Planned strikes by British Airways cabin crew for Christmas Day and Boxing Day have been suspended. Members of Unite were due to walk out over Christmas in a dispute over pay. The union said workers employed in the so-called mixed crew – who have joined since 2010 – were on lower pay than other staff. Lengthy talks at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) have led to a revised offer that will be put to a ballot of union members. The union is recommending the revised offer to its 2,700-plus mixed fleet members at British Airways. The Unite general secretary, Len McCuskey, said: “Over the past four days...this union has worked tirelessly to find a resolution to the issues causing our members concern. We now have a new offer from the company, which we will put to our members." <br/>
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Russia’s S7 Airlines has agreed to lease 17 used Embraer E170s from GE Capital Aviation Services, beginning in the first half of 2017. In October, the Federal Air Transport Agency of the Russian Federation validated type certificates for Embraer’s E170 and E175 jets, which paved the way for Russian airlines to acquire the two aircraft types. S7 Airlines will be the first operator of the E170 in the country. S7 Airlines CE Vladimir Obyedkov said the new E170s will be based at the Novosibirsk Tolmachevo airport, “which is located well enough to serve as an efficient hub for other regions. The new type of airliners will allow us to launch flights from small and hard to reach cities, where the use of medium-haul aircraft is impossible.” S7 is now the carrier with the largest network outside Moscow serving regional and intra-regional markets. <br/>
Bob Ross has taken American Airlines' developing uniform crisis to a new level of urgency. Wednesday, Ross, the president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) that represents 25,500 AA flight attendants, sent a formal presidential grievance to American's senior VP and general counsel, Paul Jones. Sources familiar with the grievance process say a presidential grievance is the most serious type that can be filed. Ross, in his presidential grievance, reiterated what has by now become well-known during the 3 months the affair has been playing out: "Thousands of flight attendants have reported serious health and safety concerns as a result of wearing the new company-issued uniforms...These uniforms continue to put our members at risk, forcing them to use sick leave and affecting their overall health". <br/>