Travel News | Travel Advice

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is warning that 2009 could be a tough trading year for all airlines, and is predicting that airlines worldwide will lose $5.2 billion in 2008, due to the high price of oil and slowing demand. This could spell the end for cheap flights and affordable global travel.

Aviation fuel is expected to rise to 36% of operating costs by the end of 2008 – compare that to 2002 when it was only 13%.

Traffic data for July ’08 showed a continuing decline in demand, and year on year from July ’07 to ’08 passenger growth slowed to 1.9% - the lowest in 5 years.

The current global economic crisis appears to be shaping the airline industry much more than the SARS epidemic, or indeed September 11th, 2001 and more airlines have gone bust in 2008 than during the aftermath of September 11th.

If you are travelling in India and are planning to take internal flights within the country, chances are you may take a flight with Kingfisher Airlines.

Founded in 2005 this young airline is already the largest, privately owned airline in India and now operates over 500 domestic flights each day. Branching out into international markets, the airline has recently completed its first flight into London Heathrow from Bangalore and is targeting further global expansion.

Kingfisher Airlines current strategy is moving them away from the “low cost cheap flight” sector and into the premium service market. This is, in the main, due to crippling fuel costs and high airport taxes within India and it is proving to be incredibly popular with Business travellers.

Launching international flights is not usually permitted under Indian law until an airline has operated domestically for five years. However, Kingfisher’s recent acquisition of its older rival Air Decaan has allowed it to accelerate its growth. Kingfisher Airlines are now planning to offer flights to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Bangkok, the Maldives, Pakistan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Kuwait and the UAE during 2009.

London is proving to be the worlds most popular and frequented gateway city, with passengers travelling to and from its airport, or using it as a hub for onward flights.

According to the Airports Council International (AIC) passenger numbers for Heathrow and Gatwick combined totalled over 93 million passengers during 2007. London Heathrow alone topped the charts at 62 million passengers.

The complete top ten is as follows:

1. London Heathrow, 62,099,395
2. Paris CDG, 54,904,358
3. Amsterdam, 47,696,521
4. Frankfurt, 47,087,699
5. Hong Kong 46,304,879
6. Singapore, 35,221,203
7. Tokyo, 34,237,175
8. Dubai, 33,481,257
9. Bangkok, 31,632,716
10. London Gatwick, 31,140,044

London Heathrow boasts an increase in passenger numbers of 1.2% from 2006. London Gatwick saw figures increase by 3.7% over the same period.

Passengers in the north of England are to be affected by a route withdrawal by Virgin Atlantic.

Passengers wishing to travel to St Lucia will have to head to the south of the country and fly from London Gatwick and Virgin Atlantic has cited “operational issues” as the reason for the withdrawal.

The service will be cancelled from Manchester from 26th March 2009.

Customers already booked on to this flight will automatically be re-booked on to the London Gatwick service.

Budget airline easyJet has revealed plans to launch a new route from East Midlands Airport to Nice, France.

EasyJet expect to launch the service from 2nd April 2009 and will operate three times a week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. As customers would expect, easyJet will offer flights at bargain prices starting at around £22.99 for a one-way journey.

Nice is sure to be a popular route from the region, as it is well known as a sophisticated holiday destination. Reached in around an hour, at low prices it is a desirable choice for many UK holidaymakers.