A union of flight attendants for LATAM Airlines subsidiary LAN Express said on Tuesday it had voted to reject a contract offer from the carrier, prolonging a strike that has led the airline to reschedule more than 1,000 flights. LATAM, Latin America’s largest carrier, said earlier in the day that the two parties had reached an agreement, but the union had cautioned the deal was subject to approval by its members. The deal was rejected by a majority of the union’s 1,000 members, a union spokeswoman said, adding that the airline and its workers were meeting again to try to resolve their differences.The union has cited the duration of staff rotations and salaries of new employees as primary sticking points during months of negotiations with the airline. The week-long strike has primarily impacted flights within Chile, though it has also affected regional connections throughout South America. LATAM said Monday it had cancelled 1,134 flights through April 21, and that the strike would affect at least 196,000 passengers.<br/>
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Qantas' "out there" idea to develop a new travel class in the cargo hold is aimed at getting middle-class Americans to shake off their reluctance to fly long-haul across the Pacific, Fairfax Media has learned. Last month, Fairfax Media revealed Qantas CE Alan Joyce had begun exploring a new "cargo class" concept which could be installed on super long-haul direct flights from Sydney to the US and London. The idea, while still in incubation, could involve lie-flat bunk berths, which Airbus has announced it is developing in partnership with Zodiac Aerospace, or it could be a common area for stretching, exercise and relaxation. The idea is likely to be pitched to premium economy customers who would be allocated a time during the flight that they could use below deck. In March, Qantas debuted its first non-stop route between Australia and the UK and, while it won't provide data, it says bookings on the Perth to London leg have been very strong, particularly in business class. Joyce wants Qantas to fly from Australia’s east coast to London by 2022. But industry sources said the cargo class idea was aimed not at the British but squarely at American tourists who have been traditionally reticent to journey to Australia because they see it as too far away. <br/>