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A United Airlines pilot has been charged with criminal mischief for allegedly using an ax to destroy a barrier gate at an employee parking lot at Denver’s airport, telling authorities he was trying to help several drivers exit and “he just hit his breaking point.” Kenneth Henderson Jones, 63, is accused of repeatedly striking the metal parking arm with a long-handled ax Aug. 2, knocking it off of its base and then fleeing on foot when a lot attendant confronted him. The employee told investigators he was able to grab the weapon from Jones during a scuffle near a security fence. The pilot then ran into a nearby field, where he was taken into custody by Denver police. According to a report by the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Jones told a deputy that about six vehicles were behind each of the parking lot’s three exit gates, so he retrieved the ax from his parked car to help the drivers leave. “Kenneth started by saying he just hit his breaking point,” the report stated. Jones, who was released shortly after the scuffle, did not immediately respond to a phone message left by The Associated Press on Friday evening. A statement issued by the airline Friday said Jones “was removed from the schedule and is on leave while United conducts an internal investigation.” The manager of the lot said it would cost about $300 to fix the damaged parking arm, according to the sheriff’s office report.<br/>

Canadians vented their frustration against airlines on social media last week after prices of commercial flights out of Yellowknife soared up to 10-fold above normal just as residents were ordered to evacuate due to raging wildfires. Carriers including Air Canada have pledged to cap prices on Yellowknife flights as most of its roughly 20,000 residents evacuated due to a large approaching blaze. But that can take time, analysts say, since airlines must manually override automated systems that raise fares in the case of higher demand. Story looks at how airlines deal with a sudden surge in demand on a particular route. Airlines set a range of ticket prices based on factors like purchase timing and demand. They then allocate seats to each fare, explained Chris Amenechi, founder of startup SeatCash, which offers subscribers a product that predicts future flight prices. A demand spike would lead lower-priced fares to sell out and shift to higher priced fares. "The system doesn't know it's a disaster and when it happens, then companies have to make a decision to override the system,” said Amenechi, a former commercial airline executive. "In a place like Yellowknife, there are (limited) flights and if all the flights are full you can just imagine how expensive it's going to be because nobody has an open seat." He said in some cases only one first or business class seat may be available. Air Canada said that social media examples of flights for C$4,500 ($3,322) from Yellowknife to Calgary were aggregated fares from booking websites. Some of the flights involved several stops operated by other carriers, with some trips lasting as much as 21 hours, compared with a two-hour normal non-stop flight to Calgary. "We endeavour to get these aggregated fares corrected where possible," Air Canada said. Air Canada said it canceled a business class fare of around C$1,000 and made it into a regular fare on one flight out of Yellowknife. They also said they refund passengers who purchase a fare before it is corrected. Travel site Expedia Group said air partners set flight prices and availability on its site. "Airlines are free to adjust the prices and availability they display."<br/>

The two largest Canadian carriers have cancelled flights to Kelowna and Yellowknife as wildfires threaten both communities. Air Canada will cease flying to Yellowknife on 19 August in response to a massive wildfire that has prompted the city’s full evacuation. ”At this time, there will be no flights to or from Yellowknife on Saturday… due to the government evacuation order,” the carrier said on 17 August. ”We plan to operate as the situation permits.” The capital city of Northwest Territories, Yellowknife is threatened by a massive blaze advancing from the west that could reach the city this weekend, depending on shifting wind conditions. All Yellowknife residents have been ordered to evacuate the city by 18 August. The carrier boosted operations to Yellowknife ahead of the weekend, doubling flights on 17 August and adding one flight to its regular twice-daily service the following day. Fellow Canadian carrier WestJet cancelled 18 August flights to Kelowna, British Columbia due to a wildfire that forced the closure of airspace over Kelowna International airport. The airspace has been closed to ”allow aerial fire-fighting activity for the wildfires in the Kelowna area”, the airport said on X, the social media company formerly known as Twitter. “All arriving and departing flights have been cancelled until further notice.” ”We’re doing everything within our capacity to help loved ones, pets, crew and the community of Kelowna evacuate safely as soon as possible,” adds WestJet, which has posted a travel advisory for the area through 24 August. Air Canada has also cancelled all flights to Kelowna and has ”a goodwill travel policy to enable passengers to make changes to their travel bookings, including offering a full refund on request”, it says. The carrier also addressed social media posts alleging that the carrier has hiked air fares to exorbitant levels while residents of Yellowknife seek air evacuation. ”There have been postings in social media about fares being elevated,” the airline says. ”This is not correct as we proactively at the earliest possible time put in place a cap to limit fares for Air Canada’s direct flights out of Yellowknife. ” <br/>

Ethiopian Airlines will start manufacturing aircraft parts in a venture with Boeing at an initial cost of $15 million, the government's investment agency said on Friday. The state-owned carrier, which is the biggest in Africa, has already signed the deal that also involves the local state Industrial Parks Development Corporation, the Ethiopian Investment Commission said on X, formerly known as Twitter. The venture will make "aerospace parts, including aircraft thermo-acoustic insulation blankets, electrical wire harnesses, and other parts," the commission said. "The investment project is expected to create employment opportunities for more than 300 Ethiopians," it said. The commission did not say when production will begin. There was no immediate comment from Boeing. Other African carriers like Kenya Airways have said that a shortage of parts, caused by the Ukraine war crisis which cut supply of Russian titanium that is an important component of global aviation, has led to flight disruptions. It was not immediately clear if Ethiopian Airlines has also suffered from similar lack of parts. The airline, which has a fleet of 140 aircraft, said in June that its earnings rose by a fifth to $6.1b in its latest financial year.<br/>

South African Airways is restoring its Star Alliance codeshare relationship with Lufthansa Group, with a new agreement centred on Frankfurt services. The African carrier says the codeshare will provide access to the German hub as well as connections to several European destinations. SAA adds that it aims to introduce a similar codeshare with Lufthansa Group operator Swiss, which will cover flights to Zurich and a number of other cities. The prospective Swiss codeshare is awaiting regulatory approval. SAA chief commercial officer Tebogo Tsimane says the resumption of codeshares with the Star partners is a “key step” to “reconnecting our travellers” with a range of international destinations. Lufthansa Group says the re-establishment of the codeshare – which includes links from Johannesburg to Cape Town or Durban – will provide customers with greater flexibility and variety.<br/>