The percentage of flight delays at the nation's largest airlines rose in July compared with a year ago, the government said Tuesday -- a reflection of rising travel demand, some bad weather and increased use of smaller planes.
The airline industry's on-time performance in the first seven months of 2007 was its worst since comparable data began being collected in 1995. July's on-time performance was the 11th worst on record.
The 20 carriers reported an on-time arrival rate of 69.8 percent in July, down from 73.7 percent a year ago, according to the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Through July, more than 25 percent of flights have arrived late.
'When we continue to see these record delays, it disappoints us ... and certainly lets our customers down, but we're not surprised by the numbers,' said David Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association, whose members include Continental Airlines Inc., Delta, American, UAL Corp.'s United, Southwest Airlines Co. and JetBlue Airways Corp.
Despite the delays, the association forecast 15.7 million passengers would travel globally on U.S. airlines during the extended Labor Day period through Wednesday, a 2.6 percent increase from the year-ago period, according to the trade group.
Regional carriers also have seen their work load increase, having served 155.7 million passengers last year, up 38 percent from 2003, according to the Washington-based Regional Airline Association. Those carriers, which include Mesa Air Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc.'s Comair subsidiary, operated at nearly 74 percent of capacity on average last year, up from 66 percent four years ago.
The extra burden on smaller planes, as well as an increase in general aviation aircraft used by corporate travelers, adds to congestion in the skies and on runways.
Castelveter said a planned upgrade of the system used to manage commercial and general aviation traffic will help reduce air and runway congestion.
The FAA last week awarded a ITT Corp. a contract worth up to $1.8 billion to build the first portion of a new satellite-based air traffic control system. However, the entire project is expected to take nearly 20 years to complete and cost more than $15 billion.
Meantime, weather conditions caused more than 43 percent of delays in July, an increase of nearly 11 percent from the year-ago period, according to the government data.
Hawaiian Holdings Inc.'s Hawaiian Airlines had the highest on-time arrival rate at 94.7 percent, followed by Aloha Airlines at 91.5 percent and Pinnacle Airlines at 78.9 percent.
Almost half of Atlantic Southeast Airlines were delayed and it had the lowest on-time arrival rate at 54.2 percent, followed by Comair at 62.4 percent and AMR Corp.'s American Airlines at 63.4 percent. Atlantic Southeast, which is owned by SkyWest Inc., is a Delta Connection carrier.
The rates of mishandled baggage and customer complaints also rose in July, according to the government data.
04 September 2007
16 August 2007
Cheap Flights from UK to Spain
Have you wondered which airlines offer the cheapest flights to Spain? Here’s a list of low cost carriers which provide cheap fares from UK airports to the most popular destinations in Spain.
Air Berlin
Based in Germany, it is the third biggest low cost airline in Europe, and offers cheap flights from London Stansted to Barcelona, Palma, Ibiza and Malaga.
bmi baby
A British low-cost airline and a subsidiary of British Midland, it flies from its main bases at East Midlands, Manchester, Cardiff, and Birmingham International to numbers of destinations in Spain – Alicante, Barcelona, Ibiza, Malaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca.
EasyJet
Europe’s second largest low cost airline operates routes to Spain from all regions of the UK. EasyJet is one of the cheapest ways to fly from almost any UK airport to Barcelona, Madrid, Alicante, Almeria, Malaga, Bilbao, Murcia and many more.
Excel Airways
It is one of the UK's largest charter airlines and connects Cardiff in Wales, Glasgow in Scotland and seven cities in England to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga and Murcia on the south coast of Spain.
FlyGlobespan
The leading Scottish low cost airline flies from Glasgow and Edinburgh to the most popular tourist destinations in Spain including Alicante, Barcelona, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Menorca, Malaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, and Tenerife.
Jet2
This UK low cost airline offers budget flights to Barcelona, Valencia and other coastal destinations in Spain from Leeds Bradford, Manchester, and Belfast International in Northern Ireland.
Monarch
The airline connects six aiports in England and Scotland to the south coast of Spain. Unlike most of the UK low cost carriers, Monarch flies to Granada and Gibraltar. The airline also offers cheap flights to Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands and to Mallorca and Menorca in the Balearics.
Ryanair
The largest low cost airline in Europe serves a huge amount of routes to Spain from UK, mainly operating from London Stansted and Dublin International, flying to Barcelona, Alicante, Malaga, Tenerife, Palma de Mallorca, Fuerteventura, Seville, Valencia, and many more.
Air Berlin
Based in Germany, it is the third biggest low cost airline in Europe, and offers cheap flights from London Stansted to Barcelona, Palma, Ibiza and Malaga.
bmi baby
A British low-cost airline and a subsidiary of British Midland, it flies from its main bases at East Midlands, Manchester, Cardiff, and Birmingham International to numbers of destinations in Spain – Alicante, Barcelona, Ibiza, Malaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca.
EasyJet
Europe’s second largest low cost airline operates routes to Spain from all regions of the UK. EasyJet is one of the cheapest ways to fly from almost any UK airport to Barcelona, Madrid, Alicante, Almeria, Malaga, Bilbao, Murcia and many more.
Excel Airways
It is one of the UK's largest charter airlines and connects Cardiff in Wales, Glasgow in Scotland and seven cities in England to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga and Murcia on the south coast of Spain.
FlyGlobespan
The leading Scottish low cost airline flies from Glasgow and Edinburgh to the most popular tourist destinations in Spain including Alicante, Barcelona, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Menorca, Malaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, and Tenerife.
Jet2
This UK low cost airline offers budget flights to Barcelona, Valencia and other coastal destinations in Spain from Leeds Bradford, Manchester, and Belfast International in Northern Ireland.
Monarch
The airline connects six aiports in England and Scotland to the south coast of Spain. Unlike most of the UK low cost carriers, Monarch flies to Granada and Gibraltar. The airline also offers cheap flights to Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands and to Mallorca and Menorca in the Balearics.
Ryanair
The largest low cost airline in Europe serves a huge amount of routes to Spain from UK, mainly operating from London Stansted and Dublin International, flying to Barcelona, Alicante, Malaga, Tenerife, Palma de Mallorca, Fuerteventura, Seville, Valencia, and many more.
09 August 2007
16 July 2007
Top 5 Airlines That Fly to USA
Learn which are the most trusted carriers operating flights to the United States from UK and Ireland:
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines is a major American airline based in Atlanta, Georgia that operates an expansive domestic and international network. Delta serves flights from London Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh, Dublin and Shannon to its main hubs at New York JFK, Cincinnati and Atlanta.
Continental
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Continental Airlines is the fourth-largest airline in the U.S.
The airline flies to Newark and Houston from all major UK airports including London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Belfast and Shannon.
Virgin Atlantic
Richard Branson's Virgin airline operates long-haul routes between the United Kingdom and North America from its main base at London Heathrow. The airline has smaller bases at London Gatwick and Manchester Airport. Virgin’s routes include cheap flights to New York JFK, Newark International Airport, Baltimore, Washington Dulles, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
American Airlines
Honored as the largest U.S. airline, AA is based at Fort Worth, Texas, adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. American operates scheduled flights from London, Manchester and Dublin to Boston, New York JFK, Chicago, Raleigh/Durham, Dallas, Miami and Los Angeles.
British Airways
The British flag carrier serves a huge amount of flights to USA from UK. The airlines is one of the preferred carriers to fly from London to New York JFK, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington Dulles, Atlanta, Orlando, Los Angeles and many more. British Airways also offers flights to Canada including the international airports at Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines is a major American airline based in Atlanta, Georgia that operates an expansive domestic and international network. Delta serves flights from London Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh, Dublin and Shannon to its main hubs at New York JFK, Cincinnati and Atlanta.
Continental
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Continental Airlines is the fourth-largest airline in the U.S.
The airline flies to Newark and Houston from all major UK airports including London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Belfast and Shannon.
Virgin Atlantic
Richard Branson's Virgin airline operates long-haul routes between the United Kingdom and North America from its main base at London Heathrow. The airline has smaller bases at London Gatwick and Manchester Airport. Virgin’s routes include cheap flights to New York JFK, Newark International Airport, Baltimore, Washington Dulles, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
American Airlines
Honored as the largest U.S. airline, AA is based at Fort Worth, Texas, adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. American operates scheduled flights from London, Manchester and Dublin to Boston, New York JFK, Chicago, Raleigh/Durham, Dallas, Miami and Los Angeles.
British Airways
The British flag carrier serves a huge amount of flights to USA from UK. The airlines is one of the preferred carriers to fly from London to New York JFK, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington Dulles, Atlanta, Orlando, Los Angeles and many more. British Airways also offers flights to Canada including the international airports at Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
21 June 2007
14 June 2007
Saving Tips for Booking Flights Online
Save time and money when booking your flight tickets online. Learn the best ways to get discounted fares on the Internet.
BOOK EARLY
The earlier you book the more chance you have to get the cheapest possible seat. While waiting until the last minute can pay off at other times of the year, those who wait to buy seats for the holidays may find little or no availability.
AVOID WEEKEND TRAVEL
Travelling Monday through Thursday is generally cheaper then Friday through Sunday. This applies both to departure and return travel. Airlines charge more for weekend travel. If your schedule is flexible, think about flying on less popular days. Tuesdays can save you a lot of money. Most business people travel on Mondays and Fridays, while vacationers travel on the weekends. If you are flexible, Tuesdays can be much cheaper.
AVOID PEAK TRAVEL DATES
Certain dates around the holidays are more popular for travel than others, and with so many passengers competing for a set number of seats in the airplane, booking an affordable airfare on these busy days can be quite difficult. You should try not to fly on the Wednesday before Easter, the day before Christmas Eve (December 23), the day after Christmas (December 26), and the day after New Year's (January 2).
EXTEND THE AIRPORT SEARCH
By avoiding major airports and flying out of smaller, less popular ones, you may find more availability on major carriers and have access to the many budget airlines that tend to use alternate airports as bases of operation. Most of the search engines are able to search for the lowest airfares using multiple airports within large metropolitan areas.
USE ONLINE FARE COMPARISON TOOLS
Save time using the so called fare comparison webistes, which allow you to compare prices posted on a great number of websites on the Internet, such as online travel agencies and low-cost carriers. You will no longer have to look at each website individually and worry whether you have found the best deal online.
BOOK EARLY
The earlier you book the more chance you have to get the cheapest possible seat. While waiting until the last minute can pay off at other times of the year, those who wait to buy seats for the holidays may find little or no availability.
AVOID WEEKEND TRAVEL
Travelling Monday through Thursday is generally cheaper then Friday through Sunday. This applies both to departure and return travel. Airlines charge more for weekend travel. If your schedule is flexible, think about flying on less popular days. Tuesdays can save you a lot of money. Most business people travel on Mondays and Fridays, while vacationers travel on the weekends. If you are flexible, Tuesdays can be much cheaper.
AVOID PEAK TRAVEL DATES
Certain dates around the holidays are more popular for travel than others, and with so many passengers competing for a set number of seats in the airplane, booking an affordable airfare on these busy days can be quite difficult. You should try not to fly on the Wednesday before Easter, the day before Christmas Eve (December 23), the day after Christmas (December 26), and the day after New Year's (January 2).
EXTEND THE AIRPORT SEARCH
By avoiding major airports and flying out of smaller, less popular ones, you may find more availability on major carriers and have access to the many budget airlines that tend to use alternate airports as bases of operation. Most of the search engines are able to search for the lowest airfares using multiple airports within large metropolitan areas.
USE ONLINE FARE COMPARISON TOOLS
Save time using the so called fare comparison webistes, which allow you to compare prices posted on a great number of websites on the Internet, such as online travel agencies and low-cost carriers. You will no longer have to look at each website individually and worry whether you have found the best deal online.
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