Ryanair's CE is facing renewed turbulence over services as a pilot body sees more cancellations on the horizon. A group representing Ryanair pilots has called on Michael O'Leary to quit, claiming it is "inevitable" the airline is facing more costly cancellations. In its letter, the European Employee Representative Council (EERC) - an unofficial body representing mostly pilots based on the continent - tells him the carrier has failed to stem an exodus of pilots to rivals. Ryanair faced down a wave of anger before Christmas by saying it would, for the first time in its history, recognise unions. While that climb-down averted the prospect of strikes during the crucial festive season, the airline has only struck a recognition deal with a union representing British-based flyers since then. <br/>
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Friday, Hawaiian Airlines either canceled or deferred a number of flights between California and Hawaii — and disrupted travel plans for hundreds of travellers. According to the airline, the schedule “adjustments” are due to delays in shipments of their new Airbus A321neos. “We regret being unable to provide the full scope of services we had hoped to offer out of the Bay Area,” Hawaiian’s VP for revenue management and network planning, Brent Overbeek, said. The flights affected include a seasonal summer service between San Francisco and Honolulu, and a new flight between Oakland and Kona. Flights between Oakland and Lihu’e are being deferred from April to mid-June <br/>
Aer Lingus customers will have to pay up to E60 to get their lost property back after the airline outsourced the process to a third party. The firm, We Return It, charges E20 to find and return a key, watch, passport, wallet or purse, E30 for a bag, headphones, mobile phone or MP3 player, E40 for a tablet computer or camera and E60 for a laptop. The airline said that most of the items its customers lose are electronic devices, which require specialist packaging and shipping; these are at the upper end of the return-fee scale. “Working with a specialist partner in this area is designed to enhance the guest experience,” it said. Aer Lingus said it is neither making nor saving money by outsourcing its lost-property service. “It is simply a means of increasing the quality of our service.” <br/>
Gulf Air has announced major network expansion plans and the boosting of its fleet strength as part of its new corporate strategy for 2018 and beyond. Eight new destinations will be added to the airline’s network this year, coinciding with its new aircraft deliveries, the carrier said. In India, its current operations to Delhi, Chennai, Kochi, Mumbai, Trivandrum and Hyderabad will be enhanced by flights to Bengaluru and Calicut. In Saudi Arabia, Gulf Air will launch flights to Abha and Tubuk that will complement its current service to Dammam, Riyadh, Madinah, Jeddah and Qassim. In Egypt, Gulf Air’s Cairo operations will be supplemented by direct flights to Alexandria and flights to Sharm Al Shaikh. This year will see Gulf Air increasing its flights during the peak summer period by adding 200 more weekly flights compared to 2017. <br/>
Talks between SaudiGulf Airlines and Boeing could include deals for the 787 Dreamliner, the carrier's CCO said Monday. The privately owned airline signed a preliminary agreement for 16 Boeing jets last May during a visit to Saudi Arabia by US president Donald Trump. SaudiGulf's CCO Karim Makhlouf said that the agreement covers talks for the 787-9 and 787-10 or the 777-200 and 777-300 jets. The airline previously said the deal could include Boeing 777s. SaudiGulf operates a fleet of 4 136-seat Airbus A320s on 6 domestic routes and will launch its first international flight to Dubai March 1. Two Airbus A320 or larger A321 jets will be added to its fleet this year to launch flights to Pakistani cities Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Sialkot. <br/>
South Africa’s competition commission has blocked Johannesburg-based regional carrier Airlink’s plans to acquire Cape Town-based Safair, parent of FlySafair. In November, the airlines announced they were seeking permission to merge under the Airlink umbrella, to create economies of scale, optimise asset use and remove systems duplication. The companies planned to retain their own branding, products, fleets and management, with no job losses expected. However, Feb 22, Airlink said the acquisition had failed to secure regulatory approval. “We respectfully disagree with the decision and the points the commission has raised to justify its decision. With this in mind, we will approach the competition tribunal for an opportunity to address and allay the competition commission’s concerns,” Airlink said. <br/>