GERMANY: Eurowings To Fire 300 Staff At Head-Office

Eurowings, the low-cost airline owned by Lufthansa , said it would cut a third of the jobs at its headquarters as part of wider efforts to return the German airline group to profitability after a major state bailout.

We have around 1,000 staff at head office and of those we will reduce 300, Eurowings Chief Executive Jens Bischof told a briefing in Duesseldorf.

Germany threw Lufthansa a 9 billion euro ($9.8 billion) lifeline on Monday, agreeing a bailout which gives Berlin a veto in the event of a hostile bid for the airline.

Bischof, in remarks did not give figures for job reductions in other operational areas at Eurowings, which employs a total of around 4,000 staff.

He said the outcome would depend on negotiations with staff representatives and how work is allocated in future between Lufthansa and Eurowings. It would likely take until 2023 before activity returns to last year's levels.

GERMAN airline Eurowings is reactivating its base in Spain holiday island Mallorca in another good sign for the recovery of the Balearic Island tourism sector.

The airline, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, will be taking off from Mallorca capital Palma next Saturday June 27 with a flight to German city Hannover following a break of some three months due to the Covid-19 crisis.

The company will be operating more than 50 flights a week from Palma, going up to nearly 170 by the end of July, with connections to 16 airports in Germany and Austria.

To begin with Eurowings will operate with two A-320 aircraft stationed at Palma’s Son San Joan airport, going up to three over the summer

We are very pleased that Eurowings Europe is able to take off again, commented Eurowings Europe Managing Director Robert Jahn.

He also thanked company employees, who he said had had to endure a lot of uncertainty and show staying power in the past weeks.

Eurowings will take off again at the end of June with its international flight operation Eurowings Europe. The first flight after a break of around three months will take place on 27 June at 07:45 from Palma to Hanover.

With the reopening of the Mallorca base, Eurowings is underlining its position as Germany’s largest holiday airline. With the additional aircraft stationed on the Balearic island, Eurowings is operating a flight schedule that supplements numerous Mallorca connections at major Eurowings locations such as Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Cologne/Bonn with additional destinations in Germany and Austria.

Eurowings primarily operates flights from Mallorca to Berlin, Bremen, Dresden, Hanover, Leipzig, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Munich, Munster-Osnabruck, Nuremberg and Saarbrucken. In Austria, Eurowings connects Salzburg and Innsbruck with Mallorca.

With the beginning of the summer holidays in some German federal states, Eurowings will again offer more than 50 Mallorca flights per week. During the peak holiday season from the end of July, the number of flights will then increase to 168 weekly Mallorca flights.

A total of 16 airports in Germany and Austria will then be connected to Mallorca with Eurowings again. The airline had opened its first location in non-German-speaking countries in 2017 on Mallorca.

Eurowings thus became the leading carrier for flights to Mallorca to Germany and Austria.

With the end of the worldwide travel warning and the lifting of travel restrictions for Spain, customer interest in sunny destinations is growing by leaps and bounds. Therefore the airline has decided to reactivate its crews based in Palma.

Eurowings Europe will initially start operations with two Airbus A320s and increase to three aircraft over the summer. The airline also operates additional international stations for Eurowings in Salzburg (Austria) and Pristina (Kosovo).

We are very pleased that Eurowings Europe is able to take off again, said Robert Jahn, Managing Director of Eurowings Europe. I would like to thank our guests for their patience and understanding during this difficult phase.

And I would especially like to thank our Eurowings Europe team, who had to endure a lot of uncertainty and show staying power in the past weeks.

We are all the more pleased that we can now start again and be there for our holiday guests.

Mallorca is booming with Eurowings, which uses A330 wide-body to Palma Airport.

Eurowings is offering more than 160 additional flights by Airbus A330 from Cologne/Bonn, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf over the next three months.

Eurowings is strengthening its position as Germany’s largest holiday airline. The Lufthansa subsidiary is expanding its route portfolio in the direction of South-East Europe and will be flying to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast on a large scale for the first time in summer 2020.

The two new up-and-coming holiday destinations being offered are Varna and Burgas.

Flights will be available from six German airports from 6 July. In addition to the major Eurowings stations in Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Stuttgart, the airports of Munich, Hanover and Leipzig will also be directly connected to the Bulgarian coast from July.

The airline’s programme will then include more than 20 weekly flights to Burgas and Varna. Among the European sunshine destinations, Bulgaria is becoming the new holiday favourite for inexpensive summer holidays, both for families and for the younger public.

FINLAND: Finnair To Launch Flights to Hanover, Germany

Finnair has unveiled plans to launch flights between Helsinki and Hanover, Germany, next summer.

The new route will start on 29 April 2019 with five weekly frequencies and will become a daily and year-round frequency as of 1 June 2019.

Hanover is one of Northern Germany’s largest cities and hosts several important fair and trade events throughout the calendar year.

The city will be Finnair’s seventh destination in Germany as the airline already flies year-round to Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart.

We are very excited to open a new route to Hanover and to continue our growth and expansion into Germany as it is a very important market for Finnair.

We’ve also significantly increased our presence in the German market for the upcoming 2018 summer season by adding approximately 35 percent capacity compared to last summer, said Juha Järvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Finnair.

Additional capacity is also being added for the 2019 summer season on some popular European routes.

Finnair will add four weekly frequencies to Barcelona from the beginning of June until the end of the summer season.

An additional frequency will be added to Reykjavik, making it a daily destination for the entire summer season. In addition, an additional daily frequency will be added to Warsaw on both Saturdays and Sundays.

The airline is also adding capacity on its Helsinki-Dubai route for the upcoming winter 2018 season.

One weekly frequency will be added which means Finnair will fly seven weekly frequencies to Dubai.

In addition, two of the weekly frequencies will now be operated with a A350, instead of a narrow-body aircraft.

Flying some of the Dubai frequencies with the A350 during the winter season will also allow us to offer our Finnair Business Class product with full-flat seats on this popular leisure and business route, Juha Järvinen said.


Tourism Observer

ITALY: Air Italy To Commence Flights To US June 1 to JFK And Miami June 8

Italy’s newest airline is ready to launch long-haul flights under its new callsign, new colors, and recently acquired Airbus A330-200 to New York (JFK) and Miami (MIA).

Air Italy flights to the US will begin on June 1 to JFK and June 8 to MIA.

As the Italian carrier initiates its long-haul adventure under Qatar Airways’ watch, Airways will test its new premium service on both inaugural flights from New York and to Miami.

The Doha-based carrier purchased 49% of Meridiana’s shares back in February this year, then transforming the airline into Air Italy.

Qatar Airways not only invested in the small Italian airline; it also boosted its operations by leasing them five Airbus A330s, which will initiate Air Italy’s international expansion while 30 factory-fresh Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners are assembled and delivered from Boeing’s plant in Everett.

The first ex-Qatar Airways Airbus A330-200 was delivered to Air Italy on May 17, right after the plane was towed out of the painting hangar in Dublin, Ireland, sporting a fresh livery.

The remaining four A330s will arrive in the upcoming months.

On top of these wide-body planes, 20 Boeing 737 MAX 8s will join the Italian airline to boost its domestic and regional networks through 2022, replacing the aging 737NGs in the airline’s fleet.

The first 737 MAX was officially delivered at Boeing’s Delivery Center in Paine Field Airport (PAE) on May 11, arriving in Italy the following morning.

Since then, Air Italy has deployed the aircraft on several domestic runs numerous times per day, including trips from MXP to Naples (NAP), Palermo (PMO), and one hop to Hamburg (HAM).

According to an Air Italy spokesperson, the plane might be deployed on future flights to the airline’s headquarters in Olbia, Sardinia. Airways will also report live from that flight.

The first A330 will then be deployed on the airline’s inaugural trip to JFK on June 1, under flight IG901, departing Milan-Malpensa (MXP) at 13:10, arriving in JFK at 16:00.

The return flight from JFK will depart at 20:30 under the callsign IG902, arriving the following morning at 10:35.

Through the airline’s website, Air Italy offers its passengers to accrue British Airways/Iberia Avios on all their flights.

Likewise, Air Italy will deploy its recently-painted A330 on the inaugural MXP-MIA route on June 8.

Flight IG903 will depart MXP at 13:00, arriving in MIA at 17:45. The return flight leaves MIA at 19:45, landing in Milan the following morning at 11:10.

Airways will also cover the inaugural MXP-MIA flight, with reporters both in the air and on the ground.

Flights to Miami are offered four times per week, whereas flights to New York are set to depart on a daily basis.

Stay tuned for more news and follow all Airways social media feeds for live coverage of these events.


Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Germania Launches New Routes

Germania has commenced its first services to the French island of Corsica during the last seven days.

Weekly flights (Saturdays) from Dresden (DRS) and Nuremberg (NUE) were started to Bastia (BIA), the second busiest airport on the island after Ajaccio.

The 1,007-kilometre sector from the former airport will be flown by the airline’s 737-700s, while the service from the latter facility will be operated by a mix of Germania’s A320 family.

Both routes were launched on 19 May and neither faces any direct competition.

Germania, on 26 April, launched direct flights between Dresden (DRS) and St. Petersburg (LED).

The capital city of the state of Saxony became a new destination in the Russian airport’s route network and the seventh German city with direct scheduled service.

The LCC operates the city pair twice-weekly with its 737-700 fleet, leaving from the German city on Thursdays and Sundays and the return flights departing Russia on Fridays and Mondays.

In addition to Dresden, St. Petersburg offers direct connections to such German cities as Berlin Schonefeld and Tegel airports by Rossiya Airlines and S7 Airlines respectively.

Hamburg and Dusseldorf by Rossiya, Munich by Rossiya and Lufthansa.

Frankfurt by Lufthansa and Ural Airlines and Cologne Bonn by Pobeda. There is no direct competition on this sector.

Germania now serves the Vienna (VIE) to Rostock (RLG) route twice-weekly (Fridays and Sundays) from 26 May.

The flights, operated by an A319, depart from Rostock at 11:50 and land in Vienna at 13:20, and leave the Austrian capital at 14:05 and arrive back in the Hanseatic city at 15:35.

We are pleased to welcome a new airline at Vienna Airport, namely Germania.

The new route to Rostock makes it even easier for passengers to reach the northern part of Germany, says Julian Jager, Member of the Management Board of Vienna Airport.

The route faces no direct competition. The day before, the airline began weekly (Thursdays) rotations between Hamburg (HAM) and Varna (VAR).

Flown by Germania’s A319 fleet, the city pair will encounter resistance from incumbent SunExpress Germany, which also flies the route on a weekly basis.

The last of the trio of new routes commenced by the airline on 23 May was the addition of another route from its recently opened Palma de Mallorca (PMI) base.

Germania added a twice-weekly (Tuesdays and Fridays) service to Montpellier (MPL) on 23 May. Operated by the carrier’s 737-700 fleet, the 459-kilometre sector will face no direct competition.

Germania has commenced two new routes from Germany this week. The airline began weekly (Fridays) operations from Düsseldorf (DUS) to Gazipasa-Alanya (GZP) in Turkey.

The 2,617-kilometre sector will be flown by Germania’s A319 fleet. By contrast, its twice-weekly (Mondays and Thursdays) operation from Nuremberg (NUE) to Athens (ATH), will be flown on its 737-700s. Neither route faces any direct competition.

Germania has based a second aircraft at Berlin Schonefeld (SXF), and is using the fresh capacity to re-start weekly services (Fridays) to Sharm El Sheikh (SSH), thereby reviving a route between the German capital and the Red Sea resort that has not been available for four-and-a-half years.

The following day the carrier also began services to Fuerteventura (FUE), a route that will operate on a twice-weekly basis (Tuesdays and Saturdays).

Unlike the Egyptian sector, the Spanish city pair will see direct competition from Ryanair (twice-weekly) and Condor (weekly).

Both routes will be flown by the carrier’s 737-700 fleet. Additional new features in Germania’s winter flight schedule from Schönefeld include increased capacity to Hurghada and a new route to Gran Canaria which launches next week.

The airline is committed to a policy for growth at this base, as well as Berlin Tegel.

Germania will achieve 400% growth in Berlin, commented Clauspeter Schwarz, Germania’s COO. This is our response to market changes and a greater presence in the capital.

Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, CEO of Berlin Brandenburg said: We are very pleased with the increased commitment of Germania to Berlin.

The wider range of flight offerings, the development of its bases at our two locations, as well as the maintenance operations at Schonefeld make the airline a key partner for us.”


Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Ryanair Boeing 737-800 Flight From Barcelona To Hamburg Overrun Runway

Ryanair Boeing 737-800, performing flight from Barcelona to Hamburg, landed on Hamburg’s runway 05 following a non-precision approach but overran the displaced end of the runway.

The aircraft vacated the runway via taxiway E6 instead of last usable exit A6 and taxied to the apron.

The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Hamburg for 7 hours before returning to service.

On May 17th 2018 Germany’s DFS (ATC Provider) reported the aircraft was unable to stop before the last exit A6 and vacated via the next exit immediately before the begining of the reconstruction works.

The area between A6 and E6 was kept clear as a safety buffer zone, hence no machinery, men or other obstacles were on the runway in this area and no critical situation arose.

Like all runway excursions this occurrence is being investigated internally by the DFS.

Airport and the works permitting authorities (LBA) have been informed about the runway excursion.

Meanwhile, Ryanair passengers will soon have less time to check-in unless they pay extra to reserve their seat.

The budget airline said its check-in window for passengers who have not paid for reserved seating will shrink from four days to 48 hours starting June 13.

But if customers pay for a reserved seat, which costs from £4 about $5.50 each way but rises to £15 about $20 for seats with more leg room, they will be allowed to check in up to 60 days before flying.

Passengers who turn up at the airport and have not already checked in online will be charged an extra £55 about $74.

The latest rule change comes just months after a controversial baggage policy change.

Passengers now have to pay £5 about $6.75 for priority boarding to avoid having their main cabin bag checked in to the hold at their departure gate.

The new check-in policy could encourage travellers on weekend breaks to pay for reserved seating or be forced to find ways to check in online while they are on holiday.

In 2016, passengers could check in for free up to a week before departure, but this was cut to four days and will now move to 48 hours.

The airline has also faced widespread criticism for its seat allocation policy when passengers haven't paid to reserve a seat.

Many couples travelling together have reported finding themselves seated at opposite ends of the aircraft despite Ryanair claiming that the allocation policy is random.

A Ryanair spokesman said Online check-in for those customers who don’t choose reserved seats will be available from 48 hours to 2 hours pre-departure for all flights from Wednesday, 13th June.

This is double the 24 hour check-in period operated by Aer Lingus, British Airways, Lufthansa, Norwegian and Iberia.

This will give reserve seat customers more time to select their preferred seats prior to departure.


Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Aircraft Interiors Expo, Airbus Wins 2 Awards

Airbus has won in two categories in this year’s Crystal Cabin Award for the first time at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany.

The winning projects are the ‘ReTrolley’ in the Greener Cabin, Health, Safety and Environment category, and the ‘Smart Cabin Reconfiguration’ in the Passenger Comfort Hardware category. Airbus received two additional awards for partnering in the ‘Smart Onboard Wheelchair’ in the University category and the ‘Octaspring Lightweight Seat Cushion’ in the Material & Components category.

“Winning several categories at the aviation’s ‘Oscars’ shows that we are constantly pushing the latest in innovative cabin design solutions,” said Ingo Wuggetzer, vice president Airbus Cabin Marketing. “This means we stay true to our Airspace principles, delivering comfort and benefits to both passengers and airlines.”

Charles Champion, Executive Vice President Engineering, added: “The awards also demonstrate that we strive with our partners to continuously innovate for our customers and passengers worldwide. I am proud of the teams that have worked really hard and I congratulate them on their well-deserved success.”

Octaspring Lightweight Seat Cushion

Cabin comfort is one of the top priorities for passengers and designers constantly seek to maximise it. In cooperation with Studio Moderna, Boxmark, and Stelia, Airbus has found a way to enhance seat comfort and save weight at the same time.

The breathable Octaspring seat cushion featuring coil springs made of foam uses different levels of density to optimally distribute the passenger's body weight over the entire seat.

It also helps to keep the seating surface cool through better ventilation inside the cushion. This cushion is about a third lighter than an all-foam cushion, equalises pressure and facilitates an ergonomic seating position.

The Crystal Cabin Award is the leading international award for excellence in aircraft interior innovation, sponsored by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. A total of 85 applicants from 21 nations entered their latest innovations in the competition across seven categories.

ReTrolley

ReTrolley separates waste as it is collected in the aisle, reducing its volume by up to 30% through manual compression.

This saves space in the galley and increases the share of recyclable waste as airlines are looking for new and simple solutions that reduce the cabin’s ecological footprint. Only separated recyclable waste can actually be recycled.

The ReTrolley solution is based on a concept first designed by students of the University of São Paulo and later advanced by Airbus Innovations experts.

As part of the Airbus BizLab Accelerator programme, the concept was validated with airlines last year using a demonstrator.

Smart Onboard Wheelchair

For passengers with limited mobility, independence on board an aircraft is highly desirable. This is made possible with the Smart Onboard Wheelchair which the passenger can roll over the toilet seat unassisted. Structural changes to the aircraft lavatory are not required.

The wheelchair was designed by students of the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences supported by Airbus experts. The project was tested by wheelchair users. Their verdict: easy to handle, stable, and safe.

Smart Cabin Reconfiguration

At least three seats remain unoccupied on many flights. Now, passengers can benefit from it. The Smart Cabin Reconfiguration project frees up space in A320 Family cabins without much effort.

It uses movable seats designed in cooperation with seat manufacturer Recaro.

Selected rail-mounted seat rows, designed in cooperation with THK, enable cabin crew to adjust seat pitch based on flight reservation data – within turnaround time.

A member of the cabin crew can fold away one seat row and then quickly move those in front of it just like a car seat. Passengers in these seats benefit from more legroom.

GERMANY: Towns You May Wish To Visit In Germany

Germany is one of the most in-demand tourist destinations in the world, as tourists from the world over flock to experience the history, culture and sense of grandeur embodied by Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and other great cities.

Going beyond the big cities like Berlin, Munich and Hamburg, we delve deeper into the German hinterland to find some of its undiscovered gems. From quaint medieval towns to breathtaking natural beauty, Germany's got it all.

Even smaller towns like Heidelberg and Regensburg have become ever more popular stops on the tourist trail.

That's why we're bringing you the ten most beautiful German towns you've probably never heard of, so that you when you're planning your next trip you can enjoy unspoilt charm in the serenity it deserves.

The stunning beauty of certain regions like Bavaria and the Rhineland is well documented, but the northern and eastern states also have incredible places up their sleeves.

Because so many German towns and cities were flattened during the war, places that were left unscathed and still have their original old towns are all the more marked out by their rarity.

While over 70 million people visited Germany from abroad in 2014, a record high, Germans themselves also like to explore their own back yard, perhaps a tribute to the tremendous variety.

GERMANY: Berlin Hunts Down On Airbnb Rentals

Berlin from Sunday began restricting private property rentals through Airbnb and similar online platforms, threatening hefty fines in a controversial move meant to keep housing affordable for locals.

The German capital fears that the growing trend of people letting out apartments to tourists through sites such as Airbnb, Wimdu and 9Flats is cutting into a limited property supply and driving up rents.

From May 1, the city-state will enact a new law known by the German mouthful of “Zweckentfremdungsverbot”, or prohibition of improper use.

It is “a necessary and sensible instrument against the housing shortage in Berlin,” said Andreas Geisel, Berlin’s head of urban development.

“I am absolutely determined to return such misappropriated apartments to the people of Berlin and to newcomers,” he said.

Rents in Berlin shot up 56 per cent between 2009 and 2014, although at around 10 euros (Dh42.04) per square metre this year, they are relatively low compared to other major European cities.

Given that it is more profitable to rent out whole apartments for short holiday lets, some investors are holding on to apartments for such rentals rather than having long-term tenants.

San Francisco-based Airbnb.com — short for the business’s original name AirBed & Breakfast — is the biggest of several sites that allow people to offer and find such rental accommodation worldwide.

While Berlin has become one of Europe’s top travel destinations, with 30.2 million overnight stays last year, the Airbnb trend has also impacted the local hotel industry.

According to research firm GBI, the private online bookings represent a “parallel market of an additional 6.1 million” overnight stays a year.

The new law was passed in 2014 and provided for a two-year transition period that ended on April 30, after which owners are only allowed to rent out rooms via such portals, not entire flats or houses.

Offenders can face fines of up to 100,000 euros.

To catch them, the city has even appealed to the “civic spirit” of its residents and asked them to anonymously report any suspected misuse online.

Tim Boening, a 41-year-old artists’ agent who rents out a loft in the trendy Kreuzberg district, said he wasn’t shocked by the new law, given the practices he has witnessed.

There is, for example, “the nice couple with two small apartments who move in together into a bigger place and keep the two apartments to rent them out on Airbnb,” he said.

“I don’t think that’s good, it should be stopped,” he said, as these apartments are not available to “normal” tenants.

Marika, 48, couldn’t agree less and is furious about the change, having long rented out four apartments near the centre of Berlin via Airbnb.

She believed that the city is making Berliners pay for its failed housing policy while serving the needs of the hotel industry.

“This is unfair, we are forbidden from doing our work,” said Marika — not her real name.

The only impact, she argued, would be that some groups, especially families, will simply stay away.

She was especially angry about the request to turn in offenders, saying that “in Germany, of all places, maybe we should reconsider this kind of thing,” in reference to the Nazi and former East German communist dictatorship in which denouncing others was common practice.

Airbnb Germany said “Berliners want clear and simple rules for home sharing, so they can continue to share their own home with guests”.

The practice differs from other types of accommodation “and helps many Berliners pay their rent,” spokesman Julian Trautwein said in a statement.

“We will continue to encourage Berlin policymakers to listen to their citizens and to follow the example of other big cities such as Paris, London, Amsterdam or Hamburg and create new, clear rules for normal people who are sharing their own homes.”

Wimdu has meanwhile filed a suit, arguing the law breaches the constitution of the city-state of Berlin.

And the owners of start-up 9Flats said they had sold the brand to a Singapore company.

“We face a law in Berlin that would drive us into bankruptcy,” its boss Roman Bach told the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Several property owners who use Airbnb have formed the “Apartments Allianz” to push back against the charge they are evil capitalists growing rich on the backs of fellow Berliners.

Rather, they say, they have offered “an attractive, varied range of beautiful and individual apartments”, and have through their personal hospitality “significantly contributed to a positive image for Berlin”.

They say they are “not international players, but working in Berlin for Berlin”.

SWITZERLAND: Rezidor Buys Prizeotel

The Rezidor Hotel Group has announced its entry into the economy segment through the acquisition of a 49% stake of prizeotel for a price of €14.7m and has secured further rights including the acquisition of the remaining 51% in 4 years from now. Prizeotel is a dynamic start-up company – a young hotel chain with currently 3 operating properties in Germany and 1 further hotel under development. The brand was founded by Marco Nussbaum and co-created with New York-based industrial designer Karim Rashid.

“We are delighted to partner with prizeotel, an entrepreneurial and creative economy brand. It ideally complements our compelling brand portfolio currently ranging from mid-scale to luxury, and facilitates our responsiveness to the evolving needs of our guests. With this transaction, we now offer additional choices and opportunities to both our customers and owners”, said Wolfgang M. Neumann, President & CEO of Rezidor at the International Hotel Investment Forum IHIF in Berlin. “The acquisition allows us a fast-paced entry to the economy segment – an increasingly attractive sector due to its rapid development opportunities and resilience to the economic cycles. Prizeotel is a commercial success story and has differentiated itself through innovative urban design, tech-savvy focus, personal touch and unique team culture – a total fit to Rezidor”, added Neumann.

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much. I am glad to partner with Rezidor to transform prizeotel from a local player to an international economy brand. Having started our journey back in 2009, we will now write the next chapter of our unconventional success story. I am happy, proud, chilled and especially thankful for the work and dedication each team member of prizeotel as well as all our partners have put into creating this unique brand”, said Marco Nussbaum, CEO of prizeotel. “The current owners of prizeotel’s real estate will keep the properties and plan to invest in further projects”, ended Nussbaum.

Following the purchase, which will be closed during the next few weeks, Rezidor and prizeotel plan an integrated approach towards the brand’s Business Development as well as Sales, Marketing & Distribution. Prizeotel will continue to be led by Marco Nussbaum, and his team who retain full responsibility for the business. Rezidor will steer key strategic aspects through its shareholding governance represented by Wolfgang M. Neumann. An integrated development and commercial support will be in place to accelerate the pursuit of growth opportunities and optimise business support for prizeotel.

“Combining and cross-fertilizing prizeotel’s market and brand knowledge with Rezidor’s international expertise will unlock value for both organisations. We will initially grow the German network and target key cities in Austria, Switzerland and BeNeLux primarily through leases, but also management agreements. Prizeotel will offer a unique investment proposition with its compelling design, value-engineered development costs, high operating efficiencies and an optional turn-key construction solution”, commented Elie Younes, Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer of Rezidor.

Prizeotel currently operates 3 hotels with a total of 555 rooms in Hamburg, Hannover and Bremen. Exclusively designed by Karim Rashid, these signature hotels feature an appealing, futuristic look and put a focus on technology as well as hassle-free service for business and leisure guests seeking individual experiences at great value for money. An extension of the property in Hamburg and a second hotel in Hamburg-Reeperbahn were also announced today.

SWITZERLAND: SWISS Feb – Aug 2016 Boeing 777 European Operations

In recent schedule update, SWISS has further updated planned Boeing 777-300ER operation within Europe, which sees the 777 also scheduled to operate service to Athens, Prague and Venice, while overall 777 European operation extended into August 2016.

As of 17DEC15, planned 777-300ER European operation as follow.

eff 08FEB16 Zurich – Geneva LX2802/2807, 777-300ER operation extended until August 2016
08FEB16 – 18FEB16 Day x6
19FEB16 – 25MAR16 Day 357 (Except 12MAR16 – 19MAR16)
27MAR16 Day 7
29MAR16 – 06APR16 Day x4
07APR16 – 29AUG16 Daily

on 24MAR16, 777-300ER will operate service LX2806/2811

eff 08FEB16 Zurich – Barcelona LX1956/1957, 777-300ER operation added in late-March 2016
08FEB16 – 18FEB16 Day x56
19FEB16 – 25FEB16 Day 245
01MAR16 – 10MAR16 Day 24
22MAR16 – 24MAR16 Day 24

eff 08FEB16 Zurich – Frankfurt LX1072/1073, 777-300ER operation added in May and June 2016
08FEB16 – 19FEB16 Day x6
23FEB16 – 22MAR16 Day 24
03MAY16 – 06MAY16 Day 25
01JUN16 – 08JUN16 Day x67

eff 12FEB16 Zurich – London Heathrow No changes to planned 777-300ER operation
LX326/327 12FEB16 / 13FEB16 / 20FEB16
LX318/319 13FEB16 / 20FEB16

eff 27FEB16 Zurich – Athens LX1830/1831, 777-300ER operation added for this route
27FEB16 – 26MAR16 Day 6
17APR16 – 01MAY16 Day 7
07MAY16 – 05JUN16 Day 67
03JUL16 Day 7

eff 27FEB16 Zurich – Hanover 777-300ER moving 2 weeks earlier instead of mid-March 2016, while operation extended into August 2016
LX814/815
13MAR16 – 18MAR16 Day 357
01APR16 – 07APR16 Day x1
09APR16 – 13APR16 Day 367
20APR16 – 27APR16 Day 3
01MAY16 – 09MAY16 Day x56
16MAY16 – 23MAY16 Day 1
01JUN16 – 08JUN16 Daily
01JUL16 – 08JUL16 Daily
01AUG16 – 08AUG16 Daily

LX828/829
27FEB16 – 14MAR16 Day 6
15MAR16 – 17MAR16 Day 246
18MAR16 – 26MAR16 Day 6
02APR16 – 09APR16 Day 46
24APR16 – 29APR16 Day 257
05MAY16 Day 4

eff 01APR16 Zurich – Prague 777-300ER operation added for this route
LX1486/1487
01APR16 – 07APR16 Daily
09APR16 – 15APR16 Day x14
19APR16 – 29APR16 Day 235
01MAY16 – 09MAY16 Day x6
11MAY16 – 03JUN16 Day x67
04JUN16 – 09JUN16 Day x5
01JUL16 – 08JUL16 Day x7
01AUG16 – 07AUG16 Daily

LX1498/1499
01APR16 – 06APR16 Day x467
15APR16 – 22APR16 Day 5
01MAY16 – 08MAY16 Day x34
13MAY16 – 28MAY16 Day 56
01JUN16 – 08JUN16 Daily

eff 03APR16 Zurich – Venice 777-300ER operation added for this route
LX1664/1665
03APR16 – 10APR16 Day 7
12APR16 – 19APR16 Day 27
01MAY16 – 08MAY16 Day x146
11MAY16 – 02JUN16 Day x56 (No 777 service on 23MAY16)
04JUN16 – 08JUN16 Day x45
01JUL16 – 08JUL16 Daily
01AUG16 – 07AUG16 Daily

777-300ER also scheduled to operate LX1660/1661 on 06MAY16

SWISS’ planned 777-300ER operation to Hamburg and Malaga on Saturdays, between 27FEB16 and 26MAR16, is now cancelled.

GERMANY: Intersky And Minoan Air Stop Flying

Two European regional airlines have stopped flying this week as the summer peak demand turns into winter over supply of flights.

Intersky the German carrier, which flew domestic scheduled services from Friedrichshafen Airport to Cologne/Bonn, Dusseldorf, Berlin Tegel and Hamburg Fuhlsbühl and international flights from Zurich to Graz and Salzburg has decided to call it a day and grounded its fleet of two ATR72-600s and three Dash 8-300s

In a similar story, Minoan Air based in Heraklion in Greece, has suspended operations but hopefully this is only temporary with its fleet of four four Fokker 50s aircraft which had operated scheduled services between Athens, Heraklion, Alexandroupolis, Rhodes, Thessaloniki, Kos, Mytilene, Mykonos, and Santorini grounded for the timebeing pending a corporate reorganisation.

Alternative Airlines can provide alternative ways of flying between all these destinations and we specialise in helping passengers book and travel on less well known carriers throughout the world. As a specialist we can guide passengers with access to up to date information on what is happening in the comlex world of airlines, we are our your experts in air travel.

With our new, exciting subsidary site, self connect.flights we have a unique service - on-line and telephone bookings for the discerning traveller.

A320neo Launch Customer Lufthansa, Not Qatar. IndiGo Now Third.

Air Transport World is reporting that Airbus will deliver the first A320neo (new engine option) to German flag carrier Lufthansa and not Qatar Airways as originally planned. India’s IndiGo which was expected to be the second operator to receive deliveries will now be moved to third slot.

The last minute change has been necessitated due to the ongoing problems which require the the Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1100G Geared Turbo Fan (GTF) engine to be run for three minutes in idle condition after start-up before commencing taxi. Qatar is unwilling to accept the aircraft with these restrictions, and while Pratt is working on making the needed hardware and software changes, it will take a few weeks and would cause Airbus to miss its commitment of delivering the first A320neo in 2015.

Lufthansa will be financially compensated for the mandated three minute idle, but there are some regulatory issues that need to be sorted out. If all is settled, expect the first A320neo to be delivered from Hamburg on December 22, 2015.

India’s largest domestic airline, IndiGo, which has placed firm orders for 430 neos with options for 100 more, again powered by the Pratt engine will slip to third place. Either Airbus did afford the opportunity to IndiGo like it did Lufthansa, or the regulatory hurdles with India’s civil aviation regulator would cause an unacceptable delay, or the airline refused, just like Qatar did.

Whatever the reason, the arrival of the neos in India will be delayed by a few weeks.

FRANCE: Airbus To Boost A320 Production To 60 A Month In Mid-2019

To match ongoing high demand for its bestselling A320 Family, Airbus has taken the decision to further increase the production rate of the Single Aisle Family to 60 aircraft a month in mid-2019. The decision follows thorough studies on production ramp-up readiness in the supply chain and in Airbus sites to allow the ramp-up.

To enable the ramp-up Airbus will extend its capacity in Hamburg with the creation of an additional production line. In parallel Airbus will integrate cabin furnishing activities for A320 aircraft produced in Toulouse into the Final Assembly Line in Toulouse, and thereby harmonising the production process across all A320 Family Final Assembly Lines worldwide.

“The growing Single Aisle demand and impressive backlog for both CEOs and NEOs led us to decide on a further ramp-up,” said Didier Evrard, Executive Vice President Programmes. “I am confident that we have the highest skilled teams and the right solutions in place to gradually move to the highest production rate ever achieved in civil aviation history.”

The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling single aisle product line with over 12,200 orders since launch and more than 6,700 aircraft delivered to more than 300 operators worldwide. Thanks to their widest cabin, all members of the A320 Family offer unmatched comfort in all classes and Airbus’ 18” wide seats in economy as standard. With one aircraft in four sizes (A318, A319, A320 & A321), the A320 Family, seating from 100 to 240 passengers, seamlessly covers the entire single-aisle segment from low to high-density domestic to longer range routes.

The A320neo Family incorporates latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklet wing tip devices, which together deliver more than 15 percent in fuel savings from day one and 20 percent by 2020 with further cabin innovations. With over 4,300 orders received from more than 75 customers since its launch in 2010, the A320neo Family has captured almost 60 percent share of the market.

BELGIUM: Brussels Airlines Flys To Bremen

On 14 September, Bremen Airport celebrated the arrival of Brussels Airlines’ new five times weekly service from the Belgian capital. Flights on the 377-kilometre will operate daily Monday through Friday.

Brussels Airlines launched services between Brussels (BRU) and Bremen (BRE) on 14 September. The 377-kilometre sector will operate five times weekly (Monday through Friday), with the airport pair facing no incumbent carriers. Services will be flown using ERJ 145s according to OAG Schedules Analyser data, operated for Brussels Airlines by bmi regional. Brussels Airlines already serves Berlin Tegel, Hamburg and Hannover in Germany with non-stop flights. In total the Star Alliance carrier now serves 76 destinations non-stop from its Belgian hub.

SPAIN: Iberia Express Grows By 8.4% From Madrid Since Last Year;

Iberia Express launched its latest route to the UK from Madrid on the 8 September in the form of a thrice-weekly service to Manchester, a sector that will then operate twice-weekly from the end of October for the remainder of W15/16. The carrier, a subsidiary of Spain’s national carrier, Iberia, also serves Edinburgh and London Gatwick from the Spanish capital, with the airline also serving London Heathrow from other Spanish airports.

Iberia Express was set up on 6 October 2011 by IAG, and commenced its first flight operations on 25 March 2012. The main intention of the airline was to operate European routes that were unprofitable when flown by mainline Iberia, and to make them viable by the new carrier operating the sectors with lower running costs. In its short history, Iberia Express has become the fourth biggest airline to fly from Madrid, with over 6 million passengers having flown and 50,000 flights operated within the carrier’s first two years of operation. In 2013, a report by FlightStats confirmed that Iberia Express tops all other European airlines in terms of punctuality. The airline operates an all-A320 fleet, of which a majority have been passed to the company from mainline Iberia.

Iberia Express is Madrid’s #4 largest carrier
Iberia Express remains the fourth largest airline from Madrid (highlighted in Iberia Express colours in the table above) in S15, the same position it held last year. What is interesting to note however is that mainline Iberia (highlighted in Iberia colours), the number one carrier from the Spanish capital, has seen a greater growth in seat capacity in the past 12 months of 9.5% when compared with that of Iberia Express’ 8.3%. Overall, Iberia Express occupies 7.8% of seat capacity from Madrid, down only 0.1% from the 7.9% which it occupied last year, a result of Madrid seeing two additional carriers operating services from the facility according to OAG.

Tenerife North overtakes Santiago de Compostela
After reporting a growth in seat capacity over the past 12 months of 9.8%, the 1,770-kilometre sector to Tenerife North overtakes Santiago de Compostela to become the carrier’s number one route from its Madrid hub, although the latter is also reporting growth of 3.3% in seat capacity. Since last year, three new airports have entered the top 12 when compared to the same time period of 2014 (highlighted in light green), with Frankfurt (no longer served by Iberia Express), Malaga and Tenerife South no longer being in the top 12. London Gatwick goes straight into the top 12 at ninth spot, tied with Berlin Tegel, after the airline launched services to the airport from the Spanish capital on 28 March according to OAG, operating with an 11 times weekly frequency. Also joining the top 12 party from Madrid are Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, two routes which have both been operated by Iberia Express since the airline commenced service.

Destinations double since operations commenced
Iberia Express in 2012 served a total of 16 destinations from Madrid, this number has now risen to 31 destinations in 2015. From the destination split, the majority of routes served are Spanish domestic services. Of the international country markets served by Iberia Express from Madrid, the average amount of airports served is two. This shows the importance of the Spanish domestic market within Iberia Express’ operation, a market that faces strong competition from ULCC Ryanair. Soon Iberia Express will face strong competition from Norwegian, which is planning to start domestic services to Gran Canaria and Tenerife North during the start of W15/16 season from the Spanish capital. The latest route launched by Iberia Express from Madrid was to Manchester on 8 September.

Services operated alongside mainline Iberia
An analysis of OAG Schedules Analyser data for September 2015 reveals that only three routes of Iberia Express’ operation from Madrid are operated alongside mainline Iberia operations. The destinations are Athens, Düsseldorf and Gran Canaria.

Iberia Express currently has no new routes planned for S16 from its Madrid hub, and it is also worth noting that neither does mainline Iberia, making it interesting to think as to what cities will be the next destinations for the subsidiary. When looking at Iberia Express’ route map (as shown below), we can see that there is a very even geographical spread in relation to the location of western European airports served by the carrier, with key capital cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, London and Paris being served from Madrid. Of the international routes served from Madrid, eight are capital cities. In relation to the potential future routes for Iberia Express, the main focus will possibly be the transfer of services from mainline Iberia to Express which could potential include Brussels, Budapest (launched 2 June), Florence, Hamburg, Milan (Linate or Malpensa), and Rome Fiumicino.

In relation to new routes for the Iberia group that have the potential to be served under the Express brand, one could be Oslo Gardermoen, a European capital currently not served by mainline and is currently only served by Norwegian. With Iberia Express having oneworld alliance advantages opening up connections to Latin and South America, it would give them the edge over Norwegian on the sector. Another potential destination would be Helsinki, which is currently served by fellow oneworld member Finnair. It is worth noting though that LCC Norwegian also operates to the Finnish capital.

Within the domestic network, the key route most likely to be transferred from mainline is Barcelona. With this lucrative domestic route seeing strong declines in traffic since the development of high speed rail, the national carrier may want to reduce costs on the city pair by using the Express model to help increase profit margins, operating alongside Vueling. Other potential domestic routes that could be switched from mainline to Express include A Coruña, Asturias and Santander.

As of September 2015, Iberia Express’s destinations consist of 14 domestic and 18 international airports. All flights depart, arrive and connect in Madrid, except for the following routes: Vigo-Tenerife North, Asturias-Tenerife North, Tenerife North-London Heathrow, Tenerife North-Lyon and Gran Canaria-London Heathrow.

BELGIUM:VLM connects Antwerp to Birmingham

The airline VLM Airlines has announced a new route between Antwerp and Birmingham.

The flights depart three times a week, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11:35, arrival at 12:05 (one and a half hour flight), return flights starting again at 14:30 Birmingham for an arrival at 17:00 in Antwerp. "There are strong commercial synergies "between Antwerp and Birmingham, said Steve Blair, operations manager at VLM Airlines citing the fashion industries, diamond, automotive and chemicals." We are confident that this new route will be attractive for people looking for a city break and can be used as a gateway to Bruges, Ghent and Brussels, all less than an hour from Antwerp, "he said. From Antwerp, VLM already serves Geneva, Hamburg and Southampton. Antwerp is also served by CityJet (from London-City) and Jetairfly.

Recall that the Belgian airline, which has regular services to seven destinations in five countries, including Geneva, Hamburg, Southampton, Waterford and London Luton. early June announced its withdrawal from Liege Airport in Belgium with the cancellation of the four routes to Avignon, Nice, Bologna and Venice. Its fleet consists of 11 Fokker 50 configured for 50 seats. In addition to regular flights, it continues to offer charter flights and ACMI including on behalf of CityJet or Aurigny.