Low cost airlines are a huge business with the increase in travelers looking for budget air fare deals. Some low cost airlines make a fortune with their inclusion to the airline industry in their country or region. However, not all airline markets are thriving as seen in the latest analysis from Germany.

DLR’s Analysis of Germany’s Low Cost Airline Market

On Wednesday, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) released its latest analysis about the country’s low cost airline market. They said that while low-cost flights increased across the region by 4% during last year’s summer season, Germany did not share this same trend. They saw that there is a 1% drop in the number of low-cost services this year or 6,683 weekly departures.

The DLR says that this decline is due to the decrease in flights to Italy, Spain and the UK, as well as domestic flights within Germany. Only Wizz Air expanded their operations in the country since Ryanair and Eurowings reduced their flights in the region.

According to Peter Berster of the DLR’s Institute of Air Transport and Airport Research, Eurowings reduced its flights by 3.5%. The result is that they only have 3,100 departures per week as compared to last year. Meanwhile, Ryanair and its Austrian counterpart Lauda dropped flights by 2% or more than 1,500 weekly departures.

When it comes to the share of German airports in the low-cost segment is around 33% as compared to last year’s 32% share. The slight increase is because of the overall decline in the number of domestic flights. Other German-based airlines – either full-service or charter – reported a reduction of 3.5%.

Meanwhile, low-cost flights from Dusseldorf Airport are increasing as compared to the rest of the country. Eurowings and the airport’s status as a major low-cost carrier hub are the reason for this positive growth. It currently hosts 1,100 departures of low-cost airlines in the country. It is followed by Berlin-Tegel airport.

In the European market, the low-cost carrier market grew by 4% to more than 67,000 departures per week. Ryanair and EasyJet are expanding their operations in Europe. Ryanair has 17,000 departures around Europe per week, while EasyJet has 13,100. This summer, Ryanair added 500 routes to its current route network, while EasyJet added 150 routes.

When it comes to competition, there’s not much competition between budget airlines in the region. Out of all the 10,414 routes operated by these airlines, 8,763 routes get service from one airline.

What is the DLR?

The German Aerospace Center is Germany’s research center for aerospace, energy and transportation. It is located in Cologne and they are engaged in various projects to improve national and international projects for these three industries. DLR is also Germany’s space agency thanks to its research for the industry.

The post German Low Cost Airline Market Cooling Down appeared first on Check in Price.

The Balkan region is a very exotic location for many travelers heading on to Europe. The region has a very rich history and culture, as well as destinations you can’t find anywhere else. Flights to the region are growing and one of Europe’s top airlines, Ryanair, is also working on its mark in the region.

Ryanair in the Balkan Region

On Tuesday, the low-cost airline announced that they will be expanding their operations in the region in the coming months. They will be working with their subsidiaries, as well as establishing a route for the airline itself.

One of their latest routes is a service from Vienna to Banja Luka that will start next year. They will handle it on behalf of its subsidiary Lauda and there might be more than one route for this partnership.

According to Milan Racic, head of operations for the the Republic of Srpska, “The service from Vienna won’t be seasonal but it won’t operate on a year-round basis either. Within the next seven to ten days, we expect for an additional new route to be announced.”

Ryanair added that they will be boosting their operations at Banja Luka and looking forward to help with passenger growth Aside from Banja Luka, Ryanair is under negotiations with Mostar Airport.

Meanwhile, their flights in Croatia through Zadar Airport are also growing and they aim to extend it further. Ryanair will also be continuing seven new routes they announced last summer out of Zadar airport next year. They will also be holding one weekly flight from Hahn to Rijeka starting April 4.

Montenegro also gained a lot of support from Ryanair. The airline is now the third largest airline offering flights in and out of the country. It even overtook Turkish Airlines and it plans to increase its routes further.

Exceptions to Ryanair’s Expansion

However, there are areas which are still far from Ryanair’s control. In Slovenia, for example, the airline no longer has a flight there after they criticized the Slovenian government for selling Ljubljana Airport. Fraport from Germany currently runs the airport, which the airline says is wrong since they see it as a way for the company to create a monopoly in Europe.

Serbia also blocked Ryanair’s intended operations to Nis Constantine that was due to launch on January 13, 2020. The Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate ruled against the low-cost airline’s route in favor of Air Serbia.

The post Ryanair to Expand Operations in Balkans appeared first on Check in Price.

Ryanair is one of Europe’s largest low-cost carriers and flies to many destinations across the continent. Many aspire to be a part of its crew, with pilots being on demand to support its growing fleet. However, it seems not all is smooth sailing because several pilots are planning to launch a strike against the company.

On Wednesday, Spanish Ryanair pilots announced they will be launching a five-day strike in September. Their strike is their response to the announcement that the airline will be closing five of its hubs in Spain and Portugal.

What caused the pilot strikes

The company announced that it will be closing down their hubs in the Canary Islands, which includes Lanzarote, Tenerife South and Las Palmas. The other two are Girona and Faro in Portugal. Around 100 local pilots can lose their jobs once the hubs are closed down.

According to the pilots union SEPLA, their strike will coincide with the scheduled protests by cabin crews who are fighting against Irish Airlines’ working conditions.

If no deal is agreed upon by both parties this week, pilots will schedule their strikes in September and join the cabin crews also on strike. The schedules for the cabin crew strikes are on September 1, 2, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27 and 29. Meanwhile, the pilots five days of strikes will be on September 19, 20, 22, 27 and 29.

The pilots and the union also said that Ryanair’s decision to close down the hubs are not based on economic or legal reasons.

In their statement to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, “We hope that the company reconsiders its decision, which is not supported by any economic motivations given that Ryanair continues to announce profits year after year.”

They also argue that the closure did not follow legal procedures. The airline did not even give a warning to the workers. SEPLA is also accusing the airline for creating new companies to reduce wages. They gave the example of Ryanair’s subsidiary company Laudamotion, who will be handling the new base in Palma de Mallorca. Buzz Air is also handling the hiring for the airline in the Canary Islands.

Ryanair in a Nutshell

The airline began its operations in 1984 in Swords, Dublin, Ireland. It currently has 419 planes in its service and flies to 36 countries in Europe.

The airline has been in the headlines recently. Many pilots and cabin crew across the region accuse the airline for poor employment conditions. This lead to legal action against the airline by various civil aviation organizations.

In light of the strikes, the airline said that the strikes will not affect its operations. The closures are also final until the Boeing 737 MAX issue has reached a conclusion. The issue has caused airline shortages across the airline’s major hubs in 9 countries in Europe.

The post Ryanair Pilots to Strike in Spain in September appeared first on Check in Price.

Going to the Middle East is a hit and miss for many tourists considering the conflicts in the area. Lebanon, in particular, is hard to visit due to the lingering problems in Syria. To fly to the country, major airlines like Middle East Airlines are the way to go despite its price. However, with the entrance of Ryanair, it may become cheaper to fly to Lebanon.

On Wednesday, July 10, Ryanair announced that it will be launching flights to Beirut from its base in Paphos in Cyprus. The announcement comes 9 years after then tourism minister Fadi Abboud told the Independent that he hopes Ryanair or easyJet opens flights to Lebanon.

Details of Ryanair’s newest Middle Eastern route

The low-cost airline will operate three flights a week to Beirut according to the airline. Ryanair will be launching the route with an initial one-way fair of 15€.

Flights to Beirut from London will be from Stansted Airport and will have a stopover in Paphos. Roundtrip flights will start from £115 ($143) in comparison to British Airways and Middle East Airlines which charge around £300 ($374). Ryanair will also operate flights to Beirut from Bournemouth and Liverpool.

In the statement released by the company, Lebanon will be Ryanair’s 38th destination from its Paphos base. Paphos is also the stopover for the airline’s flights to Tel Aviv and Amman. Flights to Paphos starts on October 2019 and will operate three times weekly by Winter 2019. Low fare flights to Paphos will be available for Lebanese customers as far out as March 2020.

The airline even announced that they will have a seat sale for this route for its August run, which starts by midnight, July 12. Flights will start around €17.99 and up.

The announcement got a lot of support from the Lebanese people since they can now visit the beautiful island. Paphos’ Regional Board of Tourism had also welcomed the announcement. In Cyprus, the board’s director Nasos Hadjigeorgiou said:

“Paphos is closer to its target to once again be an all-year tourist destination. We would like to thank Ryanair for their trust in the destination, as well as Hermes airports and the ministries for their efforts to promote the island’s connectivity.”

Aside from the Beirut-Paphos route, Ryanair had also announced last month that they will be operating flights to Berlin Tegel, Malta, Katowice, Kyiv and Mykonos from Paphos.

The post Ryanair Expand Routes in Middle East appeared first on Check in Price.