unaligned

The U.S. Transportation Department said on Wednesday it will fine Mexican carrier Volaris Airlines to $300,000 for airport tarmac delays that violate federal law. Federal law and government regulations prohibit tarmac delays of four hours or more on international flights without providing passengers an opportunity to deplane. The department said that in 2021 in Houston, a Volaris flight remained on the tarmac for a lengthy period without allowing passengers to deplane. A similar incident occurred in St. Louis in 2022. Volaris will pay $150,000 of the fine and must pay the other $150,000 if it violates the tarmac rules again within a year. The department has issued similar fines in recent years. "This enforcement action reflects our ongoing commitment to protecting consumers and holding airlines accountable," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. Volaris said the delays were caused by "the saturation of air terminals." "Volaris fully complies with the laws and regulations applicable in all the countries in which it operates, prioritizing the safety of passengers and maintaining strict operational control," it said in a statement. The department said in January 2023 that it planned to seek higher penalties from airlines and others that broke consumer protection rules, saying they were necessary to deter future violations. In August, it fined American Airlines $4.1m for unlawfully keeping thousands of passengers on the tarmac for hours, the largest-ever penalty for violating the rule. American told the department the delays were the result of exceptional weather events, and that the 43 impacted flights represented less than 0.001% of the approximately 7.7m flights operated.<br/>

WestJet Airlines saw a "remarkable" improvement in its on-time performance in April, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, ranking the airline second among North America carriers. Cirium's on-time performance report for April said WestJet's "remarkable 18-point improvement" propelled the airline from tenth place in March to second place this month among North American airlines. In March, 64.2% of WestJet flights landed on time, meaning those flights landed within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time. Last month, the Calgary-based airline saw 82.7% of its more than 15,000 flights arrive on time. That was enough to make it the ninth best carrier in the world for on-time performance, and put it in second in North America, behind only Delta Air Lines. Air Canada was behind WestJet with a ninth place ranking among North America carriers, as 75.2% of the nearly 31,000 flights it flew in April landing on time. It was ahead of only Frontier Airlines, which had 71.5% of its more than 18,000 flights flown land on time.<br/>

A pair of Canadian airline companies are struggling to strike deals with unions representing their respective pilots and flight dispatchers. The pilots’ union representing WestJet Encore’s flight deck crews on 10 May rejected a tentative contract with the airline, a move that WestJet maintains will not immediately affect its regional operations. The deal was rejected by 53% of participating Encore pilots, who are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), as they were “underwhelmed by WestJet Group’s attempts at using compensation to gloss over many of the core structural issues of the operation”. Diederik Pen, WestJet Group’s CE, says that the deal rejected by Encore pilots was structured to address their ”unique concerns”. The company is disappointed by the vote’s outcome, he adds, as the deal is “distinctly competitive within Canada’s airline industry”. Union leadership acknowledges that the contract included fair compensation and scheduling concessions. However, Carin Kenny, chair of the WestJet Encore master executive council, says that airline management ”isn’t doing enough to address the ongoing pilot attraction and retention issues and low morale that remain at our airline”.<br/>Pilot retention has been a nagging issue for regional carriers across North America, as they often serve as stepping stones for pilots progressing to flying narrowbody and widebody jets for major airlines. Negotiations between the pilots’ union and Calgary-headquartered airline company will continue. ”While we will meet with ALPA to determine next steps, we will hold firm on what is reasonable to ensure we can continue providing meaningful employment and affordable air travel to Canadians,” Pen says. <br/>

Play CE Einar Orn Olafsson is wary that expansion of the carrier’s model brings the potential for stiffer competition, although he floats the possibility of using an external base to operate services to Iceland. Olafsson says the Icelandic carrier – having developed rapidly since emerging in 2021 – is seeking to moderate its growth. But he adds that he has given thought to pathways for broadening Play’s reach. “The question is, when is the right time?” he said, speaking to FlightGlobal in London on 9 May. “We are low-cost, leisure-driven airline. “We have to step in where we feel we aren’t in direct competition with Ryanair – or not heavily so. So we have to tread carefully.” Olafsson points to the economics of operating opposite-direction services, using, for example, Spanish crews and a Spanish air operator’s certificate to serve routes to and from Iceland. “I guess that would be the premise of our next base. We’ll just fly to Iceland, instead of from Iceland, and then maybe grow from there.” But while this could potentially lead to serving non-Icelandic routes, Olafsson says it brings competition threats. “We’d only do that if we feel we have the right product,” he states. Play is aiming to increase its fleet, currently at 10 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft, by one or two per year. Although recruiting cabin crew has been easy, attracting sufficient pilots “has been a challenge”. “The Icelandic labour market is such that we’re never the cheapest country,” he says. “Pilots in Iceland have a very decent salary.<br/>

Emirates Airlines started operating with SAF from Shell Aviation at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR), the airline company announced on 15 May. Neat SAF, blended with conventional jet fuel, will supply more than 3,000t into the airport’s fuelling infrastructure network until the end of summer 2024. Emirates will use SAF to fuel some of its flights at LHR for the first time, marking the airline’s largest purchase of SAF to date. The airline is participating in LHR’s SAF Incentive Programme, which was introduced in 2022. Heathrow said in a statement that this programme guarantees the affordability and accessibility of SAF for airlines operating at the airport. <br/>

A shocking incident during turnaround of a TransNusa Airbus A320 (registered PK-TLB) at Jakarta Airport, Indonesia was caught on camera. A ground staffer, most likely the redcap, saluted the crew for a safe flight while ground staff were moving away the mobile stairs from the aircraft. Unaware of the gap that lied ahead of him, he fell a few meters onto the tarmac. Social media comments indicate that the agent didn’t sustain life threatening injuries. Airport authorities have started an investigation into the mishap and assured to take measures to prevent future accidents.<br/>