Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline and the UK’s number one domestic airline, has welcomed the Department for Transport’s draft Civil Aviation Bill and, in particular, the requirement that airlines publish information about the environmental impact of their operations.

Flybe has long-since blazed a trail on transparency in this area, most notably in the form of its groundbreaking Ecolabel Scheme. Launched in June 2007, the ‘ecolabel’ provides Flybe passengers, at the time of booking, with a detailed but user-friendly breakdown of fuel consumption, carbon and NOx emissions as well as noise levels for the aircraft to be used on their journey. Modelled on the EU white good labelling scheme and therefore more readily recognised by the consumer, the ecolabel is not only emblazoned on the side of every single Flybe aircraft by the passenger door but also clearly displayed online and also published in the Flybe in-flight magazine.

The ecolabel was subject to an assurance process by the international consultancy firm Deloitte and Touche and was welcomed by the Treasury Select Committee in February 2008. Its report into the economics of climate change suggested that IATA “… might get involved in promoting the kind of ‘eco-competition’ made possible by the Flybe scheme” and that “… airlines should adopt a system of eco-labelling, so that consumers can compare the environmental footprint of each airline when purchasing their tickets.”

Commenting on the draft bill, Jim French CBE, Flybe’s Chairman and Chief Executive said: “Flybe welcomes the government’s move to insist that all airlines publish their environmental data. It will not only give passengers a very clear choice but will incentivise airlines to invest in newer, lower emitting fleet; something Flybe has done over the last 10 years to the tune of $2.5billion, giving us one of the youngest fleets in global aviation.

“Flybe’s ecolabel is an off-the-shelf solution to the challenge of environmental transparency and we stand ready to work with the Civil Aviation Authority and the DfT to share our expertise and knowledge in making transparent reporting a reality.”

Wizz Air had today introduced a brand new service called ‘Wizz Reserved Seat’.

By purchasing this service, passengers can get a guaranteed seat located in the first 2 rows of the aircraft and are also entitled to use the priority boarding option ‘Wizz Xpress’.

“We are proud to provide these enhanced services on our entire network of 205 routes across 23 countries, offering greater choice, flexibility and comfort to our passengers,” said John Stephenson, Executive Vice President of Wizz Air.

Both services can be purchased on wizzair.com during the booking process or via the Call Center for EUR 8, or at the airport for EUR 16 from today.

Yesterday, UK based Thomas Cook, Europe’s second largest tour operator, was in a hugely vulnerable state, battling to secure its long-term future. It means more than ever holiday travel plans should be financially protected. And raises the question again, is Air Passenger Duty (APD) tax to blame?

The operator found itself going to the Banks to ask for additional funding, seeing its share price drop by 75% in one day.

Immediate Cost Cuts Could Result in 1,000s of Job Losses
Immediate cost cutting action, in a bid to slow down debt that has already amounted to £1billion year to date, with fears of that figure rising to over £1.5 billion by the end of the year, Thomas Cook will look at closing 200 branches of its high street stores. This alone will costs thousands their jobs, which in turn will have a big impact on local towns and the economy as a whole.

This year, the now German-owned company, has already issued three profit warnings. Blaming its debt problems on the lack of families booking their summer holiday break. Not only has the tour operator, who also operates sub-brands such as Going Places, Cresta, Sunset and 18-30s, seen a dramatic dip in the traditional two week summer holiday but also the profitable ‘holiday extras’ such as travel insurance; as the internet offers cut price packages, flights and holiday extras.

Thomas Cook Must Act Fast to Secure Its Future For New Year Bookings
And the company must act fast to secure its financial future. Not only are the winter months when tour operators must look at paying for their hotel rooms for the following year, but also as it fast approaches its busiest time of year – the New Year for new holiday bookings. Whilst the New Year is great for bookings, travellers will want to be sure that their holiday is secure. That they won’t be stranded overseas if the company goes bust. If travellers are put off from booking their holiday with Thomas Cook at the early start of next year this could have a huge impact on the future of the tour operator in 2012.

For many, not only due to the loss of jobs, the stress for those having booked a holiday and the threat of losing a regular high street favourite, possibly one of the saddest things will be losing yet another founder of industry. Thomas Cook was founded in 1841 as the World’s first package holiday provider, and now provides over 7 million breaks to Britons every year!

Government Admit APD is a ‘Tax Grab’
No doubt as the news breaks of this holiday giant in severe trouble it will see major holiday and aviation heads raising the arguments again over the controversial APD. The Government has already admitted a few months ago, in a leaked memo by Chancellor, George Osborne, that APD was nothing more than a ‘tax grab’.

‘Axe the Tax’ Campaign Launched by Four of the Biggest Airlines
By coincidence, four of the biggest airlines to operate out of the UK – British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic – have again called on the Government to scrap APD. They have even created a campaign called ‘Axe the Tax’. The airlines are calling for the Chancellor to scrap APD in his Autumn Statement, to be given on 29th November, instead of the sharp rise in charges that the aviation industry fears will happen next April.

Financially Protect Your Holiday
Thomas Cook, as a tour operator, is a member of ATOL. This means that for any traveller booking with an ATOL protected operator will have the peace of mind that should the operator go bust before the travel date then a complete refund will be given. And if the traveller is overseas at the time of the operator going bust they will be helped home by the Civil Aviation Authority.

For those booking travel arrangements via a travel agent the advice is to ensure they are an ABTA Travel Agent. This will again mean that your holiday is secure if the agent goes bust before travel, and assistance to get home will be given should the traveller be overseas.

Booking independently? Make sure they are members of either the Travel Trust Association or the Association of Independent Tour Operators.

Ryanair has announced it is to introduce reserved seating on all its flights.

The airline, which has been trialling priority seating on more than 100 routes since May, will extend the service on all flights from 10 January 2012.

The optional pre-booked seating is available for €10 (each way) and includes priority boarding.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) stepped in last week to assist customers of failed company Astonbury Ltd, trading as Skyjet.

The company, which sold flights between Birmingham and Amritsar, ceased trading last Thursday, 17 November 2011, with an estimated 200 people stuck abroad.

Under ATOL protection, the CAA will make arrangements to repatriate customers who bought ATOL-protected packages.

For more information on Skyjet collapse  click here

Flybe Chairman and Chief Executive, Jim French, has reiterated his previous-raised concerns by backing the views voiced today by other airlines highlighting the troubling impact of APD and the very real damage it is doing to the UK economy and to hard-pressed families.

He says: “Domestic air travel has been hammered hard over the past four years. In 2007, APD was £5, a sum in line with that now being charged by several other European countries. Today, UK APD is £12 one way. The result? Four million less domestic air passengers travelling, equating to a 21% decrease in passenger numbers passing through the country’s regional airports.*

“I cannot stress enough that the success of regional aviation is crucial to regional development. In supporting commerce, industry and social mobility – not to mention much-needed employment.

“The Scottish Office has recognised this for years in the Highlands and Islands. And indeed the UK Government itself has actually acknowledged that this harmful tax restricts air travel by lowering APD for the Continental airline service from Belfast International to Newark!

“It is absolutely scandalous that the domestic passenger is being hit hardest in what Flybe has coined the ‘double-dip’ with UK, with domestic flyers being penalised by having to pay APD twice. This is because APD only applies to outbound flights from the UK so those flying abroad pay just once.

“How can this Government be serious about developing regional economies when they are taxing the industry out of existence? On the one hand they claim to be promoting regional airports by restricting the development of runways in the South East whilst at the same time penalising the industry through taxation the next.

“Unlike every other form of transport, excepting bicycles, air travel is not subsidised; rail and bus travel is heavily subsidised. The aviation industry does not ask for billions of pounds of subsidy to buy new planes or build new airports. It pays for this itself. Air travel costs the UK tax payer nothing.

“Once again the Government is failing to appreciate the importance of regional transport links rather making ill-judged decisions to concentrate on a privileged rail system radiating out from London. What about the communities and business in those areas of the country where air travel is the only viable form of transport to go between A and B?

“At a time when the country can ill afford to compromise economic growth, it is quite simply nonsensical for the Government to ignore the facts and not to publicly acknowledge that APD is severely impacting the viability of much-needed regional development.”

*Domestic Air travel CAA 2007 v 2011 (to Sep ’11)

easyJet is set to trial allocated seating on selected routes.

The trial, which will be introduced in the spring of 2012, will mean each passenger will be allocated a specific seat, however, if they wish to sit in a specific seat, such as in the front row they can pay to reserve them.

Carolyn McCall, easyJet CEO, said, “This is another example of easyJet trying to do all it can to make travel easy and affordable for our passengers. We look forward to seeing how our passengers respond and how the trial works.

We will roll it out further only if it works operationally, from a revenue perspective and increases passenger satisfaction. If it doesn’t, we won’t.”

Jet2.com and sister company Jet2holidays are celebrating with a trio of wins at two of the top award ceremonies in the travel industry calendar.

Jet2holidays led the awards haul after being voted Best Tour Operator to the Iberian Peninsula and Islands at the prestigious British Travel Awards – the largest survey of public opinion on UK travel industry performance and the most anticipated awards in the travel industry calendar. The accolade recognises the package holiday specialists’ position as the leading British tour operator to that region.

Jet2holidays was also named Best Mainstream Short Haul Operator at the 19th Annual Travel Awards of the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association, where Jet2.com was declared Best Low Cost Airline and runner up in the Best European Airline category. Voted for by Scottish travel agents, the airline and package holiday specialist beat off tough competition from rival travel companies to win the coveted accolades at the biggest event in the Scottish travel calendar.

Jet2 received further national praise from readers of The Telegraph newspaper in its annual travel awards. The airline was unveiled as runner up in the Favourite Short-Haul Airline category, second only to British Airways.

Steve Heapy, Managing Director of Jet2holidays and Chief Commercial Officer of Jet2.com, said: “This latest flurry of awards is a reflection of our continued dedication to providing the best possible service to our customers who clearly enjoy our growing list of city, sun and ski destinations. The recognition from both customers and agents is hugely important to us and is a clear indication that we are getting it right across the board.”

“Our friendly flight times from eight regional bases and generous 22kg baggage allowance as well as our ATOL protected holiday packages to suit all tastes and budgets are what set us apart from our competitors and help to keep us the airline and tour operator of choice for our loyal customers.”

The Airport Operators Association’s (AOA) Annual Conference and Exhibition begins today, Monday 31 October 2011, at the Hilton Metropole, London to discuss the future of airports and aviation.

Attendees will be addressed by key figures from politics, industry and academia over the day and a half conference. Speakers will include, the new Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening MP; Willie Walsh, CEO of the International Airlines Group and Greg Lindsay, author of Aerotropolis.

Opening the conference, AOA Chairman Ed Anderson will say: “I am delighted to welcome the new Secretary of State for Transport to our conference and would like to offer her my congratulations on her appointment.

“The AOA conference comes at an important time for our industry, the first round of consultation for the ‘Sustainable Framework for UK Aviation’ has recently closed and a decision on reforms to Air Passenger Duty (APD) is imminent.

We urge the government to provide a framework which delivers a thriving airports sector and a fair tax; in return the industry will provide jobs and growth at this important time.

Working through ‘A Fair Tax on Flying’, we are also calling on the Government to drop proposals for a double inflation increase in APD in the 2012 Budget and to offset revenues from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme against APD.”

Eastern Airways has been named the Best Passenger Charter Airline at a prestigious industry awards ceremony in London.

The UK’s second largest regional airline achieved the air charter industry’s most coveted accolade at the Baltic Air Charter Association (BACA) Excellence Awards yesterday (Wednesday 19 October) at the Guild Hall.

This year, Eastern Airways celebrates its 14th anniversary and has significantly grown its charter business over the last two years, which also included the re-introduction of Embraer regional jets to its fleet.

More than 130 aviation/charter industry related companies attended the event and Eastern Airways secured the top award as Best Passenger Charter Airline by beating previous winner Titan Airways and also Monarch Airlines.

The awards are judged by the charter industry’s most valued professionals who nominate for the relevant categories, including Best Passenger Charter Airline.

Kay Ryan, Eastern Airways’ commercial director, said: “This award is regarded as the highest recognition in the charter airline industry, and to be the best passenger charter airline is a tremendous achievement for all at Eastern Airways. It is great testament to the outstanding efforts of our teams on the ground and in the air that work together to ensure the highest quality of service meets the high standards expected from our charter customers. The challenge going forward will be to redouble our efforts to retain this high level of achievement.”

The regional airline is consistently rated one of the UK’s most punctual scheduled airlines and has a fleet of 30 aircraft flying from 21 airports in the UK, Ireland, Norway and France.