Changes in the UK - China air travel market
After a slow recovery from the pandemic, passenger numbers between the UK and Mainland China are now over 30% above 2019 levels. With new direct flights from China to Manchester and Edinburgh, you could be forgiven for thinking that the market is doing nicely. But look beyond the headlines and you'll find a different story.
Stonking full year results from IAG
Full year results from IAG set new records and reconfirmed the company as one of the top industry performers from the perspective of profitability. I took a quick look to see what the results showed.
More record profits at IAG in Q3
Q3 pre-tax profits at IAG of €1.7 billion set a new record for a single quarter. But the company’s share price remains mired in the doldrums. What is going on?
Another £342m of pre-tax losses at Virgin
Virgin Atlantic reported its sixth straight year of losses in 2022. How did the £342m pre tax loss compare to rival BA? And how well is Virgin set up to achieve its goal of delivering sustainable profitability in the future?
Comparing European airline cargo results for 2022
The cargo divisions of airlines are usually overshadowed by their more glamorous colleagues in the passenger business. But as European airlines continue to report record cargo profits, I decided to take a look at how the big three groups did in 2022.
IAG full year results
IAG reported its first full year profit for three years last week, with operating profits of €1.2 billion and a pre-tax profit of €415m. How did the results compare to European peers? Which airlines within the group did best? And what other interesting nuggets of information were buried in the small print?
European airline groups back to profit in Q3
The big three European network airlines groups reported their first solid profits for three years in the third quarter. Which of their airline brands are doing the best?
Normalising Q2 results for fuel and emissions hedging
Fuel hedging policies had a dramatic impact on Q2 airline results in Europe. Which airlines delivered the best results? And how much of that was down to hedging policies?
Lies, damn lies and statistics
Ryanair and Wizz claim to have “industry leading” seat factors. Is that really the case, or is it just down to differences in the way they report the figures?
Virgin versus British Airways - who did better in 2021?
Virgin Atlantic has published a pre-tax loss figure of £594m for 2021. How did its performance compare to that of arch-rival, British Airways?
The US reopens its borders to Europe
In a major boost to travellers, airlines and airports alike, the long-awaited reopening of the US border was finally announced today. Fully vaccinated travellers will be free to travel to the US from early November, in time for long separated families to be reunited for Thanksgiving.
Has the time come for a return to supersonic travel?
United Airlines has placed a $3 billion order for 15 Overture supersonic jets. After a more than 17 year gap, has the time finally come for a return to supersonic travel?
Another set of Virgin Atlantic accounts
Only four months after the publication of their 2019 accounts, Virgin Atlantic have filed their 2020 figures. What do they show and how do they compare to those at arch-rival British Airways?
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?
Lessons from the UK domestic aviation market
What lessons can we learn about the post COVID aviation world from looking at the experience so far in the UK domestic market?
What are the prospects for a recovery in business travel?
The business travel market has been hit hard by the pandemic. What are the prospects for a recovery, both in the short and the long-term?
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?
Europe’s big airlines clear the first hurdle
With the second quarter results now in for all the big European airlines, how well did they manage the grounding phase and what kind of financial position are they each in for the restart?
Willie Walsh’s last IAG results
Willie Walsh presented his last set of IAG results before he heads off into retirement at the start of September. How well did the team at IAG do in bringing down costs and managing cash in the face of the worst airline downturn in the history of the industry?
British Airways cuts a deal with its pilots
Yesterday BA’s pilot union BALPA announced that it was launching a formal consultation with its members over the terms of a deal that has been negotiated with the company to address the massive hit to the airline’s finances from COVID-19. I compare the terms to those that were rumoured at the start of the month.