Ryanair Passenger Numbers Rise, Beat British Airways

[flugholm]

Bloomberg meldet das Folgende:

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>Ryanair Passenger Numbers Rise,
Beat British Airways (Update2)
Sept. 5 (Bloomberg)

RYANAIR Holdings Plc, Europe's largest low-cost airline, beat British Airways Plc in passenger numbers for the first time last month.

The number of people flying with Ryanair in August rose 27 percent to 3.26 million travelers from 2.57 million passengers a year earlier, the Dublin-based carrier said in an e-mailed statement today.

Chief Executive Michael O'Leary expects Ryanair's passenger numbers to grow 27 percent in the year through March to 35 million travelers to surpass British Airways for the full year. Ryanair is opening a 14th European base at Pisa, Italy, and will probably announce a new base this month and one next month, O'Leary said last month.

The Irish discounter "picked up a little at the edges'' because of British Airways' labor problems, "but the reality is that Ryanair continues to grow its business much faster than British Airways,'' said Shane Matthews, an analyst with NCB Stockbrokers in Dublin with a "buy'' rating on both carriers.

British Airways ranks third in Europe behind Air France-KLM Group and Deutsche Lufthansa AG in terms of passenger traffic, measured as the number of travelers multiplied by the distance flown.

Mainline European carriers including British Airways have increasingly focused on intercontinental routes as low-fare airlines eat away at their market share in Europe. The traditional airlines' increased fuel surcharges on tickets are driving customers to Ryanair, according to O'Leary.

British Airways keeps "turning passengers away with fuel surcharge after fuel surcharge, high fares, poor punctuality, flight cancellations and no catering,'' O'Leary said in the statement today.

Passenger traffic at British Airways fell 0.7 percent last month, with the number declining in mostly every region.

Shares in Ryanair rose 14 cents, or 2.1 percent, to 6.74 euros at 3:48 p.m. in Dublin, valuing the carrier at 5.1 billion euros ($6.4 billion). Shares in British Airways were unchanged at 280 pence in London, giving the airline a 3.17 billion-pound ($5.85 billion) market value.

[dD]

.....
Ryanair is opening a 14th European base at Pisa, Italy, and will probably announce a new base this month and one next month, O'Leary said last month.

und wohin geht die Reise?

[Maik]

Wow, 3x month in einem Satz...