Alaska Airlines on Sunday announced plans to acquire Hawaiian Airlines in a $1.9b deal. The combined airline will maintain the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines brands but with a single operating platform, Alaska Airlines said in a news release. The company would provide service to 138 destinations, including nonstop flights to airports in the Americas, Asia, Australia and the South Pacific. For residents in Hawaii, the company would offer three times the current number of destinations from the state to destinations throughout North America, either nonstop or with one connection. “In Alaska Airlines, we are joining an airline that has long served Hawaii, and has a complementary network and a shared culture of service,” Peter Ingram, president and CE of Hawaiian Airlines, was quoted as saying in the news release. The deal is likely to face close scrutiny by federal regulators. The Justice Department has aggressively enforced antitrust laws under President Biden, suing to prevent mergers, acquisitions and other deals that could decrease competition in various industries, including aviation. Last year, the department successfully sued to prevent a partnership between American Airlines and JetBlue Airways in New York and Boston. It is also currently suing to stop JetBlue from buying Spirit Airlines. A federal trial over that lawsuit is expected to wrap up this week, with closing arguments scheduled for Tuesday. The Spirit acquisition is expected to deliver the rapid growth that has eluded JetBlue in recent years. In 2016, JetBlue lost a bidding war with Alaska for Virgin America. The airline industry in the United States is dominated by four carriers — Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines — all of which achieved their size with the help of mergers. United, the fourth-largest carrier, controls about 16% of the market, according to federal data. Alaska is the fifth-largest carrier, with 6.4%, followed by JetBlue, with 5.5%. If the Spirit sale is allowed to proceed, JetBlue will grow to control more than 105 of the market. If Alaska is allowed to buy Hawaiian, the combined company will control just over 8% of the market.<br/>
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The family of a North Carolina teenager is suing American Airlines, saying that a flight attendant taped an iPhone to an airplane toilet to record her using the restroom during a September flight. Lawyers for the 14-year-old and her parents say that American “knew or should have known the flight attendant was a danger.” They say the failure of other crew members to confiscate the employee’s phone allowed him to destroy evidence. The lawsuit against American and the unidentified flight attendant was filed Friday in U.S. district court in North Carolina. American said the flight attendant was “withheld from service” immediately after the alleged incident and has not worked since. “We take this matter very seriously and have been fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities,” American said in a prepared statement. According to the lawsuit, the incident happened on a Sept. 2 flight from Charlotte to Boston. The girl said that while she was waiting to use a bathroom in the economy section, where her family was sitting, the flight attendant told her to use one in the first-class cabin. He entered the bathroom first, saying he needed to wash his hands, then emerged a minute later to tell the girl that the seat was broken but not to worry about it. The girl said that after she used the toilet, she noticed an iPhone that was mostly hidden by red airline tape reading “Remove from service” — but the camera flash was glowing.<br/>
It's no secret that our taste changes when we fly. Altitude alters our perception of taste, reducing the effectiveness of olfactory and taste receptors. And that’s not all. Dry cabin air and pressurisation also play a role in diminishing flavours. Scientists estimate that taste is altered by 15% to 30% in this environment. According to tests conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, salt is perceived as 20-30% less intense and sugar as 15-20% less intense. As for coffee, all is not lost, as ways are being found to improve the in-flight taste experience. Alaska Airlines, for example, has been working on the matter, in association with an Oregon roastery, for no less than a year. The aim was to develop a coffee that would satisfy travellers’ taste buds, so that they could enjoy a flavourful experience even in the skies. More than 200 pots of coffee were brewed as part of the tests, with the aim of creating a custom coffee blend based on a roast balancing acidity and toasty aromas. “We tested over 20 variables, including changes in grind, dose, filter paper and filter-pack dimensions to make sure the in-flight experience will wow our guests,” the airline explains. An added challenge was that the resulting coffee also needed to be suitable for drinking with creamer or oat milk. The resulting blend promises “aromatic notes of toasted marshmallows, browned butter and toffee with delicate hints of citrus and cherry”. It will be served on board all Alaska Airlines flights in the United States from Dec 1.<br/>