Larger-bodied passengers are being forced to buy two seats to fly on some airlines, raising discrimination concerns from advocacy groups who argue scientific understanding of obesity has evolved beyond viewing the condition as a lifestyle choice. Budget international carrier Scoot has added a note about its policy to its website’s booking page, warning that “if you are a guest of size who requires 2 seats … fares and fees for 2 guests apply”. The note says: “Failure to do so may result in you being denied transportation.” But the airline does not state who would be considered a “guest of size”. Guests are forced to pay more than just the cost of two full-priced seats, as Scoot also requires guests of size pay for advance seat assignment for both tickets – something not included in a standard fare and which can cost in excess of $40 Singapore dollars (A$45) a seat. While Scoot’s warning is prominent on its booking page, many airlines have similar rules. Emirates, United Airlines and Jetstar are among those requiring some passengers to pay for two seats. Various carriers have attempted additional charges for larger passengers in recent years, however laws are unclear as to whether this type of price discrimination is unlawful. United Airlines insists it is legal in the US, where other carriers also charge for two seats. In Canada, people with obesity have the right to two seats for the price of one for flights within the country after its supreme court made a ruling against airlines including Air Canada in 2008. In Australia, advocacy group The Obesity Collective argues rules for “passengers of size” are vague and inconsistent across the industry, which in turn generates anxiety, embarrassment and unfair costs for those affected.<br/>
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The acting administrator of the FAA, Billy Nolen, on Friday said he will depart this summer, worsening a leadership void at the agency. The departure of Nolen, a former pilot and airline industry group executive, was announced in a letter to FAA employees. The move puts added heat on the White House to find a permanent leader for the agency, which is facing an array of safety concerns and staffing challenges. The aviation regulator has been without permanent leadership since Stephen Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, stepped down a year ago. Last month, President Biden’s pick to lead the FAA, Phillip A. Washington, withdrew his name from consideration after a series of attacks from Republicans on his qualifications to hold the post. They had argued that Washington, the CE of Denver International Airport, lacked sufficient aviation experience, and raised questions about his connection to a corruption investigation in Los Angeles. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, the top Republican on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, opposed Washington’s nomination but suggested that he would support Nolen as a candidate for the position, citing his long career and expertise. Nolen was previously the FAA’s associate administrator for aviation safety. Nolen’s departure comes as the agency faces challenges with flight scheduling, staffing shortages and safety issues, including a series of runway near collisions.<br/>
Passengers at Berlin airport face disruptions on Monday with all flight departures cancelled due to a one-day strike by security workers, and some incoming flights also set to be affected. Berlin Brandenburg airport announced on Saturday that it had cancelled all flight departures on Monday and said that landings would also be affected after the Verdi union called on security workers to stage a one-day strike to raise the pressure in wage talks. The strike is due to start at 3:30 a.m. local time (0130 GMT) and end at midnight (2200 GMT). An airport spokesperson said roughly 240 flights had been scheduled to take off on Monday. Europe's biggest economy has seen some of the most disruptive strikes in decades this year as unions press for higher wages to offset the surging cost of living. The union says it has been negotiating with the BDLS aviation security association to push for pay increases for night, weekend and public holiday shifts.<br/>
German public sector workers have agreed on a wage deal with employers, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and the Verdi union said on Saturday, ending a dispute that has disrupted the transport sector in Europe's biggest economy. The agreement for around 2.5m workers in the sector follows arbitration. Under the deal, each worker will receive a total of E3,000 in tax-free payments in instalments through to Feb. 2024 to help offset inflation, said the ministry in a statement. From March 2024, wages will rise by 200 euros per month and in a second step, there will be a 5.5% increase, it said. The deal will run for two years. Verdi, which had wanted 10.5% more money, said it would start a survey of its members with the wage commission making a final decision on May 15. A surge in the cost of living this year has led to some of Germany's most disruptive strikes in decades. Consumer prices soared by 9.6% in Germany in 2022 but price pressures have abated in recent months after a winter energy crunch did not materialise and supply chain problems eased. Last month, strike action from unions Verdi and dbb brought railways and airports to a near-halt in Germany's biggest walkout in more than three decades, according to Verdi.<br/>
Ross Aimer still recalls the snow-white Russian tundra unfurling on the horizon during flights he piloted between the US and Asia. “In summertime, it’s all daytime flying. That’s beautiful views,” said Aimer, CEO of California-based Aero Consulting Experts and a former United Airlines captain. Those vistas are no longer available to flight crews from many Western countries. Russia barred Canadian, American, British and European Union operators from its airspace more than a year ago in response to airspace prohibitions against it by those states and others that support Ukraine, after Moscow invaded its neighbour in February 2022. European airlines are among the most affected, having to reroute planes on hours-long detours to reach Asia and parts of the Middle East. But Canadian carriers are impacted too, with planes en route to East Asia and South Asia forced to skirt around Russian airspace daily, and no sign of relief on the radar. The detours mean longer trips, greater fuel and labour costs and ultimately higher fares for passengers amid soaring inflation and already pricey international travel. “It’s definitely a negative for US airlines and for Canadian airlines. It is definitely an issue,” said Helane Becker, an aviation analyst with TD Cowen. Story has more.<br/>
China's aviation regulator has published a report that Boeing views as a key step for the US planemaker to resume deliveries of its 737 MAX to Chinese airlines more than four years after they were halted following two deadly crashes. Boeing has more than 130 completed MAX jets in inventory for Chinese customers worth more than $15b at list prices, although airlines typically receive substantial discounts. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on April 14 released the second revision of its 737 evaluation report which incorporates updates to 737 MAX training and technical information. The report, which is available online and has been seen by Reuters but was not publicized by the CAAC, would have been distributed to Chinese airlines and conveyed the message that the regulator had reviewed the airplane and that carriers could take delivery should they want to, one person familiar with the matter said. Boeing sees the document as the "final technical requirement" necessary for restarting MAX deliveries, a second person told Reuters, adding that US-China trade tensions could still stall progress. The regulator's report was mentioned by Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun at the company's annual meeting on Tuesday. He called it "encouraging progress" and "an important step" for enabling future deliveries.<br/>
Korean air carriers saw the number of international passengers spike sixteenfold in the first quarter from a year earlier, driven by a surge in demand amid border reopenings, government data showed Sunday. The number of passengers that used international flights operated by Korean Air Lines, Asiana Airlines and low-cost carriers came to 9.87m in the January-March period, according to the data by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. That marks a massive increase from the 619,204 logged in Q1 2022. The number of international passengers that used full-service airlines, like Korean Air and Asiana, grew 7.8 times on-year to 4.47m in the first three months of the year, accounting for 45% of total international passengers. The number of those that flew on budget carriers, representing 5.41m, skyrocketed from 52,000 a year ago, outrunning the number for full-service airlines. Recovery in international travel demand boosted the sharp increase in the passenger numbers, as countries began to ease COVID-19-related border restrictions, market watchers said. In particular, Japan, Taiwan and Macao resumed no-visa entry programs for Korean tourists in Q4 of last year, bolstering the demand for Asia-bound flights, the majority of which are dominated by low-cost carriers.<br/>
Airbus and Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) have joined together to study the feasibility of establishing a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production site in Quebec, and to fly an A220 powered by 100% SAF. They have partnered on the effort with Quebec fuel development company SAF+ Consortium, and the project has backing from Quebec’s government, P&WC parent Pratt & Whitney (P&W) said on 21 April. “Key areas of collaboration include SAF research and testing, including flight testing blends of up to 100% SAF on an Airbus A220 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines,” says P&W. Canada needs to get cracking on SAF production if it has any chance of meeting output goals. As of late 2022, the country had “no meaningful” SAF production, but the federal government has an “aspiration goal” for SAF to account for 30% of the aviation sector’s fuel usage by 2030, says Canada’s Aviation Climate Action Plan, updated in 2022. The USA is not much better positioned. A March US government report said SAF accounted for only 0.09% of US airlines’ jet fuel usage in 2022. Airlines globally view SAF as critical to them becoming carbon neutral by 2050. P&WC, Airbus and SAF+ intend to spend some C$17m ($12.5m) on their new SAF partnership, says P&W. The Quebec government’s “funding can reach up to 50% of the total amount invested in the project,” and will be awarded through 2027, says Airbus.<br/>
Marathon commercial flights that test the limits of long-range jets are getting help from an unlikely source to avoid falling short of their destinations: machine-learning algorithms. At times, Air New Zealand has struggled to get all the way to Auckland from New York in a single hop using its Boeing 787s. Qantas, meanwhile, is adding extra fuel tanks to its Airbus A350s before attempting non-stop trips from Sydney to New York and London in late 2025. The 20-hour flights are set to be the world’s longest regular passenger services. Both airlines are relying on data-hungry software to plot fuel-efficient flight paths and avoid unplanned and embarrassing stops to refuel. The route-planning programs can help pilots avoid heavy weather and catch a tailwind, or even tell them to fly slower to burn less kerosene — anything to squeeze extra miles from the tanks. And rather like an internet search engine that learns on the go, the mapping software is designed to get better the more it’s used. Artificial intelligence is rippling through aviation’s decades-old manual systems, impacting everything from ticket sales to cockpit procedures. While route planning is hardly new, AI offers carriers new ways to save money and fuel as ultra-long voyages proliferate and the mammoth task of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 looms. Flightkeys GmbH calculates about 300,000 flight plans each day for customers including Southwest., American Airlines and Air New Zealand. Story is an edited interview with Raimund Zopp, co-founder and head of innovation at Vienna-based Flightkeys. Zopp, 67, is a former Austrian Airlines AG pilot.<br/>