Airlines
An Unacceptable Situation
Calling the timing “unacceptable” and the situation “incomprehensible,” Lufthansa said on Friday that it “deeply regrets that the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union has not refrained from causing massive disruption to flight operations in the peak holiday period.” Lufthansa noted that the strike comes at the end of the school holidays in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate and in its view, is being taken “in order to push through its [the union's] own interests. Strike action had previously severely restricted flight operations at Lufthansa’s subsidiary Germanwings for six...
United Takes Delivery of First 787-9 Aircraft
United Airlines has become the first North American carrier to take delivery of the Boeing 787-9, a stretched version of the Dreamliner that will allow the airline to accommodate more customers. The aircraft is the first of 26 of the newest member of the Dreamliner family United has on order. “The 787-9 builds on the Dreamliner's fuel efficiency and customer comfort while giving us even more flexibility and range,” said United vice-president Ron Baur. “Last year our customers gave the 787 the highest customer satisfaction scores of any aircraft in our fleet, and we know...
Air Travellers Demand Fare Transparency
A new survey of more than 1,000 air travellers found overwhelming support for a proposed U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) rule requiring airlines to share their fees for baggage and seat assignments with travel agents and travel web sites, with 88% saying that requirement was “very” or “extremely” important. By a broad 71% to 13% margin, consumers also said the rule should be strengthened to require airlines to sell their basic ancillary fees wherever they sell their tickets. Conducted by Open Allies for Airfare Transparency in co-ordination with Travelers United...
Virgin Grounds Vancouver Service
Building on a two-year recovery plan, Virgin Atlantic has announced plans to update its network, which includes grounding its Vancouver service. In a statement, Virgin said summer seasonal service from London Heathrow to Vancouver will not return after this season’s flying program ends on Oct. 11. Officials also noted that if in the future Heathrow gains its “long overdue” expansion, Virgin Atlantic would love to re-enter the Vancouver...
Air Transat Unveils New Eco Fares
Air Transat has introduced new Eco Fares, offering “flexibility and worry-free vacations” to Economy Class passengers. The three new Eco Fares offer varying conditions for flight changes or cancellation, allowing passengers to modify their travel dates or even cancel their trip if necessary. Eco Fares are now available for all Air Transat flights. “Because each vacation is unique, we’re pleased to provide vacationers with more choices with the introduction of our new Eco Fares,” says Air Transat general manager Jean-François Lemay. “Travellers were already able to...
Deadline Extended
On April 16, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) passed legislation to harmonize interline baggage rules with the US DOT with a compliance deadline of Oct. 1, which ACTA reports has now been extended to April 1, 2015. The new legislation forces air carriers to provide specific information to the consumer about all of the factors that may cause the fee for a carry-on bag and the first/second checked bag to vary. This new information must be included in addition to indicating what the standard baggage allowances and charges are applicable to the passenger for the first and second...
July Passenger Travel Shows Strong Growth: IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports global passenger traffic results for July showing demand growth of 5.3% (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) over the previous July. Capacity expanded exactly in tandem with demand (5.3%), resulting in a global load factor of 82.3%, unchanged from last year. “July was another strong month of growth for air travel. People are connecting by air in ever greater numbers. That’s true across all regions. Despite the various economic challenges, the outlook for passenger travel remains broadly positive,” said...
An NDC First
Amadeus and United Airlines have launched Amadeus’ Airline Ancillary Services Solution using NDC-XML (v1.0) connectivity, marking the first NDC-XML solution in the travel agency channel in North America. United’s vice-president of merchandizing and eCommerce, Scott Wilson said: “We are excited to be working with Amadeus to merchandize our Economy Plus extra-legroom seats via our travel agency partners. NDC-XML connectivity allows us to use a next-generation industry standard to effectively merchandize our portfolio of products and services to our customers.” Amadeus’...