Lufthansa said Wednesday it had cancelled 912 flights for Thursday, grounding 115,000 more passengers as pilots extend their strike. The airline had already scrapped nearly 900 flights that affected 100,000 passengers on Wednesday after pilots staged a walkout in a row over pay and working conditions. Late Wednesday, pilots' union Cockpit called for the strike - its 14th since April 2014 - to continue through Friday, urging short-haul flight pilots to stay off work. Meanwhile a separate walkout by cabin crew at Lufthansa's low-cost airline Eurowings led to the cancellation of more than 60 flights at airports in Hamburg and Duesseldorf on Tuesday. The Lufthansa pilots going on strike are demanding a pay rise of an average of 3.66% per year, retroactive for the past five years. Their union says pilots have endured a wage freeze over that time and suffered a "significant loss of purchasing power" due to inflation, while Lufthansa has made billions in profits. It had offered a 2.5% wage hike. Lufthansa urged the Cockpit union to work towards a resolution rather than escalate the problem. "Cockpit's demand for a pay rise ... goes far above what other groups of employees have received. It is incomprehensible why the union is seeking the highest salary increase for the best paid group of employees," said Bettina Volkens, Lufthansa's human resources chief.<br/>
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Asiana Airlines will introduce new in-flight services and turn previously free services into paid services as part of efforts to remain competitive against its smaller rivals low-cost carriers that have been eating away at the market for the full-service carrier. According to multiple sources from the airline industry on Wednesday, Asiana Airlines will offer passengers premium economy class seats that offer more space than economy class seats but are more affordable than business class seats. Such a move is in line with the growing trend among global passenger carriers to reduce the number of first-class seats that are often left empty on board by replacing them with alternative premium seats. The company expects this would help increase overall seat occupancy rate as the market for frugal business travelers and economy fliers valuing comfort over price is burgeoning. Asiana Airlines’ premium economy class seat will likely be charged 1.5 times higher than a standard economy class seat, but designed to be 50cm wider. The new seats will be introduced in the first quarter of next year starting with its next-generation A350-900 aircraft. Asiana’s move follows the introduction of a premium economy class by its global peers such as Delta Airlines, Lufthansa, SIA, Cathay Pacific, Air France and Iberia. In a move to court high-value business travellers, Asiana Airlines has also introduced a new membership service where passengers can unlimitedly upgrade their business class seats to first class seats at a cost of 1.3m won ($1,107) per year. A single-use membership costs 700,000 won. The service is available for flights to and from Incheon and Los Angeles, New York, and Frankfurt, with no service on Incheon-Frankfurt route temporarily from December 26 to February 28. As part of efforts to improve profit, Asiana Airlines next month will also start to charge between 20,000 won and 100,000 won for a front, roomier economy seat near an emergency gate that used to be reserved free of charge.<br/>
Turkish Airlines has unveiled a number of new functions on the airline’s app, alongside new business class headphones. Through the app, passengers can now add flights, cancel reservations, reissue tickets, add infant passengers and upgrade to business class. It will also offer maps of major airport terminals around the world and driving directions to these airports. The carrier has also updated its in-flight entertainment offering to include noise-cancelling headphones from audio manufacturer Denon. Business class passengers on the carrier’s American routes will be able to use the headphones, while passengers in other classes can purchase them on the airline’s online marketplace, Shop and Miles, where loyalty members can purchase items with both miles and cash. Business class passengers on short-haul flights without personal rear-seat screens will also be offered Samsung Galaxy S2 tablets to access the airline’s in-flight entertainment.<br/>