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A Montreal lawyer is seeking the court's permission to launch a class-action lawsuit against Air Canada over non-refundable ticket fees. The lawsuit is on behalf of a passenger who didn't show up for a flight between Miami and Montreal on April 28, 2023. The person was told by the airline that because he bought a basic economy ticket, he wouldn't be refunded. "This is wrong, this is misleading, it's false because, by law, they absolutely have to refund you a portion of those taxes that were collected," said the plaintiff's lawyer, Joey Zukran, in an interview with CTV News on Tuesday. Zukran claims that the taxes and some other fees should be given back to the purchaser. About 3 to 6% of tickets sold are so-called no-shows, according to Zukran, who estimates the lawsuit could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. "Instead of refunding the consumer remitting them to the authorities, which was the purpose for collecting them in the first place, what Air Canada does is keeps them in their coffers. So we're talking about millions, maybe tens of millions [of dollars], and maybe more over the years," he said. The lawyer said his client was billed $91.31 USD in taxes and fees that were eligible to be refunded. "Air Canada collects portions of taxes," he said, such as the September 11 Security Fee (SSF) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) User Fee, "and don't remit them to the authorities when the passenger is a no-show."<br/>

Polish flag-carrier LOT’s CE, Michal Fijol, has disclosed that the carrier has signed for three Embraer E2 jets which will arrive this summer. Fijol was speaking at the European Economic Congress in Katowice on 7 May. “We’ve decided to step up our activities to develop our fleet,” he said, referring to the airport situation in Warsaw, where Chopin airport appears set to expand while efforts persist to create a new hub. Fijol says the airline contracted last year for 11 Boeing 737 Max aircraft – for this year and next – but adds: “We have a contract signed to buy three new-generation Embraer aircraft.” He says the first is scheduled to arrive in July, with the second and third being delivered in August and September. “Owing to our partnership with Embraer, we managed to get these aircraft at a good price and very quickly,” adds Fijol. “In July for our passengers we’ll have the latest-generation Embraer aircraft.” But he stresses that this is “not a fleet-scale decision”, pointing out that the carrier unveiled a tender for 84 new aircraft in April, for which it is evaluating Airbus and Embraer models. Fijol says the fleet renewal is among the step the carrier is taking to achieve “clearly-defined goals” including a 30% market share by 2028.<br/>

Shareholders in Lufthansa aired their concerns to management at the annual general meeting on Tuesday, troubled by the impact of a wave of strikes on profit and service standards as well as a boardroom overhaul that unsettled investors. One top concern was the image of core brand Lufthansa Airlines as a premium provider, following flight cancellations forced by the industrial action as well as operational problems. The board, led by CEO Carsten Spohr, must do more to prevent "service chaos" in future, warned Hendrik Schmidt, a corporate governance specialist at Deutsche Bank subsidiary DWS, Lufthansa's third-largest shareholder with just under 1.5%. "Lufthansa doesn't just need customers, it needs satisfied customers," he said. Shareholders were caught off guard in February when the company announced an exodus of executives, including former CFO Remco Steenbergen. "The permanent crisis was also present in the board," said Ingo Speich, head of sustainability at Deka. Lufthansa announced the appointment of Till Streichert as new chief financial officer on the eve of the AGM, with his three-year term set to start mid-September. Lufthansa took a E350m hit from costly strike action during the first quarter, forcing it to revise down its earnings forecast for the full year.<br/>

Lufthansa Group has named Till Streichert, chief financial officer of technology firm Amadeus, as its new finance head in succession to Remco Steenbergen. The latter, who has served as Lufthansa Group CFO since 2021, will step down from the role later this month as part of a wider management restructuring. Streichert will take up his new role from 15 September and has been appointed on a three-year term. He previously held senior roles at telecoms firms Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom, as well as Boston Consulting. “In Till Streichert we are securing a reputed and internationally experienced financial specialist to serve as the new CFO of the Lufthansa Group,” says Lufthansa board chairman Karl-Ludwig Kley. “Given the continuing challenges posed by the competitive environment worldwide, having a CFO like Till Streichert who is extensively experienced in the capital markets is of vital importance to the Lufthansa Group.”<br/>

Asiana Airlines has resumed its recruitment of entry-level employees after a hiatus of five years. According to industry sources on Tuesday, Asiana Airlines commenced the recruitment process for entry-level positions in airport services, sales, general affairs, and operations management. The recruitment drive is reportedly aiming to fill positions in the double digits. The deadline for submitting applications is set for May 24. The decision to resume the hiring of entry-level employees is interpreted as a response to the growing passenger demand, which has led to a shortage of manpower on the ground. Asiana Airlines had halted recruitment of entry-level staff after the latter half of 2019. This recruitment drive excludes the position of cabin crew. In a similar move, cabin crew positions were also excluded from the recent experienced hire recruitment drive initiated last month. Asiana Airlines said that the recruitment of cabin crew members remains undecided at this time.<br/>