Britain’s aviation authority has sent out a warning to British Airways over its handling of a planned walkout by pilots next month following a weekend of chaos as customers struggled to contact the airline. The CAA Tuesday said it had been in contact with BA to make sure it was complying with EU air passengers’ rights legislation, following concerns raised by customers. The CAA said that the law required BA to offer passengers whose flights have been cancelled the choice of a refund, alternative travel arrangements such as flights on other airlines, or a new flight at a later date. The aviation authority said there was concern that customers were not being offered the option to fly with other airlines, stating that it expected airlines to “proactively provide passengers with information about their rights when flights are cancelled”. <br/>
oneworld
Qatar Airways has full confidence in Cathay Pacific Airways and will increase its 10% stake in the carrier if it has any opportunity to do so, the Qatari airline's CE said Tuesday. Cathay has become the biggest corporate casualty of political unrest in Hong Kong after China demanded it suspend staff involved in, or who support, anti-govt demonstrations. "Cathay Pacific is there to stay, and to expand and to serve the people of both Hong Kong and China, as Hong Kong is an integral part of mainland China," CE Akbar al-Baker said. "We have no concern about the brand, we have no concern on the viability of the airline." Qatar bought its stake in 2017 and has previously expressed interest in increasing it, although it has said the tight share register makes that difficult. <br/>
July 28, Hong Kong police arrested 17 people for their alleged participation in a riot in the territory’s premier business district. Those arrested included students, chefs, clerks, a teacher, a nurse and, fatefully for Hong Kong’s corporate sector, a young pilot for Cathay Pacific Airways. Within 2 weeks the chance arrest of Liu Chung-yin, 30, whose arraignment is pending, had plunged his employer into the biggest political crisis since its establishment in 1946 and shaken relations between Hong Kong’s business community and China’s ruling Communist party in Beijing. Aug 9, China’s aviation regulator accused management at Hong Kong’s de facto flag carrier and its controlling shareholder, Swire Pacific, of not acting quickly enough to discipline Liu and other employees alleged to have participated in illegal or violent protests. <br/>
American Airlines Group is stepping up damage-control efforts with customers who have suffered multiple delays or cancellations as flight disruptions linger from a work slowdown by mechanics and bag handlers. Operations have improved each month since June, Kerry Philipovitch, senior VP-customer experience, said Tuesday. That’s when a federal court issued a temporary restraining order against the TWU-IAM Association to end a union-backed job action designed to gain leverage in lengthy contract talks. The judge agreed last month to a permanent injunction against the union, which is appealing the decision. The slowdown caused more than 1,200 cancellations and lengthy delays, delivering a blow to the busy summer travel season for American. <br/>