As passengers and staff left stranded by the collapse of Primera Air try to find a way home, the Transport Select Committee has been asked to investigate the airline’s failure. The airline has blamed late deliveries of aircraft from Airbus for the failure. But passengers who had advance bookings with Primera Air, or who are owed money following disruption earlier in the summer, are demanding that MPs investigate what went wrong. While Primera Air was flying, the airline told travellers: “In case of cancellation we will ensure passengers are rebooked onto alternative flights or given a refund within 24 hours.” But there is evidence that travellers were instead told to book with other airlines at their own expense, with the promise that Primera Air would provide a refund. Subsequent efforts to reclaim the cost usually failed. <br/>
unaligned
Ryanair is digging its heels in as a row over whether passengers affected by last week’s strike action are entitled to compensation continues. Pilots and cabin crew staff in 6 countries walked out last Friday, resulting in the cancellation of around 250 flights. Affected passengers were offered the option to choose another flight or take a refund, but the carrier is offering no compensation for other costs claiming the disruption was “beyond the airline’s control”. Ryanair added: “If these strikes,…were within Ryanair’s control, there would be no strikes and no cancellations.” The CAA responded: “It is our view that when a flight cancellation is caused by strike action by the airline’s employees, the airline is required to pay compensation if it has not warned passengers of the cancellation at least two weeks prior” <br/>
The first commercial flight to use jet fuel partly made from recycled industrial waste has landed at Gatwick. The Virgin Atlantic plane, travelling from Orlando to London, was powered by a new blend of normal jet fuel and ethanol produced from waste gases, which the airline says could significantly lower aviation’s carbon footprint. The flight’s fuel blend was 5% recycled, but the sustainable element could eventually form up to 50%. It was produced in the US by LanzaTech, which claims it could eventually supply about 20% of the aviation industry’s fuel, and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 65% compared with conventional petroleum. Virgin is bidding for govt support to have plants built in the UK that could fuel all its operations. Virgin called on ministers to provide financial backing for LanzaTech to open 3 UK plants by 2025. <br/>
Paris-based all-business-class airline La Compagnie will introduce the first of its 2 incoming Airbus A321neos in April, configured with 76 lie-flat seats in a 2x2 layout. La Compagnie said it will be the first French airline to operate the A321neo, flying between Paris Orly and Newark Liberty. Passengers are expected to have access to gate-to-gate high-speed Wi-Fi provided by Viasat with connection speeds rivalling those on the ground. The transatlantic flights will use the ViaSat-2 satellite for connectivity. The second A321neo is scheduled to enter service in Sept 2019 with the same interior configuration. Both aircraft will be leased from GECAS. La Compagnie will phase out its leased Boeing 757s as the new aircraft enter service. <br/>