AirlinesAir Berlin Benefitting From Lufthansa StrikeAir Berlin is benefitting from a strike at German rival Lufthansa, according to chief executive Stefan Pichler. "Short-term bookings are looking good for us," Pichler told journalists in Berlin after the carrier reported third quarter results.
LinkAir Serbia reports 3Q operating revenue up 26%Air Serbia reported a 2015 third-quarter operating revenue of €86 million ($97 million), up 26% from €57 million in the year-ago period. Profit and loss figures were not revealed. Passenger numbers increased 11% to 913,135 between July and September this year. The Serbia flag carrier carried 319,263 passengers in August, up 7% over the year-ago month—its highest month ever.
LinkAlaska Airlines honors Vietnam vetsAlaska Air Group honored Vietnam veterans at a Seattle event held in partnership with the USO Northwest. "It was a very nice gesture by the company and all of those involved," said Ron Foster, an airline mechanic at Alaska for more than three decades. "We didn't get much recognition at the time we came home, so this was cool."
LinkAmerican Airlines to debut US-New Zealand serviceAmerican Airlines plans to announce service to New Zealand with partner Qantas at a press conference Wednesday. Industry observers predict the carriers will offer service between Auckland and Los Angeles.
LinkAmerican Airlines CFO discusses operational enhancementsDerek Kerr, chief financial officer of American Airlines, said the carrier has invested $2 billion into product improvements -- both at the airport and in the sky -- to further enhance the travel experience for customers. At the Baird 2015 Industrial Conference in Chicago, Kerr also noted that the carrier is replacing all aging aircraft and plans to receive delivery of around 100 new aircraft in 2016.
LinkAmerican Airlines invests in Flagship dining room at DFWAmerican Airlines is offering a version of its Flagship Lounge at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The Flagship dining room is "a major investment for our best customers who travel internationally out of DFW, our biggest hub," the carrier said.
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American Airlines reported a record 5.8% increase in consolidated system traffic on a year-over-year basis. The carrier also posted a higher capacity and load factor for the month.
LinkChina Southern chairman named in corruption investigationsThe chairman of China Southern Airlines, Si Xianmin, is being investigated for “severe violations of discipline,” according to a statement from Chinese corruption monitoring agency, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The airline, one of China’s “big three” state-owned carriers and the largest in Asia with a 500-plus aircraft fleet, has seen ongoing inquiries into the practices of its senior executives in recent months.
LinkEthiopian Airlines’ first A350 taking shape in FALAirbus said Ethiopian Airlines’ first A350-900 is taking shape on the final assembly line (FAL) in Toulouse, France. The Ethiopia flag carrier will take delivery of the first of 14 A350 XWBs next year, making Ethiopian Airlines the first African A350 XWB operator. Of the 14 aircraft, 12 are directly purchased from Airbus and two are on lease from AerCap, including this one.
LinkFlybe Swings To First Half ProfitBritish airline Flybe swung to a profit in the first-half, after it grew its UK regional business, cut costs under a turnaround plan and benefitted from a lower fuel price. The company reported pretax profit of GBP£22.9 million pounds (USD$34.70 million) in the six months ended September 30, compared with a GBP£3.3 million loss in the same period last year.
LinkFlydubai to keep all-economy sub-fleetLow-cost carrier Flydubai plans to keep a small sub-fleet of all-economy aircraft even though its move into offering business class is considered a success, according to CEO Gaith Al Gaith. The airline has 50 Boeing 737-800s, seven of which are in a 189-seat single-class configuration, while the rest has 12 seats in business and 162 in economy. The single-class aircraft are mostly used on labor routes with less demand for business class. On the other hand, Al Gaith stresses that 65 of the 96 routes Flydubai serves either do not have competing service or only single-class service is available.
LinkGulf Airline Growth Curbed By CongestionGulf carriers once unstoppable expansion is being tested by the area's congested airspace and airports, according to industry leaders. Carriers such as Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) and Emirates are having to keep a close eye on fleet expansion plans because their hub airports of Jeddah and Dubai are struggling to handle an influx of newly ordered aircraft.
LinkJetBlue boosts Boston-Charleston service JetBlue Airways is adding a second daily flight between Charleston and Boston starting April 2 to meet increased demand, according to the Charleston County Aviation Authority. “The performance of the first flight was so good that flights were filling up,” said John Checketts, director of route planning for JetBlue. “As flights get more and more full, demand and costs go up. To keep fares low, we wanted to get a second flight in during peak season and help grow the market.”
LinkJetBlue Mint service offers relaxing luxuryJetBlue Airways has expanded its Mint premium service to international flights from New York to Barbados and Aruba, and reviewer Lilit Marcus enjoyed the amenities such as gourmet meals. "By the time we landed in Bridgetown, I was relaxed and full," she writes. "Only then did it hit me -- the vacation part hadn't even happened yet."
LinkLufthansa files injunctions to end cabin crew strike Lufthansa has filed injunctions Düsseldorf and Darmstadt labor courts to stop the unprecedented strike—which began Friday, Nov. 6, over pay, retirement benefits and working conditions. On Tuesday afternoon, a Düsseldorf court said UFO is not allowed to strike in Düsseldorf on Tuesday. Lufthansa has also offered to go to arbitration with the UFO cabin crew union in an effort to end the week-long strike, which is in its fourth day, a Lufthansa spokesperson confirmed.
LinkSingapore Airlines boosts 1H profit, bids for 100% Tiger ownershipSingapore Airlines (SIA) reported a 2015 first-half profit of S$305 million ($217 million), up 41% from a $126 million profit in the year-ago period. The airline said the results were due to an improvement across all of its business units, particularly regional carrier SilkAir, and lower fuel expenditure. First-half revenue fell 4.5% to $5.1 billion due to lower passenger numbers and yields, the airline said. Expenses lowered 5.7% to $4.9 billion from the year-ago period, to give an operating profit of $214 million, up 40% from a $125 million operating profit in the prior-year half.
LinkSouthwest to add direct flight from BWI to Twin CitiesSouthwest Airlines plans to offer service between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Baltimore in April. The carrier will offer direct flights twice a day from both cities.
LinkUnited Airlines rewards employees with bonusesUnited Airlines is rewarding thousands of employees after the carrier improved its on-time performance by more than 10 percentage points in October. The carrier also reported its internal customer satisfaction score exceeded goals.
LinkUnited Airlines traffic grew in Oct.United Airlines posted a 3.6% increase in consolidated traffic for October on a year-over-year basis. The carrier also reported a 1.4% boost in consolidated capacity for the month.
LinkVietjet orders 30 more Airbus A321sVietnamese low-cost carrier Vietjet signed a firm order Tuesday for 30 Airbus A321s, including 21 neos, bringing its total firm orders for A320 family aircraft to 99. The order was signed by Vietjet president and CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao and Airbus COO-customers John Leahy at the show, which has been a far slower event in terms of new airliner sales compared with the past two shows.
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