easyJet to open new base in Hamburg, expand Berlin base

By BA Staff

easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, has announced it will open a base in Hamburg, Germany as well as increasing its fleet in Berlin in the spring of 2014.

Building on its success to date in both Hamburg and Berlin, easyJet’s new base will open with three A319 aircraft with the airline increasing its fleet in Berlin by an additional plane. easyJet will more than double its network from Hamburg with 15 additional new business and leisure routes on the top of its existing portfolio of six routes offering almost 170 flights a week during summer 2014. With more frequencies and early morning departures from Hamburg the schedule will make easyJet more attractive to business passengers.

Carolyn McCall, easyJet chief executive officer, commented:

"I am really pleased to be able to announce the launch of a new base in Hamburg which will enable us to double the size of our operation. Hamburg and its region is one of the most dynamic economies in Europe with a significant and growing tourist industry. In the last twelve months more than half a million passengers have enjoyed easyJet’s low fares combined with our friendly service. These expansion plans mean that we expect to carry twice as many passengers in the first year of operations which will take us to more than a million passengers annually for the first time."

Hamburg will be easyJet’s 23^rd base in its European network. Germany’s second largest city is also one of Europe’s wealthiest economies with a strong local industry in banking, aviation, renewable energy media & publishing and the second largest European harbour. easyJet expects to bring 275,000 additional business and leisure visitors in Hamburg in the first year.

First Mayor of Hamburg Olaf Scholz said:

"easyJet's recent decisions strengthen both the Hamburg Airport and the aircraft manufacturing location Hamburg - the third largest after Seattle and Toulouse. The most recent decision of the airline to purchase new aircraft is good for Airbus. It is also good news for suppliers that are involved in aircraft manufacturing. easyJet's decisions underscore the positive development that Hamburg is experiencing in regards to aviation. This development shows that it was the right decision of the Hamburg Senate in 2000 to invest in aviation in Hamburg and to give the aviation industry the importance it deserves."

In Berlin, the additional aircraft will take the total based there to eight. It will mean 130,000 more passengers on the top of the four million passengers easyJet has carried on the last 12 months (a 9.5% increase on the previous year). The aircraft will allow easyJet to increase frequencies on popular business and leisure routes. At Summer 2014 passengers will have the choice of up to 635 flights per week.

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easyJet announces new routes out of Belfast

by BA Staff

easyJet, one of the largest low cost carriers (LCC) in Europe, has announced two new routes from its Northern Ireland base at Belfast International Airport. Starting in summer 2014, easyJet will introduce new nonstop flights from Belfast to Bordeaux, France and Jersey in the Channel Islands.

Ali Gayward, easyJet's Northern Ireland head had this to say about the expansion:

We’re pleased to mark this important anniversary for easyJet by announcing two new routes for Northern Ireland. From summer 2014 we will introduce flights to Bordeaux and Jersey to offer a range of new holiday and business connections to and from Northern Ireland.... Since we launched our first flight to Belfast in 1998 over 32 million people have chosen to fly with us. Today we’re saying thank you to all those passengers who have helped make easyJet Northern Ireland’s largest airline. Belfast was one of our first bases outside Luton and we look forward to celebrating many more anniversaries here.

easyJet has six aircraft based at Belfast, and will serve 24 destinations from the airport once the two new destinations are inaugurated. easyJet as a whole has a fleet of 194 aircraft (consisting of 138 Airbus A319s and 56 Airbus A320s) serving 138 destinations across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. 

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Routes: easyJet to begin services between Jersey and London Gatwick

British low cost carrier (LCC) easyJet has announced new thrice daily service between Jersey and its hub at London Gatwick commencing 30th March 2014 utilizing 156 seat Airbus A319 aircraft. Find out more details below.

28th August 2013

easyJet, the UK’s largest airline has today announced it is increasing its Jersey network with the introduction of a year-round service to London Gatwick.

From 30 March 2014 easyJet will operate three flights per day between Jersey and London Gatwick offering the choice of a morning, afternoon and evening departure in each direction. The new service will go on sale in September 2013 and means easyJet now connect Jersey with five UK airports – London Gatwick, Southend, Liverpool, Newcastle and Glasgow.

The announcement follows a deal secured by easyJet earlier this year to purchase 25 additional slots at Gatwick Airport from Flybe. Since this time, the airline has worked closely with the route development team at Jersey Airport to expand its operation in the Island and enhance connections to London Gatwick. The new flight will be operated by an Airbus A319 aircraft with the capacity of 156 seats.

Group CEO for Ports of Jersey, Doug Bannister, is delighted by the announcement and says the confirmation will offer an excellent and affordable choice for both leisure and business passengers.

UK Commercial Manager for easyJet, Ali Gayward, says: “easyJet is pleased to confirm it will introduce new flights between Jersey and London Gatwick from spring 2014, which underlines our continued commitment to serving Jersey.

“The new early flight will allow business travellers to reach London in time for meetings while the evening departure enables them to travel home on the same day. The introduction of low cost seats will also help to boost tourism to Jersey.

“In developing our plans for London Gatwick we have listened to all the points made by Economic Development and Jersey Airport. Their enthusiasm to work with easyJet has been clear from the start and we hope this support will continue to make the route a success”.

Minister for Economic Development, Senator Alan Maclean, says: “Today’s announcement once again demonstrates easyJet’s continuing confidence in Jersey, which has continued to flourish since it first established services from the Island in 2008. The airline has the capability of delivering in excess of a quarter of a million passengers per year on the Gatwick route alone, which will be of great benefit to the vitally important tourism and business economy”.

Provisional schedule for summer 2014 – timings to be confirmed in September.

London Gatwick – Jersey             Jersey – London Gatwick
Depart Arrive                     Depart       Arrive
07:00 08:00                      08:30       09:30
14:30 15:30                      16:00       17:00
17:30 18:30                      19:00       20:00

The introduction of a London Gatwick service brings the total number of routes the airline serves from Jersey to five. In addition to its exiting year-round services to Liverpool, Glasgow and London Southend, the airline also introduced a summer service to Newcastle earlier this year.

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easyJet brings popular Inspire Me function direct to tablets via its new app

European LCC easyJet has launched a new IPAD app. Find the details below.

19th August 2013

easyJet, the UK's largest airline, is now providing travellers either on a budget or in need of last minute holiday inspiration, access to easyJet’s popular and innovative ‘Inspire Me’ tool through a dedicated iPad application. 

The simple and free, map-based app enables customers to enter their preferred holiday type, budget and departure point to generate a list of perfectly matched holiday destinations & recommended flights across easyJet’s network. 

Available in 14 languages, ‘Inspire Me’ also allows passengers to save up to 10 flights on a wish list so they can compare details and select the best option. ‘Inspire Me’ is available as a dedicated iPad app and via easyJet’s website. 

Easy to identify symbols, like a heart for a romantic getaway or a sun for a beach break, help narrow options so customers can find their perfect trip faster than ever before. Each destination includes a link to easyJet’s booking process or to newly created destination guides for further destination specific information.

Peter Duffy, Director of Marketing for easyJet, commented: 

"We know our customers value accessing our services via our free apps - with over 5.6m having downloaded the easyJet mobile apps to date. The latest addition, our the Inspire Me iPad app helps people who don’t know exactly where or when they wish to travel by recommending our lowest price fares and showing possible destinations on a map of Europe.”

easyJet.com is one of the UK's most visited airline sites and the third most searched for airline globally.

Image Credit - easyJet

easyJet's booking app is the industry's fastest enabling customers to search and book flights as well as change booking details, check flight details as well as add luggage and check in.

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Commercial Aviation News Briefing: September 26th

by Vinay Bhaskara

India: Air India launches austerity drive

Air India, in a move that defies its traditional profligacy, will be launching an austerity drive beginning October 1st.

• Rohit Nandan, Air India's chairman, related in a memo that Air India will be enacting the following initiatives.Payments on reimbursements of entitlements and vouchers will be cut by 10%, in addition to a 10% cut in petrol and fuel entitlements.
• Daily allowances for domestic and international travel will be cut by 10% across the board.
• Lunch and meal allowances for company executives and managers, as well as mandatory "off" for working weekends, and holidays for this same group have been abolished
• All reiumbursement for foreign travel for the purposes of conferences, workshops, and meetings will be stopped. Only travel for technical, and/or operational requirements will be reimbursed
• 10% of the company's overseas employees will be laid off and/or re-located to India.

From a cost-cutting perspective, targeting such entitlements makes sense. The majority of world carriers have abolished such lavish employee benefits (though most do provide some free travel), especially for front-line employees. And Air India certainly needs to cut its costs, having suffered through net losses of more than US $1 billion in each of the past two fiscal years.

But such moves could end up causing discontent if company executives (especially the CMD) are seen to be flaunting such rules. While the travel of a few executives has a small effect on the finances of an airline, their entitlements can cause far worse problems for employee morale. Moreover, it's entirely possible that the austerity drive could be halted by political meddling; employee unions could easily mobilize a few "well meaning" politicians behind their cause (of keeping their entitlements).

Other Indian News:

Kingfisher cancels flights due to "scheduled maintenance"

Airline stocks take a tumble on the BSE

World: United Airlines pilots sue to stop merger integration with Continental

The United Airlines branch of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) filed suit in a New York district court for the halting of merger integration between United and Continental, saying that the speed of integration does not allow adequate time for employee groups to learn new safety procedures. The suit is currently scheduled for a hearing on September 28th, just 2 days before the scheduled date for integration of new training and procedures, September 30th.

Wendy Morse, the head of the pilot union at United and a 777 captain, said pilots watched a computer-based slide show that lasts 54 minutes, and that some pilots have been designated to answer questions from fellow aviators. But pilots have gotten no classroom instruction or other training in the new procedures, she said, further relating that procedural changes include allowing the autopilot to fly the plane out of a severe wind gust rather than flying the plane manually as United pilots currently do, she said. (source Associated Press).

Given the complex nature of these safety issues, and the relatively short time allotted for pilots to complete such training (and perhaps the inadequacy of such training- which Ms. Morse said affected numerous issues beyond the wind-gust changes), the United pilots may have a valid reason for wanting more time. Yet United's pilots, who have been angered in recent years by benefit cuts and increased CPA flying, may just as easily be using the merger timeline as a negotiating tool as they bargain to "regain" some of their lost benefits and flying.

Other World News:

EasyJet founder plans rival LCC

Boeing 787-9 completes critical design review

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