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SAS hiked its full-year earnings outlook on Friday as Q3 profits topped market expectations on the back of strong customer demand and efficiency gains, sending its shares sharply higher. Citing a stronger than expected performance over the first nine months of the year, SAS lifted its forecast for full-year pretax earnings before non-recurring items to about $220m. SAS shares rose sharply on the results, and were up 14% in early trade on Friday. Pretax profit for the May to July quarter came in at 2.00b crowns, slightly up from 1.97b a year ago, and beating the 1.77b crowns expected in a Reuters poll of analysts. The surprisingly strong result came despite headwinds from currency effects and rising jet fuel prices, and SAS said the weaker crown and high jet fuel prices would add challenges also in Q4 and the next fiscal year. “Going forward, it will be critical to offset these unfavourable trends with higher revenue and the implementation of our efficiency measures,” SAS said.<br/>

Aegean Airlines has cited "substantial competitive capacity increases" after its operating loss widened 40% in H1, to E14.7m. However, the Greek carrier boosted revenue 1% to E456m, while total passenger numbers climbed 7% to 5.9m. International passenger numbers were up 8% to 3.3m. The number of those customers travelling through Athens airport rose 13%. Domestic passenger numbers meanwhile increased 5% to 2.7m. Load factors was up 2.5 percentage points at 81.7%. Aegean's CE Dimitris Gerogiannis states that the improve load factor and passenger volumes were a result of "our service efforts", a "conservative, focused" capacity expansion, and network optimisation achieved despite competitors' capacity increases. "Tourism demand for Greece continues to develop and is supportive but substantially seasonal," he adds. Gerogiannis highlights that the airline's outlook for Q3, which "substantially determines" full-year results, "remains positive". However, he acknowledges that rising fuel prices will continue to affect costs and be only partly mitigated by the airline's fuel-hedging policy.<br/>

The $30 bag fee is gaining traction across US airlines as summer travel winds down and carriers look to boost revenue to offset higher fuel prices. United Continental increased the charge for passengers’ first checked bag by $5 on Friday, matching a move by JetBlue Airways earlier in the week. The fee changes apply to United tickets purchased Aug. 31 and later. The move by United bolsters an industry push for more revenue from items other than tickets. The industry’s annual profit peaked in 2015 and is headed for a third straight decline this year, according to Airlines for America. Fuel prices have increased more than 20% over the past year, pressuring airlines’ earnings and stock prices. “As we continue to make investments that make travel on United better, we are making adjustments to our checked bag fees in select markets -- most of which have not been changed for the past eight years,” said a spokeswoman for United. A second checked bag will cost $40 on flights in the US, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Caribbean and Central America, United said. The fee will be $50 for flights to and from Canada.<br/>

An attempt by United to duck the sticky issue of Taiwan has invited rebuke from China’s foreign ministry. After China told global carriers earlier this year to tweak their websites and list the separately ruled island as part of China American airlines are still finding themselves in the crosshairs of China. United Continental has resorted to using currency codes instead for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, a move the Middle Kingdom isn’t too pleased with. “However flexible they may try to get, there’s simply no way to sidestep the one-China principle,” a foreign ministry spokeswoman said Thursday, referring to overseas firms operating in the country. “There’s only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China. This is the objective fact, common sense and international consensus.” The Civil Aviation Administration of China asked 44 foreign airlines to change their online references to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau to reflect these locations as part of China. For instance, Taiwan should be referred to as “China Taiwan” or the “China Taiwan region.” China has said changes by United, Delta, American Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are still incomplete. United declined to comment.<br/>

Ethiopian Airlines and the government of Chad have signed an agreement to launch Chad’s new national carrier on Oct. 1, officials said Friday. Ethiopia’s state-owned flag carrier is in talks with a number of African states to acquire stakes and manage operations - a strategy aimed at gaining a competitive advantage against rivals such as those in the Gulf. The airline is ranked by the IATA as the largest carrier in Africa by revenue and profit. On Friday, the head of Chad’s Civil Aviation Authority Mahamat Adjam said the new company will be named ‘Tchadia Airlines’, with the government owning 51% and Ethiopian Airlines the rest. “The inaugural flight is planned for October 1 but the first destination has yet to be determined,” he said, adding the carrier would start off with a fleet of two Bombardier Q400 turboprop planes. “It (the airline) will serve the four main cities in Chad and traffic to neighboring countries,” Adjam said. The move will help Chad as it will improve its international air connections. In 2012, Chadian authorities suspended international flights operated by state carrier Toumai Air after an investigation revealed serious safety problems. For Ethiopian Airlines, the partnership is another step in its efforts to work with national carriers across the continent.<br/>

The US NTSB will meet Sept. 25 to determine the probable cause of a near miss on landing last year involving an Air Canada Airbus A320 at San Francisco International Airport. On July 7, 2017, Air Canada flight 759 mistakenly lined up on a parallel taxiway after being cleared to land on runway 28R at the airport. The airliner descended to about 60 feet above the ground, then initiated a go-around after overflying the first of four airliners awaiting takeoff clearance on the taxiway. The Air Canada A320, carrying 135 passengers and 5 crew, was arriving just before midnight from Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport. In May, NTSB made public evidence it has collected in the aftermath of the incident. In post-incident interviews, both Air Canada pilots said they believed the lighted runway on their left was 28L and that they were lined up to land on 28R. Instead, they had lined up on Taxiway C, running parallel to the right of runway 28R. Runway 28L was closed at the time due to construction. Its approach and runway lights were turned off, and a lighted, flashing “X” runway closure marker was placed at the threshold.<br/>