Air Berlin Airbus A320-214 D-ALTL

Take off at MUC-EDDM "Franz Joseph Strauss"
Air Berlin Airbus A320-214 D-ALTL

Air Jamaica Airbus A340-313X 6Y-JMM

Short finals at LHR-EGLL "London Heathrow"
Air Jamaica Airbus A340-313X 6Y-JMM

American Airlines Boeing B777-223ER N755AN

Short finals at LHR-EGLL "London Heathrow"
American Airlines Boeing B777-223ER N755AN

Aegean Airlines Boeing 737-3YO SX-BGK

Short finals at SKG-LGTS "Makedonia Airport"
Aegean Airlines Boeing 737-3YO SX-BGK

United Airlines Boeing 777-222 N778UA

Take off at MUC-EDDM "Franz Josef Strauss"
United Airlines Boeing 777-222 N778UA

Emirates Airbus A340-541 A6-ERG

Take off at ZRH-LSZH "Zürich-Kloten"
Emirates Airbus A340-541 A6-ERG

Reliance Industries Bombardier BD-700-1A10 GE VT-DHA

Taxiing at ZRH-LSZH "Zürich-Kloten"
Reliance Industries Bombardier BD-700-1A10 GE VT-DHA

Lufthansa Airbus A330-343 D-AIKJ

Take off at MUC-EDDM "Franz Josef Strauss"
Lufthansa Airbus A330-343 D-AIKJ

Dornier Do31-E3 D-9531 (Prototype)

Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Oberschleißheim
Dornier Do31-E3 D-9531 (Prototype)

Varig McDonnell Douglas MD-11 PP-VTJ

Touch down in MUC-EDDM "Franz Josef Strauss"
Varig McDonnell Douglas MD-11 PP-VTJ

Olympic Airlines Boeing B737-484 SX-BKF

Taxiing at SKG-LGTS "Makedonia Airport"
Olympic Airlines Boeing B737-484 SX-BKF

Lufthansa Junkers Ju52/3m D-ANOY (fake reg)

Displayed at visitor's park MUC-EDDM "Franzt Josef Strauss"
Lufthansa Junkers Ju52/3m D-ANOY (fake reg)

Germanwings Airbus A329-112 D-AKNO

Take off at MUC-EDDM "Franz Josef Strauss"
Germanwings Airbus A329-112 D-AKNO

Special inaugural offer: Johannesburg - Athens

To celebrate the inauguration of our scheduled flights to and from Johannesburg we have a special offer for the 8th and the 11th of  June 2010 with return on the 23rd or 24th of June 2010.

The flight regards a roundtrip from Johannesburg to Athens.
Special price: € 510 / ZAR 5.000 *





Actual prices.
Direct flights to or from Johannesburg to/from Athens from € 800 / ZAR 7760, round trip *.



*Price does not include taxes, fuel surcharges or insurance.



source: HIA


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United, Continental to announce merger on Monday


United Airlines and Continental Airlines are expected to announce that they are merging to form the world's largest airline on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources.
Continental's board would meet on Friday and Sunday, and United's would meet on Friday, the newspaper said on its website.
United declined to comment and Continental did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, a source close to the situation said concern over the share-price ratio to be used in a potential stock swap was "no longer an issue" and added that an announcement of the deal would likely be made early next week.
The two US airlines resumed merger negotiations earlier this month, two years after walking away from similar talks.
Other aspects of the potential deal have already been agreed to, including naming United chief executive Glenn Tilton as chairman and Continental CEO Jeff Smisek as chief executive, sources previously said. United would be the surviving brand and the combined company would be based in Chicago, they added.
The Journal report, citing people familiar with the matter, said that Tilton would be non-executive chairman for two years, after which Smisek would also take on that post.
Shares of United fell 1.3 percent to USD$21.47 on Thursday, while Continental rose 2.4 percent to USD$22.70

source: Reuters


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EU to lift ban on liquids in hand luggage


After 2013 passengers will no longer have to hand over expensive bottles of perfume or aftershave at airport security as the ban on liquids is due to be lifted. The European Union will end current restrictions on liquids in passengers' hand luggage by April 2013. New screening equipment capable of detecting liquids will have to be installed by the deadline, the EU executive announced.
The ban on liquids in containers larger than 100ml came into force in Europe 2006 after British police uncovered an al-Qaeda plot to blow up transatlantic airliners bound for North America using bombs made from liquid explosives. Three Britons were jailed for life in September 2009 for their plan to destroy at least seven aircraft using explosives hidden in soft-drink bottles.
"By 29 April 2013 at the latest, all liquids will be allowed in cabin baggage and will be screened," the European Commission said in a statement. As a preliminary step from April 2011, bottles of duty-free drinks and perfumes bought at third country airports or onboard third country airlines will be allowed if they are carried in tamper-proof bags and screened.

Another two years seems like quite a wait, but apparently that is due to the high cost of technology. "The ban was always meant to be temporary but scanning technology is expensive and has been slow to develop," a Commission spokeswoman said.


source: UBM


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Aladia to restart ops

ALADIA Airlines, a former mexican carrier, plans to restart operations with a single (according to other sources, two) ex-Maxjet 767-200. One aircraft (msn 23306/125) was removed from storage at Victorville, CA, where it has been stored since March last year. Aladia ceased operations on October 21st 2008 "due to economic crisis", and was operating four 757-200s and one leased B767-200 at the time. Initial target markets will North America to / from Mexico with off-route charters to the Caribbean / Latin America to back up inclusive tour operations and wet-lease operations in conjuction with other airlines.


AVNews

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Cancellation of the 2nd International Aero Expo Icarus

Due to the financial circumstances and the problems facing our country, the AOPA Hellas board appreciates that an aviation event of international magnitude during the year 2010 will not have the expected success. Due to these reasons we decided the non realization of the 2nd International Aero Expo Icarus for this year and we are instead planning the Expo for June 2011.


source: AOPA Hellas

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Allegiant announces Eugene-Los Angeles flights


Allegiant Air says it will add twice-weekly non-stop jet service to Los Angeles from Eugene starting June 3. A limited number of introductory fares will be offered for $59.99, one way, plus tax and fees. After the introductory period, fares will start at $79.99 one way, plus tax and fees.
Flights will be Thursdays and Sundays.


source: statesmanjournal.com

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Spirit Airlines to charge for carry-on bags to pull down fares

Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines said Tuesday that it would be the first carrier to charge for carry-on luggage, the latest step in de-bundling products and services traditionally included in the price of a ticket.
The Miramar airline said the new policy would help reduce its fares further. The company also raised its fee for a second check-on bag.
"Bring less; pay less. It's simple," said Chief Operating Officer Ken McKenzie in a statement.
For flights on or after Aug. 1, Spirit said it will charge passengers $45 for a carry-on bag, or $30 if they register the bag ahead of time either online or on the phone. Members of the airline's $9 Club Fare will be charged $20.
Passengers are allowed just one carry-on bag.
Spirit raised its second check-bag fee to $45 from $25 when checked in at the airport. The first check-bag fee is held at $25.
The new rules encourage customers to check on more of their luggage, which Spirit says will help with efficiency.
"I think this is more of an operations move to speed up boarding and deplaning," said Terry Trippler, an analyst with Rules to Know, a travel advisory. "Just get in and sit down. If you shave just 15 minutes off of boarding you are shortening your turnaround time, and that's utilizing your equipment to the maximum."
"The real question is will other airlines follow," said Airfarewatchdog.com founder George Hobica.
Major legacy carriers such as American parent AMR Corp. and Delta Air Lines are likely watching customer reaction. Legacy carriers could likely add such a fee on their domestic routes while excluding their frequent-flier members, which represent the bulk of their core revenue.
Since 2008, airlines have been adding checked-on baggage fees to offset higher fuel costs and declining ticket sales.
For the third quarter, the latest data available, revenue from checked-on baggage fees exceeded $700 million, up 11 percent from the year-ago period, according to U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
In the same time period, average fares fell 14.4 percent.
"The other question is when will more shoes drop," Hobica added, referring to the need of carriers to increase revenue further in a industry that's projected to post a loss for the third year in a row.
Airlines could still charge customers for using a credit or debit cards, or eliminate airport check-in counter staff completely, with passengers instead showing up at the airport with a printed boarding pass and paid luggage already paid for, Hobica said.



source: jacksonville.com

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BA and Iberia sign tie-up agreement

The merger of British Airways and Iberia moved a step closer today after the two airlines signed the agreement approving their tie-up.
BA said it expected the merger to be completed by the end of this year in a move that will create one of the world's largest airline groups, with 408 aircraft carrying more than 58 million passengers a year.
The tie-up will create a new holding company called International Airlines Group, but the airlines will retain their current operations and continue to use their individual brands.
Today's merger agreement follows the memorandum of understanding signed between the two airlines in November.
British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh said the merged company will provide customers with a larger combined network.
'It will also have greater potential for further growth by optimising the dual hubs of London and Madrid and providing continued investment in new products and services,' he added.
The merger is subject to regulatory approval from competition authorities including the European Commission, and to approval by both British Airways and Iberia shareholders.
Iberia will also be entitled to terminate the merger agreement if the pension recovery plan agreed between BA and its pension trustees is found to be 'materially detrimental' to the merger.
BA has a comparatively thin presence in central and South America, flying only to Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil and Buenos Aires in Argentina. Iberia, on the other hand, operates numerous flights to this region so a merger allows passengers more access to South American cities.
Similarly, Iberian passengers will benefit from direct flights to areas where BA has more flights than the Spanish carrier.
BA and Iberia are also working on a transatlantic joint venture with US carrier American Airlines.
BA believes the three-way agreement will benefit consumers by improving connections and flight schedules.Rival airlines have expressed opposition to the agreement, with Ryanair recently likening the merger to 'two drunks trying to prop each other up'.
Virgin Atlantic said the deal would increase BA's dominance at Heathrow Airport.
The merger is expected to produce annual savings of around €400m by the end of the fifth year after the merger's completion.

source: rte.ie

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Delta pumping nearly $1B into retirement plans


Delta Air Lines says it is on track to contribute nearly $1 billion to its employees' retirement plans this year, and it is providing some of the funding earlier than previously scheduled.The world's biggest airline said Thursday that by the end of April it will have contributed $665 million to its traditional pension plans in the first four months of this year, in addition to $100 million that has been contributed to employees' defined contribution 401(k) plans.
Another roughly $200 million is scheduled to be contributed to 401(k) plans during the balance of the year.
Delta, based in Atlanta, says its pension funding is normally distributed throughout the year, with the majority of contributions being added near the end of the year.



source: kxnet.com

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Midwest, Frontier to officially become one airline

According to The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
Midwest Airlines has planned an event for April 13 at which time it will release details about the combination of the Oak Creek air carrier with Frontier Airlines of Denver.
Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings Inc. purchased Midwest and Frontier in separate deals last year. In recent months, Republic has been evaluating how to merge the Midwest and Frontier brands.
Two weeks ago, Republic Airways' vice president of marketing and branding told The Denver Business Journal, a sister publication, that Republic will select either Frontier or Midwest as the name. No other options are under consideration.


source: The Business Journal of Milwaukee


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Blue Air chooses Larnaka International Airport as a hub


It is with particular pleasure that Hermes Airports welcomes the decision by the Romanian airline Blue Air to choose Larnaka International Airport as its base. This move demonstrates Blue Air’s continuing development and its intention to offer even greater choice to the travelling public. Specifically, from 28 March 2010, Blue Air will be inaugurating its new flights to Austria, Italy and Poland.
In a statement, Antonis Orthodoxou, Managing Director of Orthodoxou Aviation Ltd, noted that, “It is generally accepted that last year was quite a difficult one as the global economy went through an extremely crucial phase. Early indications suggest that this year will be even more difficult but we are here to help not only the Cypriot tourism sector but the broader economy of the country, by reinforcing the major efforts that are being made by all sides. We know that it is not enough to utter fine words – we are taking action. This year, which will be a significant one for the economy, we want to see a level of tourism that corresponds to our country’s worth and needs. But to achieve our goal, we shall need every possible support and assistance from all parties involved.”
For his part, Hermes Airports CEO Alfred Van der Meer welcomed Blue Air’s decision to make Cyprus its base. He stressed that, “the new, modern installations at Larnaka Airport and the leading role that it can play in south-east Europe and the Middle East is something that is gradually being recognized and exploited, both by airlines and by the rest of the Cyprus tourism industry. Hermes Airports remains committed to its aim of providing high-level services to the travelling public and to its associates. It is precisely for this reason that we feel particularly proud and honoured by Blue Air’s decision.”
Blue Air will operate the following flights:
7 flights from Larnaka to Bucharest (Monday to Sunday)
3 flights from Larnaca to Milan (Monday, Wednesday and Saturday)
3 flights from Larnaca to Warsaw (Monday, Wednesday and Friday)
3 flights from Larnaka to Vienna (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday)
It should be noted that Blue Air already operates routes linking Pafos with Bucharest and Thessaloniki with flights every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.


source: Larnaka International Airport

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Virgin Atlantic Global Website unavailable

Please be advised the Virgin Atlantic Global Website (virginatlantic.com) will be unavailable tomorrow, Saturday 27th March between the hours of 0100 - 0800 GMT due to scheduled essential maintenance. The whole website will be affected including Online Check-in.

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Lufthansa pilots to stage new 4-day strike


A union representing pilots at Deutsche Lufthansa AG says it is calling a four-day strike for mid-April after failing to resolve a dispute over pay and job security.
The Cockpit union said Monday the strike is set to run from April 13 through 16.
Cockpit said talks with Germany's biggest airline have "remained without a result."
It said it was delaying the start of the planned strike until mid-April to avoid disruption during the Easter vacation and give Lufthansa's management "time to realign its course."
The pilots already staged one strike last month. A planned four-day-walkout was cut short then with an agreement to resume negotiations. 
source: Associated Press

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600 Boeing 737’s need Emergency inspection worldwide


Emergency inspections of 600 Boeing 737 planes are being conducted worldwide following concerns a faulty mechanism could render the aircraft uncontrollable. Worldwide airlines have been affected by an “emergency airworthiness directive” issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding the issue, but insist passengers won’t be affected by the checks.
The order was issued following an incident on March 2 when a Ryanair 737-800 en route from the Netherlands to Madrid experienced severe vibrations and had to make an unscheduled landing in Belgium.
Extensive damage to the left elevator, a movable flap on the horizontal tail that controls the pitch of the airplane, was found.
The FAA is now concerned the “unsafe condition” is “likely to exist or develop on other planes of the same type design”, the airworthiness directive stated.
“Severe vibration in this attach point is suspected of allowing rapid wear of the joint, and resulted in failure of the attach lugs,” Ali Bahrami, Manager of Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service, said in the order.
“This condition, if not corrected, could result in a loss of aircraft control and structural integrity.”
Boeing spokeswoman Sandy Angers said the company supports the FAA’s order and remains committed to the safety of its aircraft.
“The interim measures serve to ensure that safety continues at the highest levels while we work diligently to determine a permanent resolution for this issue,” Ms Angers said.
The directive affects approximately 600 Next-Generation 737s, Ms Angers said.
The order applies to Boeing 737-600, 700, 700C, 800, 900 and 900ER series planes.
The planes must be inspected within 12 to 30 days.
source: news.com.au

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British Airways crew to strike


A three-day strike by many of British Airways' cabin crew will go ahead after union talks with management collapsed, leaving the ruling Labour government with a major headache weeks before a general election.
The strike begins on Saturday and is likely to disrupt travel plans for thousands. It risks embarrassing Prime Minister Gordon Brown because the Unite union organising the action is Labour's biggest single financial backer.
Brown, who had earlier called the strike "unjustified and deplorable", demanded that it be called off at once.
Meanwhile railway signal workers added to the government's problems by voting to strike over job cuts and changes to working practices, raising the threat of a first national rail strike in 16 years. They did not name a date.
Labour, which is trailing in opinion surveys ahead of an election widely expected to be called for May 6, has strong union ties that go back to its foundation in 1900. Unite's political director is Charlie Whelan, Brown's former spokesman.
Opposition Conservative leader David Cameron has accused Brown of failing to stand up to Unite and compared the situation to the 1970s, which saw periods of severe industrial unrest under Labour.
His party have launched a billboard campaign entitled "Cash Gordon", featuring a picture of Brown clutching a fistful of union-supplied bank notes behind his back.
"When the crunch comes, he can only act in the union interest, not in the national interest," Cameron said this week.
"HAWKS" GROUND PLANES
Tony Woodley, Unite's joint general secretary, told reporters that BA cabin crew who are in dispute would go on strike at midnight for three days, and then again from March 27 to March 30, just as the Easter holiday season begins.
Woodley said "hawks" within BA who wanted confrontation had won the day, including chief executive Willie Walsh.
"I think it is a classic case of Mr Walsh unfortunately being one of the hawks who is looking for a war with our members as opposed to a negotiated settlement," he said.
The airline wants to save an annual GBP£62.5 million pounds (USD$95 million) to help cope with a fall in demand, volatile fuel prices and increased competition from low-cost carriers.
In full-page newspaper advertisements on Friday, Walsh said a "significant number" of cabin crew would work during the strike and the majority of BA staff did not support the action.
Brown's spokesman said the prime minister believed the strike "is in no-one's interest and will cause unacceptable inconvenience to passengers".
"He urges the strike be called off immediately. He also urges BA's management and workforce to get together without delay to resolve what is a dispute about jobs and wages."
Many crews, including those working on long haul flights from London Gatwick airport and all flights from the smaller London City airport, will be unaffected by the action as they have already agreed to the airline's proposed changes.
BA hopes to fly at least 60 percent of customers booked for the March 20-22 period, having retrained staff to provide cover.
The union had said cabin crew would call off the strike if the airline reinstated an offer that was withdrawn last week.
Walsh said he had put forward a new offer on Friday, which would remain open until the strikes begin, but admitted it was lower as a result of the costs the airline has incurred due to the planned industrial action.
"I have made it clear to the trade union that that is an expense that must be recovered, so the financial value of the proposal that we have tabled is definitely not as attractive as the previous one," he told reporters.
"Our business must make changes, and I am disappointed that the union has not been able to see the sense of the proposal that we tabled today."

source: REUTERS

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EXLCLUSIVE: Will Olympic Air become one more time the carrier of the 5 contintents?

According to inofficial, unconfirmed informations, Olympic Air has began to plan the next steps of reorganizing and extension of the business plan and route structure for the time after the merge with Aegean Airlines. According to these informations, Olympic Air plans to start intercontinental flights on own direction.

AVNews

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Air Berlin reduces 787 orders

Air Berlin, Germany’s second biggest airline, is to reduce its 787 orders. It has “mutually agreed” with Boeing to lower the number of firm 787 orders from 25 to 15 and to reduce the number of options on 787s from 10 to 5. The 10 aircraft order reduction has a current list price of about $1.7bn. Air Berlin said it has also delayed delivery of nine 737 aircraft to 2015. These aircraft were originally scheduled for delivery in 2010 or 2011.

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Delta may cut 840 jobs in cost-cutting move

Delta Air Lines may slash 840 jobs at a subsidiary that provides ground-handling operations as part of a cost-cutting plan to consolidate operations in Cincinnati. The airline plans to operate mainline and regional flights out of one concourse instead of two at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport, effective May 1, and reduce the number of gates used at that airport to 28 from 50, according to Kristin Baur, Delta spokeswoman. She explained that Delta expects to save about $20m annually as a result of the changes.

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BA adds more flights during strike


British Airways is to fly thousands more passengers during a three-day strike by its cabin crew after more staff volunteered to work.
The company said more employees had offered to stand in for members of the Unite union who will walk out for three days from Saturday in a bitter row over cost cutting.
The union accused BA of "bluffing" and claimed only 350 volunteers were prepared to stand in for strikers this weekend as opposed to the 1,000 announced by the airline.
BA said earlier this week that it aimed to fly 60% of its customers during the strikes. But today the airline announced that since then the number of cabin crew offering to work as normal had increased "significantly" - and was expected to grow further.
The airline said: "British Airways is also pleased that the number of other airlines offering their help for the strike period through charters or provision of spare seats has increased from 50 on Monday to more than 60. These developments have enabled the airline to reinstate some previously cancelled flights and provide extra capacity for both long haul and short haul destinations. For example, this will allow the airline to fly home more competitors and supporters from the Winter Paralympics in Vancouver."
Chief executive Willie Walsh said: "The determination of our colleagues across the whole business to keep the flag flying this weekend is increasing. I am delighted by the numbers of cabin crew who have been getting in touch with us to express their disillusion with Unite's position. Our crews just want to work as normal, do their usual terrific job and look after our customers.
"We will now have the potential to fly more than 4,000 additional customers per day and serve more destinations. We believe this is a helpful move at a time when customers are facing rising fares with alternative carriers. Morale among our operations teams is high. Yesterday was our most punctual day at Heathrow for months, thanks to the efforts of all parts of the airline."
BA said passengers who will benefit from the extra flights will include those who had rebooked to a later date as well as people who had cancelled but not decided whether to rebook.
The extra staff coming forward were mainly members of BA's cabin crew, said the company, which has warned strikers they will lose their travel perks.
The announcement appears to have dashed any hopes of a last-minute deal to avert the strike and another four-day stoppage from March 27. BA said it remained available for "meaningful" discussions, but even though behind the scenes contacts have been maintained, there were no signs tonight of any fresh talks.


source: Hampshire Chronicle



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AirTran starts fare war


Discount carrier AirTran Airways fired the first shot of the summer airfare wars this week, causing bigger rivals to match prices at a time when they would rather be raising them.
The sale that AirTran started — set to end at midnight heading into Friday morning — included some seats on a few short trips as cheap as $44 each way, not including taxes and fees. What really made the sale stand out was its duration, covering travel from March 19 until Nov. 16.
AirTran operates non-stop flights from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to its hubs in Atlanta and Orlando.
Other carriers were forced to match on routes where they compete with AirTran or risk losing many passengers to their low-cost rival. Those sales too were set to expire at midnight.
"It's very rare that we see a 200-day sale — that we get to buy that far out into the future," said Tom Parsons, CEO of travel Web site BestFares.com. "This is the first big summer airfare sale."
The length of the AirTran promotion is important for other airlines because it means they were forced to sell some seats for the peak summer travel period cheaply.
Airlines have seasonal clocks when it comes to revenue: They try to make enough money in the summer to last through the winter.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect five of the six largest U.S. airlines to lose money in the first quarter of 2010, with only Southwest forecast to make a profit. But in the second and third quarters, each of which includes part of the summer travel season, analysts think all six will make money.
By next winter, even with an improving economy, analysts believe at least two of the six will be losing money again.
It's impossible to know how much money airlines will leave behind by selling some of their summer seats at such cheap prices this week.
For one thing, the AirTran sale didn't include flights on Fridays and Sundays, which tend to be busy days that are popular with business travelers. AirTran offered only a few routes at the cheapest prices, such as $44 each way between Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., and $54 each way for Boston-Baltimore and St. Louis-Milwaukee.
Airlines strictly limit the number of seats that they sell at the advertised cheapest rates.
Still, with fewer flights this summer than a couple of years ago, planes probably will be full and airlines could be getting top dollar for last-minute tickets by May or June — if they didn't sell the seat cheaply in March.
Among those matching AirTran's sale were Delta, American, United, Continental and US Airways.
Airlines have recently reported better traffic, a sign that the deep slump in travel demand is finally lifting.
"The past few weeks we have seen the first discounting for early summer as airlines want to keep up the momentum in the revenue side," says Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com.
But it's not all cheap thrills for travelers.
Seaney said there have been recent attempts to raise prices to Florida by $20 per round trip, and also to boost fares on some routes favored by low-cost carriers in the Midwest.

source: AP

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