Full-year pre-tax profits at easyJet are expected to fall by a sharper-than-anticipated 28%, easyJet warned Thursday. The company’s trading update, ahead of full results in November, follows a profit warning in June prompted by economic uncertainty, excess airline capacity and air traffic disruption, which sent the company’s shares down sharply. However, Carolyn McCall, CE, insisted current tough conditions represented an opportunity for easyJet to “build and strengthen” its market position. The company said it expected full-year pre-tax profits in a range between GBP490m and GBP495m, compared with GBP686m for the year to September 30, 2015. While easyJet had not previously forecast its profit for the year, analysts had expected a figure of between GBP497m and GBP517m. A series of European airlines have been forced to issue profit warnings as they absorb the impact of terrorist incidents, air traffic control disruption and economic uncertainty at a time when airline fleets are growing rapidly. EasyJet’s exposure to some of the markets suffering most severely from terrorism and its heavy dependence on the UK, where demand has suffered following the vote to leave the EU, mean it has been disproportionately affected. EasyJet said Thursday that its cost per seat excluding fuel was likely to fall a better than expected 1.1% for the year ending 30 September 2016, after stripping out the effects of currency movements. However, the company expected the negative effect of currency movements to reduce pre-tax profits by GBP90m compared with the previous year, a GBP35m increase from its forecast in June. It expects a similar impact for 2016-17.<br/>
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TUIfly has decided to completely shut down flight operations Friday after many aircraft crew called in sick on short notice Thursday, a spokesman said. The action follows concerns about a partial merger between the two companies. On Thursday, TUIfly had to cancel 47 out of 110 planned flights and airberlin canceled 90 flights. On Friday, TUIfly has canceled 108 flights, comprising 54 flights leaving from Germany and 54 from tourism destinations throughout Europe. TUIfly again will charter aircraft from other carriers to bring tourists back. The company said it is working to reduce the impact on passengers after many crew members again called in sick on short notice. TUIfly also said it expects further flight cancellations. TUIfly said because of the wide scope of crew short-notice absences it is impossible to inform passengers earlier and offer alternative travel arrangements.<br/>
Hawaiian Airlines said the US DoT deemed the airline's discontinuation of preselecting seats "not discriminatory" following complaints from two passengers boarding a flight to Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa. According to a report by Radio New Zealand, two businessmen from the US territory in the South Pacific filed complaints with USDOT over a new policy of the Honolulu-based airline prohibiting passengers from preselecting seats on its Pago Pago flights due to improper weight distribution. Research by the airline showed an increase in average passenger weight, and without proper weight distribution, safety issues arise. After a six-month study period, Hawaiian Airlines found that passengers on the route weighed 15 kilograms, or about 33 pounds, more than the FAA average. COO Jon Snook told RNZ that the airline will no longer weigh passengers. Instead, it will ensure that there will be either a child or an empty seat in each passenger row through discontinuing passenger preselection of seats on certain flights.<br/>
Nok Air has solidified its intentions to extend its footprint into China with the planned debut of scheduled flights to Kunming and Guangzhou. <br/>China will drive the SET-listed budget airline's accelerated international network expansion, expected to provide an impetus for future growth. <br/>While the airline is still finalising the launch dates, timetables and fare structures for its Kunming and Guangzhou services, Nok Air chief executive Patee Sarasin told the Bangkok Post that flights are due to commence in December. China will become the third foreign country in Nok Air's international network to be served from the carrier's Don Mueang airport hub, after Myanmar (Yangon) and Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City). "China is clearly a very big market with significant traffic flow," Mr Patee said. Nok Air's launch comes on the heels of rival Thai Lion Air's announcement of a daily scheduled flight to Guangzhou, also from Don Mueang, starting on Oct 28. Nok Air will also be pitted against Thai AirAsia, which has operated flights from Don Mueang to Guangzhou and Kunming for some time. <br/>
No-frills Thai AirAsia (TAA) has rolled out unique livery for one of its aircraft, literally taking "Amazing Thailand" to the skies. <br/>The Airbus 320 jet features an artistically tweaked image of a demon, "Yak" in Thai, from the Thai version of Hindu classical epic Ramayana, lying horizontally on both sides of the fuselage. <br/>TAA, in collaboration with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), is using this decked-out aircraft as an airborne tool to promote Thailand's tourism, which is expected to attract almost 34 million foreign investors and generate 1.72 trillion baht in revenue this year. It is hoped that the image will drive passenger traffic for TAA, which promotes itself as an Asean airline and carries mostly tourists. <br/>
Two passengers have been escorted off a flight and could be banned from flying with Jetstar in the future after a mid-air "incident" where they had to be separated by the crew. The incident occurred on flight JQ33, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner which left the Thai city of Phuket early on Wednesday and arrived in Sydney in the afternoon. Scott Haywood, a passenger on the flight, said the dispute began when one passenger "fully reclined" her seat and a passenger behind her took offence. A spokesman for Jetstar confirmed the incident and said cabin crew contacted Australian Federal Police (AFP), who met the flight when it landed in Sydney about 2pm. "Our crew onboard acted quickly and the customers were separated for the remainder of the flight," the spokesman said. "We don't tolerate disruptive behaviour by passengers on our flights. We will conduct a review with a view to banning these passengers travelling with us in the future."<br/>