Hawaiian Airlines is removing COVID-19 vaccinations as a requirement for employment effective Oct. 1 and dispensing with other elements of its COVID-19 safety policy. Hawaiian Airlines is removing vaccinations as a requirement for employment effective Oct. 1 and dispensing with other elements of its COVID-19 safety policy. Hawaiian President and CEO Peter Ingram announced the changes Wednesday in a message to employees, where he said that those who chose to take a leave of absence as part of the transitional period testing program will be offered an opportunity to return to work. Ingram said those who separated employment with Hawaiian Airlines because of the vaccination requirement rather than accepting a leave will not be reinstated but can apply for open positions as new hires. Hawaiian spokesperson Alex Da Silva said 96 % of the airline's employees got vaccinated by Jan. 5, 2022, the date when the policy took effect. Da Silva said fewer than 200 employees chose to take leave or received a reasonable accommodation, and they are being invited to return. Fewer than 100 employees separated from the company, he added. Da Silva said Hawaiian ended 2019 with 7, 437 employees and currently has more than 7, 000. Ingram said a variety of factors led Hawaiian to introduce its COVID-19 vaccination policy, "including the level of cases in the places we serve, pressure on health care resources and the damage COVID had inflicted on our business." Since then, Ingram said conditions and scientific consensus and guidance have evolved. He said high rates of vaccination and infection-induced immunity have reduced the risk, along with the development of therapeutic measures.<br/>
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Transat AT, the parent company of Canadian airline Air Transat, reports stronger Q3 financial results compared with the pandemic-stunted figures of last year but still operated at a loss during the three-month period. The Montreal-based holiday specialist operated for only two days during the third quarter of 2021 as Canada’s strict coronavirus-related travel restrictions resulted in a complete shutdown, Annick Guerard, chief executive of Air Transat, said during an 8 September report on the company’s fiscal third-quarter earnings. Revenue for the three month-period ending on 31 July was C$508m ($387m), up significantly from C$13m during the fiscal third quarter of 2021 — a reflection of the Canadian airline industry’s broader restart. But that figure is only 73% of Q3 revenue in 2019, the last year unaffected by the pandemic. Overall, the company posted a loss of C$106m in the fiscal third quarter of 2022, compared with C$138m last year. High fuel prices “greatly dampen the improvement in our performance,” the company says, but were mitigated somewhat by higher ticket prices. Fuel prices dropped as the quarter progressed, and the airline posted a profit for July – the company’s first profitable month in two years, Transat says. The airline declined to provide specific financial figures for the month, however. “We are confident that the worst is now behind us,” Guerard says. Looking ahead, the company says bookings through the rest of the summer and upcoming winter months are “significant”. Fiscal third-quarter capacity was 82% of the same period in pre-pandemic 2019, but the airline anticipates Q4 capacity reaching 92% of 2019 levels.<br/>
Thales Thursday announced that Emirates chose to equip its future Airbus A350 fleet with a passenger entertainment system made by the French aviation supplier. "This new fleet of A350's will be equipped with Thales' premier AVANT Up inflight entertainment solution to offer the finest cinematic and personalized customer experience", Thales said. The system consists of 4k displays offering over 5,000 television channels, bluetooth connections, Wi-Fi, and various charging ports for portable devices. Emirates has ordered 50 Airbus A350-900 long-haul aircraft with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2024.<br/>