Louder & Louder

Etihad Increases Air Berlin Stake to boost Cooperation

Etihad Airways is providing Air Berlin with $350 million to ease its passage through the financial slow down reports Bloomberg.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad will lift its Air Berlin stake from 2.99 percent to 29.2 percent by buying 31.6 million new shares for 72.9 million euros ($95 million) while providing five-year financing facilities of as much as $255 million for new jets.

It also features a code sharing deal which will allow Etihad access to Air Berlin's key destinations of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Spain.

“Lufthansa won’t be happy,” said Joe Gill, an analyst at Bloxham Stockbrokers in Dublin. “The big three are concerned about what Middle Eastern carriers are going do next and this is a very tangible move. For Air Berlin, this on its own won’t sort things out, but it provides a major plank in providing options.”

Together, Etihad and Air Berlin carry over 40 million passengers each year over 239 destinations, worth over $9 billion in revenue.

Whoa!

2 in 5 Face Christmas Cash Crisis

Silversurfer Today reports that 2 in 5 people have not put regular savings aside to pay for Christmas, according to research carried out by Barclaycard.

The research finds that older does not necessarily mean wiser when it comes to responsible spending, as exactly half of those that are over 55 years old have not saved at all. This is compared to a significantly fewer number (37%) of those aged 18 to 34 years old.

While one third of Britons confessed to not being able to pay for bills in January as a result of overspending during the festive period last year, the majority of us (54%) still plan to spend the same amount on Christmas food and drink as we did last year and one in ten (7%) of people plan to spend more on Christmas parties and going out than in 2010.

The research also found that 32% of people use discount vouchers to save for Christmas, 22% save money by turning down the heating and 6% sell unwanted presents to help fund this year's spending. The most popular way to save money though is to remove extended family members and friends from the present buying list. Others try to boost their savings account and transfer money across to their current account for the festive season.

Gillian Guy, Chief Executive, Citizens Advice, said: "Much like that unwanted woolly jumper the results of your seasonal spending can stay with you for longer than you might like. Every January our bureaux see the result of this with a spike in inquiries from people who are struggling to keep on top of bills and debts due to overspending throughout the festive period.

"For anyone who does run into difficulty our advice is always to seek help as soon as possible so you can get your finances back on track and avoid spending next Christmas worried about your money."

Top tips to keep Christmas spending under control :

Plan ahead - a bit late for this christmas, but start thinking about next year in January.
Don't forget the the regular bills have to be paid too.
Shop around to get the best deals.
Resist the temptation to buy cheap from unauthorised traders.
Read the small print and check for hidden extras in any credit agreement.
Ensure credit cards, loan agreements etc are paid on time to avoid extra charges.

Online Banking Will Kill Off Cheques

Source - Imgspark

Cheques will eventually become a thing of the past as technology marches onwards. How often nowadays do you see someone paying for their goods via cheque? Not often. the closest I get is using a bankers draft to pay for a big purchase, but for everyday items, it is becoming commonplace to use a card. These days, you can use your mobile to do anything from order things online to checking your account balance, all whilst on the bus on the way to work.

These days some banks give you the option of not having chequebooks at all, and you may also get a choice with online bank accounts whether or not to get your monthly statement posted. Of course the environmental benefits of no paper statements are obvious.

In all areas, internet banking and internet based transactions are usurping their manual, paper based counterparts as the inevitable march of technology continues. The writing is surely on the wall for these old fashioned ways of paying for our goods.