Casino operator MGM Resorts International is finding Formula One's inaugural stop in Las Vegas is as much of a draw as its slot machines this year, and it is not the only company realizing that travelers are increasingly seeking out experiences beyond the traditional draws for tourists. Global travel has rebounded in a big way in the post-pandemic period, but travelers are no longer plunking down as much cash on souvenirs, and instead splurging on sporting events or concert tickets in new destinations. Airlines, hotels and travel operators are increasingly capitalizing on that, venturing beyond their usual services to arrange bookings for special experiences to keep customers. "Our gaming revenues are up but relatively flat," MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle told Reuters, saying revenue growth was being driven by entertainment, and luxury food and drink experiences. "There's just this appetite for experience at a higher level that people seem to be prepared to pay for." Around two-thirds of total travel globally is now booked online but just about 30% of things to do while on vacation are booked online, said Dan Wasiolek, Morningstar equity analyst. Traditional hotel and flight operators are trying to tap into that business. American Airlines in June started giving loyalty members the ability to earn flight miles and points on entertainment purchases when they book through the airline's website. The company said it has seen a significant increase in members using the site to purchase event tickets.<br/>
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German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock was left stranded in the Gulf after the latest in a series of plane malfunctions that forced her aircraft to jettison most of its fuel. The Airbus A340-300 that was carrying Baerbock on a week-long trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, suffered a technical fault with its wing flaps three minutes after take-off on Monday morning following a routine stopover to refuel in Abu Dhabi. The pilot was forced to spend about two hours flying over the desert and the sea to dump around 80 tons of kerosene to enable the aircraft to land safely, prompting questions about the environmental damage caused by the Green minister’s trip. The 23-year-old plane touched down back in the United Arab Emirates at 5.33am local time. It was unclear whether the planned visit, which was due to begin in Canberra on Tuesday would be cancelled or would go ahead. The German air force, which maintains and operates the diplomatic fleet, said that the fuel dump was a standard safety procedure that was necessary to ensure that the plane was not too heavy to land. It said that it was working at “full speed” to enable the delegation to continue its journey. The glitch is one of a long string of incidents to befall German politicians making international trips with the government’s fleet of aircraft. They trigger regular bouts of angst in the German media about the damage to the country’s international image as a centre of engineering prowess as well as questions about the state of the military. Only three months ago, in May, Baerbock was forced to spend an extra night in Qatar after her plane suffered a damaged tyre and mechanics were forced to fly a new tyre from Germany. In 2018, then-chancellor Angela Merkel had to make an emergency landing when her plane — the same one that was afflicted by Monday’s breakdown — suffered a defective electronic distribution box that caused multiple systems, including the radio, to fail. She missed the opening of a G20 summit in Argentina as a result.<br/>
Airlines in the US and Europe are rushing to find spare parts and engines and avoid flight cancellations after engine-maker Pratt & Whitney issued a product recall last month. P&W’s announcement in July that more than a thousand engines would need to be removed from Airbus aircraft and inspected has forced a number of airlines — including Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Hawaiian Airlines in the US, and Wizz Air in Europe — to change flight schedules or ground aircraft. Wizz has cut its growth target, is considering temporarily scrapping some flights or routes, and had warned that the engine problems are putting pressure on maintenance operations. Spirit told investors this month that with fewer aircraft to fly “we will likely be overstaffed” in Q4 and early in 2024. JetBlue COO Joanna Geraghty told investors this month that the company was looking to lease engines to minimise the fallout of removing “a handful” of engines from aircraft next month. “We are trying to take whatever self-help measures are available,” she said. “But as you know, the supply is pretty constrained.” P&W issued the recall after it discovered that contamination in the metal used to manufacture certain engine parts could cause cracks. Parent company RTX said that about 1,200 of the company’s 3,000 geared turbofan engines would need to be inspected earlier than planned. Roughly 200 of these inspections will take place by mid-September. The GTF engine, which was introduced in 2016, is one of two that can be used in the Airbus A320neo narrow-body jet, the world’s best-selling aircraft. The recalls threaten RTX’s free cash flow, said Melius Research analyst Rob Spingarn, but “arguably worse is the damage to Pratt’s reputation as a provider of reliable large commercial engines”. RTX has promised to compensate airlines. CE Greg Hayes said on an earnings call last month that the recall was “not an existential threat” to either RTX or P&W, but he acknowledged, “it will be expensive”.<br/>
Mount Etna, one of world’s most active volcanoes, started erupting on Sunday forcing a suspension of flights at Catania’s international airport. The Fontanarossa International Airport is closed until 1 pm CET, Aug. 14, the Italian carrier ITA Airways said in a tweet on Monday morning, after a layer of volcanic ash covered an area on the east coast of Sicily where the volcano is located. The eruption took place during the night in the southeast crater of the volcano at an altitude of about 2,700 meters, spewing smoke and ash, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said. The activity of the volcano is now improving, according to the last statement issued on the Institute website at 8:54 am CET.<br/>
Passenger traffic at Spain’s Aena airports exceeded pre-pandemic levels for a seventh consecutive month in July, outperforming other European terminals where traffic still lags 2019. The number of passengers travelling through Spanish airports in July rose 10% year-over-year to 29.7m, state-controlled airport operator Aena said in a statement on Monday. In the first seven months of the year, Aena airports handled 159.2m passengers, 21% more than in 2022, and 1.2% more than in 2019. This year’s rebound in leisure travel was led by pandemic-weary travellers from cooler climates visiting Southern Europe despite rising temperatures and soaring hotel and flight prices. International travel reached around 90% of pre-pandemic levels this year, according to the IATA.<br/>
Britain's labour union said on Monday strikes at Birmingham Airport, which were scheduled to begin on Tuesday were called off after workers employed by Menzies Aviation received an improved pay offer. Plane refuelers employed by Menzies Aviation, accepted a revised pay offer, which included a 9% pay hike, an one-off payment of 750 pounds ($949.80), making temporary staff permanent, and upgrading communications technology.<br/>
The number of air passengers recovered to nearly 84% of the pre-pandemic level in July, government data showed Tuesday. A total of 8.98m people boarded international and domestic flights last month, up 79% from a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The number accounts for 83.8% of the 10.7m tallied in July 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The number of international flight passengers more than tripled to 6.38m in July from a year ago, but the number of domestic flight passengers dropped about 18% on-year to 2.59m as more people traveled abroad. According to aviation industry officials, the flight passenger tally is expected to recover to about 85% of the pre-pandemic level in August thanks to the peak travel season. The data also showed that the number of passengers boarding flights connecting South Korea and China is on an upward trend, with the recovery rate increasing to 25.7% of the pre-pandemic level in the January-July period from 12.9% in the January-April period.<br/>
Brazilian planemaker Embraer Monday shot past market estimates for Q2 results, with its CE voicing optimism about upcoming quarters for the company. Francisco Gomes Neto said in an interview there is a "good chance" Embraer will deliver 80 or more commercial aircraft next year, up from a higher-end forecast of 70 in 2023, and return to a level of 100 or more by 2025, or 2026. The world's third-largest plane manufacturer - after Airbus and Boeing - last topped 100 deliveries in 2017, before hitting snags in an attempted deal with Boeing and then COVID-19-related hold-ups. "Despite the supply chain challenges, we are very optimistic about this year after a good Q2," Gomes Neto said. "We expect Q3 to be good as well and an even better Q4, with new deals in the commercial and defense units expected in the second half." The Brazilian company had previously disclosed deliveries of 47 aircraft in the quarter, seen as a positive sign by analysts who believe Embraer will meet its target this year of delivering up to 200 jets overall - both commercial and business. "We're working hard so next year we can better spread out production and deliveries throughout the year, which will further improve the company's performance," Gomes Neto added.<br/>