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United Airlines and its pilots’ union are going back to the negotiating table for a new contract, a setback for the carrier after it was the first to reach a tentative agreement since the pandemic started. The United branch of the Air Line Pilots Association acknowledged Wednesday that the current agreement “fell short” of some pilots’ expectations. The tentative agreement, which included 14% raises within 18 months, was first unveiled on June 24. Voting by rank-and-file pilots was set to close this Friday. “Management has agreed to reengage in discussions to remove objectionable items and work with us to reach a new, improved agreement,” said Capt. Mike Hamilton, chair of the United Master Executive Council, part of ALPA. The delay could make waves at other airlines and their pilots’ unions, which will often compare contracts from other carriers. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines are among the US carriers currently in contract talks with pilot unions. The vote could be delayed up to three months to continue talks, and the union will poll its members on how to improve the agreement, it said.<br/>

Passengers aboard a United Airlines flight from Kansas City, Missouri, to Denver, Colorado, had to be rushed off the plane on Tuesday after reports of smoke and fire under the aircraft, according to a statement from Denver International Airport. No injuries were reported, according to the airport's statement. "United flight 1658 from Kansas City landed normally in Denver and proceeded to the gate," United Airlines said in a statement. "Due to smoke indicating that brakes may have overheated, some customers exited the plane using the slides while others deplaned using the jet bridge." Passenger Adrian Hartwell shot video of passengers getting off the plane and the flight crew urging them to leave their bags on board. Denver Fire Department responded at the gate and said on Twitter that firefighters quickly put out the small fire.<br/>

SAS and unions representing striking pilots were unable reach a collective bargaining agreement on Wednesday, with negotiations to resume on Thursday as a crippling strike will enter its 11th day. The 75-year old carrier was struggling even before the pandemic hit in 2020 due to high costs and growing competition from low-cost carriers. The pilots strike, which started in July 4, cost $10 million to $13 million a day and forced SAS to cancel more 1,200 flights at the peak of the summer travel season. "We have decided to stop tonight and we continue tomorrow," Roger Klokset from the union representing Norwegian SAS pilots, told Norwegian daily VG. "I am not interpreting this as anything more than it takes the time it takes. As we said, these are big, complete problems we are discussing and this takes time," he added. The carrier, whose main owners are the governments of Sweden and Denmark with stakes of 22% each, on Wednesday cancelled 242, or 75%, of scheduled flights, according to FlightAware. "I can’t say what happens in the mediation but there is a reason why the parties have stayed as long as they have. We have been together for ten hours now,” SAS negotiator Marianne Hernaes told Norwegian daily Dagens Naeringsliv. "I am hopeful that we can find a solution."<br/>

Lufthansa is cancelling an additional 2,000 flights from Frankfurt and Munich this summer, the German flagship carrier said on Wednesday, citing staffing shortages at airports as well as industrial action and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. "Lufthansa has implemented numerous measures and is recruiting additional staff wherever possible to ensure the greatest possible stability of the flight schedule and thus offer its passengers the best possible planning security," the carrier told Reuters. "Flight safety strikes, weather events and, in particular, an increased coronavirus infection rate have now put additional strain on the system," it said, confirming an earlier report by daily Bild. The cancellations come on top of the 770 it had announced for the week of July 8 to 14, it said. Lufthansa said the additional cancellations affected flights especially in the busy afternoons and evenings.<br/>

South Africa’s minister in charge of embattled state-owned companies gave an impassioned defense of the sale of a majority stake in the national carrier for about $3 -- a deal that’s subject to a lawsuit from one of the spurned bidders. The privatization of South African Airways is a vital reform for the country’s battered economy, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, 73, said in an interview at Bloomberg’s Johannesburg office. The winning bidder -- a partnership between a domestic aviation group and private equity firm -- was the one left with the most credible financial backing and industry experience, he said. The airline is an “example of a broken state-owned enterprise that has been loss making, that we have successfully re-positioned and got the private sector involved,” said Gordhan. Discussions with ratings companies suggest the move is “a classic example of reform.” The acquisition by the Takatso Consortium has been criticized in some quarters for the notional purchase price, lack of transparency around the sale and an ongoing government requirement to settle debts. The group is made up of Global Airways, which owns domestic airline Lift, and private-equity firm Harith General Partners. The backlash culminated in a law suit filed last month by Toto Investment Holdings Pty, which founder Bongani Gigaba said was unfairly excluded from the sale process. Yet the airline had been a drain on government finances for a decade, receiving numerous state bailouts before entering bankruptcy proceedings in 2019. The terms of the transaction have been finalized between the parties and the deal is now subject to approvals by South Africa’s competition regulator and industry body, said Gordhan, who was finance minister over two spells under former President Jacob Zuma. As part of the deal, Takatso agreed to invest about 3b rand ($177m) in the airline. <br/>

Air New Zealand is seeking workers to volunteer in their own time to help out at its short-staffed airport teams during the busy school holiday period. A recent message sent to Air New Zealand staff in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch said, with a huge amount of flights over the next two weeks, the airline was looking at how it could ease some strain on its airports teams. “Like our flights, your wonderful skills are in demand,” the message said. “We’re looking for some wonderful willing Air New Zealand volunteers who can help us to spread some magic with our customers during the school holiday period (now through to 25 July) at Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch airports. This will need to be in your own time or with manager’s approval and we hope you can come help out.” Volunteers would work to support airport teams with queue management, directing customers, “surprise and delight”, and help reduce the stress of travel for our customers, it said. Last week the airline said it was gearing up for its busiest July school holiday period since the Covid-19 pandemic started, with more than 672,000 customers booked to travel domestically and overseas. It warned customers to expect disruptions due to its network operating at or near capacity, a high level of staff sickness, and bad winter weather. Air New Zealand group general manager airports Chloe Surridge said Air New Zealand was experiencing higher than usual staff sickness due to seasonal illnesses and Covid-19, and it was a challenging time for everyone.<br/>