Airline Trends News
BA relaxes “discriminatory” seating policy
British Airways has changed its seating policy for unaccompanied minors after a business travellers sued the airline for making him “feel like a child molester” after being seated next to a child he did not know.
UK High Court suspends flight compensation
The High Court in London has suspended the right of UK air passengers to claim compensation from airlines for flight delays. The ruling means that UK courts will hear no further compensation cases until a further ECJ ruling, which isn’t expected till 2012.
Turkish cabin crew ordered to lose weight
Turkish Airlines has given a group of flight attendants six months to slim down or face reassignment to ground positions. The employees, 13 women and 15 men, have been placed on unpaid leave until they lose weight in the first case of its kind for a European carrier.
Lufthansa opens luxury lounge for pampered pooches
Lufthansa has raised the pet tourism luxury stakes several notches with the opening of a first-class lounge dedicated to all animals from pampered pooches to fluffy felines.
Regulators rule out Ryanair’s standing-room only flights
Ryanair’s plans to get rid of seats and introduce pay-toilets will not happen for at least two years, European safety regulators have ruled.
Lockheed Martin Donates $3.5 Million Canadian Training Package to Saskatchewan Indian Institute
Lockheed Martin Donates $3.5 Million Canadian Training Package to Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies
Airbus: A320 family aircraft have operated 50 million flights
Airbus said A320 family aircraft recently passed the 50-million-flight milestone and have carried 5 billion passengers since entering commercial service in 1988.
Air Canada welcomes Canada’s new status as Approved Destination for Chinese travellers
Air Canada today welcomed the signing of an agreement between China and Canada by which the Government of China has granted Canada Approved Destination Status, making it easier for Chinese nationals to visit Canada. The agreement comes as Air Canada doubles its capacity between Toronto and China beginning this fall with the introduction of daily flights year-round to Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong, in addition to its year-round flights between Vancouver and all three cities.
Air Malta ‘a customer-focused airline’
Air Malta has celebrated being named one of the leading short-haul carriers flying out of the UK and claimed that the achievement is evidence that it is a ‘customer-focused airline’.
Jet Airways On-Time Performance Soars 89.9% in May 2010
Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, and Jet Lite, a wholly owned subsidiary, have achieved the best on time performance in May, as per the figures released by the Director General of Civil Aviation.
Thomas Cook to rent inflight PSPs
Thomas Cook Airlines is to replace its free inflight entertainment systems with hand-held Playstation PSPs. The device will be rented for £7.50 per flight, in a move that echoes an industry-wide shift to generating ancillary revenue rather than raising headline fares.
BRIC aviation set to break Airbus-Boeing duopoly
The Boeing-Airbus duopoly of the $1.6 trillion aircraft manufacturing market is set to face a formidable challenge from the BRIC economies over the next two decades. Young upstarts – including the likes of Brazil’s Embraer and China’s Comac – are launching aircraft that will erode the duopoly’s 90 percent share of the narrow-bodied market.