For the last 10 years, Volaris has been trying to get travellers off of buses and onto its planes. The carrier launched in 2006 with a focus on intra-Mexico travel -- where buses still reign supreme -- but over the last several years it has also been expanding its presence in the US to cater to Mexican-Americans who want to visit friends and family south of the border. The strategy seems to be paying off, with Volaris now serving 22 destinations in the US, including 4 in Texas. Now, with a revised air travel agreement taking effect this week that will lift restrictions on the flights between US and Mexican cities, there’s even more room for Volaris to grow. But they’re sure to encounter stiff competition, as US carriers like Southwest Airlines and other low-cost Mexican airlines look to grow their share of cross-border traffic. <br/>
unaligned
Southwest Airlines, proud owner of a storied corporate culture that values fun, hard work and a maverick mind-set, is contending with an unaccustomed challenge: hostile public disputes with its labour unions. Employees are showing up for picketing like never before and waving anti-Southwest placards. Unions representing more than two-thirds of the workforce called on CE Gary Kelly to step down this month. Contract talks have dragged on for years even as Southwest posted record profits. The acrimony is fuelling concerns about higher expenses as many employees fight for their first pay raises in years. The airline says it needs productivity gains and new work rules after losing much of its advantage in operating costs over American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and other larger rivals. <br/>
Eurowings said delays and flight cancelations on long-haul routes because of technical issues and crew shortages have been reduced. Going forward, careful planning will take priority over growing its network rapidly. “There have been long delays in the past, but now we have this under control. About 3% out of a total of 1,000 Eurowings long-haul flights had been delayed more than 3 hr,” a spokesperson said. Lufthansa chairman and CE Carsten Spohr said in June that the start of Eurowings’ long-haul routes was a bit too ambitious. “[We had] a complex network; too many destinations counted down to one aircraft. I also learned from that [mistake]. Eurowings is a completely different ballgame,” he said. Eurowings operates 4 310-seat Airbus A330-200s on long-haul flights, which are wet-leased from SunExpress. <br/>
Several Belgian businessmen are collaborating in the take-off of a new airline. One of these businessmen is Niky Terzakis, the former managing director of TNT Airways, based in Liège. Using the trading name Air Belgium, he wishes to operate flights between Belgium and Asia from next year. In the 80s and 90s, there was a charter airline using the name Air Belgium. It offered flights to the Mediterranean, on behalf of the former company Sunair. The new company’s business plan principally entails offering flights to China and other cities of the Far East and South East Asia. Terzakis says that the first Air Belgium flights should take place in Q2 or Q3 of 2017. The company is likely to focus on long haul flights. The company has yet to decide which airport to operate from (Brussels or Liège) and which type of plane to use. <br/>