Australia-based aviation analysis website AirlineRatings.com has just released its annual list of the world's safest airlines. Of the 409 airlines it monitors, 20 stand out as the "best of the best," says AirlineRatings.com's editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas. These 20 airlines, he says, are "always at the forefront of safety innovation, operational excellence and the launching of new more advanced aircraft." From 2014 to 2017, AirlineRatings.com named Australian airline Qantas the world's safest airline, and once again AirlineRatings.com has commended it for being "the lead airline in virtually every major operational safety advancement over the past 60 years" without a single fatality in the jet era. "But Qantas is not alone," says Thomas. "Long-established airlines such as Hawaiian and Finnair have perfect records in the jet era." This year, AirlineRatings.com has decided to honor the top 20 airlines on equal footing. The top 20 for 2018, in alphabetical order are: Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Hawaiian Airlines, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Qantas, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Scandinavian Airline System, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia. Notably absent from the 2018 list are the US airlines Delta and United. In April 2017, Delta's enviable record of years of reliable service was blotted by a five-day meltdown in which more than 3,200 flights were canceled in response to storms. In the same month, United Airlines' reputation took a serious battering when a video went viral of a passenger being dragged off an overbooked flight.<br/>
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An airline called OceanAir Linhas Aéreas might not sell many tickets in New York and Miami, no matter how low the fares. Travellers tend to avoid the unfamiliar, and they might be jittery about booking a Brazilian airline they don’t know. But consumers have been booking journeys on that airline, even if they don’t know it. OceanAir remains the official name of what most travellers know as Avianca Brasil. Until recently, Brazil’s fourth-largest carrier had flown almost exclusively domestic routes, but in 2017, it launched new long-haul service to New York and Miami, with more growth planned. The name Avianca likely sounds familiar to many flyers, but unless they’re super travellers, they’re probably not thinking about the carrier formerly known as OceanAir. Avianca Brasil’s cousin, Avianca — Colombia’s flag carrier since 1919 — has the long and storied history, as well as the global network. Avianca Brasil has a much smaller footprint, and didn’t start flying until 2002, when it was called OceanAir. The airlines have separate management and operating certificates, but share a majority owner, a company called Synergy, controlled by Germán Efromovich and his brother José Efromovich. Eventually, Synergy likely will merge the airlines, but it’s not clear when. Story is transcript of an interview with Avianca Brasil CEO Frederico Pedreira about the airline’s expansion plans, the overall Brazil market and the complicated relationship between Avianca Brasil and Avianca Colombia. Pedreira replaced Jose Efromovich as CEO in April 2016.<br/>
EgyptAir will announce its flight schedule to Russia after Russian approval to operate three flights weekly from Cairo International Airport to Moscow starting from February 2018, according to EgyptAir's officials. All EgyptAir flights will depart every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. In addition, there will be around 20 flights reserved by travel agencies for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Officials of EgyptAir stated that they are working to complete all needed regulations for resuming flights to Russia. Also, the company will send the manager of its Russia-based office to Moscow again in order to practically operate Cairo-Moscow flights. Flights between the two countries were halted in 2015 after a Russian passenger jet crashed in Sinai, killing all 224 people onboard. <br/>
Singapore Airlines has decided not to introduce a credit card fee for tickets issued in Singapore. The airline issued a circular to all its sales agents and other business partners to inform them of the latest development. SIA wrote: "Following a further review, Singapore Airlines will not be proceeding with the implementation of the CCSF (credit card service fee)." No further reason was given for the decision. The airline first informed its sales agents about the proposed fee on Jan 3. At the time, SIA said that with effect from Jan 20, a credit card service fee of 1.3% of the total fare amount, capped at $50, would be introduced for flights departing from Singapore. It would affect only those who purchase discounted tickets - Economy Lite. SIA first introduced credit card fees in 2016. Currently, they apply to routes departing from Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Credit card surcharges are common among budget carriers, including Scoot, AirAsia and Jetstar, but not many full-sevice airlines impose them.<br/>