In a recent announcement that was enthusiastically welcomed, Etihad Airways has confirmed that it has decided to increase the frequency of its connecting UK services to Melbourne.

With effect from March 2009, the Abu Dhabi-based airline is to commence offering daily services from London Heathrow and Manchester airports through its base located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Already the carrier is offering about 17 flights in a week from Heathrow and seven flights from Manchester. However, with effect from next spring, the airline's timetable will be updated to provide daily connections to the Australian city.

Most possibly in the near future, the passengers passing through the Australian airports might find their iPods and laptops being searched by officials for illegally downloaded music.

The expectation follows under a scenario where the officials are said to be considering whether they can implement the proposals outlined by the members of the G8 geopolitical community under a new international directive that hints at checking the media storage devices of passengers in this regard.

During the initial stages of implementation, it is said that the measure would primarily be targeted at commercial suppliers. However, fears are round the corner that once implemented, the crackdown could even affect several hapless music fans who have shared files with their friends.

A recent news published in the Telegraph observes that Emirates Airlines has decided to operate five Airbus A380 superjumbos into London Heathrow Airport on a daily basis.
 
According to a statement made by the Dubai-based carrier, the airline has decided to use the largest passenger airliner on the globe on all its slots into the global hub. The airline has further insisted that it will have little difficulty in filling the extra 550 seats.

Most notably, Emirates took the delivery of its first A380 from Hamburg during this week. The delivery followed a delay of 18 months. There are also outstanding orders for a further 57 numbers of the giant aircraft.

Featuring a multiple-class configuration, the A380 is well capable of transporting not less than 525 passengers. The capacity of the aircraft means that about 2,600 travellers can fly out of Heathrow with the services of the carrier on every single day of the week.

According to a recent report, the obvious solution to the congestion problem at the gateway is said to be developing a third runway at the London Heathrow Airport. The study was earlier commissioned by the City of London Authority, which deemed that significant environmental costs fail to outweigh the benefits bestowed by of extra capacity.

The report also totally dismissed any alternative proposals that are in place for the expansion at London Stansted Airport or even for a new airport at the Thames Estuary. Without a second thought, the report did acknowledge that there are bound to be discernible "local environmental impacts." However, the researchers invariably labelled Heathrow as the "obvious preferred candidate" for any capacity enlargement, when compared to any of the other options available at present.

The researchers cautioned that failing to expand could result in jeopardising the status of the capital as a global financial hub. They pointed out to the fact that already several executives have been voicing their discontent over the issue of delays at the Heathrow terminal.

In a statement made on Wednesday, EADS, the European aerospace group announced an extension to its Power8 restructuring at plane maker Airbus. In addition, the group has also announced the measures to tackle a weak dollar after reporting a remarkable increase in the first-half year profits.

Most notably, the Airbus parent company reconfirmed the details regarding the operating and cash saving targets for the Power8 plan, which is scheduled to run between 2007 and 2010. Over and above, the company also said that the brand new Power8 Plus program would take into account the delivery of a further annual EUR1 billion euros in 2011-12 at the level of operating income.

According to the statement made by EADS, it appears that triggered by the Power8 charges, the earnings of the company before interest and tax significantly rose to EUR1.16 billion from EUR358 million during the first half last year. Also, the net profit of the firm rose up to EUR403 million from EUR71 million that was reported earlier.

According to a recent statement made by the head of Boeing Japan, it appears that Boing will be involved in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' regional jet. However, the main focus of the company will continue to rest on larger aircrafts.

Recently, Nicole Piasecki, Boeing's Japan president noted that the firm is presently holding talks with Japan's largest heavy machinery maker regarding the program. However, she did not make any comments regarding the contents of their discussion.

The JPY150 billion yen (USD$1.39 billion) project by Mitsubishi Heavy, dubbed the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), will carry between 70 to 90 passengers and fly head to head with similar planes constructed by Canada's Bombardier and Brazil's Embraer.

In a recent move that received an overwhelming welcome from its customers, Hertz Australia has introduced an online check-in service for its passengers. The present move is aimed at reducing the amount of time taken for the customers to move to their respective rental vehicles from the check-in counter.

To avail this facility, the passengers need to check-in online well in advance. Hertz customers need to log in to the specified site and submit their personal information including their name, telephone numbers, address, and driver's license details. The process must be completed before they leave their home. The entire arrangement following the submitting of information helps the customers streamline the process right from the point of arrival at the Hertz check-in counter till they reach their rental vehicle, undergoing a minimal or almost negligible delay.

While commenting on the reason behind the introduction of this new arrangement, Wayne Burgoyne, the director of sales and marketing of Hertz Australia observed, "Waiting time is wasted time. Both business travellers and leisure travellers want to get going as fast as possible to maximise either their working day or their holiday time."

Recently, Continental Airlines has released the complete details of the brand new lie-flat seating facility introduced for the comfort of the airline's business class passengers. At the National Business Travel Association show held on July 28in Los Angeles, the airline demonstrated the 180 degree angle seat as the highlight of its business class cabins.

When completely extended, the seat features two metres of sleeping space with plugs for a headset, laptop and devices with facilities for connecting USB plugs and iPod besides providing a video monitor and personal storage space. Most notably, the airline has announced that it will be installing the new seat the Business First cabins in the Boeing 757, 777 and 787 aircrafts of the airline's fleet. The airline has described the new feature as "the extra space and fine amenities of traditional international first class at a business class price".

With effect from the fall of 2009, the new seats will first appear for the use of passengers in the new business class seats of the Boeing 777s that are employed by the Continental in the transatlantic and trans-pacific routes.

In line with the progressive measures to combat the soaring oil prices, Aer Lingus, the Irish carrier has decided to increase its fuel surcharge over a number of routes where its long-haul services are operated to various destinations to the US.

As per the statement made by the officials for the airline, the surcharges will be applicable with effect from 30th July on flights serving destinations including Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando and San Francisco. On the East Coast services that are considered as shorter sectors, the fees will remain the same. The list of such destinations includes Boston, New York and Washington's Dulles Airport.

Enda Corneille, the director of Aer Lingus corporate affairs noted, "The overall effect of the price of fuel continues to be extremely challenging for the airline industry, despite some price fluctuations over the last number of days. Jet fuel spot prices have increased over 50 per cent since the beginning of the year, and this continues to have a significant impact on our long haul operations. We will continue to keep the situation under review."

On Tuesday, El Al Israel Airlines and American Airlines have announced that they shall sign a code-sharing agreement to be implemented from 2nd September. Most notably, North America is a significant part of the international market of El Al. The firm has ended yet another code-share agreement with Delta Air Lines late in 2007 at a point when Delta started offering non-stop flights connecting Tel Aviv and New York earlier during this year.

According to Haim Romano, the El Al president and chief executive, the initial part of the agreement with American is to commence with about 25 destinations from Tel Aviv, which will include Boston, Washington DC, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco and Miami. He too added that most of these routes would begin to operate in the month of September, with the rest coming to force in October.

Also, the Miami code-share is to replace El Al's direct flights there that are due to end on 1st September. According to Romano, El Al gave up the popular but costly route since it was under compulsion to use older Boeing 767s.

In the month of October, Ryanair has decided to introduce its first flights that will allow only hand luggage. Notably, this move is the next step in the campaign by the carrier to reduce the costs associated with checked baggage. Ryanair is working out on the moves to offer higher airfares for this new service, which according to the airline will operate on time, since there will be a quick turnaround as the airline will not need to handle checked luggage.

Recently, Ryanair has announced its latest step in its battle against the issue of checked baggage while releasing its latest financial figures. The airline has warned that the last year's profits of €439 million are expected to turn into a loss of up to €60 million in 2009.

According to Howard Millar, the deputy chief executive of the airline, a number of routes in the UK are getting prepared to see the 'hand luggage only' trials, which will permit the passengers to travel with only one piece of hand luggage. He added, "We are going to trial them on routes where we have a lot of passengers who are business-type groups. So maybe the first flight in the morning has bags and the second does not. You just go straight through security and on to your flight."

Several harsh economic realities are haunting several American communities including those like higher costs of food and fuel. Notably, the rising prices of oil have forced a greater number of Americans to resort to train travel.

On the other hand, the gas prices at the US are still low when compared to the rest of the world. But, this does not stop the Americans getting dismayed, since the average price of unleaded gas per gallon has reached up to $4, which is actually a steep increase of about $1 a gallon since January.

Most interestingly, in Stockton of California, the number of passengers traveling on the Altamont Commuter Express has seen a sharp jump of about 15 percent. Due to this fact, the operator of the said service has enthusiastically placed order for extra rail cars. Thomas Reeves, a spokesperson for the railway noted, "We've seen a huge increase in the last couple of weeks because of the price of gas." At the outset, the Altamont Commuter Express connects Stockton and San Jose, in the Silicon Valley located in California.

In addition to a warning of an overall loss for the whole financial year, Ryanair has reported a significant loss of an alarming 85 percent drop in net profits for its first fiscal quarter ending on 30th June.

The dramatically rising fuel prices have driven Ryanair down the slide to an after-tax profit of €21 million for the quarter. Ryanair has told that its fuel bill soared up by 93 percent during the last quarter alone. As per the present conditions, the fuel prices alone work out to not less than 50 percent of the total operating costs as opposed to the 36 percent recorded during the same period last year.

For the whole year, the airline has projected a potential loss of about €60 million, if the fuel prices continue to remain high with the airfares falling further. If Ryanair suffers a loss for this year, it will be the first time ever that the airline does so after reinventing itself as a budget carrier during 1980s.

With its principal focus on connecting the cities in Canada with destinations in the United Kingdom, Zoom Airlines, a Canadian discount carrier has decided to considerably expand its offering for next summer. Zoom has recently confirmed that it has concrete plans to offer two non-stop flights to connect Toronto and Manchester, in addition to Vancouver to Manchester route. Over and above, the carrier has also decided to offer direct flights on weekly basis with departures on Thursdays connecting Vancouver and Glasgow. Besides increasing the summer schedule of the airline, Zoom has also decided to add more flights during the Easter holidays next year. The carrier will also begin offering direct flights linking Ottawa and London Gatwick, as of May 2009.

With the airline concentrating on linking the destinations in Canada to destinations with destinations in the UK, Zoom has also plans to offer these routes for prices remarkably lower than those offered by others players like British Airways and Air Canada on these routes. In addition, Zoom has also started its extended presence in the United States, aiming to offer better connections from the airports of America to the cities of Britain. Forming part of this plan, Zoom has initiated its service between San Diego (California) and London Gatwick Airport.

Though the airline is primarily a discount carrier, passengers have a chance of flying in either regular economy or premium cabin. The airline offers a complimentary hot meal on all transatlantic routes besides a snack before landing. However, those in the premium economy have got to enjoy a better seat pitch and free alcoholic beverages.

The recent discovery of an unexploded 500 kilogram bomb from World War II has totally paralyzed a greater part of the 9th district of Budapest besides wrecking a great havoc disrupting the transportation network of the city. Shortly after the bomb was discovered, a huge section of Budapest's downtown core was completely shut down to traffic in addition to evacuating the zone within one kilometer. Over and above, the residents had to leave their apartments and all stores were closed down. As a result of all this, all roads were cordoned off in this area, with more than 16,000 locals evacuated from the region.

'Ferencváros' as the evacuation procedure was entitled; the operation involved the suspension of all the public transportation in the area in addition to the shutting of electricity, water and gas. The corporation suspended one of the commuter train (HÉV) lines and the crucial 4-6 tramline forming the backbone of Budapest's tramway system did not stop at all stations. This left those using the public transportation system provided by the BKV Zrt-Budapest's transit authority, left out without any luck. However, the one consoling factor was that the BKV officials notably increased the service in one of the metro lines (M3-blue), to ensure that the commuters affected by the cancellation of ground transportation and delays could still rely on the underground of the city.  Most notably, those travelling by cars too were bothered down by major traffic jams, especially due to the closure of the Lágymányosi Bridge.

Making a prediction that Alitalia can only run through an injection of EUR550 million euros of cash during this year, the analysts of Citigroup have stated that the ailing airline could totally run out of cash towards the end of this year if there is no funds made available. Revealing the findings of a research into the present state of the airline, the analysts further added that the airline was actually on the track to wipe out all its cash by the third quarter. However, thanks to the emergency loan granted by the government, the airline could get a breathing room.

Citigroup noted, "The government loan of EUR300 million (which is subject to state aid investigation by the European Commission) should help Alitalia survive to the end of 2008 but could be insufficient from 2009 onwards."

Notably, Italy's government owns a 49.9 percent stake in Alitalia, which is moving ahead with its third attempt to rescue the airline following the failure of the plans to sell the airline to Air France-KLM.

In a statement made on Monday, Emirates, the Dubai based airline said that its passengers will be able to enjoy a shower at 43,000 feet besides enjoying a drink at the bar upstairs. In a ceremony to take the delivery of the first of 58 A380s at Airbus's Hamburg plant, Emirates enthusiastically noted that the said plane will feature two bathrooms fitted with showers in its first class cabins besides a lounge dedicated for the premium class travelers.

However, there is a limit for luxury too. According to a warning issued by Emirates President Tim Clark, passengers could not spend too much time under the flowing strains of water.

During a conference, Clark told, "The showers are regulated through a software program that gives people a five minute shower, which is ample in most cases." He too added that there would be a traffic light system that would let the passengers know how much time is left for them, stating that, "If you're on amber and your hair's full of shampoo, you want to get moving."

In a recent and highly significant move, British Airways has completed the purchase of L'Avion. Most notably, this move shall pave way for expanding the fleet of its new subsidiary OpenSkies.

Earlier this month, British Airways had announced that it has serious intentions of acquiring the French business class carrier. In this connection, British Airways had submitted a bid of £54 million for the airline.

Following the purchase, the complete integration of L'Avion's Boeing 757 aircraft into the OpenSkies fleet is expected to be completed by early 2009.

In a highly welcomed move, Bristol International Airport has released the complete details regarding a new fast-track service that shall benefit the people passing through its security search area.

Most interestingly, bookings are presently being accepted for the Fly Thru facility that is scheduled to commence on 5th August. The scheme allows the passengers to bypass the departure gate queues by paying £5 in advance or on the same day of travel.

The implementation of the fast track service follows a recent research commissioned by the airport. The study has revealed that if available, not less than 60 per cent of the business class travellers would come forward to make use of such a premium service.

In a recent significant move, Lords have sanctioned the permission for a £16 billion railway link connecting Canary Wharf and London Heathrow Airport.

Most notably, the connection that has been proposed now will form part of the most welcomed Crossrail project. Notably, this is one of the largest development projects in the transport sector of London during the past 50 years.

On its completion, the present proposal is expected to significantly ease the congestion on the tube network in addition to the dampening calls for more services at the London City Airport, which is situated very close to Canary Wharf.

Under a highly difficult and challenging business environment, Ryanair is surprisingly taking a highly unusual move. The low cost carrier based in Ireland has recently announced that it has decided to cut its airfares in order to boost the stagnant demand prevailing among the customers during the present times. However, several analysts believe that the present move by the airline is intended towards forcing some of its competitors out of the business, with several airlines having implemented a significant amount of price rise or at least in the verge of doing the same in the near future. On the other hand, by implementing the announced price reduction, Ryanair too is actually running the risk of generating a heavy loss during this year or even getting broken down.

Pointing out to a statistics, Michael O'Leary observes that the consumer spending has significantly fallen throughout the United Kingdom during the past six months. O'Leary strongly believes that the present price reduction shall significantly boost the demand, while giving Ryanair's competitors a miserable run for their money. However, the present move by the airline comes as a sharp contrast to its earlier stand announced a few weeks back. Earlier, the airline had stated that it has little chance than increasing the airfares to combat the record rise in the oil prices besides a lowering of demand. Surprisingly, the carrier has given up this earlier strategy by announcing a price reduction of about five percent on all the routes.

In a recent statement, Lufthansa has told that the passengers traveling from various airports in Germany aboard their aircraft are barely able to notice that there is a strike underway. This is because the airline claims that the flights are largely maintaining punctuality in addition to witnessing a regular meal service aboard. Also, no maintenance checks are found to suffer as a result of the ongoing strike. According to the statement issued by the airline, not less than 1,000 flights took off earlier today. There were only some minor delays on a handful of routes. It was expected that the strike would have a heavy impact on Hamburg and Frankfurt. However the carrier has managed to avoid any major disruption to its service so far.

On the other hand, the union officials are warning that the disruptions shall become more noticeable as the strike would get severe during the course of the next few days. The length of the strike has not been determined so far with the likelihood of the strike extending for several days. With respect to the outstanding issue of salary hike, the two sides continue to remain miles apart from each other's stand. While the union is firmly demanding a hike of 10 percent, Lufthansa is prepared to give only a 6 percent hike that too in a gradually phased manner. Since the strike has begun only at midnight, the union officials feel that the real impact is yet to be felt later during this week in terms of cargo and cabin catering.

Most interestingly, the London City Airport is expecting the sanction of planning permission during this weekend for a 50 percent increase in the number of flights handled by the airport. In a highly rare move, it has become nearly evident that the Newham Borough Council is most likely to approve the suggestions made by Sunil Sahadevan, one of its inspectors and grant the permission for the same as stated in a recent report.

At the outset, Sahadevan filed a report containing his findings and suggestions during last week with a recommendation that the Borough Council can grant the necessary permission for London City Airport to increase the maximum traffic limits of the airport by not less than 50 percent. Notably, this will see the flight number at the airport per year increase from 80,000 to 120,000. The council has planned to meet on Wednesday to approve the suggestion by Sahadevan, however with certain restrictions, like noise level for instance.

London City Airport is on a fast track growth during the recent years. Recently, the airport filed an application seeking permission from the government for expanding further. The move followed the Government's Aviation White Paper, which directs the airport operators to make the optimum use of their present runways.

With most provinces enjoying the civic holiday over the next weekend except Quebec, Canadians who have planned a travel to Newfoundland and Nunavut might find their travel arrangements disturbed due to a possible walkout of the disgruntled employees of Air Canada. Recently, the flight attendants staged a protest and rally in several cities across the country by way of voicing their opinion against the decision of the carrier to lay-off hundreds of employees in addition to closing the flight attendant bases in Halifax and Winnipeg.

A recent report published in the Montreal Gazette states that a significant number of flight attendants are planning to host a possible strike independent of the leadership of their unions. This strike has been most possibly scheduled over the forthcoming long weekend. However, Katherine Thompson, which represents the Air Canada wing of CUPE said while addressing the journalists that the organization has no plans to host any strike during the long weekend. It said that their decision has got nothing to do with the planned action contemplated by some segments of employees. According to Thomson, some unhappy employees might employ the internet technology to mobilize support to their strike in order to find more participants.

With the threat of walk-outs looming large, the airline is already into taking the necessary precautions to minimize any disruption during the holiday weekend. In this connection, the airline has advised its regional managers to get ready with substitutes lined up so that the condition is managed if there is unusual number of attendants found phoning in sick later this week.

As part of the series of measures launched by the airline to offset the rising fuel prices, recently British Airways has decided to trim the network of its short haul flights.

It is expected that the complete details of these cutbacks will be published along with the first-quarter results of the airline that are due to be released on Friday. Most notably, it appears that the present move shall hit hard on the Gatwick Airport, where is set to see the axing of not less than 20 percent of the airline's short-haul network.

Over and above, some sources that are close to the airline note that Heathrow shall also witness a significant number of cuts besides Gatwick. On the other hand, though Heathrow is the main operating base for British Airlines, the cut backs at Heathrow shall not be as significant as those at the Gatwick Airport. The capacity reductions introduced by the airline shall come into effect between October and April.

In a highly welcomed move, Durham Tees Valley Airport has launched an interesting range of car parking facilities for travellers to help them remove a significant amount of their stress out of flying. The handy online booking feature recently introduced by the airline enables the travellers to pre-book a space for their car parking before they fly. This scheme offers an attractive discount of up to 35 percent when compared to the standard tariff. 

With the underlying principle being that no two travellers are the same, Durham Tees Valley has recently launched a wide variety of options for booking their car parking. Most interestingly, those who are booking online not less than 10 days in advance shall receive the full discount of about 35 percent. Those people who plan trips something like a short getaway shall find this scheme highly beneficial. Also online bookings made between two to nine days before the scheduled departure can also avail some great savings. However, a booking fee of £2.50 booking fee is applied for online bookings.

Over and above, the designing of the Durham Tees Valley Airport car park has very well taken into account giving a piece of mind to the travelers. The car park here is surrounded by high security fencing and is continuously monitored by CCTV, with a convenient location in front of the terminal building. Also, the car park features special bays for disabled access. Seasoned travelers can avail the benefits of purchasing a season ticket for a minimum six month period offering a round the clock, seamless unlimited access to the car park.

In a significant move, Brazil based Embraer, the third-biggest commercial jet maker of the world said on Saturday that it would invest EUR148 million euros in two new plants in Portugal. Most notably, these two units shall be the first industrial units of the company in Europe that will manufacture wings and tailpieces for exporting.

It appears that the two above said plants will be based in Evora, located in the south of the country. With an investment of EUR100 million, one of the units will build large metallic parts for aircrafts, such as wings, On the other hand, the other will work with composite materials used for tailpieces.

In a statement, Embraer said that the investment plan would span the next six years. With the construction starting during this year, the wings unit will start the production in 2011. in addition, the second plant will start the production in 2012.

According to a statement issued by its chief executive to a German weekly, it is expected that Air Berlin, the German carrier might ground more number of its aircrafts than what was previously announced. In addition, the airline is also looking forward to raise the prices for especially its business customers. According to Joachim Hunold, the carrier's earlier plan proposed to remove about 14 planes or 10 percent of its fleet from service from the commencement of winter schedule might be just the beginning. This was confirmed by him during an interview to the newspaper that was published by WirtschaftsWoche on Saturday.

He noted, "We are looking at our portfolio of routes on a daily basis."

The second biggest carrier of Germany has decided to save not less than EUR150 million euros USD$235.5 million) by withdrawing several of its non-profitable routes and improving the marketing and fleet management procedures of the airline. According to Hunold, the company has already been able to lower the costs this year by around EUR35 million.

According to the sources close to the situation, it is said that Alitalia held an extraordinary board meeting on Saturday to review the available options before the airline to decide on the most suitable rescue plan from its sale advisor.

The company sources confirmed that there was a three-hour meeting organised by the board. However, it declined to comment any further and did not issue a statement regarding the deliberations of the board. However, on the other hand, the media in Italy was abuzz with several speculations during the recent weeks over a plan that has been drawn up by bank Intesa Sanpaolo to find a remedy for the loss-making airline following the two earlier attempts by the airline that turned futile.

According to the newspapers, the proposed plan includes placing the airline under a special administration in addition to splitting its unhealthy units for prospective investors. However, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has rejected any plans to announce Alitalia under bankruptcy.

Pointing out to the revelations of the new Post Office survey, a post office spokesperson has told that France has emerged as one of the most costly holiday destination in the whole of Europe. He notes that among the 'Big Four' European destinations that are popular with the summer holidaymakers of Britain, France is the most expensive. By far, it is reported that when compared to the other three principal destinations for the Brits namely Greece, Spain and Turkey, the cost of visiting France is the highest. The survey employed about 11 key categories to note the cost of holidays. Among these categories, France ranked highest in not less than seven. According to the research department of the Post Office, some of the categories noted include meals, beer, mineral water, and car hire, for example.

Over and above, it is also noted that France marks the highest percentage increase on unleaded fuel over the year 2007. The average price rise is around 32 percent, which is the equivalent of £1.24 per litre. Most notably, the entry fee charged by the top heritage attractions in France is also the highest. Some of the tourist favorites at France charging high include the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles. Such factors render France "significantly less family-friendly than Italy, Greece or Spain when it comes to a day out" - as noted by the report.

While commenting on the report, a post office spokeswoman observed that she was "surprised to find such a marked difference in France this year."

A recent report published in Die Presse on Friday has noted the indication given by the management consultants advising the Austrian government and Austrian Airlines that Lufthansa, the German based carrier would prove to be the best choice for taking-over the financially troubled airline.

The management of Austrian airlines has taken the Boston Consulting Group's assistance in analyzing a good number of cooperation scenarios. The report in Die Presse notes that apart from Lufthansa the only viable partners suggested by the group were Aeroflat, the Russian Air Carrier. 

Also, Austrian Airlines expects to close the year 2008 with a net loss of 70-90 million Euros, which was brought about to a great extent by rising fuel costs.

Across Asia, most airlines are struggling to lower down the cost of operation with the rising cost of fuel and decrease in passenger demand create a sort of uncertainty that even sees several carriers go out of business. 

For the month of June, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released a depressing forecast revealing a loss of $6.1 billion in the year 2008 across the airline industry on the globe. Most notably, this situation comes as a sharp contrast to the $4.5 billion in profit reported during April. The main aspect to be blamed in this regard is the sky-rocking fuel prices haunting the industry.

Earlyt this July, Cathay Pacific, the third most valuable airline across Asia has issued a profit warning. In addition, Australia's Qantas has decided to cut about 1,500 jobs in addition to suspending its growth plans.

In a significant move, Singapore Airlines has recently announced that it shall double the number of its flight services operated from Bangalore and New Delhi to Singapore. With the soaring oil prices causing withdrawal of services and capacity cuts in several airlines, the move by the Singapore Airlines has come as a welcome gesture in furthering the transport interests between the two countries.

The Regional vice president for West Asia and Africa of Singapore Airlines, Lee Lik Hsin noted, "For the current year we hope to be able to increase our flights to New Delhi and Bangalore."

Entrusted with the operations of the Singapore Airlines in India, Lee, observed in this regard that to implement the move, the governments of India and Singapore will need to pass the regulatory approvals before the clearance is obtained for the carrier to increase its connections between Singapore and the two major cities in India.

Under the pressures of soaring oil prices haunting the airline industry, most airlines are axing gas-guzzling aircraft besides retiring older aircrafts in a measure to safeguard them and adjust to the new economic scenario. However, very strangely Porter Airlines based in Toronto is found treading the opposite path by nearly doubling its fleet in just about twelve months. The airline was launched in the year 2006. The full size regional carrier operates a fleet of six Bombardier Q400 turboprop planes. Quite interestingly, the airline has decided to have 12 of this type of aircraft by the end of the second half of 2009. In addition, the airline has also plans to add eight more aircraft to its existing fleet taking up the total number of its aircraft to 20 by the year 2010.

Pointing out to the study and successful growth curve of the airline, Porter's chief executive officer, Robert Deluce observed that the regional airline has been able to expand its fleet though several other airlines including its main rival Air-Canada are deciding on several cutbacks. He too noted that Porter has been successfully able to retain its entire staff in addition to ensuring a in-flight and on-ground service comparable to the best in the industry.

The Bombardier Q400 proves to be a good choice for Porter, as the planes are reputed for their high degree of fuel efficiency in addition to offering more comfortable seating than the standard economy class cabin available on Boeing and Airbus planes.

In a significant move, Oakland, California's Board of Port Commissioners has approved the purchase of around 26 new CNG-powered shuttle buses for the use of AirBART and for the purpose of rental car shuttle at the Oakland International Airport. Commencing in 2009, these vehicles known for their clean fuel efficiency will start replacing the older diesel power models that are presently employed for the purpose.

Six numbers of CNG buses will be employed into service with AirBART to offer transportation connecting the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Station near Oakland Airport with the passenger terminals located at Oakland International Airport. The other 20 CNG buses will be utilised to offer shuttle service for passengers to the Rental Car Center of the airport.

Steve Grossman, the director of aviation for the Port of Oakland observed, "Customers will soon enjoy a more comfortable and environmentally-friendly ride between Oakland International's terminals, the airport's Rental Car Center and BART's Coliseum station. The new buses will be deployed in 2009 and will complement the improvements to the airport's roadways and terminals."

In a significant move, implementing border checks are being considered for crossings at the border between British and the Irish Republic. The main purpose of this move is to crack down on illegal immigrants. The plans do not establish fixed checkpoints at the border between Northern Ireland and the republic of Ireland.

Once issued, a Home Office consultation document will propose the initiatives and the necessary formalities for carrying out more formal checks in between these two countries. The main purpose of the immigration crackdown is to mainly focus on those traveling by air and sea. However, eventually the procedure might expand to some other forms of immigration check in between Northern Ireland and its adjacent neighbour to the south.

It is very unlikely that domestic travellers would be affected by these procedures. The new arrangements would primarily take into account passport inspections. The primary technique that would be enforced for this purpose will include electronic border management systems that can count people in and out of the country. Most notably, Northern Ireland is the only country in the whole of the United Kingdom that shares its land border with a foreign nation.