Flight attendants at United Airlines have voted in favor of a strike authorization, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said on Wednesday. Over 90% of the flight attendants participated, with 99.99% of the votes in favor of a strike authorization, the union said.<br/>It is the first time since the 2005 bankruptcy negotiations that flight attendants at United voted on strike authorization, it added. Over 28,000 flight attendants of the Chicago-based carrier affiliated with the AFA have been negotiating for a double-digit base pay increase and higher pay for time at work - including on-ground duties, retroactive pay, schedule flexibility and work rule improvements. "As Labor Day travel begins, United management is reminded what's at stake if we don't get this done," said Ken Diaz, president of the United chapter of the AFA. The situation unfolds amid new contract negotiations in the U.S. and Canada, where cabin crews at carriers are also seeking compensation for on-ground duties such as boarding passengers and waiting between flights. Last year, United's flight attendants filed for federal mediation through the National Mediation Board (NMB). The union added that it can now request a release from the NMB leading to a 30-day "cooling off" period and strike deadline.<br/>
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One person was taken to a hospital Wednesday after a United Airlines flight was diverted to Memphis because of severe turbulence, officials said. The person was in non-critical condition when taken to a hospital after the flight headed from Cancun, Mexico, to Chicago landed at Memphis International Airport, United and the Memphis Fire Department said in separate statements. The turbulence happened while the airplane's seat belt sign was on, United said. The Memphis Fire Department said six other people declined treatment and transport to the hospital, but the extent of their injuries was not known. Chicago-based United said the 737-900ER aircraft had 172 passengers and seven crew members on board. The airplane was scheduled to resume its flight to Chicago on Wednesday afternoon.<br/>
In an era when sustainability is more important than ever, United Airlines is making tremendous progress with an innovative program that transforms expired life jackets into attractive, practical bags. This effort diverts tons of trash from landfills, which complements the airline's overall commitment to sustainability. United Airlines' innovative strategy not only addresses the aviation industry's waste concerns but also sets a new benchmark for environmental responsibility. Airlines must replace life jackets onboard their aircraft every eight to ten years, per safety requirements. While these life vests may never have been used, they are still considered expired and would typically end up in landfills, adding to the enormous waste generated by the aviation industry. Recognizing the challenge, this Star Alliance member sought a solution that would not only keep these life jackets from becoming waste but also help their overall sustainability goals.United found the answer in collaboration with Bag to Life (B2L), a German upcycling company that turns discarded materials into high-quality products. B2L's expertise in creative upcycling and United Airlines' commitment to sustainability resulted in an exceptional collaboration that helps both the environment and the airline's environmentally-minded passengers. The process of transforming these life jackets into bags begins with a thorough disassembly. The bright orange fabric, known for its endurance, is precisely cut and cleaned before reusing. Zippers, buckles, and other life jacket components are also reused, ensuring that as much of the original material as possible is used in the final versions.<br/>
After a two-year-long bankruptcy process, Scandinavia’s flagship airline SAS AB is now under the ownership of Air France-KLM and private equity firm Castlelake LP, with former Novo Nordisk A/S executive Kare Schultz at the helm of its new board. The move comes amid much overdue airline consolidation in Europe in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and a recent slowing in travel demand. It will also shore up Air France-KLM’s position in the Nordics, a reliable source of active travelers. The restructuring saw Air France-KLM and Castlelake LP — with help from Lind Invest ApS and the Danish state — anchor a $1.2b investment comprised of $475m in new unlisted equity and $725m in secured convertible debt. As part of the process, the 78-year-old airline renegotiated its fleet and restructured over $2b of debt, it said in a filing on Wednesday. Air France-KLM has also agreed to take a controlling stake in SAS after a minimum of two years, so long as certain regulatory conditions and financial performance requirements are met, the carrier said in a separate statement. SAS filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2022, after the pandemic disrupted travel, fuel prices rose and its pilots went on strike. In the aftermath, airlines saw demand surge. Since then, regulators have signed off on Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s purchase of Italy’s ITA, although British Airways-owned IAG SA was forced to drop its plan to buy Spanish rival Air Europa. “It has been a complex process,” SAS CEO Anko van der Werff said in the statement about the restructuring. Efforts by staff, creditors and partners “made it possible to save and restart one of the finest companies in Scandinavia.”<br/>
Lufthansa faces falling ticket prices in its key transatlantic market amid rising competition from both Chinese and U.S. rivals, the German airline's CFO told reporters. Lufthansa's key Asian flights are becoming less profitable as Chinese airlines muscle in on the long-haul market, Joerg Beissel said at a news conference in Frankfurt. "The second challenge we face is in North America, that we can only fill economy class with large discounts," as North American rivals are flying direct to holiday destinations in Europe, eating into Lufthansa's market share, added Beissel. That is in part because U.S. airlines have reallocated capacity after scaling back Chinese flights due to competition. "If you summarise this, then the increased costs and decreased revenue make it clear that we need a structural response" to achieve an 8% profit margin goal, said Beissel. Lufthansa last month warned of a fall in third-quarter earnings as the group that also includes Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings grapples with higher wage costs and a squeeze on ticket prices.<br/>
Swiss International Air Lines had a “mixed” summer season as the carrier’s on-time performance rose slightly to 64.2% but remained below the company’s target of 70%. The Zurich-based carrier, part of the Lufthansa Group, on 28 August blamed the vast majority of the punctuality issues on forces beyond its control, saying “travellers were affected by irregularities [mostly] attributable to exogenous factors such as thunderstorms, bottlenecks in Europe’s air traffic control system and associated knock-on delays”. Swiss adds that it had “prepared itself thoroughly” for the peak travel season, which it defines as 1 July to 18 August. It implemented “more than 80 measures” to improve efficiency as it operated 20,797 flights during the period, up 6% year on year, carrying 2.8m passengers, 8% more than last year. “The summer season faced the entire air transport sector – including our Zurich airport hub – with challenges that were both exceptional and in many cases unexpected,” says CCO and interim CE Heike Birlenbach. “The many thunderstorms we experienced along with shortages of air traffic control resources and the resulting knock-on delays had a sizeable adverse impact on our operations.”<br/>
Boeing’s delays in fulfilling orders has forced Africa’s biggest carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, to lease aircraft to stay on track with its expansion. The Addis Ababa-based company has waited since April to receive 737 Max jetliners and 777 freight carriers, CEO Mesfin Tasew Bekele said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. Boeing hasn’t provided a revised schedule for the deliveries, he said. “We are waiting to hear from them and definitely, late delivery of airplanes will affect our growth plan,” Tasew said. “In parallel with that, we didn’t wait for Boeing to deliver the ordered airplanes, and now we are leasing airplanes,” he said. Boeing didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Commercial aircraft deliveries by Boeing, which is working through one of the most difficult periods in its history, showed signs of stabilizing in July, with deliveries in the month mirroring those in the same month a year earlier. Arlington, Virginia-based Boeing and rival Airbus SE are delaying airplane deliveries as they struggle with persistent parts shortages and workforce turnover that have lingered since the Covid-19 pandemic. The US planemaker faces added uncertainty with a possible strike looming that could shut down its Seattle-area factories next month. Several airlines have warned that Boeing’s late-arriving jets are taking a toll on operations and finances. <br/>
China’s Comac is poised to hand over the first of two single-aisle C919 jets to new operators Air China Ltd. and China Southern Airlines Co., state broadcaster CCTV said Wednesday. The double delivery event marks the first planes to be dispatched to the two carriers from a mega 200 jet order for C919s worth $20.7b that was announced in April. Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd., seeking to become an alternative to Boeing Co. and Airbus SE, is vying for a greater share of the global commercial jet market by first starting to ink deals domestically. Its C919 plane currently isn’t certified by any air safety regulators outside of China and so therefore can only fly locally. Wednesday’s deliveries would take the total number of airlines flying the C919 to three, including China Eastern Airlines Corp. The trio, often referred to as China’s Big Three, have in total signed up for over 300 C919 jets.<br/>
Air India is making it easier for its crew to report crime or security related issues and is reviewing its hotel selection criteria after a flight attendant was assaulted in a hotel room in London earlier this month. The airline has since relocated its cabin crew to an another hotel in London and is reviewing selection policies with emphasis on comfort and safety. Air India also updated internal processes enabling crew to report safety and security related concerns. Last year the airline had selected Coruson software application for reporting of in-flight safety incidents. <br/>"We have also modified the Coruson system with tabs so that crew can more easily log safety or security concerns, and we encourage you to use this channel rather than informal ones so that issues can be tracked and overseen by the safety & security department," Air India's managing director & CEO Wilson Campbell wrote to employees in an email last week. Filing of complaints on Coruson system will enable it to record issues and resolve them in a co-ordinated manner, officials said.<br/>
Japan’s largest airline, All Nippon Airways (ANA), has taken in-flight entertainment to a new level by launching a Pokémon-themed safety video. In an exciting partnership with the Pokémon Company, ANA has debuted these unique safety videos on its specially designed ‘Pikachu Jet NH’ and ‘Eevee Jet NH’ aircraft as part of a thrilling Pokemon Air Adventures initiative. According to the airline, millennials and Gen Z now make up over 50% of its air travelers, so ANA has decided to expand their focus on Pokémon-themed entertainment. The Japanese carrier believes that its safety video, which features well-known and beloved Pokémon characters, delivers important safety information clearly and engagingly for passengers worldwide.<br/>
Air New Zealand said annual profit more than halved as a weak economy sapped domestic demand and competition on international routes intensified. Net profit slumped almost 65% to NZ$146m ($91m) in the 12 months ended June 30, the Auckland-based airline said on Thursday. It expects tough trading conditions to continue through the first half of the 2025 financial year and declined to provide guidance on the earnings outlook. “The challenges we are facing are not unique to Air New Zealand,” CE Greg Foran said. “Supply chain and aircraft delivery delays, growing costs and a shortage of labor in key areas like engineering are major issues facing many airlines across the global aviation industry. While these issues continue to play out, Air New Zealand is expecting a challenging year ahead.” New Zealand’s economy is forecast to slip into its third recession in less than two years, curbing ticket sales on the national airline’s domestic network, while elevated competition from US carriers also dented its financial performance. Air New Zealand said maintenance requirements for Pratt & Whitney PW1100 engines worldwide have meant that as many as six of its newest and most efficient Airbus neo aircraft have been out of service at times. Ongoing additional maintenance requirements on the Trent 1000 engines that power its Boeing Co. 787 fleet, as well as reduced levels of spares in the market, have also hampered operation of as many as three Dreamliners.<br/>