Tag: iberia View All Tags
Tags: Airline News / British Airways / Iberia / Airline Mergers / Travel News / → All Tags
British Airways And Iberia Agree To Merge And Become Soul-Sucking Airline
Now not everyone knows that the Spanish airline Iberia hasn't been faring so well, but you should be very aware that they've just reached a preliminary agreement with British Airways to merge. This means that the airlines will cooperate on flights and form a company which, according to SkyNews, has "419 aircraft which would fly to 205 destinations."
BA and Iberia, along with American Airlines and Finnair already put the merger cogs in motion back in August 2008 when they created the website "MoreTravelChoices.com." Since even before then, Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic has been railing out against the proposed merger of BA and AA especially, arguing that they'd have a near monopoly on transatlantic routes—ones that Virgin also flies.
Tags: Iberia / LCCs / Low Cost Carriers / New Airlines / Airline News / Airlines / → All Tags
Iberia Airlines Wants To Liven Up Its Brand With a New LCC
Like most airlines, Iberia Airlines hasn’t been doing that well. They’ve been in talks to shack up with British Airways for a bigger and brighter future, but for now they’re doing their best to shuttle travelers to and from Spain as best as they can. To make more cash the airline plans to focus on more long-haul routes, and will change up the way they deal with shorter flights: they plan to launch their own low cost carrier.
The cheap carrier Vueling already is owned in part by Iberia, but apparently this isn’t good enough for the suits in Madrid. According to officials within the airline a new carrier focused on domestic and European routes will allow them to change the operating model for these types of flights.
Tags: Airline Fees / Ryanair / British Airways / LCCs / Iberia / EasyJet / LHW / STN / BCN / GRO / Low Cost Carriers / → All Tags
What It Really Costs To Fly on Ryanair
Low Cost Carriers are notorious for their confusing and forever changing pricing schemes, and none mess with our common sense more than the European breeds.
With Ryanair releasing new fees left and right, it's become apparent that you can't take their bargain basement ticket prices at face value anymore. While a trip to Barcelona from London may only cost 53.39 pounds (including taxes), there are a host of dreaded extra fees which you must consider before clicking to purchase.
Here, we've done some sniffing around the websites of Ryanair, EasyJet, Iberia and British Airways to discover if opting for the hassle of an LCC remains worthwhile. Choosing the lowest fares for a random round-trip in April, we'll walk you through each carrier's potential fees and tell you what that cheap ticket really ends up costing.
Tags: American Airlines / British Airways / Iberia / Finnair / Royal Jordanian / Airline Mergers / Airline Analysis / Virgin Atlantic / LHR / → All Tags
Virgin Atlantic, BA Squabbling over Heathrow Slots
Now that British Airways, American Airlines and three other carriers have announced their merger-which-isn't a merger, Virgin Atlantic is making a serious stink. After all, Richard Branson's baby holds just three percent of the slots at Heathrow, while BA and its newest pals control 47 percent of the landing rights at the airport.
This is actually the third time that British has tried to link up with American, but it's the first such attempt since the latest Open Skies provision was enacted, ostensibly to improve competition in the transatlantic market. But Branson says that hasn't yet happened--and won't if a tie-up between BA and AA is approved:
Open Skies has not delivered the greater competition that was promised because Heathrow is full. BA/AA and Iberia would still be unacceptably dominant, with nearly half of all of the slots at Heathrow, leaving competitors powerless to take them on.
For his part, British Airways CEO Willie Walsh says his airline doesn't plan to give up any market share to appease regulators. The UK Times asked him if he'd consider giving up any slots, which can sell for as much as £20 million ($37 million) a pair. His response?
I won't
Related Stories:
· Willie Walsh Vows Airline Will Not Surrender Slots [UK Times]
· Airline Mergers: American, British and Iberia Finally Make a Deal [Jaunted]
Tags: American Airlines / British Airways / Iberia / Finnair / Royal Jordanian / Airline Mergers / → All Tags
Airline Mergers: American, British and Iberia Finally Make a Deal
American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair and Royal Jordanian have formally announced their intent to merge, and they've put together a website to hype the tie-up. The spin-tastically named MoreTravelChoices.com even goes so far as to ask passengers to write to the Department of Transportation asking regulators to approve the deal.
The "joint business agreement" the five airlines have signed will have them cooperating on flights between North America and Europe. They also plan to expand their code sharing so you can earn even more increasingly worthless frequent flier miles. Though the agreement is being called a merger, all five carriers will remain legally separate and maintain their own identities--at least for now.
The deal still needs to be approved by the US government, which might be concerned not just with competition but also rules on foreign ownership of airlines. Predictably, Virgin Atlantic is opposed to the deal.
Related Stories:
· MoreTravelChoices.com [Official Site]
· Airline Mergers coverage [Jaunted]
Tags: British Airways / Iberia / Airline Mergers / → All Tags
Is the BA-Iberia Merger a Sure Thing?
Despite our best guess, British Airways is getting hot and heavy with Iberia--though there's no word yet on shacking up with American. Most news outlets say the European duo is "holding talks," citing a news release posted on BA's website:
British Airways and Iberia are holding talks with a view to an all-share merger between the two companies. The negotiations are supported unanimously by the boards of both companies.
The British Airways and Iberia brands would be retained as part of a combined group.
It is expected that it will take several months to reach agreement on the terms of the merger and to finalise a joint business and integration plan for the combined group.
But the British Press Association says the deal is done, a pretty bold statement given how mergers tend to fall apart as talks proceed. Perhaps they know something everyone else doesn't?
Related Stories:
· BA to Merge with Spanish Airline [PA, via Google]
· BA and Iberia in Merger Talks [AP, via Google]
· Airline Mergers coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: alex-s]
