Delta Shuttle to depart from airline’s first new LGA concourse beginning Nov. 16

Following the ceremonial opening of the first concourse to comprise Delta's state-of-the-art terminal at LaGuardia Airport last month, all Delta Shuttle flights to Boston, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., will relocate to these new gates from Terminal C starting Nov. 16, 2019.

The spacious new concourse, which houses gates 92 through 98, features floor-to-ceiling views of Citi Field and Flushing Bay and dining options from favourite New York chefs and eateries.

"Our Shuttle customers are among the very first to experience Delta's newest facility at LaGuardia, and we're so excited for them to enjoy all of the amenities it has to offer," said Ginny Elliott, V.P. — Delta's LGA Operations. "Its modern design, spacious gate areas, and delicious dining offerings are sure to elevate the travel day for some of our most frequent fliers."  

European pilot group demands action over Ryanair sick leave policy

The European Cockpit Association pilot group has urged regulators to take action over what it described as a “safety hazard” caused by Ryanair’s approach to flight crews’ sick leave, according to a letter seen by news agency, Reuters. 

Europe’s largest budget carrier has spent the last two years negotiating improved pay and conditions with its pilots and cabin crew after a revolt by some staff forced it to recognize trade unions for the first time.

The ECA, which represents pilots’ associations in 33 European countries, said Ryanair adopts a practice of systematically questioning absences due to certified sickness, leading to investigative and disciplinary meetings where staff are threatened with potential dismissal.

Finnair Capital Markets Day: Sustainability a key driver in Finnair’s 2020-2025 strategy – new long-term target of carbon neutrality

In its Capital Markets Day today, Finnair will reveal its targets and plans for the 2020-2025 strategy period. Sustainability will be a key driver in the new strategy and Finnair will announce its detailed sustainability plan during the first quarter of 2020, addressing all three areas of sustainability – economic, social and environmental responsibility.  

At the core of Finnair’s sustainability agenda, the management and Board of Directors of Finnair are working on a long-term roadmap towards carbon neutrality. Finnair will work towards this target through a number of measures:  

REAL ID coming to the USA next year.

Starting Oct. 1, 2020, every air traveller 18 years of age and older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or another acceptable form of ID to be able to pass through TSA and fly within the United States.

Passed by Congress in 2005, the Department of Homeland Security's REAL ID Act establishes minimum security standards for license issuance and production. The Act also prohibits f​ederal agencies, like TSA, from accepting driver's licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act's minimum standards to board federally regulated commercial aircraft.

REAL ID-compliant cards are generally marked with a star located in the upper portion of the card. If you're not sure, contact your state driver's license agency on how to obtain a REAL ID compliant card.

​TSA currently accepts several other forms of identity documents, such as passports, and will continue to do so. For more information on acceptable forms of identification for boarding aircraft, please see TSA's website. 

For additional information about REAL ID, visit dhs.com. ​

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Ready for Carnival? Let Delta take you from New York-JFK to Rio

Returning nonstop seasonal service begins Jan. 3, 2020, running during the peak holiday travel period and the biggest carnival celebration in the world

Delta, the world’s most admired airline, will continue its nonstop seasonal service between New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and Rio de Janeiro-GIG, boosting holiday season and carnival travel. The flight will operate overnight southbound as before, but will return northbound in the morning, complementing our evening GIG-Atlanta flight.

For the third winter season in a row, the JFK-GIG route will be operated using a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft- beginning on January 3, 2020 and running through March 4, 2020. The 225-passenger aircraft includes 25 Delta One flat-bed seats, featuring regionally inspired meals paired with wines selected by Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson.

pirit Airlines Grows in Tampa with New Service to New York, Newark, Indianapolis and Nashville

 Just in time for winter, Spirit Airlines  is bringing more destinations and more low fares to Tampa. Beginning today, Florida’s Hometown Airline will offer daily nonstop service from Tampa International Airport to New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and Indianapolis International Airport. Last week, the airline also started service to Nashville International Airport. With the addition of these new destinations, Spirit will now serve 24 destinations from Tampa.

Roberto Spada appointed Air Italy Chairman

Air Italy has announced that its Board of Directors appointed Mr. Roberto Spada as Director and Chairman. The appointment of Mr. Spada follows the stepping down of former Chairman Francesco Violante, a move which had been planned for several months, and which took effect from October 31st.

Mr. Violante had been a member of the Board and Chairman since his appointment in Sept 2017, overseeing numerous changes in the airline during his Chairmanship, including its relaunch in February 2018 as Air Italy. He was thanked by the Board of Directors for his invaluable commitment and effort during his time as Chairman, and the Board wished him all the very best in his future endeavours.

Welcoming the new Chairman, the Air Italy Board of Directors congratulated Mr. Spada on his appointment and wished him every success in his new duties as Chairman of Air Italy.

Roberto Spada has been a member of the Milan Association of Certified Accountants and a registered independent auditor since 1987. He has extensive expertise in the M&A sector and in the tax and corporate fields, specifically in relation to private equity fund transactions. He has held and continues to hold a number of positions in medium and large sized companies, listed and not listed, in the industrial, luxury, banking and financial sectors.

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Manchester Airport's PremiAir opens its doors to the cameras

New pictures released showing what passengers can expect from Manchester Airport’s private terminal
PremiAir now welcoming passengers travelling with 23 airlines from Manchester
Prices start from £50 per person

MAG has today released pictures of the new PremiAir terminal at Manchester Airport. The new facility, which is now open and welcoming passengers travelling with 23 airlines from the North’s global gateway, has been immaculately finished. The pictures show design-led modernist lounges offering passengers an ultimate and indulgent new option for departing and arriving at Manchester.

With a range of options for guests to choose from, PremiAir, which is operated entirely in-house by MAG’s own specialist team, has been designed for passengers who are looking to add an extra level of convenience, comfort and style to their airport experience.

FedEx and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation Celebrate 15 Years of Delivering Cheer to Military Families

When you need to deliver more than 17,000 farm-grown Christmas trees to military families across the country and abroad during the holiday season, who do you call? The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation has tapped FedEx for the 15th year to deliver joy and a sense of normalcy to military families through the Trees for Troops program. This year, FedEx Freight will help deliver Christmas trees to more than 75 domestic and international U.S. military bases.

“Trees for Troops is a joint effort that is made possible by our team members and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation,” said John Smith, president and CEO of FedEx Freight. “We are proud to celebrate the holidays with these military families and lend our superior network and operations expertise to a great cause.”

entient Jet Marks 20th Anniversary With New Jet Card Enhancements, Expanded Digital Capabilities

Sentient Jet, the Boston-based, multi-million-dollar private aviation pioneer and innovator will mark 20 years of success and leadership this year, and it has a lot to celebrate – and offer. Sentient Jet will herald its 20th anniversary with new products to benefit every type of private jet flyer and offer blockbuster events including a series of intimate dinner occasions which kicked off with celebrity chef and Sentient Jet Brand Ambassador Bobby Flay, the New England Patriots’ legendary and lively former tight end Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski, and more.

South African Airlines cancels flights as employees plan strike over wages

The struggling South African Airways (SAA) has cancelled flights scheduled for Friday and Saturday because of a pending strike by a majority of employees over a wage dispute and the state-run carrier’s plans to cut jobs. The airline had hoped to avert the walkout with a revised wage offer but unions rejected it in talks on Thursday.

The airline is also without a permanent chief executive and has yet to file annual results for the two most recent financial years because of concerns about its viability as a business. Unions representing about 3,000 of its 5,000-member workforce said on Wednesday that cabin crew and other workers would strike over wages and plans to cut more than 900 jobs.

The carrier said on Wednesday it might never recover if the strike by the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), went ahead. It has said the strike would cost it an estimated 50 million rand ($3.36 million) a day.

FAA threatened to ground 38 Southwest Airlines 737's

According to US media, the Federal Aviation Administration warned the budget carrier Southwest that was going to ground 88 of the airlines second hand Boeing 737 aircraft.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that last month the FAA said it was going to ground the jets that Southwest Airlines purchased from foreign carriers over an alleged lack of safety and repair documentation.  The airline bought the aircraft from 16 different airlines and the FAA documentation last year regarding repairs done to the aircraft. It had given the airline a two-year time frame to complete thorough checks on those aircraft and produce the relevant and related paperwork. 

Representatives from the FAA had been unhappy with the time  Southwest had taken to do a complete those nose to tail inspections of the aircraft in question. The carrier says it has completed the FAA’s requirements for most of the aircraft, however, some 38 are still flying of which it hasn't provided documentation for. It said that last year, the airline “discovered a small number of repairs on a few of these 88 pre-owned aircraft that had been performed but not properly classified by the previous owners due to differences in language and repair criteria,” 

“Our continuous assessment of the ongoing inspections has revealed nothing to warrant the expedited timeline, but we remain on track to have all aircraft involved inspected by the end of January,” a spokesperson said.

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Jetstar Asia launches only direct service from Singapore to Hefei

New low fares will go on sale this week as Jetstar Asia launches its new direct, five-hour, service from Singapore to Hefei, in mainland China.

From 28 November, Jetstar Asia will operate three services a week to Hefei, in the ancient province of Anhui, using the Airbus A320.

Hefei, located in mid-east China, is the capital of the province and a popular destination for travellers seeking access to natural attractions including Mount Huangshan, Jiuhua Mountain, Tianzhu Mountain, Chaohu, Fengyang and Shouxian.

The Anhui province is also critical to many business travellers as it’s home to a number of manufacturers including traditional rice wine, rice paper, medicinal herbs, tea and ink used in calligraphy as well as a number of manufacturing plants from engineering, electronics, iron and steel to agriculture machinery.

Air France strengthens its commitment to the inclusion of people with disabilities

On 13 November 2019, Air France CEO Anne Rigail signed the Manifesto for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the working environment, in the presence of Sophie Cluzel, Secretary of State in charge of People with Disabilities in the Philippe Government.

Through this Manifesto, which consists of 10 concrete measures, Air France is reaffirming its strong commitment to the employment and job security of workers with disabilities, at the heart of its human resources policy.

Improving accessibility and inclusion in air travel – first industry event wraps up in Dubai

Last week, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) concluded its inaugural Global Accessibility Symposium, the first event of its kind seeking to improve the air travel experience for passengers with disabilities.

Hosted by Emirates in their home city of Dubai, the Symposium welcomed guests from airlines, regulators and accessibility advocacy groups. The event is in line with an industry resolution agreed upon by IATA member airlines in June 2019, which commits to bettering the passenger experience for travellers with disabilities, both visible and invisible.

“This event showed that collaboration and feedback are crucial. Through this gathering and other initiatives, airlines are seeking to establish a better dialogue between industry, advocacy groups and passengers themselves. While the industry has had standards for persons travelling with disabilities for some time, we realize there are still gaps and we need to do more. We’re excited to be on this journey to make air travel more accessible and inclusive,” said Linda Ristagno, External Affairs Manager at IATA.