News from Travel Technology Update: Lufthansa will begin levying a credit card surcharge on tickets issued on or after Nov. 2 for flights departing from airports in Germany, Belgium, Finland, the U.K., the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Amadeus, Travelport report earnings Google 'experiments' with Hotel Finder Airlines sign new deals to distribute ancillaries through GDSs HRG to 'explore' a Direct Connect deal with American SAS launches airline fee comparison tool Amadeus, IdeaWorks issue Yearbook of Ancillary Revenue World news briefing
Lufthansa will begin levying a credit card surcharge on tickets issued on or after Nov. 2 for flights departing from airports in Germany, Belgium, Finland, the U.K., the Netherlands and Switzerland. The "Optional Payment Charge" will apply to all channels. The charge per ticket will be €5 on domestic routes; €8 on intra-European routes, and €18 on long-haul routes. Negotiated corporate fares will be exempt until March 31.
German air traffic controllers, represented by the country's Trade Union of Air Traffic Control (GdF Gewerkschaft der Flugsicherung), have threatened to press ahead with a 6-hr. strike Tuesday, after a walkout that had been planned last week was ruled illegal by a court.
American Airlines launched the "initial phase" of a Gogo-powered inflight streaming video product, Entertainment On Demand. The option will be available to passengers onboard its fleet of 15 Boeing 767-200s, allowing them to wirelessly stream more than 100 movies and TV shows from an inflight library to "select types" of Wi-Fi-enabled laptops. Movies and TV shows remain accessible for viewing on the passenger's own device after landing—for 24 hr. and 72 hr., respectively.
The China Air Transport Assn. and the Arab Air Carriers Organization reiterated their calls for the European Union to rethink plans to include aviation in its Emissions Trading Scheme starting next year.
US Transportation Security Administration said it will launch a pilot program this fall to test new airport screening strategies that aim, among other goals, to provide "trusted travelers with expedited screening." The program's establishment indicates that Administrator John Pistole is starting to follow through on his pronouncements earlier this year about making TSA "a truly risk-based, intelligence-driven organization" ( ATW, June 1).
Fokker Services won a three-year component management contract from Alliance Airlines to support its Fokker fleet, which comprises 18 100-seat F100s, two 75-seat F70LRs and five 50-seat F50 turboprops.
Qantas pulled its airline safety video featuring Ambassador-at-Large John Travolta as part of the ongoing industrial dispute with long-haul pilots, according to Australian and International Pilots Assn.
US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday afternoon that a "bipartisan compromise" between House of Representatives' Republicans and Senate Democrats was brokered to end the partial shutdown of FAA that has halted airport construction projects across the US for nearly two weeks.
CAE won three new contracts for full-flight simulators—an Airbus A320 FFS for Aeroflot and an A320 and a Boeing 737 for the Zhuhai Flight Training Centre. Sabena Flight Academy inked an agreement with Cathay Pacific Airways to implement its Lateral Maneuvering Motion training tool across the entire fleet of CX and Dragonair full-flight simulators.
Czech Airlines Pilots Assn. canceled a strike planned for Monday, Agence France Press reported. "CZALPA has reached an agreement with the management of CSA, the action has been canceled," it said in a press release. Czech Ministry of Finance Miroslav Kalousek earlier criticized the protest, saying it could lead OK into bankruptcy. In 2010, OK reduced its workforce from 4,600 to 3,700.
A Frankfurt court on Wednesday blocked German air traffic controllers from staging a six-hr. strike planned for Thursday over pay and conditions. The strike would have affected thousands of flights during a busy summer holiday week. The German air traffic control authority DFS applied Wednesday for an injunction against the strike, insisting the work action would be illegal. The air traffic controllers' union is seeking a 6.5% pay raise over 12 months, Reuters reported.
The Irish government decided to retain the €3 ($4.30) air travel tax after it failed to reach agreement with airlines to reinstate canceled routes and restore dropped capacity.
Though the US Congress has gone on recess for the rest of the month without resolving the FAA partial shutdown, there is a legislative avenue to bring agency operations back to full strength before September.
The June eruption of Chile’s Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano caused travel chaos for Qantas and Jetstar passengers while Air New Zealand and all other airlines largely continued operations without a hitch, leaving travelers scratching their heads over the validity of the widely contrasting views of the dangers of flying under and around volcanic ash.
Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority has completed its investigation of Tiger Airways Australia and issued a list of conditions to be met before allowing the low cost airline to resume operations.
Hamilton Sundstrand was selected by Japan Airlines to provide a total supply chain maintenance solution for its systems on JAL's fleet of 35 Boeing 787 aircraft on order. The maintenance support agreement, valued at approximately $350 million, is for 10 years with an option to extend for an additional 10 years. Turkish Technic signed an APS3200 APU repair services contract with SKY Airlines. Beginning this month, repair work will occur at Turkish Airlines' facilities in Istanbul.
Frontier Airlines and the Assn. of Flight Attendants representing 1,000 of the carrier's cabin crew reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. Frontier said that concessions agreed to by AFA will save it $16 million in labor costs over a four-year period.
Despite a last-minute push by US President Barack Obama, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Congress adjourned Tuesday for a five-week recess with the partial shutdown of FAA unresolved, making it likely that many of the agency's functions will remain unauthorized into September.
US House of Representatives adjourned Monday night for a five-week recess with the partial shutdown of FAA unresolved, making it likely that many of the agency's functions will remain unauthorized into September.
United Airlines introduced a new application for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users that will allow passengers to book reservations, check-in for flights, access mobile boarding passes, get updated flight status details and manage frequent flyer accounts. Lufthansa Systems inked a five-year contract with Pegasus Airlines and subsidiary IZair to implement its Lido/Flight solution aimed at optimizing the carriers' flight planning processes.
