Air France-KLM share price opens lower as pilot strikes cut profits in half October 29, 2014 Shares in Air France-KLM opened 3.6 per cent lower at €6.41 this morning, after third quarter operating profit fell by half . Profit for the three months to 30 September in 2014 was €247m, compared with €641m during the equivalent period last year. The company put the fall in profit down to September's [...]
The nice side of Ryanair begins to boost traffic February 3, 2014 RYANAIR said its customer services revamp was already impressing passengers, pushing its shares higher yesterday despite a pre-tax loss of €35m (£29m) in the final three months of 2013. The low-cost carrier cut its average fare by nine per cent in the quarter to try and shore up its sales. Demand has now “stopped falling, [...]
This Virgin America ad is six hours long and it’s the most boring ad ever made October 16, 2014 A new ad for Virgin America is likely to take the prize for the most boring ad ever made, coming in at six, yes six, hours long. The online campaign is a bizarre jibe at the depressing cattle like conditions of its rivals, which it dubs BLAH airlines. The ad recreates a flight from Newark [...]
Blue skies ahead for EasyJet? Profits rise 21.5 per cent November 18, 2014 EasyJet reported a 21 per cent lift in pre-tax profit for the full year, slightly ahead of its own market guidance. Profit before tax came in at £581m for the 12 months ended 30 September. The airline added it predicts more growth for the first six months of 2015. The profits are the highest reported [...]
Italy slaps fines on Ryanair and EasyJet for unfair insurance practices February 17, 2014 Budget airline Ryanair has been fined €850,000 (£694,000) by Italy’s antitrust authority for lack of transparency when it comes to their optional insurance offerings. EasyJet was also fined €200,000 for the same thing. The authority said today that Ryanair has been given 30 days to respond on how it intends to make its optional flight [...]
Lufthansa pilot strike sparks long haul chaos as 1,511 flights are cancelled October 20, 2014 Lufthansa has cancelled 1,511 flights as a result of a strike being held by pilots that runs until midnight today, a spokesman said yesterday. It is the equivalent to around 65 per cent of the 2,333 flights it would normally operate during the strike. Pilots’ union VC had initially planned to strike only on short-haul [...]
Barry Geraghty in line for Haydock payday November 20, 2014 Bill Esdaile’s tips for the Betfair Chase and the rest of tomorrow’s racing at Haydock LAST year’s first three home in the Betfair Chase (3.50pm Haydock) are set to line up tomorrow in this season’s renewal and bookmakers are struggling to separate them. Cue Card, who took Haydock’s biggest jumping prize 12 months ago, heads [...]
Virgin Galactic crash: Has Virgin lost its innocence? November 7, 2014 To this day, my mother laments the moment I discovered girls. Before then, she forgave me nearly anything. A broad smile, cheeky shrug of the shoulders, and hey presto – I was out of trouble. She could overlook my many antics with an easy smile and a clear conscience. Kids will be kids. But [...]
What the drop in oil price means to the UK December 11, 2014 The price of Brent crude oil is at its lowest level in more than four years. It has dropped by around 40 per cent this year, and now sits at $64.44 per barrel – significantly below the $107.95 it reached in June. With Opec – the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries – predicting a surplus [...]
FTSE dragged down by HSBC and utilities – London Report November 3, 2014 BRITAIN’S top equity index broke a four-day rise yesterday as a drop in major utility stocks and in global banking group HSBC dragged the UK stock market lower. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed down by 0.9 per cent at 6,487.97 points. Last week, it had extended a rebound off 15-month lows reached in October. [...]