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United Airlines has delayed plans to add extra US-China flights by at least six months, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, as the two nations remain deadlocked over lifting Covid flight caps. The increase in flights was originally slated to start late next month, but the move was postponed over the weekend, said the person, who isn’t authorized to speak because the matter is private. The airline has started to inform affected passengers, they added. While China has reopened for international travel after the government abruptly ditched its strict Covid Zero policy, the number of flights between the US and the Asian nation is capped at 12 a week per country. That can only be increased with the approval of both governments — a legacy of the pandemic-era restrictions. While both countries had been discussing tweaking the flight limit, they were unable to reach an agreement, the person said. United for now has pushed back the restart of a broader range of flights to Greater China until around the end of October. In recent weeks, American Airlines Group Inc. has scheduled an extra two weekly flights from Dallas to Shanghai from the end of March, taking the total to four, according to flight schedule database Aeroroutes. Similarly, an internal memo from Delta showed it will operate twice weekly flights from Seattle and Detroit to Shanghai from early March. utilizing the flight caps on the US side in full. <br/>

United Airlines said Monday that new technology will open up more seats on its flights so children can sit with an adult in their party without paying a fee, a type of charge that’s drawn scrutiny from the Biden administration in recent months. United will show parents or other adult travelers accompanying a child younger than 12 to access “preferred” seats as well as regular economy seats, if needed, at the time of booking so they can sit together. The change applies to travelers with standard and basic economy tickets and will be fully in effect next month, although United has already increased some of the seat availability. The airline also won’t charge customers a fare difference if they switch to a flight to the same destination that has adjacent seats. Airlines in recent years have been charging travelers to book “preferred” location seats on flights. They don’t come with extra legroom or other perks but are often in front of the plane, though they can cover a significant number of seats of an aircraft. President Joe Biden has called on lawmakers to “fast-track the ban on family seating fees,” the White House said earlier this month. In July, the Transportation Department told U.S. airlines to “do everything in their power” to ensure travelers under age 13 are seated next to an accompanying adult without additional charges. “Baggage fees are bad enough,” Biden said during his State of the Union address earlier this month. “Airlines can’t treat your child like a piece of baggage.” Such seats usually vary in price. On a roundtrip between Newark, New Jersey, and Los Angeles in August, preferred seats on a United flight showed as $37 each way for one person. Delta Air Lines said it blocks certain rows of seats so families can sit together. “Delta does not charge family seating fees and regardless of the ticket class purchased, will always work with customers on a case-by-case basis to ensure their family seating needs are met,” a spokesman said in a statement on Monday. American Airlines’ booking platform will automatically search for available seats together at the time of booking for main cabin and basic economy passengers. Preferred seats and its extra legroom section, Main Cabin Extra, open up the day of departure if they’re needed, a spokesman told CNBC.<br/>

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline in Africa and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), have signed an agreement aiming to provide a framework on the provision of the airline’s products and services to IGAD. Ethiopian Airlines will also provide hospitability services to IGAD at Ethiopian Skylight Hotel and assign a dedicated team to handle travel and hospitality need of IGAD. Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Commercial Officer Lemma Yadecha said: “We are pleased to have signed this agreement with IGAD and play our part in the region’s socio-economic development. Ethiopian Airlines operates more than 20 flights daily to IGAD member states, playing a significant role in the socio-economic ties in the region and facilitating a way to achieve the economic cooperation and regional integration that IGAD strives to achieve. Furthermore, being the largest passenger and cargo destination operating carrier in Africa, our vast network offers convenient access to more than 130 destinations worldwide and we are more than happy to offer that.”<br/>

Kenya Airways' partnership with South African Airways will be treated as a merger on the back of the effect that the joint venture will have on competition in the region, the Comesa Competition Commission (CCC) has said. The national carrier operates in countries that are members of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) and is bound by the regional watchdog’s treaty and will be forced to notify CCC of an impending merger. The two carriers, which want to form a pan-African airline, have many times denied that they are merging, terming their deal a partnership by using their existing assets. However, the CCC says that it is not the form or the terms that the two airlines are using that will determine whether it is a merger or not, but rather the effect it will have on competition in the region.“The two may claim that this is just a partnership and not a merger; what we worry about is not the term they use or the form but the effects that the coming together of the two will have in the market,” said CCC CEO Willard Mwemba. Kenya AirwaysCEO Allan Kilavuka has said that regulatory requirements by competition bodies may hinder the process. “We wanted to see if we can share assets and other resources, but the authorities need to immunise us so that we can overcome hurdles that may come up in regards to antitrust and anti-competition requirements,” said Kilavuka during an investors briefing for half year to June 2022. Dr Mwemba said by virtue of the fact that Kenya Airways operates in the common market, they will need to inform them of a potential matter despite the form that the transaction may take.“The company that operates in Comesa is Kenya Airways, South Africa is not, but that potential transaction if it were to be categorised as a merger, then CCC has to be notified,” he said.<br/>

An unprecedented move by the EU to conduct a second-stage review of Korean Air's takeover of Asiana Airlines will lead to a further delay in the ongoing process, according to industry officials, Monday. The ECE said the deal could affect passenger and air cargo transport services between the European Economic Area (EEA) and Korea, because the two airlines are strong and close competitors, adding that it needs more time to assess the effects of the takeover. "The transaction could reduce competition in the provision of passenger transport services on four routes between South Korea and the EEA. On those routes, Korean Air and Asiana compete head-to-head, and in two of those routes, they are the only two companies offering direct services. Other airlines may be unlikely to exert sufficient competitive pressure on the merged entity," the commission said in a statement. As of 2019, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines' market share is 100 percent in Barcelona, 75 percent in Rome, 68 percent in Frankfurt and 60 percent in Paris. As a result, Korean Air is expected to submit measures to ease its monopoly, including returning some route slots. Specific figures have not been disclosed, but the combination of the two companies could reduce the share of European routes to 50 percent. Korean Air is said to be discussing new flights with domestic low-cost carriers (LCCs) as well as foreign airlines. Air Premia (Paris) and T'way Air (Rome) are hoping to secure routes to Europe. However, since the second-stage review takes up to 125 days, the takeover will inevitably be delayed with U.S., UK and Japan screenings still pending. The European Commission said it plans to announce its review results on July 5. "The second stage review is common in takeovers between large companies, so we are working hard to complete the business combination review as soon as possible," Korean Air said. "Since it was mentioned from the beginning of the review that there are concerns about restricting competition, additional issues will be discussed with the competition authorities."<br/>

This afternoon, Araraurangi Air New Zealand operated its first flight fully dedicated to te reo Māori. Other than Civil Aviation Authority-prescribed announcements, the only language spoken by pilots and cabin crew was te reo Māori. Te reo was also centred at the check-in kiosks, gate and in-flight announcements and in-flight service. The charter flight NZ1236 brought 171 passengers from Te Whanganui-a-Tara to Tāmaki Makaurau for the prestigious kapa haka competition, Te Matatini. Boarding the flight were two performing rōpū, Ngā Taonga Mai Tawhiti and Ngā Uri Taniwha, festival judges, and representatives from various organisations including Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission) and Te Mātāwai. Air New Zealand Māori development lead Tupara Morrison said the airline was proud to support Te Matatini and the revitalisation of te reo Māori with this special flight for the 50-year anniversary of the festival. “It was the most enjoyable flight from Wellington to Auckland that I’ve ever had,” said Morrison. “We had the whole plane breaking out into waiata during the trip.” Increasing the use of te reo was a good goal for Air New Zealand, Morrison said. “This initiative that we did today shows the airline’s commitment to the promotion of the language and the partnership with Te Matatini is helping us to achieve that.”<br/>

Air New Zealand customers will soon be able to spend an extra $175 to sit in an economy seat with 39 per cent more legroom. The new “economy stretch” option will be available on its 777-300s flying from Auckland to Los Angeles from 27 February. The 42 seats are located in the front four rows and will also feature a “roomy 89-cm seat pitch”. Air New Zealand chief customer officer Leanne Geraghty said the service would provide “luxury for the legs” and be available alongside its traditional economy and economy Skycouch offerings. “The economy cabin welcomes the most diverse group of travellers,” said Geraghty. “The introduction of economy stretch means we are providing more choice for customers at an economy price point that will meet the needs of families, solo travellers, as well as those just looking for that little bit extra of extra comfort.”<br/>