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World Cup, UK flights buoys Air Berlin

Hotel Booking Air Berlin looks set for expansion in Europe with plans to increase its operations throughout the UK, Switzerla.nd, the Netherlands and Italy

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Travel Agency The low-cost carrier recently added inter-UK connections from London-Stansted to Glasgow and Manchester and announced plans to launch new routes from Dsseldorf to Paris and Helsinki from spring of this year.

If you have booked and paid us for an air inclusive holiday or flight where either you, the person who pays for the booking, is present in the UK when the booking is made or the first leg of the flight(s) you pay us for starts in the UK then in the unlikely event of Leger Air Holiday Limited’s insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not left stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to Leger Air Holidays Limited for an advance booking. For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk.

Cheap Hotel Although Air Berlin has played down talks of a stock market flotation, reports suggest that the airline is seeking to raise 700 million euros to $835 million buy new aircraft to expand its network. Meanwhile the airline has appointed its first ever chief financial officer.

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Flight Booking Originally a charter business, Air Berlin evolved into a discount carrier in 2002. The carrier serviced 13.5 million passengers in 2005 and increased sales by 17 percent reaching 1.23 billion euros. This secures its position as the second biggest German airline after Lufthansa and the third largest low-cost carrier in Europe after Ryanair and easyJet.

Airport Information Cozumel Island, Mexico has an international airport on the island so many airlines fly directly to the island. Unfortunately, during low seasons, not all departure cities offer direct flights to the island. These flights usually fly directly to Cancun and then a very short connecting flight is taken to Cozumel Island, Mexico. Many travel agencies, tour operators, hotel packages as well as air flights only.

Travel Agent However, Ryanair recently announced its intention to expand into Germany with new routes and two new bases, which will create some stiff competition for Air Berlin.

While there are certainly enough domestic flight routes to make intercity air travel a reality, it’s a far more practical option to take the InterCity Express (ICE) – a highspeed rail network that can travel at an impressive 190mph. Berlin to Frankfurt takes just over four hours and costs around £70. We’d recommend booking online before you get there.

Hotel Chicago Proposed plans to start a code share agreement with smaller German carrier DBA might secure Air Berlins position in the market. DBA's internal domestic routes could feed into Air Berlin's network of flights, especially to Mediterranean destinations.

Online Booking Several awards including Low Cost Airline Service Excellence Award from air ratings firm SkyTrax have marked a good start to the year for Air Berlin. Breaking Travel News caught up with Jacob Fischer, Manager of International Sales at Air Berlin to find out what else the airline has in store for 2006.

Travel Health Insurance BTN: Do you define Air Berlin as a low-cost carrier?

Hotel Reservation FISCHER: Air Berlin is a low-cost carrier, however we differentiate ourselves in terms of product quality from the other no-frills carriers, so we are a low-cost carrier but we are also a full-frills airline.

London Hotel Booking We offer a variety of services for our passengers, such as meals and drinks on board and we supply newspapers to passengers. Most importantly we do not only distribute tickets via AirBerlin.com, we also have partnerships various GDSs.

Discount Travel BTN: Business travellers are moving towards low-cost travel. How does Air Berlin accommodate premium travellers?

Orlando Hotel FISCHER: Air Berlin has a product that appeals to business travel since we provide excellent value for money with frills included and priority check-ins.

Booking Agency We have a flexible business fare, as well as a frequent flyer programme. Most importantly for the business traveller is that our service lines up fully with the major airlines.

International Travel Medical BTN: How is development on the new hub operation at Stansted airport coming along? And why is Stansted an important hub for you?

New York Hotel FISCHER: The new hub operation at Stansted, which began on the 15th December 2005, is doing really well. We started operating routes from Stansted to Glasgow and to Manchester, which feed into our European connections.

Online Travel Booking The airport at Stansted has advantages in terms of connecting time, as it is a relatively small airport so it is quicker for passengers to check in.

Travel Medical Insurance BTN: Can you tell us about your growth strategy in Britain?

Miami Hotel FISCHER: Our new Glasgow and Manchester routes are doing well in terms of booking levels and if that growth continues then we will certainly be adding new routes in the UK.

Air Deccan Booking We are the first non-UK low-cost carrier to enter the British market and we are looking at new routes from Stansted.

Las Vegas Nevada Travel BTN: With the soccer World Cup fast approaching, can you comment on the importance of sporting events to the tourism industry?

Las Vegas Nv Hotel FISCHER: The booking volume we have received for the World Cup period in June is high. For example England is playing Trinidad and Tobago in Nuremburg, one of our key routes so we have added a second frequency on the Stansted flight.

Hotel Florence Booking Online Group bookings have come in for all destinations because it is not just the events taking place in the stadium. Every German city provides a huge party during the World Cup and the bookings are very strong for this period.

Orlando Travel BTN: Air Berlin has won a number of prestigious awards recently -- to what do you attribute this?

Hilton Hotel FISCHER: Yes we are very surprised by the scale and number of awards we have won in 2005 and 2006. This is partly due to the fact that Air Berlin is a low-cost carrier but the people who have not used the service before do not know that it is a full service operation on modern aircraft and that is reflected in the high rate of return passengers and also in the feedback we get from travellers.

Booking Delta Com If you fly on a low-cost airline, you do not expect excellent treatment. So when you get it, you are more inclined to use it again. Many of our awards reflect this fact.

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