "flexi employment programme" during this month, which is aimed at bringing down the costs during the time when the global airline industry is highly troubled with the pinch due to alarmingly soaring fuel prices.

In a highly strategic move connected to expanding its operations, Artemis travel, the self-catering holiday"s specialist has signed a contract with Worldchoice for sales in Turkey. The essential feature of the agreement means that the 400 agents forming part of the Worldchoice consortium will be able to market three four-star properties on behalf of Artemis Travel on the Aegean Coast of south-west Turkey for the rest of the year 2008 in addition to next year.

Interestingly, the travel accommodations offered by Artemis include a range of facilities like apartments, penthouses and villas that are sited located at three resorts located in the areas of Altinkum and Didim. Most notably, the said deal follows in a mater of five weeks after the appointment of Nigel Harris as the business development director, who has the responsibility of extending the traced coverage of the operator.

Over and above, Artemis has also planned to promote the region for winter holiday breaks. During the months extending between October and February, the price for two-bedroom apartments starts at just £125 per week. Also, an attractive deal of staying for four weeks for the price of three weeks is also offered on holidays that extend beyond one month.

When the military personnel check-in their duffel bags stuffed with their heavy combat gear, several US airlines have decided to offer an attractive opportunity to check their baggage without any additional charges. This particular move by the airlines to offer exceptions for the members of the armed forces follow a criticism by the groups of veterans and politicians that the extra fee charged are a financial burden to the military personnel.

Earlier on Friday, airlines including AirTran, Delta, and Northwest together had reported that they had decided to waive all or at least the majority of their baggage charges for all active U.S. military personnel, while they undertake official travel. In addition, earlier during this week, American, Horizon, and Southwest triggered the movement to significantly bring down or even eliminate fees by waiving charges for active service members when they were checking a third bag.

On the other hand, several carriers that are forced at present to face the struggles due to high fuel costs during this year have still put baggage fees in place to help them manage the operating costs. In fact, some military personnel have reported that they had to pay even up to $300 for overweight duffel bags containing body armor and combat equipment, which are absolute necessity for the service members for their active duty.

For yet another time during this year, holidaying at the British seaside is becoming popular once again. The main reason that has driven Brits to seek their holiday spots quite close to their homes is the weakening state of the pound and the scarcity for discretionary cash during these days. However, still there are several other people who still seek to escape the British summer by moving to sunnier spots outside the eurozone.  The strength of euro is successfully ensuring that the maximum number of UK holidaymakers stay away from Greece and Spain, which have been among the most favourite holiday destination for quite sometime from now. Notably, during the past year alone, the pound has lost nearly 20 percent against the euro. This has resulted in making Egypt and Turkey new travel hotspots. Most notably, during this year, both these countries have accounted for the greatest holiday booking. In addition, Bulgaria, Croatia and Tunisia are witnessing a remarkable in crease in popularity. But, as of now, Bulgaira proves to be cheapest holiday destination located outside the eurozone.    On the other hand, Turkey remains today one of the leading spots for holidays during late summer. Most particularly, this is true with the Dalaman area. In this area, both mountains and sea are on offer. In a report for The Guardian, Co-operative travel noted this fact. A spokesperson for Co-operative Travel, Trevor Davis has stated, "The rise of Turkey is a seismic shift in holiday bookings, as Spain has been the UK"s number one choice since the package holiday began.”

With a long standing experience in the field of bio diesel jet fuels, Robert Dunn, a chemical engineer with the US Department of Agriculture observes that the main concern of every one flying in the airplane is that they do not want their fuel to get solidified. Robert Dunn notes that for long, the airline industry has been seeking to find homegrown alternatives to the petroleum based traditional fuel used in aircrafts. For quite sometime, there had been several studies undertaken in this regard, with tests involving a range of alternative fuels. However, still the aircraft manufacturers hold the idea that the right choice has not been discovered so far.

For instance, there are two great disadvantages associated with tests involving hydrogen as a potential alternative fuel. If the aircraft needs to be operated with hydrogen, then jet engines will have to be retrofitted. Though this might not be a challenging issue, the main concern in using hydrogen for flying is that it does not provide the same amount of power supplied by the traditional fuels based on petroleum. Over and above, aircrafts will have to be designed with gigantic tanks to carry hydrogen.

Interestingly, the industry experts note that the best bet for this time is a non-conventional fuel that is being used in South Africa. Most importantly, the country has been flying its aircrafts using a coal-based fuel blend during the past ten years. Sasol, the petrochemical group has developed this fuel. Since this is a synthetic fuel, it does not require altering the engines or equipment.

Once the key structural works are accomplished at the Heathrow Terminal4 next week, the refurbishment works that are in progress are said to have reached a significant milestone. Notably, it is reported that the first phase of steel works is due to be completed in a matter of a few days. Once this particular work is completed, it will pave way for the further works in connection to beginning the construction of the new check-in hall and lounges in the terminal.

The new works taken up by the airport aims at nearly doubling the check-in capacity of the terminal. Notably, this is just one of the several schemes that are in progress. Yet another significant work includes the replacing of terminals 1 and 2 to Heathrow East. In addition, the re-designing work planned at the airport will also include a fully transparent ETFE canopy besides a full-height frameless glazed façade. The work will also feature a three-story airside building that will partly cantilever over the existing airfield grounds. Once all the works are accomplished, the refurbishment project is expected to bestow a new facelift to the terminal in addition to significantly enhancing the facilities.

While commenting on the scheme, Julian Sheppard of Buro Happold told The New Civil Engineer, "The existing physical site-specific constraints and 'live' environment have made the project extremely challenging. However, we believe that once the project is complete, Heathrow's Terminal 4 will offer a far more pleasant experience and environment for passengers, as well as being more spacious and secure.”

Wizz Air will completely find itself out of the Coventry Airport when it withdraws its final route from the base with effect from next month. Most notably, the low cost carrier will cease to operate any more flights to the hub once it stops the thrice-weekly service offered to the Polish City of Katowice on 15th September. This move will severe all links that the carrier holds with the said airport.

The departure by the airline follows the move when the airline cancelled its flights operated between Coventry and Gdansk in the month of May, which was launched just two months earlier to the move. Quite interestingly, when the Katowice connection rose up to the sky on its maiden journey on its launch during this summer, it was praised as marking a significant and new wave of expansion for the airport.

However, the passenger numbers in the route proved to be very low making it extremely difficult to see the link profitable. The condition thoroughly disproved the earlier assumption that this connection would receive the strong support from the Coventry's rich Polish population.

It has been widely reported that Jet.com is into launching a wide range of brand new services to Israel. It is claimed that the present move by the airline follows its decision to mark the 60th anniversary of founding of the Jewish State.

It appears that the low cost carrier is most likely to introduce several new connections to link Manchester and Leeds Bradford airports. With these launches, it is expected that the carrier will emerge as the second leading one to offer its services to Israel from a regional base located in UK. Notably, the rival no-frills airline Thomsonfly is already operating flights to the country from Manchester and London Luton. In addition, several other carriers offer connections from London Heathrow Airport.

Addressing the personnel at SomethingJewish.com, an insider into the travel industry observed that more and more airlines are now becoming aware of the wonderful value of offering their services to the [Tel Aviv] Ben Gurion Airport.

Earlier this week, the government of Austria has made an important announcement that it is prepared to sell its 43 percent stake in the Austrian Airlines, the flagship carrier of the nation. Just a couple of days following the announcement, it appears that there is a very serious contender wishing to purchase the said stakes of the company. The Reuters news agency has reported that Turkish Airlines is contemplating on a move to submit a bid for Austrian Airlines. The Turkish Company's chief executive, Temel Kotil pointed out that his carrier was highly interested in principle in the Austrian Airlines. However, he quickly added that so far no concrete decision has been arrived at whether the company would submit a bid in this regard.

With Austria setting 24th August as the deadline for any investor to submit their bid, Turkish Airlines is forced with the situation to make a decision in this regard rather quickly. According to media sources, Turkish Airlines appears to be one of a small group of foreign airlines that might be entertained to partner with Austrian Airlines. Over and above, Air France-KLM also appears as a possible contender. On top of any other airline, Lufthansa appears to be the first choice, which according to several Austrian politicians is a possible buyer of the shares owned by the state. Notably, the total value of the stakes held by the government in Austrian Airlines is about 157 million euros.

Preparing themselves for staging a protest, the flight attendants of the British Airways are opposing the decision by the carrier to limit the amount of bottled water available to the cabin crew. The situation has grown so worse that the flight attendants have taken this issue so seriously and are looking forward to stage a strike unless this rule introduced recently by the carrier is backed down. According to the new regulations put in place by BA, the flight attendants can make use of not more than 500ml of free bottled water following each of their shifts on long-haul flights.

Following the introduction of this rule, some of the employees of the airline quickly pointed out that since long, the airline has been recommending that the flight attendants drink about 1.5 litres of water during the hours following each of the long-haul flights to avoid dehydration. In fact this suggestion forms part of a written manual that has been handed over to the flight attendants as part of the airline's guidelines. Those supporting the airline on this cost-cutting issue introduced recently say that the flight attendants must simply drink tap water upon arrival. On the other hand, the employees argue that on several occasions, the tap water is not just in a drinkable condition according to the standards acceptable to the prescriptions made by the World Health Organization. Notably, this is the first time the carrier is limiting the usage of water by the flight attendants.

Boris Johnson, The Lord Mayor of London has invited a study to explore the possibilities of constructing a sixth airport at London to considerably ease the congestion of London air traffic. Notably, the Mayor was elected to the post during the month of May this year. In a statement made by to the newspaper, the mayor said that a serious though must be given to construct a new airport to the east of London city that would significantly reduce the burden of the airports across the city in addition to enhancing the air traffic at the city to a considerable extent.

Writing for a column in Daily Telegraph, the mayor wrote, "It is … ever more urgent that we investigate the possibility of a long-term solution, in the form of a new and more eco-friendly international airport.”

In addition to feeling that it is very unlikely to see the construction of a third runway at the Heathrow airport, he too added that Gatwick, the second largest airport of London was actually full to bursting. Notably, Heathrow Airport is the busiest on the globe, which handles more than 68 million passengers in an average year.

In a recent significant move, EasyJet has announced its decision to launch a brand new service that will connect Gatwick with the famous ski destination of Salzburg in Austria. The flights under this service will commence with effect from 13 December. Most notably, the launch of the service perfectly coincides with the skiing season when most skiers make their journey to the Alps well in time before the start of Christmas holidays.

For so long, winter sports enthusiasts have been eagerly looking for a direct connection between London and Austrian ski country. Most interestingly, the new service by easyJet takes the skiers to the heart of the skiing region. Under this new launch, easyJet will be offering its flights three times a week. The fares for this service start from £32.99 each way, with the charges including all taxes and other additional charges.

David Osborne, the general commercial manager of easyJet UK observed, "Salzburg is another exciting destination to add to easyJet's Gatwick network. We expect the route to be popular with passengers seeking both a city break away and a great ski destination for those looking to hit the slopes this winter. easyJet has more flights to the snow from Gatwick this winter than any other airline and Salzburg joins other popular ski destinations such as Geneva, Innsbruck, Lyon and Sofia.”

Achieving a significant milestone in its growth, Emirates has become the first airline on the globe to offer the facility to use mobile phones aboard a flight in the routes to and from London. When the facility was launched last Thursday, the passengers aboard a service into Heathrow made not less than 30 calls as the Emirates Boeing 777 was flying into the London City from Dubai.

Back in the month of March, the airline started fitting a system enabling in-flight mobile usage in its aircrafts. At present, the service is made available on about 10% of the Emirates flights. Over and above, the service can be accessed only above 23,000 feet. It is necessary that the passengers need to keep their phones on silent throughout, while the crew can make the system text only or can turn it off anytime.

According to an Emirates spokesperson, about one in five passengers onboard made use of this facility making about 30 calls and forwarding and receiving about 100 text messages. The system called as AeroMobile system, which is capable of reducing the strength of phone signals to bare minimum so that it does not interfere with the equipments of the aircraft. Most interestingly, the airline has confirmed that it will not be charging the passengers for using a mobile onboard.

The recent moves in the industry suggest that very soon, the budget airline Jet2.com might commence operating low cost flights to Israel from Manchester and Leeds Bradford Airport within the next 12 months. Most notably, the airline is already into serious negotiations to secure the necessary permission to operate its flights into Israel for more than a year. Interestingly, the carrier has been recently approved a trademark for the name chosen for these services Jet2Israel.com. 

Commenting on the scenario, a travel industry expert observed, "It's no secret that with Israel celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and the city of Tel Aviv its 100th next year that airlines realise the value of offering more flights to Ben Gurion Airport. As well as inbound traffic to the country, there is also much interest from Israelis in having more choice to come to the UK, as it is a preferred European destination. It makes good business sense for more airlines to enter the UK to Israel route.”

On the other hand, it is also highly notable in the above said connection that during the last 12 months, the number of scheduled airlines operated to Israel has been nearly doubled with several moves like Thomsonfly and bmi joining El Al and BA in operating their carriers into the Jewish state. However, it is also important to note that Thomsonfly is the only airline that offers regional flights to connect Manchester and Luton airport while the three other three airlines operate their carriers only from Heathrow.

GlAccording to a recent report published in The Herald, it appears that Glasgow Airport is 'on the brink of a sell-off'. Most notably, the newspaper observes that the owners of Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial, the owners of BAA are actually contemplating on plans to take the airport to the market during this month in an effort to avoid a full-scale break-up of BAA that is expected to be imposed by UK watchdogs.

In a warning issued earlier during this year, the Competition Commission warned that the BAA monopoly in both Scotland and the south-east of England might be actually hurting passengers. According to the suggestions made by the Media reports, the commission was now certain about its stand that BAA's control exercised over seven British airports with the list including Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh was truly harmful to the market. According to the Financial Times, this factor has made the sell-offs more probable.

In addition, the report has also cited certain unnamed 'legal sources' that say that the next round of findings would prove to be a crucial step towards an order for BAA to sell away an airport in the Scotland region in addition to an airport in England. In fact, it is said that the commission has consulted the officials from rival airport operators in order to ascertain what wider ownership would mean for the industry. It is significant to note that any such sale would invariably put an end to the monopoly enjoyed by BAA in Scotland.

In a significant move, La Guardia Airport's Central Terminal has entered into a partnership agreement with the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. The move by the terminal is part of the airport's plan to celebrate the history of aviation during the National Aviation Week, with the event scheduled to extend between 18th August and 22nd August. Most interestingly, as part of the exhibition, an exhibit is to be unveiled on 20th August that will feature the exact replicas of fighter planes.

Interestingly, the other memorabilia that will be kept on display at the Central Terminal's Food & Shops departures level till 10th November. Over and above, it is equally interesting to note that the passengers will be able to personally experience interactive educational displays and exhibits to know the depth of the history of the most popular aircraft carrier.

In addition to this, the customers will also have the rare opportunity to take part in the Intrepid Museum's "Art in Motion" programme where they will be able to paint an exclusively crafted and special large model airplane.

In a highly welcomed move, Boingo Wireless has just landed at two of Washington, DC airports. Interestingly, flyers with Reagan Washington National (DCA) and Washington Dulles International (IAD) can now log on through Boingo - for a fee.

It is interesting to note that the hourly rate for this service is not more than $4.95, or $7.95 for 24 hours of Wi-Fi access offered to over 100,000 hotspots, thereby ensuring a wider reach. Over and above, just for $21.95 per month, the company offers connections to several thousands of hotspots located across North and South America. In addition, a deal named Boingo Global costing $39 per-month offers access to the company's global partner network. In fact, according to the provider of the Wi-Fi service, "The present move into DCA and IAD now gives its users, "access to every major airport on the Eastern Seaboard.”

On the other hand, there is an interesting debate prevailing among airport executives across the country just now that centers on the real time benefits of offering free Wi-Fi for passengers. Certain airports, such as New Orleans (MSY) and Birmingham (BHM), already provide this facility. However, others like Reagan National and Dulles do not offer this convenience. In these airports, passengers need to pay for availing this facility. The reaction of the passengers to this scenario is still to be understood by industry analysts before it could be decided by most airports whether the facility is an appealing one.

In a statement made on Wednesday, the loss-making Scandinavian airline SAS denied a report that it has planned to ask its staff to accept salary cuts of between 10 and 15 percent, though the airline is already into several measures pertaining to cost reduction from several angles. Earlier, Borsen, the Danish business daily reported on Wednesday that SAS has decided to persuade its staff to accept lower wages after the firm unveiling its second-quarter results on 14th August.

SAS spokeswoman Elisabeth Manzi noted, "We are not going to cut any salaries.” Borsen cited a source very close to the senior management when it reported that the airline that was half-owned by Sweden, Norway and Denmark was actually reacting to the pressures that are continuously haunting its business operations, levying a heavy pressure.

Citing a source close to senior management, Borsen said the airline, half-owned by Sweden, Norway and Denmark, was reacting to continued pressures in its business. The source also told the paper, "The management will ask for pay cuts, and 10 to 15 percent has been mentioned.” In fact, the report went to the extent of adding that the salary reductions would be across the board anytime.

Through a recent decision, Malev Hungarian Airlines has decided to withdraw five of the largest Boeing 737 airplanes from its fleet. The move by the airline follows on account of the firm continuing to struggle to turn a profit. The carrier recently made a statement in which it says that "further cost-cutting measures” and "group lay-offs” were a must under the present circumstances. In fact, the removal of five B-737 planes comes forth coinciding with yet another decision by the airline to stop flying the Boeing 767, which Malev had earlier deployed on its long-haul routes to the United States and Canada. More over, with the suspension of routes to New York and Toronto, during this autumn, there will not be any other need for wide-bodied planes. Instead, Malev will primarily focus on short-haul European destinations, in addition to a handful of cities in the northern Africa and the Middle East. The Hungarian airline was quick to respond saying that the withdrawal of five B-737 planes was just a temporary measure.

On the other hand, the major lay-offs that have been announced by Malev will permanently re-shape the national airline of Hungary. In addition, the carrier has also decided recently to lay-off about 21.6 percent of the airline's staff, which numbers into around 250 employees who will find themselves out of their jobs in the near future. The major volume of the work force that is let go comprises pilots and flight attendants. Notably, the redundancies announced at present follow the dismissal of about 6 percent of the company's staff during last year.

In a significant move, the Transport ministry of Spain has announced its decision to carryout an investigation into the recent decision by Ryanair to cancel the ticket reservations of several thousands of travellers, who had booked their tickets via comparator, third-party websites. During this week, the Irish low-cost carrier declared that with effect from Monday, it would no longer consider the reservations made through the comparator sites. Over and above, the airline has also said that those passengers who booked through such companies might even find their tickets cancelled. Ryanair puts forth an argument that while booking under these sites, passengers are being exploited by many of these sites and that the move is actually meant to cause a serious administrative chaos for the portals in question as they insist to reimburse clients.

Most notably, one of the comparator sites that are most likely to be affected by the decision of Ryanair is eDreams, which is based in Spain. Earlier today, the firm told journalists that it is considering the move by Ryanair as an example of "irresponsibility and negligence”. In addition, the firm has also said that it would make it a point to react to this stand of Ryanair with some type of action. In addition, a Spanish consumer lobby group also appeared highly critical of the decision by the Irish carrier to unilaterally cancel seat reservations. It is most likely that their concern-along with that of eDreams has motivated the Spanish Ministry of Transport to investigate into the matter.

A recent report published by the Daily mail states that British Airways would take all necessary efforts to publicly defend its decision to merge with American Airlines with respect to its transatlantic flights. Most notably, British Airways faces a very sharp criticism from Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic. Richard Branson argues that a decision by the airline towards a merger would negatively impact passengers, thereby leaving the passengers. On the other hand, the merger between the British Airways and American Airlines must still receive the approval from regulators in the United States. Since BA is highly interested in making the case that a fusion will not have negative consequences for consumers, and that if the media reports are correct, the carrier is most likely to make this point tomorrow.

It is however most likely that the British Airways will argue in favour of the merger telling that a merger would invariably improve the connections for those passengers flying across the Atlantic before they avail the transfer to another flight in the US and also vice versa. The agreement would give way to both the airlines ensuring that their schedules are thoroughly coordinated in a highly effective manner enabling the passengers to collect more points under the frequent fliers programme. With both these airlines being members of the Oneworld alliance, passengers can easily earn and redeem points while flying with either of the carriers. On the other hand, British Airways is yet to answer the concerns of Branson.

In a significant move, Brussels Airlines and Jet Airways of India have jointly announced that they would expand a joint deal on larger number of routes. Most notably these two airlines have already been cooperating with each other as part of a code-sharing agreement. The new agreement shall see the two airlines entering into a code-share agreement on the Brussels to Bangkok route. Those passengers desiring to fly in between these cities need to keep in mind that they will require to catch an onward connection at Delhi to the capital city of Thai. However, the new arrangement between Brussels Airlines and Jet Airways make the catching of this connection highly convenient, as the code-share flight from Brussels will arrive in Delhi exactly in time for the passengers to avail the transfer to the Delhi to Bangkok service.

Most notably, Jet Airways has deployed Boeing B-737 and Airbus A-330 planes to offer connections in the Delhi to Bangkok route and now as a result of the code-sharing agreement, each of these flights will carry the "SN” Brussels Airlines code.

Brussels Airlines proudly maintains the legacy passed on to it by its two predecessors, SN Brussels Airlines and Sabena, the former national carrier of Belgium. Presently, the new airline concentrates on Europe and Africa. With respect to short-haul flights, Brussels Airlines provides a choice between no-frills class and premium economy service. Most interestingly, the airline provides full service in all cabins on its long-haul routes.

A £10 million project has got underway at the Aberdeen Airport to upgrade the facilities and feel at the airport. On its completion, the refurbishments shall offer a highly appealing first-class welcome to the passengers visiting the airport. On international arrivals, phase one of the work consists of creating a heated walkway, which is due to be completed before the start of the next year. The said work will also include stands for aircraft parking, which will cost around £3 million. The work shall offer to house the latest generation of quieter and cleaner aircraft. 

Most interestingly, the subsequent phases of the said project will see the extension of the international arrival hall. Further improvements and enhancements are also in line to segments like passport control, and baggage reclaim in addition to being aimed at considerably reducing the congestion in the terminal.

Kevin Brown, Aberdeen Airport's managing director observed, "We need to provide excellent facilities with improved capacity to cater for the additional numbers of passengers flying to our city. The international arrivals project will further encourage international tourists to visit this part of the world which has so much to offer.”

Falling in line with several other carriers, bmi has also cancelled its flights to the Georgian capital Tbilisi following the attack of the airport by the Russian troops. Most notably, as per the present move, all the services of the airline stand cancelled until at least Monday, the 18th of August.

At the outset, Georgia and Russia have been engaged at war in the province of South Ossetia, located to the north of Tbilisi. The war signs started from as early as Friday. As part of the war, the Russian Aircraft bombed the airport and following this, all the flights operated in and out of the airport were eventually cancelled.

The carrier operates its services to this destination three times a week thereby connecting Heathrow and Tbilisi, with the services departing on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The return journey is scheduled on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. The airline noted that due to the cancellation of flights to this destination, those passengers who have purchased tickets for travel might re-book to Yerevan in the neighbouring Armenia or to Baku. As another alternative, the customers can also opt to retain their tickets to Tbilisi. The tickets will remain valid for travel up to four weeks from the original date of the scheduled journey.