"Co-planing" – a new phenomenon which sees pilots of leisure aircraft sharing the costs of a flight among passengers who sign up on the Internet much along the lines of the Blablacar carpooling site – and which had severe restrictions put on it last August by the French Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC), has finally been authorised by the country’s Council of State, Les Echos says. Legal victory over the DGAC Passenger security was the reason why the french DGAC imposed these restrictions last August, limiting co-planing over French territory to circular flights of a maximum of 30 minutes…

iPMI Magazine Global Travel and Tourism News: 28 out of 30 reporting destinations recorded growth so far in 2017 with almost one in two posting double-digit increases. Iceland(+56%) was the fastest growing destination, as its tourism boom shows no signs of abating to date. Montenegro (+25%), Malta (+23%) and Cyprus (+18%) also enjoyed substantial increases. Since these destinations are heavily reliant on peak summer demand, growth outside this period reflects their success in reducing seasonality. "Despite a stable European domestic market, growth is also driven by long-haul source markets. Cheap oil prices, favourable currency exchanges, raising middle classes, improved air…

After a dip in 2016, more travelers from the U.S. and Europe will be packing their bags and heading on a vacation this summer, according to an annual consumer survey conducted by Generali Global Assistance. The survey, in its 17th year, found that 66% of Americans plan to travel this summer, up five percentage points from 2016. That compares to 63% of Europeans who will travel this summer which is an increase of nine percentage points from last year. The survey noted that although more people are travelling, they are doing so for a shorter duration. Americans will go on…

If you have been affected by the recent British Airways (BA) computer systems failure you may be entitled to compensation for disruption and additional expenses. In the first instance you should seek compensation from British Airways. This is because EU flight compensation regulations require airline operators to provide compensation to passengers that suffer long delays or cancellations in circumstances like this. If you have travel insurance you may be covered for some expenses (such as the cost of food while delayed at the airport), usually payable where you are unable to claim them back from another source, such as the…

Results for global air freight markets show a 14% expansion measured in freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) compared to the same period last year. This was the fastest pace of growth recorded since October 2010. Freight capacity, measured in available freight tonne kilometers (AFTKs), grew by 4.2% year-on-year in March 2017. March performance contributed to very strong first quarter (Q1) growth in freight volumes. After adjusting for the impact of the leap year in 2016, freight demand in Q1 2017 increased by nearly 11%. Capacity increased by 3.7% over the same period (leap year adjusted). The strengthening of air freight demand…