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United Airlines pilots “overwhelmingly” rejected a tentative agreement that would have given them raises of about 15% over 18 months, their union said Tuesday, the latest setback in rocky labor talks between unions and airlines. The tentative agreement “fell short of the industry-leading contract United pilots have earned and deserve after leading the airline through the pandemic and back to profitability,” the Air Line Pilots Association said. Close to 10,000 of United’s roughly 14,000 pilots participated, with 94% voting against the agreement, the union said. Airlines and unions have struggled to reach agreements for new pilot contracts. Unions are seeking raises and better scheduling as airlines become profitable following a more than two-year Covid pandemic slump. Delta pilots voted to authorize a potential strike if the airline and the union can’t come to an agreement, their union said. United’s union said it would organize informational pickets to encourage the company to resume talks. “Unfortunately, management has now taken a wait-and-see approach to negotiations instead of leading the industry forward,” United’s chapter of ALPA said in a statement. United, for its part, said Tuesday: “We are already working with ALPA on a new, industry-leading agreement that we expect to include improved pay rates and other enhancements.”<br/>

Emirates and Air Canada today announced the launch of their codeshare cooperation. The new partnership will allow customers of the carriers to enjoy seamless connectivity to 46 markets spanning three continents, including to destinations across the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Beginning today, codeshare tickets will be available for sale to 35 markets for travel effective December 1 with 11 additional markets to be added pending final regulatory approval, and the potential for more markets to be included beyond that. Tickets are available via the carriers’ websites at emirates.com and aircanada.com as well as via major GDS systems and travel agencies.<br/>

Lufthansa and the UFO union have reached an agreement to increase the salaries of 19,000 cabin crew members, the German flagship airline said on Tuesday. The raise will come in two stages next year, with 250 euros ($248.25) more basic pay from Jan. 1, and 2.5% more basic pay from July 1, the airline said. It added that the conclusion of the new collective pay and terms-of-employment agreement formally ends a crisis agreement concluded in June 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.<br/>

Crisis-hit airline SAS said Tuesday it had reached agreements with two more lessors representing seven aircraft in its fleet to amend the terms of existing lease contracts. The agreements come on top of deals with 10 lessors comprising 37 planes announced on Oct. 5. Long-struggling SAS, hit by the pandemic and pressured by low-cost rivals, sought bankruptcy protection in the United States in July. The leasing amendments put SAS "well on track" to cutting its annual aircraft lease and capital costs by at least 850m to 1.0b Swedish crowns ($77.3m-$91.0m) under its restructuring plan, the carrier said. Negotiations continue with certain other lessors, it said.<br/>

Turkish Airlines has disclosed 28 destinations that it is targeting from its Istanbul Airport hub. Some have been mentioned before, but not all. There are five in the Americas, ten in Europe, six in Asia-Pacific, and seven in Africa and the Middle East. There's no indication yet when they'll materialize, and it'll be subject to aircraft availability and bilateral traffic rights. It doesn't mean others won't happen first. Turkish Airlines seeks to fly to Orlando, Detroit (previously mentioned), and Denver (previously mentioned). If and when they happen, the Star Alliance carrier will have 15 US routes, a key growth market for the carrier, using its own metal. They'd join Atlanta, Boston, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas Fort Worth (started in September 2021), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Newark (May 2021), San Francisco, Seattle (May 2022), and Washington Dulles. In South America, Turkish Airlines is keen to add Rio de Janeiro and Santiago, presumably on a one-stop basis, but that is unclear. It presently serves Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Caracas, and São Paulo across the continent. Elsewhere in Latin America, it has just launched its first-ever Istanbul-Panama nonstop flights. In Europe, Turkish Airlines has singled out Bergen, Kraków, Iasi (Romania), A Coruña (close to Santiago de Compostela, which it served between May 2013 and June 2016), Lankaran (Azerbaijan), Makhachkala (Russia), Nantes, Newcastle, Palermo, and Timişoara (Romania) as key route targets.<br/>

Air New Zealand says its customers shouldn’t be using baggage trackers in their checked luggage, with the airline set to review the devices early next year. But New Zealand’s Aviation Security Service says it is under no instruction to remove the trackers from bags. And Jetstar says passengers are welcome to use them. Air New Zealand’s website has a note about baggage trackers under its guidance for “travelling with lithium batteries and lithium battery-operated devices”. The airline’s rules say only battery-powered baggage trackers that can be turned off will be accepted in checked baggage. For devices that have an auto on/off feature, the tracking app must not be used in flight, the rules state. Baggage trackers like Apple’s AirTag and Tile trackers have become 2022’s most-discussed travel accessory as the short-staffed aviation sector has struggled to keep up with demand, leading to widespread issues with delayed and lost luggage.<br/>