United announced Tuesday an order for 50 Airbus A321XLR jets to fly between the US East Coast and Europe, becoming the latest US airline to ink a deal for the European planemaker’s new passenger jet. The long-range A321XLR jets will replace United’s 53 Boeing 757-200 planes beginning in 2024, the Chicago-based planemaker said, flying to cities like Porto, Portugal and other potential new destinations. United’s 757 planes will reach the end of their lifespan in about a decade and Boeing is not building any more of the large single-aisle model. Instead, the planemaker has been considering a new twin-aisle plane, provisionally known as the NMA, but has delayed a launch decision until 2020 while it manages the ongoing global grounding of its 737 MAX jets following two fatal crashes. United’s COO Andrew Nocella said the airline has worked closely with Boeing on the potential new aircraft and is still open to orders if the planemaker decides to move forward with developing the NMA. Among the benefits of the A321XLR is a 30% lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft, United said. United has also ordered the larger A350 widebody jets but said it is deferring delivery of those jets until they are needed in 2027.<br/>
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Mesa Airlines is deepening its partnership with United at the same time the regional carrier is running up against problems in its relationship with American Airlines. The contract for 42 United-owned Embraer E175s in Mesa’s United Express fleet will be extended five years through 2024, with rights to extend through 2027, the airlines announced Dec. 3. The 18 Mesa-owned E175s in the United Express fleet will be contracted through 2028. Mesa also said it will add 20 new 70-seat E175 LL aircraft to its United capacity purchase agreement, with deliveries set to run from May through December 2020. The E175s, which will be owned and financed by Mesa, will replace the carrier’s 20 remaining Bombardier CRJ-700s in its United Express fleet, which in turn will be leased out to another of United’s regional affiliates for seven years.<br/>
South African Airways is in talks with lenders including Standard Bank Group and Investec about funds to alleviate a cash crunch brought on by persistent losses and a week-long strike, according to people familiar with the matter. Negotiations are also taking place with Absa Group, Nedbank Group and FirstRand’s Rand Merchant Bank, said the two people who asked not to be identified as the discussions are private. The state-owned company aims to raise enough money to pay salaries, fuel its planes and cover other costs until March 2020, they said. The banks all declined to comment. SAA’s bid to obtain more loans isn’t assured, even if it secures state backing. When the carrier tried to raise the money needed to ensure continued operations for at least 12 months and to finalize financial statements for fiscal 2018, “lenders were not willing to extend facilities even on the strength of government guarantees,” it said in a document presented to lawmakers on Monday. “The hesitant and inconsistent approach to addressing the recapitalization of SAA has made it difficult for the board to conclude on its going-concern status,” the carrier said.<br/>
Lufthansa announced a reshuffling of its management board on Tuesday, with human resources head Bettina Volkens leaving the company at the end of the year. The carrier, which has long been in conflict with a flight attendants’ union over pay and pensions, said the HR & Legal department would be headed by the CFO of Lufthansa’s Swiss International Airlines, Michael Niggemann. Lufthansa's executive board will be expanded to include a Customer & Corporate Responsibility position, to be filled by Brussels Airlines CEO Christina Foerster, the company said in a statement.<br/>
A passenger on an Air NZ plane diverted to Tahiti has spoken of the concern he and others felt after a woman began screaming on the flight. Vincent Garcia, of New York, was flying to Houston with friends and family on board flight NZ28 from Auckland on Friday last week when a passenger sitting in front of him began yelling about "evil thoughts" and waving her arms. He said the incident left him and his family - including his father-in-law who was sitting next to the woman - shocked and scared. An Air NZ spokeswoman confirmed the plane was diverted to land at Pape'ete Tahiti Faa'a International Airport mid flight due to a "medical event on board". However, she declined to comment further due to privacy concerns.<br/>
Air NZ has begun trialling vanilla-flavoured edible coffee cups for customers in the air in a bid to reduce waste. Customers both on flights and on the ground will be served their coffee in the leakproof cups that double as an edible dessert bowl. The airline currently serves more than eight million cups of coffee each year, and so far the cups have been a hit with the customers, according to Air New Zealand customer experience manager Niki Chave. "We've been working in partnership with innovative New Zealand company 'twiice' to explore the future of edible coffee cups, which are vanilla flavoured and leakproof. "The cups have been a big hit with the customers who have used these and we've also been using the cups as dessert bowls. "Air New Zealand recently switched to plant-based cups that are compostable but the company one day wants to completely remove all cups from landfills. 'Twiice' co-founder Jamie Cashmore says the edible cups could play a big role in demonstrating to the world that new and innovative ways of packaging are achievable.<br/>