Air Berlin expecting improved EBIT result in 2010; Ryanair's toilet tax
Air Berlin's shares were up slightly on Friday, gaining 0.2%, as the carrier's CCO, Christoph Debus, stated the carrier is optimistic about the outlook for 2010, and is planning to achieve a clearly positive earnings result for FY2010.
Mr Debus stated that EBIT would likely be higher in 2010 than in the past two years, with the carrier still expecting 2009 EBIT levels to exceed 2008 levels. He added that Germany's second-largest airline expects organic growth of 4-5% in 2010, notinh that further cost savings are expected in 2010, with the LCC expecting savings in the "three-digit million euro" range.
Ryanair to implement a toilet charge
Also in Europe, Ryanair (shares down 1.0% on Friday) spokesman, Stephen McNamara, in an interview with the Irish Times, stated the LCC would proceed with plans to charge passengers for using toilets during short haul services of under 1 hours.
Mr McNamara commented, "one toilet will discourage overdependence. There is nothing in the rule book to say that an aircraft has to have any toilets at all, which might sound strange, but we believe three toilets are excessive."
The airline, in its in-flight magazine, stated the introduction of coin-operated toilets would reduce fares by at least 5%, and is part of efforts by Ryanair to reduce the number of toilets on its aircraft, to make room for an additional six seats.
GOL celebrates its ninth birthday
In the Americas, GOL celebrated nine years of regular commercial aviation operations on 15-Jan-2010, during which time the carrier has transported more than 130 million passengers, and increased its fleet from six to 109 aircraft. The carrier currently operates more than 800 daily services, to 59 destinations in nine countries. The carrier's shares slipped 3.3% on Friday.
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Selected LCCs daily share price movements (% change): 15-Jan-2010
