As Air Berlin slid into insolvency two years ago, Carsten Spohr spotted an opportunity to strengthen his response to low-cost carriers Ryanair, EasyJet, and Wizz. The CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa had been seeking to make Eurowings, his budget unit, more competitive by marrying bargain-bin fares with Lufthansa’s top-shelf brand name. Spohr snapped up Air Berlin planes, employees, and landing slots, but since then Eurowings has racked up almost E500m in losses. This spring, Spohr halted expansion of Eurowings after soaring fuel prices and too many empty seats squeezed profits, helping drive Lufthansa’s stock down 10% this year. In the company’s annual report, he said integrating Air Berlin had made for an “extremely difficult” year. “We did not always live up to our premium promise to our customers and disappointed many of our passengers with delays,” he said. Lufthansa’s woes are emblematic of a European industry that’s facing a second straight bummer summer. Carriers are grappling with gyrating fuel prices because of US tensions with Iran and the escalating trade war with China. Brexit jitters have sapped consumer confidence among Britons, spurring airlines to ponder airfare cuts to tease out shy demand. Germans face crowded airspace, jammed security lines, and strike threats. Eurocontrol, the regional air traffic authority, says there could be 40% more delays this summer than there were last.<br/>
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Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) plans to debut its first Airbus A350 between Copenhagen and Chicago on Jan. 28, 2020, and will roll out the new aircraft type on seven routes throughout the year. On June 13, SAS detailed its plans for the eight Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-powered A350s that it has on order. The first A350—carrying the tail number SE-RSA—will be delivered before the end of 2019 and will perform training flights within Scandinavia during December and January. SAS will base its first A350 at Copenhagen and its first long-haul commercial service will be to Chicago, which SAS describes as one of its most popular routes. Throughout 2020, the A350 network will be extended to include Beijing, Hong Kong, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai and Tokyo.<br/>
In 2017 SAS unveiled its New Nordic by SAS concept, introducing passengers on some 80,000 short-haul Scandinavian and European flights to seasonal dishes made with ingredients sourced from regional farmers. New Nordic by SAS this month expands its vision of healthy, sustainable eating with the addition of two regularly featured vegetarian or vegan dishes on the airline’s 10 different menus in rotation. Story features interview with Alexander Lund, product manager, food and beverage, who oversees menu development and design, and Linnea Malmberg, head of onboard concept and service about SAS’s devotion to a greener lifestyle, how customer commentary can lead to operational change, and the importance of minimizing food waste.<br/>
Air New Zealand is removing its straight to gate check-in process for domestic flights. From July 1, all passengers, including those without checked baggage, will have to check-in through the Air NZ app or at a kiosk. Previously passengers travelling without checked baggage were able to go straight to a boarding gate and check-in there by scanning their mobile app on boarding. The airline said in an email to customers that checking in customers that way has meant "our teams haven't always been able to complete all necessary final pre-departure procedures on time." Air New Zealand said check-in completion time for domestic flights is 30 minutes prior to departure. Customers not checked in before that time will be unable to travel. However, online check-in continues to be available for all customers from 24 hours prior to departure.<br/>