Mobissimo

The latest European low-cost airline has launched, offering superior customer service and fast flights.  Read more here.

Europe’s latest low-cost airline has started running services today. Varsity Express, which becomes the only airline to fly between Oxford and Edinburgh, is being masterminded by Martin Halsted, the 23-year-old airline entrepreneur dubbed “Baby Branson” after his attempt to launch a low-cost carrier as a teenager.

Now aged 23, Halstead said: “Varsity Express is a completely different proposition.  A well funded operation, running on the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) of established Humberside-based Jetstream 31 LinksAir. This is a small, niche operator that is not setting out to compete with established larger players. Rather we hope to be able to work with them in the future,” he said.

Strikes are forcing British Airways to train crews in the air, utilizing ghost flights to train crews.

British Airways is operating “ghost flights” to train ground staff as cabin crew in order to minimise the potential disruption should strikes go ahead next month. Flights are operating from Heathrow to Cardiff and Glasgow to allow them to gain experience in the air, with colleagues pretending to be passengers.

BA usually trains its cabin crew on scheduled services with paying customers, and working alongside experienced staff. However the emergency crews are undergoing intensive training.

Since checking in baggage is becoming expensive, all that you can carry on is becoming the norm.  How best to do it.

(CNN) -- As airlines keep hiking their checked-bag fees -- as Delta and Continental did recently -- there's more incentive than ever to schlep carry-on bags onto the plane with you.

Go for it. Just don't be a jerk, follow a few simple etiquette rules, and everything should work out fine, travel experts say.

Experienced airline travelers, bloggers and travel Web sites generally agree on practices for handling carry-on bags to keep clutter, confusion and conflict to a minimum. Here are their top 10 tips:

Could better scanners have prevented the Christmas Day attempted attack on a US airliner?  Perhaps, but privacy fears are delaying scanners that could have picked up such dangers.

WASHINGTON - High-tech security scanners that might have prevented the Christmas Day attempt to blow up a jetliner have been installed in only a small number of airports around the world, in large part because of privacy concerns over the way the machines see through clothing.

The technology is in place at 19 U.S. airports, while European officials hav

In light of the latest attack on an airliner, the security around the world will be beefed up.  What does this mean for the regular traveler?

(CNN)  -- Passengers flying into the United States from abroad should expect additional security measures at U.S. and international airports after a passenger detonated a device aboard a flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Detroit, Michigan, the Transportation Security Administration said Saturday.

Measures will include increased pat-downs and gate screening, as well as having to stow carry-ons and personal items, including pillows.

If you think about an economic stimulus for the US economy, requiring US airlines to buy US made planes would seem to be the best thing, however the 787 is made around the world, so that doesn't really work.  The Dreamliner finally makes its first flight after 2 years of delays.

The future of commercial aviation arrived Tuesday — albeit 28 months late — when Boeing's 787 Dreamliner took off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., just before 10:30 a.m. on its maiden flight.

The Dreamliner, whose test flight was repeatedly postponed, won't enter commercial service until late next year at the earliest. And that's only if everything goes perfectly during what promises to be the most rigorous flight-testing and certification program in commercial aviation history.

It's always a tough time for airlines, low cost airlines even more so.  Fuel costs, passenger occupancy, labor costs, it all adds up.  However, some are wildly successful, others are having some issues.  easyjet, one of the pioneers has had some problems.

Budget airline Easyjet has reported a big fall in full-year profits to the end of September, after the rising price of oil pushed up fuel costs.

Pre-tax profits were £54.7m ($92.2m), half of the £110.2m the airline made a year earlier.

This came despite a 13% rise in sales from £2.36bn a year ago to £2.67bn.

Easyjet said the results were "extremely resilient", adding it was one of the "very few" European airlines to make a profit in the past 12 months.

A legitimate concern, after all, recycled air for hours on end can be unhealthy, watch this video from CNN to increase your worry level.

United Airlines broke a passenger's guitar a while back and he took matters into his own hands, singing about it YouTube, causing a PR fiasco for United.  He was en route to talk about customer service when United lost his luggage.

After famously breaking his guitar, United Airlines has managed to cause further trouble for David Carroll by losing his luggage — just as the Canadian singer-songwriter was en route to deliver a speech about customer service.

RightNow Technologies, a company that creates customer service software, had hired Carroll to deliver a keynote speech this week at its conference in Colorado Springs, about 100 kilometres southeast of Denver.

Airplanes really haven't changed much in the past 50 years.  The Boeing 737 is one of the first of the modern passenger jets, now, on its last legs as a viable commercial jet.

United was an early customer of the 737, taking delivery of its first one in 1968. The plane that flew on Wednesday was delivered in 1988.

United began phasing out the decades-old planes last year as fuel prices spiked. Fuel prices have come back down somewhat since then, but United is still shrinking its fleet because demand is lower.

Upon deplaning in London Heathrow, you are subject to the endless line at customs.  Upon leaving Heathrow, you are subject to massive lines in security.  Are there any good things about Heathrow?  Apparently not, as it was voted the worst airport in the world.

BAA owned London Heathrow Airport has been voted the worst in the world by a poll of 14,500 frequent travellers.

The survey - which was carried out among members of Priority Pass airport lounge programme - included responses from travellers in 160 countries.

It’s a repeat of last year’s result in the same survey, when Heathrow was still reeling from the "debacle" of the T5 opening, and it appears that the airport has failed to shrug off its global reputation as the one to avoid.

While the economic downturn has everyone watching budgets, apparently the need to get there outweighs the need to stay in a nice place.  Read more here.

American Express Business Travel expects the average cost of a North American domestic business trip, which includes air, ground transportation and hotel accommodations, to remain nearly the same as in 2009, with just a $5 decrease in cost per trip to $1,108, according to the company's 2010 Global Business Travel Forecast, released late last month. It projects North America-originating international trips to increase by an average of 3.5 percent to $3,413.

Can't have it both ways I guess, bad economy means higher fares, good economy means lower fares and more people.  Read more here.

The study from the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, said the downturn in travel has a "silver lining of freeing up airport capacity and improved on-time arrival rates. But these silver linings will disappear...in 2010."

A huge concern here, apparently there was a physical altercation onboard an Air India flight recently, read more here.

Passengers on an Air India flight apparently were treated to quite a scene over the weekend, according to a variety of media reports. Two pilots and two flight attendants apparently came to blows during an international flight on Saturday night. Reuters says the incident "began as a heated exchange on a charge of sexual harassment against the pilots by a crew member. Blows were also exchanged in the scuffle that spilled into the cabin late on Saturday night, according to media reports."

As internet takes to the skies, so does Mobissimo with Wifi Search for flights.  We have added a Wifi icon to flights that currently offer Wifi on air flights (*fees may apply).  Always the leader in giving travelers the best products to search and decide on travel options, Wifi search makes finding internet during your flight as easy as a click.  While we are doing our best to verify internet on the flights, please check with the provider for the last word on availability.  Check it out today on Mobissimo Air Search.