A bird strike shortly after takeoff sent a United Airlines flight back to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Friday, the airline said. Flight 1930, on a Boeing 737-900, was bound for Miami International Airport. "The aircraft landed safely and passengers deplaned at the gate," United Airlines said in a statement. The airline didn't provide details of any potential damage to the plane. Kimberly Fiock was on the flight Friday morning with her husband. "I knew something was wrong because there was fire below the wing that kept coming out in spurts, and it felt like the plane was kind of jerking," Fiock said. "We could hear the pops of the engine trying to start and see the fire on our side since we were right by the wing. The lights kept flickering, too, when it would pop. I was just hoping we would be able to land safely!" Fiock said she didn't realize a bird strike had caused the problem until after the plane landed. "The pilots did a great job getting us back safely, and I'm so grateful to them and the crew," she said. Flight tracking site FlightAware shows that Flight 1930 took off at 10:47 a.m. local time and returned to O'Hare 42 minutes later. A new aircraft was assigned to the flight, the airline said, and it departed early Friday afternoon. According to the FAA, there were more than 17,000 wildlife strikes at 753 US airports in 2019.<br/>
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The re-opening of Japan to tourists and a rise in demand for business travel will keep the aviation sector growing, Lufthansa's (LHAG.DE) chief executive said, though the war in Ukraine, inflation and recession may dampen the pace of growth. "There is no reason for pessimism," Carsten Spohr said on Friday, adding he also expects China to gradually re-open following its Communist Party Congress, which kicks off on Sunday. Spohr's comments echoed upbeat forecasts by rivals IAG, owner of British Airways, Europe's biggest airline Ryanair and easyJet, which said this week that demand for travel was holding up. In Europe, most airline stocks have plunged over the last six months, some by as much as 50%, over worries that rising household bills will dampen appetite for travel. Lufthansa expects to reach 87% of its pre-pandemic capacity in 2023 after 75% this year, he said, adding that some 86% of seats on the German flagship carrier's planes were now filled. Supply chain ructions that are forcing companies to find new suppliers is boosting demand for higher-margin business travel, he said, after a COVID-induced hiatus. "We have finally left the crisis behind, after two and a half years," Spohr said. Lufthansa said in August it expects to return to group operating profit this year as demand for short-haul flights in Europe drives growth at its passenger airlines.<br/>
Lufthansa Group has launched the ‘Allegris’ cabin product for its long-haul fleet, which will see its first-class passengers benefit from enclosed suites for the first time. The complete overhaul of what the Germany-headquartered group describes as its “premium product” covers the seats and service in all long-haul travel classes, it said on 14 October, and will be introduced from next year. “We want to set new, unprecedented standards for our guests,” says Lufthansa Group chief executive Carsten Spohr. “The largest investment in premium products in our company’s history underpins our claim to continue to be the leading western premium airline in the future.” Allegris will feature in Lufthansa Group’s Boeing 787-9s, 777-9s and Airbus A350s – of which the business expects to be operating a combined total of more than 100 by the late 2020s – alongside other long-haul types such as the 747-8. Lufthansa estimates the replacement effort will involve 30,000 seats. The first-class suite features “nearly ceiling-high walls that can be closed for privacy”, Lufthansa says, while the new business-class product includes “sliding doors that completely close” and a ‘suite’ concept in the front row. Lufthansa notes that some of its recently delivered 787-9s and A350s already feature the new business-class product. The new economy-class cabin will improve on Lufthansa’s existing ‘sleeper row’ concept, the group says, which allows passengers to pay to lie across a row of seats, subject to availability during the check-in process or at the gate. Lufthansa notes that the new premium economy-class product was introduced by Swiss earlier this year. The cabin overhaul is part of an overall investment of E2.5b in products and services through to 2025, Lufthansa says.<br/>
They say the best time to invest is at the bottom of the cycle. Well, airlines may have missed the bottom, but with balance sheets looking solid again they are moving quickly to update their products as travelers eagerly return to the skies. Lufthansa unveiled Friday a new suite of premium seat offerings, labeled “Allegris,” as part of a E2.5b investment in onboard products through 2025. Allegris includes new first class and business class suites; new premium economy seats; and upgraded economy seats. The product will be introduced next year on Lufthansa’s new Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s, and be installed on more than 100 other aircraft, including new Boeing 777-9s as well as Boeing 747-8s already in its fleet. Airbus A380s that Lufthansa is temporarily reactivating to meet demand will not receive the new seats. And in September, American Airlines unveiled new business class suites, and premium economy seats for its long-haul fleet. The products will be introduced in 2024 on new Airbus A321XLR and 787-9 aircraft, and later installed on 777s and 787s in the carrier’s fleet. The moves by Lufthansa and American — just two of many airlines, including Air France, Emirates, Finnair, and KLM — come amid a shift in leisure travel patterns towards more premium products. Numerous carriers cited premium leisure as a growing travel category during the pandemic, and have invested in capturing more of these travelers. Delta Air Lines, for example, accelerated the installation of premium economy seats and business class suites on its wide-body fleet during the Covid crisis in response to this shift. “The trend towards higher priced booking classes continues unchanged, with premium leisure demand, especially originating in the US, playing in more and more important role in this regard,” Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr said of what his airline was seeing in August. That strong premium demand was, in part, driving the group’s decision to invest in an updated onboard experience, he added.<br/>