Travellers probably won’t be rushing to praise the airlines for it, but industry investors should find a lot to love in an innovation that offers just a smidgen more wiggle room for twice the money. As budget coach seats become more cramped, and business class gets more luxurious and pricey, demand has swelled for an in-between option that will give flyers a little more comfort without breaking the bank on long overseas flights. That’s how the “premium- economy” seats offered in a growing percentage of international jet fleets have become one of the most lucrative innovations in modern flying. Travellers pay prices that are broadly double -- and sometimes triple -- economy fares. And airlines incur only modestly higher costs without siphoning affluent travellers from their posher cabins. <br/>
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Aircraft manufacturer Zunum, backed by Boeing, will use an engine turbine from Safran to power an electric motor for the hybrid regional airplane it aims to bring into service in 2022, the company said Thursday. Zunum, based near Seattle, is among several companies seeking to reduce emissions, noise and travel costs with electric planes, underscoring growing investment in lightweight propulsion. Zunum, which is also funded by JetBlue 's investment arm, will offer its 12-seat, 700-mile aircraft - dubbed the ZA10 - to charter airlines, private companies and regional carriers globally, starting in 2022. Zunum's planes will be battery powered, with a jet fuel-powered turbogenerator to extend range. The ZA10 will cost less than US$300m to develop. <br/>
President Donald Trump will sign a bill Friday granting the US govt new powers to shoot down threatening drones and creating new consumer protections for airline passengers. The bill will, among other measures, bar airlines from removing seated passengers and require the FAA to write new rules to allow commercial drones to deliver packages. The bill also gives the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security new authority to disable or destroy drones if they pose a threat to govt facilities. The Trump administration had said it did not have legal authority to address such threats. The airline industry scored a significant win after Congress dropped plans to mandate "reasonable and proportional" baggage and change fees after heavy lobbying by United Airlines and American Airlines. <br/>
The operator of John F. Kennedy International Thursday released the first details of a sweeping overhaul along with a new price tag of US$13b. Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, revealed plans, revised cost estimates, and sketches of new roadways, aircraft taxiways, gates and vast, light-filled terminals brimming with stores, restaurants and bars decorated with trees, plants and artwork. “JFK will become a destination unto itself,” Cotton said, rather than what he called today’s “abysmal” passenger experience. Construction is expected to begin in 2020 and be completed by 2025. The announcement caps more than a year of competition between airlines, terminal operators, developers and private-equity firms vying for land at one of the nation’s busiest airports. <br/>
US govt officials are terminating a 1955 treaty with Iran which had formed the basis of a bid by Iranian officials to lift US sanctions on the country. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo disclosed the decision following the ruling by the International Court of Justice that the US govt should lift sanctions preventing the export of equipment and services for maintaining civil aviation safety, as well as medicines. Pompeo says the decision to end the treaty is “overdue” by 39 years, a reference to the 1979 Iranian revolution. He describes the International Court of Justice case as “meritless” and that the Iranian govt has been using the court for “political and propaganda purposes”. Pompeo points out that individual licensing options are already in place to handle potential humanitarian issues. <br/>