AirlinesRussia denies international status to Aeroflot LCC PobedaRussia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, has refused permission for Aeroflot low-cost subsidiary (LCC) Pobeda Airlines to operate international flights. Pobeda had requested to fly from Russia to Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, France and Belarus. Rosaviatsia denied the request, saying Pobeda does not match Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). According to Russian regulations and requirements, an airline is obligated to perform domestic scheduled services for two years before applying for international scheduled flights.
LinkAmerican offers real-time luggage tracking on its websiteAmerican Airlines is offering customers the ability to track luggage in real time through the carrier's website. The service is available for domestic flights and some international flights.
LinkFinnair flags financial impact of pensions, fleet reformsFinnair has warned it may take a €30 million ($33.4 million) hit due to national pension reforms, although it is also expecting a €70 million gain from its fleet renewal. Later this year, the Finnish parliament is expected to adopt an act that will gradually increase the country’s statutory retirement age from 63 to 65 years from the beginning of 2017. On average, Finnair pilots retire at 58 years old.
LinkJetBlue to offer career path for ExpressJet pilotsJetBlue Airways and ExpressJet Airlines have signed a partnership to provide a pathway for pilots at the regional carrier to move up to JetBlue. The agreement will be executed through the JetBlue University Gateway Program, and also covers pilots at Cape Air.
LinkLufthansa LCC Eurowings mulls cooperation with easyJetLufthansa Group’s low-cost subsidiary Eurowings and UK low-cost carrier easyJet reportedly could become partners, Lufthansa Group chairman and CEO Carsten Spohr told German magazine Der Spiegel. “We can cooperate with other airlines very actively. EasyJet had also shown interest in the past to cooperate with the Lufthansa Group,” Spohr had been quoted as saying.
LinkRyanair To Distribute Aer Lingus Proceeds To ShareholdersRyanair is to distribute the EUR€398 million (USD$445 million) it earned from the sale of its 30 percent stake in Aer Lingus to shareholders before the end of the year. The company will distribute the funds via a B-share scheme which is subject to approval at an emergency general meeting, bringing the total funds returned by Ryanair to shareholders this year to EUR€800 million.
LinkSouthwest CEO aims to attract more business travelersSouthwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said the carrier is aiming for more business travelers instead of leisure travelers. "We had to call an audible and pivot from being so totally dependent on short haul and leisure," Kelly said. "If you’re going to grow, you need universal appeal."
LinkSun Country, pilots reach tentative agreement on contractAfter five years of negotiations, Sun Country Airlines has reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with its pilots. In a joint statement, Minneapolis-based Sun Country and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents Sun Country’s 250 pilots, cited a “breakthrough to an agreement [that] came during a (negotiating) session” at the US National Mediation Board’s Washington DC offices. The sometimes acrimonious negotiations between the airline and the pilots had included the flight deck crew talking about striking earlier this year.
LinkThomas Cook Sticks With Growth ForecastThomas Cook maintained its guidance for growth this year and said late summer trading had seen strong demand for travel to Greece and Egypt. Thomas Cook said in a trading update that bookings in its fourth quarter had been boosted by poor weather in Scandinavia, and it was encouraged by demand for winter bookings.
LinkWestJet goes outside airline industry to pick new CFOCalgary-based low-cost carrier WestJet has named Canadian Tire Corp. SVP-finance Harry Taylor as its new CFO. Taylor, who will also hold the title of EVP-finance, will join WestJet Oct. 26 and fill the void created when longtime WestJet CFO Vito Culmone stepped down in late March. Candice Li has served as interim CFO since then and had been a candidate for the full-time position. But after a long search, the Canadian carrier decided to go outside of the airline industry in choosing its new CFO.
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