Passanger Growth

Ryanair report 5% growth in passengers in January 

This year 4.66 million travelled with the low cost carrier compared with 4.44 in January last year 

----------------------------------------------------------------

easyJet passenger numbers rise to 50m each year 

easyJet has reached an important milestone in its history and has just passed the 50 million passengers a year mark. 

The airline has seen huge growth since it began operating in 1995, increasing in size from just two aircraft, with two routes carrying 424,000 passengers in its first year. 

Today easyJet is one of the largest airlines in Europe operating 196 aircraft on 552 routes, across 30 countries. 

To mark the milestone Laura Tabourin, who lives in London and regularly uses easyJet to visit her family in France, became easyJet’s 50 millionth passenger this year*. She was travelling to Bordeaux from London Luton Airport and was presented with a bottle of champagne, and given a flight voucher for two people to travel anywhere on the easyJet network. 

easyJet's Chief Executive Carolyn McCall, said: 

“To carry 50 million passengers each year is a great achievement and is testament to the great service our people deliver on-board. easyJet has a strong position delivering low-fares, flying people to where they want to go to, at convenient times with friendly service. We aim to provide an easier travel experience for all our passengers, and look forward to our continued growth over the coming years.” 


Note *50 Millionth passenger based upon accumulative total for previous 12 months: Pax numbers for Feb 10 – Jan 11 were 50,320,074 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ryanair opens a flight to Birmingham 

Ryanair, opens its 4th line from Montpellier airport from April 13 
Three flights per week between Montpellier and Birmingham. 

Monday - Wednesday - Friday flights - BUT - NOTE NOT ALL AT SAME TIME 


MONDAY times 

leaves Birmingham at 15:45 arrives Montpellier 18:30. 
The return, leaves Montpellier 18:55 arrives Birmingham 19:50 


WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY times 

Leaves Birmingham at 17:45 arrives Montpellier 20:30. 
The return, Leaves Montpellier 20: 55 arrives Birmingham 21:50. 

Check on the website www.ryanair.com/en 

Thanks Bob for putting WoW right - cataracts a bit of a problem when putting in times! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

EU plans bigger exchange of air passenger data 

Airport security could be boosted through access to data on suspected criminals 

The EU plans to expand transfers of air passenger data in a drive to prevent terrorism and other serious crimes such as drug trafficking. 
In future all airlines flying to and from destinations in the EU will have to transfer passenger data to national authorities on request, the plan says. 
The US, Canada and Australia already get such data from the EU. 
The European Commission proposals will be studied by the European Parliament and EU governments before becoming law. 

The Commission stresses that stringent safeguards will be in place to protect privacy, in line with European human rights standards. 
"Common EU rules are necessary to fight serious crime such as drug smuggling and people trafficking as well as terrorism, and to ensure that passengers' privacy is respected and their rights fully protected in all member states," said the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmstroem. 

The proposals are likely to be amended - perhaps substantially - as lengthy negotiations will take place before they become law. 
Last year Euro MPs got extra privacy safeguards incorporated into a deal allowing US anti-terror investigators to check data on European bank transactions. 

In the new airline data package the Commission proposes that: 
• Passenger Name Record (PNR) data for international flights will be transferred from the carriers' reservation systems to a dedicated unit in the EU country of arrival or departure 
• The data transfers will only take place on request - the national authorities will not have direct access to the airlines' databases 
• The system will apply to international flights to and from countries outside the EU - not flights within the EU or domestic flights 
• PNR data will be kept for 30 days after a flight, in the dedicated unit, after which the passenger's name must be deleted, but the anonymous data can be stored for up to five years 
• No sensitive personal data, such as religious or political opinions or ethnic origin, can be transferred by airlines. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


Ryanair, announced on 1st Feb that Marseille operations for the Summer 2011 season will be extended and will temporarily keep up to two planes at the airport overnight for just over four months (from April 14 to September 4), which will provide a total of 24 lines and deliver 500,000 passengers this summer to terminal MP2 Marseille. 

Ryanair closed its base in Marseille in January following what they describe as “the unjustified legal proceedings launched seeking to compel crewmembers Irish Ryanair to pay taxes and social contributions in France, despite EU regulations that allow members 'Ryanair crew pay taxes and social contributions in Ireland where they were employed, worked and were paid. Ryanair continues to operate “ 

Ryanair has opened a judicial procedure before the European courts against the French decree. 


Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's CEO said today in Marseille: 

"Ryanair is delighted to announce the new program expanded its operations in Marseilles for the summer season now consists of 24 lines (including 11 new ones) and will deliver 500,000 passengers in the region of Provence this summer. 

These operations during the summer will lead to a temporary halt for the night up to two planes registered in Ireland with Irish crews engaged with Irish contracts and pay their taxes and social security contributions in Ireland for a 4-month period. Ryanair remains committed to Marseille airport and we are delighted to continue working with Marseille and the Chamber of Commerce to launch new lines and to benefit from new visitors to MP2 from mid-April to early September 2011. " 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Ryanair profits hit by severe winter weather 

Ryanair reported a loss of 10.3m euros ($14m; £8.8m) in the final quarter of 2010 after strikes and bad weather forced it to cancel 3,000 flights. 
However, the loss was down from the 10.9m-euro deficit the Irish budget carrier recorded the year before. 
The cancellations were partly offset by a 15% rise in average fares to 34 euros, and a 20% increase in sales of items such as in-flight refreshments. 

There was also an increase of 6% in passenger numbers during the period. 

"This small third-quarter loss of 10 million euros is disappointing, as we were on track to break even, but earnings were hit by a series of air traffic control strikes in the third quarter, compounded by a spate of bad weather airport closures in December," said the airline's chief executive, Michael O'Leary, in the company's results statement. 
He said the number of flight cancellations in the third quarter were above the 1,400 seen in the whole of the previous financial year. 
The airline also saw its fuel bill for the quarter rise by 37%. 
However, Mr O'Leary said the airline was on course to achieve full-year net profits in the top end of its forecast range of between 380m euros and 400m euros.