Southwest plans to raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour to retain and attract employees as the economy and aviation industry rebound. More than 7,000 existing employees stand to benefit from the move, the airline said Friday. The airline said it expects the pay increases to take effect on Aug. 1, though the timing for some employees will depend on negotiations with unions. The bump will benefit a wide variety of employees, including ramp agents, cargo handlers and call center representatives Pay scales vary by function and by union agreements, but the raise will lift wages by an average of $1.30 per hour. For some workers at the lower end of their pay scales, that could equate to a boost of 3 to 10%, the airline said. The news comes as demand for flights recovers in the United States, fueled by widespread vaccinations and the gradual reopening of businesses and tourist destinations. Southwest, based in Dallas, employs more than 56,000 people and is known for having an unusual and relatively casual corporate culture.<br/>
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Southwest delayed more than 1,100 flights Friday, about 30% of its daily schedule, because of summer storms affecting service across its system, according to FlightAware.com. Severe thunderstorms prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily block landings at the Denver airport, causing delays averaging 59 minutes, according to the agency’s website. About 224 Southwest flights were canceled, FlightAware.com data showed. Around 428 American Airlines flights also were delayed, or 14% of its total, and 68 were canceled.<br/>
A passenger was injured Friday after jumping out of a United Express flight that was taxiing from a gate area at the Los Angeles International Airport, an LAX police spokesman said. At about 7:10 p.m. local time, the man opened the door of the aircraft, activated the emergency slide, and exited onto the taxiway, the spokesman said. Los Angeles Airport Police and the Los Angeles Fire Department responded immediately. The flight, operated by SkyWest Airlines, was heading to Salt Lake City, an FAA spokesperson said. According to the FAA, an altercation occurred on board the Embraer 175 regional jet shortly before the passenger tried to exit the aircraft. No other passengers were injured, officials said. The passenger who exited the aircraft was apprehended by law enforcement officials and transported to a local hospital where he was treated for his injuries. Authorities are investigating the incident and working to determine the passenger's motive, officials said.<br/>
Iran criticised as "highly politicised" on Friday a report by a special Canadian forensic team that accused the country of incompetence and recklessness over the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane last year. The report, published on Thursday, found that while the shooting down of Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752 was not premeditated, it did not absolve Iranian officials of responsibility for the incident. read more Iran has admitted it shot down the airliner shortly after takeoff from Tehran in January 2020, killing 176 people, and blamed a "disastrous mistake" by forces on high alert during a confrontation with the United States. The dead included 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents. "From a legal standpoint, they (Canada) lack any authority to conduct a unilateral or arbitrary report or comment on an air crash outside their jurisdiction," Mohsen Baharvand, Iran's deputy foreign minister for international and legal affairs, was quoted as saying by Iranian media. "If this highly politicised and illegal behaviour by Canada became the norm, all countries, even the civil aviation industry, would be the main victims."<br/>
Indonesia’s transportation ministry has approved the operational license for new budget airline Super Air Jet, the country’s directorate general of civil aviation said Saturday. Super Air Jet, which industry sources say has links to Indonesia’s biggest airline group, Lion Air Group, fulfilled all the requirements to obtain an Air Operator Certificate (AOC), the final approval needed to serve commercial flights, the civil aviation agency said. “With the completion of all stages of certification for SAJ, SAJ is declared to have fulfilled all technical and safety requirements as an Air Operator Certificate holder,” said Novie Riyanto, Indonesia’s directorate general of civil aviation. The new budget airline will start with three 180-seat Airbus A320 planes and focus on the domestic and millennial market, the carrier’s CE Ari Azhari said last month. <br/>