United Airlines is opening a new kind of lounge at Denver International Airport, and it’s not designed for travelers to linger. The Chicago-based airline is launching the new club Saturday as travel demand recovers, and airlines return to profitability in part thanks to customers are willing to pay up for trips, like those with access to airport lounges. The roughly 1,600-square-foot lounge, called United Club Fly, is a “grab-and-go” facility with complimentary food options like sandwiches, wraps and salads as well as smaller items like Noosa yogurt cups and treats like Milk Bar Birthday Cake Truffles. A barista will offer made-to-order coffee drinks like cappuccinos, but there is also a self-serve coffee machine and a water bottle refilling station. Seating is limited: 16 seats and standing room for eight people at a bar. Travelers scan their boarding pass to enter and can’t bring guests, like they can at standard United Clubs. Access to United Clubs comes with any international business class or transcontinental ticket, or with a membership, which costs $650 a year for most members of its frequent flyer program, according to the airline’s website. It’s $550 to $600 for members with higher-tier status. Some credit cards also offer access. The new, smaller club in Denver is for “those who are time constrained or simply looking for good food and drink all the while preserving space in our facilities for those who have a little more time,” said Alexander Dorow, United’s head of lounges and premium services. About two-third’s of United’s customers in Denver, one of the busiest airports during the Covid pandemic, are passing through in between connecting flights, Dorow said.<br/>
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United Airlines joined the list of companies that are suspending ad spending on Twitter, a United spokeswoman confirmed late on Friday. Major brands such as General Mills and luxury automaker Audi of America said on Thursday they have paused advertising on Twitter, days after the social media platform was acquired by billionaire Elon Musk for $44b.<br/>
Turkish Airlines has reported a net profit of $1.5b for the third quarter of 2022, as capacity, traffic and yields – as well as costs – surged beyond pre-Covid levels. It achieved that outcome despite “increasing geopolitical tensions, global inflationist pressure and unprecedented operational problems” in some European markets, the Star Alliance carrier said on 2 November. Turkish’s net profit and operating profit – of $1.4b – both represent a doubling of the profits seen for those measures in 2021, which were already slightly ahead of 2019 figures. Total July-September revenue of $6.1b was up 52% on the same quarter of 2019, amid buoyant passenger income as the Covid-19 recovery continues. Indeed, passenger revenue of $5.1b was up 46% on the third quarter of 2019 and more than double that seen in 2021. Yields were some 25% higher than those seen in 2019 and were up in every one of Turkish’s main markets. Capacity measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs) was up 16% versus the third quarter period of 2019, with passengers carried up 7.9% on a load factor more than two percentage points higher at 85.9%. With Turkey an attractive destination for US tourists amid a weak Turkish lira and strong US dollar, huge growth in US capacity was seen in the quarter versus pre-crisis levels – continuing a trend seen throughout 2022 – with ASKs on such services up 80%. Cirium schedules data shows, for example, that Turkish operated more than 1,200 flights to the USA in August 2022, compared with around 650 in August 2019. Capacity to Europe was also up significantly in the third quarter of this year, by 28%, helping to more than offset falls to Asia, the Middle East and on domestic services.<br/>
As Turkish Airlines continues to make waves in the national and international arena with its sustainability-focused activities, the Turkish flag carrier has been awarded "Airline Sustainability Innovation of the Year" by CAPA (Centre for Aviation) for its innovative efforts within the scope of sustainability. The global carrier, which puts sustainability at the centre of its business model, won the award within the scope of sustainable innovation with the "Microalgae Based Sustainable Bio-Jet Fuel Project (MICRO-JET)", in which it worked closely with scientists to develop the world's first carbon negative sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Within the scope of the "Microalgae Based Sustainable Bio-Jet Fuel Project (MICRO-JET)", jointly carried out with Boğaziçi University, Turkish Airlines aims to produce biofuels from microalgae using hydro-processed fatty acids and hydrothermal liquefaction methods. Turkish Airlines, Chief Investment & Technology Officer, Levent Konukcu said; "As the airline that flies to more countries than any other airline in the world, we appreciate that sustainable aviation fuel is a key element in our sustainability strategy on reducing aviation's environmental impact. Besides the regular use of sustainable aviation fuels in the fight against climate change.”<br/>
Singapore Airlines posted a second consecutive quarterly profit as it continues to rebuild from the Covid crisis, which saddled it with record losses in 2021. Net income was S$557m ($394m) in the three months through September, compared with a loss of S$428m a year earlier, Singapore Airlines said in a statement Friday. Revenue was S$4.5bi, up from S$1.5b. After dropping most Covid-related travel restrictions early this year, Singapore has raced ahead of Hong Kong as a global aviation hub, reopening to visitors, easing virus policies, and hosting large-scale events. Singapore Airlines carried 1.46 million passengers in September, while Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. flew just 265,845. Singapore Airlines, often portrayed as a symbol of the city-state’s might as a business center, had struggled during the pandemic without a domestic market to fall back on, forcing it to cut salaries and jobs. “Demand is expected to be strong as we head into the year-end peak travel season,” the airline said. “With the recent relaxation of border controls in parts of East Asia, we expect demand to pick up in Hong Kong, Taipei, and points in Japan, especially over the holiday period. Forward sales are expected to remain buoyant in the coming months leading up to the Lunar New Year period.” The airline’s passenger load factor was 86.6% for the period. Capacity for the Singapore Airlines group, which includes Scoot Airlines, is projected to rise to about 76% of pre-Covid levels by the third and fourth quarters. It was only 3% in April 2020. <br/>
Singapore Airlines expects passenger yields, a proxy for airfares, could decline in 2023 as rival airlines bring back planes idled during the pandemic and add capacity, a senior executive said on Monday. "We would not expect yields to stay at the same elevated levels we were at in 2022," SIA Executive VP Commercial Lee Lik Hsin told analysts and media of the outlook on an earnings call. The airline on Friday swung to a Q2 profit and declared its first dividend in three years as international borders reopened and travel demand rebounded strongly in the three months ended on Sept. 30. SIA's passenger yields across its group airlines were 32% higher during the quarter than during the same quarter in 2019 before the pandemic decimated air travel, according to Reuters calculations based on the respective financial results. The airline reported record revenue in Q2 despite flying only 68% as much passenger capacity as it did in 2019 amid strong pent-up demand for travel during the peak summer season. Lee said bookings remained strong through the Lunar New Year holiday in January 2023, but it was a little early to determine demand beyond that period apart from some promotional sales that were performing well. SIA said Friday that higher fuel prices, inflationary pressures across the supply chain, geopolitical issues and the risk of a global recession remained a concern beyond the Lunar New Year period. <br/>
An American whose bomb hoax on a commercial flight prompted Singapore to scramble fighter jets was sentenced to four weeks in prison on Friday, after a court found him guilty of causing hurt by slapping a cabin crew member. Authorities had dropped charges against La Andy Hien Duc over his bogus bomb warning made during the Singapore Airlines flight from San Francisco on Sept. 28, after considering an expert assessment of his mental health. Duc, 37, who appeared in court via video link, pleaded guilty to slapping a member of the cabin crew during efforts to restrain him.He has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to his lawyer Johannes Hadi. The court heard how Duc had recalled hearing a voice in his head telling him there was a bomb on the plane and to shout that out to alert others. The plane had to be escorted to Singapore by fighter jets. "His delusionary beliefs, auditory hallucinations, as well as psychotic thought disorder have greatly contributed to his offending behaviour," the judge said during the sentence hearing. The jail term was backdated to his arrest and Duc would be released on Friday and return to the United States.<br/>