Ireland sells final AIB shares 15 years after banking crisis
The state sold a 2.06% stake in AIB at 6.94 euros per share, which will generate 305 million euros ($352.6 million) upon settlement, the finance ministry said in a statement. That will take to 19.8 billion euros the total amount returned to the state to date from its investment in AIB, it added.
($1 = 0.8650 euros)
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Price rise for Nottingham short-hop tram tickets from machine
Changes to short journey fares on Nottingham's tram network will see one type of ticket rise by a Monday the cost of Short Hop tram paper tickets purchased from a machine will rise by 50p to £2, said Nottingham Express Transit (NET).But contactless Short Hop payments, paid for at "tap on" validators, will remain at £1.50 and all other ticket prices across the board will remain using this fare have also been warned to remember to "tap off" at the end of their journey or they will be charged the full standard adult single price of £3.40. The short journey fare is charged for travelling within one of nine zones which together cover the entire Sweeney, head of marketing at NET, said: "Following the introduction of our "Tap On, Tap Off" Short Hop travel ticket last year, it's been brilliant to see so many of our customers reaping the benefits of the convenience it offers. "Switching to digital tickets offers a more streamlined experience, while helping to reduce waste as it eliminates the need to print off a paper ticket."We hope this new fare change serves as an encouragement to passengers to make the switch to digital tickets."
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Sweden invented ‘flight shaming'. Now it is begging airlines to return
The country that invented 'flight shaming', a concept championed by climate activist Greta Thunberg, has scrapped its air tax in a bid to boost its ailing economy. As of July 1, Sweden has dropped the levy of 76–517 krona (£5.50–£37.40) per passenger per flight, an eco measure introduced by the centre-left government in 2018. The U-turn will be seen as a disaster by environmentalists, and it exposes a tension at the core of the aviation versus climate debate. When jumbo jets disappear emissions drop, but other things begin to dwindle too: regional growth, connectivity and – it appears in Sweden – public support for eco concerns. The emptying of Swedish skies Sweden introduced its air tax in the same year that a 15-year-old Greta Thunberg organised her first solo climate protest outside Swedish Parliament. In a short period of time the 'flight shaming' ('flygskam') movement took hold. A survey in 2019 showed that nearly a quarter of Swedes were abstaining from flying in a bid to reduce their climate footprint, up from 17 per cent the year before. The impact on Sweden's aviation industry was stark. Swedavia AB, which runs 10 Swedish airports, saw passenger numbers drop for seven consecutive months in 2019. The country witnessed its slowest growth in airline passenger numbers for a decade. Meanwhile, state train operator SJ saw passengers leap to 32 million citing 'big interest in climate-smart travel.' In the seven years that followed, international flights dropped by a third. Smaller airports, particularly in the wild and remote northern regions, saw fewer arrivals as airlines scaled back operations. Ryanair ceased all domestic flights in Sweden, while the domestic-focused Bromma Airport near Stockholm came to the brink of closure. Today, only one regional airline, Västfly, still uses the airport. The pandemic was the catalyst for change. The country suffered a recession in 2023 and the economy shrank by 0.3 per cent between April and July 2024. It was within this economic climate that the new right-wing government, elected in 2022, said that there were 'few reasons to feel flight shame' as they announced plans to invest £76m into the aviation sector and drop the air tax entirely. Airlines were quick to praise the decision. Ryanair promptly re-introduced two new aircraft to its Swedish fleet and added ten new routes. EasyJet said 'we strongly welcome the abolition of taxes on passengers to help keep flying affordable' and Norwegian announced it would add new routes from Norway to Sweden. 'We congratulate the Swedish government for abolishing the aviation tax. It is excellent news, which recognises that taxation of air passengers is counterproductive economically and ineffective environmentally,' was the international aviation body IATA's response to the news. The climate lobby, however, is disheartened by the news. Justin Francis, co-founder and executive chair of Responsible Travel, tells The Telegraph: 'Some governments' short-term attitudes to regulating aviation have shifted, but the science hasn't, and aviation will account for an ever-increasing percentage of total global carbon emissions and the massive costs of climate change to business and society.' The European countries banning domestic flights No doubt politicians in neighbouring countries will be watching keenly from the sidelines to see how Sweden's U-turn plays out. That's because since Sweden introduced its eco-war against aviation, other countries have followed suit. In 2020, Germany increased its domestic and intra-European flight taxes by 75 per cent, while Belgium imposes a €10 'boarding tax' for flights of less than 500km (310 miles). In the Netherlands passengers must pay a departure tax of €29.40 per flight, regardless of the destination. Denmark is the latest to join the party. As of January 1 this year, passengers have had to pay 50DK (£5.73) for intra-European flights, 310DK (£35.83) for medium-haul and DK410 (£47.55) for long-haul flights. Ryanair was quick out of the blocks to criticise the tax. The Irish airline publicly described it as a 'discriminatory, fake eco-tax', criticising Denmark for penalising short-haul passengers while not taxing transfer passengers travelling far greater distances. The airline has scrapped its services from Billund and Aalborg, in response. Other countries are clamping down on short-haul aviation through other means. In 2023, France passed a law banning domestic flights on routes where the journey could be made by rail in less than 2hr 30m. While this was hailed as a 'domestic flight ban', effectively ruling out air travel between Paris Orly and Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux, some argued they could have been more ambitious by extending the train travel time to four hours, or to measure from city to city rather than airport to airport. In its current form, where you can still fly from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux. Because of this, the domestic flight ban has been criticised for being more gestural than anything else. Spain is considering mirroring the policy, banning flights where you can make the same journey in 2hr 30m. This would rule out 11 domestic air routes, reducing the country's domestic aviation emissions by an estimated 10 per cent. But, as in France, climate activists said it didn't go far enough, with the group Ecologistas en Acción describing the measures as 'purely symbolic'. The question is where these countries will go next. Clearly the Swedish U-turn highlights the complexities around marrying green policies with national interconnectivity and regional prosperity. 'Until electric planes and emissions-free aviation are viable options, we all need to fly less,' says Justin Francis. 'Aviation fuel needs to be taxed in line with other transport fuels. The industry has had a free pass here for too long, and the proceeds need to be ring fenced for investment in lower-carbon aviation and improving rail infrastructure.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
I booked £400 flights for the wrong date - but the agent won't give me my money back
I lost £400 by mistakenly booking flights online for the wrong dates. I booked using an online travel agent that compares flights from different airlines. I didn't realise when I navigated back a page, my dates were switched to the site's default dates. The flight I accidentally booked was a few weeks away, while the one I intended to book had been in three months' time. I'm not able to travel on the former dates. Within minutes, I realised my error and filled in an online cancellation form with the travel agent. This was a Sunday so I couldn't speak to them on the phone. I thought I could get my money back as I read that purchases made online come with a two-week 'cooling off' period. But my request was declined and I'm still out of pocket. Why? T.R Helen Crane, This is Money's consumer champion, replies: The cost of going away has rocketed in the last few years, meaning we are all desperate to get a good deal. When flipping back and forth between internet tabs comparing different airlines, dates and prices, I can see how a mistake like this could be made. You are right to say that, when buying things online, customers usually benefit from a 14-day cooling off period. This is a legal protection. But unfortunately for you, it doesn't apply to plane tickets - or tickets for any other form of transport, for that matter. This is because the companies who sell them argue that, as the tickets are tied to a specific time and date, they would be hard to resell in many circumstances. Essentially, they say having to pay back any customer who asks within two weeks would leave them at an unfair disadvantage. Having a 14-day 'get out' clause would also encourage holidaymakers to game the system, as they'd be able to cancel and re-book if they saw prices had dropped. When denied a refund they feel they deserve, a savvy consumer might turn to their credit card provider - if they paid using one - hoping to be protected by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. However, that is unfortunately also not possible in your case, as consumer expert Scott Dixon explains below. So what options are open to you, if any, to recoup your £400? I asked Dixon, who runs the website The Complaints Resolver, to explain the rules and what you can do. Scott Dixon replies: Unlike most online purchases, flight bookings are exempt from the standard 14-day cooling-off period under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. This means that once you have confirmed and paid for your flights, you are generally locked in, even if you have made a mistake. The reason for this is because flight tickets are time-sensitive and perishable. Airlines argue flights are time-specific services that cannot be easily resold if cancelled, and are subject to dynamic pricing, meaning that fares can fluctuate rapidly. Airlines operate on tight margins and aim for maximum seat capacity, so changes can disrupt their logistics and financial position. This exemption is set out in Regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, which lists the circumstances where cancellation rights do not apply. This includes accommodation, transport, vehicle hire, catering and leisure services, if the contract is tied to a specific date or period of performance. In plain English, if you book transport like flights, trains or buses for a specific date or time, the 14-day cancellation right does not apply. That's why consumers cannot legally cancel a flight just because they changed their mind or made a mistake, even within 24 hours of booking. If you have made a booking error (like selecting the wrong date), you are relying on the airline's goodwill. Some airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines may allow a 24-hour grace period to amend or cancel without penalty, but this is a voluntary policy and not a legal right. Section 75 protection under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 only applies if there has been a breach of contract or misrepresentation, and only when you book direct and spend over £100. It doesn't apply to mistakes made by consumers. Travel insurance typically won't cover this, unless a specific cancellation clause applies in the terms and conditions. Always double-check your dates and details before you proceed. If things do go wrong, be polite but persistent and contact the airline directly as soon as possible. You are relying on staff goodwill, so be nice if you need to ask for their help. Politeness and good manners costs nothing, yet it can make the difference between you getting the outcome you want or the outcome you deserve. Helen Crane replies: Unfortunately, it seems this is likely to be a costly lesson. You are out of the 24-hour grace period that Scott mentions, and even then, this is completely voluntary and you don't know if the agent you used would have been willing to offer it. That said, all of this is ultimately down to the company's discretion, so perhaps one attempt at a charm offensive as he describes wouldn't hurt. It is interesting that the three firms he names which may look kindly on customers who make mistakes are all airlines, rather than agents. Personally, I now try to book flights direct with the airline wherever possible, rather than using a third-party travel agent. In my experience this makes life easier when things go wrong, whether that is a cancellation, lost luggage, or a booking error like yours - as you only have one company to deal with rather than two. However, it does often mean missing out on the absolute cheapest deals.
