Up in the air …

Qantas tops for safety … QANTAS is the world’s safest airline, according to the annual report by AirlineRatings.com.

The website monitors the safety records of almost 450 airlines worldwide, taking into account a variety of factors such as safety records, aircraft type, and government audits.

The Australian airline has remained fatality-free since the dawn of the jet era. Air New Zealand, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines also featured in the top 10.

‘Our top 10 safest airlines are always at the forefront of safety innovation,’ said AirlineRatings.com’s editor, Geoffrey Thomas. ‘These airlines are a byword for excellence.’

AirlineRatings.com has also identified the ten safest low-cost carriers. These are (in alphabetical order): Aer Lingus, Alaska Airlines, Icelandair, JetBlue, Jetstar, Kulula.com, Monarch Airlines, Thomas Cook, TUI Fly, and WestJet.

Up in the air … for just 20 minutes … AIR BERLIN subsidiary Niki is to start flights between Vienna, Austria and Bratislava in Slovakia, with Austrian state broadcaster ORF claiming it will be the shortest commercial route in the world.

The flight between the capitals of Austria and Slovakia is reported to cover 31 miles in 20 minutes, leading some observers to question whether it would be faster to drive or take a bus.

Niki says the route is aimed at Slovakians taking connecting flights from Vienna.

Norwegian numbers up … NORWEGIAN AIR has seen a three million increase in passenger numbers in 2014 compared to the previous year. The carrier reached almost 24 million passengers in 2014 as it launched new routes from Britain to the US and Spain.

Aer Lingus v Ryanair …. TOTAL Aer Lingus passenger numbers declined by 3.8% last month in contrast to a 20% rise by its Irish rival Ryanair.

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