Europe: June 2006 Archives

Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the self-styled "serial entreprenuer", better known in this industry as the founder of UK low-cost carrier easyJet, has an even broader smile than ever following the announcement in the Queen's birthday honours list that he is to receive a knighthood.

Check out Wikipedia, the online encylopedia, for a detailed description of what being a knight might mean for the Greek tycoon, but it does offer Stelios at the very least an opportunity for a funky photocall fully clad in the appropriate garb. Stelios, like fellow knight Sir Richard Branson, is never afraid of a bit of self-publicity. Here is Stelios doing his publicity stuff promoting his pizza delivery business.

Stelios was himself a little surprised to receive his gong, which has come because of his still short entreprenuerial rein. "It came as a surprise to me and I am not sure at this stage that I deserve an honour for services to entrepreneurship which is usually reserved for those with a lifetime of business achievement. I only started easyJet some 11 years ago!"

Never one to miss a chance to take a broadsword slash at their rivals, Ryanair has given Stelios their own knighthood treatment. With a "fly by knight" headline, the Irish low-cost carrier continues its reputation of delivering some of the weird and wackiest press missives, this time swiping at easyJet for being - in its view - something less of a low-fares airline than itself.

You might not automatically think of bmi as a logical partner for the UK's well-known Economist publishing house, but for chief executive Nigel Turner it makes perfect sense.
Several members of the Airline Business editorial team received a copy of The Economist Business Miscellany - a collaboration beween the carrier and the Economist - this week. The reason why bmi got involved in the heady world of publishing, according to Turner, is that the bmi marketing team spotted "the great synergies between our new brands", which they identified as being "smart, self-aware and a strong British brand that is recognised internationally".
Turner adds that bmi is using the collaboration as a means of  marking the "introduction of new enhancements to our services for business travellers".
And what better way of passing the time in flight once your BlackBerry is turned off and you have flicked through the in-flight magazine than dipping into your copy of the Business Miscellany. Between its covers you will find such gems as a list of America's biggest bankruptcies; famous burst bubbles; the lies people put on their CVs and some good advice on business etiquette around the world.
This is guaranteed to appeal to the trainspotter, or as Turner puts it, "registration spotter", in us all.

It is following a recent bitter experience that UK leisure carrier Thomas Cook is rolling out an education campaign to reduce accidental damage to aircraft when they are on the ground.

Ground accidents to aircraft are nothing new, and ramp safety has long been an issue addressed by industry bodies like IATA and ACI. But a few months ago Thomas Cook was ｣500,000 ($925,000) the worse off when contract engineering staff reversing an Airbus A330 at the UK's Manchester Airport accidentally hit an aircraft hangar.

"The rudder was damaged, putting the aircraft out of action," says the airline. "A sub-charter was eventually located, but only after 333 passengers had been delayed for 30 hours."

This incident has prompted the airline's ground handling and maintenance departments to produce a poster showing the costs of different accidental damage to, in this case, a Boeing 757-200. For example, this could be ｣266,655 for rudder damage or ｣100,000 for a nose cowl. An additional cost would be that of three flights operated by another carrier: a cool ｣180,000.

The posters are being displayed in the staff rooms of all Thomas Cook's ground handling suppliers who drive on airfields in the UK and overseas.

The actual costs of repairing damage, chartering an alternative aircraft and putting people up in a hotel and feeding them clearly soon escalates in the thousands of pounds, euros or dollars. But as Thomas Cook ruefully notes: "Damage to Thomas Cook reputation - priceless."

Giant advertising "spectaculars" are nothing new at main hubs across the globe. In the UK, for instance, huge suspended phones have been communicating their brand message at London Heathrow for ages.

But appropriately enough, the latest big new idea is giant 3D coloured light bulbs, which have been erected at the entrance to Heathrow's Central Terminal Area to advertise Xerox Colour.

As airport and travel advertising agency JCDecaux Airport notes the airport provides the perfect platform to target influential business decision makers. What turns you on about airport advertising, or is it merely a visual irritation you could do without? Send us details of your favourite or your worst airport ads.

When airline industry historians try and pinpoint the moment when the European low-cost sector finally came of age, they may well pick the time when British Prime Minister Tony Blair flew back from holiday in Italy with Ryanair, writes Colin Baker.
The Blair family flew back to London Stansted from Rome Ciampino last Saturday - something of a publicity coup for Ryanair, although the 25 minute delay for extra security checks will not have gone down so well with the carrier's operations team.
One slight difference from the usual Ryanair experience was that Blair was apparently met on the airstrip by a limousine, something of a step up from the Stansted Express train service that is the more usual route into central London.
It was not revealed how much the Blairs paid for their tickets, although it is likely to be substantially less than the  estimated ｣16,000 per trip cost of the Queen's BAe 146 that  has been used previously.
The Ryanair flight comes at a time when Blair is struggling in the opinion polls. It remains to be seen whether George Bush uses Southwest for his next trip down to his Texas ranch.