American Airlines flew its first shipment of the coronavirus vaccine on Sunday, joining United Airlines in helping transport doses that executives say will be key to the industry’s recovery. American said Monday that it flew a Boeing 777 between its hubs at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Miami and that the vaccines would later land in a “U.S. territory in the Caribbean later today.” A spokeswoman for the carrier declined to disclose the destination. American operated stress test flights last month to make sure its network and supply chain could handle temperature and other requirements to ship coronavirus vaccines. The FDA on Friday approved Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use. <br/>
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Japan Airlines is asking some travelers to make an "ethical choice" by skipping meals on board their flights, but a representative for the airline says the measure is about reducing food waste, not cutting costs. The JAL rep explains that the "ethical choice" option is currently only available on select overnight flights within Asia, as many passengers opt to sleep through the whole flight instead of wake up for the meal service.<br/>Since the airline prepares a meal for every person on board, a passenger who would rather sleep through meal service -- or who prefers the snacks they brought from home -- results in wasted food. The program was inspired by the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, one of which is reducing food waste around the world. In Japan, companies have become competitive in their approach to meeting these SDGs. It was first implemented on a trial basis on flights between Bangkok and Tokyo's Haneda Airport in November. This five-and-a-half-hour flight is usually operated as a red-eye, leaving Bangkok at 10:40 PM and arriving at 5:40 AM the following morning. Because of the pandemic, relatively few people are flying, giving the airline the opportunity for a gradual rollout. Guests can opt to forego their meal service ahead of time by going on JAL's website or calling the airline once they've confirmed their flight reservation, similar to the way they might request a vegetarian or kosher meal in advance. While many airlines offer the opportunity to say "no thanks" to meal service during the flight, JAL's approach means that no extra meals are prepared and then thrown out.<br/>
Swissport has been appointed by Qantas as its preferred partner for ground servicesSwissport has been appointed by Qantas as its preferred partner for ground services. Qantas has chosen Swissport to provide its ground handling at Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra following its decision to outsource the service. The Switzerland-headquartered company has signed a five-year deal with the airline that will cover 70,000 flights and follows an expanded deal with subsidiary Jetstar. The TWU is currently taking Qantas to the high-court over its decision to outsource the 2,000 jobs, arguing the proposals contravene the Fair Work Act. The disputed Qantas plans would see the airline brand remove operations at the 10 Australian airports where the work is done in-house, which includes Adelaide, Alice Springs, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Townsville.<br/>