UK Airports are set to see further reductions in the number of flights over coming months.

Delta Air France have announced that they will be reducing the number of flights that they operate between the US and the UK this winter, with the first reductions coming into effect September 2009.

A spokesperson for Delta Air France said “Customer demand for international travel has fallen significantly. This fall’s capacity will target routes that have experienced losses in the current economic climate and with higher fuel prices.”

The routes affected will be Edinburgh Airport to New York JFK, which will be suspended, and London Gatwick to Cincinnati, which will also be cut. Flights from Gatwick and London Heathrow to Atlanta, and Heathrow to New York’s JFK Airport will continue to operate.

With all the doom and gloom news about the decline in both passenger and freight traffic across the world’s airports, an unexpected benefit of the downturn has emerged.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as a result of a 9% decline in UK flight numbers from January to March 2009, and an 11% drop in total passengers during the same period, overall flight punctuality at many of the regional and major UK airports including Heathrow, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester has increased.

Overall on-time performance is defined by flights that arrive early to 15 minutes late. Of scheduled flights arriving at UK airports monitored by the CAA, the percentage deemed to be on-time has increased from 70% to 81% compared with the same period in 2008.

Increases in on-time performance is nothing but good news for travellers who need to collect their car from an airport parking facility within the booked time or who need to catch a connecting flight or train service.

Hong Kong Airport have reported a year-on-year drop in air traffic, much in line with other major airports across Europe and the world.

Air cargo shipped through the airport dropped 17.6 percent year-on-year in May, as the on-going global downturn continued to impact demand for goods made in southern China. Much of the drop in air cargo via Hong Kong International airport has been attributed to the significant drop in demand for consumer goods in the United States and Europe.

Passenger numbers passing through the airport, one of Asia’s key transport hubs, also dropped 12.7 percent to 3.6 million in the same period. This drop in passenger numbers has undoubtedly had an impact on the local economy in terms of hotel trade, and indeed on services at the airport such as the three Hong Kong Airport Lounges that serve both the east and west departure halls.

Johannesburg has pulled out all the stops to ensure that everything is ready for the grand opening of the newly refurbished Coca-Cola Park stadium.

Formally known as the Ellis Park Stadium, the newly refurbished and modernised stadium will play host to the opening FIFA Confederations Cup on June 14th between Bafana and Iraq.  Organisers are expecting up to 64,000 people to attend the event and opening ceremony.

The capacity of the stadium has been increased from 60,000 to 65,000 with additional seating on the northern side in readiness for the  2010 FIFA World Cup games. Coca-Cola Park will host five group games, one second round game and one quarter-final of the tournament.

With the Coca-Cola Park stadium located near Johannesburg and a short distance from O.R. Tambo International Airport, it’s expected that the 2010 FIFA World Cup games will bring a welcome boost to the local economy. Local business and tourism related services (including hotels, restaurants and public transport networks) are preparing for the influx of visitors, as are airport services like the Airport lounges at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport, who will be taking care of passengers flying out of the country after the games.

If you’re planning a trip to New Zealand’s South Island in the future, beware the possibility of pilfering parrots.

A cheeky bird known as a kea spotted a Scottish holidaymaker’s passport within a bag in the luggage compartment under a tour bus, snapped it up, and made off with it into the underbrush. Police told a local newspaper that the passport was unlikely to be found in the vast rainforest of Fiordland National Park, near where the tour bus had stopped.

The kea is the world’s only snowline-dwelling parrot, widely known for its inquisitive nature, and can often be found attacking rubber items like windshield wiper blades. This recent incident, however, may be a worrying indication that the species is now expanding its operations into the world of identity theft.

You could be forgiven for laughing at the plucky parrot’s hijinks, but spare a thought for the poor man who will now have to pay up to £250 and wait up to six weeks for his new travel documents.

The moral of the story? Passport covers made from birdseed are probably an idea whose time has come and gone.

According to The Daily Mirror’s online news site, airport parking costs are “sore again”. Hmm…I can only take this to mean that the cost of airport parking is causing pain for many travellers this year.

The Mirror’s story quotes an example price of £228.90 for two weeks’ parking at Heathrow, but if you take advantage of the great offers to be found online, you can book two weeks’ Heathrow Parking in June for as little as £75.95! If you’re counting pennies, and let’s face it, who isn’t these days, the best way to enjoy big savings is by pre-booking your airport parking online.

So, even though airport parking prices have inevitably risen (some might even say they’ve “soared“), you can still find a bargain when you know where to look.

British Airways announced this morning record losses of £401 million for the year up to 31 March, due mainly to the weak pound and higher fuel costs.

Although the company’s revenues increased to almost £9 billion, BA incurred a near-£3 billion fuel bill. The reported results also included £78 million in redundancy-related costs; the company having cut more than 2,500 jobs since last summer.

An industry analyst claims that one of British Airways’ biggest problems is the 13% drop in business passengers that’s hit the company, resulting in “significant pricing actions” being taken to increase non-business sales.

The good news for travellers, however, is BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh’s statement that, “Fares have been going down and will continue to be very competitive.” He also added, “I don’t expect to see any increase in fares in the coming year.” This news should help entice holidaymakers to book those flights after all, and still be able to afford perks offered by travel extras providers such as GoSimply.com.

Flights to and from Greece were grounded for several hours on Thursday, 2nd April due to a one-day nationwide workers’ strike protesting job cuts and low salaries.

Air-traffic controllers left their jobs for four hours, from 12.00-16.00, suspending all but emergency flights. Olympic Airlines cancelled 140 domestic and international flights and rescheduled 10 flights to and from London, Brussels, Paris, New York and Tirana, while their rival Aegean Airlines cancelled 50 domestic flights. In the UK, British Airways cancelled seven flights between Heathrow and Athens, and Gatwick and Thessaloniki. easyJet also had to cancel eight services to Athens and Thessaloniki.

The national strike also affected banks, schools and transport services, and was the second nationwide protest against the conservative government since the police shooting of a teenager in December, which triggered the worst riots in decades.

Consumer magazine Which? recently published a survey in which the parking at Belfast City Airport received the lowest rating for parking of any UK airport.

George Best Belfast City Airport, the recipient of a silver medal last year in the final of the UK Airport of the Year category at the British Travel Awards, was the only UK location to receive just one star out of five for its airport parking facilities. Which? indicated that 139 people responded to the survey with regard to Belfast City Airport, and between 20 and 30 people submitted ratings for the car parking. Other categories in the survey included Check-in, Airport Experience, Time and Distance, Food Outlets, Airside Amenities and Return Waiting Times. The airport received an overall score of 55%.

In response to the survey, George Best Belfast City Airport stated it was “constantly striving to exceed the expectations” of their customers, and that they were undertaking a £3.5 million terminal reconfiguration, to include 60% more retail space. The airport spokesperson went on to say, “Our ongoing car park reconfiguration will allow more efficient and comfortable access to our terminal.”

Blackpool Airport came out on top in the survey with an overall score of 80%, with Heathrow’s Terminal 1 finishing last on 31%.

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