Southwest Airlines is preparing to launch overnight flights for the first time in its history. After hinting at the change last year, the Dallas-based carrier plans to add overnight flights from Las Vegas and Hawaii, CCO Ryan Green said at an air travel conference Wednesday. The airline still has a few technical and labor details to work out before the flights can begin, but it hopes to get them in the air in about two years, Green said. Green added that he sees an opportunity for about 50 red-eye flights a day at Southwest. Red eyes, so called for the appearance of travelers’ eyes after missing a night of sleep, are ubiquitous at most major airlines. Travelers book them for what are often cheaper fares than daytime flights. For travelers from the West Coast, they also offer the advantage of leaving after work and arriving on the East Coast the next day in time for a breakfast meeting. And airlines like overnight flights because they can generate more revenue from an airplane that would otherwise sit idle at an airport until the next morning. Las Vegas’s Harry Reid International Airport boasted no fewer than 26 overnight flights departing after 9 p.m. on almost every US airline on a random Thursday in March, data from aviation analytics firm Cirium Diio shows. These flights, which are typically over four hours, connect Sin City to cities such as Atlanta, Boston, New York and DC.<br/>
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US discounter Allegiant Air and the union representing its flight attendants have agreed to new contract terms that would give attendants an average 25% wage bump upon ratification. The Transport Workers Union of America and Las Vegas-based Allegiant say they tentatively agreed to the deal, which also calls for flight attendants to receive 3% pay raises annually through the life of the proposed five-year contract. The flight attendants’ old contract expired in December 2022, and the parties started negotiating the new deal in August of that year. The agreement must be ratified through a union-member vote, which the airline says is scheduled for April. Allegiant and the union previously reached a tentative agreement in June 2023, but attendants voted down that deal. “Flight attendants would receive an average wage increase of 25% on the date of ratification, while flight attendants at the top of the wage scale would receive a 41.2% wage increase,” the union says on 21 March. Additionally, members would receive one-time bonuses, with the average bonus being $6,000.<br/>
Brazil airline Gol on Friday reported a net loss of 135m reais ($27m) for the month of January, in the first financial results put out by the company after it filed for bankruptcy in the United States earlier this year. In a securities filing, Gol said the data was preliminary and not audited, adding the numbers were part of a monthly report the company must release during the bankruptcy process. Gol's net revenue for the month came in at 1.98b reais, while its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization stood at 682m reais. Its EBITDA margin for the month closed at 34%. Its net debt in the first month of the year was 20.21b reais, and cash and cash equivalents were at 2.15b reais. Gol is expected to release its Q4 earnings on March 28, according to its investors relations website.<br/>
Spanish airline Air Europa said on Friday personal data of its customers may have been compromised in a security incident that was detected in October last year. The company's investigation showed that name, ID card or passport details, date of birth, telephone number, email address and nationality details could have been leaked, Air Europa told its customers in an email that was seen by Reuters. Air Europa said the company immediately reported the situation to the authorities and costumers so they could take precautions. "Air Europa continues to implement preventative measures in what is an ongoing process of security innovation given increasing incidents," it said. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news, but cited the statement to International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG). IAG, which has a 20% stake in Air Europa, told Reuters that it "would never email (Air Europa's) customers directly". Madrid-based Air Europa in October suffered a cyber attack on its online payment system that left some of its customers' credit card details exposed. The carrier at the time said no other information was exposed without specifying the number of customers affected. Last year, IAG agreed to pay E400m to Spain's Globalia for the remaining 80% of airline Air Europa it did not already own. The deal has not closed, as it is being examined by competition regulators.<br/>
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has disclosed a preliminary agreement to purchase three more Boeing 787-9s, with options for another six. The airline says that the three aircraft would be delivered in 2029 and 2030. El Al adds that the optioned 787s, should they be taken up, would arrive from 2030 onwards, depending on when they are confirmed as well as aircraft availability at Boeing. The airline says it has “flexibility” on delivery dates as well as conversion rights which would allow it to take a different variant. El Al has not specified an engine selection but all its 787s – a mix of -9s and -8s – are fitted with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000s. The carrier estimates the purchase cost of the three aircraft, including spare powerplants, at $650-730m, excluding future maintenance. El Al has yet to finalise the agreement.<br/>
Israeli carrier El Al is considering carrying out a fundraising exercise through a public offering of securities. The airline has not stated the quantity of capital it aims to obtain, and it has not given a timeline. Controlling shareholder Kanfei Nesharim has informed the carrier that it intends to participate in the offering. El Al says the offering could include a preliminary tender for certain investors. The offering is subject to market conditions and a final decision by the company’s board regarding the terms, scope and structure of the offering,” the airline states. “There is no certainty that the offering will go ahead.” Kanfei Nesharim holds about 47.5% of El Al, with the rest of the company publicly traded.<br/>