Republic Airways Holdings has placed a $2.1 billion order for 50 more Embraer E-175s, including 20 previously destined for Flybe, and has agreed to sublease 24 Bombardier Q400s to the UK regional.
Oneworld member Qatar Airways has taken delivery of the first of 10 A380s—plus three options—it has on order. The Doha-based carrier will become the 12th operator of the type.
United Airlines and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) have agreed to an unprecedented $100,000 buyout for as many as 2,000 eligible flight attendants, who agree to leave the company between November of this year and November 2015.
Lufthansa has made significant progress in achieving labor deals for lower cost operations on long-haul routes after reaching an agreement with UFO, the union representing flight attendants, on how a fleet of Airbus A340s can be used on low-yield routes.
American Airlines (AA) chairman and CEO Doug Parker has chastised the US political system for treating the airline industry like a vice rather than a business that fuels the economy and warned that the fast growth of major Gulf carriers is an increasing threat to US carrier global competitiveness.
The CEOs of Aer Lingus and Aeroflot have warned of an impending “blood bath” in Europe, a point that was largely supported by fellow panelists from Norwegian and Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair.
The merger process of American Airlines and US Airways is going according to plan, but the major integration hurdles are still ahead, AA chairman and CEO Doug Parker said Thursday.
The Australian government has reintroduced a subsidy program for rural air services, although some airlines are criticizing the plan for not being adequately funded.
Vietnamese low-cost carrier (LCC) VietJet Air has flagged the next step in its expansion plans on the back of recent figures showing 182% increase in passenger numbers over the previous 12 months.
China Southern subsidiary Xiamen Airlines is launching a Beijing branch company and increasing capacity as it accelerates its expansion pace in the Beijing market.
[UPDATE] The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union has called off an eight-hour strike scheduled for Tuesday, after receiving a new offer from Lufthansa for transition payments for early retirees.
[UPDATE] Lufthansa said all 40 long-haul flights will depart from Frankfurt on Tuesday despite the eight-hour pilot strike called by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union.
Frontier Airlines—which has moved to the ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC) business model—will not truly be able to compete with others in the category until it lowers costs, not including fuel, to six cents per available seat mile, chairman William Franke said in an interview.
