Cabin Crew jobs at British Airways for Summer 2022

The UK's British Airways has just announced a new recruitment drive for new cabin crew members to start working for the carrier from Spring 2022 to help crew its summer schedule.

The airline has already contacted the people it let go last year, who expressed an interest to return to the airline but in addition to the experienced crew members looking to return, the airline is also appealing to a broad range of people to create the most diverse crew workforce in its 100-year history.

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO said: “After 18 long months of closed or restricted borders across the world, we are finally seeing a demand for travel return as countries start to open up and ease their restrictions. This means that we can finally get back to doing what we do best – flying our customers around the world. As we look ahead to next summer, we are excited to start welcoming brilliant new people and former colleagues back to the British Airways family.”

“Everyone is welcome at British Airways; we have an opportunity to give people of all ages and backgrounds the chance to see the world and help shape the future of our airline. We know that there are people looking for the first step in their career or a complete career change. We will value the skills and experience they will bring to the role to help serve our customers.”

Airbus to demonstrate latest capabilities and partnerships at ADEX 2021

Airbus will showcase its extensive range of products, services and industrial partnerships in South Korea at next week’s Seoul International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition 2021 (ADEX 2021). The exhibition will be held 19-23 October at Seoul Airport.

The Airbus exhibition stand (Hall B, Stand B20) will feature scale models of the long-range A350-1000 widebody airliner, A400M military airlifter, the H125 and H160 helicopters, and the highly flexible OneSat satellite. Visitors will also be able to get more information on the company’s state-of-the-art Pleiades Neo satellite that delivers crisp imagery at 30cm native resolution and catch up on Airbus’ latest initiatives pioneering sustainable aerospace. 

A Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (designated as KC-330 Cygnus) will also be on display at the exhibition.

South Korea is a strategic market for Airbus with success across the company’s commercial aircraft, helicopters, military and space product lines. Customers in the country have ordered more than 330 commercial airliners and over 60 helicopters, while four A330 MRTT are supporting ROKAF’s strategic missions. Airbus has also been supporting the country’s space activities. The company designed and manufactured South Korea’s first geo-stationary satellite – GEO-Kompsat, developed the first geo-stationary ocean imager, and co-developed three Earth observation satellites. The company also built the recently launched ANASIS-II for secured communications over wide coverage. 

Airbus is a key partner for South Korea’s aerospace industry, well-illustrated by the company’s strong and growing industrial footprint in the country. Today, components produced by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD), and small and medium enterprises such as AeroSpace Technology of Korea (ASTK), are installed on Airbus’ various commercial aircraft product lines, while Airbus and KAI are partners on the Korean Utility Helicopter (KUH) and Light Civil Helicopter/Light Armed Helicopter (LCH/LAH) programmes, with the first LAH targeting to enter service for the Korean army by 2023.

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The JetBlue Foundation opens the doors for autumn grant applications

JetBlue has announced the next granting cycle from the JetBlue Foundation, its charity focused on increasing diversity within the aviation industry’s talent pipeline. Educational programs with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and aviation is now accepting applications, until 1st November 2021.

“Emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic is a renewed global spotlight on the importance of science and technology,” said Ursula Hurley, president of the JetBlue Foundation. “Despite the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic, the JetBlue Foundation has continued to offer non-stop support to future aviators, including virtual programming, mentorship and resources. This support has directly helped several budding STEM educational programs keep their doors open. We’re focused on empowering students, providing access, and helping to remove barriers to entry into careers in aviation. This, in turn, creates opportunities for a more diverse future for our industry.”

The JetBlue Foundation is the first airline foundation focused solely on supporting aviation and STEM education and seeks out programs that offer programming geared toward communities traditionally underrepresented in these areas, including women and girls, racial/ethnic minority groups and veterans.

The JetBlue Foundation is independent from JetBlue and has a separate Board of Directors and an Advisory Committee, both comprised of JetBlue crewmembers from across the airline. Grants are provided directly from the JetBlue Foundation. Although the JetBlue Foundation is separate from JetBlue, both are aligned in efforts to help diversify the STEM fields that fuel the airline. The Foundation is company-sponsored, with supplemental support coming from select JetBlue business partners and tax-deductible donations directly from JetBlue crewmembers who are interested in nurturing students’ STEM interests and inspiring the next generation of aviation professionals.

More U.S. flights from Singapore Airlines as Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) introduced.

Singapore Airlines is launching four-times-weekly seasonal services to Vancouver, Canada and Seattle, the United States of America (USA), from 2 December 2021 to 15 February 2022. Two of the weekly Seattle-Vancouver-Singapore flights will operate as Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) services, providing eligible customers quarantine-free entry into Singapore.

SIA is also converting its daily non-stop services from San Francisco, USA, to Singapore, to designated VTL services from Wednesday, 20 October 2021.

These provide additional quarantine-free travel options for customers who wish to travel to and from North America, on top of the earlier announced VTL services from Los Angeles and New York.

Ms JoAnn Tan, Senior Vice President Marketing Planning, Singapore Airlines said: “With the new Singapore-Vancouver-Seattle flights and the conversion of San Francisco-Singapore to a VTL service, SIA customers can enjoy even more seamless travel options to North America during the year-end holiday season. SIA will continue to monitor the demand for air travel, and adjust its services accordingly.”

SIA will deploy the 253-seater Airbus A350-900, with 42 Business Class seats, 24 Premium Economy Class seats and 187 Economy Class seats, on the Singapore-Vancouver-Seattle service.

Flight SQ28 will depart from Singapore at 0915hrs, arrive at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) at 0730hrs, and depart Vancouver at 0840hrs before arriving at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) at 0930hrs.

Massive transatlantic expansion for United......

10 New Flights and Five New Destinations Debuting Summer 2022

The U.S. mega-carrier United has announced the largest transatlantic expansion in its history this week,  including 10 new flights and 5 new destinations – Amman, Jordan; Bergen, Norway; Azores, Portugal; Palma de Mallorca, Spain and Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands.

All of the new routes are set to start in the spring of next year and are not currently served by any other North American airline. 

Amman, Jordan

United will begin new capital to capital service between Washington, D.C. and Amman, Jordan starting May 5. Customers will be able to explore the numerous historical sites in and around Amman, as well as visit Jordan's other top destinations including Petra, the Dead Sea and the Wadi Rum desert. United will be the only North American carrier flying direct to Amman with service three times weekly with a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal

United will add a third Portuguese destination to its global network with brand new flights between New York/Newark and Ponta Delgada in the Azores beginning May 13. The carrier will offer the most flights between the U.S. and Portugal of any North American airline and will be the only airline to fly to the Azores from the New York metro area. This daily service joins United's existing flights to Porto, which will return in March, and Lisbon, which the airline is currently operating from New York/Newark and will resume from Washington, D.C. next summer. United will fly a brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft featuring United's new signature interior with enhanced seat back entertainment with Bluetooth connectivity and overhead bin space for every customer.

Bergen, Norway

Beginning May 20, United will become the only U.S. carrier to fly to Norway with flights launching between New York/Newark and Bergen. United will offer three times weekly service on a Boeing 757-200, allowing customers to experience Bergen's surrounding mountainous landscape and breathtaking fjords. United will be the only carrier to fly to Bergen from the U.S.

Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain

United is expanding its Spanish beach getaway destinations with three times weekly flights between New York/Newark and Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, launching June 2 with a Boeing 767-300ER. This will be the first and only flight between the U.S. and Mallorca and will add to United's existing service to Madrid and Barcelona.

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Travellers looking for an additional new beach destination can enjoy the stunning black and white sand beaches of Spain's Canary Islands with United's new flight from New York/Newark to Tenerife. United will be the only airline to fly direct between the Canary Islands and North America with three-times-weekly service launching June 9 with a Boeing 757-200. Along with the new service to Palma de Mallorca, United will fly to more Spanish destinations from North America than any other airline.

United will add new flights to five popular European destinations: Berlin, Dublin, Milan, Munich and Rome. Lastly, United will launch seven routes that were interrupted due to the pandemic to Bangalore, Frankfurt, Tokyo's Haneda Airport, Nice and Zurich. Flights are subject to government approval.

New daily flights between Denver and Munich – joining existing service from Denver to Frankfurt and London which is expected to resume in March. United is the only U.S. airline to offer transatlantic service from Denver.

New daily flights between Chicago and Milan, joining existing seasonal flights between Chicago and Rome. United will be the only airline to offer a direct flight between Chicago and Milan, adding to its existing service between New York/Newark and Milan.

New daily capital to capital service between Washington, D.C. and Berlin, joining our other service to Berlin from New York/Newark. United is the only U.S. airline with direct flights to Berlin.

An additional daily flight from New York/Newark to Dublin and Rome.

In addition to these new routes, United will begin seven routes that were interrupted by the pandemic:

Daily flights between San Francisco and Bangalore beginning May 26

Daily flights between New York/Newark and Nice beginning April 29

A second daily flight between New York/Newark and Frankfurt beginning April 23

Daily flights between Chicago and Zurich beginning April 23

Flights from Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and New York/Newark to Tokyo's Haneda airport by March 26

 

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Mixed Fleet Flying for A380 and A320 approved by Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau

 

                            All Nippon Airways (ANA) is set to introduce Mixed Fleet Flying (MFF) for the A380 and A320 Family following approval by Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB). The Japanese carrier is the first operator in the world to introduce the MFF between the two types.

MFF is unique to Airbus aircraft. As a result of flight deck and aircraft control systems, it enables pilots to be certified to operate more than one type from the Airbus fly-by-wire product line on a regular and concurrent basis. At ANA this will enable crews to fly a mixed pattern of short and long haul services.

Airbus commonality extends from the flight deck into the passenger cabin as well, with a maximum use of similar systems, control panels and procedures within the various aircraft families.  The unique level of technical commonality between Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft also streamlines maintenance procedures, resulting in significantly reduced costs.

“We are pleased that A320 and A380 MFF operations were approved by JCAB and that  ANA has become the world’s first airline to introduce it,” said Stéphane Ginoux, Head of North Asia region for Airbus and President of Airbus Japan. “MFF offers airlines increased flexibility and cost-efficiency and has become one of the keys to Airbus’ success. For airlines, the increase in revenue hours flown by pilots due to less standby and downtime results in a significant improvement in productivity.”

MFF also enables airlines to interchange differently sized aircraft at short notice without crew-scheduling difficulties, allowing them to better match aircraft capacity to passenger demand.

Singapore Airlines A380 to return to London next month.

After a long break because of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore Airlines has confirmed it will bring back its giant superjumbo Airbus A380 to London Heathrow from next month.

Restarting on 19 November, the return of the double-decked beauty follows an easing of travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers by the Singaporean authorities. The introduction of a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme allows quarantine-free travel for fully vaccinated travellers between Singapore and seven European countries, including the UK, Denmark, Germany, France and Netherlands. 

 

Singapore Airlines currently operates flights into both Manchester and Heathrow, however, flight SQ317 departing Heathrow will be the designated quarantine-free flight under the VTL scheme and will provide a massive boost for the airline and passengers. 

Singapore Airlines' UK & Ireland general manager, Mohamed Rafi Mar said: "The return of the Singapore Airlines’ A380 to the skies is a positive step towards international travel recovery.  By bringing the aircraft back to the UK, we are delighted to offer our passengers enhanced travel options between London and Singapore."  This will also be the first long-haul scheduled route for Singapore Airlines A380 since the pandemic caused the global travel demand to collapse and border controls instigated.

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Frontier Airlines selects Skywise Health Monitoring as future fleet performance tool

Long standing Airbus customer Frontier Airlines has become the latest North American operator to adopt Skywise Health Monitoring as its key future fleet performance tool under a five-year contract covering 111 single-aisle aircraft.

Frontier Airlines has become the latest North American operator to adopt Skywise Health Monitoring as its key future fleet performance tool under a five-year contract covering 111 single-aisle aircraft.

Launched in 2019, Skywise Health Monitoring (SHM) gathers live diagnostic feeds from the aircraft through its ACARS* link to the airline’s information system.

Frontier will use the solution for its A320 Family fleet. Airbus’ SHM will support the airline’s maintenance and engineering teams by enabling real-time management of aircraft events and troubleshooting. This will help the airline in identifying, prioritising, analysing and handling in-service events, enabling quicker decision-making and minimising AOG risks.

Using the power of the Skywise aviation data platform, SHM collates and centralises the alerts, flight-deck effects, maintenance messages etc., prioritises them, correlates any faults with the relevant troubleshooting procedures, highlights operational impacts, provides the maintenance history of the system (from the logbook and MIS** information collected through Skywise Core and stored in the data lake), allowing effective tracking of the alerts.

Overall, SHM saves airlines time and decreases the cost of unscheduled maintenance. Natively interfaced with Skywise Predictive Maintenance (SPM) and Skywise Reliability (SR) to provide an integrated user experience, and also ready to harness the new on-board Flight Operations and Maintenance Exchanger (“FOMAX”) data router which can capture over 20,000 real-time aircraft parameters, SHM enables end-to-end unscheduled event management/fixes, for example by anticipating tools and parts’ availability closest to the aircraft.

*ACARS (Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System)

**MIS (Maintenance Information System)

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Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines offer four weekly designated Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights to Singapore

As of 21 October 2021, Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will offer quarantine-free travel with designated Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights to Singapore from Paris and Amsterdam.

Through its hubs, Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport, Air France and KLM will tap into their complementary network and offer four weekly designated VTL flights and six weekly non-designated VTL flights to Singapore.

As of 21 October 2021, Air France will offer two weekly designated VTL flights from Paris-CDG every Thursday and Saturday until 31 October 2021, and as of 1 November 2021, every Friday and Sunday.

As of 01 November 2021, KLM will offer two weekly designated VTL flights from Amsterdam every Monday and Saturday.

Located 57 storeys up from the heart of the Marina Bay area, the SkyPark Observation Deck boasts scenic views of the panoramic vistas of Marina Bay and Singapore’s world-class cityscape. Photo Visit Singapore

Roland Coppens, General Manager Air France KLM South East Asia and Oceania commented, "We fully understand that people want to travel and reconnect with family and friends, and we are excited to resume leisure and business travel to Singapore. Air France and KLM have created a complementary network with four weekly designated VTL flights to Singapore, as well as six non-designated VTL flights from Paris and Amsterdam. With our extensive Air France KLM network, we are able to connect many VTL countries via our dual hubs in Paris and Amsterdam, with flexible ticket conditions."

NetJets orders 100 Embraer Phenom 300 series executive jets

Embraer and NetJets, have signed a deal for up to 100 additional aircraft, in excess of $1.2 billion and as part of the deal, NetJets will begin taking delivery of the Phenom 300E in the second quarter of 2023, in both the U.S. and Europe. 

NetJets first signed a purchase agreement with Embraer in 2010, for 50 Phenom 300 executive jets plus up to 75 options. With this new aircraft order, which includes a comprehensive services agreement, NetJets signifies their commitment to an enhanced customer experience and their trust in Embraer’s industry-leading portfolio and customer support network to deliver the ultimate experience to its customers. 

“We are pleased to have signed this significant deal with NetJets, as our strategic partnership has been an integral part of Embraer’s success for over a decade,” said Michael Amalfitano, President & CEO of Embraer Executive Jets. “NetJets is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its operations and for providing an outstanding customer experience, so this continuing deal is an endorsement to the quality of our product and standards in performance, technology, comfort, and support. Embraer and NetJets share the same vision for business aviation, making the Phenom 300 series—the best-selling light jet for nine years in a row—an excellent choice.”

Boeing has to deal with new 787 Dreamliner defect.

Boeing is dealing with a new defect on its 787 Dreamliner that involves certain titanium parts that are weaker than they should be, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The defect is on 787s built over the past three years, the report said.

This comes as the planemaker continues to grapple with structural defects in the 787, which have caused it to cut production and halt deliveries.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The WSJ report did not give any further details on the defect.

Shares of the company fell 1.1% to $219.31 in premarket trading.

Last month, the Journal had reported that Boeing's delivery of 787 Dreamliners will likely remain halted until at least late October as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has rejected the company's recent proposal to inspect them. read more

Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty for Reuters.

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"You're looking into blackness, into black ugliness - And you look down, there's the blue down there - and the black up there - and it's just, there is Mother Earth." William Shatner marvels on his trip to the edge of space - the final frontier.

Getting his astronaut wings!

Perhaps most famous for being a starship captain, actor William Shatner has finally made it into space at the age of 90, the oldest person to blast off to space aboard a rocketship.   

Mr Shatner was one of four passengers on the journey to the edge of space for 10 minutes and 17 seconds aboard the white fully autonomous 60-foot-tall New Shepard spacecraft from Blue Origin. 

The capsule returned to the Texas desert from the suborbital flight under parachutes, kicking up a cloud of dust in what must have been a textbook landing. The veteran actor emerged a little gingerly and appeared to be in a deeply reflective mood following the experience. "What you have given me is the most profound experience I can imagine," he told Blue Origin's owner Jeff Bezos who was on hand to welcome the intrepid adventurers back to solid ground. "I am so filled with emotion about what just happened," Shatner said.

"I hope I never recover from this, I hope that I can maintain what I feel now. I don’t want to lose it."

"You're looking into blackness, into black ugliness," Shatner said. "And you look down, there's the blue down there - and the black up there - and it's just, there is Mother Earth."

"This is life and that's death, and in an instant, you know - whoa - that's death," Shatner said. "That's what I saw."

The all-civilian crew experienced a few minutes of weightlessness, having travelled about 65.8 miles above the Earth's surface - higher than the internationally recognized boundary of space known as the Karman Line. 

"What was once the final frontier, is now the latest top tourist attraction for those with deep enough pockets to afford the trip, or have very rich friends to offer the opportunity for free. We have gone past the birth of space tourism, we have entered its infancy, the developments will now come thick and fast as this baby grows.  But, let's just hope that while it becomes more and more popular and available, going up to space doesn't diminish the after-effects of what an extraordinary trip it is, as demonstrated so well by Mr Shatner. While his fellow crewmembers were popping champagne corks and whooping for joy, he was marvelling at and contemplating the wonderful experience." Air101 editor Jason Shaw said. 

Watch the replay of the live stream below. 

Ryanair to start new service between Derry and Manchester

Europe’s No.1 hated airline Ryanair has announced a new route for Winter 2021 between City of Derry airport and Manchester. The budget carrier will fly the route three times a week and will consider adding an additional rotation if demand requires using a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. 

Ryanair’s Director of Commercial, Jason Mc Guinness, said: "We are delighted to add this new route from Derry to Manchester."

The airline is deliberately trying to mislead the public by renaming the Boeing 737 MAX as Boeing 737 8 2 Gamechanger aircraft in its publicity and distance itself from the two fatal crashes of flawed designed MAX jets that resulted in an almost two-year grounding.  

A spokesperson for the City of Derry Airport said "We’re very pleased to welcome Ryanair back to the Northwest, once again connecting our people and businesses. Manchester is a hugely popular destination from our region, and giving people more options to fly from their doorstep is fantastic"

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Wizz Air competing with Ryanair announcing new base at Venice Marco Polo Airport.

Wizz Air, one of Europe’s fastest-growing airlines confirmed last week that it would open its seventh Italian base, at Venice Marco Polo airport in direct competition with Ryanair, which is also expanding operations at the airport.

Wizz is planning on basing 2 Airbus A321neo aircraft at the airport and launch 4 new domestic services and 12 international destinations to 9 countries enhancing the airport's connectability. The newest base in Venice Marco Polo airport follows the opening of six bases - Milan Malpensa, Catania, Palermo, Bari, Naples and Rome Fiumicino - Wizz has done within just one year, underpins Wizz Air’s commitment towards Italy.

The 2 Airbus A321neo aircraft will support the operations of 16 routes to Cagliari, Naples, Lamezia Terme, Lampedusa, Casablanca, Reykjavik, Mykonos, Santorini, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, Palma de Mallorca, Tallinn, London Luton, Tel Aviv, Prague, Sharm el-Sheikh. Wizz Air’s extensive Venice network will support local tourism, bring more capital to the region as well as connect Venice with 3 new and exciting, currently unserved destinations such as Reykjavik, Tallinn and Fuerteventura. Wizz Air already operates 10 services from Venice Marco Polo airport to Catania, Tirana, Chisinau, Skopje, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Timisoara, St. Petersburg and Kyiv Zhulyany.

Robert Carey President of Wizz Air Group said: "I am delighted to announce the establishment of Wizz Air’s base at Venice Marco Polo airport. This is another important milestone for WIZZ as well as for our passengers in the region. With our 16 new services to 9 countries, building on our existing 10 services to 7 countries, we are demonstrating our continued commitment to Italy as we grow both our domestic and international Italian network. The 2 new, modern and environmentally sustainable and 50% less noisy Airbus A321neo aircraft will make sure that Wizz Air protects the gems of Venice and the neighbouring areas. Our crew can’t wait to welcome the first passengers onboard our aircraft with a smile."

We expect Carey won't be quite so pleased when he learns that the airport's management is said, by local aviation commentators,, to be charging Wizz 7% more than Ryanair for using the airport.  

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New Ryanair base at Venice Marco Polo Airport

Budget carrier Ryanair has announced its latest Italian base will be Venice Marco Polo where it will base three new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and introduce 18 new routes.

The new services will bring the total number of flights the carrier offers from the airport to over 160 a week on a total of 24 routes and marks a big investment for the budget carrier at the airport. The additions to the route network will significantly enhance Venice’s domestic & international connectivity to 12 European countries from Summer 2022, which is partly why Ryanair has negotiated preferential and much lower airport charges.

Ryanair's Venice Marco Polo Airport's routes include Gdańsk, Helsinki, Lisbon, Barcelona and Stockholm. 

Ryanair’s Director of Commercial, Jason McGuinness, said:  "As Europe and Italy’s largest airline, we are delighted to open our newest Italian base at Venice Marco Polo."

Camillo Bozzolo, Commercial Director Aviation SAVE Group, said: "The activation of Ryanair’s new base in Venice strengthens the carrier’s presence in our territory, accelerating the resumption of traffic started at the beginning of June with the opening of the Treviso base. For the SAVE Group, this represents confirmation of the centrality of the airports managed in the development strategies of the main carriers, which will speed up the recovery of pre-pandemic traffic volumes.

Thanks to the 3 aircraft that will be based at Marco Polo, the offer of outgoing destinations aimed at our catchment area will expand, thus connecting more and more niche destinations that will enrich the network of destinations served by the airport."

Ryanair has barred some passengers who received 'chargeback' refunds for Covid-disrupted flights from travelling with the low-cost airline, unless they return the money. MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal some holidaymakers who booked trips for this year were later told they could only fly if they gave back the refunds, in one case just days before travel. 

We've seen dozens of reports of similar issues on the MoneySavingExpert (MSE) Forum and on social media, and we've spoken to three passengers who were told they could not fly until they returned the money. The amounts range from £400 to £630 and were awarded to passengers via the chargeback process for flights not taken because of Government advice.

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Ethiopian Airlines and Airlink of South Africa form interline agreement

Ethiopian Airlines has signed an interline agreement with the Johannesburg based local carrier Airlink, which will allow passengers the option to enjoy seamless travel with a single ticket and lower fare tickets between points within the carriers’ synergized networks. 

With the interline agreements between the two carriers, passengers can book through their itineraries on both airlines easily. The partnership attracts more customers providing ease of connectivity to their destinations served by both Ethiopian and Airlink.  

Mr Tewolde Gebremariam, Group CEO, Ethiopian Airlines remarked, “In our continuous  commitment and endeavour to expand our service beyond our extensive network in Africa, we are  happy to enhance our cooperation and add Airlink to our list of growing partners in Africa.” he  added, “As South Africa represents the continent’s largest market and with the significant changes  in the region’s industry players, implementation of this interline agreement will create ease of  access to those travelling to/from South African regional airports and Ethiopian destinations  across five continents.” 

Ethiopian Airlines has been implementing various partnership agreements with African and global carriers to further expand its accessibility to its customers. The partnership with Artlink, in particular, will increase seamless connectivity options for customers in the regions of South Africa with the vast network of Ethiopian Airlines in the continent and beyond. Ethiopian Airlines connectivity options are crucial in fulfilling the increasing demand of our customers. Ethiopian and Airlink customers will handle each other’s travellers check-in and baggage for all their flights with the airlines. Airlink provides services between smaller, under-served towns and larger hub airports. Hence, through the interline agreement signed with Ethiopian, customers from South Africa will benefit from more than 60 African destinations of Ethiopian.

Ethiopian Airlines is the fastest growing Airline in Africa. In its seventy-five years of operation, Ethiopian has become one of the continent’s leading carriers,  unrivalled in efficiency and operational success. Ethiopian commands the lion’s share of the Pan-African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to more than 130 international passenger and cargo destinations across five continents. Ethiopian fleet includes ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as Airbus A350, Boeing 787-8, Boeing 787-9, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 777-200LR,  Boeing 777-200 Freighter, Bombardier Q-400 double cabin with an average fleet age of seven years. In fact, Ethiopian is the first airline in Africa to own and operate these aircraft. 

The carrier is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan called Vision 2025  that will see it become the leading aviation group in Africa with seven business units:  Ethiopian International Services; Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services; Ethiopian MRO  Services; Ethiopian Aviation Academy; Ethiopian ADD Hub Ground Services, Ethiopian  Airports Services and Ethiopian Express Services (Domestic).  

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Another Embraer E190 for Cobham

Cobham’s third Embraer 190 aircraft took to the skies for its inaugural passenger flight last week to bolster the regional Australian airline's fleet dedicated to VIP charters and fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) flights in support of Australian mining, oil & gas projects.

As a leading charter and FIFO partner, Cobham has been progressively modernising and expanding its fleet, introducing the E190 jet and Q400 turboprop to provide its clients with greater flexibility of rosters, suitability for paved and unpaved regional aerodromes, increased reliability and low carbon emissions.

“Since we launched our fleet renewal program we have welcomed five new Q400s, with this latest E190 bringing our number of these aircraft types to three,” said Tim Pirga, Cobham’s Business Development Director.

“The Cobham team is hard at work planning the introduction of another two aircraft - a fourth E190 and sixth Q400 - as we countdown to 2022.”

The E190 main cabin provides a step up from established FIFO passenger comfort levels with more space, a wider aisle and 104 seats in 2 x 2 configuration. Service quality is further enhanced by aircraft performance that delivers shorter flight times, full passenger uplift in hot conditions and reliability that ensures minimal disruption to FIFO schedules.

“Continually improving our service delivery is essential to our growth. We are excited to bring the benefits of a modern, flexible aircraft fleet to FIFO clients in Australia,” Tim said.

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ANA Group moving forward with efforts to reduce plastic waste.......

ANA is moving forward with its desire to be zero-waste by 2050 with the phasing out the use of plastic and the next step will see the airline stop providing plastic bags for baggage packing at airports after October 31, 2021.  The plastic bags for strollers and wheelchairs will continue to be provided, although for wheelchairs reusable covers will also be used.  According to the airline's research, this initiative will reduce the number of plastic bags used by approximately 1.96 million bags per year, amounting to approximately 94 tonnes!

"We are committed to enacting policies that establish ANA as an environmental leader in our sector, and the elimination of plastics will further decrease our carbon footprint," said Chikako Miyata, Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Sustainability. "By establishing a timetable that allows us to phase out plastics and replace them with eco-friendly materials, we have created a clear roadmap for the adoption of more sustainable practices. We will continue looking for ways to improve sustainability while offering passengers the comfort and convenience that they have come to expect from ANA."

ANA is also making smaller changes to make a big difference in the levels of waste, by switching straws to paper and moving to cutlery made from FSC certified sustainable wood. Meal trays are also being changed to different biodegradable materials to be more environmentally sound.  

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Air Astana to start Almaty - Phuket service from the end of October

Air Astana, the flag carrier of Kazakhstan has confirmed it will be launching flights from its home base of Almaty to the holiday island of Phuket from the end of this month.  

The carrier will operate an Airbus A321LR on the route which will fly twice a week on Thursday and Sunday.  This super advanced jet is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1133G engines and is configured with 16 Business class seats and 150 Economy class seats. 

Holidays on this island will find the key to the heart of any traveller - there are magnificent white beaches, hotels for every budget and delicious local cuisine, as well as the famous Thai massage. The variety of leisure activities, numerous sports and unique flora and fauna will enchant even the most sophisticated adventurer. All this makes Phuket one of the top holiday destinations this season.

Oh, Thailand, we missed you...

Read through Air Astana's travel notes on Phuket and Bangkok to get you in the mood for exploring these key holiday destinations. 

Loganair forms partnership with Middlesbrough Football Club and opens up GreenSkies Community Fund

Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline, has announced a partnership with Middlesbrough FC, the football club closest to its operational base at Teesside Airport.

This sees the Glasgow-headquartered operator become a Gold Partner of the EFL Championship club and the club’s official airline partner. The deal has an initial one-year duration.

As such, Loganair takes over the exclusive management of all Middlesbrough FC’s charter air travel, including flights to select away matches, as well as ad hoc corporate domestic travel.

Loganair Commercial Director Kay Ryan said: “This is a very important strategic arrangement for us, as Teesside has become an increasingly strong operational base for us. It shows our continued and growing commitment to the airport and to the Tees Valley region.

“Like us, Middlesbrough FC has a passion to be the best it can be. I’m confident this partnership will be to the mutual benefit of our two organisations. We have developed a specialism in bespoke charter requirements for football clubs and we are pleased and excited to be able to bring this expertise to bear for Middlesbrough.”

The keys to restoring UK aviation is simple testing, affordability and sustainability says IATA Director General Willie Walsh

The outspoken head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says the key factors for restoring the UK's aviation sector are embracing a simpler COVID-19 testing regime, ensuring affordable, competitive airport costs, and working for net-zero air transport.

Speaking at the UK Aviation Club, IATA Director General Willie Walsh emphasized the value of face-to-face meetings and the desire of travellers to get flying again. But he warned that by restricting travel and persisting with expensive PCR testing, the UK had failed to capitalize on its early start in COVID-19 vaccinations, and slipped behind its principal EU partners.

“In terms of day-to-day life, the UK is far more pragmatic in managing COVID-19 than many other states. But its approach to travel continues to focus on restrictions which cannot be justified based on risk. Over the period from February to August, the PCR test positivity rate of arriving passengers to the UK was 1%. And the positivity rate from testing the general population was 7%. So we can confidently say that travel is not increasing the UK’s COVID-19 risk,” said Walsh.

While welcoming recent moves to cut the number of ‘red list’ countries and finally proposing an end to PCR tests for vaccinated passengers, Walsh warned that problems remain, principally with the new post-arrival antigen test. The UK is relying on a closed shop of private testing providers, the effectiveness of which the Competition and Markets Authority has described as “a lottery”.  And prices remain high compared to convenient high-street options elsewhere in the world.

COVID-19 document checks have also been identified as a barrier to travel. The UK must lead with automated digital solutions to take the burden off airlines. “Manual paper checks by airlines are unsustainable as volumes come back. We need to automate the process…airlines are not your border guards,” said Walsh.

Emirates and utu Sign Strategic Partnership in Drive to Revolutionize Tax-Free Shopping Experience

utu, the travel tech startup, has announced a strategic partnership with Emirates in a bid to shake up the VAT refund sector.

Emirates is the first to join utu’s innovative new service based on deep industry experience that adds customer loyalty and rewards elements to the tax-free shopping experience for cross-border travellers.

Through the “upsize” model, tourists using utu will soon be able to supersize their tax refunds from shopping with rewards, including Frequent Flyer Miles, hotel points, restaurant vouchers, retail loyalty points, and more. This pivot to rewards signals the biggest upheaval in the history of tax-free shopping.

Tax-free shopping is available in 50 countries across the globe, including France, Italy, Germany, Singapore, South Korea, and the UAE. It allows travellers to claim back the Value-Added Tax (VAT) or Goods & Services Tax (GST) for purchases in countries they visit. Although the system was introduced as a way to boost tourism revenue in local economies, it has, over time, fallen out of favour with travellers. By the time a refund is processed by VAT Refund Operators (VROs), shoppers only receive about half of the total value of the VAT refund they are due.

Three additional Cessna Citation Longitude jets for Thrive Aviation

Thrive Aviation has placed an order for three Cessna Citation Longitude business jets. Pictured: Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president of Sales and Flight Ops, Textron Aviation (left) and Curtis Edenfield, CEO of Thrive Aviation. (Photo: Business Wire)

During this year’s National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, Textron Aviation announced Las Vegas-based private aviation charter operator Thrive Aviation placed an order for three additional Cessna Citation Longitude business jets, set to deliver beginning December 2021. This order will boost Thrive’s fleet of Textron Aviation aircraft to 15, comprised of Cessna Citation Longitude, Cessna Citation Sovereign+, Cessna Citation XLS+, Cessna Citation CJ3+ and Cessna Citation M2.

“It’s rewarding to watch Thrive Aviation expand its capabilities within the Citation family; that’s precisely what we strive to offer by creating the broadest product range in the industry,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president, Global Sales and Flight Operations, Textron Aviation. “Our relationship with Thrive continues to grow. As they expand their operations, the Longitude will provide them with the lowest direct operating cost of any super-midsize jet.”

“Our guests love the Longitude – it’s a great mix of luxury and performance that has garnered quite the following,” said Scott Musselwhite, senior vice president of Commercial, Thrive Aviation. “With the addition of three more Longitudes to our fleet, we’re better equipped to serve our growing demand nationwide; an expanding footprint that is a testament to our momentum and our future.”

“The private aviation landscape has changed during the past 18 months – we’re confident the expanded fleet of Citation Longitudes is exactly what our customers want and expect,” said Thrive Aviation CEO Curtis Edenfield. “The future is bright for Thrive Aviation and we’re so grateful for the relationship we have with the Textron Aviation team. They’ve been an integral part of our continued success up to this point.”

More details about the Cessna Citation Longitude

Successful First Public Flight of Volocopter's VoloDrone

Volocopter's electric heavy-lift drone VoloDrone conducted its first public flight yesterday, Tuesday 12th October, at ITS World Congress 2021. Together with the international logistics leader DB Schenker, Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), demonstrated VoloDrone's seamless integration into the logistics supply chain with an end-to-end cargo transport demonstration. The partners showed their significant progress together since DB Schenker became a strategic investor of Volocopter in early 2020.

The 3-minute test flight took off at 3:02 p.m at homePORT Hamburg and reached a maximum altitude of 22 meters. For this delivery simulation, the electric heavy-lift utility drone was equipped with a load-box in between its landing gear. First, the demonstration teams secured a Euro-pallet sized load to the box under the VoloDrone, followed by a smooth take-off. After this, the aircraft brought the payload to a DB Schenker Cargo Bike and landed safely. Once the payload was transferred successfully, the Cargo Bike delivered its cargo to the final destination under the area's park deck, marking the completion of the entirely electric, multimodal last-mile delivery.

"This first public VoloDrone flight is a strong sign for Volocopter´s leading position in the UAM industry. We are the only UAM company offering solutions for passengers and goods that are flying fully scaled and publicly around the world," says Florian Reuter, Volocopter CEO. "Our VoloDrone will make existing logistics processes more robust, efficient, and sustainable. DB Schenker is an invaluable partner in our endeavour to untap the massive potential of our VoloDrone's logistics use cases."