Labour unions at LOT will not start a strike May 1 as planned, their representative said Monday. Adam Rzeszot said at a news conference the trade unions “have together taken a decision to suspend the strike”, citing their responsibilities to LOT’s employees and passengers. Labour unions demanding that LOT changes the way it compensates employees said last week they would begin a strike Tuesday that could lead to delays at Warsaw Chopin airport. LOT’s management board said the strike would be illegal, an opinion that was upheld by a Warsaw court. Lufthansa cancelled some of its flights this month after labour union Verdi said it would extend strikes to airports to apply more pressure in pay talks. <br/>
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Air Canada has shifted its Boeing 737 Max delivery schedule, delaying some deliveries up to 3 years as it evaluates other aspects of its fleet, including performance of the Bombardier CSeries. But while it will delay 11 737 deliveries, the carrier has shifted 5 737 Max deliveries forward 1 year, to 2020, executives said. "We concluded an amendment to [our] Boeing 737 purchase agreement where certain aircraft are accelerated and other are deferred," Air Canada CFO Michael Rousseau said. The company does not say if the changes affect orders for 737 Max 8s or 737 Max 9s, and it does not disclose a specific timeline. The company in 2014 placed orders for 61 737 Max, including 50 737 Max 8 and 11 737 Max 9s, with deliveries initially scheduled to run from 2017 to 2021. <br/>
SIA said Monday it has stopped serving peanuts on its flights after a toddler suffered a severe allergic reaction, and following near-fatal cases on other carriers. The carrier joins other airlines including Qantas, Air NZ and British Airways who have stopped handing out peanuts as snacks to customers The airline said it had stopped serving peanuts in all cabin classes in April, although other nuts -- including cashews, macadamias and almonds -- would still be given out in some classes. It did not give a reason for the move The carrier last year launched a review after a 3-year-old boy on board a flight from Singapore to Melbourne with his parents went into anaphylaxis -- a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction -- after other passengers opened snack bags of peanuts <br/>
TAP and Spain-based LCC Volotea may expand their partnership after agreeing to a codeshare arrangement to strengthen services between 3 European nations. It is the first codeshare that Volotea, which specialises in connecting secondary and tertiary European cities, has entered into. The agreement has come into force in the past few days and allows both airlines to cooperate through Volotea’s direct flights to the southern Portuguese leisure destination of Faro from France and Italy. Faro has become a year-round destination, largely because of the proliferation of golf courses in its locality. The codeshare will allow TAP to place its TP code on all Volotea-operated routes from Faro to Nantes, Bordeaux and Marseille (France), as well as to Verona (Italy) <br/>
The govt of Croatia has announced that it aims to find a new strategic partner for Croatia Airlines. This is the third time in the past 5 years that the country has tried to find a way of divesting itself of a controlling interest in the national carrier. The previous 2 attempts, in 2014 and 2016, failed to find any suitable suitors. A new National Reform Plan, announced last week, foresees a radical restructuring of the country’s transport sector, including privatisation of its railway system and a new partner for Croatia Airlines. The govt has for some time been trying to sell off state enterprises to reduce the level of public debt. Croatia Airlines has been modestly profitable in recent years. It operates a small fleet comprising 2 Airbus A320s, 4 A319s and 6 Bombardier Q400 turboprops. <br/>