Air NZ is teaming up with rival airlines to form a trans-Tasman aviation lobby group to tackle - among other things - the fees and facilities at the airports they use. Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia, TigerAir Australia and Rex will join Air NZ as founding members of Airlines for Australia and New Zealand (A4ANZ). Airport services and charges are high on the agenda with Air NZ CE Christopher Luxon calling them out as the group was launched. "Australia and New Zealand must compete for visitors on the world stage against many other attractive destinations," Luxon said. "To be competitive we must continue to improve cost and quality in all parts of the travel experience but we are constrained by a legacy of under investment and over recovery at key airports. A4ANZ will add its voice to that ambition," he said. <br/>
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The boss of Air NZ has gained rare access to a high-level member of US president Donald Trump's cabinet. Air NZ CE Christopher Luxon met US secretary of transport Elaine Chao in Washington DC, Wednesday. Luxon also met senior officials from the TSA and Department of Homeland Security. He pushed the importance of the US market as a source for New Zealand visitors, and sought improvements to its customers' experience in US airports. Air NZ particularly wanted a streamlined process for its passengers transiting Los Angeles (LAX) to London. "Air NZ is one of only a very few airlines that have an international transit in the US like NZ1," Luxon said. "We think there's room for an improved process that would benefit customers without compromising security, and would also reflect well on LAX as a major hub airport." <br/>
Kingsland Holdings Limited, a minority shareholder in Avianca, has formally requested shareholders vote on whether to appoint an auditor to examine transactions between the airline and controlling shareholder Synergy, Kingsland said Wednesday. Synergy is controlled by investor German Efromovich, who along with United Continental Holdings is being sued by Kingsland for "clandestinely" negotiating an US$800m loan and strategic alliance behind the backs of other shareholders. Synergy holds 78% of Avianca voting shares, while Kingsland holds 22%. Kingsland, controlled by El Salvador's Kriete family, said Wednesday that it has been requesting for several months that Avianca retain an independent auditor to review transactions with Synergy. <br/>
United Airlines is in the midst of pruning some 300 management positions at the airline's headquarters in the Willis Tower. The staff reductions are expected to be completed by late spring of this year. The reductions are tied to a long-term strategy — outlined by CE Oscar Munoz last fall — to improve network connectivity and revenue management, while continuing to maintain disciplined cost control. Munoz said at the time that his new strategy is expected to generate US$4.8b in earnings improvement by 2020. A spokeswoman said the cuts were being made after management had examined every department and determined what the airline's optimal employment needs were. The layoffs across multiple departments are not expected to affect front-line operations. <br/>
United Airlines is a strong presence on social media platforms. That's among the revelations contained in the 2017 Airline Report from NetBase, a global social analytics firm. The 2017 report also found United Airlines to be the most intensely loved brand among some 60 global carriers included in the annual study. Of all the airlines tracked in the survey, United landed in second place in the 2017, behind JetBlue. The report's social media rankings are determined by several key criteria — volume of conversation, awareness (as a measure of earned impressions), reach (a measure of owned impressions) net sentiment and brand impression. The new NetBase report also includes a so-called "Love List" of the world's most intensely-loved brands. And on that list, United wound up in first place. <br/>
SAS has reported a SEK556m (US$61.7m) Q1 net loss for the November to January period, more than doubling the SEK246m loss it posted in the year-ago period. “We are putting a seasonally weak quarter behind us, which, as expected, was worse than the preceding year. The inadequate profitability emphasizes the importance of SAS mobilising to address the cost disadvantages that we have compared with more recently established competitors. Accordingly, we are working on the details of further measures to create long-term competitiveness and profitability,” SAS president and CE Rickard Gustafson said. Revenue for the quarter rose 8.2% to SEK9b while expenses increased 12.7% to SEK9.5b, producing an operating loss of SEK577m, more than triple the SEK186m operating loss in the prior-year quarter. <br/>
Airbus and THAI signed a memorandum of understanding March 8 to jointly evaluate developing a new maintenance and overhaul campus at U-Tapao International in Rayong, Thailand. According to Airbus, the new MRO facility will offer line and heavy maintenance services and will utilise digital technology analysis of aircraft maintenance data, in addition to UAV inspection of aircraft airframes. Specialised repair shops, including a repair centre for composite structures, are envisioned for the campus, as well as a maintenance training centre for THAI and other regional technical personnel. “This facility will be a showcase maintenance hub for the region and will offer its services to airlines across the region and beyond,” THAI acting president Usanee Sangsingkeo said. <br/>