European consolidation nears the end game
With European airlines making record profits, the big players are back on the acquisition trail. How close are we to the end of consolidation process in Europe? And which airlines are still in play?
Lufthansa’s Italian Adventure
Lufthansa Group has finally reached agreement with the Italian state to acquire ITA, the company formed to take over many of the assets of the now defunct Alitalia. I took a look at how the deal is structured and what we know or can guess about their plans for the business.
Assessing Q3 performance from the European LCCs
Ryanair reported bumper profits of €1.4 billion for its September quarter yesterday. How well did its results stack up against the other European low-cost airlines?
The impact of higher fuel and emissions costs on air fares and demand
Will higher fuel and emissions costs be passed on to customers in higher fares? If so, what will be the consequences for demand, capacity and market share?
European airline winners and losers from the pandemic
As the fog starts to clear on the airline recovery, which airlines are emerging from the pandemic as winners and how well did market analysts do early on in predicting who that would be?
Will the oil price hike derail the airline recovery?
Just as airlines were beginning to see a strong recovery in bookings, will inflated fuel costs derail the long hoped for recovery in profitability?
European airlines count the cost of airspace closures
Collateral damage from the war in Ukraine continues to hammer airline share prices. On top of rocketing fuel prices, airspace restrictions over Russia are making flights to China, Japan and Korea uneconomic for European operators.
War in Europe
Shocking news from Ukraine today. Understandably, airline share prices fell heavily. What are the practical implications for airline management teams?
Here we go again
Airlines in Europe were finally starting to get more cheerful, with bookings back to something like normal as travel restrictions were relaxed. But could the discovery of the new Omicron variant send the industry back to square one?
Will the UK allow its aviation industry to take flight again?
UK travel workers and leaders are urging the government to "save the summer". With time running out, will the government respond in time? Or if not, will they provide financial assistance to save the industry?
Airline pricing strategies for the summer restart
What do the current prices on offer for August tell us about UK airline strategies for the hoped for summer restart in travel?
Norwegian shuts down its long-haul operations. What went wrong?
Norwegian is shutting down its long-haul operations and will now focus only on short-haul. At the peak, they flew more seats to New York than British Airways. What went wrong?
Another rescue plan for Alitalia, does it stack up?
Another year, another government-funded rescue plan for chronically loss-making Alitalia. This time with a €3 billion price tag. Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera asked me to review the plan and this is what I told them.
Pandemic winners and losers in Latin America
Airlines in Latin America have not received the kind of state support seen in most other regions. Weaker airlines have been driven into bankruptcy and restructuring, creating opportunities for stronger ones. Who have been the winners and the losers?
The battle of the low cost carriers
Europe’s low-cost carriers are not just competing for passengers. They are also fighting to convince investors that they will be the winners coming out of the pandemic. How well are their claims supported by the facts?
Tracking the recovery in European airline demand
European airlines have been adding back capacity since June, but has passenger demand kept up? And who are the leaders and laggards amongst Europe’s big hub airports?
Low-cost long-haul: Is it dead or has its time finally come?
The low-cost business model has been all conquering in short-haul markets, but few have tried to make a go of it in long-haul. With the pandemic triggering high profile failures like Norwegian, is the idea dead, or has its time finally come?
Does your airline’s post COVID plan stack up?
Some tips and tests to apply when judging how well your post COVID plan stacks up.