AirlinesAir Transat pilots agree to new labor contractMontreal-based leisure carrier Air Transat pilots have agreed to a new collective labor contract. The tentative agreement had expired in April 2015 and was submitted to pilots at the end of February. Transat is an integrated international tour operator with more than 60 destination countries and that distributes products in over 50 countries. A holiday travel specialist, Transat operates mainly in Canada and Europe, as well as in the Caribbean, Mexico and the Mediterranean Basin.
LinkAlaska Airlines launches test of high-tech bag tagsAlaska Airlines is rolling out a test of electronic bag tags equipped with Bluetooth technology. "Alaska has a long history of being willing to go out on a limb and test new technology -- we were the first US airline to sell tickets via the Internet, the first US airline to offer Web check-in and the first airline in the world to use GPS to land airplanes. This culture of innovation is in our DNA," said Sunae Park, managing director of airport services for Alaska Airlines.
LinkAmerican Airlines to share profit with employeesAmerican Airlines Group plans to share profit with workers. The carrier will pay into a profit-sharing fund with 5% of pretax income beginning this year. The initial payout will come early next year.
LinkBrussels Airlines Restarts Some FlightsBrussels Airlines is restarting some commercial flights from Belgium on Thursday, using Liege and Antwerp airports, while its main hub in the Belgian capital remains closed following Tuesday's terrorist attacks. Belgian police were hunting on Thursday for a "third man" filmed with two Islamic State suicide bombers at Brussels Zaventem Airport as evidence accumulated that the same jihadist network was involved in the deadly Paris attacks last November.
LinkCityJet Sold To Private InvestorsFounder Pat Byrne and private equity backers have repurchased Irish regional airline CityJet from German owners Intro Aviation for an undisclosed sum. The regional airline, which carried around 2 million passengers last year, was bought from Air France-KLM in 2014 by Intro Aviation.
LinkFrench Blue long-haul budget carrier to launch later this yearThe first French long-haul low-cost carrier (LCC) will make its debut later this year, as French Blue begins services to the Caribbean. French Blue is a subsidiary of Groupe Dubreuil, a conglomerate that spans sectors including hotels, energy generation and food distribution. Its air transport division already includes another airlines, Air Caraïbes, based in the French West Indies.
LinkJetBlue to add service between Reno, Long BeachJetBlue Airways announced direct service between Nevada's Reno-Tahoe International Airport and California's Long Beach Airport. The new daily flights will begin in August. "With the addition of new nonstop daily service to Long Beach, JetBlue is showing our community that they are great air service partners for our region," said Marily Mora, president and CEO of the Reno-Tahoe airport.
LinkJetBlue to offer Mint service on Boston-SFO flightsJetBlue Airways plans to expand its Mint premium service, offering it on flights between San Francisco and Boston. "This is our transcontinental business class," said Jamie Perry, vice president of marketing for the carrier. JetBlue launched Mint in 2014 on select flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
LinkMozambique Debris Likely From MH370Australia said debris recovered this month in Mozambique is highly likely to be from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, while Malaysia called for a stepped up search of Africa's coast for clues to the plane's fate. Official analysis found two pieces of debris were "almost certainly from MH370", Australian infrastructure and transport minister Darren Chester said in a statement, referring to the Boeing 777 that vanished in March 2014 with 239 people on board.
LinkScoot, Tigerair to merge, expand reservation systemsSingapore-based long-haul, low-cost carrier (LCC) Scoot and regional LCC Tigerair will finalize a merger of their reservations systems by the end of 1H 2016, Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson said. “This will make Tiger our biggest partner,” he said. He said the two LCCs already shared ground handling and other operational facilities and costs, and that a more complete integration of ticketing systems would bring a greater ability to capitalize on potential opportunities across the two carriers.
LinkUnited to add seasonal flight between Houston, Fla. cityUnited Airlines plans to increase daily flights from Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in Panama City Beach, Fla., to Houston. The carrier will add a third flight starting in June for the summer tourist season.
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