RyanAir to Begin Testing Standing Room Only Tickets

Never lacking creativity, Low-cost-carrier RyanAir said it has plans to sell standing room tickets on some of its short-haul routes. The European-based airline says it hopes to remove the last 10 rows of seats aboard flight less than 1-hour in length, and replace them with 15 rows of vertical seating. But current European Aviation rules prohibit such a "seating" arrangement, and Boeing - who supplies RyanAir with 737-300 aircraft said they are not considering standing-only accommodations.

This begs the question: A prank from Ryan Air - or something that might just fly in the years to come?

SFO Traffic Up 4.8% in 2008, Decline Inevitable in 2009

Thanks in large part to Virgin America, Southwest and JetBlue launching new domestic routes from SFO in 2008, San Francisco International Airport traffic was up 4.8% for the year. According to the San Francisco Chroncicle, SFO was one of only three major U.S Airports to see an increase in passenger traffic. But, citing the downturn in the economy and demand for travel, airport officials report a 5-7% drop in traffic is inevitable for 2009.

Oasis Hong Kong Ends Operations, Passengers Stranded

Low Cost Carrier Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, recently voted "World’s Leading New Airline" at the Annual World Travel Awards 2007, appears to have flown its last flight. Record high fuel prices and stiff competition triggered heavy losses to Oasis Hong Kong.

In its 17 months of operations, the airline flew International routes from its base in Hong Kong, including to Vancouver, BC. It was expected that Oasis Hong Kong was going to introduce flights into Oakland in the coming months.

SkyBus Airlines Cancels Flights, Calls it Quits

Does this sound familiar? Last week it was Aloha and ATA, this week Skybus. All three airlines abruptly shut down, leaving passengers across the country scrambling looking for alternate flights.

After less than a year of operations, including flights out of Oakland, Skybus Airlines announced a halt to all passenger operations effective April 5th. The airline, which prided itself on offering seats from $10 each way, simply could not stand in the face of record high oil prices, taking a toll on the entire airline industry.

450 Skybus employees have been laid off, and passengers with confirmed reservations are on their own to find flight alternatives.

ATA Airlines Shrinks Airline, Drops Oakland - Chicago

Citing high fuel costs, discount-carrier ATA says it will slash flights out of Chicago Midway (MDW) Airport over the next couple months, including dropping Oakland - Chicago service effective April 14th. ATA once dominated Midway Airport, but since emerging from Bankruptcy a couple years back, cutting routes and expanding code share service with Southwest Airlines, less ATA can be found at MDW.

ATA says its scheduled service to Hawai'i and other Charter flights are not affected by the announcement.Passengers who have purchased tickets on the Oakland-Midway route for travel after April 14th will receive a full refund.

Oakland - Columbus, Ohio $40.16 round-trip!

Skybus, the ultimate in low-cost-carriers within the United States is selling seats on many routes for $20.08, just in time for the new year. Oakland-Columbus is the only route Skybus operates from the Bay Area, though many other routings throughout the U.S are included in the promotion.

The price of $20.08 is each way + tax, so it will run you about $60 dollars for a round-trip ticket to Columbus, and checking their website this morning, it seems there are plenty of seats left.

Visit SkyBus for more information. Book soon, these prices won't last.

Also consider: Top 10 things to do in Columbus (From TripAdvisor)

Plane crash in resort island of Phuket kills 88 people

BREAKING NEWS
A One-Two-GO airliner has crashed in the resort island of Phuket Thailand Sunday, killing 88 people on board. The airline, one of a handful of budget air carriers in Asia, was making a 2nd attempt of landing in strong winds and heavy rain. Despite the many fatalities, Health Ministry officials report several survivors managed to escape before the plane burst into flames.

Read more here

Low Cost (International) Carrier - Oasis, coming to Oakland

LCC Oasis Airlines based out of Hong Kong says it will soon be flying the long awaited Oakland - Hong Kong route later this year. Oasis, which began flying just last year, currently operates London-Hong Kong will begin Vancouver to Hong Kong service later this week.

Per their website, service between Oakland and Hong Kong will begin shortly after the Vancouver service commences followed by other worldwide destinations.

What makes Oasis unique is its long-range International flights. Most LCC operate within regions of the world. Oasis, which says it offers basic meal and beverage service in the main cabin, will be utilizing 747-400 aircraft formerly owned by Singapore & ANA Airlines. Their business plan asserts that by flying long range routes, they can save on preset expenses incurred when flying multiple shorter distance cities thereby offering lower fares to its customers.

Adding a Low Cost Carrier to your Itenerary

As the world becomes smaller, and more people become interconnected, small regional airlines have rapidly formed over the past few years to get people into remote areas outside main tourist hubs. From this, Low Cost Carriers also began to glow, offering cheap, no frills transportation to cities and villages around the globe.

LCC are cheap, sometimes offering seats as low as a penny + tax each way. But everything else than your body in a seat may cost ya. Some airlines charge for checked luggage, many for food or drinks. Change fees can be steep and restrictive, and flights often packed. But if you play by the rules, LCC offer an inexpensive option for connecting to cities outside major international hubs.

It seems every day there is a new Low Cost Carrier (LCC) opening up shop - last I checked I've counted over 80 on the Internet alone. Rather than listing all these out, i've provided a links to search engines in Europe and Asia offering LCC options. In Australia, I recommend JetStar, and in South America, where the LCC airlines are a bit slower in forming, there are fewer options. One Brazilian carrier, WebJet is provided for reference. Be sure to shop around.

Europe Search engine for city pairs in Europe
Asia Listing by each country in Asia (I recommend Air Asia)
Australia JetStar
Brazil Webjet
Canada WestJet

Wikipedia has a good listing of several other LCC airlines