Ryanair is ramping up its expansion at Frankfurt airport with 20 new routes and the deployment of seven planes at the home of Lufthansa. Ryanair is starting with two aircraft flying to four tourist destinations in Spain and Portugal from next month, but new routes from October include London, adding to pressure on traditional carriers serving business passengers on that route. The company has previously flown from Hahn airport, about 120km from Frankfurt, but has been increasing its presence at primary airports as it seeks more business passengers and tries to boost passenger numbers to 200m a year by 2024.<br/>
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Spirit was ranked the worst airline in a study by travel and rewards website The Points Guy. The report analyzed data on the 10 largest domestic airlines in the US based on categories including price, convenience, headaches like lost baggage and extras like lounges and frequent flyer programs. Spirit finished last in on-time arrivals, customer satisfaction, cabin comfort, and its frequent flyer program, but topped the list for cheap airfares. Spirit started programs targeting on-time performance beginning last spring and has seen a 64% reduction in complaints year over year, a Spirit spokesman said. ÒWeÕre confident that weÕll have a much better showing in the 2017 study,Ó he said.<br/>
Hainan Airlines is expected to become the first Chinese carrier to adjust its frequent flyer program to reward miles based on ticket price and membership level instead of distance flown and class. Hainan said this new structure will take effect July 1. A Hainan official said, ÒThese changes will be more reasonable for allocation of award points in order to provide a better experience for our most valuable customers.Ó Passengers issued tickets by Hainan partner airlines or for special tickets Òwill still be awarded based on the purchased class and flight distance.Ó In 2015, US carriers Delta and United moved to price-based loyalty programs.<br/>
Vietnam's low-cost carrier Vietjet - known for its occasional bikini PR stunts - has soared the maximum 20% in its trading debut in Ho Chi Minh City. The country's first private airline is thought to soon overtake flag carrier Vietnam Airlines in market share. Investor interest is driven by the growth pace in the domestic airline market, one of the fastest in Asia. VietJet currently operates about 60 routes both domestically and internationally, and hopes to have a fleet of 200 aircraft by 2023. The airline launched its first commercial flights in Dec 2011 and thanks to a rapidly growing middle class has jumped to become the country's second-largest airline.<br/>
Virgin Australia is dropping Abu Dhabi from its route network as the airline concentrates its international long-haul flying on the US and North Asia. The airline said Monday it would no longer commence Perth-Abu Dhabi nonstop flights that were slated to begin in June. The decision to not proceed with the new route, which was first announced in September, came on top of Virgin ending its three times weekly Sydney-Abu Dhabi flights in February. Meanwhile, Virgin is seeking the green light from regulators to establish an alliance with HNA Group and Hong Kong Airlines to launch nonstop services to Hong Kong and mainland China later in 2017.<br/>
Pakistan International Airlines has taken disciplinary action over staff allowing seven passengers to travel without seats, according to media reports. PIA flight PK743, a scheduled service from Karachi to Madina Jan 20, carried 416 passengers - seven more than the Boeing 777Õs capacity of 409. Pakistani media outlet Dawn reported that "Disciplinary action has been taken against all concerned officials." Three people were reported to be involved: the captain, the purser (senior flight attendant), and a terminal manager. They are alleged to have permitted passengers to travel when the flight was fully booked and no seats were available.<br/>
French Caribbean carrier Air Cara•bes has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900, making it the first French airline to operate the type. The aircraft, on lease from AerCap, is scheduled to make its first commercial flight to Pointe-ˆ-Pitre and Fort-de-France March 2. Air Cara•bes plans to operate its A350 XWB alongside the A330s it already has in service on Paris-French Caribbean routes. Air Cara•bes is headquartered in Guadeloupe and has its main base at Pointe-a-Pitre International Airport. It operates Caribbean inter-island routes and links French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique with Paris.<br/>
JetBlue will expand at the Worcester Regional Airport in central Massachusetts, saying it plans to add flights to its biggest hub at New York JFK. JetBlue already flies from Worcester, where it is the only passenger airline currently offering scheduled service. JetBlueÕs existing service from Worcester operates to its Florida bases of Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. JetBlueÕs service to JFK is expected to operate daily, but no start date has been set for the route. The route is contingent on the installation of a new US$30m landing system that will allow commercial flights to land at Worcester in poor visibility. The project is expected to be completed by the end of this year.<br/>