The miracle budget airline that is Ryanair continues to buck the trend of low cost carriers across the world by actually decreasing prices, with a promise to cut fares by five percent--and with a huge sale on now with five million seats going for €10 (including taxes and charges) for September and October travel.

Anyone would think that Ryanair had a mystery supply of cheap fuel, but no, CEO Michael O'Leary has admitted he's messed up on the oil price front already; that's why Ryanair will probably only just break even this year. Even so, he's sticking with the price decrease promise anyway.

The other big drama for Ryanair these days is the crackdown on "scraper" websites that have been selling the carrier's flights. Any customer who buys one of these fares (which, ironically, often end up more expensive anyway) will have their booking canceled, so there's definitely no benefit in going to third-party sites. We're keen on picking up a few €10 fares ourselves, but we'll book direct. Promise.

Related Stories:
· I Screwed Up, Ryanair Boss Admits [Belfast Telegraph]
· Ryanair Clamps Down on Internet Ticket Touts [Reuters]
· Ryanair coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: fabbriciuse]]]> amandak 2008-08-18T09:33:12-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/14/83722/0501

European low cost airlines are getting pretty incestuous lately. First Germanwings started sharing flight bookings with Clickair, which then merged with Vueling. The news this week is that Germanwings is in serious talks to merge with TuiFly and Condor, two other German based LCCs.

But we'll have to wait on the legalities of it all: Condor tried to merge with Air Berlin last year but the German cartel office nixed the idea.

If you can sort all that out, you're doing well. We have a simpler suggestion: Just merge the lot of them and call it Cheap German Airlines.

Related Stories:
· Condor Joins TuiFly/Germanwings Tie-Up Talks [Reuters]
· Germanwings and Clickair Get Into Bed [Jaunted]
· Airline Mergers, Spanish Style [Jaunted]

[Photo: Andrei Dimofte]]]> amandak 2008-07-14T09:15:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/8/34112/64099

It's definitely trendy these days for airlines to do a bit of merging. The latest one's taking place over the Spanish skies, and we highly approve because it's bringing together two low cost carriers that we actually like.

Spanish LCCs Clickair and Vueling Airlines have agreed to shack up together--with Vueling taking the top bunk. (Sadly, that means Clickair's cool name will disappear.) The two airlines have been negotiating details of the merger for months but just this week agreed that it's the best way to deal with rising costs.

The deal's not a sure thing quite yet: The Spanish authorities have to decide whether this merger goes against competition guidelines. We say go for it, in the hope that we'll get the perfect LCC with on-time flights and luxury leg room.

Related Stories:
· Spain's Vueling Says to Merge with Clickair [Reuters]
· From Barcelona With Love [Jaunted]
· Luxury on a Budget [Jaunted]

[Photo: carthesian]]]> amandak 2008-07-09T09:00:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/1/05230/29049

German low cost carrier Air Berlin has added its name to the growing list of airlines who think it's a fun idea to make passengers pay extra for stuff.

That's airline life these days, and we're getting used to it. But that doesn't mean we're going to like paying Air Berlin's €10 (more than $15) charge for booking online. We're pretty sure online booking is the cheapest way for Air Berlin to actually get customers, making this seem like one of the most unfair fees we've heard about lately.

Air Berlin also thinks that answering telephone calls is a costly affair and is increasing the surcharge added to phone bookings from €16 up to €20 ($32). With a bunch of flights going for just €29, we really feel these extra charges are a kick in the stomach... or a reason to fly another airline.

Related Stories:
· Air Berlin [Official Site]
· Air Berlin to Introduce 10 Euro Booking Fee [Peanuts]
· Air Berlin Goes (Almost) Everywhere [Jaunted]

[Photo: Andrei Dimofte]]]> amandak 2008-07-01T09:20:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/6/24/3823/58151

With low cost carrier Ryanair forever finding more ways to separate customers from their money, we're not sure if this newest innovation is something to help passengers or yet another commercial venture.

Ryanair has just launched a Flight Tracker service, which will send text messages to registered passengers in Britain and Ireland about arrival and departure times, and notify you "on those rare occasions when a Ryanair flight is delayed". It costs £1.50 ($3) to register your phone number for a particular flight, and after that, the updates are sent to you for free.

Cynics have suggested there are plenty of web-based services who'll send you such messages for free, but Ryanair's proud that you don't need to know your flight number for its tracker--you can call up and get registered with just your departure date and route. But can't you just look up your flight number?

Related Stories:
· Ryanair Flight Tracker [Official Site]
· Text Service Launched by Ryanair [HolidayLettings]
· Ryanair Finds More Ways to Earn a Quid [Jaunted]

[Photo: scalleja]]]> amandak 2008-06-24T09:00:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/6/18/125538/957

Is Italy trying to compete with Austria for the next season of "Locked up Abroad," or is kidnapping family members a freaky new European pastime? Either way, the latest news out of Naples makes our skin crawl.

On Sunday it was revealed that a 47-year-old Italian woman, Maria Monaco, was held captive for 18 years in a filthy bedroom outside the southern city. As of late, filth and strange smells have become synonymous with Naples, but one neighbor reported an unusually strong stench near a room in the rural family home. That's where the carabinieri found the victim.

Monaco's relatives reportedly stashed her in the basement in 1990 after she became pregnant with an illegitimate son. Unsurprisingly, she's now being hospitalized for a psychiatric condition and her family, including the 80-year-old granny, are all under investigation.

Related Stories:
· Woman Freed After Being Locked up for 18 Years [AP, via Google]
· Crime coverage [Jaunted]
· Italy Travel coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-06-18T13:00:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/6/16/13516/9501

It may cost $1.55 to buy a euro, but President Bush is still enjoying high season in Europe. The commander in chief has been on a whirlwind tour of the Continent since June 9, making stops from Slovenia to the UK.

Bush started his tour in Slovenia, which he once confused with Slovakia. After hobnobbing with European Union officials, he left for Germany to chat with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Later he flew to Italy for a two-stop meeting: After talking with Silvio Berlusconi, Bush skipped over to the Vatican for an audience with Pope Benedict XVI.

Later, after breakfast in Paris, the president crossed the Channel to the UK. His last stop was in Belfast, where he presumably changed his pounds back into dollars--and started planning his next trip to a place where the greenback is stronger.

Check the route on our President Bush European Vacation Map.

Related Stories:
· Bush Soaks in Europe as Only a President Can [AP]
· President Bush coverage [Jaunted]
· Europe Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: The White House]]]> pbb 2008-06-16T13:30:01-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/