United Airlines has reportedly set its sights on expanding the Polaris Lounge at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). According to Zach Griff from The Points Guy, who saw United Airlines internal memo and confirmed it with the carrier’s spokesperson, the Polaris Lounge expansion project will add more seating space, additional restrooms, and premium amenities. The renovation, which will increase the lounge’s square footage from 16,000 to 25,000, is set to begin on September 3, 2024. According to the report, the Polaris Lounge will be closed in phases: first partially, then fully through 2025, and will reopen in the spring of 2026, ahead of the busy summer travel period. The Polaris Lounge at Chicago O'Hare International Airport is located in Concourse C, near Gate C18. According to the carrier's website, the lounge is open between 6 AM and 9 PM daily. The lounge currently has showers, allowing travelers to freshen up before or during their long-haul trips. Travelers can also enjoy private rest areas with daybeds, soft lighting, and gentle white noise. In this particular location, passengers can choose between speedy buffet choices or sit-down dining.<br/>
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SAS and Delta Air Lines are prepared to accept a partial approval of their extensive SkyTeam codeshare if US regulators feel there is a need to examine the situation which led US operator JetBlue Airways to object to the tie-up. JetBlue has been seeking to codeshare with Air Serbia on routes from the USA to European Union destinations, via the Serbian capital Belgrade. But authorities in Italy and Croatia have refused to allow the JetBlue proposal, citing traffic rights, and JetBlue argues that the US Department of Transportation should hold off approving the SAS-Delta codeshare until the reasons for the refusal are clarified. Responding to JetBlue’s objection, SAS and Delta point out that their codeshare proposal is “very different factually” from that of JetBlue. JetBlue is looking to codeshare with a non-EU airline, via a non-EU point, whereas SAS-Delta involves US-EU and beyond markets, and only US and EU carriers. SAS and Delta state that the refusal of Italy and Croatia to approve JetBlue’s Air Serbia codeshare apparently relates to its being in breach of European Common Aviation Area regulations. “[We] at this time do not know whether the interpretation of the ECAA agreement advanced by Italy and Croatia is correct or not,” they add. They believe this issue is ultimately “not relevant” to the approval of the SAS-Delta codeshare, which is due to take effect from 1 September when SAS joins SkyTeam.<br/>
SAS Scandinavian Airlines will shift from Star Alliance to SkyTeam in September, following an Air France - KLM's acquisition of a minority stake in the company. As of this September, SAS will add its flight numbers and designator code onto Air France’s service between Paris and Zagreb, as well as KLM’s flights between Amsterdam and the Croatian capital. Similarly it will codeshare with KLM between the Dutch carrier’s hub and Belgrade as of next month. From September, SAS is ending its codeshare partnership with Croatia Airlines on services between Zagreb and Skopje, Sarajevo, Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, and Zurich, as well as between Split and Zurich. Furthermore, its codeshare with Austrian Airlines between Vienna and Skopje, Sarajevo, and Zagreb will be terminated, as well as between Munich and Zagreb, operated by Lufthansa. For now, SAS will continue to maintain its codeshare on Star Alliance member LOT Polish Airlines on services between Warsaw and Belgrade, Podgorica, and Zagreb.<br/>
A Boeing 777 aircraft operated by Swiss International Air Lines flying from Tokyo to Zurich made an emergency landing in Kazakhstan on Saturday due to a medical incident onboard, followed by issues after the aircraft landed, the airline said. The Boeing 777-300ER's nose wheel got caught in the grass and was stuck, requiring it to be towed back onto the runway, the airlines said in a statement. The aircraft will be examined for damage and will be a subject of an investigation. Swiss confirmed that none of 319 passengers onboard were injured due to the incident. "We'll defer to the airline for information about their fleet and operations," Boeing said in a statement.<br/>
The combined value of unused miles with Korea's top two airlines reached 3.5t won ($2.58b) as of June, data showed Sunday, amid the extension of expiration dates following travel disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The amount of such deferred income for Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines stood at 2.52t won and 975.8b won, respectively, as of the end of June, according to their regulatory filings. Compared with a year earlier, the value of unredeemed miles for Korean Air and Asiana Airlines increased 4.5% and 3.5%, respectively. While the operators implemented a policy in 2008 to set a 10-year expiration period for miles, they announced plans to extend the expiration date by up to three years during the pandemic. Experts say the airlines have been making efforts to encourage customers to use their unredeemed miles to avoid potential hurdles in the process of Korean Air's acquisition of Asiana. Korean Air is in the process of acquiring Asiana and has so far obtained approval from 13 countries and regions for the acquisition, with the final nod yet to come from the United States to complete the merger plan.<br/>