Dec 20th, 2010 at 3:30PM: Every time you pay to check an extra bag you're making someone's life better. The latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation reveals that the third quarter of 2010 was the most profitable for the U.S. airline industry since the department began keeping score in 2002. The industry's operating profit margin hit 10.5 percent in aggregate. Low-cost carriers, as a class, had an operating ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
lowcost posts
Airlines have best quarter ever ... thanks baggage fees!
Dec 20th, 2010 at 3:30PM: Every time you pay to check an extra bag you're making someone's life better. The latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation reveals that the third quarter of 2010 was the most profitable for the U.S. airline industry since the department began keeping score in 2002. The industry's operating profit margin hit 10.5 percent in aggregate. Low-cost carriers, as a class, had an operating ...If easyJet goes under, you're not screwed
Sep 14th, 2010 at 8:30AM: If easyJet were to go insolvent before you could take a package you've booked online with the company, fear not: you're insured. Since the beginning of the month, the European low-cost carrier has arranged with credit protection company International Passenger Protection to make sure customers don't lose out if the airline as a whole takes a nose dive.
According to Paul Phillips, group ...Flying Wizz Air, European low-cost airline
Sep 13th, 2010 at 10:00AM:
I just flew with Wizz Air, a major budget airline in Europe whose name and stunts I had previously only snickered over. It turns out in addition to offering low fares across Europe, they are also the largest carrier in Hungary (at least according to Wizz, Malev Hungarian would beg to differ) and a major player in Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria. Last week I traveled to Bulgaria (look for some ...JetStar to pack planes with iPads
Jun 2nd, 2010 at 3:00PM: JetStar seems to know that in-flight entertainment is nothing to scream about right now. You watch canned programming from a small screen. Fun. For a low-cost carrier, you'd think that fixing this problem isn't a priority, but it looks like the little guys are coming up with the best ideas. The airline is getting ready to test the iPad as in-flight entertainment. Access is expected to cost A$10 ...Megabus to offer 100,000 free tickets
Dec 9th, 2009 at 11:30AM: Budget bus travel might not always be the most comfortable or efficient way to travel, but it is often the cheapest. Thanks to low-cost bus service providers like Megabus, which offers routes in the Midwest and on the East Coast, you can often score tickets for just a few bucks. And with amenities like wi-fi and electric outlets, you may actually survive the bus journey with your sanity.
The ...8 tips for surviving long-distance discount bus travel
Dec 2nd, 2009 at 9:30AM:
Travel by plane, despite its many aggravations and expenses, is generally quick - in a matter of hours you can be across the country or on the other side of an ocean. Train travel, while slower, has an element of romance to it. But bus travel. . . bus travel is generally the last resort. Thanks to new low-cost bus services like Megabus and BoltBus, bus travel is cheap, but it can also be slow ...Iceland Express will offer low-cost flights from Newark to Reykjavik
Nov 4th, 2009 at 2:30PM: I'm kind of obsessed with Iceland. Ask me about the country and get ready to endure my lengthy soliloquy on why I love it so much. It's one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and I'd feel pretty comfortable saying that even as I travel to more destinations, I'll always consider it so.
Drive a few minutes away from Reykjavik and you'll see mountains topped with snow, former lava ...Delay grounds entire airline for a month
Jul 6th, 2009 at 8:00AM:
Delays in Newark are keeping an entire airline on the ground. We've seen how a single flight's delay can have impacts at airlines across the country, but preventing an entire airline from going wheels up ... that's huge.
JetAmerica has had to defer its launch for a month, citing problems getting takeoff slots at Newark Liberty International Airport. This isn't the first time an airline's blamed ...Hungarian airline stunt too successful
Jun 25th, 2009 at 8:00AM: A crowd pissed all over Wizz Air's attempt to release 1,000 balloons into the sky. The low-cost airline had hoped to celebrate its fifth anniversary, but the Hungarian crowd was drawn to the event by the rumor of freebies hooked to the balloons – coupons worth $49.95 – ultimately ruining it for everybody.
The balloons were held in a net in Budapest. Attendees started to pop balloons ...Scared passengers boycott airline after being asked to help "balance the plane"
Jun 23rd, 2009 at 2:30PM: Seventy terrified passengers refused to board their Thomas Cook plane in Mallorca, Spain this week because the airline had asked them to all sit in the back of the plane. During its time on the ground, baggage workers were unable to open the rear cargo door of the plane, and had to load all the luggage in the front - requiring passengers to act as ballast in the rear to keep the plane balanced. ...Ryanair: get in shape, carry your own bags
May 10th, 2009 at 8:00AM: European object of disdain low-cost carrier Ryanair is always looking for ways to save a few bucks. From pay-to-piss to the fat tax, the airline has put forth a stream of ideas that really haven't gotten off the ground. Well, CEO Michael O'Leary has a new one to add to the list: mandatory luggage self-service.
Under this new model, passengers would carry their bags through airport security and ...Say "I do" at 30,000 feet - easyJet wants to get into the wedding business
May 5th, 2009 at 2:30PM: Desperate to generate some extra cash, every airline in the world is scrambling for ways to introduce new money making services. Some have considered paid bathrooms, others are going to double charge fatties. UK low cost carrier easyJet is in the lead at the moment in the creativity top 10. The airline is planning to introduce in-flight weddings on their planes, allowing couples to tie the knot at ...Israel, Mecca ... no difference to British BMI
May 3rd, 2009 at 9:00AM: Passengers headed to Israel on a British BMI flight were alarmed to find their destination was Mecca, according to the in-flight map. The airline, it seems, isn't terribly aware that the Middle East is know for a tiny amount of tension that's lasted for decades (the most recent iteration, at least).
Pick your joke about "wiping Israel off the map" – the Sydney Morning Herald did.
BMI, of ...Porn industry disgusted by flight attendant side job
Mar 23rd, 2009 at 11:30AM: "Look, we all have standards," an adult entertainer familiar with the full- and part-time work of Ryanair flight attendant Edita Schindlerova told The Independent. "I think it's disgusting that she works for Ryanair. All of us here at Biggus Dickus Productions feel really let down by her. If only she had told us she worked for them, maybe we could have done something to help her. Now, she has ...Good news! Ryanair will NOT make you use coins to enter their bathrooms
Mar 6th, 2009 at 11:30AM: We'd forgive you if you accused us of being pro/anti Ryanair (depending on what you read). In the past week we broke the news that the Ryanair CEO was considering introducing coin operated bathrooms on his flights. Then we reported on remarks of a Ryanair spokesperson who claimed the esteemed Ryanair CEO was just screwing with us. Thankfully the official reply is out - Ryanair will NOT be ...Ryanair removes the airport check-in desk
Feb 23rd, 2009 at 4:30PM: By now I'm sure everyone has heard of Ryanair, the cheeky European low cost carrier. Their insanely low fares have turned them into the third largest airline in Europe. Of course, in order to offer low fares, you need to cut a few corners. You won't find any free pretzels on Ryanair. In fact, pretty much anything service related is either non existent, or requires an additional fee. Their latest ...Budget Travel - The Low Cost Carrier
Feb 3rd, 2009 at 11:30AM: Summary: The low cost carrier (LCC) may seem like a new development in the aviation world, but the concept is anything but new. The first real low cost "no frills" airline was Laker Airways, which took off back in 1966 from the UK, and shuttled passengers to destinations all around the world for as little as $50. Laker Airways provided the inspiration for many of the current low cost carriers, ...Ryanair to ticket passengers who try to cheat the baggage system
Jan 22nd, 2009 at 2:30PM: Ryanair, the cheeky Irish low cost airline, has decided to hand out 30 Euro fines to any passengers trying to bring too much stuff with them in their cabin baggage. When airlines started charging people for each checked bag, it was only a matter of time till passengers figured it would be much cheaper to just drag as much as possible into the cabin. And it was only a matter of time until the ...Fly in South Africa - and pay by the minute
Jan 8th, 2009 at 2:30PM: An upstart airline in South Africa is working hard to find somewhere to rent their planes and clear regulatory hurdles for their planned routes. Of course, upstart airlines are nothing new, they appear (and disappear) every month. Airtime Airlines is different though, and grabbed our attention thanks to an innovative new pricing method. The airline has taken a cue from the mobile phone industry, ...Wegolo.com: My new favorite low cost flight-booking engine
May 16th, 2008 at 10:30AM: From next week, my traveling schedule is exciting but ridiculously hectic. Madrid-Seville-Madrid; then Madrid-Dubai-Muscat-Dubai-Madrid, then Bristol-Darlington-London-Madrid, all within the month of June. I'm short on time at each destination so want to fly where ever I can to save time but don't want to break my bank either. Madrid is not a very well connected city for cheap flights, the only ...
