He started his journalism career in 1992 as a freelance writer for Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany’s largest daily national newspaper and soon specialised in air transport. Jens joined Aviation Week and Aviation Daily in 2000 as one of the European correspondents. Later his role was expanded to cover international air transport. In 2013 he was named Managing Editor Commercial.
Jens frequently appears on radio and TV to comment on industry matters. In 2003, he received the Hugo Junkers Award of the German aviation press for his coverage of Fairchild Dornier’s bankruptcy. He was named the country’s top travel and air transport writer by the Travel Industry Club three times. Jens graduated from the Munich School of Journalism.
A decision about Virgin Blue’s future majority owner is likely to be announced before the end of February, sources close to the negotiations told The DAILY. Australia’s second-largest airline is likely to end up in the hands of a financial investor, the sources say. They claim that the airline will not be sold to a strategic investor. The sources were not prepared to disclose the identity of the bidders, but said that three parties are still in the race. According to them, a final decision has not been made.
Europe’s low-fare airlines are starting to see increasing turmoil after years of speculation that their overabundance will lead to a shakeout as the contenders struggle for financial viability.
EasyJet recorded a drop of 2.2 points in its monthly load factor in December as the airline filled 78.9% of its seats. The latest figures caused an initial 8.4% drop in its share price, the sharpest decline in almost two years. EasyJet introduced extra charges on checked baggage recently, and Chris Avery, a JP Morgan airline analyst, believes that may have deterred some demand. Passenger numbers for the month were up 9.9.%.
