oneworld

Keeping the neighbouring seat empty is a novel way of ensuring air passengers have more space, but British Airways has decided that it is so effective the airline is extending its business model to more flights. Passengers who fly business class with BA in Europe have always been guaranteed a window or an aisle seat when booking, thanks to the carrier's policy not to sell the middle seat next to them. But now BA is to start withholding sale of the middle seats in the front rows of domestic flights also. The carrier has announced that it is expanding its Club Europe class, meaning that passengers flying from London to destinations such as Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle and Leeds/Bradford can cut out the pesky middle passenger too. <br/>

American Airlines CE Doug Parker advocated for the nation’s air traffic control system to be turned over to a not-for-profit, but not privatised, allowing the system to receive billions of dollars in bond financing for improvements. “We have an antiquated ATC system that costs Americans lots of time and is much worse than we have in many other parts of the world,” Parker said Friday. Parker and American Airlines have joined Southwest Airlines CE Gary Kelly and other major carrier chiefs in calling for modernisation of the air traffic control system. Parker said that air traffic control operations should be taken outside of the US govt and put into a not-for-profit corporation, which he argued could run the systems more efficiently. The operations would still be regulated by the FAA, he said. <br/>