Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc will offer customers the ability to connect from one flight to another for the first time, taking another step away from its pure focus on no-frills point-to-point travel. The move brings Ryanair a step closer to conventional airline operations after decades focused solely on out-competing rival network carriers with bargain basement fares. The new policy, ...
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BA unveils new investment plans to up earnings
Dubai / Emirates Business British Airways (BA) on Thursday launched its investment plans for customers, focusing on excellence in the premium cabins and more choice and quality for all. The investments include: £400 million in Club World (long-haul business class), introduction of Club Europe on UK domestic services, new lounges, First Wing direct security and lounge access at Heathrow, ...
Read More »Boeing and JetBlue tie-up to fund startup for electric airplane
Bloomberg Boeing Co. and JetBlue Airways Corp. are investing in a startup developing an electric-powered aircraft with the potential to transform short-haul flights. Zunum Aero is designing and building 10- to 50-seat planes for trips of 700 miles initially and as much as 1,000 miles by 2030. The aircraft would fill a “vast regional transport gap†and reduce travel ...
Read More »Lufthansa bets A350 can turn Munich hub profitable
Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa is banking on Airbus Group SE’s latest A350 wide-body jet to shore up its Munich hub, where the deployment of less efficient planes means normally lucrative long-haul flights are losing money. The first 15 of 25 A350s ordered by Lufthansa are to be based in the Bavarian city, with the composite-fuselage, twin-engine model providing a 25 ...
Read More »Boeing signs US$3bn deal with Iran airline
TEHRAN / AP Boeing Co. has signed a $3 billion deal with an Iranian airline for 30 new aircraft, officials said, in the first major sale by a US company in the Islamic Republic since the Trump administration imposed new sanctions against Tehran. The deal for the 30 737 MAX aircraft, which includes an option for another 30, could ...
Read More »Airbus carves out space on A380 to fit 80 more seats
Bloomberg Airbus Group SE is making a fresh sales pitch for its A380 superjumbo with half a dozen proposals to accommodate more than 80 additional seats, seeking to enhance the flagship jet’s economic credentials after a struggle to win orders in recent years. The changes on offer include removing an upper-deck stowage area to add 10 business-class seats, re-positioning ...
Read More »Airlines’ new innovations to lure more travellers
Bloomberg Amid a dearth of new plane models, the aviation industry is intensifying the search for in-cabin innovations to lure passengers with wider seats, faster service and even fresh pancakes. Among developments this year, Qatar Airways revealed a business berth which can be swiveled to form a meeting area for four or a double bed. Dubai-based Emirates, which already ...
Read More »Airbus, SITA launch new security operations services
Dubai / Emirates Business Airbus and SITA have launched new Security Operations Center Services customized for the specific needs of the air transport industry. This new incident detection services will provide airlines, airports and other air transport industry stakeholders with information about unusual cyber activity that may impact their businesses. These services have been developed to specifically meet an ...
Read More »Flight attendants still wary of American’s new uniforms
FORT WORTH / AP Beth Henry’s eyes sometimes itch and her throat begins to swell when she’s on an American Airlines plane, even if she’s not wearing a new uniform blamed by thousands of flight attendants for causing allergies. Henry and other flight attendants think the airline hasn’t done enough to protect them. “The only thing that will make ...
Read More »UAE airports forecast 6.3% passenger growth
Emirates Business Despite sluggish global economic growth, low oil prices, ‘Trumponomics’ and Brexit, the UAE will lead Middle East passenger growth in 2017 with an annual increase of more than 6.3%, according to estimates from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). However, aviation-related discussions during Arabian Travel Market this year will no doubt be dominated by the recent US-led ...
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