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Ryanair, has reached a settlement with a former Italian employee who sued the company over her dismissal and working conditions. Christen Horn Johannessen, lawyer with Norway's Parat union, said Friday that Ryanair has agreed to pay Alessandra Cocca US$67,500, the equivalent of 3 years of salary. Cocca was hired in 2012 as a flight attendant, and based at an airport near Oslo. Less than a year later, Cocca who compared her job to a "slave contract" and reported a senior colleague for smelling of alcohol, was dismissed. Norwegian courts had ruled local labour laws applied because she was based in Norway, while the airline claimed the case should be heard in Ireland, where Ryanair is registered. The airline closed down its Rygge airport base in October after the Norwegian govt changed tax laws. <br/>

The US DoT has tentatively awarded Mexico City International slot-pairs to Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, as well as Mexican LCCs Volaris, VivaAerobus and Interjet. Mexican govt approval is still required before scheduling and tickets sales can commence. Flights are expected to begin by summer 2017. The slots became available Jan. 6 following Aeromexico and Delta Air Line’s acceptance of regulatory conditions required by DoT before the 2 airlines could start a transborder joint venture. The airlines were initially required to give up 14 slot pairs in Mexico City and 2 in New York as part of Phase 1 of the slot awarding process. In Phase 2, 10 remaining slots in Mexico and 2 in New York are required to be transferred before summer 2018. <br/>