Wizz Air Packs its Bags and Leaves Bratislava after Four Months

"The low-cost carrier Wizz Air is discontinuing its operations at the Bratislava Airport. Following protracted talks with the airport authorities, the company definitively decided to give up on its plan to establish a base in Slovakia. It informed SITA that this is the reason why it is canceling its sole regular line from Bratislava to Rome as of January 11, 2010. The company said they were disillusioned that they had been unable to agree on business terms with the Bratislava Airport, said Wizz Air executive director John Stephenson."
Source: SITA

EU Enforce Cash Compensation for Flight Delays

"Air passengers suffering from long flight delays will receive cash compensation from airlines according to new European legislation passed yesterday by the European court of Justice in Luxembourg. Currently the best compensation passengers can expect is a free phone call and a meal voucher at the airport. New regulations will force airlines to pay significant cash compensation to passengers for delays which follow similar rules enforced when flights are cancelled."

Ryanair and easyJet: 2 different strategies

"Even if the following is not an easy thing to read, easyJet and Ryanair’s financial results are very significant in showing the differences between both companies’ business models. What is striking when you compare both companies is that while Ryanair looks for passengers, easyJet, on the other hand, looks for better per seat revenue… While easyJet decides to focus on main airports such as Paris CDG, Ryanair pulls planes out of Manchester and opens route elsewhere, like Leeds Bradford Airport… While Ryanair doesn’t seem to care at all about customers, easyJet tries to listen them (@easyJetcare for example)… And the list goes on…"

Open letter from Spanish Unions Complaining about Ryanair (in English)

"Aviation Spanish unions (SEPLA, CTA, ASETMA, SITCPLA, STAVLA, USO-STA) wrote an open letter to Ministries of Development, Social Security and Economy & Finance to complain about "unfair" practices of Ryanair. These practices include public subsidies, unequal advantages, pressure on pilots, pilots and cabin crew working conditions... The original letter has been translated in English. It appears that SEPLA is very active against Ryanair."

Ryanair set to overtake Easyjet in JLA ranks

"Ryanair is taking the fight for supremacy at Liverpool John Lennon airport to rival Easyjet with three new routes and extra frequency on existing links. Easyjet currently carries more passengers at JLA, despite Ryanair's 41 routes outnumbering its competitor's 23 links. But the addition of two extra Boeing 737-800s, boosting Ryanair's JLA fleet to eight aircraft, is expected to take the Irish carrier's passenger levels to more than 2.5m next year, overtaking its competitor."

Source: Daily Post (Liverpool)

Ryanair and Boeing Unlikely to Agree Deal...

"Ryanair is "highly unlikely" to come to an agreement with Boeing by the end of this month on an order for up to 200 aircraft. Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said it is unlikely a deal will be struck that would allow the carrier to buy the aircraft at a deep discount to the price Boeing wants. He denied he was sabre-rattling. "We don't bluster. We make threats and carry them out," he said."

Source: Belfast Telegraph

Ryanair denies aircraft flew too low

"A German pensioner has been taken to hospital after a Ryanair aircraft allegedly flew so low that it knocked tiles off her roof. Now Ilse Matschkus (82) and her neighbours in Groß Grönau, near Lübeck airport, are suing the airline for damages. Ms Matschkus was in her garden last Thursday when Ryanair aircraft FR3291 from Milan-Bergamo passed overhead and, according to her, dislodged tiles from the roof which almost hit her.

Source: Irish Times

Ryanair to begin legal battle on airport charges directive

"Ryanair will next week seek leave for a judicial review of a direction issued by the Minister for Transport to the Commissioner for Aviation Regulation, allowing Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) to increase passengers fees to a level which will enable it to claw back millions of euro it spent on Terminal 2. Branding the Department of Transport as "corrupt" yesterday, Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said the airline's legal team had informed him that they believed the group had a "good legal case" to make. But he was unable to immediately clarify on what grounds the airline would be appealing Transport Minister Noel Dempsey's direction. The department lashed out at Mr O'Leary's corruption allegation, saying it "fundamentally rejected" the characterisation."

Source:

Air Berlin Debt To Fall EUR100M On Aircraft Sales

"German discount airline Air Berlin PLC Thursday said its 2009 debt level may be reduced by around EUR100 million if the company is able to sell three to four aircraft in the remainder of the year. Chief Financial Officer Ulf Huettmeyer said on a conference call that the company is working hard to realize the aircraft sales this year, but that it may not be able to realize the sales before the year end. Net debt stood at EUR548.2 million at the end of the third quarter on Sept. 30, the company said."

Source: Dow Jones International News

Flybe inter-island bid rejected

"Flybe has labelled as ‘perverse’ a decision to refuse its application to loosen restrictions on its inter-island licence. Commerce and Employment has rejected its bid to fill empty seats on its two triangular routes that stop in Jersey on the way to Birmingham or Exeter. Flybe said that the decision highlighted its belief that the department would not approve any move that represented competition for States-owned Aurigny. Both Aurigny and Blue Islands opposed the application."

Spanish pilots complain about Ryanair fuel saving practices

"A few weeks ago, I read an interesting article, which wrote about Ryanair’s dangerous cost-saving practices. According to several allegations by Spanish aviation professionals, Ryanair commonly refuels its aircrafts with the minimum amount of kerosene needed. Ryanair, by reducing its carried amount of fuel, spends less money and reduces its consumption. However, by European standards of aviation safety, all passenger aircraft must load more fuel than needed, to be able to fly an extra 30 and 45 minutes to be able to reach, in case of emergency or necessity, the next closest airport."

Air Berlin sees yields down in Q4, confirms outlook

"Air Berlin said it expected to make less money per seat sold in the fourth quarter after pushing through price increases in the first nine months of the year. Air Berlin said on Thursday its average yields -- measured by the revenue per km travelled by paying passengers -- improved by almost 8 percent in the third quarter compared with a year earlier, to 8.24 euro cents."

UnEasyJet

"Budget airline easyJet has seen profits fall 65% despite raising fares and raking in an extra £94million from ripoff baggage charges. The no-frills flyer defied the recession, carrying 45.2 million passengers in the year to October - up 3.4%. Bosses also increased ticket prices 6% to an average £40.70 despite fierce competition. And they banked £238m from passengers checking in bags - up 65% - after raising the fee to £9. It meant total revenue at the airline, which operates 11,000 flights a day, was almost 13% higher. But that still wasn't enough to offset a £285m increase in airport, staff and fuel costs, leaving profits £80m lower at £43.7m. Even so, easyJet boss Andy Harrison said it was a "resilient" performance in tough times."
Source: Mirror

Budget airline easyJet FY reports profit down 14 percent as fuel, other costs rise

"Budget airline easyJet PLC reported Tuesday that full-year net profit fell 14 percent as higher costs for fuel and other expenses ate into growing revenues. For the year ended Sept. 30, the carrier said its net profit was 71.2 million pounds, down from 83.2 million pounds in the previous year. Passenger revenue rose 8 percent to 2.15 billion pounds, and total revenue was up 13 percent to 2.67 billion pounds. Cost for fuel rose 14 percent to 807 million pounds, and expenditures for airport charges, crews, maintenance and ground handling also rose significantly. The carrier did not break out fourth quarter results. Chief Executive Andy Harrison said he saw "a tough winter ahead."
Source: Associated Press

Ryanair pays compensation for flight cancelled in 2007

"A court in Dublin has awarded three passengers of Ryanair €6,000 (£5,300) in compensation for a flight that was cancelled two years ago. The customers had booked the flight from London Stansted to Carcassonne, France, in September 2007, and when it was cancelled had sought redress from Ryanair. With none forthcoming, they contacted EUClaim (euclaim.co.uk), a Netherlands-based company that represents airline passengers."

Routesonline has an Exclusive Comment from Manchester Airport on their Latest Spat with Ryanair

"'Not withstanding all of our investment in Manchester Airport including during the current recession, we don't believe that charges as low as £3 per passenger are unreasonable. Clearly, Ryanair so and that's regrettable. We've consistently cut our charges for the last 15 years even when faced with increased costs such as security. Passengers will still be able to travel directly to the majority of the destinations affected by choosing other airline.'"

EasyJet profits plummet as fuel costs clip wings

"No-frills airline easyJet is expected to reveal the scars of the recession in its full-year results this week but will attempt to play down the competitive threat from the merger of British Airways and Spain's Iberia. Surging fuel costs in the first half are likely to more than halve easyJet's annual profits as it covered four full quarters of recession. The City consensus is for an underlying pre-tax profit of £43 million to £44m before aircraft disposals, down from £100m in the previous year. The profit consensus for the trading year to end-September 2010 is £158m."

Ryanair switch fails to attract more passengers to Prestwick

"No-frills airline Ryanair has failed to lure passengers away from Glasgow Airport with its winter schedule at Prestwick, figures published yesterday suggest. The Ayrshire airport recorded a 28per cent year-on-year fall in passengers last month after Ryanair, its main carrier, dropped three European routes in favour of sunshine destinations in the Mediterranean and Canaries, bringing it into direct competition with airlines based at Glasgow International. Ryanair announced in July that it would end flights from Prestwick to Frankfurt Krakow and Stockholm from October. It put on new routes to Alicante, Lanzarote, Las Palmas and Palma last month and stepped up routes to Faro, Malaga and Tenerife - routes flown by Flyglobespan and easyJet from Glasgow."
Source: The Herald

Consumers complain of poor performance on Ryanair site

"Travel Rants has today received a number of emails from a few consumers asking why they are not able to use the Ryanair website despite Ryanair’s early than expected website upgrade over the weekend. One consumer mentions that the site is slow even though it has been upgraded. A few consumers have mentioned that when they click on the ‘select and continue’ button after they have chosen a flight, the site delivered an error message “An error has occurred, please try again, if the error persists contact the airline” I’ve yet to confirm these complaints as I am waiting for the site to load"

Wake turbulence from Ryanair aircraft damages roof

"Lübeck Nachrichten newspaper reports that an elderly woman living in the main street of Gross Grönau in northern Germany got the shock of her life yesterday when the wake turbulence from a Ryanair aircraft damaged the roof of her house. The aircraft was on finals to Hamburg Lübeck airport when the damage occurred. In addition to a number of roof tiles being ripped off, part of the chimney was damaged and a window was broken."

Ryanair: 'BA and Iberia merger like two drunkards propping each other up'

"British Airways and Iberia have signed the final paperwork and committed themselves to their future merger. Ryanair sources have likened the company fusion to 'two drunkards trying to hold each other up', but both Iberia and BA bosses believe the move could have 'endless exciting possibilities'."

Ryanair tech problems - or a canny marketing team?

"There will certainly be a bit of sniggering in some quarters when people learn that low cost carrier Ryanair was apparently the victim of an internet glitch last week."

Low-Cost Carriers: What are the strategic options for Ryanair?

"Last week, Ryanair released its results for the first and second quarters of 2009. Its profits surged by 80% to 387 million Euros thanks to a 42% fall in fuel costs. Despite these good results, Ryanair is careful for 2010, expecting a loss for the third and fourth quarters. We believe that Ryanair, along with other low-cost carriers, is at a turning point in its strategy and its business model. In fact, the same successful business model of Ryanair now appears to narrow its room for maneuver."

Ryanair jet blows tiles off house roof

"An 82-year-old German woman living near Hamburg-Luebeck airport got a shock this week when a Ryanair plane coming in to land sent several roof tiles crashing into her garden, police said Friday. "The aircraft flew over and the elderly lady, the owner of the house, was in the garden at the time clearing up branches when the tiles came down," police spokeswoman Sonja Kurz told AFP. The local newspaper, the Luebecker Nachrichten, cited witnesses as saying that the Boeing plane flew much lower over Gross Groenau than normal as it approached the airport, which is 65 kilometres (40 miles) from Hamburg.
Source: Agence France Presse

Ryanair's growth plans risk disaster, warns rival

"EasyJet founder Stelios Haji- Ioannou, who thwarted management plans to boost capacity, said rival Ryanair's growth plans risk disaster. But Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary said it was EasyJet's strategy that was flawed. Dublin-based Ryanair needs to increase passenger numbers by 50pc over the next two-and-a-half years to fill its 200 aircraft and another 100 on order, said Mr Haji-Ioannou. Mr O'Leary said last month that he aimed to lift the total almost 30pc to 85 million in three years. 'I am looking forward to seeing how this do-or-die mission of Ryanair and Michael O'Leary will end up,' Mr Haji-Ioannou said in an interview in London yesterday. 'I believe that he will have a lot of grounded aircraft in the next few years.'"

High Cost of Low Cost for Flag Carriers

"Europe's flag carriers have long found low-cost airlines a nuisance. The recession made them a serious problem. Take Ryanair, which carried more passengers in Spain than Iberia for the first time in August. The Irish airline Monday announced an 80% jump in first-half profit on a 15% rise in traffic while the flag carriers are mired in red ink."

Ryanair’s real issues on Boeing’s Deal

"I have been talking on a forum these past days about the 200 aircraft deal between Ryanair and Boeing. Interesting comments and insights came out and I wanted to share them with you. You probably know that, among the reasons behind Ryanair’s successful expansion, there is the fact that O’Leary managed to get a very attractive deal with Boeing for its current fleet. When the market broke down after the 9/11 terrorist attack, Ryanair obtained a substantial discount for its 155 new aircrafts in 2002, taking full advantage of the downturn in airplane orders after the slump in air travel."

EasyJet’s Stelios Says Ryanair Growth Plan Is ‘Do-or-Die’ Folly

"EasyJet Plc founder Stelios Haji- Ioannou, who thwarted management plans to boost capacity, said rival Ryanair Holdings Plc is courting disaster if chief Michael O’Leary sticks with his growth strategy. Dublin-based Ryanair needs to increase passenger numbers by 50 percent over the next 2 1/2 years to fill its 200 aircraft and another 100 on order, said Stelios, who is known by his first name. O’Leary said Oct. 13 that he aims to lift the total almost 30 percent to 85 million in three years. “I am looking forward to seeing how this do-or-die mission of Ryanair and Michael O’Leary will end up,” Stelios said in an interview in London yesterday. “I believe that he will have a lot of grounded aircraft in the next few years.”"

Ryanair predicts Lingus rescue

"Budget airline Ryanair is a part owner of Aer Lingus with a stake of about 30 percent. At times it has shown interest in taking a controlling interest in the former Irish flag carrier. Whether it ever does or not, Ryanair might have to help keep Aer Lingus aloft as a party to a bailout. Michael Cawley, Ryanair's deputy chief executive, has indicated that his company's interest in Aer Lingus was 'waning by the day.' Ryanair, he said, was 'very unlikely' to make a bid. He told RTE, however, that a bailout of Aer Lingus was 'only a question of time.'"

Sparks fly over 'sexy' Ryanair calendar

"Ryanair was accused last night of a 'serious lack of imagination' after the airline insisted its 2010 cabin crew calendar was 'art'. The new calendar, featuring two Irish employees, is more risque than previous editions. The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) said the no-frills carrier was 'irredeemably old-fashioned' for using images of scantily clad women to raise funds for charity. But Ryanair accused the NWCI of not having 'a clue how young women empower themselves'."

If Ryanair Doesn’t Buy New Aircrafts Will It Still Attempt Another Takeover Of Aer Lingus?

"Today, After many votes, I decided to close my poll about Aer Lingus. you are 25% to think that Ryanair is finally going to buy Aer Lingus by the end of the year. 50% of you think that Ryanair won’t buy Aer Lingus, and 25% think that Ryanair will buy Aer Lingus later. Aer Lingus is still in a very difficult situation, last result showed its revenues down to 9,7%. An interesting fact is that long-haul passenger numbers had fallen by 13.2 per cent in the three months to September 30 while the Irish carrier’s short-haul network has been more robust and passenger numbers rose by 10 per cent in the third quarter. "

Air Scoop Report: Airports - The Best Way to Deal with Low-Cost Carriers

"The air transport deregulation has placed airports in a competitive environment. And the Low-Cost Carriers (LCC) offer made routes and secondary airports number to dramatically increase. The secondary airports are often willing to attract LCCs to develop the local economy. On that purpose, most of the times, they offer very favourable terms to airlines promising traffic to rise. Airports are supported by Regional Authorities who invest in infrastructures and subsidize airlines in a more or less hidden way. This strategy did not appear to be good for several Croatian, Spanish and French airports as they have been shortly left by Ryanair. Furthermore, when strategy appears to be winning, investment is often very expensive and difficult to make profitable despite passengers’ rush. And so, the only French Regions gave €400m to make Ryanair fly to their airports. The aim of this report is to warn airports’ managers at the time they would have to sign a contract with a LCC. Because, one airline cannot make alone fortune for an airport but it can surely lead it to bankruptcy."
Download the report: Airports - The Best Way to Deal with Low-Cost Carriers

Ryanair to close six routes to Basel, including from London Stansted Airport

"Budget airline Ryanair has today announced that it will close its six routes from December 2 after Basel Airport refused to lower its airport charges to reflect the lower fares being paid by passengers in the current recession. This move will result in the loss of 18 weekly Basel flights, 250,000 passengers per annum and up to 250 local jobs. Ryanair had offered Basel an additional 13 weekly flights and 200,000 new passengers which would have created 200 new jobs if the airport reduced its high charges. Basel rejected this offer and Ryanair's routes to/from Alicante, Cagliari, London (Stansted), Marseille, Porto and Stockholm (Skavsta) will cease from December 2. Passengers affected will be emailed directly by Ryanair and provided with a full refund."

Ryanair: Out of Boarder

"Ryanair passengers will soon be hammered with a EUR100 penalty fee if they don't print out their boarding cards, it was revealed yesterday. In an effort to reduce costs Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary plans to introduce the new charge to stop travellers turning up at check-in desks without boarding passes. All passengers are required to check in for Ryanair flights online and print their passes before arriving at the airport. Failure to do so at present results in a EUR40 penalty but this is set to increase to EUR100 in the near future. The Consumer Association of Ireland described the move as "outrageous". Chief executive Dermott Jewell said: "This is simply outrageous. This is not a consumer cost that can be avoided."
Source: Mirror

Ryanair denies any talks with Gov on tax

"Ryanair today said it would be impossible for it to have 'further discussions' with the Department of Transport (as claimed today by Tanaiste Mary Coughlan) on the E10 travel tax because no discussions have taken place between the Department of Transport and the airline. The Tanaiste this morning said on radio that the Government will be having further talks with Ryanair over the travel tax."
Source: Business and Finance Daily News Service

Ryanair practices to save costs cause a rebellion by pilots flying over Barajas

"A dozen commercial aircraft overflying the area Barajas assigned by the control tower. They hope to land because there is congestion at the airport. Suddenly, she breaks into the common frequency to all aircraft the voice of a Ryanair pilot: "Tower, I'm running low on fuel.”. Permission to land". And then the storm broke. According to the account held at The Digital Confidential witness the event, before the tower could meet the demand of the apparatus of Ryanair, was heard the voice of the commander of one of the Iberia aircraft that were waiting, circling to 14,000 feet provided."
Download this interesting letter from pilots to their Minister

Spanish Air Sector Unions Complain of Unfair Competition from Ryanair

"The Spanish airline sector unions have united to denounce what they call unfair competition from low-cost Irish airline Ryanair, "tolerated, encouraged and subsidized by the government," according to a statement of the Union Crew of Flight Attendants Airlines, Stavla. The union, along with the drivers, Sepla, and maintenance technicians, Asetma addition to USO and other unions, have asked the Spanish Administration to force Ryanair to operate under the same conditions as other companies for avoid discrimination and therefore a breach of Article 14 of the Constitution."

UK low-cost carrier Bmibaby slashes routes, reduces number of aircraft

"Bmibaby, the low-cost carrier of Heathrow-based BMI, announced November 4 that it will dramatically cut routes, aircraft and personnel due to the prolonged recession in the air industry. BMI Baby, which recently cut routes between Manchester, England and Alicante and Malaga in Spain, did not specify which routes would be axed. The company will cut its total number of aircraft by nearly 30 percent in 2010, as well as a significant number of staff."

Air Berlin fare yields fell by 1 pct in October

"Air Berlin , Germany's second-biggest airline, said profitability per seat sold eased in October, which is the first decline this year. Revenue per seat kilometre fell by 1 percent to 6.19 euro cents, the company said on Thursday. The load factor, a measure of capacity utilisation, widened by 0.2 percentage points to 80.2 percent."
Source: Reuters News

Bmibaby scraps Malaga and Alicante flights from Manchester

"Poor ticket sales have triggered bmibaby’s decision to pull out of two Spanish routes from Manchester Airport this winter. The budget airline claims the strength of the euro is forcing tourists to holiday in destinations outside of the Eurozone. It will end services from Manchester to Malaga on November 14, with the Alicante service stopping the day after. Bmibaby said there were no plans to reintroduce the services, both of which have been operating for six years, next summer."

Ryanair SWOT Analysis: Expects 20% yield decline and losses in 2H2010 on continued fare reductions

"Ryanair stated it expects average fares will decline by up to 20% in 3Q2010 and 4Q2010, which would result in losses in both quarters (and hence for 2H2010). However, Europe’s largest LCC has maintained its full-year guidance of a net profit at the lower end of the EUR200-300 million range (an improvement from an after-tax profit of EUR105 million in FY2009), stating it would be “substantially profitable, at a time when many of our competitors are losing money, consolidating or going bust”. It also is continuing with its quest to double traffic and profits between 2007 and 2012."

Germanwings and Ryanair Spout

"Germanwings CEO Thomas Winkelmann recently predicted Ryanair's demise, saying, 'I think the Ryanair model is coming to an end. The more Ryanair flies to a destination, the more losses taken by the airport and the local tax payers wont stand for that.' Ryanair responded by saying, 'We only reply to airlines that have a significant market share. Germanwings is the fly on the arse of the airline industry, so we're not going to bother.'"

Ryanair looking for almost no-charges deal at Shannon, says airport chief

"Shannon airport chief Martin Moroney yesterday revealed Ryanair is seeking an almost free ‘no charges’ deal at Shannon, similar to the one it has in the Canary Islands. Mr Moroney said if Ryanair presses ahead with its threatened reduction of flights at Shannon, passenger numbers could slump from 2.7 million this year to 2 million in 2010."

Vueling Airlines cancels routes to Casablanca (CMN),Paris (PAR),Tenerife (TCI),Ibiza (IBZ),Nice (NCE),Venice (VCE)

"Cancelled:Casablanca, Mohamed V (CMN) to Paris, All s (PAR)
Cancelled:Tenerife, Metropolitan Area (TCI) to Ibiza (IBZ)
Cancelled:Tenerife, Metropolitan Area (TCI) to Nice, Cote d'Azur International (NCE)
Cancelled:Tenerife, Metropolitan Area (TCI) to Venice, Marco Polo (VCE)"

Bosses Battle For Top UK Airline Crown

"Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary is predicting that his company could steal the top spot from British Airways within months. Ryanair carries more people across Europe than any other airline and Mr O'Leary has made a deal with Boeing to buy an extra 200 planes. But standing in the way of victory is easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who began a war of words by criticising his rival's growth strategy plans, saying they "will end in tears for his shareholders". (...) Sir Stelios said: "My suggestion now, as he will not find enough passengers to fill his 100 additional aircraft, is to buy a piece of the Mojave Desert in California and start an aviation museum for his old aircraft."

Planemakers should call Ryanair's bluff

"Ryanair is an odd brand. While for many the no-frills operator, one of the biggest at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, is a byword for hidden charges and poor customer service, it is undeniably a successful business. The fast-growing Irish carrier is now the biggest short-haul operator in Europe, trumping national flag carriers like BA and Air France."
Source: Daily Post (Liverpool)

Ryanair's bumpy landing

"Budget airline Ryanair warned yesterday of losses - despite falling fuel costs boosting profits in the last six months. The firm posted pre-tax profits of £376.6 million in the six months to September, compared with £94.4million last year. They said the results were "heavily distorted" by a 42 per cent drop in fuel costs, which masked a 17 per cent decline in average fares. And a further 20 per cent fall over the rest of the year will result in losses for the last two quarters."
Source: Scottish Daily Record

O'Leary threat to clip airline's wings is probably bluff as growth is in his DNA

"Ryanair boss says if Boeing won’t cut prices, he will scrap expansion plan and pay dividend instead. Standing still is not his style, however as one analyst remarked yesterday, if Ryanair were a private company they’d be breaking out the champagne at the thought of making a profit of €200-300 million in the current financial year."
Source: Business Today

Ryanair demands cost reductions from Bratislava Airport

"Ryanair, the Irish low-cost airline has confirmed that it plans to build a base in Bratislava with three aircraft and 20 new routes but that the plan will be completed only if the Bratislava Airport reduces airport fees by at least 70 percent, daily SME reported. “70-percent is acceptable, however, 100-percent is ideal,” said Henrike Schmidt, Ryanair's marketing manager for Slovakia. Ryanair will not go further in negotiations below 70 percent, she added."

Ryanair warns of losses

"Budget airline Ryanair said that falling fuel costs had boosted profits but added that cut-price fares would result in losses for the rest of the year. The firm said pre-tax profits were 419.4 million euros (£376.6 million) in the six months to September 30, from 105.2 million euros (£94.4 million) last year, but said the results were 'heavily distorted' by a 42% drop in fuel costs. Ryanair said this masked a 17% decline in average fares and warned that prices would fall 20% over the rest of the year, resulting in losses for the last two quarters."