CommercialRyanair Says Eyeing AENA IPORyanair is interested in participating in the IPO of AENA, with the Spanish government wanting to sell a minority stake in the airport operator. "We think they should sell out 100 percent of AENA, but we are interested in the whole process," Ryanair marketing head Peter Bellew told reporters before a presentation in Madrid. Ryanair is one of AENA's biggest customers, along with IAG, owner of Spanish carriers Iberia and Vueling and British Airways.
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Ryanair bids for family friendliness as transformation continuesRyanair has unveiled its new product aimed at boosting its family friendliness, and is planning to follow it up with a tailored offering for business passengers in September. Available via the Irish budget carrier’s website from today, “Ryanair Family Extra” is a package of discounts and service enhancements. A “Fly’n’Save” bonus gives families 20% off their third family flight after they have twice flown with the carrier, with the restrictions that the discounted flight is not at Christmas or Easter, and is booked within four weeks of the second flight, for travel within six months.
LinkAustralian contracted survey vessel joins in MH370 searchAustralian contracted survey vessel Fugro Equator has joined in the search for Malaysia Airlines’ missing Boeing 777. The vessel joins Chinese navy ship Zhu Kezhen in carrying out a bathymetric survey of the search area, under the direction of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau(ATSB). This is a crucial step ahead of the deep water search for MH370, scheduled to commence in August. The Chinese vessel suffered a defect to its multibeam echosounder in May, and had necessary repairs done on it at the port of Fremantle. The vessel, which has so far surveyed 4,088 square kilometres of the ocean floor, will resume operations in the search area shortly, says the Joint Agency Coordination Centre(JACC).
LinkAmerican Airlines acquires slot at London HeathrowOn Monday, American Airlines acquired a landing slot at London Heathrow Airport. Cyprus Airways sold the slot to boost its liquidity, and plans to transfer its London flights to London Stansted Airport.
LinkDelta comments on fleet reliabilitySteve Dickson, senior vice president for flight operations for Delta Air Lines, said the Airbus A380 does not make sense for the carrier. "The reliability of the two-engine airplanes and the efficiency of them is just too compelling," he said. Delta ordered 15 Airbus A321s earlier this month.
LinkUnited to fly Dreamliner for L.A.-Melbourne routeUnited Airlines plans to deploy Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner for service between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia, in October. United, which has flown to Australia for more than 30 years, recently introduced Boeing 777 for other routes Down Under.
LinkDelta service between LAX-JFK features lie-flat seatsAll Delta Air Lines flights between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport now feature lie-flat seats. The carrier is using a mix of upgraded Boeing 757-200s and 767-300ERs for the route, and both aircraft feature lie-flat seats in BusinessElite.
LinkJetBlue Airways launches premium Mint service JetBlue Airways has launched its new premium service, Mint, on an Airbus A321 flying between New York JFK and Los Angeles (LAX). JetBlue said it will continue to roll out Mint over the summer and all of its JFK-LAX flights will feature Mint by Aug. 3. Mint will be available on JFK-San Francisco flights from Oct. 26. By the end of the 2015 first quarter, 11 JetBlue A321s will offer Mint on transcontinental flights.
LinkUnited to launch Houston-Santiago, Chile route in December United Airlines will launch daily Houston Intercontinental-Santiago, Chile service from Dec. 7, pending government approval. The flights will be operated with a Boeing 767-300ER configured with 214 seats: 30 business-class seats (all lie-flat), 49 economy-plus seats and 135 economy seats. Going both ways, the flights will depart at night and arrive at their destination the following morning. “The flights are timed to provide convenient connections from Houston to 111 airports across the United States and to more than 60 international destinations,” United said in a statement.
LinkAirbus studying windshield enhancement applicationsAirbus is studying a thin film developed by a Canadian that can be applied over aircraft windshields. "We are very pleased to explore the potential application of this solution to our aircraft for the benefit of our customers," said Yann Barbaux, chief innovation officer for Airbus.
LinkSilver Airways and Endeavor develop pilot incentive programs The talk about pilot shortages seems to have run its course in traditional media. After all, there’s not much more to say right? There’s a pilot shortage coming and we’re all doomed. How often can you say the same thing over and over again? (Don’t answer that, CNN.) But of course, there is more to discuss here. In many reports, the only answer seems to be an increase in pilot pay to make it more attractive. I don’t buy it. I think there are other ways.
LinkColumn: Loyalty is separate from purchase behaviorAirline loyalty programs often confuse purchase behavior for loyalty, according to columnist Jonathan Salem Baskin. "Loyalty has to be earned by businesses providing unique, meaningful and consistent experiences that consistently surpass customer expectations," he writes.
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