Lufthansa and the Independent Flight Attendants' Organisation (UFO) have agreed on arbitration talks, which will continue until June 30. During this period, "industrial peace will be obligatory," Lufthansa said. Prior to the arbitration, the social partners had already agreed on a new collective wage settlement as well as a new agreement for the future pensions and transitional benefits of Lufthansa cabin staff. The collective wage agreement will be valid until Sept 30, 2016. For 2015, 19,000 cabin staff will receive a single payment of E3,000 (US$3,263). As of Jan 1, 2016, wages have been increased 2.2%. Lufthansa said agreements have already been signed regarding the future pensions and transitional benefits. Details that are still in dispute must be negotiated by Feb 15 or they will be brought to arbitration. <br/>
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United Airlines pilots have voted to ratify a 2-year extension to their labour agreement that pushes the contract through Jan 31, 2019. The ratification is a big win for United, which late last year negotiated an amended collective bargaining agreement with its flight deck crew, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), even though the existing contract didn't expire until Jan 31, 2017. ALPA's United Master Executive Council voted to approve the new deal just before Christmas and sent it to rank-and-file pilots for a ratification vote. ALPA said that 90.9% of the 10,569 pilots eligible to vote participated, with 79% casting ballots in favour of the extended, amended contract. ALPA said that the accord "provides increases in compensation putting United pilots at the top of the industry, restores pay and vacation value to previously furloughed pilots, and enhances the scheduling rules for long-haul flights." <br/>
The Republic of Slovenia has agreed to sell 91.58% of Adria Airways to Luxembourg-headquartered turnaround specialist 4K Invest for E100,000 (US$108,756), subject to regulatory clearances and other conditions. Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) and Bad Asset Management (BAMC) hold the Adria Airways shares on behalf of the state. SSH and BAMC said they have signed a "share purchase and sale agreement" with 4K Invest, after the investor offered the best bid for the airline. "At the general meeting of shareholders of Adria Airway, Jan 19, 2016, this transaction was put into execution," they said. "The capital increase and the sale process are expected to be completed in the following few months." Under the deal, Adria Airways will undergo a E4.1m capital increase. <br/>
A recent terror attack in Turkey isn't denting growth plans at the country's flag carrier as it recorded only a small drop off in bookings in the wake of this month's bombing in Istanbul, the CE of Turkish Airlines said Sunday. A suicide bomber killed 10 tourists in the heart of Istanbul earlier this month, raising concern that the country's important tourism sector could be badly hit. Egypt has suffered a sharp drop in tourism in the wake of the Oct 31 downing of a Russian jetliner that departed from the beach resort of Sharm El Sheikh, killing all 224 people on-board. Turkish Airlines bookings were impacted, but only for a few days, CE Temel Kotil said. The airline is sticking with its plan for 21% traffic growth this year, he said. Turkish Airlines plans to continue its rapid pace of fleet expansion, adding 43 aircraft this year to grow its inventory of planes to 342 aircraft. <br/>
No explosive device has been found on the Turkish Airlines flight which was diverted to Shannon Airport Sunday. The plane – bound for Istanbul from Houston, Texas – was diverted to Ireland after a piece of paper with "bomb" written on it was discovered in the toilet. Nothing was found in the search of the aircraft in Shannon, a spokesman said, adding that the plane would take off again to Istanbul. At around 10:20am Irish time, the crew made radio contact with controllers at the Irish Aviation Authority. The crew issued a Pan-Pan distressed call and requested permission to dump fuel over the Atlantic to ensure they touched down within safe landing weight levels. Turkish Airlines has been targeted with a series of hoax bomb warnings over the last year. <br/>