Southwest is seeking customer feedback on possible changes to its policy allowing free checked bags, suggesting the carrier could scrap another of its defining perks as it tries to fend off an activist investor. The company surveyed select loyalty members and consumers beginning last week about hypothetical scenarios imposing bag fees for lower-cost fares. The questionnaire, part of which was seen by Bloomberg and confirmed by the airline, also sought views on travel habits, loyalty status benefits and booking preferences. Southwest has long stood by its “bags fly free” policy, which executives have said differentiates the carrier from competitors — it’s the only major US airline to allow passengers to check two bags at no cost. CEO Bob Jordan said on the company’s earnings conference call in April that it wasn’t considering a change then “because people choose Southwest Airlines because we don’t have bag fees.” The airline told Bloomberg this week that while the questionnaire focuses more on luggage policy than past surveys, it doesn’t reflect an imminent shift. The company continues to survey customers. “There’s no work currently underway to change our industry-leading two bags fly free policy, but it’s important for us to know what our customers value most,” Southwest said in a statement. “We’ll continue our efforts to track stakeholder sentiment on many aspects of our business model to ensure we remain competitive and current on customer preferences.” Part of the customer survey detailed a hypothetical policy in which Wanna Get Away fares, the cheapest, include only a personal item and carry-on bag, while Wanna Get Away Plus has one free checked bag. The higher-cost categories — Anytime and Business Select — would maintain two free checked bags.<br/>
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Turkish-based carrier Southwind Airlines has failed in a legal bid to overturn a ban on its flying within the European Union. The carrier, which operates services from Antalya, had sought to open services to Finland but was informed in March by Finnish authorities that its flights were not permitted. Finnish transport regulators believe the airline is not owned and controlled by Turkish interests, but rather by Russian entities, a claim to which Southwind has objected. Southwind was subsequently informed by German authorities that it was subject to a landing, take-off and overflight ban, a matter confirmed by the European Commission on 29 March. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency also told Southwind on 29 March that its aircraft were subject to restrictive measures and that EASA was required to remove the airline’s third-country authorisation. Southwind founder Cortex Havacilik ve Turizm Ticaret lodged a formal action with the European Union’s General Court in April, seeking annulment of the “contested act” – the operation of the Commission’s 29 March email regarding the flight ban. The company also sought interim measures in May to suspend the act, have EASA restore its third-country authorisation, and prevent EU member states from blocking the carrier’s flights. While the Commission had simply provided information to Southwind, judgement in the case centred on a specific legal point as whether the Commission’s action was “challengeable”, as Southwind claimed.<br/>
Italian authorities have launched an investigation after two easyJet flight attendants were injured when their flight from Corfu to London’s Gatwick Airport was buffeted by turbulence earlier this week. As a result of the incident, the pilot made an unscheduled landing at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport at 1:48 p.m. on Monday. The two crew members received medical treatment in Rome, and the passengers completed their journey on a replacement aircraft, easyJet said in a statement. Italy’s civil aviation authority opened a safety investigation into the incident, which it classified as an accident due to “the type and severity of the injuries reported.” While neither the agency nor easyJet released details of the injuries, news reports indicated that one flight attendant broke her leg and another had a severely sprained ankle. The incident comes less than three months after a 73-year-old British man died of a suspected heart attack and dozens of other passengers were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight ran into severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean. While turbulence-related deaths are rare, injuries have piled up in recent years, with some meteorologists and aviation analysts noting that reports of aircraft encountering turbulence have also increased. Meteorologists point to the impact of climate change, which increases the difference in temperature between the warm and cold air masses in the upper atmosphere that together form the jet stream of air flowing from east to west around the globe. These air masses collide and unsettle the jet stream, generating greater turbulence.<br/>
Negotiations between Iberia Express (I2, Madrid Barajas) and Spain’s pilots union (Sindicato de Pilotos de España - Sepla) have stalled, forcing parent Iberia (IB, Madrid Barajas) to freeze growth at the regional carrier. The parties are negotiating the possibility of relaxing the constraints under which Iberia Express operates by making changes to an annex in their eighth collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that fixes fleet growth to parity with the Iberia mainline. Iberia had aimed to reach a consensus to expand Iberia Express's short-haul fleet, capitalising on current market opportunities. However, since no deal has been reached with union representatives, growth will be put on hold and the next four aircraft designated for Iberia Group will be integrated into the mainline fleet instead of the budget unit, the airline said in a statement on August 19. “The company is open to negotiation and pushing for a deal with the pilots' representatives,” an Iberia Express spokesperson told ch-aviation. Iberia Express is looking for an agreement that would allow it to better compete against other LCCs, such as Ryanair. <br/>
Aurigny passengers have faced further disruption after technical issues with an aircraft. The problems saw flights to Liverpool cancelled and a number of other routes delayed. The airline said affected customers have been re-booked on the next available flight. It follows a series of recent problems, including a flight at the weekend that was diverted moments before landing. The ATR aircraft requiring maintenance work is the G-PEMB. It arrived in Guernsey in July and was part of efforts to make the fleet more reliable. Sudeep Ghai, CCO at Aurigny, said they appreciated "the patience and understanding of customers affected by the disruption". He added the airline is "in the process of securing additional wet-leased capacity, which will be in service early next week."<br/>
Gabon's new national carrier FlyGabon is now set to launch its first commercial flight on August 31 as it starts with domestic routes, according to an official news release. The launch had initially been slated for August 5. The brand will be operated by Afrijet Business Service (J7, Libreville Leon M'Ba), after the Gabonese government acquired a majority shareholding in the private carrier through a new holding company, FlyGabon Holding, earlier this year. While Afrijet will continue to serve regional destinations under its own name, FlyGabon will initially focus on domestic routes, including the destinations Libreville Leon M'Ba, Franceville/Mvengue, Port Gentil, and Oyem. It will use two 72-seater ATR72-600s purchased by the Gabonese government. TR-LJT (msn 1656) already operates ad hoc domestic flights under Afrijet flight numbers. The second ATR72, TR-LJU (msn 1260), has been parked in Libreville since it arrived from Toulouse Francazal on July 16, ADS-B data confirms. It is to be integrated into the fleet by the end of September, the statement read. By the end of 2024, FlyGabon aims to launch its first international route to Johannesburg O.R. <br/>
Hong Kong Airlines Ltd. is looking to add second-hand Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner jets in an effort to revive its long-haul ambitions after its previous ill-fated intercontinental push nearly sunk the company. The HNA Group-backed carrier wants at least three 787 aircraft to restart flights to North America in 2025, CEO Jeff Sun Jianfeng told Bloomberg News in an interview Thursday. The airline is evaluating Vancouver, Toronto, Los Angeles and Seattle as the new routes, he said. A smaller rival to Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Hong Kong Airlines also said Thursday it plans to restart temporary long-haul flights to Australia’s Gold Coast next year, with a view to making long-range flights a permanent service. The decision to relaunch long-distance flights comes after a contentious HK$49b debt restructuring in 2022, including its strategic push into long-haul markets, that nearly bankrupted the company. Its financial distress forced it to jettison most of its then fleet of 53 planes.<br/>
Budget carrier AirAsia Bhd has secured a $443m dual-tranche private financing to use partly for refurbishing planes grounded during the pandemic, according to people familiar with the matter. Private credit funds Ares Management Corp. and Indies Capital Partners Pte. Ltd. provided a $200m tranche for the refurbishment of the aircraft to get them back in the air, said the people who asked not to be identified discussing private matters. Aircraft lessors provided the other $243m portion to refinance lease liabilities. AirAsia’s structured deal is another instance of the growing popularity of private credit in Asia that is fast becoming a serious rival to mainstream lending by offering higher, floating rates of return. The financing, structured as privately-placed bonds linked to revenue, is secured by the sale of future airline tickets from AirAsia’s key routes, the people said. Evercore Asia Ltd is AirAsia’s financial advisor, while A&O Shearman is its international counsel. Milbank LLP is representing the lenders. Ares declined to comment. A&O Shearman, Evercore, Indies and Milbank did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The financing from private credit funds will help 10 aircraft take flight by October and another 15 in 2025, said Bo Lingam, group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group Ltd., an affiliate of AirAsia.<br/>
A small passenger plane on a domestic flight in Thailand crashed Thursday afternoon shortly after taking off from the main airport in the capital, Bangkok, the country’s civil aviation authority announced. It appeared that all nine people aboard had been killed. Rescuers found no survivors at the crash site in a mangrove swamp in Chachoengsao province about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the airport, reported Thai media, which said seven passengers and two pilots had been listed as being on board. After about an hour of searching, rescuers found badly shattered body parts in the difficult, swampy terrain, said a spokesperson for the provincial government. The names of those on board were not immediately available. However, the spokesperson said they included five Chinese tourists from Hong Kong, two Thai female crew and the Thai pilot and co-pilot. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand said the turboprop plane, a Cessna Caravan C208B operated by the Thai Flying Service Company, had departed Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at 2:46 p.m. (0746 GMT). Air traffic control lost radio and radar contact with the aircraft 11 minutes later, when it was an estimated 35 km southeast of the airport.<br/>