Seattle-Osaka service announced by Delta in partnership with Korean Air in 2019

Delta, Seattle’s largest global airline, is adding nonstop service to Osaka-Kansai (KIX), Japan, starting sometime in 2019, complementing its existing international network.

“As Seattle’s global airline, Delta offers service to the top destinations throughout Asia, and additional access to Japan is important for our Seattle customers as well as the business community throughout Washington state and beyond,” said Tony Gonchar, Delta’s Vice President — Seattle. “We’re pleased to offer another key business destination with our new nonstop Osaka service from Seattle.”

Korean Air staff protest on the streets of Seoul

There is more trouble ahead for Korean Air as many employees staged a protest outside the headquarters late on Friday demanding the resignation of the airline’s chairman Cho Yang-ho.

The workers amassed outside the HQ in Seoul, many carrying placards depicting slogans such as “Cho Yang-ho, OUT” and “No mercy”. The staff, many of whom adorned masks to protect their identities for fear of company retaliation are unhappy with the way the airline is being run and the bad behaviour of Cho Yang-ho's daughters. 

The airline has faced both an employee and passenger backlash over the chairman’s youngest daughter Cho Hyun-min being accused of throwing a drink at people at a business meeting last month. And, sister Heather Cho's whole 'nut-rage scandal' from 2014 when she lost her temper over the way she was served nuts in first class on a Korean Air plane. She famously demanded the aircraft return to the gate to have the staff member removed. Following the incident, she apologised, was charged, went to jail, but has since returned to work, this time for the Korean Air hotel affiliate in March.

Recently, chairman Cho Yang-ho has made his daughters step down from their positions at the airline and made a public apology for their behaviour, in an attempt to placate employee and passenger anger. However, the row seems far from over as the staff - including pilots and cabin crew - say they would continue to protest on the streets until the chairman also steps down. They are also seeking a greater level of transparency concerning the airlines' management.  

Daughter of Korean Air boss suspended allegedly 'for throwing water'

Cho Hyun-min a senior vice-president at Korean Air has been suspended while reports of her throwing water at an advertising executive are investigated further.

Ms Cho is the daughter of the airlines CEO denies throwing the water but confirmed she may have shoved the executive and apologised for the incident and called her behaviour "foolish and reckless".

She is the younger sister of Cho Hyun-ah - the airline heiress who infamously had an aircraft return to the gate after being unhappy that a member of the cabin crew had served her nuts in an inappropriate manner. 

According to local media Ms Cho unhappy with answers given to her by the ad executive during a meeting in Seoul during March. 

Korean Air has stated that it would take appropriate action once the police investigation was over.

The top airlines according to TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor®, the travel planning and booking site, today announced the winners of its Travelers' Choice® awards for airlines, identifying travelers' favorite carriers around the globe. For 2018, Singapore Airlines was named the number one airline in the world and Southwest Airlines ranked as the best U.S. carrier. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of airline reviews and ratings submitted by travelers worldwide, over a 12-month period on TripAdvisor Flights.  

"We're thrilled to recognize the global TripAdvisor community's favourite airlines and shine a spotlight on the carriers around the world that provide the very best flying experiences," said Bryan Saltzburg, senior vice president and general manager for TripAdvisor Flights. 

Asian Carriers Flying High 

Among the global top 10, Asian carriers dominated with four airlines on the list (Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, EVA Air and Korean Air); followed by the Middle East with two airlines (Emirates and Qatar Airways).

Top 10 Airlines in the World:

Recognizing airlines around the world that deliver consistently exceptional experiences to the global traveller.

Read on for the top ten.........

Delta and Korean Air to launch world-class joint venture partnership

Delta Air Lines and Korean Air will launch a new joint venture partnership that will offer customers world-class travel benefits across one of the most comprehensive route networks in the trans-Pacific market.

The joint venture has now been approved by regulatory authorities in the U.S. and Korea, including the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

“This is an exciting time for customers of both Delta and Korean Air as we launch our trans-Pacific partnership,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “Our expanded partnership means a host of new destinations and travel options across Asia and North America, with seamless connectivity, world-class reliability and the industry’s best customer service.”

First Korean Air Bombardier CSeries Jet Handed Over.

Yesterday, Pratt & Whitney and Korean Air Lines celebrated delivery of the airline's first Bombardier CS300 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney's Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine. Bombardier hosted a delivery ceremony in Mirabel, Canada where both C Series and GTF final assembly take place.

"Today we celebrate delivery of our first GTF-powered C Series aircraft. We are excited for the dramatic improvements in efficiency, emissions, and noise that will enhance our operations and passenger experience," said Soo-Keun Lee, Chief Technology Officer at Korean Air.

The 10 best long-haul airlines, according to Telegraph readers

As you may have seen with the short-haul airlines, the readers of the UK's Telegraph newspaper have been offering up their opinions of airlines, both long and short haul.  This has resulted in the newspaper producing its annual awards listings of the top ten in each category.   

Swiss took the top slot in the short-haul sector which seems to be wholly deserved, with Icelandair coming in a close second. It surprised some commentators that British Airways didn't even break into the top ten this year and some are hoping for a better showing in the long-haul awards. 

Here's the top ten according to Telegraph readers. 

1   Singapore Airlines
2   Emirates
3   Qatar Airways
4   Air New Zealand
5   Virgin Atlantic
6   All Nippon Airways
7   Korean Air
8   Thai Airways International
9   Cathay Pacific
10  Etihad

Nick Trend, Telegraph Travel's consumer expert, said: "Telegraph readers are enthusiastic long-haul fliers - many of your favourite destinations are many hours away, and so this category is one of the most crucial. Singapore Airlines and Emirates have been trading places at the top of the table since 2012. Last year, Emirates took the prize, but in 2017, Singapore has wrestled it back once more."

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Delta, Korean Air joint venture granted approval by US regulator

On Friday last week, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air took a significant step in the creation of their trans-Pacific joint venture with approval of the joint venture by the US Department of Transportation.   

The DOT approval reflects the consumer benefits that will be created by the new joint venture. The two carriers will deepen their relationship, offering customers in the U.S. and Asia an enhanced and expanded flight network as well as more compelling travel options. The airlines have also applied for approval for the joint venture from the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

“We thank the DOT for approving this world-class partnership, which will create more choices, frequencies and destinations for customers traveling between the key markets in the U.S. and Asia,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to offering our customers the leading customer experience across the Pacific, with seamless connections, world class facilities and amenities on the ground and in the air, as well as substantial frequent flyer benefits.”

A CS300 Shimmers in Korean Air Colours After Paint Job

On Thursday, Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, proudly unveiled the first CS300 aircraft freshly painted in Korean Air’s colors as it rolled out of the paint shop in Mirabel, Canada. 

The first CS300 is scheduled to be delivered this autumn, enabling Korean Air to be the very first airline to operate the C Series in Asia.

Korean Nut Row Continues

 

The Korean Nut Row Continues!

 

It was December last year that a row developed just after a Korean Air flight from New York to South Korea had pushed back about nuts began, which has played out publically ever since.

Nuts! The Korean Row

The daughter of Korean Air's chairman has resigned from her posts at the airline after being heavily criticised over a first-class row - about nuts.

 

Cho Hyun-ah delayed a flight from New York to Incheon, South Korea, after forcing the captain to return to the gate so the most senior cabin crew member, the chief purser, could be removed from the plane. Ms Cho, who was vice president responsible for cabin service at the family-run airline, reportedly took exception to the arrival of some macadamia nuts served in a packet rather than a bowl. She called over the chief purser who, according to an earlier Korean Air statement, replied with "lies and excuses" when challenged over his crew's knowledge of inflight service procedures.

Korean takes delivery of first A380

 

Korean Air has celebrated the delivery of its first Airbus A380 at a ceremony in Toulouse, France, becoming the sixth operator of the aircraft since it was introduced in 2007.