Aviation

Bloomberg United Continental Holdings Inc. is considering whether to add an upgraded economy section to US flights—a feature typically reserved for overseas markets. The Chicago-based carrier for months has been readying a new “Premium Plus” section with bigger seats and improved dining options. While the company previously said it would add the class to international routes, it’s now considering it ...

Bloomberg Three deadly air crashes that have killed 170 passengers in the past 4 1/2 weeks may indicate that 2017, the safest-ever year for aviation, represented a statistical blip. A total of five fare-paying customers lost their lives in just two crashes on planes of 14 seats or more in the whole of 2017, and there were no passenger fatalities ...

Bloomberg India took the drastic measure of grounding all Airbus SE narrow-body planes powered by the latest Pratt & Whitney engines, removing the aircraft from the country’s skies after a series of in-flight incidents. A320neos with even one Pratt engine featuring a seal found to cause vibrations are no longer allowed to fly, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said ...

Bloomberg South African Airways is striving to return to profit in three years by reducing the size of the network and transferring planes to its low-cost carrier as Chief Executive Officer Vuyani Jarana embarks on a recovery plan. A turnaround of the state-owned airline is among the more urgent priorities of newly appointed Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene, who is seeking ...

Bloomberg At an aviation summit in Brussels, Europe’s main airlines put on a display of unity over the challenges ahead. But the industry’s chief executive officers were divided when it came to the biggest issue of all: Brexit. The UK’s scheduled departure from the European Union in March 2019 has provoked widely varying reactions from carriers in the 28-nation bloc. ...

Bloomberg Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd will split its coach class into three ticket grades in an effort to head off the challenge presented by an emerging low-cost, long-haul sector led by Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA. The UK carrier plans to introduce an “economy light” fare for passengers prepared to take hand baggage only and happy to have their seats allocated ...

Bloomberg Low-cost international flying is coming to Brazil. Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA plans to fly to Brazil from Argentina and London to boost its month-old operations in South America, Chief Executive Officer Bjorn Kjos said in an interview in Buenos Aires. The Scandinavian company has already received authorisation from the Argentine government to operate flights to 13 Brazilian cities. Norwegian ...

Bloomberg One of India’s fastest-growing airlines has signed a $12.5 billion deal with CFM International Inc. for engines and a 10-year services contract for an incoming fleet of more than 150 Boeing Co. 737 MAX aircraft. SpiceJet Ltd. has agreed to buy the LEAP-1B engines and spare engines from CFM, which is a joint venture between France’s Safran Aircraft Engines ...

Bloomberg South African Airways may not be able to continue to operate as a going concern, while the struggling state-owned airline has failed to properly record financial information and the value of assets, according to the Auditor General. SAA made a net loss of about $471 million in the year through March 2017, according to a document signed by AG ...

Bloomberg WestJet Airlines Ltd.’s appointment of a new chief executive officer opens the way for Canada’s No. 2 carrier to hammer out a labour deal with its pilots over the next few months, a union leader said. Relations had soured between the union and CEO Gregg Saretsky as WestJet pilots sought their first bargaining agreement. Those negotiations now fall to ...