Air France flights face disruption March 30, as several of the carrier’s trade unions take strike action, which will also affect schedules on the carrier’s LCC subsidiary Joon. However, other airlines in the Air France Group, such as KLM and regional carrier HOP! will be unaffected by the dispute, which is the latest in a series of such strikes. Air France said: “Some flights may be canceled. Furthermore, in order to ensure the maximum number of flights with our reduced crew, we may have to limit the number of passengers on board some of our flights, meaning that we will not be able to honour all bookings.” During a similar strike March 23, Air France said it operated around 70% of its long- and medium-haul services, together with around 80% of its short-haul and domestic regional flights. <br/>
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As voices against US president Donald Trump's plan to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese imports grow louder from various quarters in China, the head of a state-owned airline issued his own missive Tuesday, suggesting Boeing as a target. Wang Changshun, chairman of China Southern Airlines, said that he is "staunchly against unilateral trade action taken by the US," when asked about the impact of a trade war. Wang doubles as chairman of the airline's unlisted parent, China Southern Air Holding, one of the top state-owned enterprises referred to as central companies, and words from their leaders are often viewed as reflective of the Chinese govt's sentiments. "Being a central company, we staunchly support the central govt taking all sorts of measures," he said. <br/>
Former Korean Air executive VP Heather Cho is expected to return to management of the airliner's key affiliate, attempting to leave behind the "nut rage" case that triggered international outrage 3 years ago. According to multiple sources, Cho is about to make her comeback to Hanjin Group's hotel business of KAL Hotel Network as a registered director as early as next month. Korean Air also did not deny the allegation. "Though we have not made any decisions (on Cho's comeback), it is true there is an atmosphere within the company that there would be no major problems on her returning to the group," a Korean Air official said, "given that more than 3 years have passed since the case, and she was acquitted by the top court." Cho was sentenced to a year in prison, but was released after a few months. <br/>
Delta Air Lines and Qatar Airways both introduced Airbus A350-900 XWB aircraft to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International over the March 24-25 weekend. March 24, Delta Flight 27 became the first A350-900 to depart from ATL, lifting off for Seoul/Incheon, South Korea. Qatar’s first A350 flight to ATL came March 25, with a flight from Doha. For Qatar, the A350-900 replaces its Boeing 777-300ERs on the Atlanta route, upping the passenger comfort quotient with an improved business class, but also decreasing capacity, as the A350-900 seats a maximum 325 passengers versus the 777-300ER’s maximum 396. Qatar’s A350 seats 283 passengers, with 26 business-class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and 247 economy seats in a 3-3-3 configuration. <br/>