Finnair is operating at a disadvantage because the OneWorld alliance to which it belongs has failed to recruit members in China or India, says the carrier’s CE. Partners in the world’s two most populous countries are critical to Finnair’s long-haul business handling passengers travelling between Europe and Asia via its Helsinki hub, said Pekka Vauramo. Vauramo was pleased with some aspects of what OneWorld had brought his airline since it joined in 1999 but he was “not happy” in terms of China and India. Among the two other big global airline alliances, Star Team includes Air India and China’s Shenzhen Airlines, while SkyTeam includes four Chinese carriers. Vauramo said the issue was one of two facing Finnair, and called for the lifting of restrictions on its ownership to ensure participation in consolidation in the European airline market. “OneWorld doesn’t have a partner there,” Mr Vauramo said of China and India. “In the long run, we do need a partner in China if we want to continue to grow that business — and we want to continue to grow that business. We’re at a disadvantage because we don’t have that.” Vauramo noted that Qantas of Australia had gone outside OneWorld, of which it is a member, to form a strategic partnership with Emirates of Dubai, which belongs to no alliance. Finnair has been vindicated in its decision nearly 30 years ago to focus on Asia where its has gradually taken market share from larger competitors. The company benefits from Helsinki’s location nearly directly on many of the shortest natural routes between Europe and east Asia. Vauramo reiterated calls for the Finnish government, which owns 56% of Finnair, to scrap rules that oblige it to retain a majority of the shares. A change would prepare the airline for consolidation among European airlines.<br/>
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The US DoT has given American Airlines six more months to start its daily nonstop service between Los Angeles and Beijing, short of the full year American sought. The DOT also rejected Atlanta-based Delta’s second bid to win the route based on American’s admission it could not get commercially viable slots at the Beijing airport by the original March 16 startup date the DOT set. In a filing March 10, the DoT said American Airlines could delay the start of LAX-PEK service for six months, until Sept. 16, 2017, or until 90 days after it obtains commercially viable slots at Beijing, whichever comes first. “When we selected American’s Los Angeles-Beijing proposal, we did so because we concluded that American’s proposal would provide greater enhancements to competition and service than selection of Delta and would thereby maximize public benefits,” according to the DOT decision filing by Susan McDermott, deputy assistant secretary for Aviation and International Affairs. “The Department recognizes that, in granting an extension of the start-up deadline, the benefits of American’s service might be somewhat delayed. On balance, however, we have determined that such a delay, resulting from American’s inability to obtain commercially viable slots from the Chinese authorities, does not warrant the carrier’s loss of authority and the resultant loss of those public benefits that formed the basis of our selection decision." Story has rest of quote.<br/>
Heightened competition in the aviation industry and the rise of on-demand app technologies have driven the city’s leading airline to rethink its dining services.<br/>Cathay Pacific Airways has announced it will trial “dine-on-demand” on its long-haul flights, allowing travellers to elect when to eat. Food catering has been a particular flashpoint for Cathay Pacific customers, who have openly criticised the quality and standard of meals in recent years. “We are doing this in response,” CE Ivan Chu Kwok-leung said. “We know what the customer wants. We don’t just want to satisfy what the customer wants, we want to lead in terms of what we are looking at – giving passengers more control, enhancing the customer service online and physically when they get on board.” The move is part of a much wider battle being fought by the world’s top airlines to improve their business and economy class offerings. Airlines are constantly trying to outperform one another in service innovation and creativity. Cathay Pacific’s new service will be trialled on routes from Hong Kong to London and Hong Kong to Chicago in May and June respectively. The airline is also considering introducing the option of pre-ordering inflight meals akin to a “book the cook” style of service seen on rival carrier Singapore Airlines.<br/>
Two flight attendants are suing American Airlines over harassing Facebook messages posted by male co-workers. The women say American failed to enforce its policy prohibiting employees from making insults or disparaging comments about co-workers on social media. They are claiming sex discrimination and sexual harassment, and are seeking unspecified damages. An American spokesman said Monday that the lawsuits have no merit. American is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. One of the flight attendants, Melissa Chinery of Philadelphia, said after announcing that she was seeking a union position she was harassed by a group of male flight attendants and called obscene names. She said confidential information about her was posted. The other flight attendant, Laura Medlin, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, described similar harassment after resigning from a union position.<br/>
After requesting a different seat, Sue Martin, who is blind, and her service dog were kicked off of an American Airlines flight. She said the pilot claimed she was a "danger to the flight." A resident of Franklin, Martin has had her seeing eye dog, Quan for the past year. She depends on him to navigate through her daily life. Martin had never run into an incident like this before her most recent trip to San Diego. There were several connecting flights, all of which went smoothly until her connector flight from Washington, D.C., to Dallas. She requested a different seat on the aircraft after she saw it would not accommodate her service dog. "There was not enough room for a 75-pound dog and three adult humans," Martin said. The two were asked to step off of the plan after several requests were made to change seats. "The man said, 'You have to leave the plane.' I asked him why and he said the crew had decided I was a danger to the flight," Martin said. "I've never had anything happen like this before."<br/>