United Airlines, now proudly the largest carrier across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, is already shifting its summer 2024 schedules. Based on this year's demand, the airline has decided to resume a few routes early and push the resumption of another. Though United is gearing up for its largest transpacific expansion, which begins this winter, it is already looking forward to summer 2024. According to Cirium, United will resume two European routes earlier than originally planned next summer. Service from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Athens International Airport (ATH) was set to resume on May 3 but will now resume on March 30. The flight will operate as UA124 on the Boeing 787-10, the largest variant of the Dreamliner family. Departures are scheduled for 17:40 and an arrival time of 10:10 local time on the following day. United will also resume its Washington - Madrid route next April, using the 767-400 to fly to Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport. The route was due to resume on May 4 but will instead return on April 14. Another early resumption is from Newark Liberty International Airport to Dublin International Airport. United serves Dublin year-round from Newark, once daily in winter and twice-daily in summer. According to Cirium, United was due to resume its second daily flight on April 27 but the airline has now changed its plans. Data shows that from March 30, flights will be doubled.<br/>
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Lufthansa passengers flying on short- and medium-haul flights will get the opportunity to experience a new cabin design. It provides a level of comfort and style that is significantly better. Beginning in the spring of 2025, the company will begin retrofitting the existing fleet of 38 Airbus A320s flown by Lufthansa with the new and innovative cabin. New, larger overhead bins allow for vertical stowage of bags, double the amount that may be stored. According to Lufthansa, the bigger by 40% compartments will make stowing bags much simpler and faster. The airline is also providing a tablet/smartphone holder for each passenger. As a result, guests may watch movies and TV shows on their own devices much more easily without having to hold them in their hands or set them down on the folding table. In addition, there will be a dedicated USB outlet for each seat, allowing passengers to charge their mobile devices. New seats from the Italian manufacturer “Geven” will also be fitted on all 38 Airbus A320s, which will provide more legroom thanks to the ergonomic shaping of the backrests.<br/>
Air India has announced plans for a new warehouse that will store 1m spare parts, in a move to aimed at increasing fleet efficiency. The facility will be located near the cargo complex of New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport, and will have a floor space of 5,000sq m. It will store parts necessary for maintenance, checks and repairs of aircraft and ground support equipment. “The warehouse is a major milestone for Air India and a reinforcement of the quality, professionalism, and investment that we are now committed to make,” says Air India CE Campbell Wilson. “This world-class facility will not only boost Air India’s fleet and operational efficiency but will also strengthen India’s aviation ecosystem. The warehouse will offer us more proximate access to and better control over our aircraft spares enabling us to meet any engineering requirement promptly - leading to improved punctuality of flights.” The carrier claims that the warehouse will be the first such facility in India, supporting a full range of aircraft systems and components. It will see 16 “subscale and scattered locations” in New Delhi and Mumbai consolidated into a single location. Air India adds that the warehouse will also support low-cost units Air India Express and AIX Connect, which are in the process of being merged. Air India itself has a pending merger with another Tata Group carrier, Vistara. Air India is set for significant growth in the coming years. Cirium fleets data indicates that it has 114 aircraft in service and 13 in storage, but that its firm orders come to 458 aircraft.<br/>
Air New Zealand is putting out a call for Kiwis to help the airline finalise its next line-up of inflight snack offerings. Earlier this year the national carrier launched the 'Great Kiwi Snack Off', calling it "a nationwide hunt to find new onboard snacks". That triggered hundreds of submissions including several Aotearoa-themed items like hangi pies, pavlova bites and L&P gummies. Now, Air NZ will select five members of the public to help it determine the selection of snacks that will make the final cut. The blind tasting will be conducted at the airline's head office in Auckland and the 'snacksperts' can be of any age, children or adult, Air NZ said. The chosen five will then be asked to give their honest feedback on the offerings, including taste and texture. <br/>The shortlist of finalists come from 30 suppliers, which the airline said it whittled down from more than 400. Air NZ's chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty said the process has made it "really clear Kiwis are passionate about snacks". "So why not give a few of the country's most enthusiastic foodies a chance to be snacksperts and have their say on what we serve on-board?" she added.<br/>