Within hours of the news Sept 15 that thousands of Ryanair flights had been canceled in Europe, pilots' WhatsApp groups exploded with pent-up frustration. While management explained away the cancellations as a one-off rostering screw-up, pilots believed there was a deeper problem - that disaffected colleagues were leaving in droves. The pilots saw an opportunity to shift the balance of power in a company where they feel they are treated, in the words of one serving captain, "like janitors". A hectic 5 days of Facebook and WhatsApp exchanges and meetings later, representatives of 20 of Ryanair's 87 bases were demanding new contracts. "The discontent has always been there ... but the cancellations triggered everyone to mobilise," one pilot said. <br/>
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Ryanair is to be investigated by 2 UK parliamentary committees following allegations over employee working conditions at the airline. MPs Frank Field and Rachel Reeves, chairs of the Work and Pensions and Business select committees, have written to the airline’s CE, Michael O’Leary, seeking answers to claims of staff being underpaid, having to pay for their own uniforms and incurring fees when they leave. Reeves accused the company of “trying to wiggle out” of paying the UK’s National Minimum Wage. Ryanair dismissed the allegations as false, saying its cabin crew earn “more than double the UK national minimum wage”. Labour politician Field said: “Sadly, it will not surprise me if the sorry picture painted here is true: a company that turned in GBP1.15b profit last year squeezing its workers.” <br/>
The threat of a Ryanair strike continued to hover over Irish airports Wednesday as the airline said it would respond “comprehensively” to pilot union Impact’s demand that it conclude a recognition agreement by noon Thursday. The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) – part of trade union Impact – warned, following a meeting this week, that it could still act on its mandate for a strike at Cork, Dublin and Shannon airports if a deal is not agreed by the Thursday deadline. Ryanair’s chief people officer, Eddie Wilson, confirmed that the airline would “respond comprehensively” to the union’s demand. “I think that they will be reassured by that,” he said. Newly appointed COO, Peter Bellew, wrote to pilots Wednesday saying that Ryanair had told Impact that it was recognising the union for collective bargaining. <br/>
Hawaiian Airlines aims to assume oversight of its Ohana by Hawaiian turboprop operation after agreeing to buy some of the assets of bankrupt Island Air for US$750,000, after the regional carrier shut down in November. Hawaiian will acquire Island Air's operating certificate, training records and materials, intellectual property and other real estate. The deal does not include Island Air's fleet of 5 Bombardier Q400 aircraft, which will be returned to lessors. Hawaiian would acquire the assets through its newly-formed subsidiary Elliott Street Holdings, the airline says. If approved, Hawaiian plans to shift its wholly-owned regional brand Ohana by Hawaiian to the former Island Air operating certificate, allowing it to replace operator Empire Airlines. <br/>
Thai Vietjet plans to launch as many as 15 to 20 new destinations over the next 3 years as part of the airline's route expansion strategy, said president and CE Nguyen Thi Thuy Binh. She said the airline also expected annual revenue to triple next year, driven by a dramatic increase in its fleet to 10 aircraft, up from just 4 now. “We will increase the number of aircraft by 10 more every year. We aim to operate 20 aircraft totally by 2019 and up to 30 aircraft by 2020,” said Binh. She said that the planned increase in number of aircraft was in line with Thai VietJet’s network expansion focused on 3 key markets: Vietnam, Southeast Asia and China. Binh said that the airline would next year open 3 new routes: Bangkok to Phu Quoc (Vietnam); Bangkok to Nha Trang (Vietnam); and Bangkok to Danang. <br/>
Fiji Airways has opened a glitzy 'world class' business passenger lounge at Nadi International Airport, as it enjoys record profits. Andre Vilijoen, MD and CE of Fiji Airways, says the 887 sqm lounge was one of a kind. "We've had a tremendous year of successes and the missing piece was a world class lounge. We had a temporary lounge we were using up until today," he said. From concept to opening, the lounge which can accommodate up to 200 people, took 12 months to complete. Vilijoen said he believed the lounge matched others worldwide. In the last financial year Fiji Airways posted an annual record profit of more than F$84.5m before tax, up from F$70.2m the previous year. <br/>
Emirates said Wednesday that from June next year it would start flying to London Stansted, an airport largely served by European carriers. The airline said it would begin daily flights between its Middle East hub and London's third busiest airport June 8, and that it would be the first Middle East airline to fly to Stansted. It will be the third London airport Emirates flies to after London Heathrow and London Gatwick, and its seventh airport in the UK. Stansted, 35 miles north of London, has traditionally been a base for European airlines flying holiday routes and budget carriers like Ryanair and EasyJet, although British Airways started flying there last year. Emirates said it expected some of its demand to come from nearby technology and pharmaceutical hubs in Cambridge and Peterborough. <br/>
Wizz Air announced further expansion for London Luton Wednesday, weeks after picking up slots from collapsed airline Monarch at the airport. Three new routes to Athens, Reykjavik and Bari plus additional capacity on Cyprus flights next year will mean Wizz is increasing the number of seats it offers from Luton by 23% next year. The airline had in November said it would increase the number of aircraft it stations at Luton by an extra 2 to 7 following the acquisition of Monarch slots. "The slots give us the opportunity to consolidate our position at Luton," chief corporate officer Owain Jones said, adding that Wizz was now a very close second behind EasyJet at the airport. "It's fair to say that the strength of demand that we see in the UK is coming out of London," Jones said. <br/>
Eurowings has signed agreements with the Verdi trade union and Vereinigung Cockpit pilot union that will enable the airline to grow rapidly, especially in Germany. The agreement will not only create new jobs for pilots and flight attendants, but also increase the number of Germany-based aircraft. Eurowings MD Joerg Beissel said the agreement “means all our operational units [Eurowings Europe in Vienna and Eurowings Germany] are capable of rapid growth.” The accord also allows Eurowings to shortly tender internally 86 captains’ posts for their co-pilots. For the summer 2018 season, Eurowings will add 30 additional Airbus A320s. Under the old agreement, the carrier’s growth in Germany was limited to 23 A320s. <br/>