Malaysia Airlines seems to be refreshing itself just as it announced a modest profit of US$3.48m for Q1 2016 after a slew of internal restructuring initiatives that have streamlined the airline. Next on its plate is the need to refresh its uniforms that stewardesses wear, which is part of the plan to improve customer service, fine-tune its processes and improve productivity. But there is an uproar among people who disagree with the uniform change move, as for them removing the iconic kebaya will hurt the airline's legacy and identity. However, MAS' outgoing CE Christoph Mueller says the signature kebaya of the airline will stay. He says the idea of the uniform change came from within the employees who want a new look and feel to be in sync with the other changes at the airline. <br/>
oneworld
Airberlin reported a Q1 net loss of E182.3m (US$206.2m), narrowed from a E210.1m loss in the year-ago quarter. Airberlin said the Q1 results were heavily influenced by the “lengthy and detrimental codeshare debate” with equity partner Etihad Airways, which has a 29.21% stake in Airberlin. “The protracted and damaging dispute over codeshare flights had a negative impact on our earnings in Q1 2016 ... this debate resulted in a significant loss of revenue and the market has taken months to regain confidence,” Airberlin CE Stefan Pichler added. Q1 revenue fell 7.1% year-over-year to E737.1m. Revenue from ticket sales dropped 8.7% YOY to E630.3m. The company posted an operating loss of E172.2m, widened from its Q1 2015 E159.9m operating deficit. <br/>