German passenger rights company Flightright is taking Ryanair to court over whether it should pay financial compensation to passengers affected by strikes at the carrier. Ryanair had to cancel around 1 in 6 flights Friday due to a walk-out by pilots in 5 European countries, disrupting an estimated 55,000 travellers. The worst affected country was Germany, where 250 flights were canceled. EU rules state that passengers can claim monetary compensation of up to E400 for flights within the region for canceled or delayed flights, unless the reason is extraordinary circumstances. Strikes have generally fallen under extraordinary circumstances although a ruling by the European Court of Justice in April said that a wildcat strike at TUIfly following a restructuring could not be classed as extraordinary circumstances. <br/>
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Roughly half of airline loyalty program members do not understand how to earn or redeem their points/miles, according to a study released Wednesday by J.D. Power. General loyalty program members -- those with fewer points or miles -- are less likely to completely understand how a program works. But even fliers with status can struggle, as 30% said they don't completely understand the program, according to the J.D. Power 2018 Airline Loyalty Program Satisfaction Study. A survey of 3,025 rewards program members ranked JetBlue Airways as having the best loyalty program. Southwest Airlines ranked second. United Airlines ranked last among the study's 6 airlines. "Airlines have a huge opportunity to improve when it comes to customers' ease of understanding the rewards program," said a J.D. Power executive. <br/>
Malaysia’s AirAsia Group joined the ranks of those keen on the operations and maintenance of the Clark International Airport, among the gateways being pitched as an alternative to the congested Ninoy Aquino International in Manila. AirAsia joined 8 other groups, which included local conglomerates and international airport operators, as it bought bid documents for the 25-year Clark Airport O&M project. AirAsia Group CE Tony Fernandes earlier expressed his interest to make Clark Airport, located in Pampanga province, a major hub for Philippines Air Asia. The airline restarted operations in Clark last year after pulling out in 2013 when it made the strategic decision to focus on Manila. The Clark Airport expansion and O&M deal is the Duterte administration’s first hybrid public-private partnership project. <br/>