An extensive analysis by the Stanford Transportation Group, a leading U.S.-based aviation consultancy, has revealed that the number of best-paying passengers of U.S. airlines has stagnated at low levels while the number of travelers using business aircraft is reaching new highs. The results indicate that travelers on business aircraft now generate a record 41% the number of passenger trips as those made by airline first-class, business-class and full-fare coach passengers combined.

Stanford Transportation Group (STG) has completed its biennial review of premium passenger activity in the U.S. domestic airline and business aviation markets. STG analyzed the number of one-way U.S. domestic passenger-trips by fare category and developed estimates of ridership on business aircraft—jets and turboprops. “Premium” airline traffic is defined as those passengers traveling on first class, discounted first class, business class, discounted business class and full-fare coach tickets as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 10% ticket sample. These are passengers who pay a premium for added comfort, privacy or the need to depart without advanced planning.

“As a group, the number of premium trips has fallen from 20% of overall airline travel prior to 9/11, to less than 10% of airline travel,” said STG Managing Director Gerald Bernstein. Business aircraft travel is estimated from analysis of FAA and NBAA data, commercial data sources and utilization surveys; it is all considered “Premium.”

“Premium airline travel has remained static and at a low level for several years,” said Bernstein. “Despite the rise in total airline passenger trips through 2007, the number of premium trips has stalled at 41 million. Airline reports for early 2008 indicate reductions are likely this year.”

“Conversely, growing business aviation acceptance, fleet growth, the expansion of fractional programs, pre-paid flight card programs, and the development of new business models enabling lower trip costs have driven a steady expansion in the number of travelers using business jets and turboprops,” he said. “There are approximately 16 million one-way trips taken annually on business jets and turboprops. In 2007, the number of trips using these aircraft was 41% the number of trips made by Premium airline passengers. This is clearly a vastly different competitive landscape than existed even eight years ago when business aviation travel account for only 16% the number of Premium airline trips.”

“This can’t be a desirable trend for the airlines,” Bernstein continued, “it’s tough for most of the carriers to make a decent profit with over 90% of passengers flying on discount fares. This erosion of Premium travel diminishes the one group where the airlines are able to make a profit,” he added.

tanford Transportation Group was founded in 1995 to specialize in market and business strategies for regional, business and general aviation aircraft manufacturers and users. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, California. Other offices are in Washington DC and Tokyo. STG has worked closely with clients on three continents, including major airframe manufacturers, engine manufacturers, airlines, investors and financial institutions. STG’s mission is to provide clients with industry-focused counsel to affect optimal decision-making in the complex and highly competitive aviation marketplace.

Source: http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/26138

Wizz Air announced today, that it would launch a new flight from Budapest to Dortmund and concurrently increase frequencies on its Katowice-Dortmund service.

The Budapest-Dortmund route will be launched thrice weekly from 26 October 2008.  Wizz Air offers an extensive route network from Dortmund Airport and Budapest will become the airline’s 9th destination besides Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Katowice, Cluj, Bucharest and Sofia.

The Danube Summit Conference and Exhibition returned to the Romanian Black Sea port of Constantza – the city where the event first convened in June 2002. The 4th Danube Summit, which ran from 4-6 June 2008, took place at the port’s new cruise terminal, in the heart of Constantza’s port area. Leaders from southeast Europe’s transport and logistics community convened to discuss Danube and Black Sea cooperation as the key theme of the conference.
While the Port of Constantza serves both river and maritime cruise vessels, the highlight of the conference was a roundtable workshop on the promotion of maritime cruise tourism in Romania and in the Black Sea.

Officially supported by the Romanian Ministry of Transport and the Regional Council of the Constantza area, Constantza’s selection as the venue reflected its leading position as a transit and hub port for the Black Sea region. Container throughput over the past five years has seen spectacular growth, with some 130,000 TEU handled in 2002, rising to a forecast of 2.0 million TEU in 2008.

A focal point of the Danube Summit was the cruise workshop that took place on 6 June, which united Constantza’s local leaders, including the Constantza City Council, the Port of Constantza, the Romanian Riviera Tourism Promotion Board, ship agents, tour operators, and the Romanian border police, plus Venezia Terminal Passeggeri and the Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports (MedCruise). MedCruise Secretary General, Jose Campos, stressed the importance of the local players’ collaboration in developing short- and long-term strategic plans towards the final goal, which they agreed was for Constantza to become a celebrated cruise port.

“This is MedCruise’s first official visit to Romania and we are genuinely honoured to take part in the Danube Summit and its special section dedicated to cruise tourism,” stated Campos. ”In our view, Constantza Port, which became a member of MedCruise in 2007, is ready to serve as the gateway for many thousands of cruise tourists to enter Romania for the first time. Romania is a fascinating country ready to be discovered.”

Campos spoke of the high growth rates in cruise passenger traffic at its member ports in the Black Sea, and in particular, at Constantza, which has seen maritime cruise traffic increase from approximately 1,500 passengers in 2002 to over 16,000 in 2007. Holland America’s MS Rotterdam is calling at Constantza this season and Costa Crociere is now returning to Constantza after an absence of several years.

Local tourism promoters and ship agents discussed the investments that have been made to improve services and facilities for cruise passengers calling at Constantza, including tailored shore excursions focusing on the region’s diverse culture and history dating before the sixth century BC. Those present linked the development of cruise tourism with the growth of tourism in general and the economic development of the area.
“From the host port’s perspective, the Danube Summit was a success”, said Constantin Matei, General Manager of the Port of Constantza. “Compared to the 2002 edition, when 150 guests were present, this year the event counted with almost 300 participants and this means that the Port of Constantza is of great interest to the world of maritime and river transportation.”

“The Port of Constantza offers all the necessary conditions for the development of cruise tourism,” Matei continued, “but we depend on more than infrastructure. The cruise terminal has the capacity of 100,000 passengers, but last year only 25,000 river and sea passengers transited it. The number of passengers will grow when Constantza and Romania are seen as key tourist destinations. The cruise terminal is a gate, not a destination. We must develop tourist attractions for our country to become an interesting tourist destination, to offer them not only an attractive Constantza, but also an attractive Romania, and for this to happen, several institutions are now working together.”

http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/26130

Wizz Air introduces new transfer service from Cluj Napoca and Bucharest Baneasa airports to the centre of the cities

Wizz Air, the largest low fare - low cost airline based in Central and Eastern Europe introduced a new service enhancement. All passengers arriving to and departing from Cluj Napoca and Bucharest Baneasa airports are able to buy a comfortable mini bus or coach transfer to and from the city centre. The coaches run between Cluj Napoca International Airport and Piata Unirii in Cluj, and between Bucharest Baneasa and Piata Romana in Bucharest.
The new service is integrated in the booking transaction and can be purchased by selecting this option during the booking process itself and paying online in one single transaction together with the flight.

The timetable of the transfer service is adjusted to Wizz Air’s flight schedule and available for purchase for all flights from and to both Romanian airports. The price of a one-way ticket in Bucharest is EUR 6.5 (EUR 13 return) and EUR 5 (EUR 10 return) in Cluj.

Wizz Air has recently opened its second base in Romania. After Bucharest Baneasa, Cluj Napoca became the airline’s second operating base in the country with a new Airbus A320 type aircraft and local crew. Currently Wizz Air offers 16 international and one domestic routes in Romania. The airline is operating flights from Bucharest Baneasa, Cluj Napoca and Tirgu Mures airports in Romania.

Tickets for all flights are available on wizzair.com or via calling the call centre on 0903 900 313 (in Romania).

Carpatair chosen to fly to/from Kiev Zhuliany airport – the “Kiev City Airport” located very close and conveniently to downtown.Please do not confuse with the other airport – Borispol, about 40 km away from the city. There is public transport (buses and trolleybuses) available to/from the airport, a taxi costs around 60 hrivna and it takes just 10 to 15 minutes to get there for the morning departures.

Finally we are online! It took a while, some effort spent but we are finally online with our new website: www.accommodation-romania.info We mainly designed this website for english spoken tourist looking for accommodation in Romania, bed and breakfast or all-inclusive services. They can find a large variaty of accommodation units from hotels, hostels, guest houses to apartments to rent (hotelapartments).

Beside accommodation in Romania people can find some quick facts about Romania like interesting places to visit, some useful information, some travel tips and news from Romania.