Listen in as Star Alliance CEO Theo Panagiotoulias, the head of the first of the global airline alliances, sits down with Aviation Week's Karen Walker to discuss customer experience initiatives and focus areas.<br/>
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During United’s Q2 earnings call on Thursday, CCO Andrew Nocella declared that low-margin rivals have “largely run their course.” “The thing that’s very interesting is the growth line by these carriers is extremely unprofitable — just the business plans, in some cases, they largely run their course,” Nocella said on the call. “And there’s just no new opportunities available today.” His comments come as a glut in domestic capacity dragged down United’s and Delta’s third-quarter outlook, two airlines that have stood out in recent years due to their international networks, premium seating and lucrative loyalty programs. Much of that domestic overcapacity has been spurred by ultra-low-cost carriers, which has caused airlines to aggressively discount fares in domestic markets. Coupled with rising costs, the airline industry has been falling short of expectations when it comes to profits. But United executives are bullish that the sector will course correct on the overcapacity in August, with many repeatedly describing it as “unprofitable flying” for their low-cost rivals. “The unprofitable capacity is just not sustainable,” Nocella said. While Delta and United continue to make up the majority of profits in the U.S. airline industry, others like Southwest, JetBlue, Spirit and Frontier have been looking for other ways to restore their profitability. <br/>
Canada’s largest airline has been ordered to pay a family of five who were separated on what’s being described as a “traumatizing” flight last year. Last month, the Small Claims Court of Nova Scotia found the family was entitled to $4,199.35 in compensation from Air Canada for their extended visit to India. The Halifax family was seeking a full refund, flight delay compensation and damages worth a total of $20,000. In 2023, the family — a man, woman and three young daughters, one of whom was just one year old — had gone on an extended visit to India, and while there booked a flight home to Halifax leaving July 8, 2023, and arriving there a day later. They booked on the Air Canada website, leaving from Hyderabad in southern India to New Delhi, New Delhi to Toronto on AC042, and Toronto to Halifax. According to the court ruling, they paid extra for a Latitude fare, which offered them priority boarding, free baggage and fully refundable tickets. “The family arrived at Hyderabad airport having received text and email messages from Air Canada — first that there was a flight delay on the Delhi to Toronto flight, and then that this flight had been cancelled due to mechanical issues. Several proposed itineraries were communicated,” stated the ruling by Adjudicator Eric K. Slone. “Ultimately, Air Canada notified the Claimants that they had been booked on an alternate itinerary from Hyderabad to Mumbai, Mumbai to Newark, N.J., and Newark to Halifax. They arrived home in Halifax slightly less than five hours later than originally planned. However, the flight experience was difficult and unpleasant, perhaps even traumatizing.” Story has more.<br/>
An Air India plane flying from Delhi to San Francisco made a precautionary landing in the Russian region of Siberia after the crew detected a potential issue in the cargo hold area, the Indian airline said on Friday. It was the second time in a little over a year that an Air India flight on the same route made an unscheduled landing in Russia. Many carriers, including U.S. and European Union airlines, avoid Russian airspace following the war in Ukraine, but Air India uses that route, giving it a flying time and cost advantage on U.S.-bound flights. The Boeing 777 aircraft, carrying 225 passengers and 19 flight crew, landed safely at Krasnoyarsk International Airport, the airline said in statement on social media platform X, adding it was making arrangements for a replacement flight to San Francisco. The airport said on Telegram the plane landed due to an activated smoke detector. A replacement flight with Air India staff from Delhi is expected to land around 4:15 p.m. (0900 GMT) and depart for San Francisco two yours later, it added. Shortly after the incident, Russia's civil aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya, said on the Telegram messaging app the aircraft had taxied to a parking spot after landing and there had been no signs of a fire or smoke onboard. The flight's crew have been moved to hotels, and passengers are in the international departure area, the airport said. Boeing and a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department deferred to Air India for comment on the incident.<br/>
Air India has deployed its latest Airbus A320neo aircraft with new livery and interiors on commercial service as it looks to enhance customer experience on domestic routes. The airline’s new aircraft are now being delivered with the new color scheme and cabins, aligning with its vision of offering world-class service. On July 18, Air India’s latest narrowbody aircraft – an Airbus A320neo – with the airline's new livery entered commercial service. The plane is configured with premium cabins, including business class and premium economy. As previously assumed, its first flight was on the busy trunk route between Delhi and Bengaluru, with high demand for such seats. The A320neo – registered VT-RTN – took off as flight AI 813 from Delhi at 08:22 this morning and landed in Bengaluru at 10:43 after a flight of two hours and 22 minutes, per Flightradar24. The airline is putting the plane to good use and has three more flights scheduled today on the same sector. At the time of writing, it was on its second flight of the day, flying back to Delhi as flight AI 507.<br/>
Thai Airways International (THAI) is among the top ten best international airlines, according to a survey by Travel + Leisure. The national carrier announced on Thursday that it was ranked eighth in the best international airlines category in the survey by the US-based travel magazine. Airline ratings were based on various criteria including cabin comfort, inflight services and customer service. "The ranking reflects THAI's commitment and dedication to providing the highest quality service of international standards," the airline said. According to Travel + Leisure, over 186,000 readers completed its 2024 survey, sharing their opinions on top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines and more. In the survey, Singapore Airlines claimed the top spot, followed by La Compagnie, Emirates, All Nippon Airways, Qatar Airways, Korean Air, Japan Airlines, THAI, Etihad Airways and EVA Air<br/>
Almost 2000 people have applied to start training for a new career in the skies. Applications for the 30 spots on Air New Zealand’s Mangōpare pilot cadetship closed last week. The cadetship will cover the majority of costs, including training and living expenses, for the duration of the programme which is designed to take about 14 months, instead of the typical 24-36 months, to become a fully-qualified ATR pilot. Applicants who met the requirements were invited to complete aptitude tests and interviews online, the airline said. Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and safety officer Captain David Morgan said the enthusiastic response from aspiring aviators is encouraging.<br/>