Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, looks like a straight shooter in an industry full of corporate “yes men” these days. Speaking at a Guild of Travel Management Companies’ (GTMC) conference, the five star airline’s boss called BS on Lufthansa and other European airlines. With many air carriers suffering during this current recession, name calling has broken out in earnest now.
Lufthansa
Malev Grounding Leads to Air Fare Hikes
Following the recent news of Hungarian national carrier Malev’s bankruptcy, air passengers to Southeast Europe are facing fewer choices combined with increased fares, according to travel agents in the region.
Air Berlin: Trimmed Down & Refined for 2012
2012 will no doubt be a challenging one for the airline industry. AMR going bust, and even budget carriers feeling the pinch in 2011, many will likely founder in the coming months. One carrier, Germany’s second biggest carrier Air Berlin, looks to be applying lessons hard learned early on in the year.
Are Airlines Unringing the Online Travel Bell?
The war between online travel companies and airlines is heating up. Expedia counters American Airline’s move to dump Orbitz, as Delta begins its abandonment of smaller OTA’s. Can online travel giants win out over the service providers they actually depend on? Much depends on the customer in the end.