Aviation

Bloomberg American Airlines Group Inc. plans to retire 45 of its oldest Boeing Co. 737 jets over the next two years as part of an overhaul that will reduce the age of its workhorse narrow-body fleet. The Fort Worth, Texas, carrier plans to withdraw 12 of the aircraft next year and 33 in 2020, or about three a month. American’s ...

Bloomberg Boeing Co. may need to rethink one of the most distinctive features of its proposed new mid-range jet—a small cargo hold—to win over customers in Asia, potentially the plane’s largest market. The manufacturer faces a “cargo conundrum,” for the jetliner dubbed the 797 by industry observers, said Domhnal Slattery, founder and chief executive officer of Avolon Holdings Ltd., the ...

Bloomberg Hawaiian Holdings Inc. handed Boeing Co. a victory by selecting 10 of the planemaker’s 787 Dreamliners and canceling a deal for a competing model from Airbus SE. The airline signed a non-binding letter of intent for the Boeing 787-9 jets in a deal valued at $2.82 billion at list prices, passing over Airbus’s A330. Hawaiian expects to use the ...

Bloomberg The US has offered the UK a more limited “Open Skies” aviation deal after Brexit than it has as a member of the European Union, but participants expressed confidence that the lucrative transatlantic market would continue unimpeded. The main stumbling block in the negotiations is that the US is using its standard template for aviation agreements, which has less ...

Bloomberg General Electric Co. plans to replace a part in hundreds of recently delivered engines after uncovering a durability problem inside the turbines powering the upgraded workhorse jets of Boeing Co. and Airbus SE. The manufacturer has identified a fix for a previously disclosed issue with the new Leap engine, and the redesigned part will be incorporated into the production ...

Bloomberg Ten months into the top job and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Rupert Hogg’s to-do list hasn’t gotten any shorter. While its cargo business and passenger traffic, especially premium travelers, are recovering, inflated wage costs and ever-increasing competition from Chinese rivals are issues he has to contend with. Among these, fuel-hedging bets gone awry top the list: ...

Dubai / Emirates Business Emirates has unveiled a brand new Business Class cabin and configuration on its Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, with new wider seats laid out in a 2-2-2 configuration for the first time. The airline has invested over US$150 million to refurbish the 10 existing 777-200LR aircraft in its fleet. The newly refurbished Emirates 777-200LR aircraft is set in ...

Bloomberg Airbus SE is preparing to announce jobs cuts at two troubled aircraft programmes that have been weighing on earnings for years. The planemaker’s management will meet with its European Works Council on Wednesday to explain reductions in the manufacturing rates of the A380 superjumbo and A400M military-transport programmes and “discuss associated implications for the workforce,” it said in a ...

Bloomberg Volantio Inc., the Atlanta-based startup that helped United Airlines Inc. manage its overbookings in the wake of the Dr. Dao scandal last summer, is telling investors it’s cracked a seemingly impossible code: generate more money for airlines while improving customer satisfaction. Eight months into its lifespan, the company—which helps airlines preventatively rejigger inventory by offering buyouts to flexible passengers—closed ...

Bloomberg Airline industry experts have been proclaiming the death of first class for years. While some airlines have done away with it altogether, others are doubling down with palatial suite-style seats, lavish amenities, and services that pamper, both on the ground and in the air. What’s ensued is a golden age of flying … for those who can afford it. ...