With growing talk of a looming pilot shortage in the US—particularly at the regional airline level—flight deck crew at regional carriers feel they have leverage, leading them to reject new labor deals negotiated by union leadership. But the pilots are taking a big gamble. Instead of forcing management to offer better deals, the pilots’ rejection of new contracts may just lead executives at US regional airlines to conclude they have no choice but to downsize.
IATA is calling on governments to ratify important changes to the Tokyo Convention that were agreed upon at a diplomatic conference in Montreal in April. The Tokyo Convention provides the legal framework for dealing with passengers whose unruly or disruptive behavior leads to physical assault or poses a threat to the safety of a flight.
Italy’s Unione Italiana del Lavoro (UIL) union has said it should part of negotiations as Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways considers making an investment in Italian flag carrier Alitalia.
JetBlue Airways CEO Dave Barger has expressed his disappointment with the decision of the carrier’s pilots to unionize and predicted negotiations on an initial labor contract will take nearly three years.
Western Australia police are investigating a report of material that washed ashore 10 kilometers east of Augusta and have secured the material, according to the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC).
Lufthansa has inked an agreement with Gevo Inc. to evaluate its renewable jet fuel with the goal of approving Gevo’s alcohol-to-jet fuel (ATJ) for commercial aviation use.
Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport will transfer flights to Simferopol, Crimea, to the Federal zone of Terminal D starting April 25, where passengers will be registered on the counters of domestic airlines.
UAS International Trip Support, a provider of global trip support services for flight operators, VIPs, and government officials, is opening a regional office in Nairobi, Kenya.
FAA has announced the first of six test sites chosen to perform unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) research is operational, more than two-and-a -half months ahead of a congressionally mandated deadline.
US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairman Deborah Hersman said the enactment of rules to prohibit airline passengers from carrying children under two years of age in their laps is one of her biggest pieces of unfinished business as she prepares to leave the board after 10 years.
The Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) said Monday that the US Navy’s Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Bluefin-21, has found “no contacts of interest” after probing approximately two-thirds of the focused underwater search area since April 14 for the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200.
Lufthansa economy passengers who reserve a specific seat at the time of booking will incur a €25 ($34.50) extra charge on long-haul flights from April 28.
The Australian government has approved a second airport for Sydney after decades of debate. The airport will be built at Badgerys Creek in Western Sydney.
Swiss International Air Lines is reportedly considering using pilots from low-cost subsidiary Swiss European Air Lines to operate its new Boeing 777-300ER fleet as the carrier faces more competition from Gulf carriers. It is scheduled to take delivery of its new 777 fleet beginning in 2016.
The British Airways-Solena Fuels partnership will build the GreenSky London facility on the site of the former Coryton oil refinery in Essex. The facility, which will convert landfill waste into jet fuel, will open in 2017, two years later than originally planned.
An international force of up to 11 military aircraft and 12 ships continue to assist in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, but there was still no detection of wreckage from the Boeing 777-200 as of Friday, more than 40 days after the aircraft disappeared.
Flight cancellations in February were the highest-ever for the month, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. “The cancellation rate of 5.51% in February 2014 was the highest for any February, above the average of 2.88% in the previous 19 years and the … sixth highest (not including September 2001) for any month,” BTS said.
The final plenary session of the current European Parliament has adopted a new regulation giving national and regional authorities the right to have the final say in setting noise-related operating restrictions at European Union (EU) airports without intervention from the European Commission.
The European Commission has updated its aviation safety list, also known as the airline blacklist, removing all airlines from Swaziland, as well as Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific.
Alaska Air Group subsidiary Horizon Air said its dispatchers, represented by the Transport Workers Union (TWU), ratified a new four-year labor contract.
