Bmi Heathrow savings? (one right up Aisle seat H's alley)

Passengers expecting to pay less for their no-frills Bmi flights from Heathrow this summer could be disappointed.

As already reported (see News, May 26) Bmi is converting almost all its short-haul Heathrow services to a low-cost operation on August 1. It means the end of business class and a downgrading of economy class. Flights will become one-class and passengers will now have to pay for in-flight food and drinks. Members of Bmi's Diamond Club also lose out because they will earn fewer points and won't be able to redeem their upgrade vouchers.

Many of Bmi's best customers are known to be upset at the move and have made their feelings known to Business Traveller. However, a recent poll of Businesstraveller.com recorded a split verdict over the issue of whether business class has a future on short-haul flights, with 47 per cent saying business class does not have a future short-haul, and 53 per cent saying it does. One consolation was the fact that Bmi's ticket prices had been expected to fall to reflect the lower standards.

But that's not going to be the case. When Bmi unveiled its new Heathrow tariffs earlier this week, the savings for the carrier's restrictive economy rates (branded "Tiny" fares) appear to be in the order of a few pounds rather than the substantial savings which travellers thought they might achieve.

Flexible (branded "Premium" fares) tickets have similar prices to previous business class rates even though in-flight service will disappear and the seating become more cramped.

For example, Bmi's flexible economy fare for Heathrow-Amsterdam will be £328 in August which is only £1 cheaper than July's restricted business class ticket. Another example is Heathrow-Milan where flexible economy will cost £440 which is only £10 cheaper than the business class equivalent.

A spokesman for Bmi admits that prices haven't fallen dramatically but says that more passengers will benefit because cheap seat availability is now higher.

* Short-haul routes from Heathrow which retain business class are: Brussels, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast. The Dublin route, originally set to lose business class, has won a last minute reprieve. Go to Fly Bmi

Report by Alex McWhirter

(Looks like Aisle Seat H's unhappiness with Bmi got a DUB reprieve - I'll bet he spoke to BT ^ )


Better check-in for Frankfurt

Checking in at Germany's busiest airport is set to become easier following the introduction of self-service kiosks.

The introduction of the kiosks at Frankfurt Airport this autumn will speed up the check-in process and reduce queues according to the airport operator. Unlike check-in kiosks at other airports, the machines can be used by multiple carriers –in this case 42 airlines and ground handlers.

However, airlines including British Airways and Lufthansa will continue to operate their own check-in kiosks at Frankfurt Airport as well as utilising the general use machines.

At first eight kiosks will be installed at the airport, with further added if demand is strong. Operators of the airport hope that by 2010, more than 60% of the 50 million passengers who use the airport each year will check-in using the kiosks.

Report by Ginny McGrath


More flights for skiers

Low cost airlines are going head-to-head with British Airways on flights to Grenoble this winter, a popular destination for skiers heading to the Alps.
British Airways will launch flights from Gatwick to Grenoble on December 10, with fares starting at £79 return.

The airline hopes the route will be popular with skiers due to the transfer times to resorts such as Meribel, Courchevel and L'Alpe d'Huez, which are shorter than the journey from airports such as Lyon and Geneva, at under two hours. BA will operate the Grenoble flight on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until the end of March 2006. Go to www.ba.com.

BA faces competition from Easyjet, which offers flights to Grenoble from Luton, and from Ryanair, which will launch flights from Stansted to Grenoble on September 23 with fares starting at 99 pence each way not including taxes.

A second French airport with easy access to the Alps is the subject of route expansion this winter. Chambery will be connected with Leeds and Manchester when Jet2 launches flights to the airport from December 17. It will also be connected with Norwich, Exeter, Birmingham and Southampton when Flybe expands its services to Chambery from December 17 (December 24 in the case of Exeter).

Report by Ginny McGrath


An extra £60 to book online?

Portuguese national airline TAP has begun levying online booking fees across its network.

In the past passengers booking online were led to believe they would pay less because they were using a more efficient system which saved the airline money. But in a new move a number of airlines have begun charging internet booking fees. The latest example is TAP. Passengers booking with www.flytap.com could face a hefty charge.

TAP's so-called "Ticket Service Fee" will be from Euros 11 (£7.30) to as much as Euros 100 (£60.45) depending on factors like the route, class of travel and the country where the reservation is made.

Book online with TAP in Portugal itself and the online fee ranges between Euros 11 (£7.30) and Euros 25 (£16.60). But buy a ticket in Finland and you pay anything between Euros 20 (£13.30) to 100 (£60.45). Switzerland is also costly for online TAP bookings: between CH 50 (£21.35) and CH 80 (£34).
TAP also imposes the fee for bookings made in Belgium, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg, across Scandinavia and in Spain. There are no TAP online fees yet in the UK, USA or Latin America.

When asked why certain countries have escaped the fee, a TAP spokesperson admitted that the decision on whether or not to impose the online fee depended on market conditions. Despite being viewed as a cash-raiser, TAP says that the fee is designed to encourage passengers to book with a travel agent.

Other carriers already imposing online fees in various markets include: Austrian, Finnair, Lufthansa, Maersk Air, SAS and Swiss.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Virgin launches podcasting

Rather than squeezing a guide book into your already stuffed briefcase, the latest technology means you can be guided around a city using your MP3 player.

The technology, known as podcasting, is when radio content is downloaded onto an MP3 player (see Business Traveller June, page 18). It is being utilised by Virgin Atlantic to make city guides available for free to travellers, regardless of whether they travel with the airline.

The first content to be made available for download features New York, with guides to the top restaurants, best shopping and advice on how to "get off the beaten track". The airline says it plans to launch guides to other destinations in its network and will give users the option to register themselves to receive future content automatically. This means further city guides are automatically downloaded to the user's computer, which can then be transferred to an MP3 player, including iPods. Go to Virgin Atlantic website.

Predicted by Business Traveller as an upcoming trend for globetrotters, podcasting also enables MP3 users to download radio shows and play them back at their leisure. BBC Radio and Virgin Radio are two companies trialling podcasting, by making content available for download, although in most cases popular music is edited out due to an issue over rights.

All of the necessary software can be downloaded online from Virgin Atlantic's website as well as from other sources such as www.ipodder.org.

Report by Ginny McGrath


BA increases fares

British Airways has raised its fuel surcharge to £48 on long-haul return fares.
The airline blames the continuing rise in the cost of oil for the decision to increase the surcharge from £16 per long-haul flight to £24. The new charge came into effect on June 27. It does not apply to tickets already paid for and issued.

The fuel surcharge also increased on short-haul tickets, but by less, from £6 per sector to £8, adding £16 to the cost of a short-haul return ticket.
On making the announcement, BA commercial director Martin George, said the airline's fuel bill is expected to top £1.6 billion in this financial year, more than £450 million higher than last year.

Another factor that could put pressure on air fares is a scheme proposed by the European Commission to offset carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft by adding a levy to air tickets. Current proposals put the levy at between £1 and £6 per ticket, which could come into force from 2008. It would only apply to flights within Europe.

Report by Ginny McGrath