Ryanair plan flies in the face of airline wisdom

ROME - Michael O'Leary has been called a lot of things, not all of them polite.

ITB Berlin 2009 supports and presents TO DO Award 2008

The Studienkreis für Tourismus und Entwicklung (Institute for Tourism and Development) is now accepting applications for the international competitions “TO DO!

Bombardier launches new range of aircraft to compete with Boeing and Airbus

Canadian planemaker Bombardier Inc. issued a challenge to bigger rivals Boeing Co. and Airbus with the launch a new aircraft range on Sunday.

Airline Competition Grows, Prices Become More Expensive?

Statistics Finland finds that prices of domestic airline tickets continue to rise despite increased competition. Blue1 says competition on the domestic market is poor; Finnair disagrees.

China sets up planemaker to challenge Airbus, Boeing

China set up a company to build large jets, challenging the dominance of Airbus SAS and Boeing Co. in the market for planes with 150 seats.

No competition with Dubai for tourism cash - Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is not looking to compete with Dubai for tourism revenue, the chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has said on Sunday.

Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan said Abu Dhabi was focused on attracting "five-star travellers" and would not target the mass tourism market.

Miss Pakistan World competes in Miss Tourism Queen International 2008

Miss Pakistan World 2007, Mahleej Sarkari travels to China to compete in the 4th largest beauty pageant in the world, Miss Tourism Queen International. Her travels come with mixed support from a struggling Pakistan, but with the hope of breaking down stereotypes.

2-seat rocket planned for space tourism

LOS ANGELES - A California aerospace company plans to enter the space tourism industry with a two-seat rocket ship capable of suborbital flights to altitudes more than 37 miles above the Earth.

Syrian private airline faces stiff competition

DAMASCUS • Syria's first privately owned airline is set to expand with routes to Egypt, but is already facing powerful competition after decades of a government monopoly on air transport.

WestJet chief isn't afraid of his rival

Sean Durfy, chief of WestJet Airlines Ltd., is shrugging off revelations that rival Air Canada has drawn interest from private-equity players and pension-fund managers who may be keen on linking the country's dominant airline with a major U.S. carrier.

Pilot predicts airline 'bloodbath'

Regional travel will become more difficult as the drastic pilot shortage leads to cuts in routes, with predictions of a "bloodbath" among regional airlines.

Rex chief pilot Chris Hine has warned the situation would get worse this year as all three major domestic airlines – Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Blue – embark on aggressive fleet ... read more

Ryanair prepares to prey on rivals during downturn

France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and his new wife, Carla Bruni, scored a notable victory last week against Ryanair, the budget airline.

For the unauthorised use of a picture of the couple in a newspaper advertisement, a French court ordered the airline to pay Bruni €60,000 (£45,000) in damages, plus a symbolic €1 to her ... read more

A Wave of matchups on deck for airlines?

The Delta-Northwest combination inching toward completion would create a new world leader, leapfrogging American Airlines and the Air France-KLM tandem in passenger traffic, but would also likely trigger a chain reaction of other deals, with unknown consequences for travelers.

Government to pay 80% of Israel airline security costs

TEL AVIV - Israel's government has agreed to pay 80 percent of the security costs of the country's airlines, up from 50 percent until now, El Al Israel Airlines ELA.TA said on Sunday.

The government also decided that Israel's transportation minister will rule whether to open up certain routes to additional Israeli airlines, ending El ... read more

Market, competition and the sheriff - Qantas under siege

Qantas's nightmare start to 2008 shows no sign of ending, with its shares tumbling to their lowest level since Airline Partners Australia launched its ill-fated $5.45 takeover bid for the airline in December 2006.

Airline battle over London to New York route hots up

The battle between American and British airlines over the industry's most lucrative route, London to New York , is set to intensify as US carriers push through major revamps of their business- and first-class cabins.