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.
British Airways recently followed its biggest competitors Air France-KLM and Lufthansa by increasing its fuel surcharge and will charge GBP4 (US$7.18) on short-haul sectors and GBP10 (US$17.96) on long-haul services, on top of the original fare. Since May, BA had raised fares by GBP2.50 and GBP6, respectively. "This is not a decision we have taken lightly but, as other airlines are finding, the continuing rise in fuel prices sadly makes these increases inevitable," Commercial Director Martin George said.
Record-high oil prices will wipe out all profits at European airlines in 2004, the Association of European Airlines' (AEA) Secretary General Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus asserted yesterday. The AEA members will at best break even, he told a conference in Brussels. European carriers recorded a combined EUR1.5 billion loss in 2003.
