Ryanair’s bid to block a strike by UK pilots rather than return to talks means a walkout before Britain’s busiest weekend for air travel is more certain, according to the union that called the action. Ryanair has lost the chance to resolve the pay dispute by seeking a High Court injunction at a hearing to be held Wednesday, the day before the start of the 48-hour strike at airports including the carrier’s biggest hub at London Stansted, Balpa said Monday. Balpa general secretary Brian Strutton said the attempt to halt the walkout on what he called a legal technicality after refusing further negotiations is “another demonstration of the bullying tactics the airline appears to favour.” He also said that Ryanair is continuing to sell tickets for the strike days, and questioned whether the carrier will be prepared to offer compensation to passengers. <br/>
unaligned
Ryanair passengers due to fly later this week are in limbo as they wait to hear if their flights will take off amid the threat of a 48-hour strike. They may not find out until the eve of the stoppage, from midnight Thursday, as a High Court action to prevent the industrial action drags on. The court is not expected to issue a judgment until Tuesday, after the airline sought an injunction to prevent the industrial action. The Commission for Aviation Regulation said that, legally, passengers cannot seek refunds until the airline cancels the flights. Ryanair sources promised "robust contingency" planning should the strikes go ahead so a minimal amount of flights would be cancelled. If strike action does go ahead, only those directly employed by Ryanair will take part and pilots on different contracts will continue to work as normal. <br/>
The Spanish unions USO and Sitcpla have registered a 10-day strike notice in the 13 bases where Ryanair operates in Spain. According to the unions, the cabin crew of the airline will go on strike “to prevent the closure of the bases of Gran Canaria, Tenerife South, and Girona” as well as “the dismissals resulting from these closures.” The Spanish unions have denounced that there will be layoffs “without guaranteeing the possibility of relocation.” According to USO, Ryanair decided to move the planes from the less profitable bases to relocate them in other countries whose airports have growth plans. But the USO union section of Ryanair, disagrees: “It is not possible to justify that the Canary Islands are unprofitable while all planes are full, and tickets are sold well in advance.” <br/>
Icelandair is the latest airline to take the troubled 737 Max aircraft off its schedule until 2020, even as Boeing works toward a return of the aircraft this year. “Icelandair has updated its flight schedule until the end of Dec 2019 as it does not anticipate the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to be in operation during that time. The changes also reflect other market developments,” the carrier said Aug 16. According to Boeing data, the carrier has taken delivery of 3 of the jets. Icelandair, which estimated its losses at US$140m if the grounding lasts until the end of October, is in talks with Boeing regarding compensation. Boeing said last month it is hoping to clear regulatory hurdles to the plane’s return by October, and some carriers are planning accordingly. The Max has now been grounded by the FAA for 5 months, the longest stretch for a US aircraft. <br/>
A man says crew members on a SkyWest Airlines flight refused to allow his brother with autism to sit near a family member Friday and walked off the plane, forcing all 75 passengers to deplane and board another flight 3 hours later. Now, the crew, including the pilots, have been grounded while the airline investigates the incident. Ayomide Isola was on SkyWest flight 3596 from Detroit to Houston with his mother, sister and 21-year-old brother, Tayo, who is nonverbal and unable to express himself. SkyWest is a connection carrier for Delta and other major airlines. SkyWest acknowledged the flight experienced a delay boarding "as a result of an issue regarding customer seat assignments," and said it was investigating the incident. <br/>
Norwegian is selling out of Norwegian Finans Holding, the parent company of Bank Norwegian, divesting its entire shareholding for NKr2.2b (US$246m). The carrier says it intends to "strengthen" its core airline operation through the divestment. It states that the transaction will have a net cash effect of NKr934m and a "positive effect" on book equity of NKr196m compared with the figure at June 30 this year. Norwegian Finans Holding is owned by various institutional and private investors and the airline is the largest owner with a share of about 17.5%. Its Bank Norwegian division started operating in 2007 and offers digital banking services including loans, accounts and credit cards to retail customers. The company has a presence across the Nordic market. <br/>