AirlinesAir Canada aims to turn Toronto into international hubAir Canada unveiled a plan to build an international transit hub at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Ben Smith, president of Air Canada, said the carrier will market the airport as "North America's first global transit hub."
LinkVancouver chef whips up cuisine for Air CanadaAir Canada is partnering with Vancouver chef David Hawksworth on an inflight menu featuring Canadian cuisine such as sablefish. "The logistical challenges of serving beautiful meals in a plane flying at 35,000 feet and going 550 miles an hour are enormous," Hawskworth said.
LinkAir China to take China’s first 242t A330Air China will be the first Chinese carrier to add a 242t maximum take-off-weight Airbus A330 to its fleet. The aircraft, a -300 variant, will also feature a special livery to mark the airline’s 50th A330, says Airbus.
LinkAir France threatens long-haul cutsAir France is considering cutting 10% of long-haul routes if it fails to agree on productivity improvements with pilots. Such a reduction might affect the airline’s planned purchase of Boeing 787-9s, which are due to start arriving late next year. According to trade union sources cited by Reuters, “at least 10” aircraft might be affected. The French newspaper La Tribune, citing Air France sources, said that each aircraft cut from the fleet would result in around 300 redundancies.
LinkAlaska inks 10-year deal with University of WashingtonAlaska Airlines has inked a $41 million agreement with the University of Washington for naming rights to the college's football stadium.. The agreement, which still awaits approval from the Board of Regents, would last for 10 years. The stadium would be called Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium under the deal.
LinkReporter shares anecdotes about former AA leaderBob Crandall, who led American Airlines for almost three decades, is credited with introducing the first frequent-flier program with AAdvantage. "He expected others to work as hard as him and to care about his airline and about winning as much as he did," wrote reporter Terry Maxon, who covered Crandall for the Dallas Morning News.
LinkAmerican ramps up hiring spree, adds 8,700 workers in 2015American Airlines has hired 8,700 workers so far in 2015, the carrier's largest hiring spree in more than a decade. "We're now in position where if you want to build a career at American, the company will be here for you for the length of your career," says CEO Doug Parker in a video welcoming new employees.
LinkAmerican debuts first-class pet cabins on select flightsAmerican Airlines created first-class pet compartments for select transcontinental flights on Airbus A321s because pets could not be stored under the lie-flat seats. The carrier "adapted storage compartments adjacent to the two front-row seats to become fully ventilated pet compartments," American wrote in its employee newsletter.
LinkDelta to open spas for employees at hub airportsDelta Air Lines plans to open a SkySpa for employees at its Salt Lake City hub this year, followed by spas in Atlanta and Detroit next year. "We know working at the airport or on board can take a toll, and offering the SkySpa at some of our busiest hubs helps address that," Delta said.
LinkPilots' Union Extends Lufthansa StrikeGerman pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit will extend its strike at Lufthansa into Wednesday after a walkout already planned for Tuesday in a long-running dispute over pay, benefits and cost cuts. Tuesday's strike, the 13th in 18 months, affects long-haul passenger and cargo flights out of Germany from 06:00 to 21:59 GMT on Tuesday, while Wednesday's 24-hour strike targets short-haul Lufthansa and Germanwings flights.
LinkNippon Cargo Airlines cancels order for four Boeing 747-8FsNippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) has canceled orders for four Boeing 747-8F aircraft worth around $1.5 billion at list prices. The carrier originally placed an order for 14 of the aircraft in 2007. It has already taken delivery of eight of the aircraft, and has retained open options on a further two. The loss of the order will further reduce Boeing’s order book for its largest freighter, and comes as the airframer is reducing output on its 747 series to one new aircraft a month.
LinkUnited chief Smisek resigns amidst federal probeUnited Airlines chief executive Jeff Smisek has resigned, following investigations into the airline's interactions with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). Oscar Munoz replaces Smisek as president and chief executive of the Chicago-based carrier effective immediately, the airline says. He was previously president and chief operating officer of CSX.
LinkUnited uses tray tables to advertise inflight entertainmentUnited Airlines is advertising its wireless inflight entertainment on tray tables to make sure passengers are aware of the service. The carrier said "we want to continue building awareness for our free personal device entertainment service offered on board."
LinkComparing inflight Wi-Fi on SFO-Hawaii flights Virgin America’s launch of new service from San Francisco to Hawaii creates an interesting competitive dynamic for Hawaiian Airlines – once Virgin America adopts ViaSat’s hybrid Ka/Ku antenna technology, Hawaiian will be the only airline operating from San Francisco to Hawaii without connected aircraft. San Francisco-based Virgin America is introducing new flights to Honolulu and Maui in late 2015. But the airline has pledged that through the deployment of ViaSat’s hybrid antenna, it can offer “inflight wifi connectivity on flights serving the airline’s new Hawaiian destinations as of 2016”.
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