Alaska Air Group reported a 46.2% fall in quarterly profit as its operating expenses swelled and average fares declined. Net income fell to $99m, or 79 cents per share, in Q1 ended March 31, from $184m, or $1.46 per share, a year earlier. Passenger unit revenue fell 4.9%. Total operating revenue rose 29.8% to $1.75b.<br/>
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Jet Airways said Wednesday it had suspended a foreign pilot from flying duty over allegations that he assaulted a woman and hurled racist abuse at another passenger on a domestic flight. The Mumbai-based airline confirmed the incident took place on Apr 3 on a Chandigarh-Mumbai flight, adding the pilot in question had been taken off the flying roster soon after and an apology had been extended to the victim. "As regards the said incident, Jet Airways has noted guest feedback with concern and regrets the incident," Jet Airways said Wednesday. "The airline has, as per policy, initiated a full-fledged investigations, based on specific inputs from guests, concerned departments and agencies." <br/>
Don’t hold your breath, but the day will surely arrive when low-cost airlines stop giving themselves monosyllabic names straight out of Cartoon Central. Before this happens, though, Scoot, Wow and other upstart carriers may well have revolutionised the business and passenger experience of intercontinental travel. Scoot and Wow Air — to give the Icelandic airline its full name — each launched inaugural flights in 2012: Scoot from its Singapore base to Sydney, and Wow Air from Reykjavik to Paris. With fleets of 10 and 12 aircraft respectively, it would be easy to dismiss Scoot and Wow Air as mere hummingbirds in the crowded skies of long-haul travel. Indeed, the two airlines’ ambitions seem to some sceptics to be absurdly vaulting when measured against their size. However, former national flag carriers and older low-cost airlines that are in the sights of Scoot and Wow Air would do well to resist complacency. In the late 1990s, the then recently founded Ryanair and easyJet were small, too. Now Ryanair is Europe’s largest airline in terms of passengers carried, and easyJet occupies fifth place. Some 35 years ago, the deregulation of Europe’s air industry set up the framework essential for the advances of Ryanair and easyJet. Today technological progress and the changing attitudes of the travelling public are creating the conditions for Scoot, Wow Air and others to make their mark. Aircraft manufacturers make bigger planes that fly longer distances at lower cost. Passengers are willing to accept no-frills, long-haul flights in return for cheaply priced tickets. Even if it is a realistic objective, it will undoubtedly take a while for Scoot to establish itself as a force in the Asia-Pacific market. The same goes for Wow Air’s aim of emerging as a challenger in Europe to Ryanair, easyJet and so-called “legacy” airlines such as Air France-KLM, Lufthansa and IAG, which owns British Airways and Iberia.<br/>
Thai AirAsia is strengthening its foothold in the Thai-Vietnamese air travel market by making Danang its third port of call in Vietnam. Thailand's biggest low-cost carrier will become the second airline to operate non-stop flights between Bangkok and the largest city in central Vietnam. TAA's Danang launch, set for June 9, comes after Vietnam Airlines ended regular flights on the city pair in March. TAA is filling the void left by the Vietnamese flag carrier and exploiting Danang's status as one of Vietnam's tourism hotspots. International arrivals to Danang in 2016 jumped 34% year-on-year to 1.6 million, with 24,000 of those being Thai nationals. <br/>