US airlines had a rocky quarter, but Delta was the notable exception. The airline told investors Tuesday that results were better than it expected. Unlike American Airlines, United and Southwest, Delta Air Lines was not forced to cancel flights in the quarter due to the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max because the airline doesn't own that plane. Delta said that its total revenue grew between 8% and 8.5% for the quarter that ended Saturday. In April it projected revenue would increase 6% to 8%. Unit revenue grew about 3.5%, it said. That was at the high end of the 1.5% to 3.5% growth it had forecast in April. Profits should also hit the top end of its guidance, since profit margins should be about 1% better than expected. The airline was also helped by the fact that it paid slightly less for jet fuel than it had forecast. <br/>
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As airlines boost profits by packing more passengers into smaller spaces, lengthy international trips have become increasingly cramped and miserable. Delta Air Lines hopes a refreshing drink and a nicer dinner setting will help make up for all that. Starting Nov 5 in the coach class cabin of international trips of more than 6.5 hours, the carrier will start off each flight offering coach passengers a free peach and sparkling wine cocktail or bottled water, a hot towel for freshening up and an updated menu for on-board meals. Food will be served on a small platter instead of a traditional tray, with a place mat. Dessert and coffee will be served separately. Delta declined to say how much it spent developing the new service. <br/>
There have been calls for fresh scrutiny of aviation security as efforts continue to identify a man whose frozen body fell into a garden in London from the landing gear of a Kenya Airways plane. Investigations have centred on Nairobi airport, where the man is believed to have concealed himself in the aircraft, but one aviation expert suggested airlines and plane manufacturers could take steps including fitting heat sensors to detect stowaways. “If someone can secrete themselves into the landing gear then it would seem possible that they can put in other things,” said the expert. A plane spotter who had been following the flight on an aircraft tracking app saw the body fall and arrived at the scene in time to give this information to the police. It has been suggested the man who fell from the plane may have been working at the airport in Nairobi. <br/>
The popular Fiji leisure market is seeing some significant changes as Fiji Airways plans to suspend an Australian route and Korean Air terminates flights to Fiji. Korean Air confirmed it will close its route from Seoul to Nadi, Fiji from Oct 1. It currently offers 3 flights a week on this service, which it has operated since 1995. Korean is the only airline based outside the South Pacific serving Fiji. Other carriers flying to this country are Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Air NZ and Fiji Airways. Smaller Pacific Island carriers also have routes to Fiji. Meanwhile, Fiji Airways says it has “decided to temporarily pause” its direct flights from Nadi, Fiji, to Adelaide, Australia. The decision was made “taking into account a number of factors, including the aircraft currently available in our fleet,” Fiji Airways said. <br/>
Aeroflot Airline and Ural Airlines were forced to cancel or delay flights to Prague July 2 because of an unsolved dispute over Trans-Siberian rights between Russia and the Czech Republic. “Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation unilaterally restricted Czech Airlines’ rights to fly over the Siberian part of the Russian Federation on the route between Prague and Seoul, which the Czech carrier has used for a long time. The Czech side considered this step as a violation of the existing arrangements and consequently reduced the rights of the Russian airlines in accordance with the 1966 Air Transport Agreement,” the Czech Transport Ministry said. Both Russian and Czech sides have issued temporary flight approval through July 7. <br/>