Ryanair and Aer Lingus have signed a co-operation agreement to offer connecting flights on each other’s services. In a first for Ryanair, the airline will feed passengers from some of its European routes onto its Irish rival’s transatlantic services, while Aer Lingus will connect onto Ryanair services to various European destinations. Ryanair CE Michael O’Leary had long been opposed to selling connecting flights but the company started trials on Ryanair-only connections last year. “We will trial it in the marketplace. If it’s successful, we will live with the problems of success. If not, we will learn the lessons and move on,” Aer Lingus CE Stephen Kavanagh said. The risk of having to compensate passengers for missed connections was one of Ryanair’s main reasons for shunning the idea of offering feeder flights for long-haul routes. <br/>
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Emirates Airline president Tim Clark believes a truce in his company's feud with the US trio of American, Delta, and United Airlines could be very beneficial for everyone involved. At the same time, the long-time airline boss decried the tactics employed by his rivals. "They need to grow up and we need to have a mature way of going about our business," Clark said. According to Clark, the US3 haven't been able to show any direct harm done to them by the presence of Emirates and its fellow Middle Eastern carriers Etihad and Qatar Airways in the US market. "The beneficiaries of Open Skies driven by the likes of us has been the US economy and that's kindly marginalised in the US3's narrative," Clark said. "We asked them to show competitive harm, but they won't because they can't." <br/>
Jetstar said Singapore's move to raise passenger fees at Changi Airport will compel the carrier to "shift flights around" to cope with changes in demand and may impact the city-state's aviation hub status. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said earlier it would introduce a new airport development levy effective July 1 of S$10.80 for passengers who begin their trips from Changi and S$3.00 for those transiting. Changi Airport is also raising a passenger service and security fee, currently at S$27.90, by S$2.50 from July 2018. The fees will also be increased by S$2.50 annually over the next 6 years from April 2019. The measures are to help fund the city-state's airport expansion plans, which include a fifth terminal that is to be completed around 2030. <br/>
AirAsia is sticking with Airbus and has no plans currently to purchase Boeing aircraft, Group CE Tony Fernandes said Thursday. "Boeing is keen to have us as a customer...but right now we are still very much an Airbus customer," he said. To a question if he had plans to buy Boeing planes, Fernandes said "not at the moment". Last month, Reuters reported that sources said AirAsia -Airbus' largest Asian customer - was set to confirm an order of wide-body jets from the European planemaker after Boeing tried to win the airline over and extend a lead in the lucrative long-haul market. Thursday, the airline also announced the sale of its aircraft leasing operations to firms managed by BBAM in a staggered deal that will see the carrier transfer ownership of up to 182 Airbus jets. <br/>