Now playing on United Airlines’ seat-back screens: personalized ads. The carrier on Friday said it launched a media platform to serve travelers personalized advertisements on seat-back screens and in its app, among other platforms, as it seeks to leverage customer data. United said its new platform, Kinective Media, is already working with Norwegian Cruise Line, Macy’s, IHG Hotels & Resorts, TelevisaUnivision and JPMorgan Chase, which offers a host of co-branded credit cards with United. The platform is the latest example of airlines trying to drum up new lines of revenue and leverage their lucrative loyalty programs. Delta Air Lines said in early 2023 that it would start offering free Wi-Fi to customers if they were registered members of its SkyMiles frequent flyer program. “Unlike some commerce media platforms, United gives brands across a wide range of industries the ability to reach engaged customers throughout the entire marketing funnel — from brand consideration to conversion — in a way that’s highly personalized and relevant, and we’re already seeing impressive results,” Richard Nunn, CEO of United’s MileagePlus loyalty program, said in a news release. United declined to provide projected sales from the initiative. Customers can opt out of seeing targeted ads through a United web page, and United says advertisers can’t access customers’ personally identifiable information, the airline said. “There is the potential for 3.5 hours of attention per traveler, based on average flight time,” United said.<br/>
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An Austrian Airlines flight suffered significant damage from hail, which took off part of the airplane's nose on Sunday, the airline said. Flight OS434 was flying from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, to Vienna, Austria, when it hit a "thunderstorm cell," Austrian Airlines said in a statement to ABC News. The hail caused damage to the cockpit windows, some coverings and the nose, which photos showed appeared to have broken off. "I think we were about 20 minutes from landing when we got into a cloud of hail and thunderstorm, and the turbulence started," Emmeley Oakley, a passenger on the flight, told ABC News via text message. Oakley said that inside the cabin, they could hear the hail as it hit their aircraft. As the plane -- an Airbus A320 -- was going through the severe weather patch, which the airline said was not visible on the radar to the cockpit crew, a Mayday call was made due to the damage. "We could definitely feel the hail coming down on the plane and it was quite loud and ofc super rocky for a minute," Oakley wrote. Despite the rocky final leg, the plane landed safely at Vienna-Schwechat Airport, with no passengers harmed, Austrian Airlines said. Austrian Airlines' technical team is currently inspecting the damage.<br/>
South Korea, with its many premium customers, is an important market for Lufthansa Group, according to the group’s CEO Carsten Spohr. “Our flights from Korea have increased by 31% and seat capacity by 20% in 2024 compared to the previous year,” the head of the German flagship carrier said during a press conference in Seoul last week. “We are aiming to continue this growth momentum in Korea.” Spohr, who has led Lufthansa Group since 2014, visited Korea on June 5th, 2024, to attend Lufthansa Group‘s Asia regional management meeting. “We prioritized visiting Korea over Japan and China after the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said. Lufthansa Group’s subsidiaries include Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Austrian Airlines AG, Swiss International Air Lines AG, Eurowings GmbH, and Brussels Airlines NV. Its Swiss International Air Lines resumed its Incheon-Zurich route for the first time in 27 years in May 2024. “We see tremendous potential in the Korean market and are excited to offer Swiss International’s premium experience to Korean customers,” he said. “Our flights to Zurich are packed with Korean travelers, which indicates high consumer demand.”<br/>
Riyadh Air has signed a strategic cooperation memorandum of understanding (MoU) with EGYPTAIR. The MoU will provide guests of both carriers a variety of exclusive benefits when travelling between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, according to a press release. It will offer greater connectivity to a range of other domestic and international destinations across the Middle East and Africa. The agreement was signed at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was held on 4 June 2024 in Dubai. Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, said: "As a close neighbouring country to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt is a market where we anticipate significant traffic both to and from Riyadh and Cairo, so it’s critically important that we work closely together to further drive demand.” “The partnership will offer our guests much more choice between Riyadh and Cairo, plus a wider range of destinations. There will be benefits between both airline’s loyalty programmes and numerous other advantages and rewards that we look forward to sharing with our guests,” Douglas added.<br/>
India is a major aviation market, and a stronger partnership between Air India and Lufthansa is beneficial, Star Alliance CEO Theo Panagiotoulias said. According to him, the association aims to unite its partners to provide unique value to passengers. Both Air India and Lufthansa are members of the Star Alliance, which includes 26 member airlines collaborating at over 50 global hubs to offer seamless connections worldwide. “We need to ensure that the right value proposition is there in India, which is a significant market,” Panagiotoulias added. According to a report by PTI, at the IATA annual general meeting in Dubai this week, Panagiotoulias expressed optimism about the Indian market, highlighting its vast opportunities. “It is all about more choices, options and for a market size of India that is the very best thing.” Upon being asked about the enhanced partnership between Air India and Lufthansa, the CEO said strengthening partnerships within the alliance is highly beneficial. Both airlines have a strong codeshare partnership that ensures seamless connectivity for their passengers. Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the IATA annual general meeting, Lufthansa Group Chairman and CEO Carsten Spohr met with Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson. Responding to a query about the Indian market during a media roundtable, Spohr confirmed having a lengthy discussion with Wilson but did not disclose the details. He also affirmed the potential for the partnership with Air India to extend beyond Star Alliance.<br/>
India's aviation regulator ordered an investigation after a runway scare in which a landing and takeoff took place within seconds of each other. A video purportedly of the incident widely shared on social media shows an IndiGo airline plane touching down at Mumbai airport, one of the busiest in the country, while an Air India aircraft was taking off from the same runway on Saturday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has removed the air traffic controller who was at work at that time from duty and launched a probe into the incident, according to a statement quoted in Indian media reports on Sunday. IndiGo and Air India also responded to the incident in the media. "AI657 from Mumbai to Trivandrum was on take-off roll on June 8. The Air India aircraft was cleared by Air Traffic Control to enter the runway and subsequently cleared for take-off. The Air India aircraft continued with laid down procedures," Air India said. IndiGo said its flight 6E 6053 from Indore landed as per the air traffic control clearance. "The pilot in command continued the approach and landing and followed ATC instructions," IndiGo said.<br/>
The greatest challenge in its existence. That was how Singapore Airlines' CE Goh Choon Phong described the COVID-19 pandemic in a staff memo in early 2020. That year, the national carrier, along with other airlines worldwide, was forced into grounding flights, enforcing hefty pay cuts and as a last resort, furloughing employees as the sector was ravaged by a once-in-a-generation event. But more than four years on, it would appear that this grave challenge has been met with aplomb. With demand for air travel roaring back with a vengeance, Singapore’s airline industry - comprising SIA and low-cost carriers Scoot and Jetstar Asia - now sings a different tune. From experiencing its first full-year loss in history during the pandemic, SIA in May reported a record profit of S$2.68b (US$1.99b) for the fiscal year ended March 2024. The reward? A bonus of almost eight months' salary for staff. For Scoot, signs of growth were evident when it received the first two of nine Embraer aircraft in April, with CEO Leslie Thng noting that this “reflects our confidence in the demand for air travel”. Jetstar Asia, meanwhile, expects passenger capacity to exceed pre-COVID levels by the end of 2024. A spokesperson told CNA the airline will continue to focus on expanding its network of routes, increasing fleet numbers and recruiting more manpower. But it's not all clear skies. SIA Group’s financial statement in May gave some clues, pointing to increased competition from other airlines possibly leading to reduced revenue. “The airline industry continues to face challenges including rising geopolitical tensions, an uncertain macroeconomic climate, supply chain constraints and high inflation in many parts of the world,” the group - which comprises SIA and Scoot - further cautioned. Some of these came to bear last month when Scoot cancelled several flights citing a "variety of operational reasons", which included “supply chain issues”. <br/>
Thai Airways will place its cargo capacity on the WebCargo by Freightos platform to offer forwarders access to real-time booking, pricing and payment services. Over the next few months, the national carrier of Thailand will integrate its cargo capacities into WebCargo’s platform, said Freightos. In its initial phase, this collaboration will open up Thai Airways’ network to some freight forwarders in Australia, Japan, Thailand, and the UK. Forwarders will be able to book and pay for air cargo directly with WebCargo Pay, an integrated payment solution that enables payments and reconciliations. “By helping forwarders of different sizes easily book and pay for Thai Airways capacity on WebCargo’s platform, we are not only expanding digital access to one of Asia’s largest air cargo networks but also continuing our mission to help evolve how cargo bookings and payments are handled,” said Manuel Galindo, chief revenue officer of Freightos. “With WebCargo eBooking and Pay, Thai Airways will be able to expand their audience and provide their customers with smooth access to flexible credit and payment options, and to complete their bookings in seconds.”<br/>
Air New Zealand is pausing its Auckland to Nouméa service until the end of September due to ongoing civil unrest in New Caledonia. Services will stop from today until September 28, 2024. Air New Zealand general manager short-haul Jeremy O’Brien said the continued closure of the airport and ongoing uncertainty has made it challenging to continue operations in New Caledonia in the short term. “We understand that this will be disappointing for customers who have travel plans to and from Nouméa and we apologise for the disruption this causes. It’s not a decision we have taken lightly, and we’re committed to returning to Nouméa after 28 September.” Riots erupted in the South Pacific archipelago after French lawmakers approved changes to the French Constitution allowing residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to vote in provincial elections. Customers booked directly with Air New Zealand to travel to Nouméa will have their flights automatically held in credit. Due to limited options and continued uncertainty in the region, customers will not be rebooked on flights to Nouméa via alternative services. Customers can also opt to receive a full refund on their booking.<br/>