Passenger numbers rise at EasyJet and Aer Lingus January 7, 2015 Irish airline Aer Lingus and budget carrier EasyJet both saw passenger numbers rise by 3.2 per cent last year, in what was a generally good year for the firms. Aer Lingus saw the number of people using its services increase to 11.1m in 2014. Its load factor, the number of seats filled on each flight, [...]
EasyJet share price takes off as first-half losses narrow amid positive autumn January 27, 2015 THE FIGURES It’s a good start to the year at EasyJet, as numbers for the first quarter are taking off, sending shares up by more than three per cent on the open. Passenger numbers were up 4.1 per cent to 14.9m, seats flown grew 2.6 per cent to 16.6m and load factor increased one per [...]
Aer Lingus takeover: IAG will “engage with Irish government” to secure its support January 27, 2015 International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) is ready to add Aer Lingus to its roster, with the Irish airline's board set to recommend its third takeover to shareholders. According to IAG, the Aer Lingus board is ready to accept the €1.35bn (£1.01bn) cash offer equal to €2.55 per share, subject to certain pre-conditions. Shares in IAG and Aer [...]
Brand Index: Ryanair takes to the airwaves to boost friendly image April 15, 2014 AS PART of Ryanair’s quest to revamp its image, the low-cost airline has launched its first TV campaign in 25 years. The improvement in consumers’ view of the brand since it announced its customer service overhaul, last autumn, has cooled, but there has been a modest increase in the number of people who say they [...]
Budget 2015: We need a second wave of the consumer revolution to restore faith in capitalism March 17, 2015 Today, the chancellor presents his last Budget before the General Election. With limited room for tax giveaways, and a need to show that the Tories are on the side of the “little guy”, it’s time for the second wave of the British competition revolution – to arm consumers to take on big business. Ed Miliband’s [...]
Razor sharp: Will King talks moving on from King of Shaves, politics, a plan for Tesco and why we need Tinder for voting May 4, 2015 I came, I saw, I shaved, I died’ isn’t how I want to be remembered,” quips Will King. In 1993, he founded King of Shaves, the popular men’s toiletries brand. In frustration over the poor quality of his own products, he turned to his then-girlfriend’s bath oil for a smoother finish. The resulting businesses, including [...]
EasyJet’s profits soar to new heights as passenger numbers rise November 18, 2014 Budget airline easyJet yesterday shrugged off concerns about an increasingly crowded low-cost airline market by announcing a 21.5 per cent rise in pre-tax profit to £581m. The no-frills carrier, which upgraded its profit forecast last month following strong sales, also announced it will increase its ordinary dividend per share by 35.5 per cent to 45.4p [...]
EasyJet and Ryanair lift traffic March 6, 2014 EasyJet carried 4.2m passengers in February, up 2.9 per cent on a year ago, the budget carrier announced yesterday. Its 12-month traffic is up 3.5 per cent on the previous year. Meanwhile, Ryanair hailed its new customer service upgrades for helping boost passenger numbers seven per cent to 4.5m last month, taking its rolling annual [...]
Ryanair gets a credit rating as it prepares to tap the bond market March 20, 2014 RYANAIR was given a credit rating of BBB+ yesterday, taking the budget airline a step closer to issuing bonds. Standard & Poor’s said the rating reflected Ryanair’s “industry-leading profitability” along with the risks associated with its “reputation for providing less customer-friendly services than some of its peers”. S&P has deemed Ryanair to be three notches [...]
German food discounters Aldi and Lidl enjoy premium branding buzz – Brand Index January 13, 2015 In another blow to traditional British grocers in the ongoing supermarket price war, budget food retailers Aldi and Lidl are the highest performing brands in YouGov’s BrandIndex Buzz score rankings for 2014. But there is still good news for some more of Britain’s most loved retailers, such as John Lewis and Marks & Spencer. The [...]