Norwegian Air Shuttle Provides Cheap Flights to Scandinavia with Boeing 787 Aircraft

You might not have heard of Norwegian Air Shuttle—they usually just do their flying under the Norwegian name—but you might want to add them to your airline “to-do” list. Right now the carrier kind of does mostly domestic routes here and there around Norway along with some international options to spots like Stockholm and Copenhagen. However, it’s the future we’re most interested in, because it sounds like as soon as they get some 787s, they’ll be headed to New York City.

Unfortunately the airline is a little ways down on the Boeing 787 delivery list, but once they do arrive there are already plans in place to link both Stockholm and Oslo with New York-JFK as early as two years from now. Scandinavia is perpetually on the travel to-do list, so maybe we’ll be checking that off over and over come 2013.

Not only will the new routes be served thanks to some assistance from Boeing’s newest birds, but these flights aboard Norwegian Air Shuttle will also be quite affordable—which is good news since stuff on the ground isn’t too cheap in Sweden and Norway. Assuming oil prices remain steady along with a bunch of other airline math, we could be looking at roundtrip flights as low as $350 or so. Flights could even go on sale as early as 2012 in advance of the following year, so get those credit cards ready.

Of course there’s plenty of uncertainly, and a lot of it depends on when Boeing actually delivers these plans to Norwegian—they’re actually leasing them through another company just in case you cared. Anyway, there’s even the possibility that Oslo and Stockholm could also be linked directly with nonstop flights to Bangkok rather than the Big Apple. Even if these proposed fares double in price it will still be quite a deal—especially on a 787—so we’ll definitely be following this over the next few months.

Get You Flight Destination with Offer Big Sale Airline Ticket from Several Major Airlines

Travelzoo is offering up deals from several major airlines that will get you to destinations across the country without breaking the bank.

AirTran Airways is one of the companies joining in on the discounts, helping travelers save as much as $200 roundtrip on competing fares.

The best part? No matter where you want to visit, there’s likely a deal to get you there. The “aggressive nationwide fare sale” is available for travel from 60 departure cities with rates starting as low as $54 each way!

Looking for an escape to France? Travelzoo can help there too.

A sale from Air France is cutting up to 35 percent off peak season fares , offering up non-stop flights through October for as little as $303 each way.

Las Vegas lovers will also score big with this week’s deals, which provide major discounts on travel through December.

Flights from across the U.S. are starting at just $24 each way, offering the perfect excuse to press your luck in Sin City. New fare sales and unadvertised price reductions will help travelers save as much as $150 off regularly priced tickets.

Lufthansa Announce New Cheap Flights to Frankfurt from Aberdeen Airport

German flag carrier Lufthansa has recently announced plans for new cheap flights to Frankfurt from Aberdeen Airport this autumn.

Starting on 30 October, Lufthansa will begin flying three times a day between Aberdeen and Frankfurt. This is part of the airline’s plans to expand the number of services that it offers to the UK and the number of cheap flights to Germany’s cities from British airports.

The new Aberdeen-Frankfurt route will link the major oil port on Scotland’s east coast with the Frankfurt transport hub – and thus to the rest of the extensive global Lufthansa network, the carrier pointed out. The service will be operated by its regional subsidiary Lufthansa CityLine, which will utilise up-to-date Embraer 190 aircraft, which have the capacity to seat 100 passengers in business and economy-class cabins.

Lufthansa said it was particularly pleased to be opening up a route to Aberdeen, due to its status as a centre of the international oil industry, close as it is to the offshore North Sea oil fields.

“With this new connection to the Scottish port and ‘Europe’s oil capital’, we are incorporating a new Oil & Energy destination in the array of cities we serve, which are highly important in the energy industry,” said Lufthansa German Airlines Board Member Kay Kratky. “The Scottish city is also an attractive destination for leisure travellers and Scotland fans. With Aberdeen, we are additionally expanding our services between Germany and Great Britain.”

After 30 October, Lufthansa will operate some 434 cheap flights a week, serving Heathrow, London City, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh airports.

Alitalia Launched Cheap Flight From Lamezia Terme, Reggio Calalabria and Crotone Airport

Alitalia has launched cheap flights to and from the airports of Lamezia Terme, Reggio Calalabria and Crotone.

On the Fiumicino-Lamezia Terme route, Alitalia has increased the number of seats available at cheaper prices also for last minute bookings. Moreover, Alitalia has increased daily flights from 7 to 8 introducing on July 23rd an additional flight. On the Reggio Calabria route until August 4th there will be 11,000 seats available at 59 euros, one way from Rome, that can be bought up to 7 days before leaving until October 31st. For Crotone Alitalia is offering 1,100 seats at 74 euro.

Air India Cheap Flight Promotion Successfully to Increase Flight Service to India

Air India has announced that its latest cheap flights promotion has been a big success, with up to 85 per cent capacity recorded over the past week.

The promotional fares, which end today (May 19th), offer cheap flights to India from various domestic airports, including Srinagar to Delhi for as little as 2,914 rupees (£40).

As a result of this, Air India’s domestic flights have been at least 80 per cent full from May 10th to 18th.

A spokesman for Air India said: “This shows the immense faith our passengers have in Air India’s service.”

This rise in popularity comes after a major pilots’ strike suspended operations on the 107-route domestic network for ten days.

Meanwhile, Air India has also announced that is has joined the Star Alliance codeshare scheme, which means that passengers can enjoy added benefits, including seamless transfers, more frequent-flyer points and lounge facilities.

Singapore Airlines Launch New Budget Airlines for Low-Cost Carrier

Singapore Airlines (SIA) said Wednesday it will launch within one year a new budget airline using wide-body aircraft to tap into growing consumer demand for low-cost travel over longer distances.

SIA already runs a short-haul mid-price airline called SilkAir and owns 32.9 percent of budget carrier Tiger Airways but said it decided to establish the new subsidiary after “an extensive review and analysis” of the market.

It did not give a name for the future airline, saying more details will be announced “in due course” including its branding, services and routes.

“Operations are expected to begin within one year. The airline will be wholly owned by Singapore Airlines, but will be operated independently and managed separately from SIA,” the company said in a press statement.

SIA said the new carrier will “enable the airline to serve a largely untapped new market and cater to the growing demand among consumers for low-fare travel.”

The move will put the new carrier in competition with AirAsia X, the long-haul affiliate of Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia and British tycoon Richard Branson’s Virgin Group.

Unlike most other budget airlines using single-aisle planes for short hops, the new carrier will operate wide-body, double-aisle aircraft to ply medium- and long-haul routes.

“We are seeing a new market segment being created and this will provide another growth opportunity for the SIA Group,” SIA chief executive Goh Choon Phong said.

“As we have observed on short-haul routes within Asia, low-fare airlines help stimulate demand for travel, and we expect this will also prove true for longer flights.”

Shukor Yusof, an aviation analyst with Standard and Poor’s Equities Research, said SIA was making a foray into a largely untapped market, which is dominated in the region by AirAsia X.

AirAsiaX flies to 14 destinations –London, Taipei, Tehran, Paris, Seoul, Tokyo, China (Tianjin, Hangzhou, Chengdu), Australia (Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth) and India (Mumbai, Delhi).

“If you look around, there’s only AirAsia X in this region that’s doing low-cost long-haul or medium- to long-haul flights. So essentially there’s an opportunity to make money,” Shukor told AFP.

“If you look at the recent financial year you can see that they (SIA) obviously need another avenue to grow their business.”

SIA said on May 12 that full-year net profit rebounded strongly from the global recession as travel demand recovered.

It earned Sg$1.09 billion ($873 million) in the financial year ended March 31, up fivefold from Sg$216 million a year ago while revenues rose 14 percent to Sg$14.5 billion.

SIA cautioned that the near-term outlook was expected to be difficult due to surging oil prices, concerns over the US economy, the impact from Japan’s quake-tsunami disasters and worries over Europe’s sovereign debt crisis.

Shukor expects the new SIA subsidiary to position itself higher than Tiger Airways.

SIA is “putting the expertise and the money behind this new entity and I have every reason to believe that it’s going to be an exceptional airline,” he added.

Shukor noted that AirAsia X was “doing quite well” flying to Europe, Northeast Asia and Australia and this may have triggered SIA to decide about launching a competitor.

SIA’s announcement also came after a report in the Australian Financial Review that Australian airline Qantas was planning to establish a new premium carrier based in Singapore.

Qantas would not confirm the report, dismissing it as speculation, but has said its international business had not been performing to expectations, with market share in this area falling in recent years.

SIA shares were closed unchanged at Sg$14.20 on Wednesday before the announcement.

Increased Competition Airlines May Airlines Ticket Prices Cheaper in Summer Season

Global flight information company, found that increased flight capacity by 5 percent in 2011, compared with 2010. 317 million seats available to travelers in April 2011 worldwide, and Europe showed 2 percent increase in capacity during the same period.

Travelmatch expected this to produce increased competition between airlines over the summer, resulting in lower prices for UK holidaymakers looking for cheap flights to Spain and beyond. Travelmatch’s Alex Francis explained that Europe’s capacity increases were due to airlines focusing their attention on the most popular resorts, as well as simply being part of a global increase in capacity.

“At travelmatch.co.uk we believe this is fantastic news for British tourists as they should see prices fall as supply increases – this will also spur competition between different airlines, which will only serve to lower the overall cost of holidays further,” said Mr Francis.

“Over the past decade we have seen prices drop considerably; we expect this trend to continue as increased capacity brings down the cost of air travel,” he added. “This is very exciting news for British travellers interested in booking stays in Marmaris and other fantastic spots around the Mediterranean.”

Find Best Deal Summer Season Airline Ticket Prices by Using Credit Card

Keep Spirits High and Ticket Price Low This Summer by Being in the Know on Airline Credit Card Practices.

As airlines suffer a backlash from the Office of Fair Trading on the rising cost of booking by credit card, budget conscious consumers fear sticking to low cost travel could be a struggle.

Cheapflights.co.uk, the UK’s leading website for price search and comparison, breaks down the credit cards charges of 10 top airlines to help keep travelers in the know on where to find the best deals.

“While it’s difficult to avoid being charged altogether, it is possible to keep charges to a minimum depending on the type of card used and the airline you’re booking with,” says Nadine Hallak, Travel Expert for Cheapflights.

“Travelers should keep in mind that budget airlines may not always carry the lowest overall ticket price once all the ‘extras’ have been added, so it’s worth shopping around and doing the math as traveling with a flagship carrier could work out to be more cost effective,” adds Hallak.

The below list shows 10 Top Airlines and the fees they carry per type of credit card:

1. Iceland Express: 1% of total ticket cost on all cards.

2. Air Europe: £0 on Visa Debit, Mastercard Debit, Visa Credit, Mastercard Credit. NB: American Express is not accepted and there are no baggage fees when flying this airline.

3. British Airways: £0 on Visa Debit/Electron, Switch/Maestro, and Mastercard Debit. BA charges £4.50 on Visa Credit, Mastercard Credit, and American Express.

4. Virgin: £0 on all debit cards and £5.68 on all credit cards.

5. Monarch: £0 on Visa Electron, £3.90 on all other Debit cards, and £5.57 on Credit/Mastercard.

6. Jet 2: £5.56 booking fee and credit card fee of £5.76 on all credit cards. £5.56 booking fee on Debit Cards. £0 on Electron. £5.56 booking fee if using Paypal plus £2.47 Paypal fee on top.

7. BMI Baby: £9 on American Express, MasterCard, and Visa Credit. £6 on Visa Debit, Switch/Maestro, and Solo. £0 on Electron.

8. Flybe: £9 transaction fee plus £1 on top for Visa, American Express, and Mastercard. £9 transaction fee on Visa Debit, Switch/Maestro, and Solo cards. £0 on Electron.

9. Ryanair: £6 each way (on any card whether debit or credit).

10. Easyjet: £12.95 on American Express, Visa and Mastercard. £8 on Visa Debit and Mastercard Debit. £0 on Visa Electron.

Commenting on the hike in charges imposed by most airlines, Iceland Express’ CEO Matthias Imsland says, “Iceland Express is a low cost airline that strives to remain low cost. We are keen to keep our credit card charges to a minimum so as not to impact heavily on the overall cost of the flight. We include all taxes and surcharges from the outset and like our customers to see the cost of the flight upfront and be reassured that the price will not keep rising at every stage of the booking.

Find more information on these or any other airline, visit cheapflights.co.uk.

Southwest Airlines Plans to Create Low Cost Airline-Cheap Flights

Monday should see Southwest Airlines complete its purchase of AirTran and create the first mega–low-cost airline on the United States, with resultant cheap flights!

The Justice Department when giving its approval to the merger indicated that the entrance of the new airline into competition with airlines such as Delta and American is likely to influence cheap tickets. It is not anticipated that competition will be reduced to a great degree and it will enable new routes to be served.

Southwest is already transporting more passengers on domestic flights than any other American airline. When it is combined with AirTran, it plans to service over 100 cities. Reports indicate, that full integration of the two airlines, will take twelve to eighteen months to implement.

The general consensus of opinion is that the merged airlines and the creation of a single carrier, offering cheap flights and cheap tickets, will make an impressive impact on the market.

Other views put forward suggest that some preferential business passengers, used to travelling in the reserved, business-class with AirTran may not favour the open-seat and single-class cabins of Southwest. This comfort may be preferred to cheap flights and cheap tickets.

Although Southwest has established itself in the market with cheap flights and cheap tickets in comparison to the legacy carriers, there are those in the industry, who expect an eventual rise in airline prices. This ism primarily based on the shrinkage of the competition, contributed to with the past merging of Delta-Northwest in 2008 and Continental-United last year.

Ryanair Release Cheap Flights Seat in May and June

Ryanair, the world’s favourite airline, announced that from midnight (24:00hrs) Monday 4th April it will release 1million £8 seats for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in May and June.

These “all in” low fares will be available on over 1,000 of Ryanair’s European routes but must be booked on ryanair.com before midnight (24:00hrs) Thursday 7th April.

Ryanair’s £8 Seat Sale includes all taxes and charges so passengers who choose to avoid discretionary fees by paying for Ryanair’s cheapest flights with MasterCard Prepaid, travel with carry on luggage only and decline our priority boarding service can book, check-in online and fly for this advertised £8 fare on these seat sale flights.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:

“Only Ryanair sells Europe’s lowest fares with a no fuel surcharge guarantee. In addition to our lowest fares we also deliver Europe’s No1 on-time performance across over 1,200 routes. From midnight tonight, passengers can book these £8 seats for travel on over 1,000 European destinations in May and June. These seats can only be booked until midnight (24:00hrs) Thursday (7th April) and are sure to be snapped up fast so we urge passengers to book them on ryanair.com before they sell out.”

Ryanair announces £7 weekend seat sale

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