AirlinesUS Judge Blocks Allegiant Air Pilot StrikeA US judge on Wednesday issued an order temporarily blocking Allegiant Air pilots from striking after they announced a Thursday walkout. Allegiant said after the court order that it expects all flights on Thursday to operate as scheduled, avoiding a strike that could have snarled the travel of more than 33,000 customers ahead of a holiday weekend.
LinkANA Firms Up Airbus A321 OrderANA has firmed up an order for seven Airbus A321s announced in January, in a deal worth around USD$830 million at list prices. The order includes three A321neos and four A321ceos, Airbus said in a statement on Thursday.
LinkDelta becomes first U.S. carrier to embrace AlipayDelta Air Lines is the first U.S. carrier to accept Alipay, an electronic payment system with 300 million registered users in China. "This exciting new partnership is one of many Delta initiatives to build the most Chinese-friendly U.S. airline," said Vinay Dube, Delta's senior vice president-Asia Pacific.
LinkDelta frequent-flier program adds 5 partner airlinesDelta Airlines has added five international airlines as partners in its SkyMiles loyalty program. The airlines are GOL, Aeroflot, Vietnam Airlines, Garuda Indonesia and Aerolineas Argentinas. "We continue to adjust the SkyMiles program to give members more value and options, including making it easier to redeem more Award travel at lower prices," said Karen Zachary, SkyMiles managing director.
LinkEtihad's Darwin Stake Gets Swiss ApprovalSwitzerland's civil aviation office has approved Etihad Airways' purchase of a stake in Darwin Airline, concluding a deal that was first announced more than a year ago. Etihad is buying stakes in airlines to expand its route network and boost traffic through its Abu Dhabi hub. It agreed to buy a 33.3 percent stake in Darwin at the start of 2014. Darwin rebranded itself Etihad Regional in anticipation of the deal's completion, but the acquisition was held up as the pair waited for approval from Switzerland's Federal Office of Civil Aviation (BAZL).
LinkGermanwings Crash Families Likely To Get Differing PayoutsFamilies of those killed aboard Germanwings flight 4U 9525 are likely to receive vastly different payouts depending on their nationality, where they bought the ticket, and how much they earned, even though they all shared the same fate, lawyers said. Claims can be made either where the ticket was purchased, in the home country of the airline, at courts in the passenger's destination or in the passenger's home country. But in air crashes, the amounts awarded for pain and suffering vary by country, with victims from the United States tending to receive higher payouts, followed by Europeans and Asians.
LinkSuicide research preceded A320 crash: prosecutorGerman authorities have disclosed evidence suggesting that the first officer of the ill-fated Germanwings Airbus A320 had researched methods of suicide as well as cockpit security days before the crash. The public prosecutor’s office of Dusseldorf says that regional investigators have analysed online activity from the pilot’s personal devices. Extracted data shows that during the period from 16-23 March – the week leading up to the 24 March crash – research had been carried out into medical treatments and possible methods for committing suicide.
LinkJetBlue opens a boutique hotel in Fla. for its employeesJetBlue Airways opened a boutique hotel last month for employees near the carrier's training center in Orlando, Fla. The $32 million building features 196 guest rooms and amenities such as a pool and basketball court.
LinkTAM's first A350 enters final assemblyTAM's first Airbus A350 has entered the final assembly line at Airbus facilities in Toulouse. The Brazilian carrier will be the first Americas operator of the new aircraft type, and is slated to take delivery of its first A350-900 in December. TAM holds orders for 27 A350-900s to be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, and plans to take delivery of all of them by 2019.
LinkThai Airways retires Airbus A340-600s Thai Airways International has formally retired the Airbus A340-600 aircraft from service. The type operated its last flights on the Frankfurt-Bangkok, Singapore-Bangkok, and Zurich-Singapore routes on 28 March, information on FlightRadar24 shows.
LinkUnited adds second beer from Chicago brewery to in-flight menuUnited Airlines and Goose Island Beer Co., a craft brewery based in Chicago, are expanding their partnership. United will now offer Goose IPA on flights. On April 15, United will offer free Goose IPA during happy hour on seven flights from Chicago to promote the beer.
LinkVietJet Air Targets Doubling Of ProfitVietnam's low-cost carrier VietJet Air aims to double net profit to USD$50 million this year and is considering new joint ventures in South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. The four-year-old airline, which ordered USD$9 billion of Airbus aircraft in 2014, is also on track for an initial public offering this year but was assessing whether to list shares in Vietnam or overseas, managing director Luu Duc Khanh said.
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