Star Alliance receives World Travel Awards this week at a Gala ceremony held at Dubai’s iconic Burj Al Arab. Earlier in the North America edition in August 2023, the Star Alliance Los Angeles airport lounge achieved a remarkable milestone by securing the title of North America’s Leading Airport Lounge for the fourth consecutive year, further solidifying its status as a leader in airport hospitality. Expressing his gratitude for these accolades, Star Alliance CEO Theo Panagiotoulias stated, “We are truly honoured to receive the World Travel Awards for the fourth consecutive year. This achievement is a testament to the relentless dedication of employees within the Star Alliance network who strive to provide consistent and seamless travel experiences.” Panagiotoulias continued, “Our success is made possible not only by the hard work of our employees across the network, but also by the unwavering confidence and support from our valued customers. We are immensely grateful for the continued trust placed in us and our member carriers.”<br/>
star
Canadian flag carrier Air Canada has launched its new offering which extends air-to-rail booking options for customers across major European airports. The agreement relies on partnerships with four major rail partners: SNCF, Deutsche Bahn, Swiss Federal Railways, and ÖBB. Air Canada said its programme would create “intermodal hubs” at European airports with multi-modal ticket options. Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President of revenue and network planning, at Air Canada emphasised how this will ease travel for Air Canada customers. Galardo said: “As a leading global airline, Air Canada excels at flying, but we also know intermodal connections can enrich the travel experience through added convenience and by promoting sustainability. “In offering easy onward airport connections with the national rail systems in France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, we are creating intermodal hubs and opening the door for customers to reach stations at major cities and popular destinations throughout these countries. Moreover, by facilitating the use of rail for the short-haul segments of our customers’ journeys, we can provide sustainable travel options when touring Europe”.<br/>
Lufthansa Group has firmed its commitment to the Airbus carbon-capture initiative, following a provisional agreement last year. The company had been among seven operators to sign letters of intent to take part in the programme. Lufthansa Group’s contract covers pre-purchase of verified carbon-removal credits for 40,000t of carbon dioxide – comprising 10,000t per year for a four-year period. These credits will be issued by Airbus through a carbon-capture offer service, with certificates available from 2026. Airbus unveiled its scheme last year, in co-operation with carbon-removal specialist 1PointFive. It uses technology which filters carbon dioxide emissions from the air and stores them in geological reservoirs. Emissions from aircraft are offset by extracting the same quantity of carbon from the atmosphere. Lufthansa Group says it was exploring this process “at an early stage”, and Airbus states that the German operator was “one of the very first” aviation companies to work with the airframer on the potential role of carbon capture. “Technical [carbon dioxide] removal solutions like advanced and direct carbon capture and storage processes will play a complementary role in achieving our decarbonisation goals,” says Lufthansa Group head of corporate responsibility Caroline Drischel.<br/>
EU antitrust regulators have set a new Feb. 14 deadline to decide whether to clear Korean Air's proposed acquisition of Asiana Airlines, according to an update on the European Commission website. The EU competition enforcer temporarily halted its investigation into the deal on June 23 while waiting for the companies to provide requested information. "There is very good progress with some proposals," EU antitrust chief Didier Reynders told reporters. Korean Air, the country's biggest carrier, last month offered remedies to address EU competition concerns. This included the sale of Asiana's cargo business. Sources said the package also included the divestment of routes to Barcelona, Frankfurt, Paris and Rome. The Commission is now expected to seek feedback from customers and rivals before deciding whether to accept the remedies or demand more.<br/>
Air India appears to have rejigged its extensive Airbus order, splitting the A350 component equally between the -1000 variant and the smaller -900. The airline has also shuffled the single-aisle deal to place greater emphasis on the A321neo. Air India is taking 250 aircraft from Airbus as part of a 470-jet renewal which includes 220 Boeing models. It signed for 40 A350s in June, of which 34 were -1000s. Air India also agreed to pick up six A350-900s which were available for early delivery, having originally been allocated to Aeroflot before international sanctions were imposed on the Russian airline. But Airbus’s latest backlog figures, to the end of November, indicate that 14 of the A350-1000s have been converted to -900s, which means Air India will have 20 of each variant. The conversion leaves the A350-1000 with 212 overall orders – although 16 of these are part of a dormant agreement with Iran Air. Qatar Airways remains the largest customer, with a commitment for 42, while other significant orders have come from Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Etihad Airways, Japan Airlines, Qantas and Lufthansa.<br/>