CHINA: Daxing Airport Opening Next Week.

Aircraft have begun to arrive at Beijing’s new Daxing Airport. The news comes ahead of the airports opening, expected to happen within the next week.

For some time now, Beijing’s Capital Airport (PEK) has been slowly filling up. As such the decision was made not to replace the airport, but to complement it.

The finished project is Beijing Daxing Airport (PKX). Daxing is a new four runway mega airport with plenty of room for future expansion. After years of hard work, the airport is finally set to open within the next week, with China United Airlines set to be the launch operator.

Beijing Daxing Airport will be launched initially with China United Airlines. The carrier is currently the only commercial user of a nearby airport named Beijing Nanyuan Airport. However, it is set to pack up shop and relocate to the new Daxing Airport.

As the airline’s current airport will be closed after it departs, China United Airlines is expected to move all of its assets to Daxing in one overnight operation. This will involve most of the airlines’ Boeing 737 aircraft being ferried across in one go.

China United Airlines’ first aircraft arrived in Beijing a week ago. However, this aircraft appeared unaccompanied, having sat on the ground ever since according to data from FlightRadar24.

The first aircraft to arrive was a Boeing 737-800 which operated the ferry flight with the flight number KN1001.

More recently, China United Airlines has repositioned five more Boeing 737 aircraft under flight numbers ranging from KN1001 to KN1007.

This brings the total number of China United Aircraft on the ground to six. These aircraft may be currently going unused for the airline’s flight schedule, as it could store the aircraft at the new airport today.

For other airlines, the move will be much more simple. Take British Airways and LOT Polish Airlines, for example.

They will both one day depart from Beijing Capital and fly back to their respective bases. The next day they will simply land slightly further south at the new Beijing airport instead.

While the move may be slightly more stressful for the other Chinese carriers, there will still likely be a large amount of planning going on.

However, these airlines don’t have the pressure of an airport closing behind them. As such, if something somehow misses the migration, it is not the end of the world. Around 13 hours ago a China Eastern Airbus A350 also landed at the airport.

Tourism Observer

UNITED KINGDOM: British Airline Pilots Association May Halt Strikes Next Week If British Airways Bows

The British Airline Pilots Association says it could call off proposed strikes next week if British Airways agrees to come back to the negotiating table.

A number of pilots at British Airways will take industrial action on September 9th and 10th.

The pilots’ union says it has put forward a new proposal in a letter to British Airways chief executive, Alex Cruz, in a bid to come to a deal with the company.

The strikes, voted in favour by 93 per cent of British Airline Pilots Association’s British Airways members, could still go ahead if the airline continues to refuse meaningful discussions.

British Airline Pilots Association general secretary, Brian Strutton, said: Our members’ resolve is very strong, and they remain very angry with British Airways, but they also want to leave no stone unturned in trying to find a resolution to their dispute.

We urge British Airways to join us to discuss the new proposal which shows pilots are willing to be flexible but still stand united in getting a better deal.

British Airways has rejected the British Airline Pilots Association understanding of the situation.

A statement from the airline said: We do not believe the union is acting in good faith by making an 11th-hour inflated proposal which would cost an additional £50 million.

The union was acting cynically by waiting until a late stage when the airline had already made arrangements to manage the industrial action, the carrier added.

Our customers need the certainty that British Airline Pilots Association will call off the strikes for good, not just for two days next week, the airline said.

Another day of strike action is scheduled for September 27th.

British Airways on Thursday dismissed a proposal by a pilots union to avoid strike action next week as unrealistic, leaving it little closer to resolving a dispute over pay with its pilots that could disrupt its services.

Earlier the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) had said that BA pilots could call off proposed strikes set for Sept. 9 and 10 if the airline agreed to come back to the negotiating table.

But British Airways said the new BALPA proposal would cost an additional £50 million and slammed the union’s new and unrealistic demands. No further talks between the sides are planned at the moment.

We remain open to constructive talks with BALPA to resolve the pay negotiations, but we do not believe the union is acting in good faith by making an eleventh hour inflated proposal, the airline said in a statement.

BALPA said last month that the pilots would go on strike for three days in September in a dispute over pay that could disrupt the peak holiday season.

The pilots overwhelmingly voted for industrial action in July and the airline, which is part of IAG, failed in a court bid to stop them.

BALPA has said that British Airways should share more of its profits with its pilots. The union has also given notice to the airline that it will call on its members to strike on Sept. 27.

Our members’ resolve is very strong and they remain very angry with BA, but they also want to leave no stone unturned in trying to find a resolution to their dispute, BALPA General Secretary Brian Strutton said.

Avoiding strike action and agreeing a deal with their pilots surely must be the desired outcome for British Airways.

British Airways has said the strike action was unjustifiable as its pay offer was fair and that the strikes would destroy the travel plans of tens of thousands of customers.

The airline said in August it was exploring options to supplement its fleet with aircraft and crew from other airlines, a practice known as wet-leasing, and working with partner airlines to schedule larger aircraft to take more customers.

BALPA has cynically waited until we have helped the vast majority of customers with alternative travel arrangements, and our planning for a strike has reached a critical stage, British Airways said.

Our customers need the certainty that BALPA will call off the strikes for good, not just for two days next week.

Tourism Observer

EGYPT: Lufthansa And British Airways Suspend Flights To Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh And Cairo

Lufthansa has followed the UK British Airways in temporarily flight suspension to the Egyptian capital as a precaution for security reasons, according to the company's statement, cited by local media.

Lufthansa has said in a statement that as safety is the number one priority of Lufthansa, the airline has temporarily suspended its flights to Cairo today as a precaution, while further assessment is being made.

Lufthansa canceled flights from Frankfurt and Munich to Cairo but is expected to resume service to the Egyptian capital on Sunday. The similar statement was issued earlier by British Airways.

"We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment. The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority, and we would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so", the statement said.

A spokesperson for the UK-based company has said that the flights were suspended "for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment".

Earlier, the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has advised passengers against air travel to and from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh but has not issued a similar warning on Cairo.

"There’s a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation. Additional security measures are in place for flights departing from Egypt to the UK. You should co-operate fully with security officials at airports", the FCO said.

British staff had been checking security at Cairo airport on Wednesday and Thursday. They reportedly gave no further details.

Russia suspended civilian air traffic to Egypt in November 2015 after a bomb brought down a Russian plane, which took off from Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St. Petersburg, killing all 224 people on board.

Before regular flights between Moscow and Cairo were resumed in April 2018, Egypt had to seriously enhance security at airports. Charter flights between Russia and Egyptian resorts are yet reportedly to be resumed.

The suspension reportedly resulted in massive losses in Egypt's tourism industry, since this was one of the most popular destinations for Russian tourists. It is estimated that Egyptian authorities have spent millions of dollars to ensure the airports’ security.

British Airways said Saturday it had suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precautionary measure following a security review.

The British flag carrier said it would not operate its aircraft unless it felt it was safe to do so.

The British Foreign Office updated its travel advice on Saturday with the British Airways suspension. The Lufthansa website also included a link to the British warning page.

In its travel advice for British nationals heading to Egypt, the Foreign Office in London warns: “There’s a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation.”

“Additional security measures are in place for flights departing from Egypt to the UK. You should co-operate fully with security officials at airports.”

Britain advises against all but essential travel by air to or from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Sinai peninsula.

“Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Egypt. Although most attacks occur in North Sinai, there is a risk of terrorist attacks across the country,” Britons are warned.

Britain canceled flights to Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh in 2015 after jihadists bombed a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from the Red Sea resort, killing more than 220 people on board.

An estimated 415,000 British nationals visited Egypt in 2018.


Tourism Observer

EUROPE: Ryanair Not Greenest Airline In Europe Says Founder And CEO Of Responsible Travel

The founder and CEO of Responsible Travel has dismissed claims by Ryanair that it is the greenest airline in Europe.

Ryanair issued figures today claiming it delivers the lowest CO2 per passenger/km in the EU airline industry, thanks to it having the highest passenger load factor (96%) and one of the youngest fleets.

It said its CO2 per pax/km of 67g p.a is substantially lower than its EU competitors said it was committed to reducing this further to under 60g per pax/km by 2030.

It claimed competitors such as Lufthansa, British Airways and Air France KLM currently generate over 120g per pax/km.

But the claims have been dismissed by Justin Francis, founder of Responsible Travel, a travel company which is campaigning for a Green Flying Duty.

Ryanair claims to be the greenest airline are false, said Francis.

In fact it's now the 10th biggest carbon polluting business, of any kind, in Europe.

Ryanair is correct in saying that its CO2 emissions per passenger km is far lower than competitors, however its vast scale and growth outweigh these efficiencies.

It's very interesting to see them comment on anticipated aviation taxes, which is a very hot topic right now. One might applaud their desire to see a consistent and fair scheme or see it as another stalling tactic, and one that will probably fail now that President Macron has advocated an EU wide aviation fuel tax.
UR
We propose a Green Flying Duty, with revenues ring fenced for R&D into electric aviation - something Ryanair should welcome as it will both reduce emissions now reduction in demand and ultimately the cost of running an airline. Good for business, good for the environment.


Tourism Observer

Safe And Unsafe Airlines

AEROFLOT OR ANY RUSSIAN AIRLINE

Russian airlines lead the world in crashes and fatalities. The only air disasters in the past ten years that stole the headlines from missing Malaysian Air flights were catastrophic Russian crashes which wiped out the Polish government, a hockey team, and hundreds of vacationers to Egypt.

Aeroflot is Russia’s flag carrier, and it has an ominous record as the airline with the most crashes in the world.

Today Aeroflot is modern and safe and hasn’t had a major incident since 2008, but the list of other Russian airlines, including S7 and Siberian Air and Nordstar, with huge crashes, is too hard to ignore. If you’re flying in or out of Russia, take Finnair.

AIR NEW ZEALAND

Air New Zealand was rated as the safest airline in the world by Skytrax for 2017, the third year in a row they won this prestigious, and important, award.

This is New Zealand’s flag carrier and they have flights to destinations mostly in Asia, but also to the UK, US, Australia, and Canada. The only incident they’ve had is when a flight carrying pilots, technicians, and a safety inspector crashed into the ocean in 2008.

Otherwise, Air New Zealand has never lost a civilian passenger, joining the ranks of Air Canada for the safest airline. With fewer accidents, crashes, and deaths than any other airline, rest easy when you’re traveling on Air New Zealand!

PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES

Pakistan's flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines, is one of the most messed-up airlines in the world. The airline has a near-zero rating fromairlinereviews.com and is in the top 10 least safe airlines in the Skytrax annual review.

The airline has suffered many crashes resulting in fatalities every single year since they were founded in 1947, and when they’re not crashing or blowing up mid-air, they have a long list of minor accidents caused by pilot negligence and lack of ground maintenance.

FINNAIR

Finland’s largest airline and flag carrier has an impeccable safety record.They haven’t had a fatality since 1963, and have had few mishaps and accidents than any other airline in the world since then.

There were a couple of hijackings and attempts at bombing a Finnair airline, but these were all dealt with efficiently by authorities and passengers and crew were unharmed.

Finnair keeps a fleet of modern, well-maintained aircraft crewed by excellent pilots and professional flight attendants. If you’re flying anywhere in Europe, you can’t go wrong with Finnair.

MALAYSIAN AIRLINES

Malaysian Airlines has had a bad decade. Several large airline disasters have captured the world’s media attention, including the disappearance of Flight 370 in 2014.

What seems like such a shock to the world was no surprise to airline safety agencies and industry watchdogs, such as airlinereviews.com. Malaysian Airlines has a history of minor crashes, unsafe maintenance, corporate corruption and half-trained pilots and aircrew.

When several planes went down more recently, it was a culmination of a bad corporate culture that resulted in one of the most unsafe airlines in the world.

BRITISH AIRWAYS

British Airways was founded in 1974 by a government commission and has since grown to become the largest carrier in the UK. British Airways is one of the safest airlines in the world and hasn’t lost a passenger since 1976 when Flight 476 collided with another aircraft on takeoff, hurting 63 people on board.

This is the only time British Airways has had fatalities. Their pilots and crew are top-notch, and thanks to their fantastic skills several notable disasters have been avoided, like when Flight 900 flew through a volcanic ash cloud and the pilots glided the aircraft to a safe landing.

Qr the time a windshield blew out and the pilot was sucked out of the aircraft, but hung on while the co-pilot landed the plane safely. Nobody was hurt.

AIR INDIA

Air India is an Indian government owned airline founded in 1932. It has a dubious safety record, with a habit of exploding in mid-air.

Thankfully modern security screening has drastically reduced airline bombings around the world, but that doesn’t stop things like Air India flights randomly catching fire, or skidding off the runway, or simply driving into parked airplanes at the terminal loading docks.

Skytrax rates Air India as one of the least safe airlines due to a lot of negligence-caused accidents on the part of pilots, aircrew, and ground maintenance.

AIR CANADA

Air Canada has a proud and long history as one of the safest airlines in the world. Canada’s flag carrier was founded in 1937 and has never had a single fatality in all that time. They have flights to 207 cities around the world, making them one of the top 10 largest airlines and one of the top five oldest.

They’ve had the odd mishap, like in 2017 when the pilot accidentally turned off his radio while coming into San Francisco International Airport and landed on a runway full of taxiing airplanes.

This was the most serious incident in the airlines, history, and nobody was hurt. The pilot was suspended and the airline launched a full investigation. Air Canada flights are modern, well-maintained, and professional.

THAI AIRWAYS

Thailand’s national carrier has had a tough run as a world-class airline. They try really, really hard to be safe, but bad things just keep happening. In 2001 an entire wing blew up thanks to a fuel leak, resulting in one death on board.

In 2009 a flight crash-landed on a runway, while another plane dove into a rice paddy in 1998, killing everyone on board. For the most part, Thai Airways is safe, as they’ve had very few fatalities.

It’s just that things keep blowing up or falling off their airplanes, which shows a lack of maintenance and, as is usually the case with airlines from the developing world, corporate corruption which stops new parts and aircraft from reaching the fleet.

CATHAY PACIFIC

Cathay Pacific was one of the most luxurious airlines in the world at one point, winning the coveted “best airline” year after year. It has since fallen from the top spot, replaced by newcomers such as Qatar Airlines and Emirates.

Cathay Pacific still holds on to its stellar safety record, however. Hong Kong’s flag carrier reaches destinations around the world, and its last disaster was in 1972 when a bomb took down a flight, which can’t really be held against the company.

Their airplanes are known to be well-maintained and crewed by professionals, and their customer service is the best in all of Asia!

JETSTAR PACIFIC

Jetstar Pacific is a budget-airline out of Vietnam. Officially called Jetstar Pacific Airlies Joint Stock Aviation Company, this airline is near the bottom of Skytrax’s annual airline safety list.

According to aeroinside.com, which tracks airline incidents, Jetstar Pacific has had numerous safety incidents including tail strikes on takeoff, when the plane rotates the nose up to takeoff, the pilot is supposed to lift the plane off the ground or the tail will smash into the runway, known as a tail strike.

Other reports include landing gear malfunctions, noxious fumes in the cabin, and failure to pass a safety inspection at an Australian airport.

LUFTHANSA

Lufthansa was founded in the 1920s and then regrown after World War II and is one of the largest airlines in the world today. You can catch a Lufthansa flight to pretty much anywhere in Europe, and rest confident that you’ll actually get there alive. The airline isn’t without incidents, however.

Between 1959 and 1993, Lufthansa had several major accidents resulting in fatalities. The past 25 years have been very safe, with no fatalities and very few accidents. Although they are expensive, you’re getting what you pay for when you choose to fly with Lufthansa.

EGYPTAIR

Egyptair is Egypt’s national airline, with flights to nearly a hundred countries around the world. It’s also rated by Skytrax as one of the ten least safe airlines.

Even if you discount the company’s disasters, such as Flight 804 flying into the Mediterranean in 2016, or Flight 990 flying head-first into the Atlantic in the 90s, you still have an airline with a long history of mishaps.

In 2016 a plan caught fire while sitting on the runway. Another’s engine fell off during takeoff. There have been multiple hijackings of Egyptair flights in recent years, which makes for an uncomfortable vacation.

EMIRATES

Emirates has a decent safety record. They’ve never had a fatality on any of their flights, although they have had several mishaps on takeoff and landing.In 2004, and again in 2009, Emirates flights ran out of runway and plowed through landing lights and fences.

Nobody was hurt, but come on, really?In both cases, the investigators blamed the pilots for not lifting off and blamed Emirates for not giving the pilots enough rest between flights.

The odds of such an exciting start to your travels are rare, so instead sit back and enjoy Emirates world-famous comfort and service.

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES

Philippine Airlines is the flag carrier of The Philippines and is also one of the safest Filipino-operated airlines.Unfortunately, they aren’t the safest in the world, with a string of accidents, most of them minor.

Philippine Airlines flights have also been targeted by terrorists in the past, with al-Qaeda blowing up an airliner in 2007, and local extremists knocking down local propeller-driven craft now and again.

For the most part, you’ll survive your flight with these guys, but they still remain accident prone. Engines seize up mid-flight, landing gear doesn’t retract, planes fall off the runway, minor stuff.

SINGAPORE AIRLINES

Asian-based airlines seem to have a fantastic safety record. Eva, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore Airlines are all represented in the top 10 safest airlines in the world.Singapore Airlines isn’t without incidents, however.

In 1991 Pakistani militants hijacked Flight 117, until Singapore Special Forces stormed the aircraft and freed all the passengers while dispatching all the terrorists.

In 2000, Flight 006 took off from the wrong runway in Taiwan and crashed into some construction equipment, and 86 people lost their lives. There haven’t been any other fatalities in the airline's history and they’ve had an accident-free 18 years!

CHINA AIR

China Airlines is the largest air carrier in China and is partially government owned. If you’re heading to China, chances are you’ll end up booked on a China Air flight.

They fly to more than a hundred cities around the world, and is considered the 10th largest airline in the world! China Air also has one of the worst safety records of all the major airlines, with more than 30 catastrophic crashes and hundreds of minor accidents.

Most of their pilots are well-trained and come from a military background, but it seems that the aircraft themselves are not well maintained, and the company tends to skimp on spending the money necessary to keep their fleet safe.

EVA AIR

Eva Air is a Taiwanese airline launched in 1989. They have one of the best safety records of all the Asian airlines, and to date has not had a single aircraft incident or passenger fatality.If you’re flying Eva Air you can rest assured that you’re in good hands.

I’ve never flown Eva, but passenger reviews online tell a story of friendly, professional treatment, comfortable flights and average food.If you’re heading anywhere in Asia, try Eva Air. At the very least you’ll get there alive.

CUBANA

Cubana Airlines is considered one of the most accident-prone airlines in the world, with an accident rating 60 times higher than British Airways! Cubana is Cuba’s national airline, wholly owned by the Communist government.

It was founded in 1930 as a subsidiary of Pan-Am Airlines, but after Castro’s takeover, it was nationalized. Today it is known as Crashbana by Cubans and Mexicans.

In 2018 it had a catastrophic crash with 107 fatalities, which came only a year after another crash, which was eight months after another crash. If you must go to Cuba, fly on Air Canada.

JAPAN AIRLINES

Japan Airlines is one of the safest airlines in the world, having only one catastrophic accident in its history. That was when Flight 123 flew face-first into a mountain back in 1985, taking 520 passengers with it.

The company has since fired all of its kamikaze pilots and passengers can expect a relatively comfortable flight. I’ve flown JAL several times and was once even upgraded to first class, the only time in my traveling career, so I have a soft spot for them.

According to airlinerratings.com, JAL has a 7.2 out of 10 rating, making them one of the top 10 safest in the world!


Tourism Observer

SCOTLAND: British Airways Lands In Wrong city Of Edinburgh Instead Of Dusseldorf, Germany

Upon landing, passengers were stunned to hear "welcome to Edinburgh." Their flight was supposed to go to Dusseldorf, Germany. The wrong flight plan was filed, and the crew followed it.

Good morning. I'm David Greene. Passengers landing on a British Airways flight were stunned to hear welcome to Edinburgh, as in Scotland. That's because their flight was supposed to go to Dusseldorf, Germany.

The wrong flight plan was filed, and the crew followed it. Why didn't the pilot do the usual, the weather in Edinburgh, before taking off? At least a passenger could have said, excuse me, I think we might be going to the wrong city.

A British Airways plane flew by mistake from London to Edinburgh instead of Dusseldorf in Germany on Monday.

Passengers only found out about the mishap when the pilot said the plane was coming in to land in Edinburgh, which is around 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Dusseldorf.

After the crew realised the mistake, the plane was refueled and flown to Dusseldorf, landing in Germany with a delay of more than three and a half hours.

We are working with WDL Aviation, who operated this flight on behalf of British Airways, to establish why the incorrect flight plan was filed, a spokesman said.

A passenger who was on the plane said: While an interesting concept, I don't think anyone on board has signed up for this mystery travel lottery.

Passenger on the flight said that the wait in Edinburgh was very frustrating.

The toilets were blocked and they ran out of snacks. It was also really stuffy, a passenger insisted.


Tourism Observer

UNITED KINGDOM: Pilot Tries To Climb Into The Cockpit After Forgetting His-Keys

A pilot was spotted trying to squeeze into the cockpit of a plane through the window after apparently forgetting his keys. Hilarious footage of the incident, which was posted to Twitter, has already had over 12,000 views.

British Airways pilot Jonny the Pilot posted the footage to his Twitter account with the caption: When you’re running late for work and you forget your keys…

In the video, the pilot, who has not been identified, could be seen with one leg already in the open cockpit window.

Using his left arm, he tried to pull himself through – but while trying to get his other leg through, the platform he was standing on moved and he had to start again.

Seeming to be stuck, he then looked inside, presumably for another set of keys, while another member of the flight crew walked up behind him to help.

The video was filmed at Heathrow Airport, with social media users shocked and confused by the pilot’s actions.


Tourism Observer

IRAN: Airlines Flee Iran Airspace

Airlines were facing low profitability even before returning sanctions took a toll on the country's currency.

Iranians reacted with anger and frustration to the news that British Airways will suspend its service to Iran from September 23. Soon after, news came that Air France would axe its service on September 18.

Some Iranians expressed a feeling of being imprisoned in the country as they learned that international airlines were leaving Iran.

Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, responded to British Airway’s withdrawal more pragmatically, noting his hope that Iran Air, with its three weekly direct flights to London, can seize the opportunity and fill the gap.

The news appears to reflect further instances of multinational companies withdrawing from Iran in the face of returning US sanctions while bowing to the political pressure exerted by the Trump administration.

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu took this view, stating about the withdrawals, That’s good. More should follow, more will follow, because Iran should not be rewarded for its aggression in the region.

But the airlines have communicated that commercial and not political factors were paramount in the decision to withdraw. The British Airways statement described their London to Tehran route as currently not commercially viable.

Air France echoed poor commercial viability. KLM has pointed to negative results and financial outlook.” Some Iranians, observing regularly full flights, have questioned the honesty of these statements.

The executive’s account provides a more precise picture of why numerous airlines have determined that flying to Tehran is no longer commercially viable.

These claims are not a fig leaf for politically motivated decisions, nor attempts to downplay legal barriers posed by returning sanctions which are minimal.

Instead, over the last few months, larger economic forces arose that made routes operating at high passenger loads unattractive, at least relative to the option of redeploying aircraft other routes worldwide.

The influx of international carriers into Iran led to increased competition. Such competition depressed airfares in the short term. Airlines knew that it would be difficult to become profitable quickly and had expected to wait at least two years in order to break even, the executive explains. But by early 2018, the break-even point remained out of reach.

International carriers had expected that the growth in business and tourist travel to and from Iran would boost demand and help drive airfares upward over time.

But the stalling post-sanctions economic recovery, slowed in part by President Trump’s decision to decertify the Iran nuclear deal in October as well as domestic factors, meant that the projected growth in passenger numbers was failing to materialize.

In response, as the first quarter of this year came to a close, most international carriers active in Iran began to plan reductions in their service in order to better match supply with demand.

Austrian Airlines pursued a realignment of the airline’s portfolio by suspending flights to Esfahan and Shiraz. KLM planned to suspend its flights and Air France opted to run a reduced service after switching the operation of the Paris-Tehran route to Joon, a subsidiary.

British Airways likewise planned to reduce the frequency of its flights.

These adjustments should have enabled the international airlines to increase airfares in the market by addressing oversupply, bringing profitability back within reach for the sector.

But the adjustments coincided with President Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and an acceleration in Iran’s currency crisis.

The falling value of the rial had two important effects on international airlines. First, it significantly decreased demand. Not only were airfares more expensive as the purchasing power of the rial declined, but Iranians were also struggling to get reliable access to the hard currency they need in order to spend freely when abroad.

Majid Nejad, CEO of Alibaba.ir, Iran’s leading online travel website, said compared with the same period last year, bookings to foreign destinations from Iran have fallen by half.

Second, as the rial lost value, the revenues accrued by international airlines in Iran also lost value. In order to mitigate the foreign exchange risk, some international airlines began to market tickets locally only at the highest booking classes, an airline industry price categorization.

Those few Iranians with access to foreign banks cards could still purchase tickets at any booking class online, accessing cheaper fares. Nonetheless, the move to increase prices hit demand.

But even if higher fares could protect revenues from devaluation in the short-term, the airlines faced long-standing issues around repatriation of revenues.

Last week, the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization announced that international airlines would need to buy euros at the market rate, contradicting an earlier assurance provided by the Central Bank of Iran that foreign currency would be available to the airlines at the lower government exchange rate.

The executive notes that a lack of clear communication from the central bank and aviation authority proved one of the most frustrating aspects of the whole episode.

In any case, airlines struggled to convert their rial holdings into foreign currency at whatever the rate.

The airlines executive believes that when airlines sought to convert their rial holdings in accounts at banks such as Saman Bank and Parsian Bank, the central bank failed to make the foreign currency available because they either did not have sufficient foreign currency on hand or were opting to build up reserves for more critical industries like the pharmaceutical sector.

As rial-denominated revenues languished in Iran, airlines saw their losses mount, and the routes were no longer commercially viable.

For context, the executive impresses that business is good in the aviation industry worldwide right now and that for airline executive committees dealing with the headache of operating in Iran, the option to simply reassign an aircraft and flight crew to another more profitable route became increasingly appealing.

For now, Lufthansa and Alitalia are continuing their services to Iran. For these European holdouts, the withdrawal of their competitors could offer a reprieve, reducing competition and perhaps helping to stabilize airfares.

European governments, which have been actively involved in the challenges faced by their national carriers since January, remain politically supportive. Of course, Iran Air will benefit.

Iran’s national carrier announced route expansions in May in an effort to win back market share from the international players.

No doubt, sanctions contributed to the withdrawal of international airlines out of Iran, but not for the political or legal reasons readily assumed.

Rather, international airlines would have persisted in their service to Iranian destinations, emboldened by political support from European governments, had it not been for the intractable issues surrounding commercial viability.

While the withdrawal from Iran essentially came down to fundamental commercial calculations, the executive makes sure to relay that the decision to cease operating in Iran was nonetheless difficult to make.

In his words, nothing was more painful than how deeply unfair the whole situation is for our team members in Iran. Like many other young and talented Iranians, those let go by the international carriers will be wondering what next.


Tourism Observer

CANADA: Air Canada Signs 15 Year Lease Worth C$19 Million For Multi Tenant Facility.

Air Canada broke ground today on a new facility that will house its ground support equipment service and cargo teams at Edmonton International Airport (YEG). The new, 4,645-square-meter facility being built by Terracap Group is set to open in September 2019.

Air Canada signed a 15-year lease for the multi-tenant facility, worth C$19 million by the airline over the term of the lease. Air Canada Cargo will occupy a 1,858 square meters, while Air Canada’s ground support team will occupy the remaining 2,787 square meters.

In 2017, Air Canada Cargo handled 3.2 million kilograms of goods, including pharmaceuticals, mail, art, and oil and gas industry equipment through its Edmonton cargo facility.

Apart from the cargo facilities, the ground support portion of the new warehouse has five maintenance bays to facilitate Air Canada’s approximately 167 vehicles in use at YEG.

Edmonton is a strategic distribution point for the oil and gas industry here in the province, in this cargo facility, Kevin Howlett, Air Canada senior vice president, regional markets & government relations, said.

All of the necessary ground equipment that we use in the course of our airport operations, including our cargo operations, will be supported in this facility.

There will also be dedicated areas for specialized electrical repairs, year-round equipment painting, welding, hazardous material handling and training.

Cargo is a really important component of even the passenger flights. The more revenue per aircraft, the more additional flights we get over time.

Air Canada said its cargo handled 3.2 million kilograms of goods in 2017 through its Edmonton facility, including pharmaceuticals, mail, art and oil and gas industry equipment.

EIA said Air Canada is offering more than 290 flights each week to 12 destinations in North America this fall, including direct flights to Las Vegas and San Francisco.

In March, Air Canada announced it was launching daily, direct flight options to Las Vegas from the EIA. The flights are scheduled to begin this Sunday onboard an Air Canada Rouge A319.

In late 2017, the airline launched a plan to provide daily non-stop, flights between Edmonton and San Francisco.

There’s been a lot of development at the EIA this year, including the opening of a Costco warehouse in August, the opening of the Premium Outlet Collection EIA mall in May and a new five-storey, 135-room and suite Fairfield Inn by Marriott is under development and scheduled to be complete in early 2019.

The Supreme Court of Canada cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit against Air Canada and British Airways to proceed by dismissing an appeal by Canada's largest airline.

Air Canada had sought to overturn an October 2017 Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that the class action could include foreign claimants despite playing out in Ontario courts.

The decade-old lawsuit from three companies alleges price fixing by major airlines involved in air freight shipping between 2000 and 2006.

Linda Visser, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, says they have reached settlements totalling more than $29 million with all 14 defendants except Air Canada and British Airways.

Visser says the lawsuit involves up to tens of thousands of class members, many of them exporters and freight forwarders that handle shipments ranging from flowers to zoo animals.

The plaintiffs are Ontario's Airia Brands Inc., Britain's Startech.Com Ltd. and Germany's Quick Cargo Service.

The airline signed a 15-year lease for the facility, which is expected to open in Sept. 2019.




Tourism Observer

IRAN: Air France and British Airways Stop Flights To Tehran

Air France made it’s last flight to Tehran on September 18th. Air France cut the number of frequencies to Tehran on August 1, announcing that it would fly only once in a week instead of 3.

British Airways will close route 4 days after Air France on September 22nd with a return trip on the 23rd.

British Airways and Air France are following suit of KLM, which announced last month that it would suspend flights from Amsterdam to Iran in September.

Both airlines are issuing statements that the routes are no longer commercially viable.

As the number of business customers flying to Iran has fallen, the connection is not profitable anymore, said a spokesperson for Air France.

However, speculation that the airlines are simply giving in to political pressure after the United States pulled out of the nuclear agreement with Iran and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

After the sanctions were originally reimposed in early August, Airbus and ATR stopped their deliveries to Iran Air, Iran’s national carrier.

Air France, KLM, and British Airways originally restarted their routes to Tehran in 2015 after the nuclear deal was originally struck.

British Airways is offering refunds to passengers affected or offering to rebook passengers with other carriers.

Air France has, in recent times, transferred their Theran route to their subsidiary, JOON.

Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Germania, Alitalia, and Turkish Airlines are some of the European airlines still operating their routes to Tehran. None of them have provided any indication that they plan to cut their flights as well.


Tourism Observer

UNITED KINGDOM: Credit Card Details Of 380,000 Stolen After Malicious Criminal Hack On British Airways

Hackers obtained the credit card details of some 380,000 British Airways travelers during a two-week data breach this summer that leaves the customers vulnerable to financial fraud, the airline says.

BA's CEO, Alex Cruz, said Friday that enough data was stolen to allow criminals to use credit card information for illicit purposes, and that police are investigating.

We know that the information that has been stolen is name, address, email address, credit card information; that would be credit card number, expiration date and the three-letter code in the back of the credit card, Alex Cruz said.

He added that no passport data had been obtained in what he called a very sophisticated, malicious criminal attack.

It advises people to contact their bank or credit card company if they used the airline's website and mobile app to make or change a booking between 10:58 p.m. London time on Aug. 21 and 9:45 p.m. London time on Sept. 5.

The recommendation does not apply to customers who bought tickets or changed reservations outside those times.

The airline promised to reimburse any financial losses suffered by customers directly because of the theft of this data.

British Airways faces another public relations nightmare as the company has advised that their mobile app and website were the target of a cyber breach which has compromised personal data, specifically the payment card information, of at least 380,000 customers.

The breach was announced on Thursday and customers affected are those who made or changed bookings on the company’s platforms over a 15-day period between 21:58 GMT on August 21 and 20:45 GMT on September 5.

British Airways CEO Alex Cruz issued an apology and appeared on various media on Friday to apologize further for the very sophisticated malicious criminal attack.

Cruz reassured customers that the sites were now secure and investigations were underway as to how the criminals accessed the payment card information of the customers, which included the three-digit CVV number on the back of credit and debit cards.

The CVV is legally not allowed to be stored by companies which is of particular concern in the investigation.

Also of concern is the length of time that the harvesting of customer details was able to continue for over two weeks, with the airline only noticing something was awry on Wednesday night and concluding the serious extent of the criminal activity on Thursday.

Emirates President Sir Tim Clark was speaking at the annual Aviation Festival in London on Friday and offered his rivals some words of consolation saying that BA was dealt a dose of bad luck.

Sir Tim added that airlines can expect further breaches as digital transformation of the business increases.

He said, At Emirates we have strengthened and added resources to the cyber security units. The fact is if you do not spend time and money you are going to be hugely exposed.

IT news site The Register quoted an unnamed expert as saying the cause of the breach may probably come down to either not having an update tested before it goes live, cost-cutting resulting in the site not being tested as often as it should have been or lower quality support, not patching the servers.

The site also reported that on August 1 BA’s Group IT Service Effectiveness Manager had advised staff that management had approved a proposal to outsource the airline’s cyber security to IBM and that a consultation process with affected staff would be initiated.

BA has been under scrutiny in the last few years for the cost-cutting measures and business model changes which have been implemented across the airline under Cruz.

With regard to those customers affected by the breach, Alex Cruz said that: we will compensate them for any financial hardship that they may have suffered.

What that compensation will be is yet to be determined with BA customers taking to social media to express their anger and frustration against the airline.

Affected customers should first seek advice from their bank, then monitor bank and credit card statements closely for signs of possible fraudulent activity.

There could be possible phishing scams in which hackers would try to trick affected consumers into revealing personal information like pincodes or banking passwords.

Some customers are relating stories of being stranded in foreign countries without access to funds as their banks have advised them to cancel their payment cards.

Further concern is being raised of the opportunities the criminals have to use the data obtained in a myriad of fraudulent practices such as creating fake accounts with other companies.

Some angry travelers complained that they had already noted bogus activity on credit cards that had been used to make British Airways bookings during the time when the breach was undetected.

The hack once again puts the spotlight on the strength of the IT systems at major companies as they expand their digital services.

British Airways experienced an IT-related crisis in May last year when roughly 75,000 passengers were stranded after the airline cancelled more than 700 flights over three days because of system problems.

In the UK, the incident is also being investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office; the National Crime Agency; and National Cyber Security Centre.

If BA is found to be in breach of recent EU GDPR legislation, introduced in May, they may face a fine equivalent to four percent of their annual global revenue.

For the airline, this would equate to £489m in addition to the passenger compensation.

When attempting to access BA’s online Media Center on Friday afternoon to retrieve further updates on the situation, users are prevented from doing so and faced with a Privacy Error message which reads: Attackers might be trying to steal your information from mediacentre.britishairways.com (for example, passwords, messages or credit cards).

In the U.S., Delta Airlines said in April that payment-card information for several hundred thousand customers could have been exposed by a malware breach months earlier.

The same breach also hit Sears Holdings Corp., which operates Kmart stores.

British Airways revealed the new hack Thursday evening and began notifying customers.

Britain's National Crime Agency says it is investigating.


Tourism Observer

RUSSIA: Pobeda Goes To Pulkovo Airport

Aeroflot low-cost subsidiary Pobeda Airline plans to launch three new international routes from St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport in October, the airport said.

The carrier starts 3X-weekly Milan Bergamo service Oct. 11; 4X-weekly London Stansted service Oct. 12; and daily Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen service Oct. 28.

The Moscow Vnukovo-based airline will compete on the St. Petersburg-London route with another Aeroflot subsidiary, Rossiya Airlines, which operates flights to Gatwick, and British Airways, flying to Heathrow.

On the Istanbul route, Pobeda will compete with Rossiya and Turkish Airlines, which are connecting Pulkovo with Istanbul Atatürk Airport.

Pobeda launched flights from Pulkovo in October 2015.

During the first seven months of 2018, the airline carried 577,000 passengers from Pulkovo, up 136% year-over-year (YOY).

The airline’s St. Petersburg network included 11 domestic and five international destinations in the IATA 2018 summer season.

Moscow Domodedovo-based S7 Airlines, the second biggest carrier in Russia after Aeroflot Group, also boosts a network from St. Petersburg.


Tourism Observer

NEW ZEALAND: EVA Air Leases Its Boeing 777 To Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand will use a leased plane from Taiwan's EVA Air to cover for Dreamliner aircraft that are still affected by Rolls-Royce engine problems.

An EVA Boeing 777-300 will be used on Auckland-Vancouver and Auckland-Nadi routes for a fortnight from later this month.

It is the second leased 777 Air New Zealand is using.

During a six-week period until early September, the airline has an ex-Singapore Airlines 777-200 on the Auckland Honolulu route as it works through checks and repairs, if needed, to different parts of Trent engines.

The EVA plane is believed to be about nine years old, six years younger than the ex-Singapore aircraft which has been praised as roomy but has had problems with its in-flight entertainment system.

Air New Zealand said that it was leasing planes because continuing to get customers to their destinations has been its first priority as it worked through disruption from engine issue.

EVA Air is a fellow Star Alliance member.

This particular aircraft is of a similar standard to our Air New Zealand fleet with business, premium economy and economy class seating, the airline said.

There are 38 business class seats, 64 premium economy and 221 economy seats.

We are pleased to confirm that Air New Zealand crew and pilots will be operating this aircraft, who will provide the friendly Kiwi service our customers are familiar with.

Earlier this year the airline wet leased older Airbus A340s from charter operator Hi Fly that needed to be staffed by its Portuguese crew.

Air New Zealand's flight schedules have been badly affected because nine of its 11 Boeing 787s have engines subject to inspections of compressors and range some can fly from airports has been restricted.

Engines have been flown to Singapore to replace cracked compressor blades, a job that can take 10 days but also stretch for weeks depending on what else is needed.

The intermediate compressor problems, and earlier turbine blade problems led to groundings and severe disruption for airlines, including Thai and LATAM which also serve this market.

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Singapore Airlines' regional carrier Scoot have also been affected by problems with Trent Package C engines, used by about a quarter of the Dreamliner fleet.

EVA Air started flying in 1991, has 78 aircraft serving 63 destinations. It had more than 12 million passengers across its network and the US is its biggest market outside of Asia Pacific.

The airline was awarded best business class and premium economy class in Asia, at the 2018 TripAdvisor Awards which are determined by airline reviews and ratings submitted by travellers worldwide.


Tourism Observer

USA: Facial Recognition Working Well And Fast At Mineta San Jose Airport

Mineta San Jose International Airport is one of several airports nationwide chosen by the United States Customs and Border Protection agency to use facial recognition to screen all arriving and departing international travelers.

The airport quietly began using the technology on arriving international flights June 25. International fliers leaving SJC will see it in use at departure gates in the coming months, according to the airport. The technology is also in use at airports in Orlando and San Diego.

Here's one of the biggest changes travelers can expect: all departing international passengers will be photographed at the gate before they board their flight.

The images give the government verifiable biometric proof that a U.S. visitor has left the country, and presumably, will also be used to match citizens when they re-enter the country.

When entering the United States off a flight, passengers are photographed at passport control.

Facial recognition software compares the image against passport or visa photos the federal government already has on file.

The process takes less than a second. It eliminates the need for agents to scan passports manually and visually compare travelers to their passport photos, both are time consuming tasks that slow down immigration queues.

Interviews and customs luggage inspections will still go ahead.

Travelers enrolled in Global Entry will see no changes in the way they enter the country since those kiosks already photograph and fingerprint arriving international passengers.

Travelers who use the Mobile Passport app to digitally fill-out immigration forms and customs declarations can continue to use it, but will also go through the same facial recognition process at passport control.

SJC will install biometric readers at each of the seven gates used for international departures to photograph travelers leaving the country. That's coming in the fall, we're told.

At SJC, the process has already expedited long passport screening lines which have grown to become unbearable for many travelers.

The airport has seen a staggering increase in the number of international flights in recent years such as Aeromexico, Air China, All Nippon Airways, British Airways, and Lufthansa have all launched flights to SJC in the last decade.

In 2017, the airport logged 438,800 international arrivals — more than double the number in 2015, when there were 199,900.

Simultaneously, airport officials said there has been a shortage of Customs and Border Patrol agents to staff passport control counters because the agency isn't able to recruit and retain enough people willing to put up with the Bay Area's high cost of living.

The airport hopes the new automated screening process will shorten wait times and put an end to a lot of the frustration.

The use of the technology has raised suspicions by civil liberties groups, which oppose the government's collection of the photographs of citizens.

The biggest danger is that this technology will be used for general, suspicionless surveillance systems, the American Civil Liberties Union warned.

State motor vehicles agencies possess high-quality photographs of most citizens that are a natural source for face recognition programs and could easily be combined with public surveillance or other cameras in the construction of a comprehensive system of identification and tracking.

Passengers who want to opt-out of the biometric screening will have the option to do so.

The federal government says photos of U.S. citizens might be stored for up to 14 days, but photos of non-U.S. citizens could be stored for decades.


Tourism Observer

More Airlines Expanding Routes

There’s a new entrant in the U.S.-Hong Kong market; Delta will put a new aircraft on a China route and will beef up transpacifc code-sharing; Cathay Pacific will add another U.S. gateway next year.

United is eliminating first class on many routes and cuts back China service; a Lufthansa affiliate is adding a new business class; LATAM is coming to Las Vegas; San Jose gets more service to Mexico; Copa begins Denver service; an Italian airline plans new U.S. routes.

Alaska ends its relationship with two European partners; and Norwegian revamps its U.S. schedules next summer, adding frequencies from the West Coast.

Hong Kong Airlines, a Hong Kong-based sister company of China’s Hainan Airlines, started service to the U.S. for the first time.

The carrier is using a new Airbus A350-900 on the Los Angeles-Hong Kong route, configured with 33 lie-flat business class seats, 109 premium economy seats with 34-inch pitch, and 193 regular economy seats with 31-32 inch pitch.

The new LAX-Hong Kong flights operate four times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), with a 10:45 a.m. departure from LAX. Hong Kong Airlines plans to add San Francisco service in late March, and New York flights later next year.

So far, all of Delta’s Airbus A350-900s have been scheduled for routes out of Detroit or Atlanta, but now the airline is planning to operate one of the new planes out of Los Angeles.

Delta plans to start flying the new plane from LAX to Shanghai Pudong on July 2, alternating days with a 777-200LR until July 18, when the A350 went onto a daily schedule.

Delta’s A350s – which feature the airline’s new Delta One suites and new international premium economy section – are already used on flights from Detroit to Tokyo Narita and Seoul Incheon, and are slated to start Detroit-Beijing service January 17.

Detroit-Amsterdam and Atlanta-Seoul March 24; and Detroit-Shanghai April 19.

Meanwhile, Delta will expand code-sharing with its transpacific partner Korean Air on January 10, putting the DL code onto Korean’s flights to Seoul Incheon from Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

In other transpacific news, Cathay Pacific has unveiled plans to add another East Coast gateway in mid-September 2018, when it will start flying from Hong Kong to Washington Dulles.

The carrier already serves Boston, New York JFK and Newark. Cathay reportedly plans to fly the route – which will be the longest in its system – four days a week with a brand-new Airbus A350-1000.

A couple of months ago, we reported on United’s plans to reconfigure its international long-haul 777-200s, putting in new lie-flat Polaris business class seats, taking out first class, and going from nine-across to 10-across seating in economy.

The reconfigured 777s will be deployed, based on the elimination of first class from seating availability. It shows the elimination of 777 first class in late April from San Francisco to London, and from Washington Dulles to Brussels, Frankfurt and Tokyo Narita.

At the end of August from Chicago O’Hare to Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo Narita, Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Frankfurt and Munich.

Meanwhile, United’s seasonal summer route from San Francisco to Xi’An, China, which had previously been scheduled for three 787 flights a week from May 6 through September 4, has been eliminated for 2018.

Las Vegas is due to get its first non-stop service to South America next summer.

LATAM Airlines Brasil has filed plans to operate a 767 three times a week between Las Vegas and Sao Paulo from June 21 through August 31.

Lufthansa’s lower-cost leisure affiliate Eurowings plans to launch new transatlantic routes in 2018, including JFK-Dusseldorf starting April 28, Dusseldorf-Miami as of May 4, and Dusseldorf-Ft. Myers beginning May 3.

Now it appears that the airline will try to entice business travelers onto those flights by adding a new business class cabin.

The new Eurowings cabin, simply called Bizclass, will feature seats that recline fully and will include upgraded meals and other special amenities. Details of Eurowings’ new Bizclass were introduced in March at the big ITB Travel Fair in Berlin.

Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris, which already had service out of San Jose to Guadalajara, has now added two more routes.

Volaris has started twice-weekly flights from SJC to Morelia on Fridays and Sundays, as well as twice-weekly service from SJC to Zacatecas on Mondays and Thursdays. Next summer, Aeromexico is due to begin SJC-Mexico City flights.

Panama’s Copa Airlines, a member of United’s Star Alliance family, has added Denver as its 13th U.S. gateway.

The carrier has kicked off new non-stop service four days a week from Denver to Panama City, with Denver departures on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 10:16 p.m. Copa offers onward connections in Panama to 55 Latin American destinations.

Italian carrier Meridiana plans to add two U.S. routes next summer. On June 1, it will begin daily service from Milan Malpensa to New York JFK, followed up on June 8 by four flights a week from Malpensa to Miami.

The airline will use a 247-passenger, two-class Airbus A330 on both routes.

On April 30, 2018, Alaska Airlines ended its Mileage Plan partnership with Air France-KLM – not really a surprise considering that the European duo has a joint venture partnership with Alaska’s arch-rival Delta.

Alaska and Delta ended their own mileage partnership last spring. The Alaskan carrier notes that it still has partnership agreements to Europe in place with British Airways, Finnair, Icelandair and Condor.

The latest schedule updates from Norwegian show the low-cost carrier plans to boost service on several U.S. routes in late March, increasing its weekly Barcelona frequencies from three to four out of Los Angeles, from three to five out of Oakland, and from four to six out of Newark.

The carrier will also boost LAX-Copenhagen service from three flights a week to four.

At Boston, Norwegian plans to increase London Gatwick service from four flights a week to seven starting June 12, but it will discontinue its seasonal Boston-Oslo and Boston-Copenhagen flights.


Tourism Observer

USA: United To Fly New 737 MAX 9s From SFO And LAX To Hawaii.

United will drop a transcontinental route from San Jose, add some domestic regional markets, and start flying new 737MAX9s to Hawaii from the West Coast.

Delta will start service between two business centers, add a Mexico route and increase Havana flights; JetBlue expands Mint service to Central America; and British Airways targets a new U.S. gateway.

United Airlines is throwing in the towel on its daily San Jose-Newark service as of October 26, citing poor traffic numbers.

That leaves three carriers in the non-stop SJC-New York market – Alaska Airlines with a daytime eastbound flight to Newark and a new daily daytime flight to New York JFK; and Delta and JetBlue with eastbound red-eye service from SJC to New York JFK.

United continues to fly from SJC to its hubs at Houston Bush Intercontinental, Denver and Chicago O’Hare.

Elsewhere, United will add some new spokes from its Denver hub. On October 4, it will begin twice-daily service to Monterey, California with CRJ200s.

On December 19 United will launch seasonal daily service from DEN to Mammoth Lakes, California with a CRJ700, continuing through the end of March.

And on August 29, United will add Prescott, Arizona to its route map with daily CRJ200 flights from Denver and six CRJ200 flights a week from Los Angeles. All four of these routes will be operated by SkyWest.

To Hawaii, meanwhile, United is expected to deploy new Boeing 737 MAX9s on some west coast routes in the months ahead.

It will use the new planes to operate six to seven flights a week from LAX to Kahului, Maui starting August 21; daily flights from LAX to Kona as of February 14.

Daily service from San Francisco to Kona beginning March 8; and daily flights from SFO to Maui as of March 9. While efficient, the new planes have become quickly known for ultra-tight seating and teeny-tiny lavatories. Tough for a five hour flight.

Speaking of Hawaii when Chris was in Kauai recently, the word on the street was that production crews were on the island shooting commercials for Southwest Airlines' launch of new flights from the mainland.

Unconfirmed reports are that flights could begin as soon as November. The carrier is currently flying domestic simulations in the hopes of getting ETOPS certification for its 737s soon.

Delta is the largest airline at Raleigh-Durham, and it’s planning to grow there next spring with the addition of a key business route.

On April 1, the carrier will start flying three times a day from RDU to Chicago O'Hare , using 70-passenger E175s with first class, Comfort+ and main cabin seating.

Delta will be trying to pick up a piece of the RDU-ORD market currently dominated by United and American, and maybe a bit of the RDU-Chicago Midway market served by multiple daily Southwest flights.

Delta and Aeromexico will add another route top their joint venture operation on September 17 with the launch of new non-stop service between Detroit and Queretaro, a growing business center northwest of Mexico City.

The route will be served three days a week with a two-class Aeromexico E190. And on October 28, Delta will increase capacity between Miami and Havana by adding a second flight five days a week.

Citing increased demand from customers for its premium front-cabin Mint service with lie-flat seats, JetBlue said it will add weekly Mint-equipped flights to a pair of Latin America and Caribbean markets this fall.

On November 3, it will start Saturday service from Boston to St. Lucia, followed on December 15 by Mint-equipped flights from New York JFK to Liberia, Costa Rica.

Next February, it will resume Saturday Mint service from JFK to St. Maarten.

British Airways will add another U.S. gateway to its network on April 2 when it kicks off new service from London Heathrow to Pittsburgh.

The carrier will use a 787-8 Dreamliner on the route, which will operate four days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday).


Tourism Observer

UNITED KINGDOM: British Airways Now Serving Union Coffee

Coffee might be the drink of choice of metropolitan elites, with small fortunes spent on lattes, flat whites and esoteric roasts, yet the filter coffee served on airlines has seldom kept up with the soaring quality of speciality coffees over the last decade.

British Airways is set to change this with the introduction of Union hand roasted coffee served in First, Club World and BA lounges.

First class passengers can select from a range of coffee options including latte, cappuccino, filter coffee or espresso, while Club World passengers get Union’s filter coffee.

Passengers flying in economy will miss out on the Union experience, but passengers able to gain access to British Airways’s lounges can enjoy Union coffee there.

London-based ethical roaster Union Coffee is known for its quality, flavour and consistency among connoisseurs.

From a modest start Union’s success now amounts to more than a hill of beans, with revenues in 2017 of more than £12.5 million, making it one of the UK’s largest speciality coffee roasters.

But it’s Union’s great taste and ability to deliver consistent quality that has singled it out as the coffee of choice on British Airways.

Founder Jeremy Torz said We’re delighted that British Airways is looking to bring a fantastic coffee experience to its Club World and First passengers.

On our part, it’s tremendously exciting to be working with one of the world’s most trusted and prestigious brands.

Harsh bitter flavours on the palate are exacerbated by altitude, and so getting a coffee blend that works well in an aircraft’s low pressure cabin is challenge.

Union has developed a blend that, the company claims, works well at 35,000ft.

The medium roast blend of Peruvian beans has espresso-tasting notes of chocolate, pecan, and caramel, which British Airways say will complement dishes served on board, such as the chocolate dElice or warm bread and butter pudding.

Sarah Klatt-Walsh, British Airways’ Head of Product, said We have put British brand, Union Coffee, through its paces with extensive taste testing and it works incredibly well at altitude, where richness, depth and complexity of flavour are critical as they cut through the affect of altitude on our taste buds.

We believe it’ll be a real winner with customers made all the sweeter thanks to its responsible sourcing and British credentials, in line with our own.

The upgrade in coffee is part of British Airways’s current £4.5 billion investment over the next few years that will usher in improvements in long-haul economy cabin catering, new seats, wifi and power at every seat, new interiors and 72 new aircraft.

Union Hand-Roasted Coffee formerly Union Coffee Roasters is a privately owned British coffee roasting business based in East London, United Kingdom.

The company was founded in 2001 by Jeremy Torz and Steven Macatonia. They source, roast, brew, teach, and celebrate specialty coffee.

Coffee House says the company effectively bridges the definitions of independent and mainstream as they work according to craft principles, but also sell their products in supermarkets.

Jeremy Torz and Stephen Macatonia from the UK initially learnt about coffee in San Francisco during the early 1990s when they worked at Peets Coffee.

They found the Californian city to have a buzzing coffee scene, which was a stark contrast to the local coffee scene in the UK, which was at that time next to non-existent.

Before starting the business, Torz was an optician while Macatonia worked as an immunologist.

Both of them however were inspired by the coffee roasting scene, and though they originally intended to stay in the United States for six months, they remained there for four years.

During the four years they learned much about the local coffee community, and the skill of coffee roasting and production.

They returned to the UK in 1994 and decided to leave their day jobs and start a small coffee roasting business, Torz and Macatonia, taking the surnames of Jeremy and Steven respectively. Due to their lack of experience in the retail sector, they started a wholesale company.

In 1995, they became the main supplier for The Seattle Coffee Company, the first major coffee shop chain in the UK.

Torz and Macatonia eventually merged with The Seattle Coffee Company in 1997 which was then acquired by Starbucks in 1998.

After some time Jeremy and Steven left in 2000. In 2001, they founded private company Union Coffee Roasters and in 2007, it was re-branded to Union Hand-Roasted Coffee.

By 2005 the company was producing 11 different lines, four of which were special editions and seven of which were for sale in Sainsbury's, Asda, the Co-op and Somerfield.

In 2015 Union refreshed their brand to help share the joy of good coffee. As part of this they created a new company logo, revamped and rationalised their coffee range for Waitrose and Ocado and launched a new coffee subscription service known as CoffeeClub.

Union Coffee supplies wholesale specialty coffee and barista training Gail's Artisan Bakery, Brasserie Blanc and Peach Pubs.


Tourism Observer

NORWAY: Norwegian Boeing 737 Sustains Hydraulic Failure, Lufthansa In Talks With Norwegian

A Norwegian Air International Boeing 737-800, performing flight D8-6241 from Keflavik - Iceland to Madrid - Spain with 152 people on board, was enroute at FL350 about 20nm north of Belfast International - Northern Ireland when the crew reported a hydraulic failure and decided to divert to Birmingham,EN (UK).

The aircraft landed safely in Birmingham about one hour later.

The aircraft stopped on the runway, emergency services foamed the aircraft when a hydraulic leak was seen from the left main gear.

The airport reported the aircraft diverted due to hydraulic failure. Flights were suspended for about 4 hours as result.

The airline reported a techncial issue.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa’s CEO Carsten Spohr told German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung: "There's a new wave of consolidation approaching. That means we are also in contact with Norwegian.

International Consolidated Airlines Group PLC could face a tough battle if it were to bid for Norwegian Air Shuttle after the boss of Deutsche Lufthansa said the German airline was interested in making a bid for the low-cost airline.

Lufthansa’s CEO Carsten Spohr said In Europe, everyone is talking to everyone. There's a new wave of consolidation approaching. That means we are also in contact with Norwegian.

He added: Takeovers are always a question of strategic value, the price and anti-trust. There are no easy answers.

IAG - the owner of British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus - bought a 4.6% stake in Norwegian in April and has made two offers for the airline, both of which were rejected.

The spokesperson for Norwegian said: Norwegian confirms that it has received enquiries from several parties following IAG’s acquisition of shares in the company.

These parties have expressed indicative and preliminary interest in share acquisitions, mergers, structured transactions, financing of the group and various forms of operational and financial cooperation, the spokesman said.

Norwegian believes that interest from several parties demonstrates the attractiveness of our business, he added.

Norwegian carries more than 30mln passengers a year, including 5.2mln from the UK following a rapid expansion with flights costing as little as £99 one-way to New York.


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