As of August 1, Deutsche Bahn (DB) will be the world's first Intermodal Partner of Star Alliance. With this, DB and the aviation industry are sending another strong signal for the environment-friendly evolution of the travel industry. Under the new cooperation, DB customers and passengers of Star Alliance member airlines will be able to start or end their journey comfortably on the environment-friendly train. Germany is the first market and DB is the world's first partner in the new Star Alliance initiative. An industry-first, Star Alliance’s Intermodal Partnership model intelligently combines airline with railway, bus, ferry or any other transport ecosystems, alliance-wide. It is designed to link loyalty systems and facilitate seamless airport/station/port transit. Star Alliance plans to expand intermodal partnerships in the future. Member for Long-Distance Passenger Transport: “From Freiburg to Singapore: you only need one ticket for that. With attractive inner-German connections and simultaneous links to international travel chains, Deutsche Bahn and Star Alliance make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions in the transport sector. The new partnership complements our successful cooperation with Lufthansa Express Rail, where the number of bookings has more than doubled since 2010. This is how we get more people off the plane and onto the environmentally friendly rail. In close cooperation with the airlines, we are now tackling the mobility turnaround. We are further networking our offers in such a way that we can optimally use the respective strengths of our modes of transport.” Jeffrey Goh, CEO Star Alliance: “Today brings great forces together and opens the Star Alliance doors beyond the airline ecosystem. Our new model for intermodal partnerships promises seamless coexistence between different modes of transport throughout the alliance. We welcome Deutsche Bahn as our first intermodal partner to Star Alliance.” Link has more.<br/>
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Nationwide, the pain of flight delays, cancellations and staffing shortages appears persistent. The latest consequence is United Airlines' decision to suspend flights to Denver from Flagstaff Pulliam Airport due to staffing issues and the high cost of fuel, Flagstaff city leaders said Monday. Airport director Barry Helmick said in a statement that he and his staff are "disappointed" by United's decision. United is also ending service to Texarkana, Arkansas. Flights connecting Houston and Texarkana are scheduled to end on Sept. 6, and service between Denver and Flagstaff will end on Oct. 30. United will review whether to reinstate Flagstaff flights after a six-month review, according to Flagstaff officials. "United flights out of Flagstaff are at 90% load capacity, meaning 90% of the seats are filled which is viewed as very successful in the commercial airline industry," Helmick said. "We will continue to stay in contact with United during 2022 in hopes we can reestablish service in 2023.” United said: "We’ve made the difficult decision to suspend service to two cities this fall – Flagstaff and Texarkana – and have already started working with customers on alternate plans." <br/>
As flight delays and lost luggage bring chaos to summer travel plans, Air Canada is advising travellers on how much time they should leave between connecting flights. After Air Canada slashed their summer schedule by more than 15 per cent last week, they also bumped up their minimum advised duration between connecting flights. “We have rejigged flights to give customers more time to catch their flights. As well, we have introduced policies so customers can change flights or standby early at no charge if that will give them more connecting time,” Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said. For those travelling internationally, and making a connection through Toronto, the airline has increased the amount of time they suggest leaving between connecting flights in most scenarios by 30 minutes. Story has time details.<br/>
A day after its pilots went on strike, SAS said on Tuesday that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, the latest reverberation in a summer of turmoil for European airlines. SAS described the filing, made in US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, as the “next step” in a reorganization that would address the money-losing airline’s financial difficulties, including cost reductions of more than $700 million. It said it was in discussions with potential lenders who could provide $700 million in financing to support operations through the Chapter 11 process. It expected to emerge from the process in nine to 12 months. The company said many international airlines had used US courts for bankruptcy proceedings because the Chapter 11 law offers advantages to businesses undergoing restructuring with divisions in different parts of the world. SAS, which is the national airline of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, said it would continue flying, although on Monday it called the pilots’ strike “devastating” and warned that it could cause the cancellation of half its flights, affecting about 30,000 passengers daily. On Monday, SAS canceled 51% of its flights, according to FlightAware. By midday on Tuesday, nearly 80% of its flights had been canceled. SAS’s stock price fell about 15% Tuesday, extending a 5% decline the day before. “The ongoing strike has made an already challenging situation even tougher,” Anko van der Werff, the airline’s CE, said Tuesday. SAS’s troubles come in a summer riddled with problems for the air travel industry, caused by staffing shortages and walkouts by employees unhappy with long hours and low pay that has failed to keep up with soaring inflation. Airports across Europe have been scenes of long lines of unhappy passengers, eager to travel after years of pandemic lockdowns.<br/>
Singapore Airlines said it expects passenger capacity to reach about 81% of pre-pandemic levels by December as flyers rush to the skies after the easing of COVID-19 curbs. The upbeat forecast from the city-state's flag carrier on Tuesday underscores the airline industry's recovery in 2022 after two years of pandemic-constrained travel, although a surge in crude prices to record highs could pose risks to the outlook. SIA said it would increase services across Japan and expects to operate there at 62% of its pre-COVID operating capacity by October-end. The airline also expects its operating capacity in India to return to pre-pandemic levels around the same time as it restores its network in the country. The airline added that it would have more flights to Los Angeles and Paris by December. SIA had in May forecast a recovery in passenger capacity after Singapore lifted all daily arrival quotas and allowed fully-vaccinated travellers to enter the country without the need to quarantine or take an on-arrival test for COVID-19. <br/>