Cheap Airline Tickets / Airline News

Air Canada Jazz has suspended four mechanics a day after they publicly raised concerns about safety at the airline.

Dave Avella, Gianni Ballestrin, Grant Anastas and Ron Anstey, all mechanics at Jazz’s Toronto facility, were suspended with pay pending an investigation by the airline into comments they made to the Star, including allegations they are pressured to release planes with defects that could compromise public safety.

Meanwhile, Transport Canada yesterday said it was launching an audit into Jazz’s mechanical operations in the next three months. (more…)

Its a new look for a local airline. NAC Air unveiled a new logo and website in an event at the Thunder Bay International Airport Tuesday.

Thunder Bay Mayor, Lyn Peterson was on hand to assist CEO Tom Meilleur with the unveiling and seat sale announcement.

North American Charters was created in 2000, to offer airline service to First Nation communities in the region. It is the first 100 per cent First Nation-owned airline and has changed the face of air travel in Northwestern Ontario. The decision to lower airfares by 40 to 50 per cent and introduce high frequency, seven-days a week flights to remote areas has captured a large part of the market. (more…)

GERMANY’S biggest airline is blocking a British plan to make passengers pay for the environmental damage caused by their flights.

Lufthansa has rejected proposals put forward by British Airways for an emissions-trading scheme, under which airlines would buy permits to cover their production of carbon dioxide.

Britain strongly supports the scheme and, with the backing of France and the Scandinavian countries, hopes to introduce it within Europe by 2008.

The scheme would add up to £6 to the cost of an airline ticket, depending on the length of the flight and the market price of permits. The European Commission is studying the idea and is expected to produce firm proposals in September. (more…)

MEMBER-nations of the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga) have forged a new agreement, which is expected to increase the load factor of airlines companies in the growth area.

The agreement was reached during the recently concluded BIMP-Eaga Transport Ministers Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.

Mindanao Business Council chair Romeo Serra said the granting of full fifth freedom traffic rights in the BIMP-Eaga region is a start to further smoothen air transport linkages in the region. (more…)

June 10 (Bloomberg) — Malaysian Airline System Bhd., the nation’s largest carrier, said 4,200 employees, or about 18 percent of its total workforce, have taken up an offer to quit, part of the airline’s plans to cut costs and return to profit.

In addition, 1,171 employees will retire within the next two years and there will be 2,761 staff whose short-term contracts will end between three months and five years, the company said on its Web site yesterday.

The airline, based in the Malaysian state of Selangor, said on May 22 it expected to spend as much as 850 million ringgit ($232 million) reducing its workforce by between 3,500 and 5,000 in the biggest round of job cuts in the Southeast Asian country. (more…)

HONOLULU — New airline Go! began a schedule of interisland flights on Friday as an airfare war rages between the newcomer and its competitors.

Chris Barth and his family flew in one of Go!’s first flights from Maui on Friday morning. He said that it was an enjoyable trip because the price was right.

“Three-hundred dollars. The four of us got over here; normally it would cost us about $850 or $900. So, it’s great,” Barth said.
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Worldspan has signed a five-year global distribution and airline hosting partnership with MAXjet, the first all-business class airline offering everyday low fares on transatlantic flights.

To support MAXjet’s core operations, Worldspan developed, operates and maintains end-to-end reservations and departure control systems for the airline. (more…)

Swiss authorities say they have arrested seven people of North African origin suspected of plotting to attack an Israeli El Al airliner.The Swiss attorney-general’s office said the attack was to have been carried out in Switzerland but it did not specify how, when, or precisely where. It said no explosives had been found.”We do not have an exact date. We just know about the plans.

“We got wind of them towards the end of last year,” Jeanne Balmer, a spokeswoman for the attorney-general’s office, said. (more…)

British Airways has scooped the title of Airline of the Year 2006 at the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards.

Jumping four places from last year’s line-up, British Airways beat key competitors from all over the world to take the award.

The results found that the number of premium passengers to nominate British Airways was higher than any of the other airlines in the top ten. (more…)

Tunis, Tunisia, 06/05 - The new West African airline company, whose creation was announced in Dakar in 2005 will be operational in 2007, according to Gervais Djondo, chairman of the board of directors of SPCAR (society for the Promotion of a regional air transport company).

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