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.
Air France-KLM expects to significantly top last year's operating profit in fiscal 2005 after the airline's net earnings rose 26% to EUR110 million (US$138 million). "The key macro point for us is that the network majors' fuel price surcharges have yet to cause any demand reduction -- in an industry which is conventionally seen as having price-elastic demand," JP Morgan analyst Chris Avery wrote in a research note.
EasyJet yesterday named Andrew Harrison, an industry outsider who formerly headed U.K. roadside assistance company RAC, to succeed Ray Webster as CEO. During Harrison's tenure, RAC went through one merger and one takeover while the share price tripled. An insurance company now owns the company. He will start the new job Dec. 1. Webster is retiring after 10 years at the helm of the low-cost carrier and plans to return to his home country of New Zealand.
Airline analysts at Goldman Sachs are concerned that after strong demand for air travel this summer, "2005 may have been the peak year for the European airlines in this cycle." The investment bank wrote in a study this week that "it may get more difficult to offset increasing fuel costs with higher surcharges as hedging expires and supply growth returns."
