United Airlines will open new pilot bases in Florida and Nevada next spring. The move comes as contact negotiations continue after pilots rejected a previous agreement in November. The Chicago-based carrier plans to open a new crew base in Las Vegas with 204 pilots, and Orlando with 300 pilots next May — its first in nearly 20 years — United Managing Director of Flight Crew Resources Zach Shapiro told crews in a memo Wednesday viewed by Airline Weekly. Pilots in both bases would exclusively operate the Boeing 737, of which United few 389 aircraft and had orders for another 353 at the end of September. The Orlando domicile could also include pilots based at the nearby Tampa airport in the future. The bases, which could make life easier for United pilots living in the Las Vegas or Orlando areas, come amid contentious contract negotiations with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The current contract became amendable in 2019. A tentative agreement that the airline and union reached in June was overwhelmingly rejected by pilots last month with many demanding higher raises. And United pilots picketed at the airline’s hubs for the first time in nearly a decade in November. Pilots at American Airlines have also picketed as talks between the carrier and its pilots union, the Allied Pilots Association, continue. And at Delta Air Lines, its ALPA-represented pilots in November authorized a potential strike if the carrier and union cannot reach a deal. The situation airlines face is complicated by complaints of overwork by some pilots during the pandemic recovery, as well as the shortage primarily affecting US regional airlines. <br/>
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United Airlines Wednesday announced a strategic equity investment in Natron Energy, a battery manufacturer whose sodium-ion batteries have the potential to help United electrify its airport ground equipment like pushback tractors and operations at the gate. United has made substantial investments in companies developing technology to reduce aircraft emissions, but Natron is the first that has the potential to reduce the greenhouse gas footprint from United's ground operations. "United Airlines Ventures was created to identify companies spearheading the next generation of innovative and emissions-reducing technology," said Michael Leskinen, President of United Airline Ventures. "Out of the gate, we primarily focused on technology designed to help reduce carbon emissions from our airplanes. Natron's cutting-edge sodium-ion batteries presented an ideal opportunity to both potentially expand our sustainability investment portfolio to our ground operations, and to help make our airport operations more resilient. United is looking forward to future opportunities to work with our airport partners on sustainable technology initiatives." United has more than 12,000 pieces of motorized ground equipment across its operations, of which about one third are currently electric. Natron's batteries could potentially be deployed in support of a number of uses.<br/>
Crisis-hit Scandinavian airline SAS on Wednesday reported a much deeper loss in its August-October quarter than last year and said it will take longer than expected to complete its bankruptcy protection process. The long struggling carrier, which sought bankruptcy protection in July in the United States in a bid to slash costs and debt, said its fiscal Q4 pretax loss grew to 1.70b Swedish crowns ($161m) from 945m. SAS, whose biggest owners are Sweden and Denmark, said in a statement it aimed to end its bankruptcy protection during the second half of 2023. In September it said it hoped to conclude it within 12 months of its launch. CE Anko van der Werff told Reuters he expected the process to end relatively early in the second half of the year. “We had an internal deadline for some of the negotiations to end by October. We didn’t do that. The cabin crew (agreement) in Norway for instance was signed last night. So, yes, there is a little bit of delay,” he said. SAS and Norwegian cabin crew unions on Tuesday inked a new collective agreement. Lowering costs for staff, especially pilots, is a core part of SAS’ rescue plan. The carrier in July reached a deal with most pilots following a strike that grounded most of its planes for two weeks. The former flag carrier has also renegotiated contracts with many aircraft lessors. SAS said on Wednesday the implementation of the process in the United States was likely to entail additional legal proceedings in other markets too. “As a result, there is no assurance that there will be any recovery for the shareholders of SAS,” it said.<br/>
Two labour unions representing SAS cabin crew in Norway said late on Tuesday they had reached agreement with the airline over wages, thus averting a strike. The two-year deal secures a wage rise of 3.7% for 2022, while an increase for 2023 will be set equal to the level agreed by a broad group of workers across Norwegian industries, unions Norsk Kabinforening and Parat said. <br/>
Passengers on an EVA Air flight from Taipei to Vancouver became stranded on the plane when it slid off a taxiway and became stuck in a snow drift on Tuesday. On Tuesday, EVA Air Flight BR10 took off from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport bound for Vancouver. According to EVA Air, the plane, a 777-300ER carrying 250 adults and three infants, landed safely at 6:42 p.m. local time that evening. However, due to heavy snowfall, when the aircraft was turning on the taxiway, the landing gear under the plane's nose slid out of control and the plane slipped into a snowbank. After being stranded on the plane for three hours, airport firefighters enabled passengers to deplane and board shuttle buses back to the terminal. The ground crew then gradually moved the aircraft back onto the taxiway.<br/>
The latest airline merger looks like it’s a win-win. On Tuesday Singapore Airlines and Indian conglomerate Tata agreed to merge their nine-year-old jointly owned carrier Vistara with Air India, whose enterprise was valued at $2.4b when Tata bought it just over a year ago. The proposed deal involves the Lion City’s $12b flag carrier receiving 25.1% of the enlarged business in exchange for its 49% interest in Vistara and $250m. It will give the company run by Goh Choon Phong a strategic stake as a bigger player in the world’s third-largest aviation market. Air India, meanwhile, will get a deep-pocketed partner willing to inject as much as $615 million more in capital over the next couple of years, if needed. Singapore Airlines’ ability to finance the deal with cash speaks volumes about its strong financial position. That’s in part, of course, thanks to a $13 billion rescue package funded by shareholders including sovereign wealth fund Temasek in 2020, as well as Singapore’s comparatively quick relaxation of inbound quarantine restrictions. In any event, its ability to upgrade its seat in India will serve Singapore Airlines well. <br/>
The rehabilitation plan of Thai Airways International (TG, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) continues to exceed expectations, with the airline finding itself earning more revenue, generating bigger profits, and needing less financial assistance than previously forecast. The airline made a 3.9b baht (US$111.2m) operating profit in 3Q 2022. At the same time, plans for a 5b baht credit facility have been dropped in favour of a much smaller 2.5b baht facility involving long-term loans and short-term revolving credit. Thai's recovering fortunes are also accelerating plans for a stock market relisting originally planned for 2025. On November 29, the Thai government cabinet was briefed on the progress of the airline's rehabilitation plan and how it planned to reorganise its capital structure. Ahead of an anticipated return to trading on the Thai stock exchange (SET), the airline's administrators told the meeting that registered capital will not exceed 31.5b shares, with that amount deemed enough to keep the airline capital positive and financially stable. Story has more details.<br/>