A US airline will no longer allow passengers to rebook for free if they are flying onto a Boeing 737 Max aircraft. United Airlines has dropped its flight change and refund policy for passengers who find themselves booked onto the aircraft, which was responsible for two deadly crashes. The aircraft has now been back in the skies since December 2020 in the US and February 2021 in Europe after being declared safe to return to service by the FAA and EASA respectively. A statement from the airline reads: “The Boeing 737 MAX is a safe and efficient aircraft which offers the latest amenities and technology for our customers and crew. Now that our MAX fleet has been serving our customers for several weeks, standard rebooking and change policies will apply for any customer booking travel on a MAX aircraft after 7 April 2021.”<br/>
star
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and United Airlines are set to trial SITA’s Smart Path biometric solution for domestic travellers on select flights. The participating passengers can use this technology to connect their driver’s license to their facial biometric scan at airport check-in and then scan their face to move from check-in to bag drop and security check processes. SITA noted that the implementation of the biometric solution is a first for US domestic air travel. It also stated that more than half of the international flights at SFO are using biometrics for boarding in 2020. The new technology allows the passengers to use their face as their boarding pass and helps to reduce physical contact. It also provides an efficient process for travellers and staff.<br/>
Air Busan, Air Seoul, and Jin Air will be integrated into a single low-cost carrier, the president of Korean Air, Kee Hong Woo, has said in an online press briefing on the flag carrier’s Asiana Airlines acquisition progress. But it is too early to say where it will be based, he added. His comments came despite earlier South Korean government assurances that an integrated LCC headquarters would likely be set up at a local airport and not necessarily in Seoul. “We are still considering whether the integrated LCC will be a subsidiary of Korean Air or of [Korean Air parent] Hanjin KAL, as Jin Air currently is. We will decide on the timeline and direction after thoroughly reviewing the details, such as the required funds and restrictions under the Fair Trade Act,” Woo said in the written briefing presented on March 31. Korean Air expects, Woo said, that it will take two years after its US$1.6b acquisition of a majority stake in Asiana Airlines closes before the rival brands can be integrated. “Asiana Airlines will be incorporated as a subsidiary of Korean Air once the business combination reports have been approved. It will create a governance structure where Hanjin KAL owns Korean Air, which in turn controls Asiana Airlines. Korean Air plans to fully integrate with Asiana Airlines about two years after Korean Air completes the acquisition and Asiana Airlines becomes its subsidiary,” he explained.<br/>
Air New Zealand has been given a three-month breathing space to get a better handle on how much money it needs to raise as it continues to burn through cash. The airline and its majority shareholder, the Government, said on Friday they have agreed to delay a planned equity capital raising which was originally expected to be completed by June 30. The proposed capital raising is now expected to be completed before September 30. Air New Zealand has burned through more than NZ$1b in cash since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, as it faced ongoing costs while being unable to fly many of its routes. Forsyth Barr head of research Andy Bowley said the airline could not continue to operate indefinitely under the current circumstances. “Financially it’s still very challenged by the cash burn that it’s encountered over the last 12 months, and the likely cash burn that will continue until borders fully reopen and it can resume long-haul services,” he said. The airline would use the three-month delay to get a better indication of how much capital it needed to raise. “Safe to say it will be well in excess of $1 billion of new equity capital.”<br/>