Following a series of incidents involving boozed-up passengers, Ryanair has recently called for a restriction on the number of alcoholic beverages passengers are allowed to consume pre-flight. The airline is asking airports to impose a two-drink limit per boarding pass, and a total ban on alcohol sales before 10am. Disruptions, delays and even diversions to offload drunk and aggressive passengers have been a problem in the skies over the past decade, and it's getting bigger. A BBC investigation revealed a 50% rise in the number of people arrested on British flights in the year ending Feb 2017 over the previous year. A lot of the problems Ryanair experiences occur on flights to and from Ibiza and Alicante, two of Europe's premier party destinations. <br/>
unaligned
Scottish operator Loganair has reported a pre-tax loss of GBP8.93m (US$11.68) for the year to March 2018. The airline has blamed the end of its franchise agreement with Flybe. This resulted in the airlines competing directly on 6 routes, including five in the Highlands and Islands. Without the non-recurring items associated with the airline's former partner, Loganair would have recorded an underlying pre-tax profit of GBP2.95m. After the break-up with Flybe, Loganair spent GBP2.98m re-establishing its own brand and back-office functions. Delays in code-sharing agreements with new business partners cost a further GBP2.09m. But the biggest loss has been attributed to a price war with Flybe, estimated by Loganair to have cost it GBP6.8m. <br/>
Several flights were canceled or rescheduled Thursday when a volcano erupted on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali, sending a column of ash and smoke at least 2 km into the air, officials said. Bali airport was operating normally, but some airlines said they had canceled flights to and from the island known for its beaches and temples. "The eruption of Mount Agung today has impacted several of our flights to and from Bali," AirAsia said, adding at least 27 flights had been canceled or rescheduled. Jetstar and Virgin Australia also canceled flights, according to media. Hundreds of passengers were expected to be affected. Mount Aging, an active volcano in north-eastern Bali, has been puffing since late last year. In December, minor explosive eruptions closed the airport. <br/>
IAG is extending its low cost brand LEVEL with the addition of a new Austrian subsidiary and Vienna base. IAG will base 4 Airbus A321s in Vienna and fly to 14 European destinations from July 17, 2018. LEVEL launched a year ago with flights from Barcelona to Los Angeles, Oakland, Buenos Aires, and Punta Cana, in a move to compete more directly with the likes of Norwegian which is expanding rapidly into long-haul. The Austrian subsidiary will target European routes and pitch the traditionally full service IAG against short-haul low cost carriers. LEVEL launches with flights to Palma, Majorca and London Gatwick. Over the subsequent 4 weeks, flights will be added to Barcelona, Malaga, Venice, Olbia, Ibiza, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Milan Malpensa, Dubrovnik, Larnaca, Alicante, Valencia and Bilbao. <br/>
Southwest Airlines plans to add 15 daily flights to its operations at Dallas Love Field, according to a Thursday court filing. This brings the total number of flights per day out of the airport to 195 for the airline on the 18 gates it leases and subleases. Alaska Air Group leases the other 2 Love Field gates. "Southwest is now able to add these 15 flights because it has improved its operational efficiency over the past 3 years on gates at which it is the sole airline," it said in the court filing. The 15 new flights are spread across 17 gates that Southwest operates. Southwest also said in the court filing that if it wasn't for the court case with Delta Air Lines, it would add more flights. Southwest has been involved in a court case with Delta for 3 years over the use of Gate 15 at Love Field Airport. <br/>