Compared with their checkered track record, major airlines are enjoying boom times. Planes are full and fuel is much cheaper than it was last year. The four biggest US carriers just reported a collective Q2 profit of US$3.9b. And yet investors seem to be looking past the bottom line. They have become obsessed with fare prices — falling now for more than a year — that may foreshadow thinner profits in the future. The airlines will face more pressure for measured growth (nobody is talking about shrinking yet) if revenue trends don't improve this year. Right now even business travelers are enjoying a relative bargain. All airlines said pricing was weak for tickets bought on short notice — often by corporate travelers. <br/>
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People flying to Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention next week can breathe a sigh of relief: hundreds of airport workers who had threatened to strike for a US$15 minimum wage have backed down after moving closer to their goal of joining a union that can negotiate higher pay. To help avert the strike, Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney got assurances from American Airlines—which controls most of the flights at Philadelphia International—that the company will work with the union toward an agreement that will give the employees a chance to form a union of their choice. The airport workers had threatened to grab the spotlight as delegates and others arrive for the convention officially kicking off Monday. <br/>
Heathrow said the vote to leave the EU made it more important than ever that Britain's busiest airport should be allowed to expand to boost trade links with countries around the world. Britain has spent years pondering whether to expand Heathrow or Gatwick, with a decision from the new govt expected in the coming months. Heathrow has been campaigning to build an extra runway but a decision has been delayed by successive govts worried about pollution and local opposition. "Now Britain needs a positive post-Brexit plan and only Heathrow expansion will help Britain to be one of the world's leading trading nations - connecting all of Britain to global growth," the airport’s CE said. <br/>
Russian airlines have resumed regular passenger flights to Turkey, after a temporary suspension in the wake of the failed coup in Turkey was lifted by Russia's transport ministry. Turkey's tourism relies on Russians. Earlier Russia and Turkey resolved a bitter row triggered by the Syria war. Last month Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan apologised for the downing of a Russian military jet on the Turkey-Syria border in November. Angered by that incident, Russia had imposed trade sanctions on Turkey, including a ban on charter flights to resorts popular with Russian tourists. Charter flights remain suspended but Russian authorities say they are moving to resume those too. <br/>
Singapore police and courts will get wider powers to deal with troublemakers on flights when new laws are passed in the next six to 12 months. The move will come before a global ruling by the UN aimed at tackling the growing problem of unruly air passengers. Under current international civil aviation laws, Singapore can take action only if the culprit arrives on a Singapore carrier. This means that troublemakers on foreign carriers usually get off scot-free. To plug this loophole, the ICAO aims to replace the protocol. Singapore, which plans to enact its own laws before the global mandate, has consulted airlines operating at Changi Airport. <br/>