Brazilian airline Gol announced an exclusive codeshare agreement with American Airlines valid for three years, adding it will receive a $200m equity investment as part of the deal, according to a securities filing on Wednesday. Gol said the new agreement builds on a previous codeshare arrangement between the two companies, and will increase options for Gol travelers on South and North American routes. American Airlines’ investment in Gol is expected to happen via the sale of 22.2m recently issued preferred shares by the Brazilian airline, taking the US firm’s stake in Gol to 5.2%. “We believe it will further strengthen Gol’s presence on international markets, accelerate our long-term growth and maximize value for our shareholders,” Gol CEO Paulo Kakinoff said. Analysts at J.P. Morgan said in a market report that they welcome the additional liquidity provided by American Airlines’ investment in Gol, as it should further enhance the Brazilian company’s financial flexibility, even though they remain cautious with the airline industry in Latin America.<br/>
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American Airlines Group and Anthem are among companies that have signed up to have a year-old nonprofit monitor their progress in closing gender and racial compensation gaps, seeking to add accountability to their efforts to rectify the pay disparities within their workplaces. Called Fair Pay Workplace, the Seattle-based group—backed by Laurene Powell Jobs’s Emerson Collective LLC—has signed up an initial cohort that also includes Databricks, a data-analysis software startup valued at $38b, and the University of California at Irvine. When companies enlist, Fair Pay evaluates their data for pay gaps and creates a road map to fix them. To receive certification that they’re participating, companies must commit to the plan, abide by the nonprofit’s rules and standards, and undergo regular check-ins for progress, said Heidi Durham, Fair Pay’s executive director. For example, Fair Pay asks certified companies to pledge that they won’t ask job candidates about their prior compensation or expectations for starting pay, which is “one of the biggest reasons gaps are exacerbated,” Durham said. <br/>
British Airways has operated its first passenger service directly powered by sustainable aviation fuel, a London to Glasgow flight that the airline said produced 62% less CO2 emissions than a similar journey a decade ago. The airline said the combination of the fuel – partly made from recycled cooking oil – with optimal flight paths, electrified airport vehicles and its newest plane slashed emissions. BA said it had offset the CO2 produced, making the flight carbon-neutral. While about 6.4 tons of CO2 were still produced by flight BA1476 on Tuesday, the airline said the flight was intended to demonstrate the progress made by the aviation industry in its attempts to decarbonise ahead of the Cop26 summit. The service was operated by BA’s special liveried “sustainability” plane, an Airbus A320neo, its quietest and most fuel-efficient short-haul model. The fuel was a 35% mix of sustainable fuels (SAFs) from BP – close to the maximum proportion currently permitted and higher than in similar demonstration flights. Further contributions to maximising efficiency came from the air traffic control service Nats, which ensured a direct ascent and descent with no holding time, while Heathrow used vehicles powered by green electricity to push the plane on the ground. While most of the factors involved in creating the “perfect flight” that BA aimed for on Tuesday are not always available – and considerable scepticism remains about sustainable air travel and offsetting – BA said it was a glimpse of the future.<br/>
Brits in Australia will be able to be reunited with their families in time for Christmas after Qantas confirmed the first flights from Sydney and Melbourne to London will depart on 18 December. On that day, flights will also recommence to Los Angeles, Vancouver and Singapore, with Tokyo and Fiji coming online the next day and Honolulu the day after that. Currently, Australian citizens and permanent residents can only leave the country with an exemption, with Qantas having halted all commercial international flights other than government-supplemented repatriations. Those returning must hotel quarantine for two weeks, but there is hope the federal government will have relaxed that rule later this year, in favour of home quarantine or proof of vaccination status. The airline previously confirmed plans to restart international flying in August, but only today has confirmed the exact dates that are bookable on its website. Currently, flights from Sydney to London via Perth on 18 December are selling from just $2,794.<br/>