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A federal labour arbitrator has given Air Canada the green light to test a strand of a flight attendant's hair for drugs after two of the man's housemates — and fellow employees — claimed he was smoking a bong and making jokes about hijacking. According to a decision posted last week, the flight attendant — known as CB — was expelled from a home housing 14 Air Canada employees, following a group meeting prompted by his behaviour. Two of CB's fellow cabin crew members wrote reports which made their way to a Vancouver-based service director manager for Air Canada — sparking a request for a strand of CB's hair along with a battle between the airline and the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The decision provides a window into the lives and responsibilities of the cabin crew members tasked with looking after the safety of passengers on the country's largest airline. It also highlights the question of hair strand testing — which the union was already in the process of grieving when CB's situation arose. Arbitrator William Kaplan was called in after CB had already volunteered a strand of his hair on April 18 for "reasonable cause substance testing." The union filed what Kaplan called an "extraordinary" motion to prohibit Air Canada from relying on any information revealed by the test until CB got a chance to challenge the request.<br/>

Air Canada is to install Panasonic Avionics’ Astrova in-flight entertainment (IFE) solution on 80 aircraft across its fleet, with line-fit and retrofit options of the scalable, modular design starting in 2025. The line-fit of Air Canada’s Airbus A220-300 aircraft will mark the first time Astrova will be installed on the type. It will also be fitted from new on the Canadian carrier’s Boeing 787-10s and the A321XLRs, alongside being retrofitted on A321s. “With its flexible design and modular approach to upgrades, we are confident that our award-winning Astrova IFE solution will enhance Air Canada’s brand and increase passenger engagement for many years to come,” says Herman Abbes, vice president of global sales at Panasonic Avionics Corporation. Passengers using the Astrova system can benefit from up to 100W of DC power via USB-C cable available in all phases of flight. The manufacturer’s removable peripheral bar can also be “quickly swapped to unlock new upgrades and features to services like USB power, Bluetooth technology, and other standards that may change or evolve over time,” adds Abbes, which will leverage Panasonic’s new IFE software platform to support the product’s applications and software.<br/>

Croatia Airlines has ruled out the potential introduction of long-haul operations, noting that both its current and future network planning will be focused on Europe. The carrier’s CEO, Jasmin Bajić, told the “Regional International” magazine, “Croatia Airlines’ fleet, both current and future, is adapted for regional intra-European traffic. Our primary role is to ensure connectivity within Croatia and maintain year-round links with international destinations. Additionally, given Croatia’s tourism-driven economy, we allocate capacity for strategic leisure routes, even during the winter months when other carriers may not operate”. Bajić added, “Throughout the summer season, we prioritise connectivity while celebrating our two decades of membership in Star Alliance. This alliance enables us to provide substantial capacity to Star Alliance hubs, offering access to a wider array of destinations than our standalone operations could do. While overseas markets play a significant role in Croatia Airlines’ overall traffic, we prioritise efficient connections through our Star Alliance and codeshare partners”. The Croatian carrier had transatlantic aspiration in the past. In the summer of 1994, the airline planned to lease a Lufthansa DC-10 aircraft to commence services between Zagreb and New York JFK. The airline had even gone as far as scheduling the flights, subject to government approval, however, the plans were dropped overnight. In 2013, the carrier’s management expressed renewed interest in introducing long-haul flights. Its CEO at the time, Krešimir Kučko, said, “In the future, it is my desire to include intercontinental flights in our network. I would like to see the long-haul model move from the dream phase to the planning phase, and then to the implementation phase”.<br/>

The severe turbulence that killed one passenger and injured dozens on a recent Singapore Airlines flight led to to sudden changes in altitude and airspeed, Singapore’s Transport Ministry said on Wednesday. Flight SQ321 encountered turbulence about 10 hours into a 13-hour trip to Singapore from London last week, officials said. Many of the 211 passengers had just finished breakfast. The turbulence hit as the plane was traveling over southern Myanmar at an altitude of 37,000 feet, the Transport Ministry said in a preliminary report on Wednesday. When the plane rose unexpectedly by 362 feet, probably because of an updraft, its autopilot pitched it downward, the report said. The plane also sped up unexpectedly around the same time, and the pilots manually hit a brake in response. All of that activity probably caused the injuries to the passengers and crew members as the plane lost about 178 feet of altitude in less than five seconds, the report said. People who were not wearing seatbelts became airborne before falling back down. The plane was diverted to Thailand, where it landed safely. Officials later said a 73-year-old man from Britain had died on board and that 71 people had been injured.<br/>