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A United Airlines pilot had his license suspended after turning up drunk to work a flight from Paris to Washington-Dulles on Sunday. French media reports that the pilot, identified as Henry W., received a six month suspended prison sentence and was fined E4,500 in addition to having his license suspended for a year. According to local media, the pilot had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.132% – more than three times the legal limit set by the FAA and six times the maximum set by Europe’s aviation regulator. United Airlines did not confirm specific details of the incident, but in a statement to USA TODAY did acknowledge that it happened. “The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority. We hold all our employees to the highest standards and have a strict no-tolerance policy for alcohol. This employee was immediately removed from service and we are fully cooperating with local authorities,” the airline said.<br/>

United Airlines started rolling out Braille placards for seat numbers and lavatories in the past few weeks. The airlines expects the accessibility features to be available across its mainline fleet by 2026. The updates are part of its United Next plan to overhaul all of its aircraft. United’s Chief Customer Officer Linda Jojo said they also help the carrier be more inclusive and welcoming for all travelers. “It’s out on 12 planes right now and it’s pretty simple right now. The Braille is right above the seat, we also have it outside and inside of the lavs,” she told USA TODAY. “We did this from feedback from our own customers, feedback from third parties we’ve worked with.” According to Jojo, United is trying to be deliberate in how it rolls out the new features, which is why the timeline to do so is so long. “Every time we make a change this has to go through an FAA approval because it’s an aircraft part,” she said. “We’re going to stick with what we have, see how it works, see what our customers say, see what our employees say and make sure we get it right before we decide to speed it up or not.” For now, customers won’t have any way of knowing when they book if the aircraft they’re scheduled to fly on will be equipped with Braille signage, but Jojo said that once United’s fleet reaches a “critical mass” of fitted-out planes, they may be able to note those features on the apps and website. The airline said it will "continue to evaluate opportunities to keep customers informed" about the accessibility features as they continue to roll out.<br/>

Singapore Airlines said Thursday it expects competition to intensify in the coming months as carriers scramble to take advantage of strong overseas travel demand that helped the city-state's flagship airline to post a record first-quarter profit. Airlines across the world are investing in improving flight frequencies and adding new destinations to reap maximum benefit of the travel rebound following easing border curbs, even as high cost inflation and elevated fuel prices snap at their heels. "Macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties, as well as inflation, could pose challenges for the airline industry," the company said. Singapore Airlines said it will monitor these trends closely, and adjust its capacity and network accordingly. The airline reported a net profit of S$734m ($554.84m) for the three months ended June 30, compared with S$370m a year earlier. Passenger load factor — a measure of how many seats are filled on planes — for Singapore Airlines was 88.9% in the quarter, compared with 79.0% a year ago. Revenue for the quarter rose 14% to S$4.48b.<br/>

Air New Zealand has announced its first-ever signature cocktails to be served onboard as part of a ramped up business class offering. A new 'Taste of Aotearoa' menu will also be served in the airline's premium cabins featuring the likes of kawakawa and horopito as "indigenous ingredients meeting contemporary cuisine". Together with the upcoming more spacious Business Premier seat layout - as well as the more spacious still new Business Premier Luxe option - the new announcements mark the national carrier upping the luxury factor on its ultra long-haul routes. The extra space, modern fittings and features such as a sliding door for greater privacy make the airline's swankiest seats more similar to those of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines, although there still isn't a first class option on Air NZ.<br/>