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August 2, 2023

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August 2, 2023

Germans book significantly fewer vacations in Austria

Jan Gruber August 2, 2023 11:02

In the first half of the current year, Austrian accommodation establishments had 75,3 million overnight stays. This was 18,8 percent higher than the previous year and, according to Statistics Austria, "only just below the 2019 level of 76,35 million overnight stays". However, the industry was only able to grow by 2023 percent in June 3,4, as there were significantly fewer bookings, especially from the Federal Republic of Germany, an important source market. In the first six months, the number of overnight stays from Germany even fell by 2,4 percent to 5,1 million overnight stays. The Dutch were in the black, booking 2023 percent more in Austria in June 16,5. Double-digit growth was also recorded from the United Kingdom, the USA, the Czech Republic, Poland and Italy. 

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Marabu boss Paul Schwaiger throws in the towel

Jan Gruber August 2, 2023 10:17

Condor's sister company Marabu Airlines has been under fire from public media criticism since it began operating. Now company boss Paul Schwaiger is leaving "for personal reasons," according to a press release. Ad-interium, manager Axel Schefe, also from Condor, has taken over the Marabu CEO's chair with immediate effect. His main task is to stabilize flight operations and drive them forward. However, the main partner Nordica is also in crisis, as the state-owned company appears to have overreached itself and recently had to announce that it had made a loss of over seven million euros in the first half of the current year. The financial situation is also said to be strained. Marabu Airlines was founded last year by Condor's majority owner Attestor and is also likely to be used to circumvent a fleet growth ban to which the German airline is subject due to state aid. Nordica was brought on board as a partner, which will operate part of the fleet and also provide other services for Marabu. Another partner is Heston Airlines. Condor is responsible for sales. The overall combination, however, is obviously very complicated, as Marabu Airlines has been a regular guest in the negative headlines since it began operations. Schefe will take over the position immediately, while Schwaiger will remain in an advisory capacity for Marabu for a transitional period to ensure an orderly transition. Paul Schwaiger, who was previously sales manager at Condor, served as Marabu's managing director from the company's founding. The official press release only speaks of "initial difficulties caused, among other things, by delayed delivery of goods and services."

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Credit cards popular on vacation, but included insurance opaque

guest Author August 2, 2023 10:09

The credit card was by far the most frequently used payment method by Austrians when booking this year's summer vacation. Austria's largest tariff comparison portal Durchblicker surveyed 1.250 households in July about their payment habits and credit card knowledge. According to the survey, 57 percent paid for flights, accommodation and rental cars with a credit card. One of the main reasons is travel insurance cover. In fact, only six out of ten credit cards have such an - often limited - additional benefit. Nevertheless, one in two people in Austria believe that practically all credit cards include such insurance cover. According to the survey, very few people know exactly what the insurance cover covers. Three quarters say they do not know the scope and conditions in the event of a claim. This service is usually clearly reflected in the annual fee for the credit card. More than a quarter of those surveyed mistakenly believe that the credit card is tied to their main bank or current account. 40 percent do not know that there are now also free credit cards on the market. A new comparison of the fees, conditions and additional services of credit cards is now available at https://durchblicker.at/kreditkarte. According to Martin Spona, Head of Consumer Finance at Durchblicker, when choosing the right credit card, you should make sure that the contract only includes the services that you actually use and compare the costs carefully. Credit card - almost everyone has one, few know what it is According to the Durchblicker survey, around 70 percent of Austrians currently have a credit card, 11 percent even have two or more. One in three uses the credit card regularly. 66 percent always use the plastic money

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Winter 2023/24: Play records Keflavik-Frankfurt

Amely Mizzi August 2, 2023 09:00

The Icelandic low-cost airline Play will also fly between Frankfurt am Main and Keflavik in the 2023/24 winter flight schedule. This expands the number of destinations it can fly to in the Federal Republic of Germany. From December 14, 2023, Play plans to fly on the new route on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Birgir Jónsson, CEO of Play, explains: "Frankfurt has long been on our wish list: With flight operations at one of the largest airports in Europe, completely new opportunities are opening up for our guests and for us too. Our passengers have a central point of contact for international flights and very good transfer connections to the USA and Canada, which of course also benefits business travelers from Frankfurt and the surrounding area. For us, the opening of the new location primarily means sustainable growth. A nice continuation of the past few successful months - we will stay on this course." 

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BermudAir has obtained AOC and operating license

Amely Mizzi August 2, 2023 08:37

A new airline is launching on the Bermuda Islands under the name BermudAir. It was granted AOC and operating license by the Civil Aviation Authority on July 25, 2023. Scheduled flights to the United States of America are expected to begin on August 25, 2023. Initially, BermudAir plans to use two Embraer E175s with 30 seats. The airline is positioning itself as a premium provider, as the aircraft are said to have so-called executive equipment. Initially, the airline plans to fly from LF Wade International Airport, which is located near the island's capital, Hamilton, to Westchester County Airport, Boston and Fort Lauderdale. Later, the airline plans to add other US destinations to its route network and expand the fleet accordingly. It is also conceivable that larger aircraft will be operated in the future. The startup also sees commercial potential for non-stop flights between the Bermuda Islands and Europe. It believes that the potential demand is currently severely undersupplied. However, these are still just considerations, as the first step is to establish the US routes. But there is still a "stumbling block" because the formal approval required by the authorities of the United States of America has not yet been received. The corresponding application was submitted on May 5, 2023, but has not yet been approved. The AOC, which is now available, has now been submitted via a lawyer and the DoT has been asked to process the matter urgently.

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Corendon accepts B737-Max-8 ex works

Jan Gruber August 2, 2023 08:02

Last week, the Turkish low-cost airline Corendon took delivery of a Boeing 737 Max 8 directly from the factory. The aircraft is registered TC-MKG and is the seventh unit of this type in the carrier's fleet. The Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft have been part of the group's fleet since 2018, and the company operates flights in Turkey, the Netherlands and Malta. In total, the company has 37 aircraft, the vast majority of which are B737-800s. For 2024, Corendon Airlines announced that it will further rejuvenate the fleet and at the same time expand its route network. Corendon Airlines transports more than six million passengers per year from countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and Great Britain. 

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Stuttgart: The lack of low-cost airlines means that numbers are in the red

Jan Gruber August 2, 2023 07:35

Stuttgart Airport lost several low-cost carriers during the Corona crisis for various reasons. This has an extremely negative impact on the recovery of passenger numbers, as the Baden-Württemberg airport is recovering much more slowly than comparable airports in Germany. Apart from the Palma de Mallorca route and the Turkey and Kosovo routes, there is little to no competition on many routes from Stuttgart. The destinations affected are only served by one carrier or group of companies. This means that prices are sometimes significantly higher than at comparable German airports on whose routes there is competition. Until shortly before the start of the Corona pandemic, many things were different in Stuttgart. Low-cost carriers such as Lauda, ​​Easyjet, Blue Air and other providers active in this segment created competition on many routes, which market leader Eurowings had to accept. The result: In 2019, the state airport had more passengers than ever before. The record at the time could not be celebrated for long, however, because from March 2020, aviation in general went downhill, and within a few days the industry came to a virtual standstill almost all over the world. Low-cost airlines have withdrawn Lauda said goodbye to Stuttgart Airport in the 2020 summer flight schedule. The official reason at the time was that the staff had voted against pay cuts. In Düsseldorf, this was waved through, but it did not save the jobs, because the closure was then justified by the fact that the airport or ground handling had not accommodated the Irish low-cost group in terms of price. Easyjet said goodbye to Stuttgart Airport much more quietly. Before the pandemic, for example, it had

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Winter 2023/24: Eurowings takes on Düsseldorf-Tel Aviv

Jan Gruber August 2, 2023 07:04

In the 2023/24 winter flight schedule, Eurowings also intends to fly between Düsseldorf and Tel Aviv. The route is to be served three times a week from the beginning of December 2023. The first flight is scheduled for December 2, 2023. Eurowings' Airbus jets are to travel between the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia and the metropolis in Israel on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. 

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France: Drunk United pilot loses license and gets suspended prison sentence

Jan Gruber August 2, 2023 06:37

A 63-year-old United Airlines pilot had his license revoked for one year because he showed up to work in France under the influence of alcohol. He was also sentenced to six months in prison, which was suspended. On July 23, 2023, the pilot is said to have appeared at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in the said condition. From there, he was supposed to fly a long-haul United Airlines flight to Washington-Dulles. But that did not happen because a police officer became suspicious during a regular exit check. The hearing before the French investigating judge took place on July 25, 2023. The police officer who had "taken the pilot out of circulation" had to testify there as a witness. Among other things, he stated that the United pilot had shown obvious signs of drunkenness and therefore the police officer is said to have then asked for an alcohol test as part of his duty, which turned out positive. The pilot in question did not deny in court that he was drunk. However, he played down the extent of the problem and stated that he had only had a few drinks before the flight, which was supposed to take off at 17:00 p.m. local time. But that did not convince the judge. Since the man otherwise confessed, the French court imposed a six-month prison sentence, which was suspended, a fine of 4.500 euros and the withdrawal of his pilot's license for one year. The pilot can still appeal against the decision under French law. United Airlines had to

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Charter: Smartwings connects Abu Dhabi with Cologne, Nuremberg and Leipzig

Amely Mizzi August 2, 2023 06:09

On behalf of a German tour operator, the Czech airline Smartwings will fly from Cologne/Bonn, Leipzig/Halle and Nuremberg to Abu Dhabi in the 2023/24 winter flight schedule. The flights will be marketed by the client itself. Flights between the capital of the United Arab Emirates will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Leipzig/Halle will be connected to Abu Dhabi on Tuesdays and Saturdays. On Thursdays and Sundays, flights will take place to Cologne/Bonn. These are exclusive full charter flights from Etihad Holidays operated by Capital Holidays (Europe) GmbH, a subsidiary of Tourism 365 as part of the ADNEC Group and an independent tour operator based in Munich. The company offers the flights as part of package tours. These are available directly from the tour operator and through travel agencies.

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