AUA summer holiday ticket price hike ahead, say reports
Austrian Airlines (AUA) and Lufthansa are considering raising their ticket prices this summer, according to reports.Austrian business media write today (Fri) that tickets for continental flights by AUA will cost between 10 Euros and 20 Euros more from 1 July, while Lufthansa ticket prices will be upped by 22 June.Reports also have it that the price of overseas connections will increase by 30 Euros.The carriers declined to comment on todays claims.AUA introduced a five per cent fuel surcharge price hike only last month in reaction to rising kerosene prices.Bosses at AUA and Lufthansa who took over the Viennese firm last year were reportedly outraged by the German governments recent plans to charge aviation firms with a new tax to force them to do their part in reducing the state debt after the credit crunch.Struggling AUA who has laid off hundreds of employees in different departments over the past few months meanwhile had good news to report for the first time in a long time.The firm co-headed by Andreas Bierwirth and Peter Malanik said, with 1.015 million passengers, it served 16.1 per cent more customers last month compared to May 2009.