Southwest reached a tentative agreement Monday with a union representing its customer-service agents that would give pay raises totaling more than 16% over the next three years to about 7,000 employees. The machinists’ union said its negotiating committee unanimously recommended that members approve the contract in an upcoming ratification vote. The contract is the latest sign of inflationary pressure on airlines, which are also facing higher fuel costs. During the pandemic, Southwest has seen fewer people apply for some openings, leading the Dallas-based carrier to raise starting pay for many airport-based jobs. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers posted a summary of the tentative contract. Workers would get immediate raises of 6.5% and 3% annual raises in each of the next three years, which works out to a compounded increase of 16.4%. The union said the deal also strengthens provisions on mandatory overtime. Inflation and the continuing recovery of air travel from the pandemic give airline workers more leverage to seek higher pay.<br/>
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A total of two dozen passengers who flew on the infamous Sunwing flight to Mexico have been slapped with penalties, months after footage of the party plane went viral. Reality TV stars and influencers vaped, sang and danced on board the private plane as the Omicron COVID-19 variant forced Canadians back into their homes — but now, they’re facing “the consequences of their actions,” Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced in a tweet on Monday. A total of 12 new penalties were issued, he said on Monday. Seven penalties were handed out for “non-compliance with vaccination rules,” while another five were given out for passengers “not wearing a mask” on the Dec. 30, 2021, flight. That brings the total penalties from the flight to 24 so far, and Alghabra promised there are “more to come.” Alghabra did not elaborate on the nature of the penalties. However, in the first wave of penalties handed out earlier this month, six revelers who were not fully vaccinated received fines of up to $5,000. The exact amount was not disclosed. “Certain behaviours reported in connection with the flight on December 30, 2021, are unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Alghabra said at the time. “This is why Transport Canada took immediate action. Aviation rules must be respected by everyone, for the sake of everyone’s safety. Transport Canada will continue to investigate and issue all necessary penalties.”<br/>
Wizz Air UK managing director Marion Geoffroy is confident of strong load factors this summer, flagging full flights on the first day of the summer season from its expanded London Gatwick operation. The budget carrier opened a base at the south London airport in the autumn of 2020, initially with a single Airbus A320neo. However, after this winter acquiring 15 daily slot pairs at Gatwick from Norwegian Air Shuttle, the airline is now stepping up its operations at the London airport. “We had one [aircraft] during the winter, and now we are operating three aircraft, which are operating from the South Terminal, and will be operating five aircraft later this summer season,” Geoffroy tells FlightGlobal. Yesterday was a significant milestone for Gatwick airport, after it reopened the South Terminal – which has been dormant for much of the pandemic after the airport concentrated operations in the North Terminal from June 2020. Gatwick airport says daily flights from the South Terminal nearly doubled to 570 on 27 March. The airport says 27 airlines will switch to the South Terminal over the week, including Aer Lingus, British Airways, Norwegian, Ryanair and Vueling, alongside Wizz. EasyJet, the airport’s biggest operator, will fly from both terminals. For Wizz Air, it brings a much sought opportunity to expand its operations at Gatwick. The airline is launching 18 new routes from Gatwick this summer, predominantly to leisure destinations – 10 of which launch by the end of this month. ”With a five-aircraft operation you have very good opportunities in terms of routes you choose, but also in terms of product – meaning you can offer a daily product where a destination justifies it,” Geoffroy says.<br/>
The CE of El Al Israel Airlines said on Monday he was stepping down after he received an offer to become CEO of energy company Delek US Holdings where he previously served for a decade. Avigal Soreq, appointed CEO of Israel's flag carrier in late 2020, will remain in the post until a successor is in place. El Al said it would quickly name a new CEO. Delek US separately said Soreq's appointment has been approved by the firm's board and would become effective in June. Current CEO and Chairman Uzi Yemin will become executive chairman, it said. Prior to his stint at El Al, Soreq was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Delek US.<br/>
Saudi budget airline flynas is in negotiations with both Boeing (BA.N) and its current supplier Airbus to buy aircraft worth $13b to $15b, CE Bander al-Mohanna told Al Arabiya published on Monday. The carrier has increased the number of planned new orders to 250 aircraft and also plans to increase the number of destinations to 165 from 70, al-Mohanna was reported saying. The acceleration in the airline's growth plans, which coincides with ambitions by Saudi Arabia to develop its airline industry and become a hub for tourism, was first reported by Bloomberg. Flynas, part-owned by the investment firm of Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, was launched as Nas Air in 2007 with an all-Airbus fleet. The Riyadh-based discount carrier, which competes with state-owned Saudi carrier flyadeal, ordered 80 A320neo-family jets in 2017, with purchasing options for 40 more. In November, the airline's chief executive said flynas was in talks to exercise some or all of the 40 options, and industry sources said it had already reached an agreement that would see some of those extra planes include the long-range A321XLR model. As of the end of February, flynas operated a partially leased fleet of 39 Airbus jets, with further 76 yet to be delivered from the manufacturer, according to Airbus data.<br/>
Philippine Airlines' parent company resumed trading on Monday following a nine-month hiatus, as the pandemic-hit flag carrier seeks to revamp its business after emerging from bankruptcy protection in December. Shares of PAL Holdings opened unchanged at 6.05 pesos ($0.12) and soared over 15% during morning trade. Meanwhile, the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index dipped 0.06% at the opening bell. The PSE suspended trading of PAL Holdings in June 2021 when the airline was already lurching toward bankruptcy protection after an independent auditor found the company's 2020 financial statement problematic. PAL Holdings recently refiled an amended financial report, this time with an unqualified opinion from its auditor. Philippine Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a New York court in September and completed the process in December. Its restructuring slashed $2.1b in debts and saw 20 aircraft returned to lessors. The company had over $6b in liabilities and 91 aircraft prior to the filing and had laid off a third of its staff. Resumption of trade in PAL Holding comes as the carrier moves to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hammered global aviation. Philippine Airlines plans to expand cargo operations and introduce digital initiatives, including a mobile-first website for bookings and other services. As the pandemic wanes, the company has added 1,500 flights this month and expects domestic flights from Manila to match pre-pandemic levels starting in April. "We will continue to develop new all-cargo markets, removing dependence on passenger traffic as a single revenue stream," said Philippine Airlines acting president Stanley Ng during the company's 81st anniversary celebration on March 15.<br/>
AirAsia is expecting international routes to reach the level attained before the pandemic in July as more countries are relaxing their travel requirements, prompting the group to launch its first ever subscription model for a combination of air tickets and food delivery services. Tony Fernandes, CE at Capital A, formerly AirAsia group, said the subscription service named "SUPER+" (Super Plus) will be the first in the aviation industry that provides unlimited services which resemble Amazon Prime and Netflix in streaming services. He said the group previously offered an unlimited pass or buffet-style air tickets, but the newly introduced plan will combine both unlimited flight redemption across its four airlines in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines and unlimited free delivery for airasia food orders, plus Covid pre-departure insurance coverage. However, the SUPER+ services will not include flights from its long-haul carriers under AirAsia X.<br/>