A leading airline trade group says fatal commercial flight accidents increased in 2018 from a record low set in 2017. IATA said Thursday 523 passengers and crew died in 11 fatal accidents last year, compared with 19 deaths in 6 fatal accidents in 2017. The accident rate in 2018 was 1.35 accidents per million flights, better than the average 1.79 from 2013-2017 but higher than 1.11 in 2017. IATA says 4.3b passengers flew safely on 46.1m flights in 2018. It says "flying is safe and the data tell us that it is getting safer." "Based on the data, on average a passenger could take a flight every day for 241 years before experiencing an accident with one fatality." <br/>
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More than 4 years after a Malaysian passenger jet was shot down over conflict-ravaged eastern Ukraine, airlines around the world still need more and better information to make risk assessments about flying over war zones, a Dutch safety watchdog said Thursday. The Dutch Safety Board's chairman, Tjibbe Joustra, said progress has been made since the downing of MH17 in sharing information about potential risks of flying over conflicts and that airlines are now taking action more quickly. But the report stressed that more needs to be done. "Very few changes relating to airspace management by nations dealing with armed conflict within their territories have been made," the board said. "Also, airlines require more detailed and complex information to perform adequate risk assessments." <br/>
Airbus has begun lining up tentative orders for a longer-range version its A321 jetliner, seeking to exploit signs of hesitation at arch-rival Boeing over whether to develop a new model in a hotly contested niche of the airplane market. The firm is in detailed talks with airlines over the price and timing of the longer-range design - known as A321XLR - and has pencilled in some orders subject to a formal launch later this year, industry sources said. Airbus is looking for 200-300 draft orders before committing to build the A321XLR, aiming to limit the space available for a mid-market alternative that Boeing hopes to launch in a gap between medium-haul and long-haul jets. The A321XLR would have a higher maximum take-off weight of 101 tonnes and 400-500 nautical miles more range than the 4,000-mile A321LR, Airbus' longest-range single-aisle. <br/>
AirHelp, which runs a travel technology service, is adding a pair of bots to its automated legal-claims team that is designed to assist airline passengers seeking compensation from carriers for delayed, cancelled or overbooked flights. The two new AI tools, launched this month, will enable the company to automate the initial manual review process its staff uses to decide which claims the company should handle and which it should reject. AirHelp currently uses AI to assist its lawyers on claims it is handling that are ignored or denied by the airlines to determine which course of action its legal team should take, if any. “Many airlines don’t properly inform travellers of their rights,” the company said. As a result, few passengers are even aware they may be entitled to compensation for missed connections or upturned schedules. <br/>
The average fare for airline travel within the US has hit the lowest level since the govt started keeping track in 1995, after adjusting for inflation. However, that doesn't count fees that airlines add for things like checking a bag, getting a better seat, or moving up in the boarding line. Airlines get an increasing share of their revenue from those fees and from deals with credit-card providers, helping them remain profitable. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics said Thursday that the average domestic itinerary was US$343 in Q3 last year. The average round trip was $417, and the average one-way ticket was $249. The overall figure of $343 is down $2 from Q3 of 2017 and $7 lower than Q2 of 2018. <br/>
The Spanish govt Thursday welcomed a provisional EU deal meant to mitigate the impact of a hard Brexit on airlines. "We have obtained 7 months to avoid any problem," Spanish Industry minister Reyes Maroto said. "We have more time for the company to decide which changes it opts for." Maroto was referring to a provisional deal reached in Brussels to ensure, among other things, that companies can continue to provide scheduled flights for 7 months after the date of application of post-Brexit air traffic regulations. The provisional agreement referred to by Maroto needs approval from member states' ambassadors in the EU Council's Permanent Representatives Committee. Iberia carries 19m passengers a year and is a major employer in Spain with almost 17,000 workers. <br/>