CHINA: Chinese Citizens Warned Against Traveling To US, Airlines Face Hard Times

China has issued a travel warning against the U.S. through the end of 2019, the latest shot amid the worsening trade war. While the overall impact on the U.S. tourism would be manageable, it could pose a threat to some airline companies as well as casinos.

While Chinese tourists spend heavily around the world, contributing to $270 billion abroad last year alone, they only accounted for 3% of the $1.1 trillion U.S. travel market in 2018, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

In a worst-case scenario, the number of Chinese tourists to the U.S. could drop by nearly 50%, resulting in an $18 billion hit to travel spend, Bank of America Merrill Lynch estimated.

Chinese tourism is a big prize in global trade. On this front, the U.S. has more to lose than China, Robin Winkler, foreign exchange strategist at Deutsche Bank, said in a note.

The trade war would likely take a severe dent to household income growth to squash the new middle class’s appetite for passports and foreign travel. A weaker exchange rate could make foreign travel somewhat less affordable, Winkler added.

Chinese travel to the U.S. has already declined by 5.7% in 2018 from a year ago, compared to a 4% gain in 2017 and a 15% increase in 2016, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

The number is only going lower after the Chinese government issued an alert for Chinese tourists traveling to America, citing shootings, robberies and theft that have occurred frequently in the U.S.

Since only legacy airline companies offer flights to China, the negative impact from declining Chinese tourists would fall mostly on United Continental, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, according to Bank of America.

United carries the most flights to China with 47% of U.S. airline capacity, compared to about 25% for American Airlines and Delta, Bank of America analyst Andrew Didora said.

In the bank’s worst case scenario which involves a 50% drop in Chinese tourists, United’s unit revenues could see a 140 basis point drag and the impact would be 70 basis points for American Airline and Delta, Didora said.

Chinese travelers, who are big customers for casinos, might now turn their backs on gaming in the U.S. amid the travel advisory and intensified trade tensions. The casinos in Las Vegas are already feeling the pinch.

Las Vegas has already noted weaker Asian gambling trends. Baccarat gross gaming revenues are often a barometer for the health of the Asian consumer and are down 26% year to date, Didora said.

The weakness could weigh on casinos including MGM, Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts that have an exposure to baccarat, the analyst noted.

Luxury retailers could also take a hit. Tiffany & Co. on Wednesday blamed disappointing quarterly results on a sharp decline in Chinese tourism
because of the trade war.


Tourism Observer

USA: American Airlines Plane With 170 On Board Catches Fire At O'Hare International Airport

A plane caught fire just before take off at Chicago’s O’hare airport. The American Airlines jet had nine crew members and 161 passengers on board.

Seven passengers and a flight attendant who were slightly injured and taken to hospital, the airline said.

The Aviation Industry have been under huge pressure in recent months after two Boeing Max jets crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia, killing a combined 346 people.

Some 189 people died when the Lion Air flight crashed into the Java Sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta followed by the Ethiopian Airlines disaster that killed 157 people six minutes after the plane took off from Addis Ababa.


Tourism Observer

USA: Man Arrested After Spraying Unknown Liquid And Touching Faces Of Passengers In Flight

A 25-year-old male flying on American Airlines Flight 1346 was arrested on 12 April following a bizarre incident in which he went around the cabin touching the faces of other passengers during the flight.

The cabin crew reported the unruly passenger to local authorities ahead of landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). Law enforcement officers were on hand to meet the aircraft as it arrived at the terminal.

Before the main doors of the aircraft were opened, however, the man accessed a service door on the other side of the aeroplane and jumped out and fell 10 feet onto the tarmac.

Sustaining minor injuries from the fall, the man was later apprehended and taken to the hospital for treatment.

An official statement released from local law enforcement noted that in addition to touching the faces of fellow passengers, the man was also spraying them with an unknown liquid.

It is currently not known what the substance was.

None of the other passengers on American Airlines Flight 1346 was reported to have sustained any injuries as a result of the incident and none are pressing charges.

The official statement noted however, the 25-year-old will likely be charged by the prosecutor’s office for trespassing.


Tourism Observer

USA: American Airlines Will Cancel 115 Flights Daily, Because Of Grounded Fleet Of Boeing 737 MAX Planes

American Airlines announced on Sunday it would scrap some 115 flights per day in the coming months because its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX planes is being grounded until August 19.

America’s leading airline had previously only planned to keep the planes out of commission until June 5, with Boeing facing intense scrutiny after 157 people died in an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crash on March 10, the second deadly crash involving the aircraft in five months.

The global fleet of 737 MAX planes has been barred from flying since mid-March.

These 115 flights represent approximately 1.5 per cent of American’s total flying each day this summer, American Airlines chairman and CEO Doug Parker said in a statement.

But he stressed his confidence in the aircraft overall. Based upon our ongoing work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing, we are highly confident that the MAX will be recertified prior to this time August 19 he said.

By extending our cancellations through the summer, we can plan more reliably for the peak travel season and provide confidence to our customers and team members when it comes to their travel plans.

Once the MAX is recertified, we anticipate bringing our MAX aircraft back on line as spares to supplement our operation as needed during the summer.

American Airlines had lowered one of its first quarter indicators in light of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes being grounded, along with the partial US government shutdown and technical challenges.

Earlier this week, competitor Southwest Airlines said it would operate its 34 aircraft of the same model starting August 5.


Tourism Observer

USA: American Airlines Takes Its First Airbus A321neo Aircraft Of 100 Ordered

American Airlines has received its first of 100 ordered Airbus A321neo aircraft, which will replace the aging Boeing 757-200 and McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft in its fleet.

The airline’s first Airbus A320neo family jet departed from Hamburg Finkenwerder early Friday for its ferry-flight to Pittsburgh, where American Airlines’ technicians will prepare the airplane for its entry into service.

In 2018, the airline reached an agreement with Airbus to defer the delivery of 22 A321neo aircraft that were previously scheduled for delivery in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

American Airlines, a founding member of the oneworld airline alliance, currently operates a mixed fleet of various Airbus, Boeing, Embraer and McDonnell Douglas aircraft. The airline is the largest operator of the Airbus A321 in the world.

Many airplanes in the fleet, for example the Boeing 757-200s, 767-300s or the MD-83 jets, are older than 20 years. Therefore, the carrier started the largest fleet renewal in its history to replace older planes with newer, fuel-efficient aircraft.


Tourism Observer

SAINT LUCIA: Saint Lucia Tourism Boosted By Additional American Airlines Flight

After a 10-year haitus, American Airlines has re-introduced two flights per day into Saint Lucia.

The captain and crew of the airline were welcomed recently by officials including tourism minister, Dominic Fedee, who said the additional flights will boost the island’s tourism product.

I think it’s a big day for the tourism industry in Saint Lucia, the entire hotel community is very happy, a lot of employees from the hotel industry, they are very happy, and of course from the government of Saint Lucia, we are extremely happy to have this addition,” he said during a welcoming ceremony.

Fedee stated that new flights will add 1,500 new seats to Saint Lucia and he described it as a pretty big deal.

And that is going to contribute significantly to hotel occupancies, he noted.

Captain of the flight which re-introduced the service, Duane Shlegel, said business is good and people want to visit Saint Lucia.

It is going to be fantastic for you as well but the fact that we can carry to flights a day, means a lot of people want to come here and enjoy your facilities here, your beautiful hotels, he said. I have had friends come stay here and they really raved how nice it is.

The flight leaves Hewannora International Airport at 8 a.m. for Miami.


Tourism Observer

USA: American, Southwest In Price-fixing Lawsuit Worth $60M

An ongoing nationwide litigation by passengers who claim that the four largest U.S. carriers – American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, and United the Defendants, conspired along with US Airways and Continental Airlines to increase fares by limiting capacity on domestic flights, has reached a turning point.

Southwest and American Airlines the Settling Defendants, have agreed to pay a total sum of $60 million to settle the litigation.

If you bought a domestic airline ticket on American, Delta, Southwest, United, Continental, or US Airways between July 1, 2011 and June 14, 2018 your rights could be affected, opens the official website for the Domestic Airline Travel Antitrust Litigation Settlements.

According to the website, a class action lawsuit has been filed against the four largest U.S. carriers, claiming the Defendants agreed to limit capacity on domestic flights. The lawsuit alleges that ticket purchasers may have paid artificially inflated prices as a result.

The affected include persons and entities who purchased tickets for flights within the U.S. and its territories and the District of Columbia from American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, United, Continental, or US Airways at any time between July 1, 2011, and December 20, 2017, for the Southwest settlement and between July 1, 2011, and June 14, 2018, for the American Airlines settlement.

As of October 19, 2018, two settlements have been reached: Southwest has agreed to pay $15 million and American Airlines has agreed to pay $45 million, settlement documents indicate.

The Settling Defendants also agreed to provide certain cooperation against the remaining carriers in the ongoing litigation the Non-Settling Defendants.

Both Southwest and American deny that they did anything wrong and have asserted defenses to the Plaintiffs’ claims.

American has settled a lawsuit that claimed passengers were harmed by an alleged agreement among airlines to restrict domestic capacity growth.

The settlement does not include any admission of wrongdoing, and we continue to deny, without qualification, that American participated in any such agreement, the company’s October 23, 2018, email to AeroTime reads.

According to American, the facts are that the carrier dramatically increased domestic capacity during the period in question, while also taking delivery of hundreds of new aircraft.

The airline stated that investments made in its network were beneficial to customers, as reflected in the increase of domestic passenger traffic, which actually led to fares dropping to near all-time lows.

The carrier identifies the cost of the litigation as the key reason behind its decision to settle, maintaining that it is up to each individual airline company to decide when and where to add routes or flights.

Despite our firm conviction in the appropriateness of our actions, costs to defend against antitrust litigation often run into the tens of millions of dollars.

So while it is difficult to agree to a settlement when we believe we’re right on the law and the facts, settling this case is a prudent decision for American, the company stated.

Southwest confirmed it had agreed to settle at a payment of $15 million, pointing to the substantial burden and distraction an antitrust class action such as this would impose on the company in the long term.

Southwest was confident that it would have ultimately prevailed in this litigation, spokeswoman for Southwest, Michelle Agnew, said in an October 24, 2018, letter.

However, after careful consideration of the considerable expense and inconvenience that would have been entailed in this continued litigation, the company decided to enter into settlement.

The lawsuit goes several years back when on October 13, 2015, the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated 23 actions pending in seven districts and handed over the consolidated class action to the court of the District of Columbia.

Case documents show that the Defendants moved to dismiss the consolidated complaint, but the motion was denied in October 2016. At that time, the total number of cases consolidated in this class action rose to 105.

According to information released by Keller Rohrback LLP, the current case status is that litigation is proceeding to discovery, including discovery of both defendants and many third parties. Discovery will continue into 2019, the law office states.

The Antitrust Litigation website informs that the settlements reached with Southwest and American do not impact claims in the lawsuit against the Non-Settling Defendants – Delta and United.

The lawsuit, claiming the remaining carriers fixed prices for domestic airline tickets by keeping capacity artificially low, is ongoing against them.

Spokeswoman for United, Erin Benson Scharra, said - We will continue to defend ourselves against these claims, which we have always maintained are without merit.

It seems American and Southwest have played it safe, while remaining completely defiant. Let us see if United and Delta will be the next to give in and if so, at what price.

As for the other two carriers mentioned in the claims, both had merged with their parent companies years ago: US Airways merged with American Airlines back in 2015 and the two now operate under a single certificate; Continental Airlines was brought under United’s wings in a 2012 merger.


Tourism Observer

USA: American Airlines Opens New Routes

American Airlines launched 26 routes between 18 December and 6 January, with the airline’s Charlotte Douglas (CLT), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Phoenix (PHX) and New York LaGuardia (LGA) hubs all seeing new services.

The carrier has also begun a route from Las Vegas (LAS) to Tokyo Narita (NRT), although this route will only operate on a daily basis for the duration of the technology show CES 2019, taking place in Las Vegas between 8-12 January.

The route is also operated by Delta Air Lines during this period. Of the other 25 routes launched, six face direct competition. See how the FTWAs from Oaxaca and North Eleuthera compare to other entries from around the globe.

American Airlines launched a three times weekly service between Los Angeles and Buenos Aires Ezeiza on 19 December, with the first flight touching down in Argentina the following morning.

On arrival, a gift exchange took place, which was conducted by: Gonzalo Schames, Manager of Operations Argentina, Chile & Uruguay, American Airlines; Martin Eurnekian, President, Aeropuertos Argentina 2000; Guillermo Dietrich, Minister of Transport of Argentina; and Andrés Duncan Paterson, Sales Manager Argentina and Uruguay, American Airlines. No other airline operates the city pair.

American Airlines commenced flights between Dallas/Fort Worth and Oaxaca on 19 December, with a press conference being held at the Mexican airport on the day of the route launch.

Among those taking part in proceedings were: Juan Pablo García Luna Gutierrez, Administrator of the Airport of Oaxaca; Juan Carlos Rivera Castellanos, Secretary of Tourism of Oaxaca; Alejandro Ismael Murat Hinojosa, Governor of Oaxaca; and José María Giraldo, Director Mexico and Canada, American Airlines. The 1,765-kilometre route will operate daily.

American Airlines launched a daily service between Philadelphia and Mexico City on 5 July, with the US airport baking this fantastic cake to commemorate the new service, with the culinary masterpiece having been made by Night Kitchen bakery, a company with over 30 years baking expertise.

Seen posing with the route launch party showstopper are Olympia Colasante, VP Philadelphia Operations, American Airlines and Chellie Cameron, CEO of Philadelphia Airport.

American Airlines launched another international route from Philadelphia (PHL) on 5 July, beginning a daily service from the Pennsylvania hub to Mexico City (MEX).

The oneworld member will operate the 3,212-kilometre connection between Philadelphia and the Mexican capital daily utilising its fleet of A319s, with the carrier not expected to face any direct competition on the sector.

With this launch, American now serves two destinations in Mexico from Philadelphia, with it already operating to Cancun 15 times weekly this summer.

The USB3 carrier already serves Mexico City from Charlotte Douglas, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami. In total American will offer 97 weekly departures to Mexico City across its six routes from the US in S18.

American Airlines has commenced flights from three different hubs, all launched on 15 February. New A320 services from the carrier’s second-largest operation, at Charlotte Douglas (CLT) were started to Tucson (TUS).

Additionally, the oneworld airline kicked off a 2,403-kilometre link between Philadelphia (PHL), its fifth-biggest base in terms of weekly seats, and San Antonio (SAT), which is flown by its 128-seat A319 fleet.

Approximately 120,000 travellers fly between San Antonio and Philadelphia each year, so this new service answers the need for many travellers and is a highlight to our economic progress, said Russ Handy, Aviation Director for the City of San Antonio.

Finally, again on the same day, American began the airport pair from Washington Reagan (DCA) to Tallahassee (TLH), operated by its CRJ 900 aircraft. None of the new route trio has any direct route competition, and all will be operated on a daily basis.

American Airlines commenced six new US domestic connections on 3 April, with its bases at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), New York JFK (JFK), New York LaGuardia (LGA), Phoenix (PHX) and Washington Reagan (DCA) all gaining at least one new service.

Of the six airport pairs which launched, only two face no direct competition, namely the sectors between Phoenix and Amarillo (AMA) and Reagan to Little Rock (LIT).

The average sector length of the six services is 949 kilometres, with the distances ranging from the 150-kilometre hop between JFK and Philadelphia (PHL) to the 2,338-kilometre route from Dallas/Fort Worth to Oakland (OAK).

American Airlines over the past seven days has launched 27 new routes, of which 24 were domestic. The only international connections inaugurated included a weekly (Saturdays) service between Miami (MIA) and Bonaire (BON), an airport pair which began on 9 June.

The others were between Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Calgary (YYC), plus Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Rekyjavik/Keflavik (KEF), with the latter two having launched two days earlier.

Of the 27 routes commenced by the oneworld member this week, only 15 are presently not served by another carrier. Of those which do face competition, 11 will go head-to-head with Star Alliance carrier United Airlines, including all nine routes introduced to American’s network from Chicago O’Hare.

The average weekly frequency of American’s new routes is 7.5, while the mean sector length is 1,627 kilometres.


Tourism Observer

USA: Regional Jet Operator ViaAir Makes New Connections

ViaAir launched flights between Orlando Sanford (SFB) and Columbia (CAE) on 21 December.

The US regional operator will serve the 573-kilometre route four times weekly, with departures on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The carrier will operate the sector using its fleet of 30-seat EMB 120s, with no other airline currently flying the airport pair.

Situated in South Carolina, Columbia Airport handled 1,077,188 passengers in 2017. During the first eight months of 2018, 772,614 people have used the airport, up 8.6% versus the same period of 2017 based on statistics published by the airport.

ViaAir becomes the airport’s fourth operator, with it already served by the USB3 carriers of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

ViaAir has launched its second route from Austin (AUS), with the US regional operator starting a link to Tucson (TUS) on 18 January.

Joining its existing service to Hayden/Steamboat Springs which began 13 December, the carrier will operate the 1,278-kilometre route between Austin and Tucson three times weekly using its ERJ 145s, with no other airline currently serving the city pair.

The regional jet operator will launch a third connection from Austin on 1 March, a three times weekly link to Oklahoma City.

The airline previously served Austin from Branson in Missouri, but the route is no longer bookable on the carrier’s website, the last service flew in November.

ViaAir has commenced flights between Austin (AUS) and Oklahoma City (OKC). Inaugurated on 22 April, the US regional operator will fly the 578-kilometre sector six times weekly, with it facing no direct competition on the airport pair.

The airline will utilise its 50-seat ERJ 145s on the city pair. Based on MIDT data, some 24,900 passengers travelled indirectly between the two airports in 2017, with Dallas/Fort Worth being the leading hub for connecting traffic.

Demand on the Austin to Oklahoma City airport pair grew by 4.2% last year versus the number of passengers travelling between the two points in 2016.

ViaAir is a US domestic regional airline offering scheduled service across the United States. The airline originally focused on scheduled Essential Air Service from Raleigh County Memorial Airport in Beckley, West Virginia, Parkersburg/Marietta in Parkersburg, West Virginia to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Via Airlines was established on March 27, 1997 and operated public and private charter flights for corporations, sports teams, casinos, and air travel functions before expanding to scheduled passenger flight services with ViaAir.

ViaAir began its EAS scheduled flights in December 2014, with the inaugural flight to Beckley, WV taking place on December 3. Prior to ViaAir beginning flights, air service was operated by United Express.

The same day as the inaugural Beckley flight, ViaAir announced it would be operating seasonal unsubsidized nonstop service from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Northeast Florida Regional Airport in St. Augustine, Florida, with its inaugural flight taking place on December 19, 2014.

After a seasonal trial, an agreement was reached to continue service to St. Augustine from Charlotte and Beckley. In early November 2015, ViaAir announced it would extend its St. Augustine service into 2016.

ViaAir, with flights operated by the Charter Air Transport fleet, offers additional air travel options with its AirCruise and Air Tours products. ViaAir's aviation products began in 2009 with its Air Tours, and introduced AirCruise in 2011.

AirCruise introduced a concept similar to naval cruises, but that transports passengers by plane instead of by boat. While naval cruising is limited to ports, AirCruise is able to reach landlocked destinations.

On November 15, 2017, ViaAir announced two new destinations from Austin (Oklahoma City and Tucson), taking its total destinations from Austin up to four.

Coinciding with this information was the announcement that ViaAir plans to base crews and maintenance at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, positioning its Austin based operations to expand.

We will roll out additional cities throughout next year as we hope to be known as Austin’s hometown airline.

On February 9, 2018 Via announced two new destinations from Austin (Little Rock and Tulsa), bringing the total of destinations served from Austin up to six.


Tourism Observer

NIGERIA: Green Africa Airways Orders 100 Boeing 737 MAX 8 Aircraft,Largest Aircraft Order In Africa

Nigerian start-up Green Africa Airways has today confirmed a commitment for up to 100 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, split into 50 firm orders and 50 options.

The deal is worth an estimated $11.7 billion at current list prices, making it the largest Boeing aircraft order from an African carrier.

The announcement comes in as the airline begins to finalize proceedings to launch commercial operations.

Babawande Afolabi, Founder, and CEO at Green Africa Airways said that Today is a historic day for the Nigerian and African aviation industry, this landmark deal takes us much closer to our long-held dream of building a world-class airline that will unlock a new realm of positive possibilities for millions of customers.

This deal is a bold symbol of the dynamism, resilience and soaring entrepreneurial drive of the next generation of Nigerians and Africans, he added.

Based in Lagos, Nigeria, Green Africa Airways has been established with the goal of providing quality and affordable air travel and to be a significant contributor to the economic development of Nigeria and the African continent.

The Nigerian carrier has recently been awarded its AOC from the Nigerian authorities.

Helped by a group of industry professionals, led by Tom Horton, former Chairman/CEO of American Airlines; William Shaw, Founder and former CEO of VivaColombia; and Virasb Vahidi, former CCO of American Airlines, the Nigerian startup has a group of knowledgeable and successful experts behind it.

Both Horton and Vahidi were responsible for bringing American Airlines out of bankruptcy, re-launching the carrier, introducing its new corporate identity, and welcome its first Boeing 777-300(ER) into service.

Vahidi said that Nigeria is uniquely positioned to be the home of the next major value airline. The strategic partnership with Boeing positions Green Africa Airways to expand and improve air travel for customers in Nigeria, and further strengthens the relationship between the United States, Nigeria, and Africa.

The airline has plans to develop the Nigerian market with the goal of building up a strong Pan African network.

In Boeing’s 20-year Commercial Market Outlook, it forecasts that the airline industry in Africa will require 1,190 new planes, as the continent continues to grow both intra-continental and intercontinental connectivity.

Ihssane Mounir, SVP of Commercial Sales and Marketing at Boeing Company, added that “The growth potential for air travel across Nigeria and Africa is extraordinary, with the airplane fleet expected to more than double over the next 20 years.”

We look forward to Green Africa Airways building their fleet with the MAX and taking advantage of the jet’s efficiency and dependability to open new options across Nigeria and the African continent.

Boeing will be a trusted partner to Green Africa Airways as the MAX is introduced into their operations and through their long-term success, he said.

The news today come in a week where Boeing has celebrated many firsts for the 737 MAX program, with Eastar Jet taking delivery of the first Korean 737 MAX plane and with Boeing completing its first aircraft at its new China completion facility.

Earlier in September, Nigerian carrier Air Peace also booked an order for 10 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in Lagos. The deal was valued at $1.17 billion.

With both orders combined, the Nigerian market is set to receive 110 brand-new 737 MAX planes over the next few years—revamping an industry that has needed an injection of fresh machinery for a very long time.

Today marks yet another successful landmark for the 737 MAX program, putting an end to a year that has had its ups and downs with hundreds of sales and the Lion Air accident that took the lives of 190 people in Indonesia.


Tourism Observer

USA: Alaska Airlines Eliminates Preflight Alcohol To First Class Passengers

Alaska Airlines has eliminated preflight alcoholic beverages for first-class passengers, a standard perk on other carriers.

The new policy took effect Aug. 1. The change was made to align the policies of Alaska and merger partner Virgin America, according to Alaska spokeswoman Ann Johnson.

Alaska bought Virgin America in 2016 and officially combined the airlines earlier this year, eliminating the Virgin America brand.

Virgin America offered preflight alcoholic beverages but Alaska did not, except on flights to Hawaii, where it offered sparkling wine.

Travelers who liked the free drinks before takeoff are not happy.

Country music star Brett Young called out Alaska in an Instagram story last week, citing a post on popular frequent flier site FlyerTalk.

There is good news for first-class passengers who like to toast before takeoff. Beginning Nov. 1, Alaska will introduce complimentary sparkling wine predeparture in first class on all flights after 10 a.m.

Bottled water and orange juice will be the other preflight options.

So for two-thirds of passengers, they are actually gaining access to sparkling wine at predeparture, Johnson said.

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines all offer preflight cocktails for first-class passengers.


Tourism Observer

USA: Dead Faetus Discovered On American Airlines Flight 1942 At LaGuardia Airport

A dead fetus was found in a bathroom toilet of a commercial plane at LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday morning.

The gruesome discovery was made around 7:30 a.m. aboard an out-of-service American Airlines flight at Hangar 5, the sources said.

A cleaning crew found the fetus in the bathroom of the plane, which had landed in New York on Monday night from Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a high-ranking police source.

The fetus was between three to six months along.

American Airlines Flight 1942 departed from Charlotte Douglas International Airport at 9:08 p.m. Monday and arrived in Queens about 90 minutes later. It was the Airbus A321’s only flight of the day.

The City Medical Examiner is working on determining how the fetus died.

The OCME can confirm we’re investigating what we believe to be a human fetus found deceased on an airplane, the agency said.

Just before 9 a.m., the airport tweeted about possible delays over the incident.

American Airlines flights at Terminal B may experience some delays due to an out of service aircraft. Please check with @AmericanAir before your departure, the post said.

But a spokesman for the airline said, We have no major impact to our operation this morning while we are working with law enforcement on an investigation.

The airline later said in a statement: As we continue to learn more about this tragic and sensitive situation, we are actively cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation.

The Port Authority deferred questions to the Queens DA’s Office, which said it was looking into the matter.

A traveler who was scheduled to fly out of LaGuardia to Charlotte at 7:55 a.m. was frustrated that her flight was delayed three times without explanation.

They didn’t tell us anything until we were already waiting at the gate, she said. We didn’t find out until about 7:40 a.m. that the flight was going to be delayed.


Tourism Observer

USA: American Airlines Throws Off Musician From Flight After Boarding With Her $30,000 Music Instrument, Though She Bought Seat For It

American Airlines kicked a musician and her $30,000 cello off a flight even though she had purchased a seat for the instrument.

The incident occurred on Thursday on American Airlines Flight 2457 from Miami to Chicago.

Jingjing Hu, a DePaul University music student, had flown to Miami for a music festival.

Her husband, Jay Tang, said in a Facebook post that when they bought tickets for both her and her cello, they were assured by the airline that the cello would be allowed on Hu's departing and returning flights.

Hu said, We always buy an extra ticket for our cello so that we can carry our cello on the plane, adding that it is worth $30,000.

Nothing appeared to be problematic on Hu's first leg of the trip, she said.

When I flew from Chicago to Miami, I didn't have any trouble with that, adding that the crew on the Miami flight had given her a special strap to hold the large instrument.

But Hu said that after boarding her flight back to Chicago, an American Airlines flight attendant told her that her instrument was too big and that the aircraft, a Boeing 737, was too small to hold it.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that federal regulations allow musicians to carry instruments like cellos in the cabin if passengers purchase an additional seat.

American Airlines' policy says that if passengers buy a seat for their instrument, it must not weigh more than 165 pounds and must meet the plane's seat-size restrictions.

Hu's instrument weighed less than 10 pounds.

American Airlines representative said:

A passenger on flight 2457 from Miami to Chicago was traveling with her cello. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication about whether the cello she was traveling with met the requirements to fit onboard the particular aircraft she was flying, a Boeing 737.

We rebooked our passenger on a flight the next morning on a larger aircraft, a Boeing 767. We provided her a hotel and meal accommodations for the inconvenience. We apologize for the misunderstanding and customer relations has reached out to her.

Tang wrote in his Facebook post that after Hu was escorted off the plane and while she was trying to find a new flight to accommodate her, she was surrounded by three police officers and told she could purchase either first-class or business-class tickets out of pocket.

After staying overnight at a Holiday Inn, Hu arrived back home in Chicago, cello in tow.

I don't think we did anything wrong here, Tang said, and I think the way they handled it was humiliating.

Tang had earlier posted a photo Hu took of the flight's captain giving her the peace sign as she was being led off the plane.


Tourism Observer

ST MAARTEN & ST MARTIN: Tourism Recovering With New Flights And Hotels Reopening

The tourism industry in St Maarten/St Martin continues to recover at a rapid pace as airlines add new service and hotels reopen following the passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September.

American Airlines recently announced that it has increased seat capacity on its daily flight from Miami upgrading their Miami International Airport (MIA) – Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) route to a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, accommodating 160 passengers.

In addition, American Airlines will be adding a daily nonstop flight to St Maarten from its hub at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) starting November 4, 2018, as well as a second daily nonstop from Miami effective December 19, 2018.

Both new flights are currently bookable and will be operated by Airbus A319 aircraft with a capacity of 128 passengers.

St Maarten’s Princess Juliana Airport (SXM) continues to report great progress in terms of improved connectivity as the year progresses.

As of May 2018, two-thirds of all carriers that provided flights to and from the award-winning airport have resumed regular service.

From the United States, travelers can fly to St Maarten with United Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines, and Seaborne Airlines.

Service from Toronto is available on WestJet, and Dominican carrier Air Century, and Panama-based Copa Airlines have returned as well.

Due to the collaborative efforts by all stakeholders and the community at large, St Maarten has been able to make a quick turnaround, said St Maarten minister of tourism, Cornelius De Weever. We are grateful to the return of all airlines and the reopening of our properties.

This shows the confidence American Airlines has in the comeback of St Maarten/St Martin, the public and private sector have been working continuously with American Airlines to ensure that the flights return in a balanced way complementing the re-opening of various accommodations, added St Maarten’s interim head of tourism, May-Ling Chun.

As of May 2018, there are just fewer than 2,000 bookable rooms available across the entire island.

122 villas and condos are open for business island-wide, boutique hotels and guest houses are ready to accommodate travelers, and several larger properties have conducted soft openings in order to welcome back guests.

Some 87 percent of all on-island activities are also available for guests to enjoy.


Tourism Observer

BONAIRE: American Airlines Adds More Flights To Bonaire

In addition to its weekly Saturday service launching June 9, 2018, American Airlines will be adding three new non-stop flights from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Bonaire International Airport (BIA) from December 15, 2018, through March 30, 2019.

The additional flights will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

We are extremely pleased to have reached an agreement with American Airlines to provide additional non-stop service to Bonaire, commented Maurice Adriaens, director of Tourism Corporation Bonaire.

According to the American Airlines Network & Planning Department the Saturday flight is booking extremely well, and therefore they are confident that the extra flights will do well.

These flights will to allow us to generate more traffic to the island concurrent with the expansion of our hotel and villa inventory.

American Airlines flight AA1379 will depart MIA at 12:05pm, arriving in BON 4:13pm. The return flight AA1379 will depart BON 5:05pm, arriving in MIA 7:15pm.

These flight times allow for several convenient connections from the feeder banks on both flight segments.

American Airlines will utilize an Airbus 319 with eight first class seats and 120 economy seats.


Tourism Observer

USA: PSA Airlines Flight Cancellations Continue To Disappointment Of Passengers

A computer problem within PSA Airlines, an American Airlines regional carrier, forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights on Monday and Tuesday at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina.

The problem has plagued American Airlines since last week. On Thursday and Friday, about 675 PSA flights were canceled because of a technical issue, it said.

An additional 50 flights were canceled on Saturday, and a ground stop was issued until 3 p.m. on Sunday at the Charlotte airport.

The company said in a statement on Tuesday that while it had stabilized its computer systems, it would take time to get back to normal operations.

The regional carrier, which operates 12 percent of America's 6,700 daily flights, canceled all flights the morning of Tuesday, June 19th, as it works though schedules, getting aircraft and crews where they need to be to resume operations, American Airlines said.

PSA will operate a reduced schedule over the next few days as it restores full service.

It added: We understand that these cancellations have been frustrating for our customers, and teams from PSA and American have been working around the clock to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.

The cancellations have been particularly disruptive because Charlotte Douglas International Airport is American Airlines' second-busiest airport, with more than 120,000 passengers cycling through on a given day, it said.

PSA flights to and from Philadelphia and Reagan National Airport in Washington have also experienced delays or cancellations.

It started on Thursday, and they thought they had it fixed, and it's kind of slowly still becoming an issue, Katie Cody, an American Airlines spokeswoman, said.

Cody said the issue seemed to be technical, involving hardware for scheduling and tracking pilots and flight attendants.

PSA, founded in 1995, is a smaller offshoot of American Airlines' main operations.

It flies a fleet of Bombardier jets seating 50 to 79 passengers per plane under the American Eagle brand in the Midwest and the East Coast.

Some people affected by the cancellations have expressed their frustrations on Twitter.


Tourism Observer

USA: American Airlines Increase Toledo-Charlotte Capacity By Adding Larger Aircraft

Due to strong demand, American Airlines will soon increase capacity by 26 percent out of Toledo Express Airport (TOL) by adding larger aircraft that will offer first class seats when flying to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).

The new aircraft, Bombardier CRJ-700s, are equipped with 63 seats, which include nine first class seats, eight main cabin extra seats and 46 main cabin seats.

The first CRJ-700 flight to CLT is scheduled to depart TOL at 1:37 p.m. on Sept. 5.

The addition of CRJ-700s to Toledo Express Airport marks the first time an airline has made first class seating available since July 2001.

Due to the success of the new Charlotte route and the overwhelming response from the Toledo Region, American Airlines has answered the community’s call for additional capacity in the market, said Paul Toth, president and chief executive officer of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.

The addition of larger aircraft in the market builds on the significant investment American Airlines made in Toledo when it launched Charlotte service in August 2017.

Last month, 19,931 passengers flew through the airport, which is a 42 percent increase over the same month last year.

American Airlines showed a 98.6 percent increase for the month of May when compared to May 2017, largely due to the addition of the new twice daily route to Charlotte.


Tourism Observer

FIJI: Fiji Airlines Partners With Oneworld Connect

Oneworld has announced new Oneworld Connect partner concept following something that Star Alliance launched last year with one Chinese airline, although seems that the concept here is more deeper cooperation.

Oneworld Connect requires connect partners only to offer priority check in and boarding to all eligible Oneworld elite members.

Members from Oneworld programs that are sponsoring the airline will have the usual benefits of earning and redeeming miles in addition to having lounge access etc.

Oneworld states that they are in discussions with airlines in Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific regarding this concept.

oneworld has launched a new platform for linking up to the world’s premier airline alliance – enabling customers to enjoy more services and benefits across an even more extensive global network.

The first airline to join in the new capacity as a oneworld connect partner will be Fiji Airways.

A date will be announced in due course for when Fiji Airways will start offering oneworld connect services and benefits. Meantime, it is business as usual.

Oneworld connect is the first new membership platform unveiled by oneworld since the alliance was originally announced 20 years ago.

oneworld is in discussion with other carriers interested in participating in the programme, from various parts of the world including the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Each oneworld connect partner will need to have a minimum of three oneworld members as its sponsors to be initiated into the programme.

The initial oneworld sponsors of Fiji Airways will be all four of oneworld’s original founding members – American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas.

The Australian carrier will additionally mentor Fiji Airways through its oneworld connect implementation process.

American Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas already code-share and have frequent flyer links with Fiji Airways.

British Airways and Fiji Airways are currently discussing areas for potential bilateral cooperation.

oneworld connect partners will provide select alliance benefits to frequent flyers from any oneworld member airline travelling on their flights, with a more extensive range of benefits offered with their oneworld sponsors.

Customers with Emerald, Sapphire or Ruby status in any oneworld member airline’s frequent flyer programme will be able to use priority check-in desks, where available.

Also, customers with Emerald or Sapphire status will be offered priority boarding.

The additional benefits offered by oneworld connect partners to customers from their oneworld sponsors and vice versa include:

Through check-in of passengers and their baggage for journeys including connections between a connect carrier and any of its oneworld sponsors.

The ability to earn and redeem frequent flyer rewards, and earn frequent flyer status points, for eligible flights.

For customers from oneworld connect airlines, these benefits depend on the oneworldconnect partner offering a frequent flyer programme.

Access to select lounges at key airports for First or Business Class passengers or those with eligible top-tier frequent flyer status.

Select other customer benefits may also be offered between oneworld connect partners and their oneworldsponsor airlines.

All oneworld connect partners will make their networks available via Global Explorer, the round-the-world fare offered by all oneworld members and select other airlines. Fiji Airways already does so.

All oneworld connect partners will be required to maintain IATA IOSA safety certification.

oneworld’s regular range of services and benefits remain in place for customers flying with the alliance’s full member airlines and their affiliates.

oneworld Governing Board Chairman Pekka Vauramo, CEO of Finnair, said: In the 20 years since oneworld’s conception in 1998.

Global airline alliances have expanded their breadth to the extent that they now account for 60 per cent of total industry revenues and capacity globally, and 70 per cent of revenues between the world’s top 125 business city airports.

With most of the world’s biggest airlines already signed up, global airline alliances have reached maturity.

In the future, oneworld will target as full members large airlines that have a significant presence in the alliance’s prime target market, providing connections between the world’s leading business centres.

Meantime, oneworldconnect enables us to bring together more airlines to complement the alliance’s global leaders, so customers can earn rewards and feel recognised while travelling even further.

oneworld CEO Rob Gurney added: oneworld’s current network of more than 1,000 destinations in 150 plus territories offers far-reaching global coverage, but there are still some regions where we would like to strengthen our presence further.

With fewer potential new candidates available to recruit based on our established membership criteria.

oneworld connect enables us to link up with other airlines whose networks are relevant to a subset of our members, who cannot meet oneworld’s full membership requirements at this stage or who are not interested in full membership at present.

This enables us and them to offer our customers more services and benefits across an even wider network and strengthen our relationship going forward, with a streamlined and rapid path to full membership later on where it makes sense for all parties.

Fiji Airways CEO Andre Viljoen stated: Fiji Airways is thrilled and honoured to be the first oneworld connectpartner globally.

We are delighted to link Fiji, and the South Pacific to the world’s premier airline alliance and deepening our relationships in particular with Qantas, American Airlines, British Airways and Cathay Pacific.

This important step for our airline enables us to offer more services and benefits to our own customers along with the others in the oneworld family, to achieve a greater presence for our airline internationally and to build on the in-bound tourism that is so vital to our home nation and our region.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said: “As a oneworld founding member, it is great to see the alliance evolve to bring additional benefits to more customers and expand its joint network. We’ve worked closely with Fiji Airways for many years and are pleased to serve as its mentor as it comes on board as the first oneworld connect partner.”

American Airlines Chairman and CEO Doug Parker added: As another oneworld founding member, American Airlines is excited to be playing our part in this latest key development for what has become the world’s premier airline alliance, now making access to the South Pacific more attractive than ever.

British Airways Chairman and CEO Alex Cruz stated: British Airways looks forward to developing links with Fiji Airways as a oneworld connect partner and sponsor, for the benefit of both our airlines, our customers and the wider oneworld community.

Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Officer Rupert Hogg concluded: Cathay Pacific was proud to play our part in founding oneworld 20 years ago and establishing it as the leading quality alliance.

We are proud today to be playing our part again in getting this exciting new membership platform oneworld connect off the ground, as a sponsor of our long-term code-share partner Fiji Airways.

So, three of the Connecting Partner backers of this airline have frequent flier agreement in place at this time BA and Fiji are exploring opportunities.

The benefits are very light borderline non-existent if you happen to be an elite member with an airline that is not one of the backers. One of the reasons in the future to go with one of the major programs within the alliance.

Not sure why Oneworld draws a line between Nadi and Santiago on the graphics that they use the market the alliance on the presentation? I am not aware of that there would be any flights between these two destinations unless there was an announcement made today.

The only other airline that would probably fit this model in my mind is the Air Tahiti Nui that already has partnership in place with both AA and Qantas and perhaps with other Oneworld airlines too.


Tourism Observer

BONAIRE: American Airlines Goes To Bonaire

American Airlines officially launches its first-ever flights to Bonaire this weekend, with plans for more.

The carrier will also be adding flights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Dec. 15 through March 30, 2019.

That’s along with the Saturday flight that launches June 9.

The American flight will leave Miami on Saturdays at 12:05 PM, arriving in Bonaire at 4:13 PM local time.

The return flight will depart Bonaire at 5:05 PM, arriving in Miami at 7:15 PM.

The move comes after the performance of the Saturday flights is booking extremely well, according to a statement from the Tourism Corporation Bonaire.

We are extremely pleased to have reached an agreement with American Airlines to provide additional non-stop service to Bonaire, said Maurice Adriaens, Director of Tourism Corporation Bonaire.

They are confident that the extra flights will do well.

These flights will allow us to generate more traffic to the island concurrent with the expansion of our hotel and villa inventory.

TCB said the bookings for the Saturday flight thus far had been concentrated from Miami, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Charlotte.

It all adds up to a significant boost for the Dutch Caribbean island, which is best known for its remarkable marine offerings but has increasingly put itself on the map of late in areas like food and adventure sports.

The island also added a very sleek new boutique beach resort, the Delfins Beach Resort.

Tourism Corporation Bonaire is very excited about this opportunity and we look forward to continue to build a long term partnership with American Airlines, TCB said in a statement.


Tourism Observer

USA: Dog Gives Birth At Tampa International Airport

In the midst of the highest dispute regarding service animals flying on planes, a service dog named Eleanor or Ellie Rigby gave birth to eight puppies at the Tampa International Airport’s Gate 80 moments before its flight to Philadelphia departed.

Ellie, a trained and permitted to fly yellow lab, was flying with its owner.

As the dog went into labor, the airport’s fire rescue team arrived at the scene to assist with the birth of eight blonde pups.

The airport registered the whole event, which was also witnessed by numerous passengers and airport workers, through social media by using the #AirportPuppies hashtag.

American Airlines (AA), Delta (DL) and United (AA) issued new rules, banning animals like goats, hedgehogs, insects, reptiles, snakes, spiders, ferrets, spiders, and non-household birds.

The airlines are also banning unclean animals.

The service animal benefit has been exploited to a level in which passengers have brought the wildest kind of animals with them on a flight.

American Airlines states that emotional/psychiatric support and fully-trained service animals can fly in the cabin at no charge, highlighting that these must meet the requirements.

Before, passengers could arrive at the airport and file the paperwork at the check-in desk. This is no longer permitted.

From now on, however, those passengers who wish to bring such type of animal on board a plane must file paperwork at least two full days before the trip.

A domestic one-way ticket for a service animal costs $125 on a Delta flight.

We support the rights of customers, from veterans to people with disabilities, with legitimate needs for a trained service or support animal, AA said in a statement.

Unfortunately, untrained animals can lead to safety issues for our team, our customers, and working dogs onboard our aircraft.

American Airlines also claims that between 2016 and 2017, the number of service animals traveling onboard its planes have grown by a whopping 40%.

Delta’s numbers are higher, with over 250,000 animals flying since 2015—a 150% increase.

Delta is now asking its passengers to sign a form that the animal is trained, well behaved, and will not pose a threat to other passengers at the airport and the flight.

Last year, a passenger was hospitalized because another passenger’s dog attacked him during boarding.


Tourism Observer