Lufthansa is centralizing key functions of its sales force across the group’s various airlines. Area managers of Lufthansa and the group’s other airlines will report to a newly created position, head of group sales for the Lufthansa Group. Managers will no longer report to the sales organization of their own carriers. Included in the changes are Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, Brussels Airlines and Germanwings.
Qantas has issued new profit guidance that would represent a remarkable reversal of financial fortunes for the airline, and its best half-yearly figures since 2010.
EasyJet’s push to lower maintenance-unit costs even as its fleet age climbs is going far beyond re-tendering of contracts to include investing in new technologies—and some already are paying dividends.
EasyJet’s push to lower maintenance-unit costs even as its fleet age climbs is going far beyond re-tendering of contracts to include investing in new technologies—and some already are paying dividends.
EasyJet’s push to lower maintenance-unit costs even as its fleet age climbs is going far beyond re-tendering of contracts to include investing in new technologies—and some already are paying dividends.
ALMATY, Kazakhstan—Air Astana has decided it will not join an airline alliance, but it is continuing talks with Etihad Airways about forming a joint venture (JV), Air Astana President and CEO Peter Foster confirmed. Earlier this year, Foster said the Kazakhstan flag carrier was considering becoming an alliance member. Some speculated Air Astana would choose Star Alliance, as four out of five of its codeshare partners are Star members, though Foster asserted that it would probably be of more benefit to any alliance than to Air Astana.
The U.S. government is not wavering from its open skies policy and will negotiate open skies deals with any friendly country that is interested, despite calls for the government to roll back liberalization in order to protect the U.S. airline industry, a senior State Dept. official said.
For a complete list of Aviation Week’s upcoming events, and to register, visit www.aviationweek.com/events Jan 13-14, 2015—MRO Latin America, Buenos Aires, Argentina Feb. 2-3, 2015—MRO Middle East, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE Mar. 5, 2015—Laureate Awards, Washington, D.C. Apr. 14-16, 2015—MRO Americas 2015, Conference and Exhibit Hall, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami, Florida May 5-6, 2015—MRO BEER (Baltics, Eastern Europe, Russia), Budapest, Hungary
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Dec. 8-10—MEBA, Middle East Business Aviation, Dubai World Central, Dubai, UAE, www.meba.aero Dec. 9—Positioning The U.S. Airline Industry For Success, Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C., http://thefutureofaviation.alpa.org
Surf Air, the all-you-can-fly startup airline operating within California, hopes to launch similar operations in Texas and Florida in the next year, and wants to eventually begin near-hourly service between the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas, executives said in interviews.
Christoph Mueller, who is now CEO of Aer Lingus, has been selected to helm Malaysia’s future national airline. Malaysia’s state investment fund, Khazanah Nasional, announced the decision on Dec. 5, following months of speculation regarding who may be hired to attempt the turn around of the airline. Mueller had previously been named as one of the candidates, but was in competition with internal executives.
Germany’s government is leasing a converted Airbus A340 from Lufthansa to transport German aid workers who become infected with the deadly Ebola virus. The aircraft, an Airbus A340-300, has been fitted out by Lufthansa Technik with a special isolation unit and other facilities which would allow patents to be given more comprehensive care than was previously possible on the smaller aircraft types being used to transport patients. The German government has the aircraft on an initial six-month lease.
Display electronics were the culprit in an airborne smoke emergency in April involving an evolutionary in-flight entertainment (IFE) system that uses fiber optics rather than copper wires to connect seatback screens in the cabin.
Display electronics were the culprit in an airborne smoke emergency in April involving an evolutionary in-flight entertainment (IFE) system that uses fiber optics rather than copper wires to connect seatback screens in the cabin.
