Its the first of the October and the new month starts with the - expected - but sad news that Star1 Airlines of Lithuania has apply to the Lithuanian courts to be declared bankrupt. The news is expected because it is almost a week since their sole Boeing 737 aircraft was detained by the authorities at Dublin Airport on behalf of the owners of the aircraft presumably because of non-payment. This left hundreds of passengers stranded both in Dublin  and London Stansted as  the airline stopped all subsequent flights. The news is sad because we have worked closely with the charming and diligent management team over the last twelve months to develop a successful operation for them to and from the UK. 

Star1 filled a gap in the market left by the demise in January 2009 of FlyLAL (ex Lithuanian Airlines) and although small, Star1 appeared to be making good progress to make a success of its low cost scheduled services.  

Our phone lines are currently very busy as we advise customers how to apply for refunds. We are advising not only passengers who booked through our office in th UK , but also those who have booked directly with the airline through its Vilnius call centre or through its web site. The correct email address is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and here is a link to the page with the full announcement star1. 

Its a tough market for airlines in Europe, so different to booming market I experienced in Papua New Guinea last week and even the most experienced and dedicated of airline management teams are finding it hard to survive... and its only the first of the month !

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