British Airways has made an effort to beat turbulence from the 16-day strike action by cabin crew which is due to kick off July 1, with plans to draft in 9 jets from Qatar Airways to cover the walkout period. The carrier said all passengers will get to their destination, despite the action. British Airways said it is looking at "a range of options" and speaking with a number of airlines, with finalised contingency plans to be published soon for those passengers affected. Wet leasing from Qatar Airways will also involve crew being brought in with the planes. To use jets from outside of Europe, BA has sought approval for the operation from the CAA. But union Unite has called for BA's plans to borrow Qatar planes during the strike to be turned down by the CAA. <br/>
oneworld
Doug Parker may have been left puzzled, concerned and “not happy” after Qatar Airways revealed its plan to buy up to a 10% stake in American Airlines last week. But the US carrier’s CE should have also added flattered to his list of emotions. Qatar Airways CE Akbar Al Baker has repeatedly stressed that his strategy is to invest in profitable airlines — “goldsmiths”, as he calls them, rather than “scrap dealers”. The dig at Etihad Airways is clear. The Abu Dhabi carrier’s strategy of taking minority stakes in troubled airlines to drive growth has come at a cost. Alitalia, the Italian carrier, is in administration. Air Berlin is on life support. Etihad is in the midst of reassessing its strategy. In comparison, Qatar Airways has focused its attention on what it deems “successful” carriers to expand its global reach. <br/>
Airberlin has decided not to apply for a govt guarantee, because the company is making good progress with its restructuring. CE Thomas Winkelmann said: “We had made a preliminary application for a surety as part of management’s pre-emptive strategy of investigating all restructuring options for Airberlin. However, we have at no point made a binding application for a surety, and will not do so.” The carrier said it has already achieved cost savings in the double-digit million euros range for 2018 as a result of successful renegotiations of aircraft leasing contracts and by lowering operating expenses. “There is quite simply no longer any need for a govt guarantee to secure any loans,” Winkelmann said. <br/>