An Englishman owes United Airlines $20,638 in restitution fees for threatening to “mess up the plane” and “arguing loudly” with his girlfriend, which caused the plane to be diverted, according to an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court of Maine. United Airlines flight 883 departed from London at around 8 a.m. on March 1 and was heading to Newark, New Jersey, when a flight attendant informed the captain of an “unruly and physically combative” passenger identified as Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald, 30. The incident began when MacDonald started “arguing loudly” with his girlfriend. The lead flight attendant “kindly asked him to lower his voice as to not disturb the other passengers.” At first, MacDonald complied, but a few minutes later, the crew heard “loud yelling” from the back galley. The flight crew “tried to calm down” MacDonald, who became “verbally and physically aggressive and threatened to “mess up the plane.” MacDonald reportedly also put his hands on the lead flight attendant’s shoulders and backed the crew member into the corner, the affidavit said. The crew and two fellow passengers restrained MacDonald in flex cuffs, and the lead flight attendant determined the flight “needed to be landed for the safety of the crew.” United Airlines said that MacDonald and his girlfriend "appeared to be intoxicated." The flight landed safely at Bangor International Airport in Maine at around 10 a.m. on March 1 where MacDonald was arrested. The flight continued to Newark.<br/>
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Air Canada has temporarily walked back its decision to charge a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares. Under the old policy, customers with fares that didn't offer free seat selection prior to check-in would be randomly assigned a seat at the time of check-in, with the option to change that seat to another available seat for free. However, some Air Canada customers received notices earlier this month stating the airline would soon charge passengers with standard or basic fares to change their automatically assigned seats during check-in. A Facebook account belonging to Ontario-based travel agent Kerry Berlinquette shared an image(opens in a new tab) of a notice she received on April 18. "We're introducing a new seating assignment process for Standard or Basic Fares," the notice reads. "When customers enter the check-in flow, our system will automatically assign a seat free of charge for those who have not purchased a seat in advance … If they wish to change their automatically assigned seat, they can easily do so for a fee." The notice, which stated the change would take effect April 24, triggered a wave of complaints by angry consumers on Facebook, X and Reddit. Following some of the backlash, Air Canada issued a statement(opens in a new tab) to airline industry news website Pax News clarifying the policy change. "What has changed, and is consistent with our branded fares, is that after seats are assigned at check-in for no fee, customers who now wish to change to a different seat from the one we assigned them will have to pay the same fee they would have paid prior to check-in," the airline wrote to Pax News, which reported the airline would continue to assign seats to ensure families on the same booking are seated together for no fee, as per Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations. "This is the practice at other airlines, including some in Canada." However, by April 26, Air Canada had paused the new fee. The flag carrier would not confirm whether consumer backlash had influenced the decision and declined to answer questions by CTVNews.ca about why it had introduced the fee and how long the pause would last.<br/>
Scandinavian flag-carrier SAS has signed the formal alliance adherence agreement which will lead to its accession to SkyTeam on 1 September. SAS is leaving Star Alliance – of which it was a founder – following a restructuring agreement, under US Chapter 11 protection, through which SkyTeam’s Air France-KLM Group will become a shareholder. CE Anko van der Werff says the agreement is a “pivotal milestone” in the carrier’s alliance transition. Members of SAS’s EuroBonus loyalty programme will be able to “enjoy new destinations and benefits” under SkyTeam, he adds. EuroBonus ‘Silver’ members will be recognised as ‘Elite’ level members under SkyTeam, while EuroBonus ‘Gold’ and ‘Diamond’ members will be ‘Elite Plus’. SkyTeam says this will give members access to over 750 airport lounges and priority services at check-in, boarding and baggage-handling, among other areas. “SAS shares SkyTeam’s vision when it comes to delivering a more integrated and responsible travel experience,” says SkyTeam chair Andres Conesa. “We continue to work hard behind the scenes to ensure a smooth transition for customers from the moment SAS joins our alliance.” SAS passengers will be able to connect across more than 1,060 destinations, the alliance adds, including previously-unserved cities in such regions as Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.<br/>
SAS Scandinavian Airlines plans to make a decision between either the A330 and A350 for future widebody fleet operations, considering technology and network suitability, but the winning type remains to be seen, according to CEO Anko van der Werff. Speaking at the Routes Europe conference in Aarhus, Denmark, he said SAS was working through its fleet plan ahead of its expected exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the first week of July. He told delegates that "in the long run, we'll phase out the two widebody [types], but until the end of this decade at least we'll have A330s and A350s. Then you need to make a decision whether it's going to be the one or the other." SAS's widebody fleet currently comprises eight A330-300s and four A350-900s, with two more of the latter on order. In a podcast later, he said: "It's quite logical to think of new tech, the A350 being the newest edition, but the A330ceo does work for us on a lot of our network. We don't know the A330neo very well. We still have a number of widebodies coming in from the A350 orderbook, so for the near foreseeable future, probably at least five years, you'll still be talking about an A330/A350 split fleet."<br/>
EU antitrust regulators have extended the deadline on their decision on Lufthansa's E325m bid for a 41% stake in state-owned ITA by a week to June 13, according to the European Commission website. The update follows efforts by the German carrier to sweeten a package of remedies offered this month to secure EU antitrust approval for the deal. The Commission has voiced concern about the proposed deal's impact on competition on short-haul routes between Italy and Central European countries, as well as on long-haul routes between Italy and the United States, Canada and Japan. ITA's dominant position at Milan's main airport would also be strengthened by the deal, it said. The Italian government has urged the Commission to issue a timely decision on the fate of ITA, the successor to flag carrier Alitalia.<br/>
Turkish Airlines has warned that “problems” at Boeing had held up negotiations over a major jet order as the carrier sealed a deal to deepen ties with the US manufacturer’s rival Airbus. “We aren’t in a rush” to conclude a deal to purchase a mix of Boeing wide-body and narrow-body jets as the plane maker was struggling with “production” and “quality” issues, Turkish Airlines chair Ahmet Bolat said on Monday. Boeing has been forced to slow down production of its popular 737 Max aircraft after a door panel blew out of one of them mid-flight in January. This has had ripple effects through the industry, with US and European carriers forced to trim schedules for the busy summer flying season. Turkish Airlines remains in talks with Boeing over a potential order for 150 narrow-body and 75 wide-body aircraft but is also considering purchasing more planes from Airbus. The carrier last year announced a deal to buy more than 200 Airbus aircraft worth tens of billions of dollars, which was formalised at a closing ceremony in Istanbul on Monday. Airbus also said on Monday that it planned to increase its local production of aeroplane components in Turkey in tandem with the expanded Turkish Airlines fleet. Turkish companies already play a role in Airbus’s supply chain, with more than 30 providing a range of components. Bolat said that while “we never put all our eggs in one basket”, Turkish Airlines would not be hasty in agreeing any deal with Boeing. Boeing declined to comment. Turkish Airlines has sharply increased its passenger numbers and capacity since 2019, bucking the trend in the global airline industry, which has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. It is seeking to boost its capacity further in coming years, and plans to build its aircraft fleet from about 450 planes at present — both Airbus and Boeing jets — to more than 800 by the end of 2033.<br/>
THAI has announced the sale of its entire fleet of Boeing 747-400 aircraft, marking the end of an era when its 18 aircraft once operated long-haul routes. The disposal of the aircraft, once known as “Queen of the Skies", was attributed to their ageing and in line with the airline's route strategy adjustments. THAI delivered its last Boeing 747-400 aircraft, registered as HS-TGG “Pathumawadi", to RPS System Co Ltd. THAI CEO Chai Iamsiri said that the airline currently had 18 other aircraft waiting for decommissioning and up for sale, consisting of Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 series, mostly wide-body aircraft capable of long-haul flights. Thai Airways is currently in accelerated negotiations with potential buyers to finalise the sales, and expects to complete the process soon. This will result in the completion of THAI’s aircraft asset disposal plan. In 2013, the airline had a total of 100 aircraft. However, as the aviation industry felt the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and airlines began their recovery efforts, some older aircraft were retired. These aircraft had long service lives, high fuel consumption rates, deteriorating in-flight amenities, increasing maintenance costs each year, and required significant investments for refurbishment that were not deemed cost-effective for returning them to service.<br/>