Lufthansa did not make any additional profit on domestic German routes after the collapse of local rival Air Berlin, and prices did not go up by as much as determined by the cartel office, an executive at the airline said Wednesday. The German cartel office Tuesday said that Lufthansa tickets were on average 25 to 30% more expensive after the insolvency but that it would not be instigating a full investigation into market abuse. "We did not purposefully increase ticket prices, but we did purposefully increase capacity," Lufthansa board member Harry Hohmeister said. He said Lufthansa's own calculations showed ticket prices rose only 3% on average when adjusted for other economic effects. However, for around 5% of customers, tickets were 25 to 30% more expensive, particularly at peak times. <br/>
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United Airlines and its joint venture partners will begin selling no-frills basic economy fares in select transatlantic markets from June 5. The fares do not include a checked bag, or allow upgrades or changes after booking, the carrier says in a presentation sent to UK-based travel agents. The fee for the first checked bag is US$60. United's transatlantic basic economy offering has fewer restrictions than the domestic equivalent that it rolled out in 2017. Those fares, for example, do not allow passengers to bring large carry-on bags that must go in the overhead bin or seat assignments prior to check in. Passengers flying across the Atlantic that are booked in basic economy will be able to bring carry-on bags aboard and select seats at booking, the presentation shows. <br/>
The govt has not received any bids so far for its stake in Air India, the civil aviation secretary told TV channels, a day before the formal bidding process closes. The govt will not extend the deadline for submissions of interest in Air India, R.N. Choubey said Wednesday. The deadline for receiving bids has already been extended once to May 31 from May 14. Prime minister Narendra Modi's govt, keen to sell the loss-making, debt-ridden airline, finalised plans in late March to divest a 76% stake and offload about US$5.1b of its debt. May 23, Civil Aviation secretary R N Choubey had said the highest bidder for the airline would be known by August-end. But, the highest bidder might not be the successful bidder, he said, adding the govt intends to complete the disinvestment by year-end. <br/>
The world’s longest commercial flight will be launched in October, SIA has announced. Passengers will fly non-stop between New York and Singapore, covering a distance of around 9,500 miles. New Airbus A35-900ULR (ultra long range) aircraft will be used for the flights lasting up to 18 hours and 45 minutes. They will be configured with 94 premium economy seats and 67 business class seats. The existing longest passenger flight is operated by Qatar Airways between Doha and Auckland, at 9,025 miles. SIA served the Singapore-New York route until 2013, when it suspended flights due to high fuel costs. The A35-900ULR offers better fuel efficiency and is designed to offer a more comfortable travelling environment with higher ceilings, larger windows, a wider body and lighting which reduces jetlag. <br/>
North Americans are happier about airline travel than they have ever been, a survey of passengers shows, pointing to cheaper fares, new planes and better overheard storage compartments. Passenger satisfaction with airlines in North America rose for the seventh straight year in the 2018 survey by quality measuring consulting firm J.D. Power and Associates. Canada’s two largest airlines, Air Canada and WestJet , improved their standing in the study, but still ranked below-average in their segments. Air Canada’s 734-point total was less than the 741-point average in the traditional carrier rankings, while WestJet’s 747 points were below the 799-point average among LCCs. Air Canada’s score increased 25 points, from the 2017 level of 709, the second-best improvement among traditional carriers. <br/>
SAS reported a 2018 first-half net loss of SEK597m (US$68.8m), narrowed from SEK876m in the year-ago period. The carrier said underlying earnings improved over the 1H of its 2017-18 financial year, which helped reduce the net loss. SAS made the loss on turnover fractionally up at SEK18.9b, compared to SEK18.8b a year ago. Overall, factors including deterioration of the Swedish kroner against other currencies; a longer, colder-than-normal winter; and rising fuel prices have kept the company in the red. SAS’s first half, which runs from November to the end of April, is traditionally the weaker period of the year. However, the underlying earnings trend for Q2 was because of “successful seasonal adjustments, which together with sales campaigns and efficient pricing policies led to higher passenger numbers,” CE Rickard Gustafson said. <br/>
When Ethiopian Airlines takes delivery of its 100th aircraft—a Boeing 787-9— June 5, the carrier will become the first African airline to operate a 100-aircraft fleet in the history of the continent. Ethiopian Group CE Tewolde GebreMariam said the “100-fleet milestone, which we have achieved ahead of our Vision 2025 targets, compels us to revise our plans with a view to phase in more aircraft and further expand our network.” Ethiopian, which was the first to begin jet service on the African continent in 1962, has 5 more Boeing 787-900s and 16 Airbus A350-900s on order, among others. May 4, the carrier has placed a follow-on order for 10 Bombardier Q400s, plus purchase rights for 5 additional Q400 turboprops. <br/>