Some Ryanair cabin crew in Portugal will go ahead with 1-day strikes during the Easter holidays after the carrier failed to meet their demands on working conditions, the SNPVAC union said Tuesday. The strikes by unionised cabin crew were set for March 29, April 1 and April 4. The union said it was still in Ryanair's hands to avoid the walkout. The airline said it did not expect a lot of crew to join the walkout but disruptions were possible. "The talks with the company have been fruitless as Ryanair refuses to apply the Portuguese law, recognise the rights that the Portuguese constitution gives to its citizens," the union said, also criticising the Portuguese govt for doing nothing to defend its union members' rights. <br/>
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EasyJet said it hopes to add Middle East and Asian carriers to its long-haul connections programme, which enables travellers to buy multiple flights in a single transaction. "Worldwide by EasyJet", the long-haul connections business the carrier set up last year, was a preferable way for EasyJet to grow revenues rather than gaining direct exposure to long-haul flying itself, CE Johan Lundgren said Tuesday. Four months into the job, Lundgren said was not planning any major change in direction at the airline. "I can tell you right now, there won't be a revolution to the strategy," he said. For "Worldwide by EasyJet", the airline partnered with Norwegian, to enable travellers to buy combinations of EasyJet short-haul tickets and Norwegian's long-haul via a single transaction. <br/>
Azul plans to expand its regional and international route network to potentially 35 new cities in coming years, the carrier said March 26. Azul’s 2018 guidance forecasts the opening of 8 to 10 new destinations this year alone; the airline launched service to 2 Argentinian cities—Rosario and Cordoba—this past weekend, March 24. Azul is looking at 25 specific new cities located in 17 of Brazil’s 26 states. “The vast majority of the markets will be served by ATR 72-600 turboprops, which have capacity for up to 70 passengers and are best-suited for short-haul flights,” Azul said. “Azul is the only airline in the country that focuses on the development of the aviation market in all regions of Brazil, taking air service to places where it does not exist,” Azul chief revenue officer Abhi Shah said. <br/>
Fiji Airways CE Andre Viljoen says the rising cost of fuel will be one of the airline’s major challenges for 2018 after posting a fourth straight year of record profit in calendar 2017. The airline group, which covers Fiji Airways, Fiji Link and other subsidiaries, reported profit before tax of FJ$95.8m (US$47.19m) for the 12 months to Dec 31 2017, up 13.4% from FJ$84.5m in the prior corresponding period. Revenue rose 12.5% to FJ$825.3m, Fiji Airways said Monday, while passenger numbers increased 14.3% to 1.6m. However, Viljoen described the outlook for the current year as challenging amid the higher oil prices, increased competition, and volatility of the US dollar. “Fuel prices will continue to be a challenge for all airlines and we will not get complacent with the fiscal discipline required to meet our financial targets,” Viljoen said. <br/>
JetBlue Airways flight attendants are turning in their trays and will begin using on-board carts as passengers call for faster snack and beverage service and more options. The shift on all JetBlue aircraft should cut service time by more than half, said a spokesman for the airline. Moving to carts will also enable the carrier to offer all snack and drink options on 95% of its flights, he said Tuesday. Crew members preferred working with the carts in testing last year, McGraw said. The transition is occurring amid a switch to smaller “Space Flex” galleys made by Safran’s Zodiac Aerospace, as JetBlue outfits its Airbus A320 planes with more seats. Flight attendants currently take orders in the aisle and prepare drinks in the galley. <br/>
Great Lakes Airlines suspended all flight operations at midnight Monday. The airline announced Monday evening that all future scheduled flights are canceled effective immediately. The company has not declared bankruptcy, though. According to the airline, it “will continue to operate certain segments of the business,” including support for Aerodynamics Inc. flights between Denver and South Dakota cities. Other Great Lakes-serviced cities, including Prescott, Arizona, are left without any access to commercial air service, and report the announcement was unexpected by officials. There have been indicators of the airline’s financial stress throughout the years. During its heyday, the airline serviced nearly 100 cities. This number continued to decline and, by 2016, service had dropped to 13 airports in 7 states. <br/>