Whether you regard your next flight as a chance to kick back and relax or a valuable window to catch up on lost work may depend on where you live, according to a survey of 8,000 passengers in 10 key travel markets. While airlines seem determined to keep passengers connected 24-7, most people from France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Britain and the US are happy to have their phones rendered unusable while en route, the poll suggests. Indian, Chinese and Arab passengers, by contrast, are generally keen to make calls. Some 69% of Germans reckon it’s not necessary to be permanently available, compared to just 12% of Indians and 18% of Chinese, according to the survey. The risk of disturbance was cited as the chief concern surrounding inflight phone links, with Japanese travellers most worried. Many Asian flyers said they’d pay for connectivity even if the flight cost much more. While Eastern passengers may be keen to work -- or chat -- they’re also most concerned about the contents of refresher packs handed out by airlines.<br/>
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Planemakers racked up more than $20b of deals on the opening day of the Farnborough Airshow Monday, suggesting demand for new passenger jets remains in rude health despite worries over trade tensions and Brexit. The deal-making came as host Britain tried to convince a skeptical aerospace industry about its plans to leave the EU, saying supply chains would continue to run smoothly and pledging money for a new fighter jet program. Airbus and Boeing have been enjoying an almost decade-long boom thanks to rising emerging markets growth and a need among Western airlines to upgrade their fleets, and order books are bulging. Higher oil prices, rising interest rates, global trade tensions and uncertainty over Brexit have all raised concerns that demand may slow. But business was brisk on the first day of the July 16-22 air show, though analysts will be watching closely to see how many of the deals are new, and how many involve adjusting earlier business or switching models - something not always easy to spot at first. Story has more details.<br/>
Every passenger leaving Hong Kong’s airport will pay an extra HK$5 in security fees from October, it was announced Monday. The charge at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) will increase from HK$45 to HK$50. The fee – collected by airlines – will rise again in 2021, to HK$55. HKIA’s operator, the Airport Authority, said the extra money would pay for things such as upgrading the airport’s CCTV and baggage screening systems, introducing new equipment with biometric technology and increasing manpower. Based on the estimated number of departing passengers – half of the 74m travellers both arriving at and departing HKIA in the year to last June – the increase could net the authority an extra HK$180m a year.<br/>
The national security of the US relies on a healthy airline industry. That requires modern reliable airplanes -- and highly skilled pilots to operate them. However, the US has a shortage of pilots right now, particularly at the regional airline levels. According to the FAA, there were about 827,000 pilots in America in 1987. Over the past three decades, that number has decreased by 30%. Meanwhile, during this period, there has been a tremendous increase in the demand for air travel. The IATA predicts that, over the next 20 years, air travel will double. This is a classic case of low supply and high demand. This mismatch has created a perfect storm that could wreak havoc on the US airline industry over the next decade. The somber news is this shortage is going to get much worse. <br/>
Tired of being squeezed into smaller seats with inadequate legroom, more and more passengers are opting for the more expensive and expansive seating option known as premium economy. This year, experts agree, will see the ongoing growth of this class of service — generally available on wide-body aircraft — most notably at United. Although the meaning of premium economy can vary from airline to airline, typically the tickets are priced above economy class and below business class and often feature amenities such as more comfortable seats in a better location on the airplane, better dining and drinking and a more generous checked baggage allowance than economy class. Airlines based in the US have been the slowest to catch up to the trend, which has long been offered by competitors based in other countries. American Airlines was the first carrier in the US to offer premium economy service, introducing it in late 2016; Delta did the same the following fall. United is the last of the three to follow suit, and is expected to roll out its premium economy product on select routes later this year. These carriers have been late to the game in part because of financial constraints that prevented investment in a premium economy product, according to Jamie Baker, a New York-based airline analyst. One advantage American carriers have by being late with their offerings is that they can learn from the longer-standing premium economy experience of their partners in other countries — such as Delta’s ties with Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic, and American’s with British Airways.<br/>