Bloomberg Senator Elizabeth Warren urged federal airline regulators to block JetBlue Airways Corp’s proposed merger with Spirit Airlines Inc. by invoking a rarely used authority from the 1950s to argue that the $3.8 billion deal isn’t “consistent with the public interest.†In a letter to Transportation Department Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, said the agency could use its ...
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Virgin Australia not in a hurry to get back into long-hauls
Bloomberg Virgin Australia is reluctant to resume long-haul services even as demand for international travel soars, Chief Executive Officer Jayne Hrdlicka said, as the airline seeks to rein in costs and prepares for an initial public offering as soon as next year. “Anything that we did from a long-haul standpoint would have a very high hurdle on it,†Hrdlicka ...
Read More »FAA hits airlines on flight delays after United CEO comments
Bloomberg US aviation regulators struck back at major carriers’ reliability after the head of United Airlines Holdings Inc called the government’s air-traffic system “by far the No. 1†cause of flight delays. United Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby made the comments in Washington during a conference. Within hours, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a statement, including a chart ...
Read More »Cathay says training, jet bottleneck slowing Covid recovery
Bloomberg Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd expects to fly one-third of its pre-Covid capacity by the end of the year, up from 25% previously projected as Hong Kong gradually loosens restrictions on travel, including lengthy mandatory quarantine stays. The recovery will take time as Hong Kong’s main airline returns its fleet to service and trains staff after operating at as ...
Read More »Air Canada says short-haul future includes electric jets
Bloomberg The head of Air Canada says the carrier will be able to offer zero-emission electric flights to customers in Canada as soon as 2028. The airline said it will purchase 30 ES-30 electric-hybrid aircraft for an undisclosed amount. The planes, which are being developed by Sweden-based Heart Aerospace AB, are “much more cost efficient†and could help the ...
Read More »Garuda may remove first class seats in domestic bet
Bloomberg Distressed airline PT Garuda Indonesia may stop selling first class tickets as it focuses on flying local. The state-owned carrier will concentrate on business, premium economy and economy seats because it is more suitable for the market, State Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir said. He reiterated that Garuda will stop most international routes to cut costs, except for a ...
Read More »SAS confident for winter over funding, travel rebounds
Bloomberg SAS AB Chief Executive Officer Anko van der Werff said he’s confident the Scandinavian airline will emerge successfully from a Chapter 11 restructuring after winning clearance for a $700 million financing package and seeing a rebound in its own performance. Approval for the Apollo Global Management funding from a US bankruptcy judge is “the biggest and most important news†...
Read More »BA halts 100 flights to damp noise at Royal state funeral
Bloomberg British Airways will scrap 100 flights from its London Heathrow base on Monday and re-time others as the airport, airlines and air traffic controllers work to minimise noise during Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral. About 15% of Heathrow’s schedule will be altered, according to the hub, with flights halted for various durations through the day. There will be ...
Read More »Amsterdam Airport’s CEO to step down
Bloomberg Schiphol Airport’s Dick Benschop is stepping down as chief executive of the Dutch hub as the airport continues to struggle with long lines and flight cancellations caused by a staffing shortage. Benschop informed Royal Schiphol Group NV’s supervisory board on Wednesday that he is resigning from his role as president-director and chief executive. Benschop will stay on in ...
Read More »Heathrow flights face disruption to avoid British Queen’s cortege
Bloomberg Flights from London Heathrow airport will be disrupted during the transfer of Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin for her lying-in-state, with more upheaval likely next week when her funeral takes place. Departures face delays and adjustments for almost two hours from September 14, Heathrow said. The measures are aimed at ensuring an absence of jet-engine noise as a gun carriage ...
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