Air Travel is suffering

Not only will we have more British Airways strikes to look forward to after yesterday's court ruling, but disruptions are still being caused by volcanic ash at some UK airports - currently limited to Scottish airports. Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has stated that his airline will not consider abiding by EU rules on compensation and has stated that only the cost of the ticket will be refunded even where travelers have been forced to rent additional accommodation abroad.
Two out of the three high court judges yesterday voted to overturn the injunction imposed on the proposed 'Unite' strike planned to disrupt in particular World Cup travelers in a few weeks time. The injunction was imposed on Monday when BA argued that ballot results had not been adequately communicated to union members. BA intend to introduce contingency plans designed to circumvent union action.

Least Popular Traveling Companions

Thanks once more to Essential Travel for a new report into the people we don't want to sit next to on a flight to our chosen holiday destination - Answers vary from those who don't want their personal space invaded by overweight travelers to those who would prefer not to sit next to their own family members - one respondent answering:‘I would pay not to sit next to my 15 year old daughter’.
The feelings against more portly travelers appear to run fairly high with over 40% of the respondents (out of 1000) citing 'Overweight Individuals' as the least desirable traveling companion - To be fair teenage offspring, or more accurately 'family' were only identified as a problem by 2% which translates as 20 out of the 1000 interviewed.
A good number (17%) identified 'babies' as undesirables whilst surprisingly 'smelly' (7%) was pipped by 'chatterbox' (8%) - Please note that surprisingly and smelly are not part of the same phrase... to be 'surprisingly smelly' indeed puts a whole new spin on simply being smelly...
Politicians and bankers were given an easy ride and identified as being slightly less desirable than your own family members and a honeymooning couple.

This survey will no doubt be welcomed by those airlines who are planning to introduce a 'fat tax' for those who find it difficult to fit into a single seat adequate for most other travelers. RyanAir is one of those who is considering this approach. There is some confusion as to how exactly this charge will be made as weight alone may not constitute an invasion of personal space, and any charge is almost sure to be challenged under discrimination laws. Some US airlines are already charging very obese passengers who spill over into neighbouring seats for a second seat in some cases. United Airlines said it would make additional charges for travellers whose size made them "infringe on another guest's seat".

End of the line for cheap flights?

Cheap flights are not a stand-alone product in the same way that ‘buy one get one free’ (or ‘BOGOF’) is not a stand-alone product, it is an add-on. Cheap flights can only exist alongside a healthy travel industry that is selling plenty of prime-priced products.
The decline of the travel industry, reduced profitability and rocketing fuel prices will no doubt put severe strain on cheap flight availability. Ryanair have already announced an 85% drop in profits and is predicting a loss or at best a break-even scenario at the end of the year. The blame is being firmly put at the feet of rising fuel costs, but is probably also attributable to a lack of spending and other credit crunch issues affecting people’s decisions to buy flights.

BAA breakup

BAA are in the process of losing some of their grip on UK airports as the Competition Commission reported that common ownership of BAA airports is not conducive to a competitive market.
BAA currently own seven airports - Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Recent criticisms of developments at Heathrows' Terminal Five has not placed BAA in a positive light, and rival companies Ryanair, bmi and the like are crowding in to offer their opinions...

The main criticism remains that the three main London airports offer no competitive choice as BAA owns them all, and to a lesser degree this also applies to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. It is widely believed that BAA may be forced to sell at least one London airport and continue to operate there, possibly using their own terminal so that the impact on the traveler remains minimal.