The collapse of Kiss Flights on Tuesday did not come as complete shock to the Cooperative Travel Agency. It told the BBC it had raised concerns about the company’s business model soon after Kiss was set up. Speaking on the PM Programme on Radio 4, head of Cooperative Travel, Mike Greenacre, said he had voiced his concern about Kiss two year’s ago to the Civil Aviation Authority.
Kiss was set up by parent company Flight Options, which also ceased trading on Tuesday. Mr Greenacre said he told the CAA that Cooperative Travel was concerned that the flights Kiss was selling, mainly [...]

Sun4U, a Birmingham-based travel company, announced yesterday that it had ceased trading. The firm, which specialised in providing holidays in Mallorca and on the Spanish coast, has around 1,200 customers currently holidaying abroad. A statement has been issued advising all those who have booked trips through Sun4U to contact Abta to find out about eligibility for refunds or to arrange alternative travel plans.
Although it is currently not clear how the holidaymakers stranded abroad are going to make it home, an Abta spokesman has confirmed that most are currently in Spain. Abta added that those who have booked Atol protected packages [...]

Travel industry analysts are claiming that the collapse of airlines and tour companies in the last couple of years is good news for the package holiday. Uncertainty within the travel industry, especially after the disruption caused by the Eyjafjallajokull volcano earlier in the year and the ongoing industrial action at British Airways, is causing many to look for the most secure option when booking their holiday.
By choosing a package holiday, customers know that whatever happens while they are away, the hotel has been paid for and there is a guaranteed seat on a flight home. The Association of British Travel [...]

Virgin boss, Sir Richard Branson, has called the latest closures of airspace above the UK, a joke, and has asked the government to intervene and lift the restrictions.
The latest no-fly zones have been put into place because the ash spewing out of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland has once again been blown across Britain.
No-fly zones were created by air traffic controllers in the north of England over areas such as Doncaster, Carlisle, Liverpool and Manchester. Some airports in Scotland and Northern Ireland were also affected. Branson said that he thought the closure of air space over Manchester was not amusing. [...]

www.caa.co.uk
The Civil Aviation Authority says that UK air passenger numbers have slumped as a result of the recession. They went on to say that transatlantic travel is the biggest victim as of now.
Right now, the recession has remain the number one reason why millions of airline passengers have become grounded. They went on to say that the Transatlantic travel has seen numbers fall by almost 15%. The aviation watchdog also noted that domestic travel has suffered and seen numbers fall by 8.7%.
The largest market, which is from the UK to mainland Europe, fell by almost 7.3%. However, it still accounts [...]

www.caa.co.uk
The decline in airport passengers can be seen all over the UK. In fact, research has shown that, for the first time since 1991, UK passenger numbers are on their way down. The Civil Aviation Authority (also known as CAA) has noted that the biggest downturn in UK airport passengers was seen at the very end of 2008.
As of 2008, UK airports as a whole handled just under 235 million fliers. This is a number that is down 1.9 percent from 2007 figures. The Civil Aviation Authority has stated that this is only the fourth time that the airline industry [...]

A massive overhaul for Britain’s airports is under way. The UK government is aiming to put the needs of consumers at the center of all decisions made. The Civil Aviation Authority has been given the job of promoting what passengers want. Passenger Focus, which already looks out for the interests of bus and rail riders, will also be doing the same thing for airline passengers as well. All of these tasks must be performed by the airlines while still being able to handle their environment responsibilities.
The overall goal of this reform is to help change up the UK airport [...]

The British Airports Authority has been warned by the Civil Aviation Authority that they may face more fines if they fail to increase the level of customer service at the Stansted Airport in London. The Civil Aviation Authority said that they are acting on the finding by the Competition Commission that the service performance of the airport has been unacceptably low at times during the last 5 years.
The British Airports Authority has already been given nearly £8 million in fines during the year after missing targets set for service, as well as for landing fees, at the Gatwick Airport [...]

easyJet has secured the approval of a judicial review by the High Court. The review will be of the regulatory processes that enable higher airport fees to be imposed at the Gatwick Airport.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the United Kingdom has let the British Airports Authority, the owner of Gatwick Airport, increase passenger changes by nearly 50%. This means that the charge being imposed per passenger on all carriers is going to reach £8.36 for the next 5 years.
The Civil Aviation Authority has stated that the move was motivated from the need for further investment into reducing queuing [...]