Sale of Air Berlin slots offers rare German entry ticket

Air Berlin's administrators will focus on selling its attractive take-off and landing slots in Germany, a source familiar with the process said, potentially opening up the market to new players. Loss-making Air Berlin has until now helped to shield Lufthansa and Germany, where a booming economy is fuelling demand for travel, from LCCs. But the fight is now on for German passengers after Air Berlin filed for insolvency Tuesday, with Lufthansa seeking to shore up its own position against Ryanair and EasyJet. Some doubt that the German govt will allow the demise of the country's second largest carrier to change the balance of power, highlighting Berlin's willingness to give Air Berlin a loan to keep planes in the air while it negotiates the sale of parts of its business. <br/>