Air India will revamp its business and first class cabins on international flights to try to boost revenues by wooing more high-paying passengers, a top company official said Friday. India shelved Wednesday a plan to sell a 76% stake in the debt-laden carrier due to lack of interest from bidders, a govt official said, marking the latest setback for its efforts to rescue the airline. The airline, which now plans to focus on finding ways to remain competitive and win market share, also unveiled a new food menu and amenities for passengers, and uniforms for its airline staff. These changes, expected to be introduced over the next 2 months, could earn the airline an additional US$147m a year in revenue. Air India currently fills only 60% of the business and first class seats on its international flights to North America and Europe. <br/>
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Aegean Airlines has finalised an order for 30 A320neo family aircraft, comprising 10 A321neos and 20 A320neos. The purchase agreement follows an MOU signed in March. Aegean currently operates an all-Airbus fleet of 49 aircraft (37 A320s, 11 A321s and one A319). Aegean has previously said the US$5b list price of the order is the largest private investment in Greece. Airbus CE Tom Enders noted the Greek airline’s resilience in the face of extremely challenging circumstances: “It has weathered the country’s financial crisis and come out of it much stronger than before. Moreover, Aegean’s customer focus and attention to service excellence have made the company one of the most awarded airlines in terms of customer satisfaction.” <br/>
LOT, which launched its first transatlantic services from Budapest, Hungary to New York JFK and Chicago O’Hare in May, has added London City services to its Hungarian network. From Feb 18, 2019, LOT will offer up to twice-daily flights from Budapest to LCY using Embraer E190s, which are specifically approved for the short runway and steeper-than-normal approach into LCY. LOT will lease 4 new E190 E1 versions, scheduled for delivery by year-end, via Danish lessor Nordic Aviation Capital. LOT said the annual passenger traffic on the Budapest-London route is 1.4m passengers. The carrier sees LCY as an alternative to other flights offered on London-Budapest route using airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Southend. <br/>
United Airlines said it is vastly expanding the amount of flight status information available to travellers via the United app. Now travellers who are on a trip that includes flight segments not only on United, but on one of 26 other global carriers that are members of Star Alliance, can get immediate flight status updates on the United app for any flight operated by a Star Alliance carrier. Having immediate access to flight status information, of course, will make it easier for travellers to make quick decisions about changing travel arrangements should there be an issue with a flight on a partner Star Alliance carrier and to contact United staff if changes in flight plans need to be made. United passengers will even have access to Star Alliance flight status updates while aboard a United flight. <br/>