American Airlines is rushing to resolve a scheduling fault that gave time off to too many pilots in December -- a flaw that has left more than 15,000 flights without sufficient crew during the holiday rush, according to a union for the carrier’s pilots. The Allied Pilots Association estimated the number of affected flights, from Dec. 17 to Dec. 31, based on information provided by the carrier, said Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the union. American spokesman Matt Miller declined to quantify the potential number of flights involved, saying the airline expects to correct the problem in time to prevent service disruptions. “We are working diligently to address the issue and expect to avoid cancellations this holiday season,” Miller said. The number of flights involved will decline each day as the carrier reassigns them, he said. The computer-system problem will force American to rebuild its staffing schedule, similar to what airlines must do after major weather disruptions, said John Cox, CEO of consultant Safety Operating Systems and a former commercial airline pilot. Revenue will take a hit if American has to scrub many flights. At a minimum, the carrier is likely to face higher labor costs just as investors are stepping up scrutiny of airline expenses. “It will be a challenge, but I don’t think there will be mass cancellations,” Cox said. “There’s going to be a lot of midnight oil spent on it, but I think they’ll get the vast majority of them covered one way or another.” The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier is offering pilots 1.5 times their normal hourly wage to pick up some of the flights, the top rate laid out in their contract, Miller said. It also has a higher-than-normal number of pilots on reserve during December who will fill “a good chunk” of the affected flights, he said.<br/>
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American Airlines launched the next phase of its fleet renewal programme with the introduction of the Boeing 737 Max today. The carrier debuted the aircraft on the Miami-New York LaGuardia route with the 737-8 beginning its day with a 07:00 departure to New York and then operating the return leg to Miami at 11:00. Pilots Steve Efken and Monica Svensson, who flew the aircraft on both flights, told FlightGlobal while on the ground at LaGuardia that the aircraft handled well and was quieter than the 737-800. They added that the cockpit displays were comparable to those on the Boeing 787 rather than the 737 NGs. American configures its 737-8s with 172 seats, 16 in first class and 156 in economy, including 30 extra-legroom economy seats. This is 12 more seats than on its 737-800s, which will be reconfigured to match the density of the Max over the next few years. The mainline carrier is the second US airline to debut the 737 Max, following launch customer Southwest’s introduction of the type on 1 October. American is basing its first 737-8s at its Miami International airport hub. It plans to place the aircraft on routes served by Airbus A319s and Boeing 757-200s.<br/>
LATAM Airlines Group will offer inflight internet from the first half of 2018, starting with domestic and regional routes in Brazil. Inflight connectivity provider Gogo will provide the service. The onboard Wi-Fi service will be installed gradually on LATAM Airlines Brazil’s aircraft—which operate national flights within Brazil as well as selected flights to other countries in Latin America—with the rollout expected to be completed during 2019. The service will also be extended progressively to the other LATAM markets, with further detail to be communicated in due course. According to LATAM, various connection options will be available to passengers, including a basic service to check emails and messages, and a faster connection for those wanting to use streaming services. <br/>