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United will eventually surpass profit margins at rival Delta because of its hubs and product improvements, Chief Executive Scott Kirby said, noting his “immense respect” for the competitor’s management and operations. United “really is the flag carrier of the United States,” he said Wednesday at the Skift Aviation virtual forum, noting the size of the carrier’s wide-body international fleet relative to Delta’s or that of American Airlines. United’s hubs in business centers like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington offer greater revenue and margin potential than other carriers, Kirby said, noting that the carrier has “never” reached its profit potential. Business traffic bookings to and from Europe are higher than domestic business-travel activity, reflecting the Nov. 8 reopening of the US to vaccinated Europeans. United’s nonstop route to Accra, Ghana, from Washington’s Dulles International Airport saw the airline’s highest passenger loads and profitability over the summer, Kirby said. The carrier began that route in May.<br/>

United Airlines was forced to cut service to 11 secondary cities across the midwestern USA beginning in January due to the pilot shortage, the company’s chief executive officer says. The Chicago-based carrier in the past weeks announced it would end flights to smaller cities including College Station (Texas), Colombia (Missouri), Lansing (Michigan) and and Evansville (Illinois), Twin Falls (Idaho) from its hubs Denver, Chicago and Houston. At the time, the carrier said the cuts were due to “changes in the long-term sustainability of several of our regional routes”. “It’s down to pilots,” Scott Kirby said Wednesday. “The pilot shortage is now real, we don’t have enough pilots to fly all the airplanes. It’s very simple.” The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 accelerated pilot retirements across the industry as airlines cut costs, shed staff and put aircraft into long-term storage. Now, as the industry quickly returns to pre-pandemic levels, cracks are beginning to show in the airlines’ planning. Industry experts say that regional airlines like SkyWest, CommutAir and Air Wisconsin will suffer the most from the new pilot shortage. Generally, regionals pay lower salaries than the major carriers, and pilots fly smaller aircraft. As a result, these regional carriers are now offering up to $30,000 in signing bonuses to attract pilots to join their teams. <br/>

Portugal’s early successful vaccination rollout, allowing it to reopen sooner than its neighbors, has turned the destination into a favorite in Europe. But the country’s tourism rise has coincided with the airline’s steady recovery path — amid a government-funded restructuring and ongoing pandemic uncertainties. “Our capacity for this winter is already at 80 percent compared to 2019, and we are expecting to see a similar trend for next summer,” said Christine Ourmières-Widener, CEO of TAP Air Portugal, on Wednesday. “We didn’t really do significant changes in our network as far as the region we serve. It’s more we have been playing with frequency and the type of aircraft we are flying to some destinations.” The airline’s demand curve also varies from the rest of European carriers, Ourmières-Widener told Madhu Unnikrishnan, editor of Airline Weekly, in explaining TAP Air Portugal’s competitive edge, in spite of European low cost carriers’ presence in Portugal. Not serving Asia, for example, and flying to Brazil earlier than North American carriers — the airline’s second largest market outside of Portugal, with a significant increase in bookings coming in — meant dealing with fewer border restrictions and hurdles. Story has more.<br/>

EgyptAir has signed a contract with the Saudi Ground Services Company during their presence at the Dubai Airshow 2021, which is being held during 14-18 November, Ahram Gate reported on Tuesday. Upon the joint agreement, Saudi Ground Services will be serving all EgyptAir flights at the main Saudi airports, in addition to Abha International Airport as well as Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Al Qassim. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, EgyptAir used to operate an average of 100 weekly flights to six Saudi airports, besides the peak seasons of Hajj and Umrah.<br/>

Significant foreign exchange losses, as well as other one-time costs, plunged Asiana Airlines to a net loss, with the airline narrowing its operating profit for the third quarter. In financial results for the three months to 30 September, the Star Alliance carrier swung to a net loss of W386b ($326m). This compares to the W9.4b net profit it made in the same quarter last year. The airline took a hefty charge on foreign exchange losses — to the tune of some W208b, compared to the W112b exchange gain it made last year. At the operating level, Asiana, which is being acquired by Korean Air, was W6.3bi in the black, about 60% lower year on year. Revenue for the quarter rose 32% to W1.07t, led by revenue increases in international passenger and freighter services. The carrier saw international passenger revenue inch up 6% year on year, while international freight revenue leapt 56%. On the domestic front, passenger revenues fell 11%, with cargo falling 31%.<br/>

Air New Zealand is releasing a credit card to be made available to its 2.6m New Zealand-based Airpoints loyalty scheme members. The airline has signed a 10-year partnership with Australian stock exchange listed fintech company hummgroup to deliver the credit card in 2022. Air New Zealand CE Greg Foran said it was the first in a number of new products the airline was launching under its Airpoints scheme. “At a time when travelling is limited, we’re looking at different ways to connect with our customers,” Foran said. The Air New Zealand credit card would deliver new and innovative ways for customers to earn Airpoints Dollars, he said. “From the very first swipe, it will provide Airpoints members with best-in-class rewards and a range of exclusive benefits tailored to how people will travel in a post-pandemic world.” Hummgroup would be the creditor and issuer of the credit card and would bring deep expertise to the partnership, he said.Hummgroup chief executive Rebecca James said it would be responsible for building and managing the Air New Zealand branded products that would be made available exclusively to Airpoints members. Hummgroup provided credit card and buy now pay later products in New Zealand, Australia and Europe and was one of the largest issuers of new credit cards in New Zealand, she said. Foran said the Airpoints credit card would sit alongside Air New Zealand’s existing co-brand cards. “We are introducing our own credit card to enhance the customer experience by giving our members more choice, more flexibility and more rewards,” Foran said.<br/>