Ryanair soars as passenger numbers rise to record high Budget airline Ryanair received a boost yesterday as it revealed passenger numbers in September had hit a new record high. Ryanair’s total passengers last month hit a record 8.5m, soaring by 400,000 compared to 8.1m in September 2013. The budget airline also saw its load factor, the percentage of seats occupied on flights, increase to [...]
Triumphant Germans provide Tui Travel reason to cheer as sales rise TUI TRAVEL yesterday revealed optimistic profit forecasts for the year after strong sales over the summer, particularly from the UK and Germany which are both expected to hit record profits. There was a significant surge in bookings for Tui from Germany after victory in the World Cup, with package holiday sales up 22 per cent. [...]
Maaxi taxi app gets backing from Ken Livingstone as he hails Nathaniel Rothschild’s new venture Former London mayor Ken Livingstone has thrown his backing behind financier Nathaniel Rothschild’s new taxi sharing app Maaxi, believed to be likely to launch in the next few weeks. In an open letter to taxi trade organisations, Livingstone said: “I have been using my experience and knowledge of London and its transport system to help [...]
The biggest motor show in the world zooms into Paris today October 1, 2014 THE PARIS motor show is getting into gear for its launch today, with a huge line up of exhibitors keen to show off their newest car models at the world’s biggest motor show. An array of top car makers will offer public debuts for their latest cars at the show, which has an Automobile and [...]
Virgin urges Ofcom to probe cost of football September 30, 2014 Virgin Media yesterday slammed the soaring cost of Premier League football on TV, as it revealed it had urged broadcast regulator Ofcom to launch a competition investigation into pricing. “Significant consumer harm” had resulted from the skyrocketing cost of live Premier League TV rights, said Virgin Media. Costs jumped 70 per cent to £3bn at [...]
$5m Sharethrough investment sees Sky target ad opportunity September 30, 2014 HUGE FTSE 100 media firm BSkyB revealed yesterday it had made a $5m (£3.1m) equity investment in Sharethrough, a San Francisco based online advertising technology company. The investment from BSkyB was part of a round of fundraising that raised $10m for Sharethrough, which provides native advertising services, that match ad campaigns to web pages. As [...]
London Metal Exhange hikes trading fees by a third September 29, 2014 The average cost of trading fees on the London Metal Exchange (LME) will rise by 34 per cent from next year, as its new Hong Kong-based owners look to raise more profit following a $2.2bn (£1.4bn) takeover two years ago. The 137-year-old exchange had previously been member-owned by brokers and banks, with fees kept quite [...]
UK superyacht industry buoyant as confidence at seven year high September 28, 2014 A flood of new orders may lead to even greater fortune for Britain’s £500m superyacht sector, with confidence in the industry at a seven- year high according to a new survey. The latest annual poll, carried out by industry body Superyacht UK, said 69 per cent of members rate prospects for the next 12 month [...]
Anglian aims for £150m relisting September 28, 2014 SPECIALIST double glazing and house improvement company Anglian Home Improvements may be looking to return to the London Stock Exchange, over a decade after it was taken private. Anglian Home Improvements, which was founded in 1966 by George Williams as Anglian Windows, was listed for nearly 10 years, until it was taken private when private [...]
Strike over at Air France but talks continue September 28, 2014 Air France is hoping for clearer skies ahead as a pilots’ strike that has cost the airline hundreds of millions of euros finally ended yesterday. The strike by pilots had lasted for two weeks since 15 September, and resulted in a wide range of flight cancellations and delays, that Air France estimated cost the airline [...]