Danish low-cost airline Sterling, to file for bankruptcy

Danish-based low-cost carrier Sterling Airways said today it would file for bankruptcy after its cash-strapped Icelandic investors were unable keep the company airborne, the Guardian reported earlier today. Sterling connects Alghero airport to several Scandinavian destinations with charter flights as well as Olbia Costa Smeralda airport with regular flights to Copenhagen and Billund during the summer months.

Sterling adiveses its customers on their website today als follows:

Information to Sterling Passengers
Customers who have directly purchased their tickets on Sterling’s website will unfortunately not be refunded neither will their return flights. You therefore have to book your return flights with another airline company.
If you have paid for a flight by credit card, we advise you to contact your bank or credit card company to ask for a possible refund.
Customers who have booked their flights through a travel agency or tour operator should initially contact them.
Passengers who have booked their tickets through Sterling, but is flying with Norwegian, should contact Norwegian directly on one of the below phone numbers:
+47 21490015 (from outside Norway)
815 21 815 (from Norway)
Passengers currently staying abroad in hotels, or hiring a car through Sterling business partners, are still able to stay in their hotel or keep the hired car for the relevant period of time, as such services are paid for through our business partners and not Sterling. However as for your return flight, you will need to find alternatives
for your final destination.
Please note that if you have booked your travel/hotel/car through a travel agency or tour operator, please contact them upon your return for possible refund of expenses for your return flight.
We understand that most travel insurance does not protect holders from airline
insolvency but should you have taken insurance please contact your insurance
company for clarification. We will later put on a FAQ and hope that this will
help you in this very unfortunate situation.
Sterling Airlines A/S
29th
October 2008

Ryanair cancels Alghero-Bologna-Forlí connection

Ryanair might not launch the connection between Alghero - Bologna-Forlí any more. The first connection was scheduled for december 4th but the company might shut down its planned Forlí base, Alguer.it said. Flights are not bookable right now but chances are that Ryanair transfers the planned flights to Bologna's principal airport Marconi. Ryanair might close his Forlí base before even launching the new hub. As local Bologna newspapers report, the Sicilian Carrier Windjet might take over most of Rynair's planned activities.
Only recently Ryanair has closed its operational base in Valencia, Spain, following a dispute with the local council.

Alghero airport is suitable to the European Regulation on persons with reduced mobility (disabled persons)

Alghero airport (in Sardinia) has adopted the Regulation of the European Community issued last July 25 about persons with reduced mobility. A "Sala amica" is available in the airport, where travellers with reduced mobility receive assistance and can make help requests that arrive at four call points distributed on the airport, Avionews reported.
Eight skilled people with social operator licence and a first level training on airport security work on the airport in Northern Sardinia to give assistance to travellers flying into Alghero airport.

Please also note Ryanair's Terms and Conditions about

Reduced mobility, blind/vision impaired, Medical Conditions or Passengers requiring special assistance in the airport

(as of October 2008)

For safety reasons Ryanair can carry only a maximum of four passengers per flight who have either reduced mobility, or are blind/visually impaired travelling with a guide dog or alone or require special assistance at the airport. Such passengers (including in the case of those who are blind/vision impaired if travelling with a sighted companion) should notify Ryanair of their condition/requirements on the day of booking via your local Ryanair call centre. Failure to prebook may result in the service being unavailable on your arrival at the airport and your being refused carriage.
Ryanair for safety reasons does not permit passengers to bring their own oxygen on board. If oxygen is required for use during the flight it must be reserved for a fee of £100/€148 (or local currency equivalent) directly with Ryanair preferably on the same day of booking or at the latest 7 days prior to travel. Safety Regulations limit oxygen requests to one per flight. Passengers requiring oxygen must carry a letter from their doctor confirming that they are fit to travel and that the oxygen flow we provide is suitable for their patient. Passengers will not be accepted for travel without this letter.
If for medical reasons, passengers need to inject themselves during the flight (e.g. diabetics) they are permitted to carry syringes in the cabin. They will be asked to produce appropriate medical evidence (a doctor’s letter will suffice) when they check in or at security. This should be kept with them at all times.
Due to health and safety requirements special assistance passengers are required to check-in at the airport (any airport check-in fee paid on booking will be refunded at the time that the special services are booked).

Better Access to Sardinia: Ryanair opens new base in Alghero

Better Access to Sardinia from the north of England and Scotland: Ryanair opens two new bases in Alghero and Cagliari next year, linking Cagliari with Manchester and Edinburgh. The new base that will be opened in Alghero will not serve new UK and Ireland destinations.

However, the list of UK, Ireland and other European and Italian Ryanair connections is yet long: Flights into Alghero start from

• London Stansted
• East Midlands
• Liverpool
• Dublin
• Oslo
• Stockholm
• Bremen
• Düsseldorf/Weeze
• Frankfurt/Hahn
• Milan Orio al Serio
• Vencice
• Bologna-Forli
• Genoa
• Pisa
• Rome-Ciampino
• Brussels
• Paris
• Barcelona-Girona
• Madrid

Brief history of Alghero airport: From a military airport to a centre for low cost connections from Sardinia to the rest of Europe.

Alghero Airport was founded as a military airport during the second world war.In the 1960’s the first air terminal was build in an old hangar. Only in 1968, a proper air terminal was built up; in the 1970's the runway was enlarged from 2,200 metres to today’s length of 3,000 metres.
The airport for years also as a pilot training centre not only by Italian military but also Alitalia. In the 1980’s Alghero Airport became complete airport for civil use. Nowadays, numerous charter planes as well as international low cost carrier connections link Alghero to all mayor European centres
For more information on Alghero airport history see the official website.

Ryanair calls on European Commission to reduce regulatory burden also on Alghero Airport

Ryanair, called on 14 October 14th, 2008 on the European Commission to reduce the regulatory burden and costs on airlines and to embark upon anti-consumer scams such as fuel surcharges and screenscraper mis-selling in order to keep Europe’s air fares low during this recession. Ryanair also called on the EU Commission to urgently address and reverse many of the expensive, anti-consumer regulations introduced in recent years which have added significantly to the cost of all air travel within Europe, while delivering minimal passengers benefits. Such measures would include to take away the 7 State Aid investigations against Ryanair’s contracts at small regional airports including: Alghero, Palau, Frankfurt/Hahn, among others, Peanuts Online reported.